#there's too many characters i like and not enough space to field them all

[duthea]

been playing the funny fire emblem game

[bxtonpxss]

[renshengs]

beyond evil (2021) occupies a very interesting space in the larger expanse of crime shows. like, it is a Cop Show. it is undeniably a Cop Show even if the two main characters, who are both cops for very different reasons, are handled with significantly greater awareness and intention than usual.

it is also, impressively, a show that pierces the real ugly rot of 1) police corruption and its overlap with capitalism 2) atrocious real-life lawmaking 3) the poor handling of femicide in stories. i cannot express how abruptly shocked i was to discover that i did not hate the way this show was carrying itself, despite its crime drama genre, narrative about two homoerotic cops, and its murder mystery premise featuring a plot about a serial killer with solely female victims. here is a story that understands its purpose and is so clear-eyed about it that i did in fact tentatively suspend all my wariness about Cop Shows to watch it—and what i got was a scathing response to every serial killer and true crime documentary out there. a narrative that said: enough. enough. look at the way grief rots people from the inside out. look at the way loss ruins lives. do not forget the sufferings of the innocent.

far too many crime dramas possess an incredibly dehumanizing analytical tone to them that goes, “what if these poor women died in brutal gruesome tragic ways? anyway, look at these men and their heroic journey for justice!” it’s why i can’t fucking stand to watch them for the sake of my blood pressure. while beyond evil is not exempt from using such gruesomeness as a part of its horror aspect, the women in this show, particularly the women who were murdered, occupy such a heavy weight over the narrative that it is impossible to reduce them to what they’re usually reduced to: numbers in files, or cold cases. and because the purpose of beyond evil is to examine the ways grief and loss bring about destruction to people’s lives and communities, these women cannot be seen as numbers. they need to be vivid and real; the audience needs to feel their loss as deeply and gnawingly as the townspeople do. as we would in real life.

personally i’m still surprised at myself for liking a Cop Show this much—because the law enforcement sympathy is unavoidable in a cop show—but then i’m also shocked at how immediately this show establishes its awareness of police power. i don’t mean it gives a passing nod, like a brief disclaimer. i mean that you watch until the end and you’re like: oh! the entire fucking show is about police power and its consequences! this entire goddamn show is about cops’ potential for harm and how it destroys lives! the main character only ever became a cop out of desperation because he realized it would protect him from suffering further at the hands of the police. because he realized it was the only way for him to get access to both the information and the legal power needed to take his own steps to solve his sister’s murder. it’s not radical—it’s a cop show. but it is novel. a cop whose relationship with his own occupation is bitterly resigned at best and traumatic at worst.

this is far from an original thought, but truly i think what makes beyond evil worth watching is that it is so incredibly careful with itself. its meta awareness of its own genre heightens it to a tier above other crime dramas—it knows and rejects voyeuristic perspectives into the lives of people who’ve suffered real loss and tragedy, and so it makes the loss inescapable. every direction you look, someone’s life has been irrevocably altered by the murders you learn about in the story. it gives you no space to push away the murder—no, you need to sit directly in its field of impact. all the fucking time. you are not watching the town suffer, you’re suffering with the town. the story sucks you in and makes you live alongside the rest of them; it's why the first watch hurts so raw. because the story refuses to let you take a true-crime approach. because it refuses to prioritize the narratives of perpetrators over human lives. you are there, and you are hurting.

man. really, if you're going to watch anything, watch this.

[whitherwanderer]

Pride Backlighting Tutorial

A few people have shown interest in replicating the pride backlighting I did, so hey, here’s a quick tutorial below the cut.

Enjoy, and happy Pride Month. 🏳️‍🌈

STEP 1 — SETUP

First thing you’ll want to do is find a suitably dark background to bounce the light off of. I use the White Screen housing item dyed Soot Black, available from the Housing Merchant or Apartment Merchant in any of the housing zones for 3000 gil.

I line up 2-3 of them for coverage, but one will do if you're trying to be frugal.

If you don’t have an apartment or an FC room to use, try asking friends, FC mates, or even folks you share a Discord server with. You might even find someone who already has a studio space set up and is willing to let you use it!

Lighting in your studio space should be 0 (though you might have success at 1 as well), so make sure to adjust that or ask the studio owner if they can make that change before you start posing.

STEP 2 — GPOSE

Position your character(s) just a little ways back from the edge of the screen. You want some space between them and the screen so that the lighting can float there without casting a weird circle on the wall.

Hop into /gpose and bump up the “Manual brightness adjustment” to about 120 or whatever level allows you to see your character well enough to pose them. Pose to your heart's content.

STEP 3 — LIGHTS

Here’s the fun part. In the Light tab of the Gpose menu, switch all of your Light sources to Type 1, which has the shortest falloff radius (meaning it doesn't reach as far as Type 2 or 3). I also set all of my lights to one strong color to differentiate them while I worked on lighting—red, green, and blue, all maxed out at 255 (for now).

Swing your camera (still on all default settings) around to your character’s back and up above their head a little ways. This is where Light 1 (red) will go.

Now pan your camera down at about mid-back height and set Light 2 (green) there.

Pan your camera down one last time until you have a nice shot of your character’s butt and set Light 3 (blue).

Spin your camera back around and enjoy this nice little macaw-colored gradient.

STEP 4 — CAMERA

Set your camera angle.

The way FFIXV’s lighting works is partially dependent on how much light is in a shot. It will adjust a lot like your eyes do when you’re entering a dark room from a bright room, or vice versa. Your zoom level and camera angle are going to directly affect the lighting, so set this before you start messing with light strength and color. Sometimes this means weaker lighting will actually light your character better.

I ended up bringing my lights down to around ~160 and boosted the "Manual brightness adjustment" up quite a bit to get lighting I was happier with.

For a straightforward vertical shot, I like to have my Field of View (FOV) at 200 and of course my rotation is set to 90. Zoom in or out as needed. Remember to save your camera angle if you plan to pan around and fix things!

STEP 5 — COLOR

Make it ~queer~.

Take your flag of choice and pick out 2-3 “main” hues. Generally these will be the strongest hues in the flag, if not the only ones. Some flags, like the Pride/Progress/Intersex-Inclusive flag itself, are difficult to replicate for the sheer number of colors that are in it. You can loosely represent a rainbow with some adjustment to the RGB colors, if you’re determined to have a whole rainbow in there.

Shader Note: I recommend picking a shader preset that doesn’t mess too much with color so that colors are represented correctly. You may need to adjust light strength and “Manual brightness adjustment” to be compatible with your preset of choice. Bloom will also heavily affect the way your colors are showing up, so you may need to tone down the bloom FX or toggle it off entirely. This all depends on your preset, however.

If you’re not into RGB math, here are some cheat sheets! Not every flag is represented here of course, but I tried to cover as many colors as I could so that you could grab a color from another flag as needed! Please note that colors will need some adjustment for your own screenshot, presets, and preferences.

And that’s it, y’all! 🏳️‍🌈

(Open this image up in a new tab for more detail.)

These were taken using a heavily customized shader for that nice glowy effect.

[hauntedestheart]

Ok so I just found and read Security Measures and I’m kinda actually in love with Dante. Do you think he might make a return? Ngl he seems like a prime opportunity for some Consensual Possession(tm) fun for the boys.

Since "Security Measures" is just a bunch of non-linear vignettes I didn't actually have any plans for Dante to return, but this was such a sweet ask that I was inspired to revisit his character!

I wanted to try and explore what "consensual possession" would be like but fair warning, it does get pretty explicit towards the end.

----

Extra Security: Dante (Male Possession)

A side story from the Security series detailing a meeting between Andy and Dante, the friendly body hopper they met in Security Measures - Bodyhoppers

Robin's Egg Brew was located right on the edge of campus so despite its eye roll inducing name (and painfully blue decor), it did good business. It was a minor miracle that Andy had managed to snag a seat at a small table because the place was packed with bodies, and while Andy wasn't the type of guy who minded waiting fifteen minutes to get his order, the crowd did present him with a problem- the person he was meeting up with a body hopper, who could be anyone in the room.

Since their first encounter and the subsequent hookup, Dante had become a friend to Andy and a sometimes fuckbuddy whenever the stars aligned for a three-way with Trevor- although his unusual lifestyle meant that they couldn't get together too often. When they did hook up, it was always with Dante's real body (because Trevor said it would be "hypocritical" of them to take advantage of one of Dante's hops), but when it was just him and Andy hanging out as buddies there was no telling who he'd turn up as.

Normally, Dante would send a quick selfie to let Andy know who to look for, but today he was being strangely evasive and had only given his friend one clue.

💪🏿Dante🐇: You'll know it's me- just look for the hottest guy there.

Andy read the text again, humming thoughtfully under his breath, and took another look around. Seated with his back to the wall he had a good vantage point of the rest of the cafe, and he casually took a sip of his coffee as a cover while he eyed the other patrons and tried to scope out which one his friend was hiding inside of.

He'd seen enough of Dante's "conquests" to have a sense for his friend's taste, so he felt pretty confident he could figure it out on his own. The first thing he did was disregard all the women- Dante had explained that while there were hoppers who enjoyed crossing gender lines, he wasn't one of them. There weren't many older people in the cafe, but Dante liked to stick to his own age demographic anyways, so the few that were present were off the list as well.

It was tougher to thin the field after that. Dante had made his preference for bigger guys clear (his jokes about how he wanted to take Andy's stacked body out for another spin always ended with a "hahaha... unless?") but that still left quite a few options. The easy choice was the burly dude who looked like a lumberjack reading by the window, but he had a waxed mustache and Dante would never. There was a guy from the university wrestling team (still in a form fitting singlet, extra points) who seemed like a promising lead, but he was disqualified after his girlfriend showed up and the two started making out.

Andy was still debating between the chubby dude with glasses waiting in line and the gym rat who had just come out of the bathroom when he felt a hand on his shoulder; he instantly lit up when he saw who it was.

"Trevor!" he exclaimed, unable to contain his excitement at the sight of his skinny little brown skinned boyfriend. He squeezed Trevor's hand tight. "You came!"

"'Course I did," Trevor said, smiling back with all his teeth, then he ruffled his own hair with his free hand. "I wouldn't miss out on a chance to see Dante, Dante's the best."

Andy scooted over and patted the space on the bench next to him, slinging his big arm over Trevor's shoulder the second he was seated and nestling his smaller boyfriend into his side possessively. Sometimes Andy worried that he was a bit too clingy in situations like this, but Trevor pressed in closer, so he figured he was in the clear. He held in his sigh of contentment though- he had to maintain some dignity.

"So, have you found Dante yet?" Trevor asked, leaning his head on Andy's strong chest and letting one of his hands idly rest on Andy's abdomen. Andy shook his head.

"Nah, he's being weird about it this time," he replied, taking another glance around the crowd- the chubby guy he'd had his eye on was walking out with a cup of coffee and the gym rat was racing back into the bathroom with a queasy look on his face, so it was back to the drawing board. "No photo or nothing, just said he was gonna be 'the hottest guy here.'"

"Oh really?" Trevor sounded amused. His hand was drifting up and down lazily like he was petting his Andy's abs through his shirt, which was making it a bit hard for the big guy to keep his head on straight, and Trevor peered up at his boyfriend with one raised eyebrow. "Hottest guy here, huh? Tell me, which one of these guys is the hottest to you?"

"Trev," Andy teased, nuzzling the top of his boyfriend's head "No one here is hotter than you."

And Andy knew Trevor had a thing about PDA, but the little guy looked so cute and the moment was so perfect that he couldn't resist leaning down and stealing a quick little peck on the lips. A brief kiss- but it gave Andy pause.

He pulled back and Trevor smiled at him, but Andy's eyes were searching the familiar features of his boyfriend's face for something. His brow furrowed, then he surged forwards and went back in again for another kiss. The one was deeper and more aggressive, with the big guy practically pinning his twinkish companion into the wall as his tongue quested inside of his mouth, but the lightning round make out session ended abruptly with Andy bolting to his feet in shock and his partner falling flat on the bench.

"Dante?" Andy asked, staring down at the form of his boyfriend with shock, and the 'Trevor' in front of him lifted his head up and gave a snort of amusement.

"Damn, that's it?" Dante said, using two fingers to throw Andy a cheeky little salute. "I thought I'd have you going for a few minutes at least. Being friends with normies is making me lose my touch."

Still sprawled out on the bench, the body hopper took a moment to stretch out his borrowed form (making sure to arch Trevor's back and show off his tight little booty in a way that the real Trevor never would) and Andy awkwardly averted his eyes. Then Dante pushed himself to his feet and slipped around the table to claim the empty chair Andy had been saving for him.

"I wish you could have seen what you looked like when you thought I was actually him," Dante gave a good natured roll of his eyes and gestured for his friend to sit down; speechless, Andy complied. "You practically melted into a puddle of butter. I hate how disgustingly cute you two are, it's indecent."

"You hopped Trevor? My Trevor?" Andy shook his head with disbelief, then leaned forwards on his elbows (flexing his biceps to make sure he looked as big as possible) and lowered his voice a bit. "Look man, you're my friend so I don't wanna accuse you of anything, but I... I thought it was clear that Trevor was off-limits."

Dante just smiled and leaned back in his chair, running his hands down the length of Trevor's slender body like he was smoothing out some clothes- but Andy practically growled at him, so he lifted his hands and held them up in a we cool gesture.

"You can settle down loverboy, Trevor was the one who suggested this. Said it would be fun for you to see him being the one to get snatched for once," the body hopper folded his arms behind his head and glanced sideways at them, frowning at how skinny they looked. "And I agreed even though it meant hopping into a twink, so you're welcome for that."

The two young men held eye contact for a moment, Andy looking like he was debating whether or not to explode as he scrutinized the hopper who had stolen his boyfriend's body, but then he let out a sigh and retreated. His fists unclenched and he relaxed back against the booth, body practically deflating as the bluster abandoned him and the tension bled from his big muscles.

"Okay," Andy said, voice still a bit pinched, and he winced at Dante apologetically. "I mean, I trust you man, it's just... you know..."

"Nah man, it's all cool. I get it!" the body hopper shrugged his ethically borrowed shoulders and gave Andy his most charming smile, batting Trevor's pretty eyelashes sweetly up at the boy's boyfriend. "You don't like people fucking with the love of your life, I respect that."

Dante took great pleasure in watching the way that Andy grew all flustered when he said that (it never stopped being funny that such a big guy turned into a blushing schoolgirl whenever it came to Trevor, homeboy was whipped) and he took advantage of the distraction to snatch his friend's coffee cup off the table and steal a sip of it. Considering the fact that they'd been swapping spit a minute ago, he didn't think Andy would mind.

Andy cleared his throat and gestured to the cup. "I would have gotten you your usual but I didn't know if whatever body you were in would like the taste of black coffee with a bunch of caramel in it," then he paused and wrinkled his nose. "Kinda don't know how you like the taste of that either."

Dante snorted and slid the cup back across the table. "Now I know the man who guzzles lemon ginger ale rum isn't coming for my taste..."

"Oh yeah?" Andy crossed his arms and grinned. "Don't lie, I'll bet you wish you were guzzling shit with my tongue right now. Thirsty motherfucker."

Dante rolled his eyes and flipped Andy off, and then the two men burst out laughing. The shared moment gave Andy permission to relax and clear the doubts from his head- they were just two buddies hanging out as usual, nothing weird about it at all.

"I fucking missed you dude, how've you been?" Dante asked, giving Andy a quick once over. The guy was still as ridiculously hot as ever, and Dante wasn't afraid to comment on it. "You're looking good- maybe too good actually, I bet those muscles are like catnip for hoppers. You been snatched lately?"

Andy grinned- he and Trevor liked to keep his "condition" on the down-low (for obvious reasons) so one of the best parts about having a hopper for a friend was having someone to talk to about this kind of stuff. Though Dante could be pretty cagey about certain aspects of being a hopper, it was clear he was in a similar boat, so whenever the two met up they always had wild stories to share.

"No hoppers actually, but I did get caught out by a ghost the other day, and body swapped with a high schooler," Andy reported, shuddering at the memory of being stuck back in puberty for a few days while the kid was out there guzzling beers. "Also a guy from my chemistry class started messing around with astral projection and was taking me out to clubs so Trevor glued his third eye shut."

Dante sucked in a sympathetic breath and winced. "That sounds exactly like something Trevor would do."

"Yeah..." Andy said softly, and there was a moment where he looked at Dante with this fond look in his eyes before he remembered that he wasn't it real Trevor. Dante pretended not to notice and let Andy recover with a sip of coffee. "How about you, man? Haven't heard from you in a minute, you kinda dropped off the map for a bit."

"I was on tv, if you can believe it," Dante said, nodding cockily as Andy flung his hands up shouted "DUDE!" at the top of his lungs. He inspected the back of Trevor's hand nonchalantly as he spun his yarn. "Managed to hop a guy who was on a reality dating show but didn't realize it meant I'd get sequestered for like a month- coulda hopped out but, well, I wanted to win. I'll show you later, it's on Netflix." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "I was totally the fan favorite, made sure they got lots of shots of his big old ass."

"Ah yes, Dante, the biggest ass man I know," Andy teased, and Dante didn't even bother trying to deny it- especially when sitting in front of one of his favorite asses he'd ever hopped. "That's insane dude. And a month- that's a long time for you stay in one guy, right?"

"Yup, set a new record for myself actually," Dante said proudly, grateful for the chance to flex his hopping prowess a bit, and the two fist bumped.

Andy leaned forwards, excited. "Did you win the show?"

"Buddy," Dante raised an eyebrow. "That's a spoiler."

The two chatted for a while, trading a few more stories, complaining about the latest updates to some of their multiplayer games, making plans to watch an upcoming movie- to any onlooker who knew Andy & Trevor, it might have even looked like a normal date between the two boyfriends. It wasn't until later, after the barista called out Dante's name (well, Trevor's name) and he got up to go collect his drink, that Dante caught Andy staring at him with a strange look on his face.

The body hopper stood still for a moment, staring blankly back at his friend from behind the face of his boyfriend, then he sighed and plunked himself down on the bench next to Andy.

"This is weird for you, huh?" he asked, setting his coffee down on the table then leaning back against the booth and looking sideways at Andy. Andy looked like he might try to protest, but Dante decided to be nice and let him off the hook. "I'm not offended, Trevor said it was gonna be a little awkward."

"It's just weird," Andy admitted with a shrug, suddenly struggling to look over at his friend Dante. "Don't get me wrong, I'm cool with you being a hopper, but usually you show up as some random guy I've never met. Seeing it happen to someone I'm so close to, it's..."

His voice trailed off and Andy studied Trevor's face, his favorite face in the whole world, but it wasn't really his boyfriend's face. Trevor didn't squeeze his cheeks like that. Trevor didn't flare his nostrils like that. The look in his eyes was completely different. This wasn't him.

It was especially strange because he'd gotten used to picking out Dante's different little quirks no matter what body he was in, so seeing them plastered onto Trevor of all people just felt... wrong.

And Trevor has to deal with seeing me like this all the time, Andy thought to himself, feeling guilty as he threw another entry onto the giant list of things he felt he owed his boyfriend for.

Emotions played out very visibly on Andy's face and as Dante watched his turmoil, for a second, he felt a twinge of guilt. But he shook it off pretty quickly- a hopper never felt bad about taking someone's body, least of all one they were invited into.

Still, Andy was his friend, so he rubbed his friend on his hulking shoulder and smiled sympathetically. "You know I wouldn't hurt him."

"I know that, you're a cool guy and I didn't mean to-" Andy gestured vaguely at the air with his hands, hoping that his gesture articulated what he felt without words, and Dante nodded his acceptance. Then, curiously, Andy glanced around to see if anyone was listening before leaning in close and nudging Dante on the side. "Look, Dante, I gotta ask... man to man... what's it like in there? How do you feel?"

Dante furrowed his brow- Andy usually held back questions about Dante's lifestyle, so the question came a bit out of the blue. "How do I feel?"

"Sorry, is that like, a racist question to ask a hopper?" Andy winced and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "I just know you've been in a lot of guys before and since it's Trevor I'm... curious."

"Nah, you're fine, it's just not usually something hoppers talk about much," Dante paused for a moment, weighing his options, and then he shrugged. "But I guess since it's your boyfriend's body, it's only fair."

Andy leaned forwards, not even bothering to hide the way curiosity radiated off of him. Hoppers valued secrecy above all else, so Andy always tried to listen whenever Dante was willing to drop some nuggets of wisdom- and besides, Trevor would definitely want to hear about it later.

Dante rubbed at his chest (Trevor has NO pecs, he thought glumly) and stared into the distance, pondering how to best explain it to a non-hopper. It wasn't something he thought hard about often, and he talked about it still less.

"Did you know that babies are born knowing how to swim?" he began, and Andy looked a bit confused, but this was as simple as Dante was going to be able to make it so he just kept going. "Babies can actually swim really well, but their brains don't hold on to the information so they lose it as they grow up. Hoppers don't forget."

"And humans are like... pools. Anyone can jump into a pool if they know how to swim, but some are gonna be easier to swim in than others," the hopper paused and licked his lips, staring dreamily at Andy's hunky body. "Slipping into you, my friend, is like slipping into a hot tub. You're a spa day. A four star luxury vacation."

Andy crossed his arms and frowned. "Seriously?"

"What? It's a compliment!" Dante gave his friend a shit eating grin, which faded to something a bit more serious a moment later as he looked down at the hands he was currently using. "Slipping into Trevor is like diving headfirst into the Pacific Ocean. I don't know if I'd still be in him right now if he didn't want me here- I gotta give it to him, he's a tough little dude."

"He sure is..." Andy mumbled wistfully, staring at Trevor's body with that puppy dog look in his eyes again, and the moment was getting a bit too sentimental so Dante had to course correct.

"And he's got tight little body too," he said, leaning back and pulling Trevor's shirt up so he could look down at his stomach- while he didn't have crazy abs like his boyfriend, he was flat and had some decent tone to him. "You know that I'm usually all about the big guys but I'm kinda digging how compact everything in here is. I was worried I was gonna feel like a scarecrow but he's not that bad- his butt is a lot bigger than you'd expect too, especially for his frame."

"Trust me, I'm very familiar with Trevor's butt," Andy commented, then he reached over and tugged Trevor's shirt back down protectively. Dante pouted. "And I should have known you were gonna comment on it- if there's one thing Dante's gonna do, it's focus on a guy's butt."

"I can talk about his dick too if it makes you feel better," Dante taunted, then he spread his legs and palmed at the bulge in the front of his pants- Andy looked scandalized, but there was nothing he could do to stop it without risking drawing attention, and the hopper made sure to stare right into his eyes as he toyed with his boyfriend's dick. "It's cute! Not the biggest, but what it lacks in size, it makes up for in tenacity. Trevor is horny- I don't know how he keeps the whole 'shy' act up when this thing is practically spring loaded and his balls seem to have some kind of infinite cum hammer space inside of them."

"I know what you mean..." The thought of Trevor's penis stirred up happy memories for Andy, and he smiled fondly. "You know how Trevor and I swapped before we got together? That was the first time I saw his dick and it had me losing my mind- I jacked off three times before I went to go find him."

"See?" Dante squeezed Trevor's privates one more time before releasing them with a grin. "People give hoppers so much shit for messing around with guys, but put one of you inside of a hottie's body and you're exactly the same as us. We're all just after the same things in life."

"Speaking of which..." he said ominously.

Without warning, Dante hoisted himself up and flipped around so he was sitting on top of Andy, straddling his lap and pressing their bodies close together in a completely shameless display of public affection. The real Trevor would never dare to be caught in such a position, which is what made it so fun for Dante- and the look of complete shock on Andy's face was priceless.

"What the fuck Dante?" Andy exclaimed, glancing around wildly to make sure no one was looking. His hands shot out on instinct and curled around Trevor's skinny waist as he tried to stabilize his body so he wouldn't fall, and it only made the scene appear more lascivious, and Dante was living his best life.

"What? Did you think that Trevor let me hop him so the two of us could sit here and complain about patch notes?" The body hopper tilted his head back dramatically and shook out Trevor's hair like a porn star peacocking for the camera, checking to see if anyone in the crowded cafe had noticed them (many of them had and were staring with mixed shock and amusement) then he snapped back up with a wicked glint in his eye. "Nah man, this is business. We're here to bang."

He hammered his point in with his butt, flexing it so the round cheeks would caress the fat bulge they were resting on top of, and Andy's dick (in a Pavlovian response to the feeling of Trevor's body) instantly sprang to attention and tried to fight its way through their pants to get to Trevor's hole.

"Shit man, I didn't think it was possible, but you feel even bigger right now," Dante ground down on the bulge and groaned with delight, drawing even more eyes to them. "Maybe that's one nice thing about being smaller."

"Dante, people are gonna see us," Andy squeaked- he meant to growl, but because of the way his belly was flipping he was lucky he was able to get any words out at all.

"Oh no!" Dante gasped, glancing around with mock surprise, then he turned back to Andy and curled Trevor's face into a smile so lecherous that would never belong to the real boy.

He pressed his hands onto Andy's pecs, savoring the feeling of those huge muscle tits of his through his shirt, and gave them a rough squeeze. Andy groaned, eyes almost rolling back up into his head as he fought to keep himself under control. "

We wouldn't want them to think you're cheating on your boyfriend. Wait-" Dante laughed. "I guess that's not really a problem right now! I guess the bigger problem is they might start to think that your sweet little boyfriend is a shameless whore."

"Actually, do you wanna know a secret?" Dante asked, and he leaned in close to Andy's ear so no one else would hear him. Trevor's dick was fully at attention now and he rutted it lazily into Andy's belly, feeling the ridges of his abs even through multiple layers of clothes, and he let the lust he was experiencing leach into his voice. "I wasn't wearing anything when I hopped him. I'm completely exposed inside of him right now and I've been sitting here this whole time, butt naked behind your boyfriend's face, and no one had a clue. Not even you," he teased, nipping at Andy's ear, and felt the man's massive body shiver. "Kinda feels naughty, huh?"

"Dante-" Andy began, chest heaving with heavy breaths, but Dante placed one Trevor's fingers on his lips and silenced him.

"Shhh," he whispered, unable to resist the urge to milk the moment. "Trevor's gonna kill me when he gets his body back and found out I made him act like this in public but come on, he can't blame me! Doesn't he look so hot like this? Doesn't it make you wanna just rip his pants off and bend him over this table and-"

"Sorry guys," said the mildly irritated looking barista who'd been tasked with interrupting their inappropriate display. "You can't be doing that in here."

Dante schooled his expression and turned over his shoulder to apologize (Trevor would never forgive him if he got them banned from this cafe, and for his own safety Dante liked to stay on Trevor's good side) but Andy beat him to the punch.

"We were just leaving anyways," Andy said, practically throwing Dante to his feet and dragging him out the door in record time. They left their coffees on the table.

---

Like most hoppers, Dante had a somewhat complicated relationship with his own body, especially when it came to sex. He was so painfully average in terms of height, build, and appearance, why bother using his boring old form when he could just go out and find a better one? That was one of the charming things about Andy & Trevor- they wanted to fuck around with him, not just whoever he could be for the night.

(And it didn't hurt that the couple were both hot as fuck.)

But at his core, Dante was still a hopper, and every now and then he managed to talk his fuckbuddies into some well-deserved possession play. Andy was okay with being used as long as he knew what was coming, so Dante would slide inside of him and worship that incredible body of his while Trevor watched.

He and Andy would take turns fucking Trevor, using the big guy's heaven sent dick to plow away at the twink's hole while Dante slipped in and out of the hunk's back, trading off control so Trevor never knew who was the one screwing him. Sometimes he'd even switch positions mid-fuck, pulling out of Trevor and letting the smaller guy take a crack at Andy's juicy ass so when Dante gave Andy control again it felt like he went from the top to the bottom in the blink of an eye. Andy's body really was the ultimate sex toy!

But this was his first time using Trevor, and it was a completely different world. When he slipped into Andy he felt powerful and in charge, a Hercules with a dick to match, but slipping into Trevor was the opposite. Slipping into Trevor made him feel... vulnerable, especially once he was on all fours and there was a giant man rocking up behind him to make him his bitch.

Dante had bottomed for Andy in his real body so he had firsthand experience of what it was like to have all that muscle bearing down on him (not to mention practice taking that giant dick of his), but his body had some healthy inches and pounds on Trevor's body that apparently made a lot of difference because he felt like he might snap in half at any second as Andy bottomed out inside of his borrowed hole.

"You make his ass feel different," Andy grunted, clinging tightly to Trevor's hips and holding still for a moment to give his partner time to adjust before he began rocking back and forth slowly. "Is that crazy to say?"

"Not at all," Dante reassured him, his voice a bit strained as he himself being filled up with inch after glorious inch of Andy. The sensation of that massive tool pressing against his walls was... incredible, and seemed heightened with his new nerve endings. "Your dick- fuck -feels different in his ass than mine."

Andy froze mid-thrust and grabbed at his partner's shoulder, touching concern radiating from his eyes. "Am I hurting you?"

"Actually, I think it's easier as him than as me," Dante admitted- part of why he avoided bottoming in other bodies was that he never knew what the person's limits would be, but he'd been surprised by how eagerly Trevor's hole stretched for Andy (especially considering the size of the battering ram being shoved into him) and how quickly his slender body was relaxing into it. "Your boyfriend is tougher than he looks."

"Oh, good," Andy looked relieved and resumed the motion of his thrusts, but the movements were still slow and a bit tentative. Dante could tell from experience (internal and external) that he was holding back.

The hopper huffed out in frustration- what was the point of Trevor letting Andy fuck him like he fucked his boyfriend if the stud was gonna screw him like a stranger? Seemed like a waste of two hot bodies.

"That all you got?" Dante taunted, glancing back over his shoulder and rolling his eyes at Andy. "I've been inside of that body, I know what it can do. You need me to take over? Because I know I'd do twice as good a job using all that meat of yours to destroy your boyfriend's sweet little ass. I'll do it myself if you aren't feeling man enough."

And there was something very Trevor-like about the way Dante looked while he said that that made Andy grin... because if Dante wanted to get fucked like he was Trevor, Andy could fuck him like he was Trevor. He just didn't know if the hopper was prepared for it.

"Challenge accepted," Andy growled, and he started going at it in earnest, and Dante shut the hell up.

The two fucked hot and heavy for a while, and after a few minutes with Andy going at full force, Dante had to admit that the guy definitely knew what he was doing when it came to Trevor's body. He was hitting all of the right spots (some of which were deep inside him) and he was kind of jealous that Andy never pulled these moves on him when he was in his own body, but he also had his doubts about whether his own body could stand up to him like Trevor's could. He had severely underestimated the durability of this skinny little body- maybe twinks aren't so bad after all.

Trevor's dick was swinging back and forth between his legs as his body shook and Andy reached down and seized it, one of his huge hands teasing up and down its length and squeezing it with just the right amount of pressure, and Dante knew he was a goner. But he wasn't quite done with his fun yet, so the body hopper grunted out a warning to Andy, and then made his move.

Trevor rocketed back into control of his body and barely had a second to process where he was (his bedroom) and what was going on (Andy's dick was in his ass) before the orgasm hit him. There was no time to muffle himself like he usually did so he wound up shrieking wild expletives in Spanish as his cock erupted all over the bed, and he barely had the strength to keep himself propped up on his elbows as his partner continued to plow him all through his climax and kept the pace up even after he'd spilled out every drop of cum in his balls.

"Surprise," Andy's voice rumbled behind him, but Trevor wasn't fooled for a second. The angle of the thrust was all wrong.

"That wasn't fair Dante," Trevor panted- though he was still riding the high of endorphins and it was taking most of his energy just to cope with the feeling of his insides being stretched out, he mustered up the attitude necessary to turn his head and glower at the man topping him. The body hopper gave him a cheeky wink and a slap on the ass before his eyes flicked lower and he got distracted watching the way Andy's giant pecs bounced every time he thrusted.

While Trevor couldn't blame the hopper for looking (it was an impressive sight), he did think it was a bit rude to ogle his boyfriend while actively fucking him, so out of a twisted sense of revenge, Trevor flexed something deep inside himself and made his hole tighten in that way he knew drove Andy wild.

Dante didn't stand a chance. "Holy shit, what the fuck did you-"

Trevor watched over his shoulder as Andy's whole body tensed and the real Dante slipped out of his back, and barely a split second later the climax came. Andy gave a series of deep, guttural groans, his body wracked with pleasure, and Trevor felt heavy pulsing in his ass as Andy's balls emptied into the condom.

Both of them collapsed onto the bed, Andy's softening cock still buried deep inside Trevor as his hulking body smothered his smaller partner, and but he was feeling too boneless to move so he just mumbled out an apology and laid there and let the twink luxuriate in the feeling of being buried beneath a mountain of hot, sweaty muscle.

Dante stood above them, harder than he'd ever been in his life as he stared down at the tangle of debauched men before him, and he only had to jerk his own cock a few times before he was adding his own load to the mess already splattered across the pair. He collapsed on the bed next to them, spent and raw after what was basically the longest orgasm of his life, and watched out of the side of his eye as Andy and Trevor adjusted their positions so they could lie face to face with each other. Andy reached down and brushed Trevor's bangs away from his eyes, and Trevor gently took his hand, and it was all so Disney that Dante could barely watch.

"Fuck!" Dante grunted out, flopping onto his back and talking to the ceiling rather than the sickeningly in love couple next to him, and he grinned with all his teeth. "I've always wanted to try my double orgasm trick with three people, that was insane!"

As soon as he felt like he could move again (look at that, he thought, the body hopper not being in control of his body) he threw his legs over the side of the bed and stood up, looking away so Andy and Trevor could have a private moment together. Instead, he wobbled his way over to their television and pulled out the remote, flipping the screen on and navigating to Netflix.

