#unfortunately I don't know where to find that here (without a car at least)

[quibbs126]

Can Black pearl and timekeeper fanchild? :0

Ah, we finally get to her. Well, this is Tuna Melt Cookie

So basically, her character is that she runs a game show. I think at the time I was watching someone talk about Total Drama, so she's something like Chris from that show. Including being a sociopath who doesn't really care that about the well being of her contestants and thinks it makes good entertainment. And considering she's got two gods for parents, her show is probably even more extreme. She's not as bad as someone like Shadow Milk though, and she probably has some actual friends

She probably also has a mermaid form, but she generally likes staying on land since there's more Cookies there to watch struggle

Also fun fact, her covered eye has black eye lines instead of white like her other one. Which would have been more cool and unique if Shadow Milk didn't already do that (also fun fact, I actually knew someone in one class in high school who actually had different colored eyelashes and eyebrows. One side was blonde and the other brown, apparently she was just born with it. I've wanted to mention it since Shadow Milk but never found the right time to say)

Anyways, on to her name. So Tuna Melt isn't exactly a name that fits with the likes of Black Pearl and Timekeeper, but I like it anyways. And my canon explanation is that Timekeeper picked it because it was funny

Anyways, so the name comes from the fact that is has fish in it, like Black Pearl sort of is, it's a sandwich that involves bread because I keep thinking croissants are bread, and the cheese fits with Timekeeper's color scheme

Tuna melt:

So Tuna Melt's generally red and yellow color scheme comes from the food. I think I was originally planning on making the red blue, but I experimented with red and asked a Discord group which looks better and they said the red. Also it somewhat sets her apart

The thick yellow lines in her hair are supposed to be a reference to the very thick slices of cheese that I kept finding when I looked up tuna melt, not to mention it fits with Timekeeper's color scheme. The rest of her hair I guess is the tuna

The white sparkles are supposed to be a reference to Black Pearl since she has those in her hair and bottom of her tail, as well as the bottom of her legs having the gradient. Also, it works with her flashy game show host aesthetic

Her little jabot (I think that's the right word) is another reference to BP, with the frills being like an upside down version of Black Pearl's shell and the brooch being like her gem

The coattails on her outfit were also supposed to be a reference to tuna fish tails, since I thought the design just needed a little bit more pizzazz. That's also why she has the gold leg thing

But yeah overall, she's another banger design to me, and I hope you enjoy her too

[aniesvision]

𝘯𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘥 (𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴 𝘚𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘭𝘰 𝘹 𝘧! 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳)

warnings: suggestive, implied sex, that's all I guess (tell me if I'm missing something)

a/n: hi! I'm posting this again because I wanted a new account just to post my fics and not just another blog with my main account (I don't know how to explain it but yeah) also, english is NOT my first language so if anything's wrong please correct me!!

synopsis: Chris accidentally sees his best friend naked.

🪻🪻🪻

One thing I hate about getting ready at the Sturniolo's house is how bad they are in keeping things organized. And I don't mean clothes or anything like that, I mean they just don't say what they're gonna do next and that leads to me being naked on Chris's bathroom without knowing that he has no idea that I am here.

And, of course, he just opened the door.

-Shit, I'm sorry. -He apologizes, quickly closing the door and leaving me alone, paralyzed and speechless.

I close my eyes, trying to forget the embarrassing moment, putting on my outfit. It takes me a few minutes to get over it and finally leave the bathroom, the sound of the door being opened making Chris look up at me.

His cheeks were red, and probably so were mine. My first action was to adjust my skirt and giggle out of nervousness, my eyes now glued to my shoes.

-You can use the bathroom now. -I say, cutting the silence.

He just nods, making his way to his bathroom and locking himself inside. I sigh, annoyed with the situation, making my way to Nick's room to do my makeup and finish the final touches.

After making sure I was ready, I decided on waiting for them on the living room. We have a birthday party to attend, all of us being friends with the person for a long time, witch is why we decided on getting ready and going together.

I was mindlessly scrolling through TikTok when I feel someone sitting next to me. I look to my side, seeing a guilty Chris.

-I'm really sorry for earlier. -He runs a hand through his hair nervously and I give him a small understanding smile.

Even though I was nervous and embarrassed too, I didn't want to make things weirder, and it was so fast he'll probably forget about it by tomorrow anyways.

-It's fine. -I breath out, turning my head back to my phone.