Trevor caught what he was doing and pushed himself up, away from Andy's embrace, though he kept one hand on his boyfriend's chest as he called across the room towards their hookup with an exasperated look on his face.

"Dante, you're our friend, but no matter how good the sex was I am not watching that shitty reality show you were on," he said flatly, but then Andy nestled his head onto Trevor's shoulder, murmured something into his ear, and the twink relented with a sigh. "Okay, a few episodes, and no one can get mad at me for rolling my eyes."

Dante smiled. It was always fun when the three of them could get together.

[firefly--bright]

unplanned (unruled).

jean kirstein x reader!

summary ; jean liked to plan things out, and you liked to make rules. maybe you stray jeans plans away and maybe jean doesnt follow your rules.

warnings ; mentions of character death (marco), grief.

a/n ; something canon-compliant for ONCE lmao. i dont really know if i like this one as much as i like some of my other fics, but it was raining and i just. had to write something or else id perish.

taglist ; @holding-infinity-and-a-book , @mrsnobodynobody , @hopeless-anti-romantic , @jeanscremebrulee , @berrijam , @happxme , @cherrypieyourface , @imgayandshesanime , @moonmalice , @kivernova , @potaho3frog , @xakilicious , @katestrophes .

masterlist is in pinned post! ✿ join my taglist ✿ requests are open!

Jean Kirstein liked to plan. Meticulously, people might say, and his friends definitely agreed that he was a bit of a perfectionist when it came to things. He always went into every situation with a clear-cut goal and a way to get there.

However, his plans didn’t like him.

It had happened one too many times. He planned to be a trainee, yes, but he never planned to join the survey corps. He planned to be alone, yes, but he never planned on people actually liking him. He planned on a small life in the interiors but with the way things were going, he didn’t think that that plan would come to any fruition. He had planned on his life going normally – on him not seeing death at every moment, on him not having to break the news to his dead best friend’s mother on the outskirts of the city, on him not having to mourn the deaths and betrayals of his comrades over and over and over again. So naturally, jean hated everything that led him astray of his plans, which meant he hated the rain, fevers, and, most of all, you.

“are you done brooding, or do I have to hit you over the head like last time?” you asked, perching yourself beside him without permission, entering jean’s space as you had done time and time again. He was sitting on some rocks near the newly discovered beach as the sun met the ocean gently and slowly, settling down into it’s sleep for the night. You could see the moon in the distance, covered by heavy clouds, and you knew it was going to rain just by the smell of the air. You also knew how much jean hated the rain, and how much he hated getting sick after it, and you also knew about the fact that he disliked you.

You didn’t know why – you always made a set of rules in your head for everyone, thick pages bound with strings, left unlabelled but you knew what it meant. You knew the but’s and why’s and how to’s and knew what to avoid, knew how to not overstep on whatever line you had made in your head. With sasha it meant never to take her food, with connie it meant never to touch the back of his neck because he was ticklish and his only defense was to grab and throw whatever was next to him straight at you. With armin you knew to not touch his books and notes without permission, with Mikasa you knew what not to pry out of her and with eren you knew to listen and not engage with him while he talked about his mother or got lost in thought. That was always mikasa’s field, you had learnt and noted in your book. But you never knew what you did wrong with jean, what rules you had to follow or what line you had to make. He just didn’t like you, for some reason you couldn’t pinpoint, and you wouldn’t let it affect you as much as it did if not for the fact that you kept seeing him.

With each time you were near your friends, you were also near him, and you couldn’t let yourself know someone without knowing them, selfishly, so you could write another line in your rulebook, but jean didn’t let you. you saw him everywhere and yet didn’t know which line to pull, which circle to add and which number he’d be on your page.

You watched as he rolled his eyes but shifted his arm a bit to make room for you on the other rock. “I wasn’t brooding.” He muttered, loud enough for you to hear. You scoffed with a smile, “yes you were. You were sitting at the bonfire like a kid who lost his favourite toy.”

“I was not,” he said, in no mood to tease you back. His mind whirred as did his heart and he tried not to let his hand mingle with yours as much as he wanted it to. He planned on sitting here until he saw the sun fully submerging into the water, even if the clouds were cloaking its move and the wind was picking up, making his hair ruffle against it.

The slight pause in the conversation concerned you. tilting your head, you asked, “what’s up?” in a tone that made jean shiver under his uniform’s coat. He shook his head, turning his face away from you, but it was you, so of course nothing would slip away from your mind, from your book. He didn’t plan on his heart skipping a beat as you laid your hand on top of his hesitantly, softly. They were a little cold, but warmed him up anyway. “come on,” you coaxed him, “I know we aren’t…. the best of friends. Walls, we don’t even like each other, but if you let your bad mood fester up, it’ll eventually burst out and hurt the people you love most.”

He snorted, “and you’re trying to fix it?”

“well you aren’t going to. May I remind you that the people you love are also my friends?” you replied, and jean stayed silent in the fact that you always seemed to have an answer to retaliate. you stayed silent in the fact that you didn’t know where the reply came from. You always spoke to your friends freely, but you were also always scared of accidentally stepping out of line. You stayed silent because jean wasn’t your friend, and there were no rules to follow with him like the chant you kept repeating to yourself when talking to everyone else.

and you kind of liked it.

He sighed, taking his other hand and dragging it down his face. “I miss him.”

He didn’t have to say his name for you to know. Marco was close to everyone in the 104th, but especially to you and jean despite the both of you having not spent too much time together. Jean would constantly hear about you through marco and you’d constantly hear about jean as well, but that’s where the similarities ended. Where you wanted to reach out to jean through marco after hearing so much about him, jean wanted to do the exact opposite. jean planned on not being your friend and he was persistent in keeping it that way.

“me too,” you confessed, going back to looking at the rapid waves crashing into the shore. Your pants were rolled up to your knees, your toes grazing the water. “you remember when you made him spill soup all over himself?”

That got him to smirk. “yeah, I was proud of that-“

“I wasn’t.”

“-I mean, I apologized, of course. But it was fun. We laughed so hard, I almost choked on my bread.”

You breathed out a laugh. “and then he complained to me about it.” There was a silence after that sentence, and usually you would wonder if you did something wrong or overstepped. But for some reason, with jean, you didn’t feel like you did, you didn’t break any rules or have to keep repeating that chant and you liked it.

and that scared you.

“do you regret not being there for him during his last moments?” he asked, exhaling. “I do.” He says.

You nod. “I do too. I don’t know what exactly happened or if I could’ve even stopped it, but if I was there atleast I’d have –“

“-been there. I know. Me too.” He completes. “we lost so many people,”

the way he says ‘we’ like youre a team and not two separate beings makes your heart warm, but you hum in sombre agreement, “and all for what?”

There’s yet another silence after that. There aren’t many moments in which you found yourself similar to jean; after all, you didn’t know him, but right now was rare even if it wasn’t known – you and jean silently surprised by how well you could read each other despite not knowing much at all. Jean hadn’t planned on having to share a space with you during the sunset, but here you were.

You weren’t following any rules when you decided to speak up, “he would’ve like this.”

Jean smirked. “what? Us talking?” you laughed. “no. I mean, yeah, that too, but he would’ve liked seeing the sunset on the beach.” You said.

“I was just thinking about that.” Jean said. He looked at you to find you already looking at him and this time jean didn’t think about his godforsaken plans when you asked him another question. You weren’t thinking of all the possible other safer things you could’ve said. “why don’t you like me?”

He blew air out of his mouth as if you’d asked him for a large favour, and you might as well have. Jean planned on not being your friend since the moment marco had started talking to him about you, animatedly, excitedly, adoringly just as marco had done about jean to you. jean had planned on subtly shooting down all of your peace offerings, jean had planned on you being stubborn about it because it was one of the many things marco told him about, and jean planned on not getting close to you because he knew he’d fall in love with you.

But here you were. Stubborn and hesitant and beautiful against the dying light of the setting sun and the cloudy, grey skies that went unnoticed by jean but not by you, slowly scooting closer to him, trying to find some heat against the slowly falling raindrops on your hair.

“I don’t… hate you,” he answered, also shifting closer to you until your shoulders were brushing. You snorted, “I didn’t think you hated me.”

“I just…I’m scared of… knowing you. when marco used to tell me about you, I kind of planned how you’d act towards me and I acted according to it, even though you didn’t do anything in reality, I guess?” he said. His hand that was under yours was still there, though fidgeting, and he waved his other hand around, trying to make sense of it to you. you didnt say anything and jean thought he’d messed up. You were an anomaly, a wrench in his plans and now he was freefalling without any support or scaffoldings.

and he liked it.

But then you laughed. “that’s stupid.” You said, continuing to laugh as you made yet another revelation – you wouldn’t say this to someone without regretting it. But here you were.

You could forget about that thick rulebook you had flipped through since you were little in order to not step on anyone’s feelings, in order to stay in your own safety net, but now you were freefalling and you liked it. Jean was an exception to your rules, refusing to follow any of the lines you had made for yourself, because it was stupid that he’d go into anything with a plan of how people would react, and it was stupid that you’d go into anything with rules and calculations of what they’d say.

You were both stupid. And jean realised it too after hearing you laugh, and he joined in your laughter as well. His hair was now completely drenched, as was yours, and he could feel you shivering beside him despite how warm you were making him.

Shrugging his coat off and placing it on your shoulders was something he hadn’t planned. You didn’t need to follow any rules as you accepted it and leaned against him as he supported you.

Jean was a terrible planner, and rules were only meant to be broken after following them for so long.

[mymoodwriting]

21.5k, Maestro AU, dystopia, advanced technology, robots, kidnapping, manipulation, mind control, hypnosis, assault, physical assault, violence, hacking, supernatural elements, restraints, collars, mental abuse, electrocution, hallucinations, reader is a minor character, I don't know who the main character is either

“Do you hear the piano?”

“Huh?”

“The piano. It’s playing in the distance.”

“I don’t hear anything, y/n.”

“It sounds so pretty.”

“And you know music isn’t really a good thing around here.”

“Yeah…”

You could definitely hear a piano, even if it was quite faint, but there was no way you were gonna be able to find the source. Mingyu was right though, music wasn’t much of a thing around here. The world itself was quite depressing, and everyone worked to stay alive, even if the job was shit. You were lucky to work as a delivery person, one of the simpler jobs, but it had its cons too. You’d drive all over the city, even to the more dangerous parts. So far nothing bad had happened to you, but there was no guarantee that would always be the case. Still, you made money, and you could pay your part of the bills.

You lived in an apartment with three other guys, who were all like brothers to you. It was a decent size place, and you all had your own space too. Most of the apartment was littered with electronic parts as Vernon was a technician that worked from home. He was a freelancer, fixing things in what he considered his work space, which was everywhere that wasn’t a bedroom. Wonwoo worked construction, getting up early and coming back late, but he always said he had enough down time to rest and recover. Mingyu worked as a mechanic at an auto shop not so far from the apartment.

Between the four of you there was a car, but on most days Wonwoo would take it. You had your work van, so if Vernon ever needed to get somewhere, or some items needed to be picked up, that job usually fell on you. At least your office was nearby so it wasn’t a hassle to get to and from work without a vehicle. Today though was a rare treat as you were all off and could do somethings together. You had all gone out to get some groceries, as well as other necessities for the apartment. As you were loading up the trunk that’s when you began to hear the piano, instantly entranced by the melody. In this world music was scarce and unfortunately not encouraged. If anything it was frowned upon.

The peacekeepers maintained order, and many times you had seen them beat those for causing a ruckus or playing music. You weren’t entirely sure why such a thing seemed to be a problem, but it made you appreciate whenever you heard a nice tune. Besides the peacekeepers there were robots around the city. Some worked alongside humans in certain labor-intensive fields, others had simpler tasks, and some freely walked around available to help anyone who needed assistance with anything. Then there were the roaming CCTV robots, the robo-dogs as people called them. They were all over the place,watching everything. Of course there were still normal CCTV cameras around too, so safety and peace were maintained well on multiple levels.

“Let’s go.”

Mingyu shut the trunk and you followed him to the front. You got into the passenger seat, Mingyu hopping behind the wheel. You glanced in the rearview mirror, seeing Vernon on his tablet, headphones on, clearly engrossed in work. Whereas Wonwoo had his head back against the headrest, eyes closed, using this time to wind down. You couldn’t help the small smile on your face. They were all great company. When you got to the apartment everyone helped bring things up, allowing it to be done in one trip. You put things away and then collapsed on the couch, turning on the TV and half listening to the news.

“Y’all better not stay up late.” Vernon commented. “You guys have work in the morning.”

“And you?” Wonwoo mumbled. “All you do is stay home.”

“I pay my bills.”

“Uh huh.”

“I’m a technician, or did you forget where you got such a dope phone?”

“Well you better not stay up late making a bunch of noise!”

“I won’t.”

“You say that a lot.” You added. “You should soundproof your room.”

“I don’t wanna work in my room.”

“Obviously.” Mingyu mentioned. “Your shit is everywhere in this apartment.”

“You’re just jealous I get to work from home.”

“Only sometimes.” Wonwoo added. “Or so you say.”

“Whatever.”

Most days were the same, but you each kept each other entertained, making every sundown and sunrise worth seeing. On slow days when you’d get home first you tended to sit out on the balcony, enjoying the cool breeze of the night air. While sitting out there one day you began to hear the sounds of a piano. Just like before, it was a beautiful melody, and you could hear it better this time. You closed your eyes and let the music take over, softly nodding your head along to the beat, tuning out the rest of the world.

As Wonwoo walked in he was careful not to make too much noise. It was pretty late and he was certain everyone else was already sleeping. He was sneaking back to his room when he heard a soft hum, suddenly realizing how cold the living room was. He looked around, realizing the balcony door was slightly open. Wonwoo made his way over, realizing the humming was getting louder. He slowly slid the door open, seeing you hugging your knees to your chest, eyes closed and rocking to the sides as you hummed. You seemed rather content but he was concerned by all of this.

“Y/n?”

“Hm?”

You opened your eyes, smiling when you saw Wonwoo, although he seemed very worried. Which you didn’t understand.

“You’re home.”

“How long have you been out here? It’s really late, you know.”

“Is it? I didn’t realize…”

“What were you doing?”

“Just listening to the piano, can’t you hear it?”

“Y/n, I don’t think anyone is playing a piano at these hours.” 

“I heard it. I swear. It was coming from over there.”

You didn’t have an exact location, but you had a good idea which direction the sound had been coming from. You got up, although now that the music was gone the exhaustion was starting to hit you. A yawn escaped your lips and you pointed off into the distance mindlessly, leaning against Wonwoo. He wrapped his arms around you, feeling how cold you were. Before he could comment his gaze followed your gesture, and his concern for you only got worse. You were pointing towards the Metronome Theater. 

“Let’s get you inside. You need to get some sleep.”

Wonwoo led a sleepy you down the hall and towards your bedroom, helping you get under the covers and tucking you in. He made sure your alarm was set so you wouldn’t be late for work. He quietly stepped out and shut the door behind him. He stood outside your room for a moment, his thoughts lingering on what had just happened. It wasn’t necessarily something to worry about, but it still bothered him. He barely managed to sleep that night, and next thing he knew it was time to get up again. As he was about to head out he stopped himself, going over to Vernon’s room and knocking on the door before opening it. Unsurprisingly the boy was awake.

“Are you working outside the apartment today?”

“No. Why?”

“Could you do me a favor and look after y/n today.”

“Is something wrong?”

“I don’t know but could you just tag along with her today and keep her out of trouble.”

“Sure. No problem.”

“Thanks.”

Despite the unspoken outlaw of music, the Metronome Theater still stood. It looked exactly like the name described, a giant metronome amongst the buildings that made up the city. Most of the time the pendulum remained still, glowing an ominous red, but on occasion it would glow blue and move from side to side, creating a low ticking in the air. No one really understood the purpose of that structure, and for fear of getting into trouble many avoided the area. Regardless of what went on everyone understood one thing, the Metronome Theater was a dangerous place. Wonwoo stared at it before getting into the car. He never paid the theater any attention, but he might have to going forward.

♩. ♩. ♩. ♩. ♩ ♪ ♩ ♪ 𝅗𝅥.

You woke to the beeps of your alarm, groaning and rolling over in bed. You hadn’t slept much last night, but you weren’t all that tired. After a moment you got up and began to get ready for the day. Once you were dressed you got yourself a quick breakfast, ready to head out.

“Morning, y/n.” Vernon greeted you. “How you feeling?”

“Good. Just getting ready for work.”

“Cool. Mind if I come along with you today?”

“Why? Do you need me to drop you off somewhere?”

“No, no, just wanna get out of the apartment, if you don’t mind.”

“Of course not. I could use the company.”

“Awesome.”

Vernon walked with you to the office, letting you go off on your own to clock in and then come around for him in the delivery van. He happily hopped into the passenger seat.

“Lunch is on me.”

“Obviously.”

“What?”

“You think you just get to ride around for free?”

“But you enjoy my company.”

“And free food.”

“Fine. Whatever you want.”

“Excellent.”

Of course Vernon was just coming along for fun, not actually helping you with the job cause he didn’t want to do anything wrong and get you in trouble. He tried that once before and it did not go well. So it’s more accurate to say he doesn’t help so you don’t wind up in trouble again because of him. When he went with you nowadays he was more like your guardian angel, and today was no different for him. He stayed in the van, saving you the trouble of rushing and hoping it wasn’t stolen while you did your deliveries. 

“Oh, why hello there.”

The robo-dogs could be found anywhere in the city, both high and low, and in very unlikely places. You were used to seeing them in the buildings you delivered to, and it was great their programming had them act very friendly, like real dogs.

“I’m just doing some deliveries, little guy.”

You held up your badge, showing proof you could be there. You didn’t have to, but you liked to do so whenever you ran into these guys. That way if anything ever happened in the building you’d be recognized as a delivery employee who’s just passing through. It was your own insurance, and there was no real reason to hide your purpose here. You gave the little robot a pat, and it seemed to enjoy that. Soon enough you started to hear a soft melody. You thought you were imagining things, but the sound slowly got louder and then you realized it was coming from the robot.

“You got a song for me, little guy?”

You didn’t know the robo-dogs had speakers in them, let alone that they would play music. It was a nice treat, and you couldn’t help but follow the little guy when he started walking off. You could use a break anyway.

♩. ♩. ♩. ♩. ♩ ♪ ♩ ♪ 𝅗𝅥.

While waiting Vernon would be on his phone, going over his list of things to do and figuring out how to prioritize. Although at a particular stop he felt like you were taking too long, especially since you had walked in with like two boxes. He was about to go check on you when he saw you walk out, immediately feeling relief. Then again he noticed you weren’t walking towards the van, and instead seemed to be following one of the robo-dogs. It was very strange, and he wasn’t just gonna watch. He got out of the van and called out to you, but you didn’t respond. When he caught up to you he grabbed your arm and turned you around, seeing a dazed look on your face before you seemed to come back to your senses.

“Vernon?”

“Are you okay?”

“Huh? Yeah, yeah, I’m fine.”

“What were you doing?”

“What do you mean?”

“Just now.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“I don’t know. You were like sleep walking or something.”

“Oh, I guess maybe I’m just tired.”

“Did you sleep enough last night?”

“I think so. I’m alright though, I promise.”

“Okay, but you let me know if anything’s wrong.”

“I will. Let’s go now.”

Vernon wasn’t entirely convinced, but he wasn’t going to push it right now. Instead he was starting to get an idea as to why Wonwoo wanted him to go out with you today. Something certainly felt wrong here, but he wasn’t entirely sure what. At one point his eyes landed on the Metronome Theater, staring at it as you drove along. That whole place was just an eyesore, and it always gave him the creeps.

“Okay. This might take a few since I gotta deliver on multiple floors.”

“Alright, just be safe and come back.”

“That’s a given.”

You grabbed what you needed from the back, making your way into the building. You started from the top and made your way down. For the most part you just left packages at doors, but on occasion you’d knock to get a signature. You were a bit tired when you dropped off the last one, but at least you were done here.

“Do you require assistance?”

You jumped when you heard a robot, looking back to see it on the steps leading to the basement floor. In a bigger building like this it was more common for there to be robots to help tenants when needed.

“I’m alright, thank you. I’m just doing deliveries.”

You showed your badge once more, definitely needing to identify yourself as these robots tended to have records of who lived here and would call the authorities on any unauthorized visitors. You waited for the robot to accept your reason for being there, but it was eerily quiet.

“Uh… I’m going to be taking my leave now.”

As you stepped away the robot suddenly grabbed your arm. Then the blank face plate began to glow red, swallowing you up and cutting your world to black.

♩. ♩. ♩. ♩. ♩ ♪ ♩ ♪ 𝅗𝅥.

Vernon stepped out of the van, stretching his limbs. He stared at the building you had gone into, getting this uneasy feeling. He checked the time, seeing that you had been gone for about twenty minutes now. That wasn’t too long, but something just didn’t feel right. It probably wasn’t best to just dwell on it, so he locked the van and took the keys, heading into the building. The place seemed quiet, so he went around calling your name, getting no response. Every second that went by was making him nervous. As he was about to head out a gleam of light caught his attention. He walked over to the source and picked up your badge off the floor. Now he was very concerned.

“Shit…”

He called out your name again, stepping down towards the basement. It seemed very dark down here, but that was the least of his worries. He called out to you again and again but there was no response. Then he wound up bumping into something and falling to the ground. He looked up to see a robot standing in his way. Before saying something he noticed some light down the hall, realizing there was a door that led out, another exit. Vernon quickly scrambled to his feet, but the robot moved to stand in his way.

“Do you require assistance?”

“No, no, I-”

“Do you require assistance?”

“No! I’m a delivery person.” 

Vernon held up your badge, covering your face and name, hoping the robot would accept that and leave him alone. It didn’t work, and the machine still stood in his way. Vernon tried to get past once more, yet he was blocked. He intended to push his way through only to be grabbed and shoved to the floor. He groaned as he hit the ground, partially out of breath. He looked back up to see a red glow emanating from the robot’s faceplate, telling him that something was very wrong here.

“You… you intentionally stopped me… you hurt me… you hurt a human…” Vernon got up, making note of the number on the robot’s chestplate. “Robot model S-009588, you are to answer all my questions going forward, what is your directive?”

“Protect the target.”

“What target?”

“A young female identified as a delivery worker. Last spotted at this location.”

“What? Where is she!?”

“Unknown.”

“What do you mean? How do you not know where she is! You took her in the first place!”

“Incorrect. My objective is to protect the target.”

“From-”

The robot suddenly seemed to glitch and shut down, completely powering off right in front of Vernon. He cautiously took a step back and then it seemed to reboot itself.

“Do you require assistance?”

“Uh… no…”

Vernon took a small step forward and the robot stepped to the side. It was certainly acting how it was supposed to now. He still had many questions, and needed to further look into this, but for now he needed to go. He ran towards the back door, stepping out into the streets once again. Despite the minutes that had passed he still looked around, hoping by some miracle to see you, but of course you were nowhere to be found.

“Fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!”

Vernon went back inside, intending to find the robot and interrogating it, but just like you, it was gone. He kicked the nearest item and swore again, storming back to the van. He slammed his hands against the wheel, screaming. The whole point of him being out with you today was to prevent something like this, and he had royally fucked it up. Now he had to make things worse with a phone call.

“What’s up?”

“Wonwoo…”

“Hm?”

“She… y/n… she’s gone…”

“What the fuck do you mean she’s gone!? I asked you to look after her!”

“I know but… I’m not sure what happened. I was attacked by a robot and-”

“Have you told Mingyu?”

“What the hell am I supposed to say? That y/n just walked into a building and never came out? You’re the one who was worried about her and didn’t really say anything!”

“Look, just call Mingyu and get back to the apartment, I’ll head over too, got it?”

“Yeah, yeah, I know.”

Vernon drove over to the auto shop Mingyu worked at. He was familiar with the other mechanics, and just waltzed in, finding Mingyu under a car. He kicked at his leg to coax the boy out. His smiling face changed to concern when he saw Vernon.

“What are you doing here? I thought you went out with y/n?”

“We need to talk. Wonwoo will meet us at the apartment.”

“What happened?”

“It’s complicated.”

“And y/n?”

“…”

“Fuck. Vernon, what did you do?”

“Let’s just go.”

The two walked back to the apartment in silence. Vernon couldn’t imagine what was running through Mingyu’s head, but he had questions of his own. A while after they arrived Wonwoo entered the apartment.

“What the fuck is going on?” Mingyu questioned. “What did you guys do?”

“It’s not something we did.” Wonwoo explained. “But something that happened.”

“Which is?”

“I don’t really know how to explain it.”

“One of you better start talking.”

“Y/n’s been kidnapped.” Vernon stated. “That’s what’s going on.”

“What do you mean!? What did you do!?”

“Why do you think we did something? How do I know this isn’t your fault?”

“You’re the one who messes around with the law, Vernon! And Wonwoo works with all kinds of people. How do I know either of you didn’t piss off the wrong person?”

“We didn’t do anything.” Wonwoo interrupted. “I think something else is going on.”

“Like what?”

“When I got home last night I found y/n out on the balcony. She had been out there for a while, saying she had been listening to some piano.”

“A piano?” Mingyu wondered. “Did you hear it?”

“No. It stopped playing by the time I stepped out. Why?”

“Y/n… she mentioned hearing a piano when we had gone out the other day, but I didn’t hear anything.”

“Why is a piano our concern here?” Vernon questioned. “What does that mean?”

“She said the music was coming from the Metronome Theater.” Wonwoo admitted.

“Oh… wait, so you think someone from the theater kidnapped her? That doesn’t make any sense.”

“You know that place is weird.” Mingyu said. “The people who go in don’t tend to come out, and if they do, they’re not quite the same.”

“Okay, but why would they kidnap her? In fact, how do you know it was them? I was attacked by a robot! Someone clearly hacked into that thing.”

“You were attacked by a robot? Like an actual one or the robo-dogs?”

“Now that you mention it… after a certain stop I saw y/n sleep walking behind a robo-dog, like it was leading her somewhere.”

“Oh so you knew something was up and you still left her alone!” Wonwoo accused. “Are you serious!”

“You could have told me what you were actually worried about here! I thought maybe she was sick or something.”

“I shouldn’t have let her go out in the first place.”

“We don’t know who took her.” Mingyu reminded. “Not for sure. So let’s focus on that first.”

“How?”

“Easy enough. Vernon, you can hack into CCTV right?”

“Obviously. Even the robots, so clearly whoever took her knows a thing or two about tech.”

“Right. So let’s go back to where she was taken and see if the CCTV can lead us to her.”

Everyone was pretty tense over the situation, but they were trying not to let panic take hold. This could all just be some big misunderstanding and you’d call them soon enough, asking where they were. For the sake of not sticking out they decided to take your work van, returning to the last place you had been seen. In a matter of minutes Vernon gained access to the CCTV cameras around, sifting through the footage to find you. He showed the others the moment you went inside, and then skipped ahead, switching to the back door cameras. They were all concerned and surprised when they saw you walk out, following a robot as if you were being escorted somewhere. From there they followed your path, Mingyu driving. Although they soon lost track of you.

“What happened? Where did she go?”

“I’m not sure, the CCTV cameras in the next area are down.”

“What?”

“Let me try finding a different angle.”

Vernon kept working to find a camera, although it seemed that one after the other just weren’t operational. Wonwoo was looking over his shoulder, realizing they had lost track of you. He swore under his breath, although he soon realized something.

“Vernon.”

“Hm?”

“Do any of the cameras work around the Metronome Theater?”

“Uh… no… actually… none of the cameras within a quarter mile radius of the theater work.”

“So that whole area is a blind spot, and she walked into it.”

“Yeah.”

“So the theater it is.” Mingyu commented, staring at it from the car window. “Let’s go.”

The area around the theater was mostly abandoned, and now knowing none of the CCTV around worked made the place all the creepier. Mingyu parked the van across the street from the theater, all three staring out at it. 

“Are we sure she’s in there?” Vernon asked. “She went into a dark zone, someone could have taken her from here and there would be no record of it.”

“Perhaps.” Wonwoo said. “But something tells me she’s in there.”

“Okay, but how are we getting in? That place is usually closed, and it only opens sporadically. We don’t even know if it opened today.”

Just as Vernon said that the pendulum of the theater started moving, and the shutters over the doors went up.

“Huh, guess they’re open now.”

Wonwoo was the first out of the car, crossing the street, the other two soon following. What was strange were the other people that seemed to appear from nowhere also making their way to the theater. Despite what one might think, the inside of the theater was lavish and luxurious, not something you’d expect to see in this part of the city. None of them knew where to go, but the others that entered did. It was weird to see how everyone else walked in silently and went up the stairs, acting like robots themselves. The trio followed, keeping quiet as well and just going with the flow.

They went up two flights of stairs to the third floor, making it to the entrance of the actual theater. Rows and rows of empty seats surrounded the stage, people just taking a seat wherever. The curtains were down, and the lights were slowly fading and growing bright, signaling the show would begin soon. The boys took a seat towards the back, looking around to see if perhaps you were around, but they had no luck. A while later the doors closed and the lights went out, leaving them in darkness before the stage was illuminated. The curtains were drawn, revealing a whole orchestra on stage, two gentlemen standing front and center. 

“Welcome to the Metronome Theater.” The one with a beret spoke. “I’m the director, Seungkwan, and this is Joshua, the conductor for the night. Do enjoy the show.”

Seungkwan made his way off stage, disappearing into the darkness. Joshua on the other hand took his place before the orchestra, and soon the show began. The music was quite nice, not something any of them were used to hearing. There was no piano present, but they didn’t care much for the show itself. They took in their surroundings, but there didn’t seem to be anyone else. All the other guests were engrossed in the performance. For a moment Wonwoo zoned out while watching the conductor lead, something about him just seemed odd. He snapped out of it when Mingyu lightly shoved him, giving him a questioning look. They had other things to focus on right now.

When the show ended everyone got up to applaud, all seeming to move together. Joshua took a bow before the orchestra did the same and then cleared the stage. The doors had opened and a few robots were coming in, greeting some of the guests and then leading them towards the nearest exit. The trio immediately thought to follow, stepping out into the aisle and walking towards the stage. Although they didn’t get far before a spotlight was suddenly aimed at them, stopping them in their tracks.

“You three aren’t meant to be here.”

Once they had adjusted to the light they saw Joshua looking up from his bow, slowly standing, arms crossed over his chest, lightly tapping his wand to his shoulder. A smirk appeared on his face, looking them up and down.

“I advise you to leave before the Maestro gets upset.”

“We have no intention of leaving.” Mingyu stated. “We’re looking for someone, and perhaps your Maestro knows something.”

“Is that so?”

“If we can just talk to them and clear things up, then we’ll be on our way.”

“That’s not going to happen.”

“How come?”

“You were advised to leave.”

Joshua lifted up his wand, flicking it in the air as if he was still performing. They were all confused until they realized the other guests were moving in on them. Before they knew it they were surrounded and grabbed. The people around them had blank stares in their eyes, but they were doing well to restrain them.

“Thank you for coming.” Joshua stated. “Don’t return.”

The people began to drag them towards the exit, forcing them to fight back. They didn’t want to hurt anyone, but the situation was getting out of hand. These people didn’t want them here, so it was all the more reason to stay and investigate. Especially as Joshua was walking away. Wonwoo managed to break free from the crowd, running up towards the stage and tackling the conductor to the ground. The two tussled for a moment, and Wonwoo knew he had to get the wand out of Joshua’s hand. It wasn’t just some stick, but as soon as he ripped it away from Joshua he froze. His gaze slowly turned to the item in his hand. He couldn’t describe the feeling well, but there was some sort of power radiating from it, and now that he held it this energy seemed to be coursing into his veins.

“You have potential.” Joshua commented. “Perhaps the Maestro will see you.”

Before Wonwoo could really register what had been said, or what was happening, Mingyu had come to his side. He had escaped the crowd and took the wand from Wonwoo, snapping it in half without hesitation. Once he did so Joshua screamed, grabbing his head and thrashing on the ground. Both boys took a step back, unsure of what was going on. Even the rest of the guests seemed to collapse, leaving Vernon just as confused as his brothers. A moment later the lights went out again, and Joshua’s screams seemed to die down. When the light returned there was someone else present on the stage. A boy with white hair knelt down before Joshua, hands on his head, seeming to sooth the distressed boy. Soon enough the gaze of the stranger looked to them, a fire in his eyes.

“Get out!”

The lights flickered, and next thing the boys knew robots were rushing into the theater. They grabbed each of the boys, two or three per person, effortlessly dragging them out. Their strength was no match for the machines as they were thrown out onto the streets. Mingyu was the first to scramble to his feet, but as he reached the doors of the theater the shutters slammed down, locking him out.

“NO!”

Mingyu slammed his fist against the shutters over and over, as if that would change anything. The other two eventually came to his side.

“This doesn’t mean anything.” Vernon said. “This could just be some territorial shit, and this Maestro guy doesn’t like outsiders. Y/n might not be here.”

“And yet she could be.” Wonwoo remarked. “You saw how some people were taken elsewhere, not to mention the others… it’s like the music put them under a spell and they did whatever the conductor wanted. Y/n kept hearing a piano, and didn’t you say you caught her sleepwalking?”

“I… yes, but we don’t have solid proof.”

“Then find some.” Mingyu hissed. “There’s gotta be a robot around here that saw something.”

“Yeah, yeah I can look for that.”

Vernon made his way back to the van, the other two soon following. Although Wonwoo stopped and stared back at the theater. His mind went back to the moment he had held the conductor’s wand. The way he felt then still lingered, and he wanted to know what that was.

“Wonwoo!”

Upon hearing his name Wonwoo made his way back, the three in the van, Vernon getting his laptop out and getting to work on searching for some video footage.

“How are we gonna find proof?” Wonwoo asked. “The CCTV doesn’t work around here.”

“But there are other cameras.” Vernon remarked. “The robo-dogs are also CCTV. Even though they are everywhere, they each stick to a certain area. If we can find one around the theater I could get into its system and look at the recorded footage.”

“Alright. I’ll drive, you two keep a lookout.” Mingyu said. “Let me know when to stop.”

As planned they drove around the area, looking for a robo-dog. The issue with those was that they were free roam cameras, so it wasn’t entirely common to see them on the streets.

“What about taking down a robot?” Mingyu suggested. “We’ve seen a few of those.”

“It wouldn’t work.” Vernon mentioned. “The robots have their programs and internal systems, but they don’t actually record anything. We have CCTV and the robo-dogs so it would be overkill.”

“I guess.” 

“Oh, there’s one, Mingyu, pull over.”

The van came to a stop and Wonwoo stepped out, walking up to the little thing as it stepped out of an alleyway. They were very friendly robots, so the thing walked up to Wonwoo all on its own. Vernon had opened the side door, laptop in hand.

“What do I do?”

“Just grab it and bring it here. I’ll erase the footage of us grabbing it when we’re done.”

Wonwoo picked up the little guy, bringing it over the van and setting it down inside next to Vernon. It tried to get out, but Wonwoo prevented it from doing so. After a moment it sat down, the little red light going out.

“Alright, I’m in.”

“Are you sure it saw something?” Mingyu asked. “Or do we need to look for another one?”

“No. One should give me access to a few more in this area, one of them surely saw some… hold on.”

“What?”

“…”

“Vernon.”

“Hold on!”

“Aish, could you tell me-”

“Got it.”

“What?”

“The robo-dogs here are on two grids. The city and something else, I managed to dig deeper into the system just now, but I’m gonna need another minute to access this other grid.”

“I’m not understanding you.” Wonwoo said. “What do you mean another grid?”

“Another power grid, another system. Someone else besides the city is connected to these robo-dogs and thus has access to their recordings.”

“That’s not concerning at all.”

“I know so just- oh… this isn’t good… the CCTV around the theater isn’t broken, it’s on another grid.”

“Wait so you mean all the cameras around here work?”

“How come the city isn’t aware of this?” Mingyu questioned. “This whole area is thought to be a dark zone.”

“The city doesn’t care about the cameras being down cause the rodo-dogs in this area still work, and they’re more valuable.” Vernon explained. “That’s why they’re still online and connected to both grids. I doubt the city knows that someone else has easy access to the robo-dogs around here.”

“So who’s running this other grid?”

“Who do you think? Who’s at the center of this whole thing?”

“The Metronome Theater.”

“They’re the biggest power source in this area, so logically they’re the only ones who could run all this.”

“What about y/n though?” Wonwoo reminded. “Is she really in the theater?”

“Well, let’s check. Once I get access to the cameras we can see where she really went.”

A few minutes later Vernon did as he said, pulling up camera footage and going to the moment they had originally lost you. They could see you were still following a robot, and a moment later two more appeared. They continued to follow you through the cameras, and just as they suspected you made your way to the Metronome Theater, heading inside.

“Okay. So she’s in there somewhere.” Mingyu confirmed. “How do we get back in?”

“We can’t just walk in again.” Wonwoo added. “I’m sure they’ll be looking out for us.”

“Then we go in from below.” Vernon suggested. “The robo-dogs go underground to recharge and there has to be some sort of maintenance facility in this area. My guess is the theater. Someone in there must be a technician that fixes up all the robots around here. Which means there should be a way in the theater through underground maintenance tunnels that the robo-dogs would use.”

“Okay, but those things are small, do you think we’d fit?”

“The maintenance tunnels are designed to be big enough for a person to crouch through in case a robo-dog loses power down there and needs to be retrieved.”

“So all we gotta do now is find those tunnels and get inside.”

“What do we do once we’re in?” Wonwoo asked. “That place is huge and we have no idea where y/n would be.”

“If we’re going in then we’re not looking for y/n, but the Maestro. Whoever that is, they’ll surely know where she is.”

♩. ♩. ♩. ♩. ♩ ♪ ♩ ♪ 𝅗𝅥.

You felt as if you were waking from a dream, unsure as to when you fell asleep. Wherever you were, it was dark, but the light in front of you drew your attention. As you regained your senses you began to perceive your surroundings. You seemed to be in some sort of theater, watching a show. There was an orchestra on stage, along with the conductor leading the show. You noticed a few other people around you, but that all seemed to become pointless as you began to listen to the music. You hadn’t heard such a melody, becoming entranced by. After a moment you closed your eyes to give all your focus to the music, feeling so calm and relaxed.

“Good girl.”

The voice made you open your eyes, finding a gentleman with white hair standing before you with a big smile on his face. Before you could really process anything he lifted his glowing wand, gently tapping your head and causing your world to fade to black.

♩. ♩. ♩. ♩. ♩ ♪ ♩ ♪ 𝅗𝅥.

“Let’s go over the plan once more.”

With access to the robo-dogs it wasn’t hard for Vernon to map out their travel patterns and find multiple entrances to the maintenance tunnels. From there he could figure out where they needed to go and how to get inside the theater.

“Okay. I’ve found our entrance point into the maintenance tunnels, the closest one to the theater.” Vernon explained. “When we get to the theater itself I can mimic a robo-dogs signal to open the entrance and get us in. Although from there I’m gonna need to find an access port in order to gain access to the systems in the theater. There are no schematics or blueprints for that place, so right now I have no idea how the interior looks besides what we’ve seen, and that wasn’t much.”

“From there the goal is to go up.” Mingyu added. “Surely the Maestro would be at the highest point in the building. We just need to find the fastest route, and avoid as much resistance as possible.”

“The building will most likely be littered with robots, but once I have system access I can make sure they don’t hurt us.”

“What about the conductor?” Wonwoo asked. “Or that other guy? They seemed to have a lot of power in that place.”

“We already broke the conductor’s little stick, so they shouldn’t be a problem. As long as we move fast and don’t attract attention we should be fine.”

“Then what do we do if we find the Maestro?”

“When we find them we’re gonna demand answers. If things have to get rough then so be it. We know y/n’s in there. Let’s gather what we need and be ready to move in ten.”

Honestly the only person who needed things was Vernon, the other two were ready to go whenever. They all needed to travel light as there wasn’t much room in those tunnels to begin with. Since they knew the cameras around the theater worked they needed to avoid them. The best way to do that was to enter the sewers outside that area and travel through there to the maintenance tunnel that would lead them into the theater. It wasn’t pleasant, but it did well to give them the advantage they needed in order for this to work. None of them liked walking through the sewers, and the maintenance tunnels wouldn’t be any better. It would be short but uncomfortable nonetheless.

“Give me a second while I get the hatch open.”

Vernon got out his phone, doing a little something before the hatch opened. He was the first one through, glad to be able to stretch out, the other two soon getting out as well. They seemed to be in the middle of some hallway, and to their benefit it seemed empty.

“I need to look for some electrical currents so I can find an access point.” Vernon stated. “Give me a second.”

“Why do the walls say S3?” Wonwoo questioned.

“Shit.” Vernon mumbled. “I wasn’t entirely sure how low we went, but I think we’re in sub-level three.” 

“How big is this building…”

“No idea.”

Vernon followed the device in his hand, leading the others down the hall and towards an elevator. Which was the perfect thing to find. He pulled out some other tools, connecting to the wires behind the call button hacking in, ultimately gaining access to the entire system.

“Got it. Looks like this building has seventeen floors, and three sub-floors. So you definitely know where we are.”

“Great, we’re as far from the top as possible.” Mingyu said. “Just our luck. What’s the fastest way up?”

“Uh… there seems to be some kind of elevator that goes up to the seventeenth floor that we can access from the theater room.”

“So we need to go to the third floor?”

“No, there seems to be another theater on the thirteenth floor.”

“Of course. Is that the only way to access the top floor?”

“It seems to be the only direct connection closest to our current location. There are a few other elevators in this building, but only the one on the thirteenth floor will get us to seventeenth the fastest.”

“How are we supposed to get to the thirteenth floor undetected?”

“I’m looking into that. A place like this surely has blind spots, and if not, it shouldn’t be that hard to access their security system and hide us. I’m trying to map out our fastest route and looking into what type of security they have here. I just need a few minutes.”

“Well hurry up, we can’t push our luck.”

“I know.”

Vernon managed to find schematics of the building, taking a look at where they’d need to go in order to make it to their destination.

“Alright, from what I can tell the security here is pretty lax except for a few floors which we can avoid. There are some robots roaming around the building but they won’t be an issue either. We can take this elevator up to the first floor, and not so far from there we can get on another up to the seventh floor. From there we can reach the thirteenth. I’ve mapped out our path and have the cameras along the way looping. I’ve sent you both a copy of the route just in case, but we should get up to the seventeenth floor in about ten minutes.”

“Cool. Let’s move.”

It was a little strange being back in the lobby, considering they had been thrown out not so long ago. Vernon led the way over to the next elevator they needed to catch. Since the building didn’t see a lot of traffic they didn’t wait long. The highest this elevator went was the seventh floor, which was their next stop. It was strange that no single elevator connected all seventeen floors, but Wonwoo mentioned it was probably a safety thing. They thought things would be easy for them, but the elevator suddenly came to a stop on the fifth floor. For a moment they all got tense, Wonwoo and Mingyu ready to fight while Vernon was trying to cover them. Although when the doors opened there was no one. Mingyu carefully peeked his head out, but the halls were empty. Vernon tried closing the doors, but the elevator wouldn’t budge.

“I think it’s stuck.” Vernon commented. “This thing does seem old.”

“Then we should probably get off.” Wonwoo mentioned. “I guess we should take the stairs.”

“Not necessarily. Another elevator on this floor could take us up to the tenth floor, but that place seems to use a lot of power, which means heavy security.”

“Then why would we go there?”

“We could access the elevator that goes up to fourteen, and from there get up to seventeen. It’s our new fastest route from here.”

“As long as we’re still undetected it should work.” Mingyu said. “Lead the way, Vernon.”

No one else seemed to be on this floor either, the place being eerily quiet. There were a lot of doors with numbers, but no windows to see inside. It gave them all this uneasy feeling, but they kept going nonetheless. That is until they rounded a corner and Vernon stopped, stepping back and shoving the other two back, putting a finger to his lip and explaining himself in a whisper.

“Peacekeeper.”

“What!? Why is there one here?”

“I guess everyone comes to this theater.” Wonwoo commented. “You guys stay back, I got this.”

Wonwoo stood right against the corner, listening for footsteps. Once the peacekeeper was close enough he attacked. Lucky for him the only weapon his opponent had was a baton, and he had taken worse hits. It was easy for him to take down the peacekeeper, and the other two came to his side when he had won.

“I expected robots, not this.” Vernon mentioned. “Luckily the cameras here are looping so none of this was seen.”

“Then we can use this to our advantage.” Mingyu said, taking the mask from the peacekeeper. “I can dress like one of them so if another person sees us, I can act like I’m escorting you both.”

“But what do we do about the body? If another peacekeeper walks by and sees it they’re gonna sound the alarm.”

“It might be too late for that.” Wonwoo said. “Far too late.”

Vernon and Mingyu looked over to see what Wonwoo meant. At the end of the hall a crowd of peacekeepers were gathered. It seemed they no longer had the advantage.

“Go.” Wonwoo stated. “I’ll keep them busy and catch up with you later.”

“Wonwoo-”

“Now!”

Mingyu was already pulling Vernon down a different hall, but the boy was fumbling with his phone. Before Wonwoo was completely out of view Vernon activated the sprinkler system on the floor. It would help Wonwoo out since the peacekeepers wore goggles and the water would mess with their vision. Hopefully they’d meet up later.

Vernon found an alternative route to the elevator they needed to use, although it appeared their luck had really run out. A group of robots was marching down the hall towards them, someone else at the front of the group leading the way.

“I suggest you surrender now.” The other spoke. “But I’d prefer it if you don’t.”

“Run.” Vernon mumbled, looking down at his phone. “Go, now!”

“What? Vernon-”

“I’ll be right behind you, I just needed a second to hack into the robots.”

“I won’t leave you then.”

“Go get on that fucken elevator before they cut us off completely. You’ll be closer to the top on the tenth floor than the fifth!”

“Fuck.”

Mingyu knew Vernon had a point, so he bolted, feeling awful for leaving the other behind, for leaving them both. When he made it to the elevator he frantically hit the button, looking back, hoping Vernon managed to get him enough time. He pulled out his phone, opening up the link Vernon had sent so he could follow the route they had planned. Once the elevator arrived he got in and hit the button for the tenth floor, knowing he couldn’t wait around for the others. He let out a sigh of relief when the doors shut and he was moving. Things went south fast, but as long as he made it to his destination he trusted everything would work out.

♩. ♩. ♩. ♩. ♩ ♪ ♩ ♪ 𝅗𝅥.

“Get fucked!”

The robots were advancing on Vernon, but he tried not to let the panic overwhelm him. When he managed to hack them he laughed, making them stop in their tracks. He looked up at the other with a gleeful grin, having the robots turn around to make his point. The other seemed shocked by the sudden change.

“Thanks for the robots. Now I suggest you surrender and answer a few questions for me.”

“Impressive, but that’s not going to happen.”

“Wanna bet?” 

“Do your worst.”

Vernon smirked and ordered the robots to attack, knowing he could get this guy pinned in second. He sent two at him first, walking over himself since he knew this would be over soon. Although he wasn’t prepared for the punch the other guy threw, which actually knocked the robot back.

“Holy shit!”

Vernon stepped back and had all the robots attack, watching from a safe distance. It didn’t do him any good as the robots were beaten down and torn apart right before his eyes. The robots only managed to hit their target a few times, and it did nothing to slow them down. Vernon was frozen in shock as the other stalked up to him, a silver liquid dripping from his lip. He seemed to notice what Vernon was staring at, wiping his lips and laughing when he saw his fingers stained silver.

“I guess I need to go up to maintenance too. Don’t worry, I’ll take you with.”

One punch knocked Vernon out, and his unconscious body slid to the floor. The other stared down at him, finally relaxing after the whole ordeal. He knew back up was on the way, not that he’d need it. He looked around at all the robots, before sliding down a wall and sitting down to wait.

“Seungcheol’s gonna kill me.”

♩. ♩. ♩. ♩. ♩ ♪ ♩ ♪ 𝅗𝅥.

After dealing with the last one Wonwoo continued where he left off. At this point he was certain Vernon and Mingyu were no longer on this floor. It shouldn’t take too long to catch up. He pulled out his phone, following the path Vernon had laid out. Although upon rounding a corner he noticed the torso of a robot leaning against the wall, sparks flying from the damage. He proceeded cautiously, ready for another fight even if he was spent.

“I can hear you, so there’s no point creeping.”

The new voice caused Wonwoo to come to a halt. He knew whoever had spoken was just around the corner, although he wasn’t gonna lower his guard. He took a quick step into the next hall, seeing a bunch of robots torn to pieces, and Vernon passed out at the other end. Although his focus quickly shifted to the gentleman standing up, wincing in the process. Silver tainted his lips and nose, clearly exhausted, but Wonwoo was starting to put two and two together.

“Did you-”

“The robots? Yes, as for your friend, they’re just unconscious.”

“Who are you?”

“You ask as if I’m the trespasser here.” The gentleman chuckled. “The name’s Jun, and you’re Wonwoo, correct?”

“How do you know my name?”

“We’ve taken an interest in you, so it’s only proper we do our research. You’re strong, which explains how you handled the peacekeepers with ease. Very good.”

“What do you want from me?”

“That is something for you to discuss with another.”

“You mean the Maestro?”

“They’ve taken a special interest in you, yes.”

“Well I don’t care for that. I’m here for my friend.”

“You mean the girl? I assure you, she’s in good hands.”

“I doubt that if you went through the trouble of kidnapping her.”

“She came here on her own, just as everyone does.”

“Bullshit. Now tell me where she is.”

“Why don’t you tell me what happened when you held Joshua’s wand? How did you feel?”

“…”

Jun scoffed. “You only got a taste before you were so rudely interrupted. Would you like to experience that again? To know what’s going on here. The answers might just lead you to your friend.”

As Wonwoo contemplated everything a handful of peacekeepers and robots surrounded him. Jun ordered everyone to stay away from Wonwoo, having the robots take Vernon away.

“The boy will be fine.” Jun assured. “What’s your choice then? Shall you come willingly or do you have to be restrained?”

“Who will I be meeting?”

“Escort our new friend Wonwoo here to the fifteenth floor. Oh, and Wonwoo, I recommend you don’t try anything funny.”

Wonwoo allowed the peacekeepers and robots to lead the way, having them before and behind him. Jun watched him go, struggling to keep his own composure. He stumbled when he took a step back, nearly falling to the ground only to be caught by a friend.

“Seokmin.” Jun smiled. “Hi.”

“Funny, just wait until Seungcheol sees you.”

“Don’t get me started. Just take me to his shop.”

♩. ♩. ♩. ♩. ♩ ♪ ♩ ♪ 𝅗𝅥.

By the time the doors opened Mingyu had put on the mask, dressed as a peacekeeper to hopefully help him hide. Yet he was met with emptiness. He stared down a gray hallway, dim lights illuminating his path. From what Vernon had said this place held a lot of power, yet he saw none of it. Perhaps it was some diversion so people avoided the floor. He checked his phone, and it told him to proceed, so he did. At the end of the hall he was met with a door. It seemed to be locked, but Vernon had already accounted for that, so when he held his phone near the door it unlocked. He slowly opened it and stepped through. Now he understood the major power report.

The silence of the empty hall was suddenly filled with the hums of machines. Rows upon rows of servers were at either side, but before him stood the real source. A set up with multiple monitors showed him live camera footage from multiple floors. Moreso a bunch of offline robots stood around the monitor set up, creating a daunting warning. Still, Mingyu ignored it all, taking off the mask and approaching the computer. He should be going off to the next elevator, but if he could find you on the cameras then he’d really know where to go and not need to chase after a ghost. He sifted through the cameras, but there was no sign of you, and none seemed to be the seventeenth floor.

“You were never in control, you know.”

Mingyu turned around to discover he was no longer alone. A familiar face stood before him, the director from the show, Seungkwan.

“You’ve come quite far. I doubt I can convince you to stop here.”

“Where is she?”

“In good hands.”

“I doubt that. Just give her back, and I’ll be on my way.”

“That’s not gonna happen. In fact, I’m still very upset about what you did to Joshua.”

“I’m not.”

“Good. I won’t feel bad watching you suffer.”

Seungkwan snapped his fingers, the robots around starting to come to life. Mingyu knew his only option now was to run, so he did just that. He followed the guide, moving as fast as he could to the elevator. He hurriedly pressed the call button until the doors opened. Once inside he repeatedly pressed the button for fourteen, but the doors didn’t close. Something was probably wrong with this elevator too, so he pressed the button for thirteen and he watched the doors close as the robots charged at him. Once again he let out a breath in relief. At least now he was following the original plan, and knew he was one step closer to the Maestro, and you.

It was quiet and empty again when the doors opened, and Mingyu didn’t hesitate to step out. From what he could see the last elevator was behind the theater itself. So he made his way down the aisle towards the stage, not caring to try and hide his face with a mask. There seemed to be no one else around, yet as he stepped up to the stage he heard the sound of a spotlight turning on, except it wasn’t at him. He stopped, feeling the eerie sense that he was no longer alone. When Mingyu turned around he saw the light pointed at another in the aisle, closer to the door. A moment ago he had been alone, but now he wasn’t. Although what drew his attention the most was the wand in the other’s hand.

“You’re not supposed to be here.”

♩. ♩. ♩. ♩. ♩ ♪ ♩ ♪ 𝅗𝅥.

Vernon groaned as he regained consciousness, feeling the ache from that sucker punch. He was quick to realize he was tied up, hands behind his back and legs stuck together. He was propped up against a wall, but nothing around him seemed familiar. At least this wasn’t a place he had been to before, but all the cables and random tech pieces scattered around was certainly unexpected. A robo-dog suddenly came up to him, getting real close and staring at him, sending a chill down his spine.

“You know they’re harmless.”

Vernon’s gaze snapped away from the robot, looking for the source of the voice. His eyes soon landed on this guy walking towards the computer set up and taking a seat.

“You have potential, I’ll admit that. Figured out a way in here. It was fun to watch.”

“Wait, you knew we were here?”

“From the beginning. Don’t be so surprised though, I keep watch over this whole territory with my dogs. Although Seungkwan is internal security.”

“So you’re the one running the grid here? You reprogrammed the dogs to work for you?”

“Bingo. So tell me, you really broke into this place for some girl?”

“Where is she?”

“She’s fine, and well taken care of, I promise.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“You don’t have to, but it’s true. The name’s Dino by the way.”

“I don’t care.”

“Yet I do. Vernon, a freelance technician, making money doing all kinds of legal and illegal things. Would be a shame if someone reported you.”

“Is that a threat?”

“You’d think, but not really. Why do you even do what you do, hm? Just to make some money and pay the bills? You could do so much better with your talents.”

“Why do you care?”

“You hacked into Jun’s little escort pretty fast and bypassed safety parameters so they’d attack a person. Then again those safety parameters were already diminished.”

“Let me guess, your doing?”

“No, no, my dogs and I run surveillance. The big clunky robots are Seungcheol’s department. He’s looking forward to meeting you, but he needs to attend to Jun first.”

“That guy does need a doctor.”

“Seungcheol works with robots, not people.”

“Wait, you mean-”

“Gotcha, didn’t I?” Dino giggled. “Jun’s a cyborg. He’s got a few mechanical parts here and there. You might have realized it if you kept snooping around, but you didn’t. It wouldn’t be easy to hack into his mechanical parts anyway. So just relax, the hyungs want to talk to you.”

“Talk to me about what?”

“An opportunity. You’re good, but you could be better.”

“I don’t want to join your little gang here.”

“You say that now, but you don’t know anything.”

“I know you kidnapped my friend, and are doing who knows what to the people you lure here.”

“Yeah, you don’t know anything. It’s always difficult to make people understand when they can’t hear the music. Maybe that’ll change soon.” Dino sighed. “Let’s go see the hyungs.”

Dino got up and grabbed something from a drawer just out of view. Vernon tried to see what he was doing, but he didn’t need to wait long.

“Behave.”

Dino walked back to Vernon with a metal collar, and leash in hand, a big grin on his face. Vernon tried to move away, but his restraints limited his motion. He wound up falling onto his side, getting a laugh out of Dino. The boy merely knelt down and grabbed a fistful of Vernon’s hair, pulling his head up to expose his neck so the collar could snap into place. He loosened the rope around his legs a bit so he could walk, and then attached the leash to the collar and helped Vernon to his feet.

“This is gonna be fun.”

Vernon followed alongside Dino, the boy holding the leash very close so he basically had to walk while hunched over. They went to a nearby elevator, and once inside Vernon noted they were on the eighth floor, and that this elevator apparently went all the way to the top.

“I know what you’re thinking. You never really hacked into our systems, we just let you see what we wanted. Besides, it was fun watching you all run around. Don’t worry we’re just going up one floor.”

With his hands behind his back any sort of action was limited, and he couldn’t even run in this state. When the doors opened Dino led him out, going down a plain hall. The floor seemed rather empty until they went through some double doors, revealing a whole workshop. Robots were all over the place, some just standing guard and others working on things. A few spare parts were lying around as well, but his focus was soon pulled to a table. The boy from before, who he now knew to be Jun, was sitting on it, a bunch of wires sticking out of his arm. There was another person next to him, looking at some monitors. Jun’s eyes were glowing blue, fading and growing bright, when he saw Vernon he smirked.

“Guess you’re not dead.”

“You weren’t trying to kill him, were you?” Dino questioned.

“Maybe. Although I bet Seungcheol wants to kill him.”

“Do not start, Junhui!” 

One of the others in the room snapped at Jun, which he presumed to be Seungcheol. The boy was pointing and yelling about Jun’s careless behavior. Jun seemed to be amused, although Vernon noticed the rest of the robots around were mimicking Seungcheol. It was strange and concerning, but he didn’t know what was happening.

“Do you have any idea how long it’s gonna take to repair those robots?” Seungcheol mentioned. “Days, Jun, days!”

“Don’t forget some were Seokmin’s designs.” Dino added. “So you’re not the only one who got screwed over.”

“You’re not helping!” Jun hissed. 

“Just saying. Also, hyung, you might wanna take a moment.”

Seungcheol looked over at Dino with a questioning look and the boy just gestured to their surroundings. That’s when Seungcheol noticed all the robots around moving as he did. He sighed and took a breath, and then the robots returned to their original task. Vernon still had no idea what had just happened.

“Why’d you bring that dog up here anyway?” The other in the room asked. “Do I get to hit him this time?”

“That’s enough, Seokmin.” Seungcheol cut in. “Just focus on Jun.”

“I know, I know.”

“You. Vernon, isn’t it? What are you doing here?”

“Don’t you know?”

“I have an idea, but I don’t know if that’s the truth. Answer me honestly and I’ll get the maknae to give you back your dignity and get that collar off.”

“What have you done with her?”

“That’s not the answer I was looking for.”

Seungcheol came over and grabbed the leash, pulling on it and making Vernon fall to his knees. After a moment Seungcheol knelt down and grabbed the boy’s chin, forcing their eyes to meet. It was quiet for a moment, and Vernon could feel his resolve melting.

“You’re being a waste of talent. I admire you care so much for this girl, but have you stopped to realize that you’re probably not leaving this building ever again.”

“You gonna lock me up?”

“You wouldn’t be the first, but the circumstances would be different. Wanna try again to answer my question?”

“I’m here for my friend, is that good enough for you?”

“I suppose.”

Seungcheol got the collar off, returning it and the leash to Dino. He then helped Vernon get up, but the ropes would remain. He returned to Jun’s side, looking over the readings as Seokmin continued to examine the boy. The silence was awkward, but Vernon wasn’t done with the conversation.

“How… how is it that you run the CCTV here, that you have access to the robo-dogs and some robots as well. Your whole operation should have been shut down ages ago, yet here you are. I guess the better question is why.”

“Do you really wanna know?”

“Are you gonna answer me?”

Seokmin chuckled. “We’re gonna change the world.”

“What?”

“Those in power won’t ever do anything that goes against the status quo. So we must do it ourselves.”

“Are you insane!? What reason-”

“Reason?” Seunghceol questioned. “Look at the world around you, do you think it’s fair as it is now? That it doesn’t require change?”

“So you’re gonna start a revolution by hacking into robots and killing anyone who gets in your way? Is that your great plan?”

“You’re not thinking big enough. Robots aren’t completely reliable, but human connection is.  All we have to do is reach those in power, and we’ll make them understand.”

“Ah, you mean the music, don’t you?”

“I see you’re not just savvy with technology. You were present for a show earlier today, so I suppose you do understand what we’re doing here.”

“You mean brainwashing people? Like you said, I was at your show, and I’m not under your control, am I? Your music is shitty.”

“Don’t insult the Maestro. The fact their music can enthrall people is reason enough for you to worry, isn’t it? There are already people out there who understand us, just like the peacekeepers we have here. After all, how do you think your friend came to our theater?”

“Leave her out of your plans!”

“She’s here of her own will, and she’s helping us. Soon enough our music will reach more people, especially the difficult ones such as yourself.”

“I guess you can’t hear how crazy you sound since you’re brainwashed yourself!”

“Unfortunately those of us here can’t truly understand the Maestro’s work. The melody is beautiful but I can’t truly feel its power. Only the Maestro and the conductors can, and our guests at the theater. One day though, we’ll all be on the same page.”

“You’re all crazy.”

“I think you’d be a great addition to our team, truly. Although the choice is ultimately yours. We can always place you in a cell on the fifth floor until the time comes. I’m certain your other friend, Wonwoo, will join us though.”

“The fuck are you talking about?”

“That depends, do you care to know more? Or can Jun knock you out again?”

♩. ♩. ♩. ♩. ♩ ♪ ♩ ♪ 𝅗𝅥.

The elevator ride was crowded for Wonwoo, completely surrounded on all sides. He wasn’t going to try anything, and even if he did he’d surely get pinned. Vernon said only certain elevators went to certain floors, yet the one he was taken to had access to all floors, even the sub-levels. Something else was definitely going on here. When the doors opened there was an empty hallway before him. Those in front of him stepped out and then he did so. Although once out the others returned to the elevator and left, leaving him alone.

For a moment he thought to press the elevator button again, getting himself up to the seventeenth floor, but his own curiosity was winning out. At the end of the hall there was a door, and he could feel something on the other side calling to him. Without realizing he was walking down the hall, reaching for the doorknob and opening it. A blinding white light overtook his vision, his senses needing a moment to adjust. He stepped through, surrounded by technology and machines he didn’t quite understand. It seemed he was alone, until a familiar voice broke through the silence.

“I’m glad to see you came back.”

“You… I… are you alright…? Before when we-”

“I’m fine.” Joshua assured. “What happened back then wasn’t your fault. Honestly, it was surprising for us too.”

“What… what did happen? You were screaming and-”

“It’s complicated. I’m sure you have many questions, and I will do my best to answer them.”

“… where’s y/n?”

“Ah, the girl. She’s alright.”

“Why… why did you bring her here?”

“She came on her own, as do all the guests at our theater.”

“I know that’s a lie. I saw robots escorting her here. The music you play has a certain effect on people. You turned the other guests against us at the show before. That’s what you did to her to lure her in, isn’t it?”

“You really want to talk about her?”

“She’s the real reason I’m here.”

“Then why didn’t you go up to the seventeenth floor? Not that you could, but you didn’t even try. You can ask anything and you want to ask about her?”

“Why are you so reluctant to tell me? Why not just take me to her and let me ask her if everything you’ve said is true.”

“She’s unavailable at the moment, but if you want to talk about her, then there are other things that need to be discussed first.”

“Which are?”

“You, for starters. Tell me, when you grabbed my wand.” Joshua pulled his wand out of his sleeve. “How did you feel?”

Wonwoo couldn’t help but stare. The feeling from before was starting to creep back up. He had no idea what it was, let alone explain it.

“… energy… whatever it was… it was alive… it was coming to me… and it didn’t hurt… it was… intoxicating… it was power…”

“It was music, the power of music, specifically the Maestro’s music. The conductors perform it and the effects remain. I’m sure you felt it.”

“The music is dangerous. What you did to those people, to y/n-”

“Creating connection and understanding. Those who truly listen to the music find happiness and purpose. You could feel it, couldn’t you? A sense of peace.”

“More like a high. All those people were at your mercy.”

“We have no ill intentions here. We’re just trying to change the world for the better. You’ve seen some of our recruits, I was quite impressed to see you take on that many peacekeepers all alone.”

“So that’s why they were here. How many people have you… recruited?”

“Many, hard to keep track of. The Maestro’s music is unique in its abilities, but it cannot reach everyone, not yet that is.”

“So what do I have to do with this? What of y/n?”

“You could understand the music, feel its power, like myself. It means you’re special. Only the Maestro’s conductors can listen to the music and perform it. The Maestro themself is focusing on creating new compositions to bring more people in, so we conductors lead the show. You have the potential to be one, a conductor that is.”

“Me?”

“Only a conductor feels the power of the music. The wand is a means of commanding that power, and you felt that when you held mine. You could have your own. A few upgrades and some practice and you could do your own show.”

“Why would I join you?”

“The question is why wouldn’t you? Like you said, that power was intoxicating. You’ll never get another taste otherwise. Besides, your friend is with us now. You can speak with her yourself later, but right now I need your answer.” Joshua held out his wand. “Will you be joining us?”

“What if I say no?”

“I doubt that’d be your answer, but if you truly refuse, you’ll be locked up. We can’t have you causing trouble and getting in our way. So, what will it be?”

“What happens after… if I say yes?”

“There’s only one way to find out, isn’t there?”

“… show me.”

♩. ♩. ♩. ♩. ♩ ♪ ♩ ♪ 𝅗𝅥.

“The name’s Minghao, shall we play?”

A moment ago Mingyu was staring down at someone who seemed to be a conductor, yet they weren’t on stage nor did they have an audience. It seemed like it would be a quick and easy fight, but as Mingyu took a step down everything seemed to change. The lights went out, covering him in darkness. A moment later red lights began to shine, and a light from below illuminated the conductor. Instead of a wand he had a violin, and the red lights were emanating from it as he played. Although there wasn’t any sound, at least not at first. Minghao smiled and continued his song, then a moment later Mingyu heard an ear-piercing screech.

He yelled and covered his ears, falling to his knees. He took in a deep breath, trying to adjust to the sound, but that wasn’t his only problem. Out of the corner of his eye he could see robots entering the theater, and he knew what the outcome would be if he got caught. He needed to think fast, and figure out a way out of this. His eyes landed on the mask he had dropped, the peacekeeper one. Perhaps that could help him. He reached for it and slipped it on, trying to figure it out while the screeching continued. The system wasn’t too complicated and he managed to adjust the hearing and block out the Minghao’s song. He could only rest for a moment as the robots were closing in.

Mingyu jumped into the nearest row to avoid getting grabbed. He would have bolted straight to Minghao, but a few robots would stop him. He needed to figure something else out, although he stumbled in his steps when Minghao changed his tune and he heard the screeching again. He had to fumbled around with the mask controls again so he wouldn’t be incapacitated.  Once he was good he looked over to see Minghao wasn’t even watching him, but more focused on the music, clearly not affected by the melody the same way he was. He continued to move around and avoid the robots, trying to think of a plan. He looked at the settings on the mask to see if anything was helpful.