We stay a few more seconds in silence, my brain just now processing that one of my closest friends saw me naked, and I couldn't help myself from joking about it.

-Hey, at least you've finally got the chance to see a girl naked, right? -I tease, nudging his shoulder playfully.

Chris rolls his eyes with a smirk on his lips, my laughter making him laugh as well.

-Shut up, whatever. -He mumbles, resting his head on the headboard of the couch.

Nick and Matt finally got ready and we all get into the car, hearing Chris yap all the way to the party. It doesn't take long for us to get there, and it was even faster for us to separate and move different ways. I walk to the bar, ordering a drink and taking a few sips before exploring the party.

I find my friends after a while, sticking with them and hearing them gossip about random people. When I feel the alcohol kicking in and making me less shy, I drag them to the dance floor with me, moving my body along the beat.

Unfortunately, I didn't have much time to enjoy it, since I've been dragged out of the saloon where the party was happening and trapped by a wall nearby, my eyes slowly recognizing Chris.

-What the fuck, I almost had a heart attack. -I raise one hand to my chest, taking deep breaths and looking around, confused on why we were here and why he wasn't saying anything at all.

-Okay, are you gonna explain or...? -I ask, looking at him.

He looked like he was fighting a battle in his head, not knowing exactly what to say, probably dragging me here with him by some sort of impulse.

-I... I don't know, I just... -He shakes his head, taking one step back.

-Are you okay? -I ask, tilting my head slightly, trying to figure out what was happening.

-I'm fine, I just... I think... -He hesitates, sighning and looking around nervously before making eye contact again. -You look pretty.

I furrow my eyebrows in confusion, giggling with his random compliment.

-Thanks, you look good too. -I smile, messing with his hair a little bit.

-No, I mean, I think you're really pretty. -He tries to explain, but it only makes me even more confused.

Chris notices my confusion and he starts tapping his feet rapidly, a bit anxious with what he was going to confess.

-I mean, I think your body looks great. -He says, making me laugh.

-Oh, so you think I'm hot? -I tease, his cheeks blushing.

-Alright, yeah, sure, you're hot.

We stay in silence for a few seconds, my smile never dropping as I studied him.

-You dragged me out of the party just to say that you think I'm hot? -I ask, crossing my arms over my chest, the cool breeze making me shiver.

-Not exactly. -He steps closer again, gently rubbing his hands up and down my arms to keep me warm.

-What else then? -I ask, seeing a small smirk on his lips.

-I think I want to kiss you. -He whispers, his eyes immediately dropping to my lips.

-What's stopping you from doing it? -I wrap my arms around his neck, his hands moving to my waist and squeezing it lightly.

-I don't want you to think I only want this because of what happened. I've been craving to kiss you for so long.

His words caught me by surprise, I've never noticed he wanted to kiss me. My only response was pulling him closer, showing him it was alright to do it. And he did. Our lips meet in a sweet kiss, that turns quickly into a heated and passionate one. His hands exploring my sides before stopping by my ass and squeezing it.

We were now just fully making out, but sadly we heard the door cracking open, making us separate. It wasn't the best place or moment to even think about anything that happened, so we walk into the party again.

Me and Chris didn't stop flirting with each other all night, but we didn't want to tell anyone about it, so it stayed in between us.

And now, a few months later, it's still our secret, but since that night we do a lot more than just kissing.

[multifan2022]

*Prewarning.. this is my first attempt at writing again.. I haven't touched my laptop since January so bare with me lol*

You could feel the warm wetness running down the side of your neck as you sat pinned at a weird angle. There was a sharp and hot pain every time you took a breath as you tried to remember where you were. What was the last thing you did? You couldn't remember getting in the bronco. Didnt remember driving away from the house. All you could remember was fighting with Bradley. 

“Why would you say that to him Brad?! You know how devastated he was when Goose died! You're not the only person that hurt Rooster! FUCK!” You slammed your hands down onto the counter, having a hard time even looking at your husband. While you and your dad were not close, you never blamed him for what happened with Goose. Sure you blamed him for the short break up between you and Bradley as young adults but clearly that was in the past. All you wanted now was for them to figure it out, you wanted to be a family, have a family. But now as Bradley stood here looking at you the same way he looks at Mav.. You were questioning things..