Besides the night vision there didn’t seem to be anything else the mask could do. Although he soon discovered he could control something else with the mask. All peacekeepers kept a baton with them, something he had taken as well. One would think it was normal, but from what Mingyu was seeing it had a stun option. He put the electricity to the highest voltage it could go and then activated. Surely with a weapon like this he could deal with the robots and get to the conductor. He didn’t approach any of the robots, wanting them to come to him so he could strike the best he could.

He was nervous with the first robot, knowing very well if this failed he was screwed. The first swing made contact with the robot’s head, causing an explosion of sparks, and the robot was knocked down. It seized and certain parts were shooting out sparks, but it seemed to be down for the count. Mingyu was satisfied with his new weapon, not afraid to take on the rest of the robots around him. He didn’t want to get cornered so he continued to move around, trying to get closer to Minghao while taking down robots and making sure the music didn’t throw him off. At one point he came face to face with two of the machines and stung at the closest one. Although his baton went right through it and the robot itself disappeared.

The moment of confusion cause him to let his guard down and the other robot, which was real, managed to grab him. He struggled in their grasp, managing to press the baton against its torso and get free. Now he had a new problem, not all the robots around him were real, and he had no way to tell them apart. His eyes focused on Minghao, starting to realize the music wasn’t just to mess with him and control the robots, but possibly causing these hallucinations as well. The only way to end all this was to take him down. Mingyu took in his surroundings, planning out the best route and executing it. 

He dodged as many robots as he could, and took down those in his way, reaching Minghao and tackling him to the ground. The other had realized too late that Mingyu had gotten close, getting pinned to the ground. The moment the music stopped everything changed. The theater was no longer pitch black, and there was no violin. Minghao was holding his wand and glaring up at Mingyu while he tried to free himself. Although Mingyu had a goal in mind, keeping Minghao pinned as he snatched the wand out of the other’s hand, taking off his mask.

“Let’s see if the same trick works twice.”

Mingyu snapped the wand in half, causing Minghao to scream in agony. Mingyu had no idea why that was the reaction, but he didn’t care for it. He threw the pieces to the side and made his way back to the stage. The lights suddenly went out again and he stopped, Minghao’s screams fading away. He looked back to see something glowing in the darkness, but the sound of the stage lights turning on caught his attention. He went up to the stage, seeing it was illuminated, and that someone was present. This new conductor took a bow, and then he found himself yanked up into the air by some unseen force.

“Welcome to the stage.”

♩. ♩. ♩. ♩. ♩ ♪ ♩ ♪ 𝅗𝅥.

“… where am I…?”

As you regained your senses once more you realized your environment had changed again. You were no longer in the theater, but a much brighter place. Different types of machines surrounded you, and you were sitting on some sort of examination table. You carefully got off, needing a moment for your legs to adjust. You tried to remember how you got here, but it was all a blur and thinking about it gave you a headache. Regardless of what you remembered, you knew that you needed to leave. You began walking around, looking for an exit. You thought you were alone until a rather familiar voice startled you.

“Welcome.”

You jumped and looked back at the source, seeing a boy with white hair, the one from the theater. They offered you a smile and bow, the same glowing wand in hand. You swear a moment ago there had been no one else present, and yet suddenly he was here.

“… hello…”

“Apologies for skipping parts, but I’ll introduce myself now. My name is Hoshi, welcome to the Metronome Theater.”

“… how did I even get to the theater? I was working and then…”

“We had some of our robots escort you here. The Maestro is eager to meet you.”

“The Maestro? Who’s that? Why… why me…?”

“You’ve heard them play the piano before, haven’t you?”

“… piano… you mean that was coming from here?”

“Yes. Not many can hear the Maestro play the piano, which is why they brought you here.”

“I don’t understand…”

“I assure you there’s nothing to be afraid of. Come, they’re waiting for you.”

Hoshi gestured for you to follow them, and you hesitantly took a step forward. You should have asked to leave, yet those words never came from your mouth. You were more curious about this Maestro and the piano you had heard. Many times when you told the others they had no idea what you were talking about, and this was proof you weren’t hearing things. So you followed Hoshi, wanting to know more. You came over to an elevator, stepping inside and seeing the button for seventeen light up. Hoshi merely smiled at you.

“You… you said not many can hear the piano… who else can hear it?”

“As far as we know, it’s just you and me.”

“You hear the piano too?”

“I’ve been the only one for a long time. It’s why the Maestro was so eager to meet you.”

“But how did you find me?”

“We have eyes and ears everywhere.”

“But down in the theater… what happened?”

“I assure you the Maestro will explain this all to you.”

When the elevator doors opened Hoshi gestured for you to step out, and then led you down another hall. You came to some double doors and then they opened on their own inviting you in. The room was grand, and quite empty, with no real furniture around, but what stood out was the piano. A gentleman was playing, the melody instantly captivating you. Your feet moved on their own, walking closer and closer to the piano, only stopping when the music did too. The gentleman stood up, greeting you with a smile.

“Hello, I’m the Maestro of the theater, but you may call me Woozi.”

“It’s… it’s a pleasure to meet you…”

“Likewise. I’ve been looking for someone like you for a long time.”

“Like me?”

“You’re very special my dear, come, would you like me to play for you?”

Woozi came over to you and took your hand, leading you over to the piano. He had you sit, taking a seat next to you. He let you run your fingers along the keys before he started playing. There was something incredible about hearing the music so up close and personal. Your body swayed from side to side a bit, watching his fingers work. Occasionally Woozi would glance your way, able to play without fully seeing the keys. You didn’t know how much time passed as you listened to the beautiful melody, but it was suddenly rudely interrupted.

A screeching, feedback loop, type sound snapped you out of your daze, causing you to place your hands over your ears. You screamed, doubling over and falling to the ground. Despite the pain you became aware of something else, feeling this small metal disc against your head, and ripping it off. The pain immediately began to subside, allowing you to breathe. Although you couldn’t say the same for the other. Woozi was still in pain, stumbling around but ultimately falling to his knees.

“Hoshi! Find Joshua, now!”

A moment later Woozi seemed to calm down, getting back on his feet. You on the other hand remained where you were, unsure of what had just happened. When Woozi noticed you he put on a smile and made his way over, although you crawled back and he stopped.

“You have nothing to be afraid of. Are you alright?”

“What just happened… who are you… what’s going on…?”

“Take it easy. I can explain everything.”

Woozi reached out his hand to help you up, but you were reluctant to take it. He seemed to understand and knelt down, grabbing the little disc off the floor. He examined it before reaching over to put it back on your head but you swatted his hand away.

“What are you doing?”

“Truth is, I need your help, y/n.”

“Me? For what?”

“To change the world, to save it.”

“What?”

“There’s no music out there, no passion, no joy… I want to change that.”

“How?”

“Maestro.”

Hoshi interrupted, seeming to have appeared from nowhere. Woozi gave you a smile and went over to the other.

“What happened?”

“Some intruders in the theater rushed the stage and broke Joshua’s wand. He’s stable now and is being taken to the medical floor. As for the intruders, they’ve been thrown out, and the theater is currently locked down.”

“Good. Keep an eye on the situation.”

Woozi dismissed Hoshi and turned his attention back towards you. Before you could say or do anything you heard the sounds of a piano, a recording that is. You began to feel at ease, the melody washing away your tension and worries. Woozi came to your side, placing the disc back on your head and you felt a little spark of electricity coarse through you. Then he helped you to your feet and brought you back over to the piano.

“As I was saying before, my music is special, able to reach a person in a way nothing else can.” The music stopped, giving you a moment to regain your senses. “But it can’t reach everyone, not yet that is.”

“What did you do to me…”

“It’s rather difficult to explain, but my musical composition is able to lull people into a sort of trance, like putting them under a spell. Although it doesn’t work on everyone.”

“I… I still don’t understand what this has to do with me…”

“The piano is one of my greatest instruments. Yet for the longest of time it seemed that no one could truly hear the melody besides Hoshi, then you came along. I need your help in understanding what it is that draws you in. Specifically your brain waves, and how they react to my music.”

“Then… the device on my head…” You slowly reached up to it. “It’s monitoring my brain waves?”

“Recording them, yes, with your help I’ll be able to share my music with the world.”

“But if you’re… putting people… under your control then-”

“I don’t have any ill intentions. I just want to bring music back to the world, to bring peace.”

“… what if I refuse to help…”

“I’ll be honest, you don’t have a choice. You won’t find a way out of this theater, and as you know my music can start playing at any moment. Many of the robots and robo-dogs have been modified with speakers. You can’t escape.”

“… oh…”

“I want your help willingly, but I won’t let you leave either.”

“I understand…”

“You don’t have to be mentally present if you don’t want to.”

“I’m sure things will be better if I am. I also want to know what’s truly going on.”

“Thank you.” Woozi took your hand and kissed it. “I’ll continue playing now.”

There was still a lot on your mind. You were worried about your friends, but Woozi made it very clear you were stuck here, at least for the time being. Of course all your concerns were washed away when the music started playing. You were helpless to resist, finding yourself on cloud nine while you listened, the time passing by without meaning. When you finally had a chance to regain your senses you found yourself alone at the piano. You could vaguely make out voices around you, but you were focusing on getting your head on straight.

“Dino is monitoring the situation.”

“Thank you, Hoshi.”

Once your head wasn’t spinning you got up, looking over to see Woozi by himself. You swore you heard Hoshi before, but it was just the two of you in the room.

“You back with us?” Woozi questioned. “How about a tour? The others would like to meet you.”

“Others?”

“I don’t do this alone.”

Woozi hooked his arm around yours and led you back the way you came, or at least that’s what you thought, there was no way to tell. You came to an elevator, Woozi hitting the button for the eighth floor. It was a quick trip and once you arrived Woozi led you down a hall. You came to a huge room full of monitors, seeing the outside world, some still images and others in motion. There was a gentleman at a desk, browsing through some of the screens, but upon hearing you two he stood up to greet you.

“Maestro, what brings you down here? I see you have a friend.”

“This is the girl I was telling you all about. Y/n this is Dino, our eyes and ears.”

“Ah, nice to meet you.”

“The pleasure is all mine.”

“So you… like, run security here?”

“No, that would be Seungkwan. I keep an eye on things outside the theater. I was the one who found you, fascinated by a piano that no one else could hear. I’m quite jealous, I’ve always wanted to hear the Maestro’s music.”

“It doesn’t affect you?”

“Unfortunately not, but you’ll be able to change that.”

“You really think so?”

“I believe so.”

“Hoshi told me what you were up to earlier.” Woozi mentioned. “Is everything alright?”

“Yes, although we might have some guests soon.”

“Prepare for them.”

“Will do.”

“Let’s go meet some of the others.” Woozi said. “Come now.”

You merely went up one more floor, to the ninth, coming to a much different area. There were parts and machinery all around, kinda like some workshop. Many robots were around as well, seeming to be working on different things. You were quite fascinated as this reminded you of home, and the mess of electronics Vernon always left lying around. There were two gentlemen in the room talking, but their conversation ceased when you two entered, both greeting Woozi.

“It’s nice to see you as well. This is y/n, our special guest, y/n, this is Seungcheol and Seungkwan.”

“Hello…”

“Seungcheol works with the robots we have here, and with Seungkwan, who is in charge of security here.”

“I… I think I saw Seungkwan earlier… at the theater.”

“Yes. I’m also the director. I hope you enjoyed the show.”

“I did. May I ask what goes on here? This is a shop, isn’t it?”

“It’s my shop.” Seungcheol explained. “I work on some robots, a bit of cosmetic work but mostly programming. I have an implant that connects me to the robots in our network which makes it easier to do my job.”

“So you build robots here? I thought only the government did that.”

“I don’t make them, just some modifications, but Seokmin does create some pretty unique robots. You’ll like his workshop.”

“Speaking of.” Woozi interrupted. “Why don’t we go see him.”

Another elevator trip, this time going up to the twelfth floor. Just as Seungcheol said, this place was another workshop, although there were far more robot pieces lying around. You thought maybe other robots would be around, but there were only a few. If you didn’t know any better you’d think the floor was abandoned, but Woozi led you through everything with purpose, knowing exactly where to go. It wasn’t long before you came across another person, another two. One was lying on a table, and the other at the side looking at a computer screen. Without saying anything the one at the computer stopped and looked back, smiling at Woozi.

“Maestro, what brings you here?”

Then the person lying on the table sat up, startling you a bit, but they quickly apologized. You assured them you were fine, and apologized yourself as you didn’t mean to intrude on whatever they were doing.

“So this must be the girl you mentioned before.”

“It is. Y/n, meet Seokmin, and Jun.”

“Hello…”

“You’re very pretty.” One commented. “I’m Seokmin, and this is my shop.”

“Yes, Seungcheol mentioned it to me, he said you build robots.”

“I do. The Maestro is kind enough to let my imagination run wild.”

“What do you make robots for?”

“No real reason at all, it’s just fun. Besides, my skill set is very helpful for Jun.”

“Jun? Why?”

“I have a few robotic parts myself.” Jun explained. “So that leaves Seokmin, and Seungcheol, as my doctors.”

“Oh, that’s interesting.”

“Just doing some routine maintenance now.”

“I never would have thought you were a cyborg.”

“My handsome face hides it well, right?”

“I worked on that face so I can take partial credit.” Seokmin joked. “I used myself as inspiration.”

“Oh shut up.”

“Since you two are busy, we’ll leave you then.” Woozi said. “Shall we.”

Everyone you had met so far was interesting, and it made you wonder how they all wound up here. Although now you were very curious about one in particular. So you decided to ask as you made your way to the next floor.

“May I ask something?”

“Hm?”

“What happened to Jun?”

“Peacekeepers. He stole something and they hunted him down, beat him to a pulp and left him for dead. It happened in my area, and I wasn’t just going to watch the boy die. My people brought him here and fixed him up. He had some severe wounds which required different treatment, with his consent of course.”

“So… those that are here… they know what you’re doing, right?”

“Of course.”

“And they’re okay with it? They’re on board?”

“Yes. They understand what I’m trying to do here and believe in my cause. They’re here to help me, and I appreciate them.”

“They’re here because they want to be, yet I can’t leave.”

Woozi chuckled. “You’re a special case.”

The doors opened and you arrived to the fifteenth floor, where you had originally woken up. It made you a bit nervous to be back here, but Woozi seemed calm as usual. Last time you were here it was quiet and felt abandoned, but now you could hear machines operating, and a few muffled voices here and there. It seemed that you were heading towards those voices as they got louder and louder. You came over to a group of people, seeing a gentleman lying in bed, two others at his side and Hoshi looking at the monitor.

“Maestro, you’re here.”

“How is he?”

“Stable and recovering.”

“And the rest of you?”

“Fine. Although we should be asking you. The sudden disruption-”

“I’m alright.”

“And her?”

All eyes suddenly turned to you, making you nervous. Although now that you had their attention you realized the gentleman dressed in black seemed familiar.

“I’m okay… but what… what are you talking about…?”

“I haven’t explained all that yet.” Woozi admitted. “We can do so now while you get examined.”

“Me?”

“Yes. You can have a seat over here.”

You were led over to one of the beds nearby, taking a seat and having Woozi remove that little chip on your head. While that happened the gentleman in black asked a question.

“Did you enjoy the show?”

“Ah, yes, it was lovely… uh… I hate to ask… but have we met before?”

“I would say so. I’m Jeonghan, I was the conductor for your show. This is Minghao, and our friend who is recovering is Joshua. You’ve met Hoshi, right?”

“I have. Then, are you all conductors?”

“We are.”

“So what happened to Joshua?”

“You felt it earlier.” Minghao commented. “That shrieking. Some bastard broke Joshua’s wand.”

“The conductor wand?”

“Yes. They’re much more than they seem.”

“But why would breaking that hurt him?”

“We’re all connected here.” Hoshi mentioned. “Through this neural network and the Maestro’s music. The conductor’s wand serves as a way to keep them connected, while also allowing them to access the true power of the music.”

“It’s more like it flows through us.” Jeonghan explained. “And we can manipulate it from there.”

“You mean control people.”

“One can do much more with lots of practice and patience.”

“Like what?”

“You’ll see.”

From what you could tell Woozi was downloading the contents from the chip, your brainwave readings. Your eyes lingered on Joshua as he laid in bed. You remembered the headache from before, so you couldn’t imagine what he had felt if he wound up unconscious. Although a moment later the boy jumped up from the bed, clearly panicked. The others held him down, hoping to keep him from hurting himself. Hoshi gently placed his hand behind Joshua’s head and the boy seemed to calm down.

“You’re alright.” Jeonghan assured. “The others are fixing your wand and Hoshi is keeping the connection stable.”

“Where are they…”

“Gone. So don’t worry about them.”

“They were looking for-”

“We know. You can say hello.”

“Huh?”

Jeonghan gestured over to you, and Joshua’s eyes followed, seeming to be surprised. He offered you a weak smile, trying to figure out some words.

“Hello… you doing okay?”

“Uh, yeah. Are you?”

“I’m fine. How do you feel though? How was the music?”

“Beautiful. It lingers in the back of my mind.”

“You should let me perform for you sometime.”

“I’ll look forward to it.”

“I’ll give you a show as well.” Minghao added. “So look forward to that too.”

“Alright. I will.”

“The data looks promising.” Woozi stated. “Shall we move on to the next phase?”

“Next phase? What’s that?”

“It will be much easier to monitor you when you’re directly connected to our network.”

“Wait, you want to put something in my head? Like an-”

“It won’t hurt at all. Honestly you’ll be-”

“No, no I said I’d help you with this but-”

“This is part of it.”

“But… I…”

Minghao came over to your side and held out his wand. You stared at it confused, not sure what he was implying.

“Since you’re the Maestro’s special girl, you’ll be able to feel the power before you’re fully connected. Go on, grab it, tell me how you feel.”

You hesitantly grabbed the wand, not feeling anything at first and then it slowly began to hit. You felt this warmth starting to grow inside you, to spread and open up your senses. The melody in the back of your mind was starting to become clearer and you could remember its beauty. Perhaps this feeling was like getting high, and you couldn’t help but giggle. Although the feeling didn’t last long as Minghao took the wand back, quickly leaving you feeling cold.

“Wait-”

“Sorry, but since you’re not in our network it’s dangerous for you to hold a wand for too long. But I’ll tell you this, that feeling will only be better once you join us.”

“This is all really starting to sound like a cult…”

Minghao chuckled. “If you want to see it that way, but the Maestro is right, we need you.”

“And I can’t refuse…”

“Do you want to? Leave that is. Do you think you could walk away now? You’d probably still hear the Maestro’s music playing out in the streets. Could you resist the urge to come back?”

“I… I don’t know…”

“I do.” Jeonghan admitted. “I tried walking away, but you can see how that turned out.”

“What… what’s gonna happen to me?”

“Right now I need to administer a sedative.” Woozi explained. “You need to be in a relaxed state both physically and mentally before we can begin the procedure. Then you’ll just sleep. When you wake, well, I can’t really describe the sensation since it’s always been with me. Although I’m sure one of my conductors can.”

“It feels like truly waking up.” Joshua recounted. “You realize that you were never actually awake until that moment. Your senses are heightened, and you can feel this energy in the air. The feeling only grows stronger when there’s music and it creates this harmony within you. It might not be easy to understand the Maestro’s music or intentions, but once you reach this deeper level of connection it all makes sense. You feel bits of it now, and that’s what draws people to the theater. It’s what ultimately brought you here.”

“Oh…”

“May we begin?” Woozi asked. “Or do you need a moment?”

“No… you can start.”

Woozi gave you a smile and stepped over to a table near the bed. He grabbed a needle and vial, filling the needle. You watched intently, starting to feel a bit nervous. He asked for your arm, which you gave, watching as he stuck the needle in you and emptied out its contents. Afterwards he had you lay down, telling you that you’d feel the effects soon.

“I’ll go get Seokmin, I’ll return shortly.”

Minghao offered to go with Woozi, needing to talk to him about something. Jeonghan took over from there, attaching some patches and wires to you. Hoshi came to the other side, looking over the monitor. All this was making you more uneasy.

“Wait… wait-”

You reached over to grab Hoshi’s arm, only for your hand to go right through him like he was some sort of ghost. You looked up at him with wide eyes, glancing at your hand as if something would change.

“… you… you’re not real…”

“I am.” Hoshi assured with a smile. “I’m just not physically here.”

“… what… what happened?” You asked. “I… I’ve been curious about you… with everything Woozi said…”

“Hm. Shall I tell you a story while you drift off?”

“Okay…”

Hoshi glanced back at the monitors, making sure everything was alright. Then you noticed a chair roll over to your bedside, Hoshi taking a seat. You knew he wasn’t physically present but he was trying to seem as normal as possible.

“I’ve known the Maestro since we were kids, we grew up together. He always had an affinity for music, and we’d do our best to scavenge for instruments or parts to make our own. Neither of us realized at first, but when he played, he drew me in. This energy surrounded him, making it seem like the world wasn’t such a bad place. Eventually the Maestro became aware of how I’d get when he played, he was worried but I assured him I was fine and wanted to hear more. That’s when he started performing for others. Many who heard his music had a smile on their face, and the world seemed like a better place. I believe he would have been content just playing on the streets for random strangers, but you know the city. One day peacekeepers came, and I couldn’t let the Maestro get hurt. I told him to run and I took the fall.”

“I was hurt badly and left for dead. When the Maestro found me again he feared he would lose me. Everything was hazy, but somehow the Maestro got help, and that’s how he met Seokmin. They stabilized me, but I wasn’t exactly conscious. I wasn’t very responsive, but apparently I still reacted to the Maestro’s music. It gave him hope, and so they tried something else to help me. The Maestro met Seokmin’s friends, Seungcheol and Dino, and they put something in my head, letting me project my consciousness outside my body. The guys did a bit of adjustments and here I am.”

Despite everything you had been told you couldn’t help but reach up, wanting to touch Hoshi’s face, but once again your hand just went through him. Hoshi chuckled, giving you an amused look.

“Sorry.”

“… where… where is your body?”

“Somewhere in this building.”

“… are you okay?”

“Yeah. It’s been a while but I’m making progress. I’ll be up on my feet soon.”

“Woozi really cares about you…”

“He does.”

“Because… your situation… is that why he needs me?”

“Yes. Although I know you would have come here eventually. The music is so beautiful, isn’t it?”

“Yeah…”

“You should close your eyes and sleep. I’ll have a surprise for you when you wake up.”

A small smile appeared on your lips, and you gave a little nod. It was already a bit of a struggle to stay awake, so you closed your eyes and let yourself sink into the darkness. You were still nervous, not knowing what would happen, but by now it was far too late to object.

♩. ♩. ♩. ♩. ♩ ♪ ♩ ♪ 𝅗𝅥.

“If I agree… do I get to see y/n?”

“That could be arranged.”

“Fine. I’ll see what’s going on with your cult.”

“Not a cult but-”

Seungcheol groaned and grabbed his head, falling to his knees. Jun also screamed and fell back on the table, thrashing around a bit. Even the other two seemed to be suffering from some sudden headache. Vernon was left unaffected, and he had seen this scene before, back at the theater. Although he had no idea what was going on. He thought to use this chance to get out of his restraints and try to escape, but Dino wasn’t affected as badly, so he knocked Vernon down to the ground. A moment later it seemed the headaches had passed, and they were all recovering.

“I should probably go check on our guest after this.” Seokmin commented. “Take care of Jun.”

“Yeah. We’ll follow shortly.” Seungcheol assured.

“Wait, guest?” Vernon questioned. “You mean y/n?”

“Maybe.”

Seungcheol checked in on Jun, seeing the boy was just catching his breath. He looked over his vitals again, assuring the boy he was fine. They all were.

“What happened to you all just now?”

“It’s complicated, but we’re fine.”

“Are you? I saw this before with Joshua, the conductor, when his wand broke. Why the hell does that hurt, why does it hurt all of you?”

“We’re connected.” Seungcheol admitted. “And you’ve been interfering with it, but if you’re truly on our side, you won’t be a problem anymore. I can’t say the same for your friend.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“We’ll see.”

Vernon was still uncertain about everything, but he knew he had to go along with this to see you. By now his own personal curiosity had also taken hold and he wanted to know what was really going on in this theater.

“Our presence is requested at the theater. Let’s go.”

♩. ♩. ♩. ♩. ♩ ♪ ♩ ♪ 𝅗𝅥.

Wonwoo felt the pull of the wand, but despite Joshua holding it out for him, he was not allowed to touch it. There was some disappointment, but he wasn’t going to voice that. He had made his choice, and he wanted to see what came of it. Joshua smiled, glad by his decision and then led the way further into the lab. Wonwoo followed, not sure if he should speak, although he soon rushed past his guide. He came to another room lined with beds and noticed one was occupied, seeing you. He ran over to the bedside, taking your hand and calling your name, but there was no response.

“What did you do to her!”

“She’s fine. She’s merely resting after the procedure.”

“What procedure? What are you talking about?”

“She chose to join us, and thus became part of our connection. It’s a painless procedure. One you’d surely participate in if you’re serious about your choice.”

“When will she wake?”

“Soon. Hoshi should be by momentarily to check on her.”

“Who?”

“You’ve seen him before.”

Wonwoo still didn’t really understand, but you were the bigger concern. He was mostly glad to have found you again, although this wasn’t the state he was hoping to see you in. A moment later he saw someone else approach the bed. He looked up to see another boy at your side, white hair, looking at the screens, and very familiar to Wonwoo.

“It’s you…”

“Hello. You won’t attack Joshua again, will you?”

“No… no… but you… how… how is she?”

“Stable. She took everything well, and should wake soon.”

“Are… are you the Maestro?”

“No, but I’m flattered. My name is Hoshi, and I’m the internal conductor.”

“Internal conductor?”

“The Maestro has a multitude of conductors to spread their music, but I do not leave the theater, and I keep everyone connected. I’m actually very glad to properly meet you. I have a proposal for you.”

“For me?”

“Yes. You have a strong connection to the Maestro’s music. You felt it during the show, moreso when you held Joshua’s wand. You have the potential to be a conductor, and your ideal physical state would make you a great one.”

“You want me to be a conductor?”

“You’ll come to truly understand what we do here, and wield power unlike anything you could imagine.”

“And why would I accept? You kidnapped my friend, and hurt the others.”

“I saw your little trio trespassing into the theater. We could have thrown you out, but we didn’t. In fact you would have come back on your own, the pull of the Maestro’s music is very strong. You came all the way here. Do you really think you can walk away now?”

“You-”

Wonwoo’s words were cut short as he heard a groan, looking over to see you moving and whimpering. He was excited to see you waking up, holding your hand tightly.

“Y/n, it’s me, can you hear me?”

It took a moment for your eyes to adjust to the light, but you thought you were dreaming when you saw Wonwoo. His familiar smile made you feel warm, and then you felt his hand, realizing this wasn’t a dream.

“Wonwoo… how…?”

“Hey, how are you feeling? Are you alright?”

“I… I’m fine… but… when did you… get here?”

“Your friends came looking for you.” Hoshi stated. “And I wanted to speak with Wonwoo.”

“Oh… is everything okay?”

“You tell me. How do you really feel?”

“I…”

Your senses were starting to come back to you, but it was certainly different this time. You could feel this energy in the air, but more importantly you could sense others. Joshua had this glow around him, as did Hoshi, but Wonwoo didn’t. You could sense the presence of the two, and then had a feeling in the back of your head of others close by. As you were lost in thought you saw Hoshi reach over to caress your cheek, and to your surprise you felt the warmth of his touch. You looked at him with wide eyes, reaching over to take his hand in yours. It didn’t feel like Wonwoo’s hand, but different. Almost like a ghost, just on the edge of physicality, like the flow of water or a cool breeze.

“How…?”

“You’re part of our network now, you’re connected to the rest of us so my essence is that much stronger for you to pick up on. Strong enough to be physical, even if just a bit.”

“It’s incredible.”

Wonwoo had been quietly watching the whole time, not really liking the situation. He reached over to move Hoshi’s hand, but he couldn’t touch the boy. His hand passed right through the other, confusing him as you appeared to be able to make contact.

“What is this…”

“Power.” You mumbled. “It’s in the air and everywhere. Only when you’re connected does it manifest into something more. Like the music. When you really listen to it, you open your eyes to a whole other world.”

“Very poetic.” Hoshi chuckled. “You’re very good with words.”

“I guess… but what did you want to talk to Wonwoo about?”

“The Maestro would like for him to be a conductor.”

“Really?”

“He has great potential.”

“That’s incredible Wonwoo.”

“I don’t know what any of this means, y/n.” Wonwoo reminded. “I only came here looking for you.”

“I’m sorry… I really wouldn’t have wanted to worry you, but things were out of my hands.”

“I’m sure they were, but we should get out of here.”

“I’m not leaving Wonwoo, I can’t.”

“What do you mean? What did they say to you?”

“They just told me about the Maestro, and what he’s doing. I want to help him.”

“You don’t know him.”

“Not truly, not yet, but I’ve seen enough to know that I want to help. There’s this energy, this warmth inside of me because of the Maestro and I know the world would be a better place if everyone could experience this. They’re not evil, Wonwoo. You should stay too actually. The things we could do.”

“I’m not so sure I understand what they’re talking about.”

“All the more reason to stay and find out. Together we-”

Your words were cut off as a searing pain overtook you. Wonwoo could only watch as you suddenly began to scream and thrash. He tried holding you down, hearing similar cries of anguish from Joshua. The boy had collapsed to the ground. Hoshi wasn’t as affected, seeming more irritated than anything else.

“What’s happening!?” Wonwoo yelled. “What did you do!?”

“It’s your friend who did this!”

Hoshi seemed to glitch out of existence, leaving Wonwoo alone to worry about you. He didn’t know what to do in order to help you, but the pain didn’t last too long. After a moment you seemed to calm down, although you were whimpering and seemed very out of it. Joshua stumbled to his feet, not in a good condition himself, but he was worried about you. He looked over at the machines, making sure all the readings were well.

“What happened?” Wonwoo asked again. “What was that?”

“Your friend broke another wand.”

“I don’t understand, will y/n be okay?”

“Yes. I’m sure Seokmin and Hoshi will be here any moment now.”

“Why are you on your feet?!”

Another boy suddenly came rushing into the room. He grabbed Joshua and sat him down on the nearest bed, getting him to lie down.

“I’m fine, Seokmin.”

“Sure you are. Not like you’re still recovering from the last incident.”

“I was checking on y/n.”

“I’ll do that, you just relax.”

Seokmin went over to the monitors, completely ignoring the other. A while later another rather familiar face showed up. The director, Seungkwan, came up, and Seokmin told him to look over Joshua. Wonwoo stayed quiet and watched Seokmin like a hawk, remaining silent until a needle was pulled out.

“What’s that for?”

“A minor sedative. She’s gonna need it in order to stabilize.”

“Where’s Hoshi?”

“Dealing with Minghao. I’m sure he’ll be back momentarily.”

“Are you sure she’ll be okay?”

“Have a little faith.”

It was good to see you at ease with the sedative. You weren’t unconscious, but you certainly weren’t all there. Wonwoo was glad to keep you company, listening to you tell him about the theater and the Maestro. He wasn’t sure if any of it was real, or just propaganda you had been fed. Still, he just wanted to make sure you were alright. Although you were asking him to stay, to take on the roll he had been offered, but it wasn’t that simple.

“You know Vernon and Mingyu are here too. We got separated and-”

“Vernon is with the others down on the ninth floor.” Seokmin interrupted. “As for Mingyu, who do you think is causing all this?”

“Oh…”

“He’s made it far enough.” Seungkwan added. “Jeonghan will deal with him.”

“Jeonghan?” You questioned. “What is he gonna do?”

“Nothing bad, I promise.”

“Let me talk to him. I can reason with Mingyu. He’s only here and causing trouble because he’s looking for me. Please.”

“Y/n.”

“I don’t want to be the reason something bad happens to anyone.”

“Let her.” Joshua cut in. “It would benefit all of us.”

“Fine. I’ll have the others gather around as well.”

“Where are you going?” Wonwoo asked. “Because I’m going with you.”

“To the grand theater on the thirteenth floor.”

♩. ♩. ♩. ♩. ♩ ♪ ♩ ♪ 𝅗𝅥.

“Put me down!” Mingyu screamed. “Now!”

“Why would I do that? You’ve been nothing but trouble.”

“You must be the Maestro then.”

“I’m honored, but no. My name is Jeonghan, the lead conductor. You should have stayed out, but you don’t seem all that bright. Since you didn’t learn from your past mistakes, I suppose it’s only fair to teach you properly.” 

Jeonghan got into place, as if he was performing, but there was no audience, and no orchestra. He didn’t need that.

“I’ve always wanted to perform this piece. I hope you like it.”

Jeonghan took a breath and closed his eyes, beginning his performance. It seemed rather funny at first, to see him leading the air, but then Mingyu began to hear it. A slow and steady rhythm slowly becoming audible. Mingyu had an idea as to where this was going, but before he could get the mask back on it was ripped from his hands and fell off stage into darkness. In a matter of seconds the music was loud and clear, but it wasn’t this shrieking sound. Instead it felt like this pressure in his head. Mingyu screamed, there was nothing he could do to make this pain go away. The pressure was gradually increasing so it was only a matter of time before he passed out. He had to do something.

With the bits of conscious thought he had left he tried to come up with a plan. Jeonghan was engrossed in his performance, eyes closed and moving with such fluidity. The only thing Mingyu had was the stun baton. He had one shot to use it, and if he failed it’d be all over. He focused on his plan, getting the baton and figuring out how to throw it before electrifying it. The task was complicated, but he didn’t have much time, so he took his shot. He aimed for the chest and electrified the baton, throwing it with all the strength he had. The pain grew worse so he couldn’t see the outcome, but hearing a scream and falling to the floor was answer enough.

Mingyu groaned from the impact, but he forced himself up. He stumbled as his body was aching and he had yet to properly regain his senses. Still he managed to get to Jeonghan, ripping the wand from his hand. Although before he could do anything Jeonghan had gotten the stun baton and hit Mingyu with it. Now the two were down and recovering from being electrocuted. The wand fell from Mingyu’s hand and rolled away, at least it couldn’t be used against him for the moment. Since Jeonghan had been hit first, he recovered before Mingyu, managing to get back on his feet. He held his hand out and Mingyu watched as the wand returned to him.

“Clever. Maybe you’re not all that dumb, but your game ends here.”

Jeonghan walked over to Mingyu, staring down at him before placing a foot on his chest. He put pressure and watched as Mingyu squirmed, attempting to get him off. When he managed to get some movement he used it to get out from under Jeonghan, rolling away and getting onto one knee. Before he did anything else he heard another voice and looked over to see that at the other end of the stage there was a boy with white hair, and a glowing wand in his hand. The same boy he had seen before.

“Enough.”

“I had this under control.” Jeonghan stated. “I didn’t require assistance.”

“That’s not why I’m here.”

“You must be the Maestro.” Mingyu breathed out. “What took you so long?”

“I’m not the Maestro, but I was sent here on their behalf. You’re not worth their time, but we’ve all had enough of you hurting us. Jeonghan.”

“I know.”

Before Mingyu realized it he was back in the air again, although not so high off the ground this time. The white haired boy walked over to him, glaring.

“Hoshi, stop!”

Despite your state you rushed onto the stage and grabbed Hoshi. Your hand slipped through him a bit, but he still moved because of your touch. His gaze shifted to you and softened. He wouldn’t act for now, you trusted that. Wonwoo stayed behind with Seungkwan, watching.

“Y/n, are you okay!?” Mingyu asked. “Did they hurt you!?”

“I’m fine. Can you put him down?” You asked Jeonghan. “Please.”

“I don’t believe that’s a good idea.”

“Jeonghan.”

“Do it.” Hoshi said. “We outnumber him anyway.”

Mingyu was gently let down, and as soon as his feet hit the ground he stepped towards you and pulled you into a hug. You were a bit amused by his actions, but didn’t mind. You hugged him back, assuring him you were alright.

“Everything’s okay. I’m sorry I made you worry.”

“I know it’s not your fault. I’m just glad you’re okay. Let’s go now.”

Mingyu took your hand and started pulling you along to step off the stage but Jeonghan got in his way.

“You’re not leaving.”

“Get out of my way.”

“Mingyu, please don’t fight. Look, I don’t want to leave this place, I’m not going to leave.”

“What?”

“I know things didn’t go so well at first, but they’re not bad people.”

“They kidnapped you.”

“Not really. I came here because of the piano, because of the Maestro, and-”

“I know what their music does to people, and it’s clear you’ve been affected.”

“It’s more complicated than that.” Wonwoo cut in. “She’s made it very clear she’s not gonna leave.”

“So then you’re gonna stay with her? We were attacked by peacekeepers and robots, not to mention Vernon is still missing.”

“Not anymore.”

Wonwoo gestured out to the crowd as he saw the doors open. Vernon and a few others entered the theater. As soon as Vernon saw you he ran up to the stage, no longer restrained in any way. He came to you and embraced you in a hug. The trio that escorted him up remained out in the aisles, watching.

“They didn’t hurt you or anything, right?”

“No, not at all.”

“Good. So we can leave now?”

“Apparently not.” Mingyu stated. “She doesn’t want to leave. The music has gotten to her head.”

“Y/n, this place-”

“I’m not brainwashed or anything! Woozi told me what he’s doing here, and what I can do to help. So I’m not leaving. I’ve already explained some things to Wonwoo. You don’t have to leave either, you guys can help too.”

“I’ve already heard the story.” Vernon mentioned. “I’m not sure I’m on board. Being involved with a revolution, we’re practically signing our death certificates.”

“A revolution?” Mingyu questioned. “Is that what these nutjobs think they’re doing?”

“They’re not crazy.” You countered. “I know what they’re doing, and I know it’s gonna work. Woozi just needs my help so his music can reach everyone, including you guys.”

“I’m not gonna leave you here to be a pawn in their game. If they want to start a revolution, they can try, but none of us are taking part in it. Wonwoo, tell her this is crazy.”

“I don’t know…”

“So they got to you too. Vernon?”

“They’re kinda scary with the tech they got here…”

Mingyu scoffed. “I cannot believe you two. Are you seriously considering this?”

“I’m not so sure we have much of a choice anymore…”

“Then I’ll leave on my own.”

It really felt like this whole thing was all for nothing, but Mingyu wasn’t going to stay where he wasn’t wanted. Although Jeonghan stayed where he was.

“Move.”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that.”

“Jeonghan, just let him go.” You said. “I’m not gonna make anyone stay.”

“That’s not your decision to make.”

“What?”

“The Maestro has no intention of letting any of you leave.”

Mingyu was suddenly up in the air again, Vernon as well. You glared at Jeonghan but he merely shook his head at you. This wasn’t his doing, but the Maestro’s.

“This is not what the theater is for.”

You looked back to see Woozi walking towards center stage, Minghao, Joshua, and Seungkwan at his side. Everyone was present now.

“Minghao, are you alright?” You asked. “A moment ago-”

“After the earlier incident we’ve created contingencies.” Minghao explained. “Much faster recovery time. Are you alright though?”

“Better now.”

“You should be resting.” Woozi stated. “Not down here.”

“I wanted to talk to my friends. Make them see reason.”

“You don’t need to do that.”

“So it’s you then.” Mingyu cut in. “You’re the Maestro.”

“Yes, I’m the Maestro, and you’ve been trespassing.”

“I’m more than happy to leave now.”

“I’m sure you are, but that is no longer an option. You forfeit that when you set foot in my theater.”

“Look, I want nothing to do with your little revolution thing, so I’ll keep my mouth shut. You don’t have to worry.”

“But I do.”

Woozi brought Mingyu closer to him, bringing the peacekeeper mask to his hands as well. He examined it with an amused grin and then looked up at Mingyu.

“You went through a lot of trouble just to see me and now you want to leave. Kinda disappointing. If you want to play dress up though, how about I make it real. Why don’t you become one of my peacekeepers.”

“What?”

“I’m always in need of more peacekeepers. My music can only reach so many at the moment, but someone like you could lead them. You could actually embody the name they carry.”

Mingyu scoffed. “Are you seriously offering me a position when I already said I want nothing to do with you?”

“Your words are surely disappointing y/n, but I’m not asking. I know you’ll truly come around eventually. Same for Vernon.”

“What the hell are you talking about!?”

“Y/n cares about you. The last thing I want is for her to be upset.”

“Wait, Woozi, I don’t-”

“Hoshi.”

“Yes, Maestro.”

Hoshi came up behind you, placing a hand against your face. Your eyes went wide and your vision went dark. You felt this sudden warmth spread through you, calming your nerves and pulling your consciousness under into tranquility. Your eyes glazed over, starting to glow just as a few glowing veins spread around from where Hoshi’s hand made contact with you. His own eyes were glowing, completely engulfed in white.

“What the hell are you doing!?”

“Silence.”

One moment everything was normal, and then Woozi’s eyes were glowing, and the same had happened to the others. The conductors moved to the edges of the stage, silent and without emotion. Then they began moving in unison, performing a silent melody. Wonwoo felt a change in the air, something moving through the empty space, partially making him dizzy. He stumbled and took a step back, shaking his head to stay awake. Although he soon noticed Mingyu and Vernon were passed out, and dropped on the floor. The others had come to the stage, grabbing the two and removing them.

Wonwoo took a step forward, wanting to stop them, but that seemed difficult at the moment. He couldn’t reach either of his friends, and you were clearly unavailable as well. All he could do was watch, not understanding what was happening, but still being hit with this energy and staying put. Then Woozi glanced over at him, a smirk appearing on his face and walking over to the boy.

“That leaves you.”

Now Wonwoo knew he was stuck in place, those glowing eyes sending a chill down his spine. Everything in this theater had been strange from the beginning, but this was starting to let him know just how dangerous it was to be here. 

“You can’t fully hear my lullaby, but you can feel it, can’t you? Only those outside my network will be affected, but you are dancing the line.” Everyone spoke as one, following the Maestro’s lead. “You don’t have to worry about y/n. I don’t want her to remember any of this and I have the means to guarantee that. So it’s just you and me now.”

Just as Woozi said that he snapped his fingers, everyone else disappearing. Now it really was just the two of them but Wonwoo could still feel the energy in the air, feel this melody in the back of his head. The others weren’t really gone, just invisible to him now. He knew that for sure as Woozi’s voice continued to boom with the echo of everyone else speaking with him.

“… what… what do you want…”

“The answer is very simple.”

Woozi held his hand out, a wand manifesting out of nowhere, glowing brightly. It was just like the one Hoshi had. Woozi seemed to examine it for a moment before holding it out to Wonwoo.

“I could use a conductor such as yourself. Someone who will be much better at guiding y/n due to a personal connection. You are free to refuse, but not many can, not an offer like this.”

“Why ask if you seem to know the answer… did I ever really have a choice? Did anyone here?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Woozi chuckled, his laughter echoing in the theater. “Does it?”

“… no…”

Wonwoo reached out to grab the wand. It wasn’t like before, this energy felt stronger, and it hit him like a crashing wave. Everything around him seemed to stabilize, and those that had disappeared were back in view. The glow of the wand traveled down to his arm like veins, and he could feel them digging deep and planting roots within him. This sensation was only growing stronger, and he knew at that moment he’d never let it go.

“What do I do now?”

“Follow the Maestro’s lead.”

[theeeveetamer]

Fields of Mistria initial thoughts

As you may or may not know I am a total sucker for farming simulator games. I don't usually go for Early Access games, but Fields of Mistria seemed extremely promising even though it's just launched into Early Access. So I want to talk about a few of the things I really like about it (and maybe a few that I don't). I will probably be drawing comparisons to Stardew Valley since it's the current preeminent Farming Sim of our time (but I'm not dissing it I love Stardew Valley as well. I think Fields of Mistria does a good job of taking what worked about Stardew and tweaking some things to improve even further)

But the tl;dr if you want it: I think this game is worth the money even in its current state

Trying to keep things as spoiler-free as possible, not that it's hard since the story isn't really too far yet in early access

Things that I like:

1 There is a wide range of cosmetics! Also, you don't have to store them anywhere. You "unlock" them, and then you can change your clothes, hair, skin tone, etc. at any time from the character customization menu. I'd have to check because I don't have the game right in front of me atm, but I think you can even change your name and the name of your farm at any time as well?

2) You don't actually need to have materials on hand to construct farm buildings, nor do you need to pre-clear the space! You buy the blueprint from the carpenter shop, which goes to your inventory. You take it back to your farm yourself and lay it down. Once you lay it down it spawns a drop box for materials, and you can put the materials in at your own pace. This makes it super easy to just drop a couple of wood in at the end of every day until it's done. This is a godsend for me especially, since I never remember to bring all the materials with me when I want to build things in Stardew

3) Speaking of convenience: you don't need to have any materials on hand when you're crafting! This is a godsend because when you initially start the game, all the crafting stations are in town and you have like no bag space. It'll just automatically withdraw things from your chest

The downside is, if you were trying to save stuff you have to be careful (the game will indicate when it starts drawing from your chests to craft the next item though, which is nice!)

4) Also speaking of convenience: shops are open and unlocked 24/7, and you don't have to have someone working there to buy things! This means if you realize you forgot to re-plant your crops at 10 pm you can still pop up to the general store to buy more seeds before the day is done

5) The romance events are all interesting and done well so far! I've only seen a couple though. It also appears that triggering them is based on completing a request on the community board, so you can't miss them like you might in Stardew

The downside is that there's so many community board quests that it's easy for these to get buried. I'm sure I've picked up half a dozen that I just haven't done yet because I haven't gotten around to knocking out some of these requests

6) I like that progressing in the mines requires you to collect items from the previous set of floors in the mines. It's good incentive to go back and collect more resources while still feeling like you're advancing

7) Dropping stuff on the ground and leaving it there won't de-spawn it. That means you can go around and "collect" resources, leave them there, and then circle back in a few hours or even a few days!

8) There's at least one older bachelor and bachelorette option! For the guys you have fellow farmer Hayden (who has a bit of a dad bod build) and the town's doctor Valen (she's a bit more masc looking). I'll take it

9) You can bang a dragon. They haven't completed the story enough to get events with him yet in Early Access, but he's a dragon. nuff said

10) You don't have to upgrade your tools in sequence, and equipment is separate from your cosmetics. This means you can skip straight from the worn pickaxe to the silver one!

Things I don't like (honestly most of these are minor nitpicks that can/might be improved upon):

1 I do wish there was some more body diversity, especially among the women. With the exception of Hayden pretty much all the romance options are pretty/handsome and slender (with pretty decently sized chests in the case of the women and pretty decently sized muscles in the case of the men)

I know they can design different body types because one of the Saturday Market vendors is a bit bigger (but she's not a romance option obviously), so why not?

2) Pretty much every item sells for less than it would if you were to craft it into something else. E.g. Iron ore sells for less than iron bars, and iron bars sell for less than an iron pickaxe

This is kind of half positive, half negative. It's good incentive to craft stuff! On the other hand, I'm a massive video-game hoarder so if I know I might be able to craft something that's worth more down the line I'll just save the item. This has turned my organization into a nightmare, and because I sell almost nothing money is much harder to come by

3) Backpack and storage management is. Woof. You start out with only ten item slots, and if you're like me and you carry all your tools all the time then that's going to fill up fast. At the start you'll only have ~2 slots to actually carry things other than tools. I think it only goes up in increments of 10 too, so even with the third bag upgrade you have about 30 slots (for reference, Stardew starts you with 12 and goes up in increments of 12 before capping out at 36)

I don't think this would be a problem if they just gave you a separate "tool bag" inventory where you could keep all your tools all the time, that didn't also take up bag space. Tools taking up bag space is honestly one of those "we should be over this by now" things in farming sims, IMO

4) Speaking of the bag... this is probably only a consideration if you play on controller, but the controls for swapping between items could use some work

If you've played Stardew with a controller then you know how it works. The left and right bumpers will swap between bag "tabs" and the triggers will move you between items in the currently selected tab. I haven't played around with trying to remap it, but by default Mistria doesn't do this.

Instead one of the triggers is to use a magic spell, the other is to throw items, and the bumpers are to swap between items in your bag. This means if you're on tab "A" and you need an item in tab "C" you need to manually press the bumper 10+ times until it scrolls aaaaaaaaaaaaaaall the way around to tab "C"

I think if you play with keyboard and mouse then you can just tap the different tabs so it's less of a problem

5) Minor nitpick, but when I play with a controller it doesn't get rid of the cursor. The cursor is pretty big and chunky so this is pretty distracting (I play on a dual monitor setup so I just move the mouse to the other monitor while I play, but it'd be nice if the cursor stayed gone while I played

6) So far the magic is a bit underutilized. I think I've only used the restore spell a handful of times when I was deep in the mines or fishing (fishing takes SO much energy). You have VERY limited magical stamina so you're probably not going to be using spells too much

I'll try to add to this if I think of more, but this is the stuff that's sticking out to me right now!

[darkpuppysuit]

🎀Tie up the ends of a Dream🎀

Pairing: CountryBoy!KimTaehyungxCurvy!Reader

Warnings: Domestic Abuse, cursing, smoking, fighting (verbal and physical) Mature themes, MDNI.

Words: 5.2k

A/N: I'm giving minor characters names. I'm sorry if you don't like that but it makes my brain do the burr if I don't. Also I hope you guys really like this because it's been stuck in my head all damn day lol. I'll probably write a part two for this considering where I left off....

Taehyung is a young man living in a trailer on a half acre of land the little old lady at the farm next door let him occupy for free until he got on his feet when she saw him in an alleyway practically begging on the streets.

He was small and skinny at the time, no meat on his bones, his cheeks looked a little sunken in too. So the old lady asked him if he wanted a job and a place to call home. Of course Taehyung accepted her offer with no hesitation, anything to get him out of the cold.

He started working the following spring when calf season started late March to early April. He helped Barbra by doing all of the manual labor for her. Scraping out the barn once or twice a day, he actually learned how to drive by taking hay out to the cows out in the field and when he turned sixteen the nice lady took him to get his drivers license and he passed, barely, but he passed and that was the end goal.

By the time Taehyung had turned eighteen Barbra had gifted him the old Ford truck her late husband had in the shed. She told him that if he could fix it and use his own money for the parts then he could have it and sure enough he did.

It took him a couple months of waking up early enough to get a head start on the daily chores he would do for Barb including feeding the chickens, leaving the egg collecting to her.

Once he was done which would normally be by eleven in the morning, he'd be back at his trailer working away at that truck of his until the light pole turned on, telling him it was time to go inside. 

He'd drag himself inside barely tripping over the lip of the door frame with his steel toe boots. Raking his fingers through his hair trying to tame the curls that were slowly getting out of control and grabbing a water bottle from the mini fridge on a card table where a larger fridge should be.

Taehyung always kept his living space clean and tidy but there were times where he would get lazy from working on the truck that was proving to be more of a hassle than it was worth in his eyes. 

A few well worn jeans lay over the loveseat, many unmated socks sit in the corner of his old lazy chair waiting to be mated and put in his dresser.

The kitchen table was littered with instant dinners and random cheese stick wrappers, soda cans and, water bottles.

Taehyung needed to clean up as soon as possible but first he really needed a shower because he smelled more of burnt motor oil than man right now. 

Fast forward ten years and Taehyung is walking down the aisle of the church dressed in black, a few stray tears rolling down his cheeks. Barbra, the sweet lady who had given him a place to live and a paying job too, passed away sometime in the night. "At least she died peacefully and without regrets." Her daughter in law spoke at her funeral with that finishing line.

Taehyung thinks back for a moment and remembers one of their late night talks in the study as she was going through some papers Taehyung wasn't sure what they were at the time. "I regret not being able to give this cattle ranch to any of my kids. I just can't trust them to run it correctly, if at all." She murmured to herself as Taehyung was prattling off about the truck yet again. She did have at least one regret and she took it to her grave that day Taehyung had to help five other men put her in the ground.

A few weeks later Taehyung was standing on his small front porch smoking a cigarette. He has good enough sense not to smoke inside unless it was winter and even then he sat next to the window with it opened a little bit to let the smoke out.

He watched a large red truck roll down the dirt road with a trailer attached to the back with a bunch of furniture in it and behind the truck was a moving van. Both vehicles pulled into the loop driveway of Barb's old house which made him stand up straight. 

If there's people moving in that means he might lose his job working under the table including the trailer he had fixed himself so it was livable.

Hell, he might even lose the truck he finally got to start a couple months ago. There was every possibility Taehyung could think of and all he could think about was losing the one place he's ever truly known. 

Then she stepped out of the truck, well more like jumped down but, when she walked around to the trailer Taehyung's mind stopped for a moment.

The new ranch master was beautiful, her hair was bright and glossy. She was short and curvy just the way he liked his women, his breath hitched in his throat when she stepped on the truck's tire and threw her lovely legs over the side of the truck with a smile on her face. 

He needed to introduce himself, maybe make a good first impression maybe then, he could keep working here and stay in his trailer. He quickly put out his half cigarette and brushed his hands off on his jeans, his hands were clammy and he was nervous to say the least. There was a million ways this could go as he made his way over to the young woman who was now climbing down from the truck down to level ground again. 

He stands behind the woman as she takes her boot off, shaking a loose pebble out of it before putting it back on. "Uhm, hi... my name is-" The woman jumps two feet in the air clutching her chest as she whips around to the new voice behind her.

When she sees him she has to glance up to look him in the eye in order to talk to him. He was a tall man, he looked strong enough to handle hard labor, broad shoulders and big hands to boot. But he looked as if he was trying to curl in on himself, like he was almost scared? Shy perhaps?

The woman stares at him for a moment before her eyes light up and she quickly makes her way to the front of the truck pulling out some folders which the ranch hands information on them. "You're Taehyung right? Kim Taehyung?" The woman beams at him as she rounds the truck for a second time looking down at the folder in her arms.

"Y-yeah that's me." He stutters awkwardly shoving his hands deep into his jean pockets. "I'm Y/n O'Brian." She offers him her hand for a hand shake and Taehyung looks between her and her hand for a second before he takes her small hand in his with a small smirk on his lips. "Looks like you're one of the ranch hands who have been here the longest?" Y/n asks as he releases her hand with an awkward chuckle for holding it for so long. "Yeah the uh, bunks are in the back over there in the little yellow barn. I live in the trailer just across the way. Not too far- if you uh, ever need anything." Taehyung rubs the back of his head with a small smile on his lips making Y/n smile back at him.

"Thank yo-" Y/n is cut off by an arm draping over her shoulder giving it a tight squeeze making her wince a little bit. "That's good to know, ain't it honey?" The older looking man grits his teeth looking down at Y/n who puts on a fake smile and chuckles quietly to the man next to her.

He looks back at Taehyung, standing there with a grimace on his face. Extending his hand to the ranch hand with an ugly smirk on his face, they shake hands roughly. "Nice to meet you kid. My name is Joshua, just Josh is fine though. My wife and I hope nothing will go wrong while the ranch is under our care." He chuckles darkly when Taehyung removes his hand from his and takes a step back. "Yeah, let's hope not." He sneers back at him.

A few weeks pass and everything is as follows; Taehyung and the other ranch hands wake up a little before the sun starts rising in the sky. The cattle is moved from one field to another so they can continue grazing freely.

The horses who aren't being used by the cattle hands are put into the field with the cows so they can stretch their legs. A few horses are training for shows and contests in town and around the countryside.

The smaller animals such as the chickens and pigs were taken care of by the ranch master and in this case would be Josh but Y/n was awake anyways.

She wraps her robe around herself and ties it off at her middle, grabbing the old wicker basket at the back door and stepping out to take care of the chickens.

Y/n was quietly humming to herself as she picked at least two dozen or more eggs from the chicken coop. The chickens clucked around her feed waiting to be fed almost tripping her a few times when Taehyung comes riding in on one of the many horses.

He offers help every morning when he sees her half asleep and grumpy. His heart aches for her when he sees a new bruise or cut on her delicate skin, he wishes he could do something for her but he knows he can't do or say anything without potentially losing his job and place of living.

He's gone toe to toe with Josh before when Y/n went to her garden with a bruise under her right eye. Taehyung was pissed that her husband thought it was okay to hit her like that, his parents never laid a finger on each other before one day something changed and they started looking sick.

He never left them because they were his parents he loved them so much. When they stopped moving one day Taehyung had ran away to the next town over where Barbra found him a few days after he had made it to town. 

A few months would pass and Y/n, Taehyung and a few of the other ranch hands were becoming really good friends. They all went out for some drinks one Friday night, somehow Y/n had made it past her abusive husband to come out with them.

They played pool and darts most of the time while enjoying each others company. It was the first time Y/n felt free, more like herself than she had in years.

When one of her favorite songs came on over the speakers Y/n couldn't hold her excitement as she grabbed Taehyung by the hand, pulling him onto the dance floor with her. 

After Taehyung had started driving Y/n home in his truck because she had one too many drinks, she shuffled closer to him on the bench seat, nuzzling under his shoulder until he moved to wrap his arm around her.

Her cheeks were red and warm as she laid her head on his chest while he kept one hand on the wheel down the dirt road. She started playing with his hands, measuring her hand against his, tracing the lines on the joints of his fingers. Even ghosting her finger tips along the palm of his hand making Taehyung shiver under her gentle touch.

Especially when she drunkenly lays her hand on his thigh making him squirm in the bench seat next to her until he pulled into the driveway of his trailer.

The door was barely opened before Taehyung stumbled inside with Y/n's legs wrapped around his hips as he held her by the back of her thighs, holding them tightly with his large hands as they made out.

Both of them clumsily made it to his bedroom, Taehyung lays her on the bed gently, driven by the alcohol coursing through his system and the feelings he has for Y/n.

This beautiful woman who had captured his heart with her sweet accent alone. He kisses her feverishly but slowly trying to hold back as much as he could until she wanted more of him. 

She tugs on his plaid shirt a few times as Taehyung leaves a small mark just between the cleavage of her breast where it could be hidden easily. He feels her pull on him and quickly disposes of his shirt revealing himself to her.

She stares at him for a moment, admiring his hard muscles that twitched under her touch as he kneels on the bed between her legs. She slowly un-buckles his belt causing Taehyung to look down at what she was doing then back at her.

"Are you sure? I don't wanna do anything you aren't comfortable with." He coos, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear looking at her with all the love in the world. "I'm sure Tae, please? I need you. I want to feel safe again." She cries the alcohol in her system playing with her emotions. Taehyung coos at her again, giving her soft slow kisses all over her, making sure she knew she was meant to be loved just like this.

Taehyung didn't see Y/n much after that night, he would stay outside doing chores while also keeping an eye out for the ranch master's wife.

By Gods he hated admitting that someone got to marry that beautiful woman before he did, he would mentally kick himself over nothing every time he thought about it.

Taehyung couldn't do much about the abusive nature of her husband either, the few times that he had stepped in he either got a black eye or a few bruised ribs when he tried to defend her to him because obviously she had done nothing wrong in the first place. 

He almost lost his job three or four different times over the course of eight months but he made sure to tell Y/n that he was always there if she wanted to talk or just simply sit in silence for a while.

She would tell him the same thing every time too. "I'll be find don't worry about me. Too much of a hassle to deal with anyways." Without fail Taehyung would watch her silently from the other side of the fence during the work day and keep a closer eye on the house once the work day was over. 

Every so often by the light in the living room window he could see their shadows dancing around the curtain when Joshua would get angry with her for what he didn't know but Taehyung bets it has something to do with the food being too spicy or too bland.

The man was never happy with anything his wife did which made Taehyung's blood boil when he saw that Y/n was trying her best to please him.

The next day comes and goes by in a hurry as the evening sun sets against the horizon just beyond the pasture. Taehyung lights a cigarette and takes a seat in his little lawn chair facing the ranch house, the same little window like he had been staring through the last few weeks since the night Taehyung knew he crossed the line but it was a beautiful line to cross in the first place.

Tonight's fight was no different than all the others, Josh was waving his hands around, yelling and screaming so loud he could hear it from his trailer.

The only difference was he heard Y/n yelling back at him, making Taehyung stand pin straight taking a long drag off of his cigarette before throwing it to the side, leaning over the banister a cold expression on his face as he stares intently at the window. 

All of it happened so quickly Taehyung had barely processed what happened before he had jumped clear off his porch and ran to the ranch house.

He bangs on the door a few times before he slams his body weight against the frame, breaking it with two hits of his body. Once the door was down he ran through the kitchen and into the living room tackling Josh to the ground and wrestling him for the gun as Y/n sits shell shocked against the fridge, watching the two of them beat on each other.

Taehyung manages to throw the gun out of Josh's reach and against Y/n feet as she tries to shakily talk to the emergency operator on the other side of the phone.

Josh stands into the living room grabbing the old lamp Y/n's grandmother had given to her and smashes it over Taehyungs head making him fall to the ground.

He shakes his head trying to get his vision to focus when Y/n's raggedy husband grabs a fistful of Taehyung's curly hair and pulls him to his feet. 

"You think- just because you fucked my wife- that you can just barge in here unannounced?!" Josh screams in Taehyung's face as he huffs out a get fucked at him with a smirk on his face, spitting a mix of saliva and blood at his feet.

He punches the ranch hand in the gut and he doubles over onto the floor holding his stomach. Y/n looks at him worriedly her eyes as round as saucers, trying to hide the phone from sight.

She lifts her index finger to her lips to let Taehyung know to be quiet and that help was on the way. "I could beat on my wife all day. You're more fun-" Josh grabs him by the collar lifting him up to meet his gaze. "You actually fight back, gives me a challenge." He chuckles darkly pulling his large fist back to hit Taehyung's bloody face again when the click of a gun is heard behind him.

"Leave him alone Joshua- the cops are already on their way so stop this right now." Y/n orders her husband aiming the gun square at his head. Josh scoffs at her but gently puts Taehyung back onto his own two feet. "You won't do shit, if you were- you'd have done it already bitch." Josh makes his way towards her and she fires the gun into the ceiling without a second thought making the three of them flinch at the sudden change in volume.

"Stay back, I'll shoot you Joshua O'Brian I swear to any god that will listen. I will paint the walls with your brain, if you even have one." Y/n snarls at him when a wave of intense pain washes over her, Y/n goes down kneeling onto the floor holding her stomach.

Taehyung quickly makes his way over to Y/n cradling her in his arms. "The baby." Y/n gasps holding onto his forearms. "Baby? What baby? Y/n?" Taehyung asks frantically keeping the gun within his line of sight. "Yours- Our baby Tae. Fuck this hurts." She curses when Josh chuckles darkly at the pair of them on the floor.

"Bastard child." He scoffs wiping the blood off of his knuckles as sirens can be heard off in the distance and for once Josh actually looks scared. 

Two weeks pass after that night, Y/n had moved Taehyung into the ranch house with her because of the nightmares she would have. The first night it happened was the same night the police had taken Joshua away in the back of their cop car.

She woke up in the early hours of the morning and walked over to his trailer, looking like a kicked puppy when Taehyung sleepily answered the door and let her inside. The pair of them slept soundly for the first time in quite a long time.

The day after the court hearing and the divorce papers were signed Y/n steps outside of the courthouse taking a deep breath of fresh air, feeling truly free for the first time in years.

Taehyung walks up beside her and takes her hand in his, his other hand rubs on her stomach as he kneels down level with her stomach making Y/n giggle and smile down at him as he presses kisses along her stomach.

"I love you little one, I don't know if you're a boy or a girl but, either way. Your Daddy is so happy to have you." He whispers against her as the baby kicks Taehyung on the forehead making him take a second to process what just happened. He looks up at Y/n with tears welling in his eyes. "Did they just-" She giggles at him when he wraps his arms around her middle gently.

"Your daughter is quite the fighter." Y/n jokes as she pulls Taehyung back to his feet, brushing the loose dirt from the ranch off of his shoulders with a small smile on her lips.

Taehyung looks into her beautiful eyes, completely entranced by her beauty. "Just like her Mommy." He says leaning down for a kiss and their lips connect for the first time in months 

In the next month the baby had made her way into the world quietly, the only time she cried after Y/n had labored for thirteen hours in the hospital delivery room.

She had Taehyung's dark, curly hair and big brown eyes, she was small like her mother even her lips were tiny too. The sight of his two girls curled on the hospital bed as Y/n breast fed was the best thing he's seen for a very long time.

He was mesmerized by them especially Y/n, the same woman who he watched for nearly over a year be beaten the shit out of on a daily basis, who took every hit and every mentally abusive remark for who knows how much longer than he had seen.

She was indeed a strong woman and perfect role model for their daughter. Y/n looks to Taehyung who is lost in thought, staring intently at the two of them with that beautiful boxy smile on his lips when she catches his eye.

"Do you want to hold her?" She asks him and he hesitates for a moment, his daughter is so much smaller than him, he could hurt her if he wasn't careful. "I don't want to break her." His hands shake a little as he walks over to his girls. "You won't hurt her Tae. Just support Naomi's head and you'll be alright. Just like that, good job Dad." Y/n slowly helps Taehyung hold the baby correctly, cradling her in his arms.

She moves in her swaddle a little bit making the tiniest, cutest sound she could possibly make and Taehyung just stares at her in awe. Something so little could produce a smaller sound out of her lips. "She's beautiful. You did such an amazing job darlin'." Taehyung coos at Y/n who stands on the other side of their daughter stroking the tuft of curly hair on top of her head smiling happily. 

A year later Taehyung and Y/n are celebrating Naomi's first birthday with the ranch hands and a few other family members in attendance. "Hey sis? Could you hand me the cake cutter? Or a knife I don't care hand me something woman." She chuckles moving through the kitchen swiftly and smoothly like a ballerina performing on stage.

Y/n's father walks into the living room where Taehyung and Y/n's mother sit chatting away while the older kids ran between the kitchen and outside, playing in the sprinkler out in the yard.

"So, Taehyung is it?" Y/n's father accidently interrupts the light hearted conversation, making Taehyung stand and shake her fathers hand firmly. "Yes, I'm Taehyung s-sir." His eyes widen as he stutters, making him curl in on himself.

Her father just chuckles at the poor boy relaxing his posture a little bit, hoping to make the boy a little more comfortable with him. "Don't worry about that kid, you should've heard me the day I met Her mother's dad. Damn, you could see the sweat for miles when I stood on that front porch with flowers in my hand. I was nervous to say the least."

Taehyung takes a breath of relief nodding to her father when her mother confirms it for him by smiling and nodding her head. "Listen son, if you truly love my daughter unlike that no good son-" Y/n's mother coughs, staring him down before finishing for him.

"What he means sweetheart- if you want to marry our daughter, you have our permission to ask her." Taehyung swallows hard as his hands become clammy and he chuckles with Y/n's parents in the living room when the lady of the house comes into view. "Everything's ready! Tae could you go get Naomi? I think my sister has her outside in the sprinklers." 

Everyone gathers around the large dining table in the middle of the kitchen, Y/n let Naomi "open" her presents first so she didn't get cake on them. She got plenty of baby toys and more blankets and a few hand made wash cloths from the neighbor down the road.