You hadn't even noticed that you called him Rooster.. A thing that just started after the move back to Fightertown. Because you had always known Bradley, he wasn't Rooster too you.. But every night when he came home, a little more mad, and a little more distant, your Bradley was being replaced by Rooster. The aviator who was the best of the best, who was part of the 1%. But was also the aviator who had taken the anger and trauma Bradley had and used it to mold himself. 

“No one to mourn you when you burn in… Really Bradley, because last time I checked, I am the one and only emergency contact for BOTH OF YOU!”

That if your rattled brain could remember correctly was the spark that lit the match. You and Bradley did not fight often, but when you did it was explosive. The kind of fights that left people in tears, the kind that led to words that should've been left unspoken. One of you always ended up on the couch for a few hours, normally both in tears until one of you couldnt take it anymore. Tonight was the first night that one of you actually left. 

You didn't even know which part it was that pushed Bradley over the edge. Was it you telling him you couldn't have kids with him if he couldn't get his anger under better control? That you refused to keep Mavs grandkids from him one day over some pulled papers? Was it when you said that you had sacrificed enough to be with him, that you had to draw the line? Was it when you told him Goose and Carol would be disappointed in how he treated Mav today? 

No matter what it was, the words he spoke as he left stung enough to leave you standing in the same spot for at least 30 minutes after he left. When you blinked and everything caught up with you, you realized the quietness of the house was turning your stomach. Without thinking you slipped shoes on and grabbed your keys. Originally you wanted to just drive your jeep around, clear your head since Bradley had just taken the doors and top off. But when you noticed the bronco still in the drive you couldn't resist being just a little close to Bradley. 

That's how two hours later you ended up driving down some road next to some beach. Honestly at this point you weren't even sure where you were. All you could think about was how hard you were crying as Tim McGraw and Tswift came on. Highway don't care, it seemed poetic, if a song was ever written for the aftermath of this fight, it was this one. When it ended, you had decided it was past time to call Bradley, to find out where he was and at least get you both home. Unfortunately you accidentally knocked your phone out of the old cup holder and onto the passenger floor. One last attempt to save it before it flew out the open door was made. 

You should've let it fly out the door. Because as you stretched across the cab, a car full of intoxicated teenagers came down the middle of the road. You could've sworn you heard someone yell your name as you sat straight up, jerking the wheel way too harshly in your panic to try and miss them. You desperately tried to keep control of the bronco as you skid sideways, unable to get control before it flipped down the side of the bank. 

That's where you were now, wondering how much more Bradley would hate you for crashing his late fathers baby. In your concussed mind, this would be the feather that shattered your relationship. The nail in the proverbial coffin. Part of you registered how long you had been hanging sideways in your seat, the truck having stopped on the passenger side after flipping a few times. You registered that you were struggling to breathe, and definitely were bleeding. You didn't hear any sirens, knew that the teens had not stopped. But thankfully, as one Amelia Benjamin, was dropped off at home her conscience overran her fear of being in trouble. 

So she told her mother and her boyfriend how she had been out drinking. How there had been a vehicle, one she swore she knew, that ended up off the road and she couldn't get anyone to stop. The two adults reassured her that while she was in trouble, she made a good choice in telling them. That maybe she saved someone's life. Little did they know how closely this would hit their little family. 

~~

Jake was over Bradley, the new found friendship they had was great. But it was two in the morning, and Jake honestly just didn't get it. He couldn't imagine having a lifelong love. A childhood best friend turned into the love of his life. So he couldn't wrap his brain around why Rooster was sitting in his kitchen right now. He also couldn't figure out who Rooster was mad at, himself or you? He told him as much and was surprised and worried when big brown eyes lifted from the floor with tears in them. 

“Myself, I think.” Roosters voice croaked “Because she's right ya know.. How can I ask her to give me a family when I cant even be nice to her dad? You know I didn't even ask for his blessing? Not because I thought he would say no, but because I thought it would be a slap in the face to him.. I've always used her as a way to hurt him..” Rooster broke off in a sob. It hurt Hangman's heart to see how hard of a time his wingman was having. But if he knew you, and he felt like he did, you were going through it worse. 

Taking a deep breath he pushed off his counter, annoyed that he was pulling his boots on with his impromptu sweat pants and grabbing his truck keys. Roosters watery eyes followed him before he jumped from his stool, understanding what was happening. When the two were finally in the truck Jake spoke, “Look Bradshaw, I know we aren't great friends or whatever, but I'm gonna tell you something that's gonna suck to hear.” Without looking he clicked the radio off before he continued. “Y/n.. She's a once in a lifetime kinda woman. The kind that will put up with just about anything to make things work. But once she draws a line in the sand, its there forever. Not just for you, but for the next guy too.” 