A few more hours pass of Naomi opening her new toys and Dad putting a few of them together for her. One by one each family member left the house. Y/n said goodbye to her parents last because her mother had helped her clean up the mess when Taehyung and her father picked up the toys from the side yard. 

Taehyung waits until Naomi was sound asleep in her crib, thank god that child slept like a fucking rock too because if Taehyung was going to go through with this, the baby needed to be out like a light.

Y/n was getting ready for bed in their master bathroom when Taehyung comes up and hugs her from behind, nuzzling his nose into the crook of her neck and wrapping his arms around her middle, almost missing the baby bump she used to have.

"I love you, Y/n." He whispers into her ear making her shiver as his hot breath hits her cold skin fresh out of the shower. Taehyung and Y/n makes eye contact through the mirror in front of them and she can almost see the predatory glint in his eyes as his eyes scan her body only to meet her gaze again.

"I love the way you wake me up in the mornings. I love the way your night gowns give so much but leave just enough to the imagination. I love the way your hair blows in the wind when we sit outside together. I love our daughter we made together. I just- love you so much." Taehyung starts to tear up and Y/n coos at him lovingly. "I love you too, Tae. What's wrong baby? Did my dad say something?" His grip on her body tightens the slightest bit when she mentioned her father.

"N-no he didn't- I mean he did but- that's not the point. I'm trying to be romantic and you're ruining it." He playfully scoffs giving her ass a light slap and grabbing it making her squeal. "Okay, okay I'm sorry. Continue please?" She pouts into the mirror holding onto his forearms around her stomach. Taehyung takes a deep breath as he speaks again only a little irritated.

"You're as pretty as south Georgia peaches and as hot as any Tennessee June. Did you know that? Every time I look at you I fall more and more in love with everything you do. Even if the little things you do irritate me sometimes, like not believing me when I tell you you're beautiful." Taehyung pauses to place a few kisses along Y/n's jawline and neck, his hands roaming her body as he talks to her lovingly.

Y/n giggles against him and turns to face him when he pins her to the bathroom sink. "But I think the thing that's got me hooked on you the most is when you say you love me in that sweet, soft, slow, southern drawl of yours. It drives me crazy Y/n, sometimes I think you lay it on thick on purpose." He smirks down at her innocent eyes.

"I ain't got a clue what yer talkin' about sweetheart." Y/n looks around the room when Taehyung rolls his eyes back, tilting his head slightly with a low groan.

"That- That right there is what I'm talking about little lady. It's like you love driving me crazy just by speaking." He teases her, pulling her gown up just enough to reveal her thighs he's been thinking about all day, he couldn't wait to be between them. Taehyung dips down to her level locking eyes with her once again before his gaze drops down to her sweet lips.

"Say my name." He deadpans his eyes still locked on her lips, waiting patiently as he can for her to speak. Y/n stutters when he picks her up to sit her on the bathroom counter top next to the sink. "T-Taehyung." She says softly when one of his large hands smack the counter next to her hip, sliding to her hip giving it a squeeze as he closes his eyes.

"I love it when you say my name baby," He purrs in her ear making her shiver again when his hand ghosts over her stomach. He opens his eyes again pressing his lips to hers with fervor almost pushing her against the large mirror before picking her up again and taking her to the bed.

He lays her down gently like he had the first time they had been in this position but this time there were no repercussions of their actions.

They continue to kiss each other like it was the last time they're going to be able to. Y/n pulls him closer to her by the back of his neck giving the little hairs on the back of his neck a tug earning a soft moan from Taehyung. He angles himself to look at her, propping himself onto his hands on either side of her head as he hovers over her. 

"Marry me." 

Y/n takes a moment to look at the man hovering above her curvy frame. Did he- of course he did, every chance he got he would mess around with the idea.

Y/n never took any of it too seriously considering the hell she had just gotten out of just a little over a year ago. Y/n caresses his cheek softly looking up at him with stars in her eyes as the tears began to pool at the brim. "Yes. yes Taehyung I will marry you. Just please, don't hurt me." She pleads with him and he hushes her worries with a kiss that hopefully portrayed all of the emotions he had for her. He latches onto her neck leaving a good sized love bite on her neck before he kissed her cheek.

"I could never hurt the one person who has made me happier in the last two years, than I have been my entire life."

[the-badger-mole]

What are your unpopular opinions? Which characters or plot lines do you think deserved better?

For me, I wanted more development for Suki and Toph and their relationships. (I preferred Aang with Toph)

Personally, I think Toph could do better.

As for my thought on which characters deserved better, I think Jet and Hama deserved way more empathy from the narrative than they got. Jet reminds me of Nat Turner. I don't totally agree with everything they did, per se (I have an annoyingly soft spot when it comes to kids), but I understand completely and I do not judge. That's another reason why I hated Aang's lil' speech in TSR. "YUUU s0UnD lYk3 J33EEttT!!!!" Well, Jet had a point, Aang, so shut up. He deserved a better resolution to his story.

Hama also deserved better. I don't blame Katara and the others for allowing her to be arrested again. What else could they do? They couldn't allow her to murder people who likely had nothing to do with her suffering. But I think Hama also deserved more empathy from the narrative. What she did was...morally questionable- after all, there were a lot of Fire Nation citizens struggling under the weight of the war, too- but it came from a place of so much pain and brokenness, I can't imagine many people wouldn't have turned out at least as vengeful as Hama. I wish Katara and the others had been able to send her home. I wish there was at least a line in the epilogue about POWs in the Fire Nation being sent home. I wish Katara had gotten a chance to come to terms with what she learned from Hama and understood that it wasn't inherently evil knowledge.

I'm going to be a bit controversial here. While I do love stories where Toph and Suki get more plot devoted to them, within the context of the show, I think they got plenty. They had enough development and complexity that we care about what happened to them (which is personally, more than I can say for Aang). They weren't super core characters, though, especially Suki, so it makes sense that they didn't get more stories centering them. Although, I would gladly sacrifice that stupid, hacky Footloose pastiche episode that added nothing to the story for a Toph and Zuko field trip episode. I think Toph and Suki would've benefited from a sequel series that followed the Gaang post war. There would've been more space for stories about Toph's complicated relationship with her parents and Suki's backstory after the war.

[days-until-burnout]

Day 5 -

Characters - Etho & Joel (Cub & Scar play smaller part; Grian mention) Words - 1,592 Time - 60 mins Content - Superhero AU | unlikely allies

Competition. 

This was all about competition. 

Well, not his competition, really. Not to brag, but as a hero, Joel was great. Amazing, the best of the best. There wasn’t any real competition for number one, after all, their whole deal was saving lives and protecting the people. That, he was plenty good at. Although he wasn’t allies or friends with all heroes, they all shared the same goal, and sharing space was easy. 

But villains? Now that was an interesting dynamic. Joel heard about it, turf wars, the city cut up in sections, warnings and consequences of crossing those invisible yet written lines. 

It got ugly when it happened. Those were the days he and other heroes allied, finding strength in numbers. 

Unlike them, villains rarely worked together. 

But when they did—

“Aw, you hurt me, am I boring you?”

Stratos snapped back into situation, Shade looking down at him with a raised brow, and a very loud smirk on his covered lips. He yanked on the shadows, felt how they dug into his arms, his wrists. But a spark ran down his arms into the pavement, then it ran back into his arms, and he yanked again, breaking the shadows for his freedom. 

Electricity concentrated in his hand soon becoming a lighting ball. He threw it—Shade evaded it on the last second, but not fast enough to escape the field of electricity. Stratos smirked when he heard him groan, smirked wider when Shade glared at him. 

“You’ve got my attention now!”

Stratos laughed, and the chase began. More than a fight, this was a… well, like Grian called it, ‘play fighting’. He chased after Shade, attacks thrown but they were too weak to cause more than a zap. This was their deal, unspoken, but it was present between them. They could do whatever to each other, but they couldn’t touch the city. Not that Shade cared about property damage, Shade tended to lay on the more cautious side, on the shadows. 

And it was Stratos, it was Joel, who brought him into the light. 

So they would fight. So they would play. 

Really, if Joel stopped to think about it for more than a minute, he’d realize how stupid their whole arrangement was. Maybe he truly fried his braincells with all those stupid stunts he pulled as a teen. 

A whip materialized in his hand, sparking and bright, feeling solid in his hand. He lassoed Shade’s arms to his sides, causing him to yell out when he shocked him. As he pulled him in, both of them standing on different buildings, blinded by his momentary victory, he failed to see Shade raised his hand. It was too late, only realizing when something punched him in the back, enough to knock him forward and letting go of the whip. 

Before Stratos could recover, he was hit again, much stronger and solid now. He toppled over the edge of the building.

A wire shot out from his left, hooking into the building. He grabbed it, grunting as he pulled a muscle. He looked up, Shade peeking over the edge then disappearing before he could say anything. He turned to the other side, HotGuy standing on a ledge, lowering his bow as he also realized Shade was gone. 

“Need a hand?” HotGuy asked, playfully, securing his bow behind him. 

“I just might!” Stratos laughed back. 

>>>

“Watch out!” Stratos yelled, materializing a weapon too late, watching a robotic tentacle swipe HotGuy down. He growled, concentrated his electricity and attacked, throwing a lighting ball onto the robot. 

It was supposed to work. But it didn’t. Cub on comms yelled that it wasn’t made of metal, even though it looked like goddamn metal to him. Everyone thought this was going to be an easy fight, but his powers were rendered useless unless he could charge up enough to shock it down. 

Which he couldn’t do. 

There were too many of them, overwhelming HotGuy and him. 

“Cub! When are the bloomin’ back-up coming?!” He shouted on his comm, jumping out of the way from a tentacle. His eyes followed its path, watched how it decimated a car into the side of the building. He prayed the city got evacuated fast enough, that he and Scar distracted the damn robots long enough for evacuation. 

‘CuteGuy is still five minutes away. Everyone else is ten, coming as fast as they can.’ Cub replied, and Joel could hear the desperation in his voice too. The feeling of exasperation, the powerless feeling of not being able to do more. It was all the same through him, and everyone. 

“Damnit, Cub, I’m almost out of arrows here!” Scar yelled on the other side, gasping for air. Joel was breathless too, whole body aching. They were exhausted, had been holding their ground for almost an hour. It was incredibly— “Oh god, I think there is an—”

“HotGuy!”

Both screamed at the same time. Joel ran up a tentacle, got high ground and desperately looked for Scar. The military were doing their best too, shooting rockets and whatever explosives they could throw. It was chaos, the city being destroyed slowly right in front of them. And them, the only ones available, were in the middle of it all. 

“HotGuy!” Stratos called, gathered enough electricity to punch the head of one robot. Its whole body shook and sparked, overheated then shut off, smoke coming out of joints. The tentacles exploded, from the body outwards, and Joel jumped onto a nearby helicopter, barely grabbing onto the landing skids before they flew away from the explosion. The blast pushed the vehicle, created yet another crater on the ground, but they survived. 

Stratos climbed inside, took a moment to gather himself. He held onto the handrail, looked out in search for Scar. His heart was pounding, his mind racing. His comms crackled, surprisingly still working after another shock he released. 

‘EVeryone is on scene now—’

“Where?! I don’t see—”

‘It spread much further, Stratos. They are fighting the nearest robot. CuteGuy is closing in. Stay in the air, recharge. CuteGuy will look for HotGuy. This is an order, Stratos.’

Before Joel could argue, Cub was gone, and he watched as the world below him became smaller as they flew higher up. He understood why he needed to be away, but he couldn’t simply ignore the impotence, the feeling of uselessness being in the air doing nothing while everyone else fought underneath. 

Maybe, when all this was over, Joel would get someone like The Puppeteer or False or Stress to smack him right in the head, because the next thing he knew was that he was grabbing the pilot and jumping out of their falling helicopter. 

He had barely any time to grab the parachute and the unconscious pilot, so actually triggering the parachute was no easy tasked. Their fall slowed, but they were still falling too fast, too dangerously fast.

What a stupid way to go—

The world, everything blacked-out. He wasn’t falling, or maybe he was, he wasn’t sure. Involuntarily, his body sparked up, electricity running through him, stronger than he could control. And he panicked, which made it worse. The pilot— No— 

“Let me out!” He yelled into the void, and it listened. It listened. Light poured in, fire and destruction consuming the world, so not dead at least. He rushed to find the nearest military vehicle, passed the unconscious pilot to them, ripping the parachute and bag off himself. 

He didn’t know what prompted him to call, but he did. 

He called and he answered. 

“Shade!”

“Kinda busy!”

Joel turned in the voice’s direction, finding Shade behind a shadow shield. Before he could help him, the shield vanished and Shade ducked, the tentacles shooting above him. With a swift uppercut, shadows rose and cut the tentacle, causing the remaining bits to retreat.

Their eyes found each other, and it was like they had a whole conversation. Shade rushed to him, blocking him the shadows, protecting him from attacks. When they were close enough, the black-out happened again, the void surrounded them—

“You need to get out if we’re doing this,” Joel said quickly, sparks and electricity running through him already. It circled his limbs like vines, grew stronger and stronger. He stared at Shade, stared into those icy eyes. “You will die!”

“It’s fine!” Shade yelled back, closer now. And Joel could see determination in his eyes, the fire of a good fight, the moment someone realized they needed to put their lives on the line to save everyone else. “It’s more stable like this, with me here. Can’t risk it bursting. Name’s Etho, by the way.”

“Eefo?”

Shade chuckled, “Yeah, sure, Eefo.”

“Shut up! And I’m Joel!”

So they stayed there for a moment, neither sure how much time passed. Joel gathered energy, Etho contained it inside the void, both determined to see this attack through. Joel never thought he’d work alongside a villain, or anti-hero, or whatever Etho was, but he wasn’t going to start rejecting help right now. 

Then it was becoming stable, Joel was, too much energy he couldn’t contained. They needed to time it right—Etho needed to open the bubble at the right time, Joel needed to strike the ground at the right time. With a stranger, but not quite. 

Without conversation, as their hearts become on in the void, they made their respective moves.

Joel didn’t see much, the world lighting up too suddenly, so bright, but he vaguely remembered seeing the pride in Etho’s eyes as he striked down. 

_____

ive been having some action packed writing these past few days, so you get some action too. also, boat boys because ao3 upset me ealier and wouldnt let me publish a fic. but yknow how it is. we cope also, like, i dont know if i mentioned this, but this is barely edited lol also also, i rushed this, posted like 2 minutes before midnight ;n;

[ofliterarynature]

AUGUST 2024 WRAP UP

[loved liked ok nope DNF (bookclub) reread*]

True Grit • A Sorceress Comes to Call • (Fit for the Gods) • A Short Walk Through a Wide World • The Chestnut King* • Where the Drowned Girls Go • The Hollow Boy* • The Philosopher's Flight • The Whispering Skull* • Death by Silver • Grandma Gatewood's Walk • Across the Green Grass Fields • Tales from the Hinterland • The Screaming Staircase* • Ascension • Running Close to the Wind • August Kitko and the Mechas from Space

* * * * * *

Lockwood & Co - time for a reread! I really like the idea of ghost books but struggle to find ones that I like, but these are perfect! The worldbuilding and story structure is somehow just what I want - just enough rules to give them the confidence to be bad ass AND tension for when they royally screw up, and a fantastic, case-book type narrative where the characters are going about their lives, fighting ghosts, and not actually getting to the titular case until halfway through the book. Love it! I need more like that actually. (I recommend The Angel of the Crows)

Tales from the Hinterland -since I finally read The Language of Thorns I figured I should get around to this too. I didn't like the related novels all that much but WAS interested in the stories, but it's been so long I've mostly forgotten their context. I didn't mind it, and I think Albert has a better grasp on the language and form of fairy tales than Bardugo, but the inescapable grimness of the stories quickly became repetitive and boring.

Across the Green Grass Fields - it took me a bit to warm up to this one, but once we went through the door I had a good time! I think this is probably my favorite of the individual door stories so far. On the other hand, I usually like the ensemble books, but Where the Drowned Girls Go didn't quite work for me this time, but it might be one that just needs a second read.

Grandma Gatewood's Walk - I've seen this one around (most recently at a Hocking Hills gift shop) and finally picked it up since my library had it on audiobook. Unfortunately it was doing a lot of things that annoy me about certain nonfiction and while it was readable and interesting, I wouldn't say I enjoyed it or would recommend it.

Death by Silver - a gaslamp mystery/gay romance that was fun! If you like a mystery that is, the "romance" coasts along on the "old school friends/hookup buddies" line and doesn't really get any development (or steaminess), but things do keep moving and it was a nice enough read that I'd maybe try some of the author's other work (but maybe not the sequel)

The Philosopher's Flight - I don't even know. It *was* a good read that moved along well, BUT... I don't want to lay everything at the feet of "it was written by a man," but it definitely had its effects. Stories about girls and women going into a man's world and showing them all up are pretty common and catnip to me (Keladry my beloved), but something about a man doing it in a women's organization that exists in a patriarchal society WITH a heavy political-unrest plot going on as well, and despite the abundance of female characters none of them are well developed? And the main character is just a bland-ass dude? It really didn't sit well with me, and I do not want to read the sequel.

The Chestnut King - I'm glad to be done with this series reread. They're honesty just a perfectly middling MG fantasy series, slightly dated but charmingly midwestern in many ways. Kids would probably enjoy it more, but there's not much for an older reader.

A Short Walk Through a Wide World - going in I knew this was being pitched as sort of cozy, and being comp'd to Addie Larue (which I didn't like in execution). Fairly accurate on both counts tbh, and I thought the curse in this one worked much better - the problem with Addie was that the inability for anyone to remember her didn't allow for any connections to make things interesting, whereas A Short Walk's not being able to stay longer than a few days or ever return offers *just* enough to be heartbreaking. Unfortunately there just wasn't much of a shape to the overall story and I was so bored I almost DNF'd. If you're more into the books being marketed as "cozy fantasy" you might have a better time of it than me.

Fit for the Gods - aka "Greek Mythology Reimagined," which feels self explanatory. Anthologies are always a bit of a mixed bag, but I really liked this! Especially compared to the previous anthology (Sword Stone Table), there was only one story I didn't really like, but otherwise really vibed with everything else! I also learned that most of my myth knowledge that's stuck around is from Percy Jackson, lol. (Not to mention the reincarnation story that mentioned Percy Jackson! I cackled XD)

A Sorceress Comes to Call - LOVED!!! Regency house party, magic, murder, mystery is so so SO up my alley. I've seen people call this a stressful book, and I get it, the mother is awful and things are definitely tense, but something was telling me that things would turn out ok for the main characters and I was able to enjoy myself lol. It also helped that it became quickly obvious that the mother was very full of herself and overconfident, even if she was terrifying. I think this is tied with Thornhedge for my favorite Kingfisher so far, though I might rate this a little lower on quality. If you liked this I really recommend checking out the Greenwing & Dart series by Victoria Goddard!

True Grit - meh. Picked this up through a combination of podcast rec/book sale find/needed to read another classic. The kid's got spunk, but that's all I've really got to say. Came very close to dnf'ing, but at least it was short.

DNF

Ascension - 25%. I was really looking forward to making a "if I had a nickle for every book about a mountain mysteriously appearing somewhere it shouldn't, I'd have two nickles" joke, but alas. This started off pretty good, going with the classic "I found these papers among my brother's affects after a long mysterious life" that I was REALLY excited about. Then we actually got to the story and the main character was just Most Special Genius Science Boy, and the way his ex-wife was being written was absolutely bleh. I looked a bit closer at the reviews and decided to dump it. (Other mountain book is My Volcano and you should read it!!!! It's so weird!!)

Running Close to the Wind - 11%. Was this funny? Yes. Was this super horny? Yes. Was this funny and super horny? Super yes. I can really appreciate what was happening here, it's just unfortunately not a style I can consume in anything larger than small bites. I decided to part ways before my feelings really soured.

August Kitko and the Mechas from Space - 41%. I honestly did like what I read, it just wasn't speaking to me? I can see this being a great book for someone, I just had other things I wanted to read more.

[phlurrii]

Out of curiosity, what does the psychic cat fam exactly do out there? (This doesn’t have to be exclusive to just now, also could have been just Meau, Noe, and Mew) Aside from vibing. They live in a paradise where food isn’t a concern and nothing with a brain would try to hurt them. Do they play fight? Teach the youngin’s their future jobs? Have games? Maybe some swipped books to read? Explore the world outside of their tree for funsies? See who can steal as many goodies from human society without getting caught?

I know it’s silly but I like the “filler” of things. To think about what characters are doing when the “plot” isn’t being progressed. It’s part of why I like the slice-of-life genre from time to time. Life isn’t always an adventure or fight against some opposing force, but it can still be fun!

I agree, I’m honestly a bit upset with myself, given how long each update takes I never noticed I wasn’t adding in enough filler. Something I plan to fix once we’re in Noe’s arc, as we are sadly, or luckily? Way too close to beginning it to shove any sudden filler in. For now I’m blaming it on first time story telling and having to do art school on the side X3

As for the gang, Meau did fly a little bit off the handle due to not having a lot of stimulation when she was younger before Noe showed up. As for what they did/do, for reasons that’ll become clear later; they mostly talked in the early days!

She would show off her creations, abilities, transformations, and forming ecosystems to him. He would ask about as many questions as one would with a new world and she thrived off it. They would watch other Pokémon’s life in secret like it was a soap opera, sometimes intervening to make it more interesting or admittedly have it lean towards the ending they wanted. Usually betting and taking opposing sides as to what would happen.

Battling is a particular big one for Meau, she loves to get down and dirty with other legendaries and mythicals even if she has the power advantage. Most often fighting with her brothers, she wouldn’t be above transforming into the Pokémon she was fighting to even out the playing field, or even change her type so she was inherently weaker to it. It’s why she’s never been against human with their Pokémon battles, battling is an innate part of her creations and herself.

Missingno. on the other hand loves to explore, even with his age, he knows the world is in a constant state or change and ventures off on his own to explore it. He’s not nearly as against humans as Meau and has explored their cities and settlements. Most intrigue by their computers/technology nowadays and how he’s able to to interact with them. Meau has explored with him on occasion, but prefers to stay away.

I’d also imagine they like to race in very difficult conditions. High up in the atmosphere or just outside in the actual vacuum of space. Deep in the ocean, forcing them to make their own path through rock and stone. Which probably pisses off the weather trio invading all 3 of their areas, but that leads perfectly into the next one.

They love to piss off the other legendaries, because… well, what can they do?

There has been more then on tropical storm, tsunami, volcanic eruption, and general disaster caused by the Ancients pestering another powerful legend. Lastly, they sleep, if the current time is too boring, peaceful, or simply there is nothing to do that interests them… they’ll sleep for a couple thousand years.

As for more current day stuff, it’s much tamer since Bucket was taken, Meau woke up from a much needed thousands years nap to a very different world. Humans had well established themselves even further, technology exists, and they can clone/create pokemon. So she is staying in the tree with her suddenly growing family, just to watch. She wants to know what everything’s up too from a distance given they’ve somehow managed to trap and almost kill another mew, make a Mewtwo, and possibly a second one.

So she’s just always watching human society from the tree, whilst also teaching and nurturing Odysseus. He spends more of his time exploring the tree and occasional testing out powers. With Meau’s assistance. The trees massive and filled with Pokémon, so he’s got quite the endless bit of entertainment. Decamark is the newest edition and thus follows a lot of what Ody does! Though Noe has been poking them, figuratively, with a stick to figure out what he’s capable of.

[twstgameplay]

hi !! i was wondering if you guys could do a tutorial on how to counter book seven’s latest update? i’m having troubles in this little hexagon part (?) where you travel with general lilia and encounter parts of fighting using your chosen five characters’ cards. what happens when all my well built cards run out of hp? i could barely fight them off 😭 thank you all in advance!

For the first Battle Map you encounter, you can select three of your cards, but the other two must be Silver and Sebek. You'll also be given General Lilia at Level 70, Magic at Level 10/10 as a support card to choose if you'd like, even if you don't select him as one of your character choices. The second Battle Map is similar, with ten total characters, of which Silver and Sebek must be two, and General Lilia is an available support character.

The general rules of the Battle Map are as follows:

Clear the Battle Map by moving along the spaces on the map.

To proceed to the next space, Misthium is required. One space uses one Misthium. Misthium recovers over time.

Some spaces give map effects to your side of the field. These will carry on for the rest of the Battle Map.

On the Battle Map, the HP of your cards will carry on to the next Battle. All received damage is evenly distributed among your cards used. If you are defeated, all cards' HP will fall to 0.

Cards can Recover on certain spaces, or with retry tickets, or gems. Cards that have 0 HP cannot be used in battles.

Retry Tickets, which can be bought in Sam's shop, will restore the HP of up to 5 cards that have been depleted.

Every space with a Crest will be a battle. A crest of the Silver Owls means will turn into a Draconia crest once the battle has been won.

The following crests are found on the map:

Map Effects: Some will say (BOSS) which means that it will take effect during the final boss fight. Otherwise, the map effects will help you in your battles.

Reward: These can be picked up on tiles with the treasure chest icon. However, you won't receive the reward until the battle map is completely cleared.

Story: Some spaces will continue the actual storyline of the Chapter, while others will have small side snippets.

There are Recovery spaces (half-filled heart icon) and Revive spaces (heart with plus icon). Recovery will heal 50% HP to five randomly chosen still available damaged cards, while Revival will give 50% HP to three randomly chosen knocked out cards.

Tips for crafting your team for the Battle Map:

Select characters that have good synergy together. Either by knocking out the enemy faster with DUOs, or by healing mid-match, or by increasing your base HP with the buddy bonus.

Aim to maneuver your way around the map and gather the map effects before too many battle encounters. Use the recovery spaces only when you absolutely need to recover your strongest cards.

Mix up your teams to have both your strongest cards and your mid-tier cards to let the mid-tier cards take the impact of the damage battle after to battle, but make sure to give yourself enough HP to succeed in the battles.

~🐬

[emberfrostlovesloki]

Day One, One Day [Hotch x Reader]

Photo credits: Left (@hazelwoodhandmadeuk) Center (@milla984) Right (@xjackxv)

Prompt: The reader is called to join the BAU from their team to help them solve a string of kidnappings and murders in a high school. To say the reader's first day and the case was eventful was an understatement, and Aaron can’t help but be drawn to the new face, even though he shouldn’t be. 

Pairing: Aaron x genderneutral!reader. The reader uses they/them pronouns 

Category: angst/comfort 

Word Count: 15K

Content Warnings:  kidnapping, mention of smothering, teen death (nothing explicit [three victims]), unwanted attention, imprisonment, mention of the foster care system, mention of abuse (not specified [reader]), tight space, possibility of being shot [Hotch], death by gun (unsub), language, bruises, mention of snuff films and porn [not explicit]. If I missed any, please let me know 

A/N: Hi loves! Here is another fic based on the amazing @imagining-in-the-margins January/February Writing Challenge. The prompt was to describe the character’s first day at the BAU. This fic came about because of the reader being flustered while meeting Aaron for the first time. And then the jealous!hotch got added which is an absolute favorite trope of mine. I had fun navigating the ins and outs of this fic, and I hope you like it too. It's another long one, so grab a cup of tea/coffee/whatever you like and settle in. If you do enjoy this fic, likes, comments, and reblogs are appreciated! I hope you’re having a great start to your weekend and thanks for reading.  Love Levi - ❤️

List with all stories 

_y/n_  your name 

_y/l/n_ = your last name 

_________ = the nearest FBI field office to you. 

y/e/c_ = your eye color (aka brown-eyed, green-eyed, etc.)

_c/t_ = coffee of tea 

_c/s_ = cream or sugar (if you take neither in your tea or coffee, just ignore this one) 

_y/f/c_ = your favorite color 

Aaron had been CC’s on an email from JJ, as he drove toward the normal coffee shop that he stopped at before the office. He was slightly annoyed. The email indicated that the new agent. Agent _y/l/n_ was running late. If there was anything that Hotch didn’t like, it was tardiness. He hardly accepted it from his team, let alone a new agent just joining the BAU. While Aaron moved his car forward at the green light, _y/n_ was angrily saying, at their car, “Just start gosh darn it!” _y/n_ wasn’t one to let anger get to them, but today was a big day for them, and they needed their car to start five minutes ago. It didn’t help that it was so cold outside that _y/n_ felt like their fingers were freezing off. They had taken off their gloves to try and fiddle around with their engine. Even though _y/n_ was by no means a mechanic, they had hoped that a YouTube video and the willpower to try restarting their car would be enough to get it going. Unfortunately, _y/n_’s self-reliance wasn’t working out in their favor. Just as _y/n_ was going to call an Uber or Lyft to take them where they needed to go, a strong voice called out, “Hey. Is everything alright?” _y/n_ looked up at the tall stranger. He was dressed appropriately for the weather in a puffer jacket, gloves, a scarf that obscured some of his face, and a grey hat. Although the man was well-layered, he seemed put together. His outfit, unlike many _y/n_, had seen in the thirty minutes of hoping their car would cooperate, was put together. It looked expensive. _y/n_ would normally be weary of strangers. They’d seen enough bad things happen to people who seemed helpful at first but turned out to be monsters later. However, the seriousness in this man’s deep-set eyes and demeanor had _y/n_ reconsider in this rare case ._y/n_ normally liked to be independent, but their lack of car knowledge and need to get moving stat had them reply to the man’s question, “Not really. My car won’t start, and I need to get going. I was about to call a Lyft actually.” The tall, _y/n_ estimated, middle-aged man, stepped forward and said, “Mind if I look under the hood for a second?” _y/n_ stepped back from the infernal machine and said, “Knock yourself out. I can’t figure it out.” With a determined look, the man stepped forward and leaned down a bit to see if there was any issue with the car. 

The first thing he noticed was that heat was radiating off the engine even in the freezing weather. Of course, engines were hot, but not this hot. Aaron from a few close calls in his youth, had a good idea what the issue was.” He turned his head to the person, just as he was about to ask them if they’d replaced their coolant recently, recognized them as the last-minute agent he and JJ had selected yesterday afternoon for the latest case. He hadn’t realized it was them before because agent _y/n_ of the Crimes Against Children Unit was wearing a thick coat and their face was flushed from the cold. It was clear that _y/n_ hadn’t realized who he was yet either. It was so rare for Aaron to come across someone else in the FBI who didn’t know who he was, even if it was just for a minute or so. Hotch couldn’t help but notice how tense and anxious _y/n_ appeared to be. Aaron had been very hesitant to add a new agent so abruptly, but given the fact that five teenagers had gone missing from a public school in Texas, it seemed prudent to have someone who worked well with children onboard for the case.

Having to interview teenagers took a whole other set of skills than dealing with adults. JJ and Garcia did a fast but thorough scan of the possible agents that would fit the bill. The best fit for an agent that wasn’t actively on a case had been _y/n_. Hotch reluctantly signed off on it for JJ. Now that _y/n_ was standing in front of him, he decided to perform an informal test of their personality. Once _y/n_ recognized who he was, they would change. People always changed around him. He often found they became more closed off. Aaron stood straight and asked in a neutral tone, “You said you need to get going? Something happening this morning for you?” _y/n_ let out a measured breath and said, “Well it’s supposed to. This rental car kind of threw a wrench in everything though. I already sent an email explaining the situation to the people I’m working with, but I haven’t gotten a response yet. I hope they’ll understand, but I don’t want to hold anyone up. No matter what this is on me” Aaron nodded at _y/n_’s clear discretion. He asked, like he didn’t know already, “Is it a new job? What is it you do for work exactly that makes you need to email these people?” _y/n_ looked over at him. There was a flash of something in their eyes, but _y/n_ remained cool and said, “Not a new job exactly, more like a new team.” _y/n_ didn’t mention anything about the nature of their work, which Aaron appreciated. Given _y/n_’s attitude and choice of responses, Aaron let _y/n_ know exactly who he was by saying, “Well, I think I can help you. Maybe not with the car unless you’ve got some coolant back there. But I can give you a ride to work.” _y/n_ took a step back at the odd statement. This man seemed so normal, but again, seeming like anything didn’t mean much in their line of work. _y/n_ asked with caution, “Pardon me?” _y/n_ was ready to run or scream if this went bad. Now _y/n_ wished they’d had their gun on them and not in the glove box of the car. Hotch noticed the split-second change in demeanor with Agent _y/n_ taking on a defensive stance, even if it was masked as calmness. Aaron couldn’t help but applaud the instance change. It showed they were quick. Hotch clarified by saying, “I can drive you to work because my name is Aaron, Hotchner.” He flashed his badge to reassure them. Once _y/n_ looked at the badge and looked Agent Hotchner in the face, their eyes grew wide with awe. _y/n_ wanted to hit their head on the palm of their hand with how dumb they had been for not noticing. Agent Hotchner didn’t seem like the person to be easily forgotten. y/n_ composed themself and quickly said, “I am so sorry Agent Hotchner. I didn’t mean to hold you up, nor did I expect to meet you before our planned debrief this morning.” Hotch raised a hand. He was still slightly amused by the whole situation. However, he didn’t let that show as he replied, “It’s alright. You just killed two birds with one stone. I’ve met you now, and I can get us both to Quantico without any delays, but if we want to get there promptly, we should go now. I’ll give you a minute to get your things.” Aaron knew the traffic would get terrible if they didn’t leave soon. _y/n_ nodded and quickly pulled their go bag from the back trunk. They then grabbed their case files and gun from the front glove compartment. Even though _y/n_ wasn’t a part of the BAU, they often joined other teams than their own on cases that needed a CACU agent’s skill set. Given that fact, they already knew how to pack a go bag and get moving quickly. In under a minute, _y/n_ clicked the lock on their car and followed Hotch toward his car in the lot. 

As they started driving, _y/n_ reflected on the whirlwind of yesterday. They had just finished a case with their team in Kentucky. Their team had been in the office late, trying to finish up their report as thoroughly as possible. The Trafficking case had been difficult and dealt with lots of parties, so _y/n_wanted to give themself time to fill out the forms accurately but with concision. That task had taken longer than _y/n_ had expected. _y/n_ had rubbed their dry eyes when the ping of their email sounded. _y/n_ turned to their work computer and a message marked urgent was in their inbox from their supervisor. A twinge of panic hit _y/n_. They rarely interacted with their supervisor Most of the time, meetings, instructions, or the rare reprimand came from their Unit Chief, Agent Smith. With hesitation, _y/n_ clicked the email afraid that they’d made some mistake or something else._y/n_’s eyes grew wider and wider as _y/n_  read the contents of the email. It read: 

To: y/n_cacu@fbi.gov 

From: JessicaPola@fbi.gov 

CC: JeffinerJareaubau@fbi.gov, AaronHotchnerbau@fbi.gov, DrakeSmithcacu@fbi.gov 

Subject: Transfer Request 

Good morning, agent _y/l/n_. We have an urgent request for you. The Media Liaison for the Behavioral Analysis Unit based in Quantico has requested your presence to help with the team's current case. You are requested to come as quickly as you can. You have been selected due to your team's case status, and your intimate knowledge of crimes against children. For more details about this choice, please contact Jennifer Jareau [CC’d]. For issues with travel and expenses, please contact the Travel Resource Office. I have already contacted your Unit Chief, and let Agent Smith know of this temporary shift of teams. Be safe, and good luck. 

Supervisor of the ________ Field Office, Jssica Pola. 

_y/n_ didn’t know that to think for a moment. To be joining the famous BAU team on a case felt otherworldly. It didn’t seem like a thing that could ever happen to them. One, because they were a relatively new agent, and two, the BAU was too important to need someone like them to help on a case. But _y/n__ practical side kicked in quickly. There would be time to think later. Now they needed to work. _y/n_ quickly emailed Drake and then spent more time emailing the BAU’s liaison about the details of the case. Only a few minutes after _y/n_ had sent that email, Agent Jareua replied with a couple of attachments including details on the current case and the BAU team. _y/n_ quickly finished booking their red-eye flight to Virginia at 1:00 a.m. before thanking the agent and noting that they would be in the Quantico office in the morning. _y/n_ had to quickly pack up and go home to get things for their absence. Once this was done, _y/n_ moved to the airport. They tried to relax, but the prospect of getting to work with the BAU kept them up. The team was legendary. And that was justified by the sheer amount of high-profile arrests the BAU made. _y/n_ ended up looking at the folder with the team’s information to refresh their memory of who was currently on the team. _y/n_ had met Agent Morgan and Agent Reid while they were a N.A.T., but the mercurial and stern Unit Chief had been gone on paternity leave while they were finishing up their training. But _y/n_ didn’t need to see Aaron Hotchner to know who he was. Apart from his team being praised constantly, his leadership after Gideon stepped down from the role of Unit Chief was unmatched. As soon as _y/n_ opened the file on the plane, they felt the exhaustion come on like a wave. _y/n_ closed the file and put away their phone, leaning into the tiredness that overwhelmed them. y/n_ would take the sleep now because there wasn’t going to be much later. When they landed in Virginia, it was 5:00 a.m. and an hour's drive to the Quantico field office. _y/n_ chose to rent a car and not spend a fortune of the FBI’s money on getting a ride share. That turned out to be a mistake, as _y/n_ nearly got to the office. _y/n_ had pulled into the parking lot of an unassuming coffee shop. They needed the caffeine for what was to come. When _y/n_ had returned to the car, it would not start. There was no getting the engine to rev to life. Thus, why she was in the passenger seat of Agent Hotchner’s car. _y/n_ didn’t try and give themself too much grief about not recognizing the man in the driver’s seat. They reminded themself that they’d never seen him in person before and that they hadn’t fully looked at the team folder Agent Jareua had sent them. 

Aaron could sense that _y/n_ was thinking. He cleared his throat and said, “Well, we might as well get the debrief done now instead of waiting to get to the office. That way the team can jump right in once we arrive.” _y/n_ nodded. They noticed the shift in Aaron’s attitude. A shift from one of apparent amusement to one of professionalism. Here was Aaron Hotchner _y/n_ who had expected to meet in the office. Hotch kept his eyes on the road, and said, “You’ve probably heard all of this before, but we take these things very seriously at the BAU. First, we work as a team and a unit. Keeping ideas to yourself doesn’t solve the issue. If you have an idea I recommend you share it with everyone. Second, you run things by me or someone on the team before you do them. Third, nobody gets over-involved with the witnesses or families. Fourth, we integrated with law enforcement and didn’t overstep. Fifth and final note, the actions of anyone on this team, permanent or temporary reflect on the FBI as a whole. I don’t tolerate bad behavior or ethics. Do you understand?” _y/n_ nodded. Here _y/n_ saw the dedicated leader of the BAU. _y/n_ understood that a man in Agent Hotchner’s position had to be firm, strong, and have rules, especially for young agents who just get added to a team that was well-oiled and worked well as what seemed like a machine. _y/n_ spoke up and said, “I understand Agent Hotchner.” They wanted to add, “I won’t let you down,” but from the reputation the BAU had, maybe they would. _y/n_ didn’t want to dwell on it too much. They didn’t have to, as Hotch added in a voice with a hint of warmth, “And, if you have any questions, you can ask me, or anyone on the team. Things move fast in the BAU, and it’s fine if you need clarity.” _y/n_ nodded and replied, “Thank you, Agent Hotchner.” _y/n_ reflected on the hot-then-cold nature of the man beside them. _y/n_ realized that perhaps that was why he was respected. Agent Hotchner was as stern as he needed to be, but underneath that facade, he was a caring man. Even if he tried to hide it. He made it part of his job to hide it. _y/n_ felt oddly warmed by the idea, but _y/n_ waasn’t so naive to believe this assumption. They’d need to see Aaron with the team to confirm their suspicion about his character. After all, he had been profiling for over half their life, _y/n_ wasn’t going to trust their judgment on a skill Aaron Hotchner had perfected. 

Hotch looked at _y/n_ and commented, “You’re team does good work. Difficult work.” Aaron wasn’t exaggerating. He couldn’t imagine having to work on crimes dealing with children in every case. To him, it was the most disheartening thing in the world. He was jaded enough seeing the killers he did. Having to do that with children specifically put his stomach in knots. He assumed it was because he was a father. When Jack came home with a runny nose he was instantly on high alert. Aaron took a moment to wonder if many of the agents in the Crimes Against Children Unit had children. He knew Agent Smith was married, but was unsure if the man had children. For some reason, Aaron turned his face to _y/n_, who was silently running their thumb over the pads of their other fingers in a gesture that might be nervousness. Internally Aaron thought, “They seem too young to have children.” His eyes glanced at _y/n_’s left hand. There wasn’t a ring there. Hotch snapped his eyes back to the road, not sure why he’d taken that internal tangent. He reminded himself of the no profiling agents rule, but when a new agent joined the team, even if it was just for a case, it was hard not to. That was why he did debriefs with new Agents. He did them firmly so he could get a natural read on their reactions. He did this to introduce himself to the agents and set the strict guidelines he asked his team to follow. Even with that plan in place, Aaron still found it hard to not try and read agents. He gave a small sigh and shifted his attention back to work, as they pulled into the bureau parking lot. Aaron took his reserved spot on the bottom floor of the parking garage. 

_y/n_ and Aaron grabbed their things from the car, and _y/n_ said, “Thank you for the ride, Agent Hotchner.” Aaron nodded and said, “You’re welcome.” The unlikely pair moved inside and Aaron was greeted, and greeted by many important Unit Cheifs. _y/n_ recognized many of them and had to act cool as they entered the building. It was a nice space. Clean and bigger than _y/n_’s field office. _y/n_ had to make sure they kept their face neutral and did not look like a kid in a candy store. This was a privilege, not a present. Once through security, Aaron led _y/n_ up to the BAU. As they rode up the elevator, many famous agents entered or left the metal box, _y/n_ continued to realize just how big a privilege this was. In their mind, _y/n_ swore to do their best while working with the BAU. To learn and grow from this experience. Even though _y/n_ felt inexperienced for this role, it was still a chance to gain new skills and learn how the most famous unit in the FBI worked. From their brief interaction so far, Aaron Hotchner seemed like a big part of that answer. Once they were on the BAU floor, they walked into the bullpen. _y/n_ noticed Agents Morgan and Reid right away. There seemed to be an electric energy in the air. Even with that being the case, there was a familiarity in the room as well. The way Agent Morgan was leaning on Agent Reid’s desk, and a stunning brown-haired woman, who _y/n_ assumed was Agent Prentiss, was standing nearby laughing at whatever Dr. Reid had just said. That kind of levity didn’t happen on their team. Lost in their thoughts,_y/n_ startled slightly as Hotchner called them saying, “Agent _y/l/n_.” _y/n_ perked up and realized that the Supervisory Special Agent had moved to the short staircase leading up to the upper level of the floor. _y/n_ snapped back to themself and quickly closed the gap between them. At the top of the stairs, they were met with a blond woman who stepped out of an office door saying, “Hotch, did you get my email about agent _y/l/n_?” Aaron nodded and said, “I did. Agent _y/l/n_ is here now.” JJ’s eyes widened as Hotch stepped aside and she saw _y/n_. The Media Liason looked over at Aaron with questions in her eyes, but he shot her the “It’s a long story look.” JJ gave a tiny nod of acknowledgment and instead of speaking to Aaron, stepped forward and extended a hand toward _y/n_. _y/n_ took the offered hand as the woman said, “Good morning, Agent _yl//n_. I’m Jennifer Jareau, media liaison to the BAU team. We spoke yesterday over email.” _y/n_ nodded and said, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Jareua.” Aaron cut in for a second with a comment directed at JJ saying, “Let’s meet in conference in ten minutes.” JJ nodded and turned her attention back to _y/n_ saying, “Well now that you’re here, let me give you a quick tour. Sorry there isn’t time for you to get comfortable, but things move fast on this team.” _y/n_ nodded and followed as JJ showed her the break room, restrooms, a spare desk as well as a giving very brief history of the BAU team. At the end of the tour, JJ took _y/n_ to the conference room. Aaron was already there. An extra chair had been added to the table. JJ said, “You can sit at the end there. The team will be here in a minute.” _y/n_ nodded and took a seat. Aaron’s eyes briefly flashed to theirs. _y/n_ pulled the folder in front of them open and immediately realized that it was the folder JJ had sent last night. Even though _y/n_ hadn’t had much time to read over the file on the team, they had thoroughly read the case notes so far. The details were unfortunately familiar. That dull sickening feeling had washed over _y/n_ as they had processed the information and started taking notes. 

The sound of the door opening pulled _y/n_ from their thoughts. The rest of the team, plus Penelope, traipsed in the room. They all stopped momentarily, as they realized someone new was there. Hotch called them all to sit down, and he stood at the front of the room with JJ. He spoke in his normal, professional voice. Aaron said, “Everyone, this is Agent _y/n_, _y/l/n__ from the Crimes Against Children Unit out of _________.” The team looked at them and _y/n_ raised a tentative hand and waived. Everyone responded, and Rossi and Penelope specifically said, “Hi” and “Hello.” When Aaron cleared his throat, everyone looked back at him. He continued, “You’ll understand why I’ve asked Agent _y/n_ here in a moment.” JJ used the clicker to change the slide. Five teenagers' photos were displayed. JJ said, “Two days ago, five children in Dearborn, Texas, ranging from the age of fifteen to seventeen, went missing. All one day apart. All of the parents made a fuss, but one family did. The incredibly rapid disappearance of a group of children was shocking. The media is all over it, and many are panicked.” Hotch stepped forward, and JJ clicked on the next slide. Some graphics and information were on the slide, and Aaron said, “Two of the five children were found drowned in a nearby lake the following day. However, the mortician ascertained that the victims were dead before being dumped. They believe that the victims were smothered within hours of each other. One of the children, Kaden Morris, appeared to be beaten, but the other victim, Victoria Cross, had no signs of abuse. The next morning, a third body was found. Eli Perry is the oldest of the children. With Eli, there were defensive wounds and the same manner of death. None of the children had been sexually abused. The thing is that all of the victims, those that are deceased and the two that are possibly still alive have in common is that all of them go to the same high school. Also, they are all children in the foster system. The fact that there are two large overlapping factors is unique. Even with these things tying the victims together, the police in Dearborn haven’t gotten any leads despite a desperate plea from the foster parents and the police for information. So, we were called in to figure out what’s happening and try and get to the victims before anyone else is killed or taken.” The room was silent for a second, and Aaron could feel the tenseness in the room. With everything happening so quickly, along with the intricacies of the information involved, Aaron said, “It’s a long flight to Texas, so let’s save reading over the files from the jet. Wheels up in thirty.” 

Between the debrief and boarding the jet, _y/n_ was greeted by the team. Again they had to contain their excitement, as they got to shake Derek and Rossi’s hands, along with meeting Emily, Spencer, and Garcia. Once _y/n_ had shaken Deek’s hand, they said, “Agent Morgan…” Before they could say anything else, Derek said, “It’s just Morgan. It’s nice to meet you too.” The pleasantries only lasted a few minutes as everyone grabbed their bags and got ready for the jet. _y/n_ quickly called the rental company and explained how the car had died and where it was. They were assured that the car would get picked up or towed and that the rental company would be in contact once they had more information. On the jet, _y/n_ found a place near the side of the main few rows. Once the plane had taken off, the team took a few minutes to read over the case file and current information before the ideas started flowing. Ideas ranging from the unsub to the victims were varied. Things like the possibility that the victims may have tried to run away, or that the unsub was a peer. _y/n_ wasn’t sure about either of the assertions and said, “If the victims were trying to run away wouldn’t the unsub keep moving on? Why drop the three bodies off at the same place? They could have possibly crossed multiple state lines by now. Why stick around and do it again.” Rossi nodded and said, “_y/l/n_’s right. Also if the unsub has multiple victims, then they have to have a place to keep them. A home, or someplace where they can isolate themselves without being noticed. A trucker or good samaritan who offers to give a kid a ride doesn’t have the sort of space on the road. Spencer also noted that the rate of killers that are peers was so low that it was unlike, though not impossible. Reid stated, “Psychopathy or anger issues in adolescents don’t normally come to a head until their early twenties. So it’s unlikely that the unsub is another teen. Also, it takes a lot of force and desire to smother someone. Unless we’re speaking of a very large teenager, it’s unlikely they’d have the strength or willpower to follow through with one, let alone two killings. As the team, plus _y/n_, kept bouncing ideas off of each other Aaron listened and observed. Even though Agent _y/l/n_ was new and temporary, they seemed to blend well with the team. Unlike some more unfortunate temp transfers. _y/n_ was offering helpful information about the experiences children go through as well as statistics about the foster process. Information, that apart from Reid, the team didn’t know. _y/n_ had a deep wealth of knowledge about the system and how it worked for and against the kids in it. _y/n_ also didn’t butt in on conversations. Agent _y/n_ seemed to have picked up on the rhythm of the team’s conversation and added their thoughts at a helpful time. Each time _y/n_ spoke up, Aaron found his eyes in that direction. He told himself that he was just looking because _y/n_’s calm, steady voice was new, and he couldn’t help himself. That might have been part of it, but there was a certain draw to the younger agent that Aaron couldn’t seem to refuse. It had happened before he’d even known they were an agent in the parking lot of the coffee shop. Hotch let out a sigh and moved his gaze elsewhere. There wasn’t time to get distracted. Not now. And given the fact that _y/n_ was on another team and that he was a senior agent, there wouldn’t ever be an occasion to think about it further. The latest thought wasn’t even a conscious one. Just something Aaron’s subconscious stopped from sending to the forefront of Aaron’s mind. 

While Aaron was trying not to look at _y/n_ too much, the _y/e/c_ed agent was having the same issues. As exciting as it was to be next to Agent Rossi and Agent Reid, _y/n_ couldn’t help but look at Agent Hotchner. They were comforted by Hotch’s stern demeanor. The way he kept composted, and most of all his intensity. The way the man focused on things meant all of his attention was on the case. There was no wavering or distraction. Just the thing in front of him. _y/n_ got that from Drake too, but their Unit Chief was younger than Aaron by five years or so and hadn’t quite gotten to the point where he was that focused yet. Drake is a great team leader, just not quite Aaron Hotchner. _y/n_ averted their eyes as Agent Hotchner seemed to turn his head in their direction. The plane ride was long, and after two hours, _y/n_ got up to make a cup of _t/c_. At the Keurig as _y/n_ was preparing the hot drink, Emily stepped out of the bathroom, running her hands on her slacks. The woman smiled at _y/n_ and asked, “So, how are you liking it so far?” _y/n_ offered back a small smile and said, “It’s very interesting. I’m learning so much. I think I’ve heard more theory in the three hours I’ve been on this team than the twenty weeks I did in Virginia.” Emily nodded and said, “I understand. I felt the same way you did when I joined the team. Sometimes the best way to learn is to just do the thing, but that’s hard in a job like the FBI. We can’t exactly have unqualified agents on the field.” _y/n_ nodded, stirring in _c/s_ into their styrofoam cup. _y/n_ bit their lower lip for a second before acknowledging their hesitation, saying, “Honestly I’m not sure why I got picked to join y’all on this case. There are senior agents who could have been called.” Emily pondered the statement and replied, “I can’t tell you for sure _y/n_ some of it may be that more senior agents need to be around if a case on your team comes up.” Prentiss realized that she just essentially said that _y/n_ was a junior agent. But Emily added, “But these choices are well thought out. Of the pool of applicants, you were the best fit based on your performance and the cases you’ve completed. Temporary transfers to the BUA aren’t just a guessing game. JJ and Hotch picked you for our skills. You never have to question that.” Em paused for a second and added, “And for my part, you’ve fit well with the team so far. Some folks are far too shy, starstruck, or intent on making an impression. You haven’t done that.” 

_y/n_ smiled softly and said, “Thanks, Agent Prentiss.” Em smiled and replied, “It’s just Emily. And no need to thank me.” With that, Emily slipped past _y/n_ and back to her seat. _y/n_ felt a rush pass through them. They were both flattered at the compliment and a bit concerned that Emily had felt the need to reassure them. _y/n_ didn’t want to seem desperate or in need of reassurance. With a sigh _y/n_ moved back to their seat, more determined than ever to be an asset and not a weight to the team. As the jet continued its journey to Texas, _y/n_ listened and learned as the team worked every angle possible. When the plane landed West of Houston, the team rallied and got ready for the case ahead. 

The BAU was met by local law enforcement, and they piled into the SUVs and made it to the Dearborn police station. Once there, Aaron made quick introductions and then asked for a space to have the team work on building a profile. Once the slightly more private space was provided, Aaron said, for _y/n_’s sake only, “Let’s gather some evidence before we start building. We’ll split into teams. Myself, Agent _y/l/n_, and Reid will go to the school. Rossi and Derek, you take the dumpsite and then go to the hospital. Lastly, JJ and Prentiss, see if you can get in contact with the victims' families. Give them a preliminary interview. Any details they can recall will be valuable.” Everyone nodded and moved to their respective roles. _y/n_ moved into the backseat of the SUV while Aaron and Spencer sat in the front seats. Hotch looked in the rearview mirror and said, “Agent _y/l/n_when we’ve made contact with the school administration I’d like you to give an address to the students if the principal will let you. You have more experience in this field than either Reid or I, and I assume the student population knows more than they might be letting on.” _y/n_ nodded and said, “Of course, Sir.” _y/n_ was relieved to be helpful and be able to contribute in some way to something that they were used to dealing with -- the younger population.

Once the trio arrived at the High School, they parked and moved to the front office. After flashing all of their badges, the group was led to the main office. The Vice Principal, Stevenson, and the principal, Jackson, met the team with appreciation. Hotch introduced everyone and the principal said, “Let’s speak in a more private space.” The agents moved into a smaller, closed-off room with the senior staff of the public high school. Principal Jackson, who was in a wheelchair said, “Agent Hotchnerwe need help. Half of the parents are calling for the school to close for a week. The abductions have stirred everyone up, no thanks to the media circus.” Hotch nodded and said, “We can understand your frustration, Principal Jackson. We hope to be as unobtrusive as possible. However, if we could hold an assembly in the afternoon, we think we could glean a lot of information from the student population. Often students know of events that they might not even know about.” Jackson nodded reassuringly and said, “Anything you think can help. Agent Hotchner, I’ll indulge anything. I just want the rest of our students home safe. This school has a significant amount of students who are dealing with difficult situations, either with parents, poverty, drugs, or crime. This leaves many of our students in the foster system. I lead a support group on Fridays during lunch to try and help them as much as possible. Keeping a school like this up with a good ranking is hard when no one seems to care about us or our students.” Hotch started tapping his forearm. He realized that the man was steering the conversation away from the missing kids and that Jackson was rambling. Spencer caught onto this too, and when the principal paused, Reid said, “Well you’re certainly involved with your students. I’m sure they appreciate that. Now could you give us more details on the students that were killed and those that are still missing?” _y/n_ noticed how excited and happy Jackson got when he got praise which was an odd reaction given the terrible circumstances. Agent _y/l/n_ turned their gaze to Hotch to see if he noticed it too. Aaron’s face was set in a frown, and his features were tight. He didn’t look overly enthused by the man sitting in front of them. After a half-hour of rambling about how wonderful, kind, and resilient the missing and dead students were, Aaron couldn’t take it anymore, thanked the Principal, and led _y/n_ and Reid away to a private room to make a plan. It was clear that they all felt the Principal’s reactions and emotions were odd, but no one addressed that right now as they might be overheard. Instead, Aaron said, “Agent _y/n_ I want you to give the address this afternoon, given this is your area of expertise. Reid, until the assembly I want you to look through the files of the missing and deceased students and see if there are even more connections between them. I’m going to go and speak to the teachers who had those students and see if they can add insight. With the tasks assigned, everyone started their work until the assembly. 

An hour later, the whole school assembled in the auditorium. Aaron chose not to stand on the stage, as he didn’t want any of the students to feel intimated or pressured in any way. He realized he could give off a solemn attitude that didn’t always fit well with adolescents. And standing where he was, he could watch for any major reactions in the audience. Aaron listened as the principal spoke about the fact that school was still planned for tomorrow because the board of regents still hadn’t met for an emergency meeting, but “We’re trying to as soon as possible. To our faculty and students, thank you for your calm and respectful response. We have two FBI agents here to give you a little talk.” The man motioned for Spencer and _y/n_ to step forward. _y/n_ stepped up to the mic and said, “Thank you, Principle Jackson. As Principal.Jackson said, my name is _y/n_, and this is Dr. Spencer Reid, and we’re both members of the FBI. We’re here to try and find out what happened to your classmates and friends. At times like this, it can be a very painful and scary thing. Even if you don’t know the missing students. It’s okay to have big emotions around what’s happening. Please know that there are people who care about you. If you ever feel unsafe or need someone to talk to, you can speak to a teacher or counselor. You aren’t wasting space or time. Your feelings are valid. Now, if you’re someone who knows Kaden, Victoria, Eli, Baker, or Shyann, we’d like to ask you some questions. You won’t get in any sort of trouble for speaking to us. We actually think that you might know something that we don’t. So if you’re one of those people, before you get dismissed today, please talk to a teacher. Thank you.” _y/n_ gave a little wave, and they and Spencer moved off the stage toward Hotch. As Jackson gave the release for the teachers and students back to the classroom, Spencer quietly asked, “Anyone stand out in the crowd?” Aaron nodded no and said, “No one that I noticed. The kids seem genuinely scared though. And the faculty too.” Hotch’s eyes flushed from Reid’s to _y/n_’s, and he said, “Good job with the announcement. You described the situation with the weight it deserved without putting anyone in a panic. Hopefully, some of the victim’s friends will be willing to speak with us after school.” As the trio waited for the final bell to toll, Aaron called the other BAU teams to see what progress they’d made. Rossi and Derek had found some pink insulation flakes where bodies had been dumped which proved the teens had been kept in a house or business. As Hotch was talking, _y/n_ said to Spencer, “Because these kids are all in the foster system, do you think the unsub is trying to save them somehow? The system’s not perfect and a lot of bad things can happen to those kids.” Reid nodded and said, “It’s a good point. We might try looking at caregivers like nurses or counselors. People who might know that abuse was happening at home.” A short while after this conversation, the bell rang. Only a small group of seven teens came to see the agents. Jackson had three classrooms set up for each agent to use. For the next two hours, each agent would speak to a kid and ask them questions about how they knew the victims, any behavior change, or anything odd. Hotch took special note that the first victim had started to withdraw from the football team which had been his life most of high school. Large shifts in behavior or interest could mean something significant. Aaron made a note to speak to the football coach as soon as possible. 

Eventually, there were only three students left. _y/n_ finished their last conversation first, and once the student had gone, wandered into the hall. _y/n_’s eyes were fatigued, and they closed them and stretched. A semi-familiar voice saying, “Any luck from the kids?” from behind _y/n_ had them snap around. Principal Jackson was approaching them. _y/n_ sighed internally. Jackson gave them the creeps. Also, _y/n_ couldn’t talk about what the children had said to them. _y/n_ quickly fixed their face of annoyance and just said obliquely, “Oh, you know, we were just chatting.” Jackson pressed further and said, “Oh come on, you can tell me. If anything, I should know as their principle.” _y/n_ looked away from the man’s gaze for a moment, his lingered. After a micro-second, _y/n_ looked at the Principal again and said, “We were just talking. But I’d like to hear more about that support group you run. That sounds like a very kind and beneficial thing you do in your scant free time.” _y/n_ said this as a tactic. They remembered how animated Jackson got before while talking about himself, and they needed to throw him off the interview thing. _y/n_’s plan worked like a charm. The man thanked them profusely for noticing his “good deed” and jumped into what he did, and how he helped these struggling students. As the man talked for what felt like an eternity, _y/n_ noticed the man’s eyes lower to a place that made _y/n_ highly uncomfortable. _y/n_ looked around the empty halls. They wished there were other people around. However, Jackson had suspended all before and after school activity and let the teachers head home directly after contract hours to be with their families during this stressful time.

_y/n_ hoped Hotch or Reid would come out soon. They had an idea that if either man joined them, Jackson would stop ogling them while lauding his service. _y/n_ felt that the man in front of them wasn’t fully acclimated to social situations which was odd given his job. Jackson was and had acted like a teenager with a total need for validation. This was proved correct as the man bizarrely said, “You see me in ways others don’t Agent _y/n_. Can I give you my number?” _y/n_ jaw dropped at the audacity of such a question. It was also at this very moment that Aaron stepped out of his classroom. He heard the comment and instantly looked over at _y/n_. Hotch, unfortunately, misconstrued the situation, as _y/n_’s back was to him and he couldn’t see they were shocked, and they put off face. Nor how they shook their head no as the man slipped his number into their palm. It didn’t help that Aaron was tired and stressed about the rapid taking and dumping of the teenagers. Also, his odd feelings toward _y/n_ in the parking lot, jet, and even as they were standing around in the auditorium were coming up again. The issue was that Aaron didn’t want to have to think about the feeling. In his head, the feeling didn’t exist, but now that they were twisting into disappointment at a clear breaking of boundaries annoyed him even further. Hotch called out to the principal to ask about the football coach to distract himself from the growing disappointment he felt. It didn’t help _y/n_ was too shocked to move which Aaron read as reluctance to look at him which would mean they had something to hide. Although none of this was true, _y/n_ was embarrassed and their face felt warm from the ludicrous ask by Principal Jackson. When Aaron was done with his question with Jackson, he called _y/n_’s name. It was harsh with a hint of bitterness underneath it. When _y/n_ turned and walked toward him, they slipped the number in their pocket. Aaron thought for sure he saw hesitation in their face, and he grit his teeth. The small amount of admiration that someone so young who had joined the team and seemed to do well with it up to now felt crushed for Aaron because they were possibly flirting with someone involved in the case. He thought he had a better read on people, and _y/n_ was now baffling him. Aaron would have said something about how inappropriate their actions were, except Spencer left his room and at that point, they should head back to the station to regroup. In a clipped tone, Hotch said, “Let’s go and catch up with everyone.” 

As Spencer and _y/n_ followed behind Aaron, they could both sense he was angry but neither understood why. Spencer shot _y/n_ an inquisitive look, but they just shrugged their shoulders as bewildered as Reid was at the change in Agent Hotchner. In the car, Spencer tried to cut the tension by talking about the case and those they’d talked to. Reid said, “I was surprised that there were so few people that showed up to talk to us. There didn’t even seem to be people there who just wanted attention.” _y/n_ nodded and said, “I’m not actually. Given the information we knew about the victims, they all seemed like wallflowers. Given that, plus the fact that foster kids move around often, face a hard life, and have a probability of trauma in their past, they might find it hard to make friends or put down roots at school or home.” Hotch, who was wearing his sunglasses to mask his emotions shot _y/n_ a look from the rearview window. _y/n_ met his gaze and again felt that he was disappointed in them. _y/n_ tried not to fidget as they continued driving on the busy road. Aaron put his eyes back on the street and felt confused again. Now _y/n_ was acting like an intelligent well-seasoned agent with their head on straight. Not someone who would take a number from someone possibly under investigation. He realized as a few minutes had passed, that he’d only caught a snapshot of the conversation, and he wasn’t getting their side of the story. However, that didn’t mean that he didn’t have to ask them about it which he wasn’t looking forward to. The tension lingered in the car even as they all talked about what they’d learned and how odd Principal Jackson was. At the man’s name, _y/n_ cringed. Aaron stated to everyone, “Jackson just started the support group this semester, so it seems like he could want to be involved in some way. Involving himself in the scene and the victims like most unsubs do.” The desire to go back to the scene of the crime and watch the suffering of those being impacted was a need for most of them. After this, Spencer added the theory that the unsub might see themselves as saving the victims from a bad situation and trying to offer them something better in their eyes.” _y/n_ added, “If that’s the case,  the victims have to know this person well. To trust them, and once they realize what’s happening they panic? Try to leave which the unsub wouldn’t like.” The conversation kept going until they all reached the station. 

Inside, the trio was greeted by the rest of the team. Before anyone had the chance to share, Aaron said, “Agent _y/l/n_, I need to speak to you alone for a moment.” Those words had the team quiet instantly. If Hotch called you into a space alone it wasn’t good unless you were Haley before the divorce. _y/n_ couldn’t stand the silence, even for a moment and softly said, “Sir.” Aaron walked to the empty, windowless file room, opened the door, and let _y/n_ go in before him. Once the door was shut in the small, stuffy room, Aaron turned and he said bluntly, without preface, “Were you flirting with Principal Jackson at the school.” Hotch sounded stern and disappointed and _y/n_’s eyes went wide. They weren’t sure how he’d read that uncomfortable situation iso incorrectly. _y/n_ wanted to clarify that that was not what had happened and said, “No, Sir. I would never do that on a case.” _y/n_ didn’t add that they hardly ever did it off a case either. Hotch still looked unconvinced and asked, “Then why do you have his number in your pocket right now? Why were you so flustered when you turned around?” Aaron could feel that unexplored emotion bubble up in him again, and he said those questions with more bite than he intended. _y/n_ took a visible step back from him, and they looked slightly hurt. Hotch looked at the ground for a second realizing he’d been too harsh. He dropped his arms from his chest and tried to appear more relaxed. He looked back at _y/n_ and said, “I’m sorry that I said that like I was accusing you and not asking you, _y/n_. This case is messing with my head. Would you please give me the context of what happened?” Aaron watched as _y/n_ relaxed a little and then opened up about the man’s bizarre and downright threatening behavior. Hotch felt bad once he’d heard the full story and said, “I’m sorry, _y/n_. For acting how I did and that you were put in that situation. Even if Jackson isn’t the unsub, he certainly is strange.” Hotch’s comment and the tone he used while saying it had _y/n_ let out a chuckle that made Aaron feel warm in the chest. He couldn’t help but give a ghost of a smile that things seemed smoothed over. As _y/n_ looked at Aaron they said, “Thank you for listening to me, Agent Hotchner. For letting me clarify.” Hotch felt an internal tug on his ribs in the center of his chest before saying, “Don’t mention it, and you can call me Hotch. Now let’s get back to the team.” Hotch turned to the door and missed that _y/n_ was flustered again, but not in an uncomfortable way. In a pleasant way. As both agents emerged from the room, the team looked over to them. Hotch’s soft, “I’ll make sure you’re not alone with him in the future” had _y/n_ nod.

That scene, and Aaron’s soft, almost protective tone, told the BAU that whatever issue had brought the two into the files room had been resolved. Everyone let out a silent sigh of relief. As much as the drama was interesting, it was never helpful on a case. Once the duo was back, the team jumped into the day. Everyone got caught up with all the details. The major updates were that JJ got a press briefing out and set up a better tip hotline with Garcia ready to tap and trace in a few seconds if a useful call came in. Rossi and Derek’s find of the insulation. Emily and JJ noted that all of the families seemed appropriately worried and concerned about what had happened and there didn’t seem to be any indication of abuse at the families' homes. Then there was the odd behavior of Jackson, but it was too early to assume that he was the unsub. However, that didn’t mean he didn’t bear looking into it. From the information the team gathered, they made the basic profile that the person was likely a white male in their mid-thirties or early forties with the possibility of it being a woman. The unsub had to own or rent enough space to keep at least two teenagers at a time. They likely had a savior complex and experienced trauma in their childhood. They were strong enough to kill a high school football player who fought back. It was also likely that the unsub was trying to keep track of what the police, and now the BAU were doing to keep one step ahead of them. This was the profile that Aaron gave the police. He didn’t tell the officers that the unsub was not good at what they were doing. They might be strong, but they made mistakes. The impulsivity of killing two people in one day and dumping them at the same spot was reckless. Also, the insulation was something a more experienced kidnapper would get rid of. The team hoped that the unsub would mess up enough to leave a big enough clue behind to be found. The teams paced and worked and profiled and took unhelpful tips from the hotline. And after another two hours, Aaron called it for the night. It was 12:30 a.m. and he knew having the team even partially rested would give them a good start in the morning. 