The hair on Rooster's arms stood on end, not only because of Jakes words but he swore he heard another male voice whisper his name. “What do you mean.. The next guy..” Jake scoffed at how soft and confused Rooster's words were. “My man.. Do you think she will stick around if the one thing she asks of you, is something you refuse to do? She has already given up her father walking her down the aisle.. He wasn't even at the wedding right? She's moved all over to be with you. The only long term roots she has are from when she lived with you as a kid. When was the last time she asked something big of you?” 

Rooster couldn't recall, causing Jake to just sigh and shake his head “I'm telling you this as your friend.. Fix this.. Because I wont fuck up where Maverick is concerned” Jake smirked at Bradley as they pulled into the driveway of your shared home. Rooster was practically out of the truck before it was in park, neither of them registering that the Bronco was gone. Jake watched as Bradley yelled your name, panicking more and more as he cleared each room. When he made it back to the living room he was already pulling his phone out. His thumb didn't even hesitate to click the call button as he tried to get ahold of you. 

He called over and over again, not knowing that you were watching as your phone buzzed just a few feet from the car. You could swear you saw a man who looked just like Bradley walk up to the Bronco and give you a sad smile. Your eyes closed just as the bright blue and red lights started flashing close enough to illuminate your accident. Your last thought about how Bradley would get what he wanted. What his final sentence had been to you, come to life.. It just cost him the Bronco. 

~~~

The ER was nuts on a good night, but tonight a Nurse named Layla was panicking. She had only met you a few times, being one of Hangman's regulars. At first, when she heard the explanation of the vehicle she was sure it was a Bradshaw, but unfortunately there was no IDS in the car and the police in the rush of trying to save you, had missed your phone. It wasn't until she rushed into the room to help with the CPR rotation that she knew it was you. Your hair was matted back with blood, the number of cuts and bruises amazed her. She was even more amazed that the tattoo on your hip was untouched. The one of a rooster with aviators on, the one that had confirmed who you were. 

Quickly announcing that she knew who you were she ran from the room. Slipping sideways as she tried to open her employee locker. She had never dialed Jake's number so quickly. 

Jake felt sick after he hung up. He was thankful for Layla, honestly he had always really liked her and this made him feel like he needed to take the whole thing with her seriously. But as he looked at Bradley, who was practically hyperventilating he didn't know how he was going to get him to the hospital. Layla had told him it was bad, bad enough that she didn't know if you were going to make it. Hangman heard the words come out of his mouth before he could stop them. They were harsh and he wanted to take the way he said it back almost immediately. “Bradshaw, looks like I found your wife.. She's in the hospital.” 

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

Bradleys entire world came crashing down in a matter of nanoseconds. He kept trying to say what by only the wh would come out. He could see Jake's mouth moving as he ushered him back to the truck, and could comprehend that he was on the phone with Mav. But he couldn't grasp anything. 

Well that is until the last interaction he had with his wife, the wife who was currently dying, played in his head. The one where he stormed out, didn't tell her he loved her. Didn't give her a kiss. Just said words that want to make him vomit now. Jake didn't fully hear him the first time he spoke, but when he asked Rooster to repeat himself, it took a lot of self control to not hit the man. 

“My last words to her.. They were that I'd probably be better off without any of the Mitchells..”

Bradley's mouth tasted sour, his whole body weighed down as he cried silently. Thinking about how much he would hate himself if he couldn't make this right. What if you left him after this? Would you move in the Mav? Get with someone like Jake? God he doesn't think he could watch it. Doesn't think he could handle you even packing an overnight bag to be away from him for a night. Why did he always let this happen? 

Why does he always let his anger just blurt out, why does he always take it out on you? When Mav had pulled his papers? It had been you he left. When his mom passed and you were trying to clean the house up for the wake.. It had been you he screamed at, even you whose head was right next to the wall he threw her favorite coffee cup into. But he only ever remembered the parts he liked. The memories where you held him while he cried and tried to pick up the pieces of that cup. Where he found a replacement in the cupboard a few days later. The parts of your story that made him feel loved. Like when he showed up at UVA, standing on your townhouse step with a duffle bag, sad eyes and apologies. It had been pouring rain, you had made him beg on his knees on the front porch before letting him in. 

He didn't hear any of Jake's words on the drive, and was out of the car even sooner this time. His feet eat up the distance between him and the front desk attendant. When they tell him you're still unstable and he will have to wait, he almost passes out. Once again Jake leads him to a seat. He doesn't register anything that doesn't have to do with you. He barely notices as the other members of the squad show up. Maverick kneels in front of him trying to catch his eye. But when he does, Bradley loses it. The tears that have been silently streaming down his face are now coming out in full sobs. Bradley keeps apologizing over and over, for not treating his daughter the way he should have. For what he said, for how long he has let this go on. It's like sad but relieving word vomit. 

Once Bradleys done, he moves on to reassuring an equally distressed Amelia. Who crying and sobs every word out as she explains to someone she looks at like a big brother, what happened. Bradleys not mad at her, hes not even mad at her friends. He's mad at himself, because had he grown up sooner, had he not been the reason for this fight, you wouldn't have been out on the road anyways. You would've been at home, wrapped up in his arms watching trash tv before having sex and falling asleep. He put you here, he knows that. 

When Layla comes out and says a soft hi, it breaks her heart and fills it to see the entire group here. She's surprised when Jake comes and hugs her, kissing the top of her head and thanking her profusely. She spoke as frankly and kindly as she could. “It was touch and go for a while. We lost her a few times.. She was unconscious when the cops found her.. She's got a long road ahead of her. Collapsed lung, small brain bleed, lots of bruises and a handful of broken bones. She's stable for now, but I don't really have good news yet. The first 24 hours are crucial.” 

All Bradley could hear as Layla led him and Maverick down the hall was that you had died.. Multiple times. He heard Mav gasp slightly as he entered the room, and it was like glue that forced Bradleys feet to stay in place. Layla paused as your dad walked towards you and turned to your husband. “I know this is hard Rooster.. But Y/ns a fighter.. She fought hard while in the Bronco, fought harder in the ambulance and here to stay with you.. But now she needs you..” Layla squeezed his arm as he took the small step to the doorway. 

The scene in front of him was nothing like in the movies. Ones where they show someone who was ‘in an accident’ but is barely bruised up. No, because the woman laying before him couldn't be his wife. Your skin was grayish, instead of the healthy tan glow you had developed under the Cali sun. The multiple leads and wires you had on you helping to sustain your life made him sick. A collar around your neck to keep your head stable. There were gashes across your beautiful face, and bruises on every inch of skin he could see. He knew the next moment he had with you would be make it or break it. You would either wake up, and be happy to see him.. Or you would wake up and ask him to leave.. 

Now all he could do.. Was wait. 

[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.”

[amomentsescape]

A Kind Face

Norman Bates x Reader

Summary: After finding themselves in the middle of nowhere, Reader thinks it's a blessing to stumble upon a motel. And it only helps that behind the counter is a cute, selfless man.

Warnings: A couple of bad words

Word Count: 922

A/N: Do people still read/write for this man? I feel like I haven't seen many fics with him lately. Also I know that the GIF is from Bates Motel, but this could definitely be read with either character of Norman in mind (Psycho or Bates Motel).

It was too late for this.

Driving alone with a low tank of gas in the middle of the night wasn't exactly your smartest idea, and you certainly weren't about to see this through.

You desperately needed to find a place to stop, but it seemed like human life ceased to exist wherever you were currently.

So when you finally spotted a motel sign, you didn't even hesitate to pull over.

It appeared to be pretty empty however, and there was a moment where you worried that this place was desolate.

But it was worth a try.

And even if this area was abandoned, at least you had a little bit of shelter to figure out your next course of action.

You grabbed some of your things and stepped into the lobby, only to see that the lights were on. However, you didn't notice anyone up at the front desk.

You walked around a bit, surveying the area.

It was honestly well kept. Things were tidy, the floor and chairs were free of dust, and the air smelled a bit like fresh flowers.

"There could be worse places..." you murmured.

"I do my best."

You about jumped out of your skin.

You spun back around to the counter to see a man standing behind it, a friendly smile gracing his features.

"S-sorry!" you spat out. "The place is really nice. I just didn't see anyone outside and..."

He let out a soft laugh at this. "We don't get many customers here."