The Comfort Inn and Suits was not far from the police department, and the tiredness hit the team like a brick. Aaron, Rossi, and Derek drove everyone to the motel where they had to call an attendant to check them in. There weren't rooms near each other at the motel, so everyone went their own way to sleep or keep working. _y/n_ got to their room and set down their things. As they changed into more comfortable clothes to keep working and look at the case from their area of knowledge. As _y/n_ took off _y/f/c_ blazer, Jackson’s number fell out of their pocket. _y/n_ felt embarrassed all over again which kind of pissed them off. There were so many other things to be angry and upset about. The victims, the families, everyone worried sick, and here they were feeling flustered because of some man. _y/n_ shook their head to clear it. They needed a boost and the vending maching in the lobby called them for something sweet and salty. _y/n_ got up, slipped on shoes, and moved downstairs. As _y/n_ was paying for a soda and bag of chips a familiar voice asked, “You holding up okay, kid?” _y/n_ looked over to possibly the most famous member of the BAU and honestly said, “Agent Rossi. I don’t know. I think I could be doing more. I feel like my head’s all over the place. More than usual.” The thud of the soda can and chips at the buttom of the machine made _y/n_ stop talking. They realized they were oversharing to the most important man in the FBI. Dave didn’t mind, and he responded, “I can imagine why. You’re on a new team with all new dynamics ot figure out on a difficult and emotionally draining case. My mother, bless her soul, she always told me, ‘Everyone has a day one, one day.’ And from what I can see, you’re doing very well on your day one on the BAU.” _y/n_’s eyes widened at being told that after the days events. They couldn’t stop themself from saying, “But I made Agent Hotchern upset.” Dave waived a hand and said, “Lot’s of things make Aaron upset even though he’ll hever admit it. And he’s clearly not upset at you anymore. Give yourself some slack kid, and an hour of sleep if you can.” Rossi half turned indicating the conversation was coming to a close and _y/n_ finished it by saying, “Thank you, Agent Rossi.” Dave nodded and walked to the front door to get something he forgot in the car while _y/n_ took their snacks up to their room for a few more hours of thinking. 

In his room, Aaron had taken off his tie and suit jacket. He also undid the top two buttons his his shirt. As he sat at the desk and switched the lamp on, his mind momentarily flashed to the encounter with y/n_ in the file room. He couldn’t get his anger or the way they’d stepped away from him out of his mind. Aaron knew there were more important things to think about, but he knew his mind couldn’t be fully on the case if there was conflict or tension on the team. Tension he had started. He replayed the memory again in his head to pinpoint what the issue was so he could move on from it. He had over reacted. He knew that. Aaron didn’t like that _y/n_ had moved away from him with a tiny flicker of fear on their face. Like he might do something to them. Provoking that response from a fellow agent was unacceptable to him. He didn’t know _y/n_’s personal background well. He’d only read up on their case work and the remarks made in their most recent reports. He didn’t have time to learn more about _y/n_  than that before addeding them to the team. After all, that wasn’t his job. If it was anyone’s job, it was _y/n_’s Unit Chief. But the interaction this afternoon had Aaron thinking that _y/n_ had some painful experiences in their past. Then again, most FBI agents did, but Hotch rarely saw such a visceral representation of that. Another thing that bothered him was _y/n_’s response to his apology. Their small voice saying, “Thank you for listening, Agent Hotchner. For letting me clarify.” All that statement could mean was that someone hadn’t listened to them before. And Aaron knew that was how bad things kept happening. That was why questioning victims was so important. Hotch made a plan to apologize to _y/n_ again in the morning, and he felt for now, he’d have to leave it at that. It might never be the right place or time to ask _y/n_ anything more about their reactions. They were a temporary agent, and his feelings for them, whatever they were would never be fulfilled or reciprocated. With that in mind, Aaron jumped back into the case work. 

The next morning, at five a.m., the worst happened. Another body was found, this time in a differnt location, a popular park, and another teen had been taken. The town was in even more of a panic even though the victims were very specificly targeted. The Education Secretary of Texas, Mike Morrath, had to step in and override the district and close all schools for the remainder of the week. With that being the case, Hotch had the team split up. He and Derek would take the latest scene of the dumpsite while Rossi and _y/n_ would head to the school and see if there were any clues there as the latest victim, Tim Groff, had been one of the students Spencer had interviewed yesterday. JJ and Emily were going to speak to the new victims foster family as well as the partents of the deceased. Everyone moved effienctly and as soon as _y/n_ got to the school, they asked to see the security footage which _y/n_ asked Garcia to analyze. Particularly footage of the parking lot and front door where cameras were trained. One thing Aaron, _y/n_, and Spencer had found out yesterday in the interviews was that all of the victims so far had their own cars or got picked up from school. None took the bus. So the teens were either taken from home, which seemed unlikely given how concerned the parents were, or school. School was the likely answer. If they had been taken from the high school grounds, _y/n_ hoped that the tech genius could help. _y/n_ had found out about Garcia’s amazing abilities online and with a computer on the flight too Texas when she’d crunched massive amounts of date, given to her by Spencer at a mile-a-minute, in minutes. To say _y/n_ had been impressed was an understatement. After _y/n_ had sent the hours of footage from the school systems to Garcia, they approached Spencer who was interviewing Jackson for any possible leads. Jackson was much like he had been yesterday. As the interview wrapped up, Jackson turned to _y/n_ and said, “Agent _y/n_ may I have your card or something in case I need to speak to one of you if I think of something new during the day?” _y/n_ frowned and replied in a restrained tone, “Agent Hotchner gave you his card yesterday,” in an attempt to rebuff any inappropriate behavior on the Principal's part. Reid caught onto their play and quickly pulled out one of his FBI cards with his name, email and work phone and said, “Here, have mine.” Jackson frowned and took it with a snap before looking at _y/n_ and said, “I’d feel better if I had everyone’s number. In case I can’t reach one of you fine folks.” _y/n_ sighed and handed their card over. Not because they wanted to, but to shut the childish man up, and so they and Spencer could keep looking for things out of order at while speaking to other faculty members. Once the duo were out of earshot, Reid asked, “What was that all about?” _y/n_ sighed, shrugged, and said, “I wish I could tell you, Reid, And that wasn’t even the worst of it, but that conversation can wait till later.” Spencer nodded and they moved down the hallway a little faster. Spencer did note that the principal had been highly agitated that school had been cancelled which was shocking to him given the fact that school appeared to be the most dangerous place for the students. _y/n_ agreed. None of his made sense. 

Everything and everyone got thrown off the rails, however -- even Penelope's analysis of the school footage -- when an anonymous tip came in from someone saying they were the killer and had the rest of the victims. This sent each member of the team rushing to the address that Garcia had picked up from the trap and trace. It was not what the team expected given the information they knew about the profile. The address led to an apartment complex and not an isolated home. The team surrounded the unit. With a hand signal, Derek, and Aaron broke into the unit, and the team plus police followed. Inside the dimly lit bed room, Derek found a twenty-year-old man with bad teeth playing some videogame with a headset on. It was almost comically easy it was for Morgan to tackle him to the ground. The man shouted in protest and said, “What the hell, I didn’t actually do anything. What the fuck man.” Derek pulled the man named Gerret, to his feet placing cuffs around his bony wrists saying, “Well I don’t know if you know if or not, but taking responsibility for a crime, even if you didn’t do it and interfering with a federal invesitagation is a federal offense. So say good by to Call of Duty and get ready to spend some time with some real criminals behind bars.” Morgan got the un-unsub out of the house and into a police cruiser. Even thought it was very, very unlikely that the man was responsible, the team did a quick scan of the apartment. Reid sent Garret’s IP to Penelope who was quick to confirm that the man was as serial troll who had swatting charges, doxing attempts, and one successful bomb threat to the public library in town. Outside, Aaron was talking to an officer and started to grow frustrated with the lack of leads even though all the information seemed right in front of them. He thought back to the principal and just how odd he was. Deep down, even though he might not have the reason to yet, Hotch felt that Jackson was the man behind all of this. Hotch wondered if the facade of strangeness was a way to get others to think him incompetent of such a crime. _y/n_ who had looked at the contents of Garret’s room stepped out for a breath of air. Hotch motioned them over and asked, “Anything in his room?” _y/n_ replied, “He had what looked like possible snuff films and hours of violent porn, but I don’t know what you expect from an edgelord that makes it into adulthood.” He’s not our guy and never has been. He’s certainly not a good guy, but not ours. 

After that two hour distraction, the team got back to the precinct. Everyone was annoyed and one edge. Especially Aaron. He paced and stated, “What it is we’re missing. We should have everything. What’s missing?” Hearing this, Rossi said, “Mayby we do have everything we need.” Hotch looked over at him unasumed and said, “What do you mean by that, Dave?” Rossi replied, “Now that we have someone in custody, we can play them off the unsub. Sure, Garret’s a nobody, but the unsub doesn’t know that. Hold a press conference and say we got the guy. That he killed the victims because he thought it was fun. It gave him a rush. If the unsub has a savior complex, he’ll have to call and correct us. He won’t be able to help himself.” Hotch nodded. It was a good plan and direct contact with the unsub might give them the final push they needed. Aaron got the filmed segment set up with JJ and the local television stations. It would take place inside the precinct's front room and they’d flash a mugshot of Garret on the TV screen to make sure the unsub saw how wrong the BAU had gotten it. They would run the segment on prime time at seven p.m. when the station had the most viewership. As the team prepared there was a tense anticipation. _y/n_ paced and got a text on their phone. _y/n_ pulled it out and it was from Jackson. They sighed not having time for his nonsense. They clicked off and silenced their phone, as they watched JJ film the press release saying, “I’m happy to announce that with the help of the Dearborn Police Force and the FBI’s involvement, we have been able to apprehend the man behind the abduction and killing of three Dearborn High School Students. Now the location of the still missed students is unknown, so an intense search is being conducted at and near the perpetrator's apartment. The man behind these killings is Garret Gripe. The FBI was able to get a full confession from the man who said he did it because he hated kids and couldn’t stand it when he found them living a better life than his own. The main takeaways are that this community is finally safe again thanks to the hard and tireless work of the police. 

The cameras stopped rolling and Rossi moved toward JJ saying, “Great job. If this doesn’t get the unsub angry, I’m not sure what will.” JJ gave a small smile and replied, “I only hope it works. KSAT10 said that it will be a half hour before it airs. They need to make sure the audio is clear.” Aaron nodded at JJ. The plan did work. It worked to a T because twenty minutes after the press briefing aired, the tip line got a call. Aaron set Garcia up for the trap and trace and then picked up the line and put it on speaker. A muffled voice on the other end of the line shouted, “You think a child, a child could do what I do? A punk ass kid would hurt them! You’re all idiots. ALL OF YOU! You didn’t catch anyone and I’m going to keep taking, them forever.” The person on the other end of the line had yelled so much that he had to take a few deep breaths. Hotch looked over at Spencer who was on the line with Penelope. Reid held up five fingers to indicate five seconds more. Hotch didn’t want the unsub to hang up in a rage and said, “Why do you need to take them? What is it that you’re keeping them safe from?” The muffled voice said, “You’re the smartest man in the room Agent Hotchner, why don’t you figure it out? Or Dr. Reid, or Agent _y/n_? You’d like to, but you can’t, can you? You’re just as stupid as everyone else.” With that the line went dead. The specific call out for himself, Spencer, and _y/n_ upped Aaron’s suspicion about Jackson. Spencer took off the headphones and put Penelope on speaker as Hotch asked, “Did you get it, Garcia?” There was mad clicking of keys and then she said, “Yes. Just in time.” Hotch nodded and said, “We need the address, Garcia.” Some how the typing sound increased and Penelope said, “And the address is… 527 Humphry Drive. It’s a big house and lot. Owned by… one… Van Jackson.” Hotch stood and ordered the team to move out which they all did quickly running to the SUV’s.  

The Sherrif and five cop cars followed behind them as the team sped onto the road. On the radio, the Sherrif said, “You really think Van’s our guy? How can he take out kids when he’s disabled?” _y/n_, who was in Aaron’s car clicked the radio and said, “He gets in with them. Get’s to know them and make them trust him. Get into his car even.” Hotch nodded and asked, “What’s his story? Who is Van Jackson?” The Sherrif replied, “It’s can’t possibly be Van. Everyone one loves Van.” Impatient, Hotch said, “Yes everyone loves him, but who is he?” The Sheriff sobered and said, “Well he’s a bit of a local hero. He was born and raised here. Had a trouble childhood but made it out through a sports scholarship for football. He made it to the semi-pro’s joining the Capitol City Bison team in Austin as a linebacker. He made a good bit of money. He went into education and came back here. A year ago he got into a mountain bike accident and broke his back. It was really tragic.” Hotch could only think the tragedy was the dead chidren, but he didn’t voice that. Instead he shifted his thoughts to those who were still alive a possible trapped in the unsubs home. Aaron radioed the team and said, “Remember, there are still possible victims inside. Jackson might try and use them, so don’t shoot unless you have a clear shot. If not, don’t shoot. Use the profile. He need attention, feed into that.” The other two cars rogered that and soon after with a screeching halt, they arrived at the large, and fancy house. 

The house seemed quiet, with all the lights off and no sound coming from inside. However, the Principal’s car was parked out front, and the team took a stealth approach. Hotch indicated for Spencer and Emily to search outside. The rest of the team slipped into the home after breaking down the door as quietly as possible. He motioned for Rossi and Derek to take the upstairs and attic, and that he and _y/n_ would take the downstairs. All throughout out the house there were accessibility ramps for anyplace there were stairs. There was even a lift to get to second story of the house. This all matched up with the fact that Jackson was in a wheelchair. In the living room it was all quiet until there was a soft sob from somewhere either in the walls or close by. _y/n_ and Hotch froze. _y/n_ had good hearing and pointed toward the bookcase which is where they thought they had heard the sound come from. Aaron approached the shelf and looked it over in the dark of the room. As the felt along the side of the shelf he felt a gap and then a hing. Hotch motioned a swinging door, and _y/n_ moved behind him. They would have called for back up, but the sound would give them away. Hotch pulled out his side-arm along.  _y/n_ did the same. They both kept them pointed at the ground. Aaron pulled at the side of the shelf and it swung open silently. There was a light on at the bottom of some steep stairs. The steps were so steep in fact that they couldn’t see to the floor beneath. Without much choice, Aaron and _y/n_moved down the steps with Aaron in the lead. At the bottom of the stairs was a very small room and at the end, standing up in what seemed liked a modified crawl space, was Jackson and the latest teen to be take. The man had a gun to the teens had and tears were streaming down their eyes. Jackson said softly, “Do anything rash and he dies. And not a pretty death.” Aaron and _y/n_ nodded and they both dropped their weapons on the ground. They both noticed the pink insulation on the wall. Johnson turned his gaze to Agent _y/n_ and said, “Back up the stairs and close the door and then come back down. Keep your hands on your head at all times or I’ll kill him  and Agent Hotchner.” _y/n_ looked at Hotch and he gave them a slight nod. _y/n_ slowly and deliberately moved up the stairs, There was a button to close the door, and _y/n_ pressed it with their elbow. As the door closed, _y/n_ felt for a moment like they were being placed in a tomb. With the door closed, the sound of their breaths could be heard, showing just how soundproof the space was. _y/n_ turned around and then walked back down the stairs. 

When _y/n_ was next to Aaron, Jackson moved forward with the teenager. When the intimidating man reached the guns on the floor, he bent down with a bead still on the high schooler. He took Aaron’s gun and then pointed it at the Unit Chief, pushing the student aside. Jackson’s anger was building, as his nostrils flared. Hotch took a reassuring tone as he said, “You don’t have to do this.” Jackson’s face reddened, stepped forward, putting the gun an inch from AAron’s face. With such a deadly weapon so close to his head, Hotch managed to keep his cool. This fact bothered Jackson and he said, “Still the tough guy. Well, let’s see how tough you are with your brains on the walls.” This statement gave _y/n_ an in and they said, “You can’t do that Mr. Jackson. Van.” The man turned his furious gaze from Aaron to them and said, “I don’t think a whore who doesn’t text me back deserves a word, but tell me why not because I’m killing you next.” _y/n_ swallowed, and Hotch realized that his life was in _y/n_’s hands. _y/n_ tried to take all their training, everything they’d learned on their team and with the BAU, and went on instinct saying, “Because there are children in the room. Because you saved them from violence and you want to help them, and if you blow Agent Hotchner’s head off in front of them, what would that do to them then? What damage would they incur?” _y/n_ could see a tiny moment of hesitation in Jackson’s eyes, but he tightened the grip on Hotch’s gun anyway. _y/n_ took another breath and said, “You saved them and gave them a better life with a parent that loved them. Why throw that all away for this?” The instant Jackson hesitated the second time. Hotch pushed the gun up to the ceiling and Jackson fired hitting the light. The room went dark and the teenagers screamed. _y/n_ took out their phone. They could hear grunts and punches landing, but mostly it was the high schooler’s screaming. When _y/n_ managed to use their phone light to find their gun and shine the light at the writhing mass on the floor, it was too difficult to tell who was who. The sound of gunfire had _y/n_ cringe and hope beyond hope that it had been Jackson who got shot. For a second there was just heavy breathing in the blankness before _y/n_ asked, “Hotch?” The reply of “Yeah,” almost made _y/n_’s knees weak. But just for a second. They then quickly ran up the stairs, opened the door, and shouted for help. 

The next three hours passed by more normally than _y/n_ would have imaged for such a dramatic ending to the case. That was because they were doing what they did best, comforting those who had been taken. Even in shock _y/n_ provided what comfort they could, getting blankets and water. _y/n_ then intercepted the set of foster parents and told them what to expect, and how to act to best be reunited with their kids. And Aaron watched as the coroners placed a sheet over Jackson. He’d know the shot was clean because he’d pinned the man to the wall with nothing between Van's body, and he was glad that it had been in the dark because the aftermath hadn’t been pretty. The teenagers were escorted out of the room by _y/n_ before light had been restored to the room. And somehow, as if time warped around them, the team was back in the jet at around 4 a.m. headed to Virginia. Even though everyone should have been exhausted, there was still energy on the plane as so many aspects of the case still didn’t seem to match up. They all wanted some closure. The discussion started when Derek said, “So why fake the disability? Why choose to be in a wheelchair for over a year? Did he have Munchenson’s syndrome or something?” Emily replied, “He would have faked more illnesses than that if he had Munchenson’s. I think it was because he was a complete egomaniac. He couldn’t stand to not have the attention be on him.” Spencer added to this line of thought, saying, “More than an egomaniac, he probably had histrionic personality disorder. He not only felt like he needed to be the center of attention, to him he had to be the center of attention.” Hotch who was sporting a few bruises to the face, nodded and said, “He couldn’t keep playing football forever and just being generous and well like in town wasn’t doing to for him anymore, so he facked the back injury and everyone believed him. But then that grew old and his aspirations got bigger. He needed something new. He must have seen something in the first victim and thought that he could save them. Be a hero.” Morgan was still a bit hesitant to believe such a thing and said, “But does that happen? I mean, it did, but what’s the precedent?” _y/n_ now spoke and said, “Sherri Papini for one. She faked her own kidnapping with the help of an ex-boyfriend. She was a pathological liar and felt she deserved the attention.” JJ asked the next question to _y/n_ and the liason said, “_y/n_,” they were all on first name bases now except _y/n_ still called Aaron, Hotch, and Rossi, Rossi, “Why did you think to bring up violence when you were trapped down there. How did you know that would stop Jackson?” Everyone’s eyes turned to _y/n_ and they felt a bit uncomfortable under the gaze of the whole team. _y/n_ didn’t want to fully admit that it was a guess on their part, but ended up being honest, saying, “I wasn’t fully sure it would work. But a comment the Sherrif made about Jackson having a hard upbringing made me think it might stop him enough to think. Violence doesn’t always have to be physical either it was the broadest term I could think of instead of abuse. I think that when Jackson is under stress he becomes emotionally stunted somewhere in his past. Somewhere painful. That’s why he acted so strangely while we were around. So I tried to use an easy concept like a child might.” The team processed the information and nodded. Dave said, “Well whatever the cause was, you did good, kid. We’ll never know the whole truth, but at least the town is free from his reign of terror.”

Everyone agreed and then soon after the tiredness came now that they’d talked it out. So people grabbed blankets and sleep masks and soon the cabin was mostly quiet. Only _y/n_ Aaron and Rossi were still up. _y/n_ was sitting on a chair on the far side of the jet looking out the window. Aaron could see they were deep in thought, a slightly troubled look on their face. He moved closer, and once he sat across from _y/n_, he said, “What’s on your mind, _y/n_?” They turned their head toward Aaron and said, “That town is never going to be the same again. Those children in Jackson’s Friday group, or those who survived, I don’t know what’s going to happen to them.” Hotch nodded but didn’t say anything. He could tell that _y/n_ would say more, and after a few seconds, _y/n_ added softly, “Jackson really thought he was doing the right thing. He thought he was saving those kids. It’s hard for me to reconcile when someone’s good intentions cause so much harm.” With the last sentence, Aaaron saw _y/n_’s eyes slip away from his and to the side. To some point on the jet’s wall. Hotch could tell with that sentence and _y/n_’a avoidant gaze that they weren’t just thinking of Jackson anymore. They had that look of going back into painful memories of one’s own. Again, the fact that Aaron didn’t know what had happened to _y/n_ in their youth ate at him, so he softly yet firmly said, “They were still wrong. He was still wrong. Good intentions don’t make a thing good. In time, people may come to understand that.” _y/n_ had turned their head back to look at him, and Aaron saw the tears welling in their eyes. _y/n_ said, “I hope so.” Hotch nodded, pulled a tissue from his pocket at handed it over to _y/n_. _y/n_ took it and rubbed it under their eyes catching the falling saline droplets that threatened to mar their face. Hotch shifted forward ever so slightly in his chair. He felt the tug and emotion in his chest again as he asked, “Do you want to talk about it?” He wondered now if _y/n_’s Unit Chief had ever asked them this. Had noticed the pain lingering under the surface of _y/n_’s skin. _y/n_ thought about it and shook their head no. They weren’t quite ready to have that conversation. They did say, however, not even sure why, “Maybe some other time?” Again, Aaron nodded. He briefly looked around the cabin and suggested, “Maybe you should try and rest? There’s still a few hours until we get back.” _y/n_ nodded and slumped over in the chair saying, “Thanks, Hotch,” as their head landed on the armrest. 

Aaron moved to the back of the jet and made a cup of coffee before moving back next to Dave. He was still upset that he hadn’t figured it out sooner. Couldn’t have saved the last victim when the unsub had been right in front of him the same day. Rossi had watched the whole interaction with Hotch and _y/n_ and found it highly interesting. Aaron was not always so gentle. Hotch had been acting a bit strangely the whole case around Agent _y/n_. Rossi had a feeling he knew what was going on, but was going to wait for the right time to say anything about it. As Hotch sat across from Dave in the small space, he couldn’t keep his despairing thoughts to himself as he said, “How did it get so bad? I was pretty sure I knew it was him. And I think _y/n_ knew it was Jackson too, but I got angry and someone else died, and he was right there?” Rossi could see that Aaron could talk this way, in circles, for hours if left undisturbed. So Aaron’s friend laid out the facts as clearly as possible. Dave remembered that Aaron had once been a young agent too as he said, “Aaron, we had no right to search Jackson's house until we got the call. You might have just thought he was a weird man. There are lots of weird people who don’t turn out to be killers. And, the Sheriff said they had all had a meeting at Jackson’s house three days before we got there and no one saw any kids or heard anything. They had no clue the people they were looking for were under their feet. Plus we were almost working with two personalities. Not Dissociative Identity Disorder or anything, but there was the egomaniac and the child. The child in Jackson was disorganized and needy, and you don’t expect that from a grown man. It was a weird case. Plus we had a new agent in the mix.” When he spoke about _y/n_, Rossi looked at Aaron and gave him that look. Hotch rolled his eyes and said, “Dave, please, not this again.” Rossi shook his head and said, “It’s been a year since Haley left, Hotch. You’re allowed to look at someone attractive.” Aaron scoffed and said, “Dave _y/n_’s not even a part of the team. Once they get to Virginia, they’ll go back to the _______ field office. It’s not that I don’t find myself attracted to them, but that I can’t. I just can’t.” Rossi shook his head and just said, “Aaron, at some point you’re going to have to give yourself grace. Not just on the case, but about how you feel too. You’re only human after all.” The conversation ended there and the jet continued its silent journey home. 

The team took the rest of the day off, and _y/n_ got a motel. They would need to finish their forms and turn them into Hotch before returning to their team. The following day, _y/n_ got a temp desk which only reminded them that this thing, being on the BAU, was temporary. Even though the case had been very stressful, _y/n_ was already thinking about how they would miss this team and all that they’d learned at the BAU. As it turned out, despite all the hype and fame that the team received, they were still just agents. The best agents, but they acted like people and that had only added respect for the team in _y/n_’s eyes. At the end of a long day of writing, _y/n_ moved to Aaron’s office. _y/n_ knocked, then entered the lamp-lit space. Hotch’s dark eyes found theirs, and they both felt something between them. _y/n_ quickly averted their gaze and moved toward the desk. _y/n_ had looked away when the feeling started, not because it wasn’t enjoyable, but because it was, and _y/n_ was sure there probably wasn’t supposed to be feelings. Hotch cleared his throat and said, “Are you finished with your file?” _y/n_ looked at him again and extended the manilla envelope, saying, “Yes, Sir.” Hotch extended a hand and took the folder from theirs. Aaron said deliberately, thinking of what Rossi, and had said, “You did a good job on this case, _y/n_. If another case mostly involving children should come up and you’re available, I’ll ask for you again.” From Hotch, this was high praise, and _y/n_’s eyes widened. They responded, “Thank you, Sir. It would be an honor. I understand why this team is held in such high regard. Thank you for having me.” Aaron nodded and asked, “When’s your flight back?” _y/n_ looked at the clock on the wall and said, “Eight p.m. I should probably go straight to the airport. I checked out of my motel this morning.” Aaron nodded and said jokingly, “Please tell me you’re not taking another rental?” That made _y/n_ laugh. It was bright and happy, and it warmed Aaron to hear. _y/n_ shook their head no and replied, “Not this time. I’ll call an Uber or something.” Hotch frowned slightly and looked at his watch. It was already five and the traffic would be awful this time of the evening. Not only would it take over an hour to get to the airport, but it would cost an arm and a leg as well. Aaron said, “I can drop you off. It will be quicker and it won’t be a hundred dollars down the drain.” _y/n_ raised a brow in surprise and said, “Are you sure?” Aaron nodded, and as he stood he became even more sure as he said, “Yeah. I’m sure.” When Hotch held the door open for _y/n_ they looked at him while walking out. This time _y/n_ didn’t turn their eyes away from him as a ghost of a smile formed on Aaron’s face. In the car, they both felt very differently than the last time they’d driven together. That had been out of need, this was something else. As _y/n_ sat, they considered how somewhere in the future they would be back helping the BAU again, and the feelings they both had for each other, whatever they were to become when they met Aaron again, well, only time could tell.

______________________________________________________________

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[deathmetalunicorn1]

Hello! I really love your works, it was amazing! And I'm thankful you are open again. Can I request modern Ror characters x a very intelligent medical doctor reader?

She is so amazing that makes her the characters deeply fall in love with her. They are watching her presenting medical research, presenting her surgeries and anything.

God: thor, poseidon, hades

Human: lubu, nikola, qin and jack

Thank you very much.

OMG I have a doctor character that I’ve written a few times for my own personal fanfictions, and this will work perfectly! Super brilliant but stunningly gorgeous doctor who knows it but she is very icy and cold to others except for her love whom she sometimes teases!

-Y/N L/N was regarded as one of the best surgeons in the world, clients would come in from all around the world for her services as her research and hard work paid off, being the first doctor to actually be able to eradicate cancer completely.

-Surgery, at the moment, was the only way for her to deal with the cancer in her patients, without exposing them to harmful radiation and drugs.

-Like all surgeries, there was a risk factor, but with each surgery she did and with more hard work and furthering her search, the mortality rate was going down and her patients were now less at risk.

-You had been mentoring several other surgeons for weeks now, showing them your research and even letting them be in the surgery room with you, as they were learning your procedures so they too could learn it and take it back to their own hospitals so even more people could be saved.

-When giving lectures and presentations, you were the center of attention, not just because of your research, but you were stunningly beautiful, with curves in all the right places, clear skin, you screamed bombshell.

-The only downside was that you had a no tolerance policy when you were asking questions, if someone was bold enough to ask you out or ask you other rude questions, like your cup size or your Big Three, you wouldn’t hesitate to glare at them, throw something, usually a pen, at them, and tear them to shreds with your scolding.

-Some of these scolding sessions had made it to the internet and you quickly became super popular outside the medical field, and the letters of propositions just seemed to keep coming.

-Lucky for you but unlucky for those poor bastards pining after you, you had a lover whom you met back in med school, one who fell in love with you when you would give lectures, even if he had no idea what you were talking about.

-And you were very loyal to him, not willing to give others even the time of day when they were hitting on you.

-Thor- A powerful, power couple! Thor was one of the strongest men in the world, holding world records for different strength sports, rivaled by his good friend Lu Bu. He adored being with you, holding your hand, treating you like a delicate flower, even though he knew you can and will kick other’s butts and put them in their place, even in pumps. Your research is very important to you so when you’re working on it, he tries not to bother you, other than pulling you into his lap so he can cuddle you while you work. You appreciate his attention, and you give him the same, when he’s working out or preparing for competitions, you give him his space but you’re always right there to cheer him on.

-Poseidon- So many were angry at you while adoring you at the same time, for having someone like Poseidon at your side. You were both way too pretty- they couldn’t compete! You were the definition of a power couple! Poseidon couldn’t help but be a bit smug, knowing that he had you and has you for quite a while now and he wasn’t going to let you go, smirking at others who would look over at you while it was his arm that was around your waist. You knew of his arrogance, and you couldn’t help but tease him, pecking his cheek in public so he would have to turn away to hide his bright red face. You always won.

-Hades- To see you standing beside one of the handsomest men in the world, not only a model, but a CEO of a massive corporation, none could touch you, and none could touch your lover as well. He wouldn’t even look in other women’s direction, especially if they were trying to flirt with him, you were the only woman in his life and you had your claws sunk into him deeply. He loved your hard work and research, as he knew it was important to you. When you presented your successful research the first time, he was in the front row, with a massive bouquet, cheering for your accomplishments. When he sees other doctors or people eyeing you up a bit too much, he has no issues going over and hugging you close, glaring at them to establish his place, which you think is cute, and you can’t help but tease him for it.

-Lu Bu- Brains and brawn is what most people described your relationship, but you knew your husband, street fighter turned professional fighter and strength competitor, competing around the world with his friend Thor, was smart as well, as he could easily win any fight he faced. He was the same way, he knew you were smart and despite not being able to fully understand the fruits of your hard work, all he knew that you were helping people get better and that’s all that mattered, but he also knew you could kick ass in high heels, as you’ve done so before when someone tried to get handsy with you at a press conference. He was very pouty when you handled it yourself, because he wanted to, and you spent the rest of the conference in his lap, after pulling him over, silently telling everyone you were taken by this intimidating looking man.

-Nikola- Research buddies for life!! Even though you were more medical, and he was more machine research, the two of you worked so well with each other. You both don’t completely understand each other’s fields, but you both are always willing to offer an ear and insight when either of you get stuck. He’s a complete sweetie with you, but when he sees other doctors or just other people in general, getting a little too close or looking at you in impure ways, Nikola’s quick to come over, greeting them with a warm grin while putting an arm around your waist, the glare in his eyes not meeting the smile on his face. You find it cute when he gets jealous, playfully teasing him when you get home, and he gets so shy with you that you can’t help but tease him.

-Qin Shi Huang- Was a very jealous man and when you were giving lectures, he usually wasn’t too far off, ready to step in to greet these men with a bright smile and a firm handshake, one that can hurt from his strong grip. He loves your work, as he knows how hard you’ve worked for it, having sat up with you on sleepless nights while you were writing notes and studying samples, resting his head in his lap. You appreciated his dedication to your work, as he was the one that always cheered the loudest for you, boasting that you were his lover, which always made you smile, especially when he would tease other men who could never even being to dream about having you.

-Jack- Is a gentleman with you, will stand by your side to keep unwanted attention off of you, and if others don’t seem to get the memo, Jack has no problem threatening others to treat you with the respect that you deserve, both as a doctor and as a woman. Finds your work amazing, when he watched your first presentation and proved that it worked, he was in awe, applauding you alongside the other doctors who were all amazed by your work. Jack enjoys asking you questions that just let you ramble, which you realized that he enjoyed as he would just sit and listen to you, sipping his tea, even if he didn’t understand everything you were talking about. Just being with you was more than enough for Jack, that and he lorded over the other men that he was the only one who got to kiss and hug you.