You nodded. "I mean, there isn't much out there. I haven't seen another car in miles."

You met his gaze and felt your face grow warm. The man before you had very gentle features, and something about his gaze made your chest flutter. He was cute.

"Um, is there a gas station nearby?" you asked.

His smile fell a bit. "Uh, no. Unfortunately the nearest one is a good eight miles or so from here."

You frowned. There was no way your car was going to make that journey. You had been riding with the gauge pointed at "E" for at least 10 minutes.

"And even then," he continued, "no gas station around here would be open this late."

Of course.

You decided to weigh your options. Continue driving on an empty tank until your car inevitably breaks down in the middle of nowhere or get a room in this motel run by a cute man? Easy choice.

"How much is it for one night?" you questioned.

He smiled again. "Free of charge for you."

Your eyes widened. "Oh no, I wouldn't feel right staying here without paying."

"No, please. I insist. I can take you to the gas station in the morning as well, since I'm assuming your car is low?"

You nodded. "If you insist, then sure. And thank you."

You both shared a smile at this, his face starting to grow a pink hue. He quickly broke his gaze and looked down.

"Oh, here."

Norman turned around and grabbed a key from the wall. You noticed that all of the keys were still hung up.

He handed it to you and you thanked him, seeing that the key had the big number 2 on its tag.

"Is there someone in room 1?" you asked.

His eyes glanced over to the key dangling on its hook behind him before turning back to meet your eyes.

"Uh, no. It's just... there's a leak unfortunately."

You nodded at him. "Well, I really appreciate this..."

"Norman," he answered.

"Thank you, Norman. I'm (Y/N)."

"(Y/N)," he repeated back, his smile widening.

---

You honestly slept quite well that night. You were surprised to find the room perfectly clean when you went in, and seeing the sight of the large bed made you plop into it immediately. You went to sleep that night with Norman's sweet smile on your mind.

In the morning, you greeted the man at the counter, handing him the room key back.

"Thank you again," you spoke.

"No worries."

You grinned. "I'm just gonna go check on my car really quick."

He nodded in understanding as you exited the lobby, hoping that maybe your gas gauge was just a bit off last night.

But when you tried to start your car, the engine wouldn't even turn over. It was like the battery was completely dead.

"The hell?" you whispered to yourself.

"Is everything alright?"

You jumped a bit at the sound of Norman's voice, letting out a breath.

"M-my car, it won't start. I think there's something wrong with the battery?" your voice was laced with concern.

He sighed. "It's Saturday morning, so you won't be able to get a hold of a mechanic until Monday."

You groaned. You didn't know anything about cars and by the looks of it, Norman didn't either.

"You can stay here until then, if you want," he suggested. "It would be free of charge, of course."

You looked at him as you tried to make a decision. It was only a couple of days, and Norman seemed like a nice guy. It wasn't like you had much else of an option anyways.

"Sure, if that's okay with you."

"Of course!"

His voice was so pleasant.

There was no way you would have even suspected him of messing with your car in the middle of the night. Why would he? It wasn't like he was already enamored with you and desired to have you stay with him just a couple days longer.

Or more.

[my-mt-heart]

Thoughts on TBOC 205

Aside from the premiere, this was the easiest episode for me to watch, but at the same time, the tone and the characterization feel...off. As usual, my thoughts are based on a one-time pirated watch. Also as usual, Melissa McBride crushes her performance. If only she had been given stronger material...

I mentioned in my 204 "review" that Daryl's and Carol's dynamic felt like that of a divorced couple and I'm still feeling that here. Daryl is clearly offended by the hypothetical idea of Carol telling Ash that he was her brother and insists that he be with Carol when she talks to him. Carol is clearly uncomfortable when a dancer gets too close to Daryl at the nightclub (side note: Carol's reaction to the nightclub has a lot of storytelling potential that Zabel instead uses to draw the male gaze. Unsurprising, but still disheartening). What does Caryl's "divorced" energy mean exactly? Nothing if Zabel doesn't pay it off and unfortunately I don't think he ever intends to. We need a new showrunner for that.

Daryl's surprised reaction to Sophia is just ridiculous to me. He's always been incredibly in tune with Carol's feelings—that's what makes them soulmates—and he just saw her struggling in front of a barn in the last episode. He really can't put the pieces together? And why is Daryl acting so far removed? As if Sophia isn't his trauma too? I'll talk about this more for 206, but I strongly dislike how Zabel tries build up to Daryl finally comforting her the way he should have immediately, and would have if he was in character. It's completely unnecessary and it robs the characters/audience of true emotional growth.

Carol notices a man on a bike that reminds her of the Daryl she watched ride away from the CW, like she's still searching for that Daryl, and it breaks my heart. She starts seeing Sophia too, but again, Daryl can't be there for her because he's preoccupied with thoughts of a child he's known for two months. Naturally Carol tries to be there for him, and at first he tells her he doesn't want to talk about it. Since when does Daryl not feel safe being vulnerable with Carol? Why is he so closed off? I can't wrap my head around it.

In typical Zabel fashion, Laurent is used as a mouthpiece to shove Isabelle's "love" for Daryl down the audience's throats despite the fact that Clemence never played it that way once. I really need the stooges and the supporting characters to stop projecting onto Daryl. They are all just wrong.

Carol listens to Daryl’s recording he made in S1 and I’m not sure what the point of it is since he already told her last episode that he was trying to get back to her. You know what would’ve been more interesting? If the recording revealed something new that the audience hasn’t heard yet and surprised Carol as well, like Daryl addressing her specifically, telling her how much he loved her.

When shots of the car scene cropped up in teasers, it was heavily speculated that Ash would die. I'm glad the scene subverted my expectations and actually tapped into some humor, but the whole thing also highlights Zabel's sloppy writing. How did this man survive the ZA this long if he can't even shut a door without hurting himself? And why, once he's fully conscious again, does he not comment on Daryl's and Carol's relationship? If Carol was willing to manipulate him just to find this other guy, what does that say about who Daryl is to Carol? Is Ash not suspicious or at the very least curious? It's another example of how TPTP try so hard to pull attention away from Caryl to the point where it's extremely frustrating and inorganic.

Another way tptb resist the undeniable chemistry between Caryl is by separating them. Daryl gets to do the cool action sequence while Carol is left behind to get yelled at by a man. Seeing the toxic dude bros rip Carol apart for lying to Ash has been difficult, and to be honest, it's the main reason why I could've done without that storyline. But I don't blame Carol for that. Zabel is the one who thinks manipulation is every woman's trademark, and as if that's not misogynistic enough, he takes every opportunity to punish Carol for it.

If there are any comparisons to be made between this season and S11 of the flagship show, they're in the penultimate and the finale episodes. Just like in S11, Carol is kept away from the main mission to essentially do busy work. I'm all for highlighting an emotional arc over mindless action, but not when it creates a power imbalance between two characters and two actors who are supposed to be leading this show together. It solidifies for me that Norman, Zabel, Nicotero, and Gimple are insecure about the show’s positioning. They need it to be Daryl's show while Carol is just a sidekick. They're all marking their territory for their own reasons. Melissa deserves so much better from Norman and so much better than the other three.

One more episode to go and thank fuck for that.

[hcsarchive]

BOXER II

PARTY TWO

* part one *

nct dream (hint of the boyz)

details « fem!reader x boxer!jaemin (ft. boss!haechan)

genre « smut with a plot, fluff?, lil angst +

- after getting cheated on, you get invited to an underground boxing match but you stumble into some dangerous territory and that's where things take a turn.

warnings: explicit language, flirty banter, praise kink, corruption kink, knives, rope bunny, cheating, violence, depression and of mentions food.

~

"I am still so confused about this. If he wanted to kill her he would've done it already and if he wanted to fuck he would've kicked her out by now. What is his deal? other people have trespassed before”

“Who knows let's get going. I have never seen him like this" Renjun loads his gun on the way out and 8 other men circle around the three of you. You’re now fully clothed and after being tied up. After the fight ended he started to untie everything and told Renjun to bring in extra clothes from the showgirls’ closet for you to wear.

"Start heading home, make sure she remains asleep the whole ride" Jisung picks you up and Renjun lifts up your arm. "You left her all bruised and red. Haechan come on dude" Haechan rolls his eyes.

"She needed to learn her lesson" Haechan smirks and pours a glass of scotch. The duo leave to the car.

"She is very pretty compared to all the other girls who work for us, so maybe he is using this as an excuse and keeping her with us" Jisung says and brushes back a strand of your hair.

"You are getting on my nerves" Renjun parks the car and opens the back door.

The guards drive away and Jisung carries your still sleeping body in.

*One hour later*

"One of you has to investigate and interview her” haechan says.

"I'll interview her," Jaemin says, he only cared about training and winning the championship so everyone looked around at each other then at him.

"Jaemin I don't think you are the right fit for this or even trained enough," Renjun says. They start to argue.

Haechan shushes everyone "Just let her sleep, we'll do it in the morning. Take her to the spare room which has no windows or anything and take turns watching her" Haechan walks away into his room.

"What is his deal," Mark says walking in from the kitchen.

"That's what I've been saying," Jisung says.

"I'll watch her I was sleeping until you guys got here" Mark said and took you to the room. He tucked you in and you were sound asleep. Normally you’re a light sleeper but today drained you.

It was around 4am and Jaemin was about to head back into his room since his sleep schedule is bad. He found mark sleeping on the chair outside, Jaemin shook him but he was still snoring.

“Fucking prick can sleep all day” he opens the door and finds you rolled up in a corner sobbing.

He was about to leave so Mark can deal with this but you turn around before he even reacted. “Can I please get some water, I tried telling the dude in the chair but-“

“I’ll get you some, lay back down” Jaemin goes to the kitchen and gets two water bottles from the fridge. He also grabbed a tissue box from the cabinet.

“Thanks” you say while taking them for him.

“Yup” he leaves before you say anything. Normally you will be freaking out about walking in into a kidnap. Also having no idea why they took you all the way to their personal home but you had no choice and nothing to lose.

You are working horrendous hours and studying really hard but felt like it’ll lead you to nowhere to where you want to be. This on the other hand is confusing, do not know if you’re being killed or sold off. After being cheated on you just want to a break from your life but you miss your friends.

“Jacob” you gasped and someone bursted into the room.

It was mark, he turned the lights on. “Can i have my phone please. my friends are probably looking for me” you say.

“Unfortunately you can’t. You’ll have to be monitored and be held without any contact for at least 48hours” Mark said.

“They would be suspicious though they know my schedule and routine. I disappeared after telling them i went to the bathroom during the fight”

“It is just what we do here I’m sorry” mark scarthes the back of his head.

“Who’s we? I haven’t even gotten told why I am here. This whole situation is stupid. Your boss is-“ you stop what you were about to say because Haechan shows up in the door way.

“What about me?” he gets closer to the bed.

“Haechan don’t start give her some space” Mark grabs his wrist.

“Why? she’s not talking to you with respect and that little mouth of her’s is always whining” Haechan gets as close as Mark let’s him.

“I want to know why I am here. I have work in like 4 hours then class at night. I don’t have time to be involved in your mafia rules and regulations I do not care what you guys even do” you take off the covers and storm off the room but got stopped by Jaemin.

“I’m sorry sweetheart you’re going to be here for a while-“ you hiss in pain after his arms touch your arms to turn you around and let’s go right away.

“Haechan just explain everything to her now” Jaemin says. Haechan already changed his gaze to you and to Jaemin.

“I didn’t train you guys for years for you to be all soft and warm” Haechan goes past the three of you. “Go to the living room and you two get the others” he starts to get mad.

Mark and Jaemin go to wake everyone up and you stare up at haechan once you sit down. He looks back at you “stop the act” you knit your eyebrows together.

“I can always start screaming out the window” you say.

“They all have a security codes to open them. Especially the door so nice try” He sits directly in front of you.

Jeno, Chenle, Renjun, and Jisung all come half asleep. “It’s literally our day off why are we up so early” Chenle complains.

Renjun is slowly walking with his file with his eyes adjusting to the light. “Alright now that everyone is here. Before anything, sign this contract and read everything throughly. You will have to be monitored, watched, and live under our bases for 2 months or until we think it is appropriate to release you. After that you will have to sign an NDA and also be monitored. The reason for all of this is because you trespassed, harassed my crew, and other rules were all stated on your ticket. We also need you to call your university, work, and friends to let them know you’re taking a short break. I also did a even more thorough background check and boy was I amazed” He switches his professionalism off after the last sentence.

“I won’t be killed or sold?” you look at all of them. “Oh no you’re all mine” Haechan smirks.

“Keep it professional Haechan we are still in the process of her signing the contract. This isn’t funny” Renjun says handing you a pen. You sign it because it’s not like you have choice.

“I wasn’t joking” Haechan takes the contract from you and gives you another one. It has your name and your information. “Fill out who you were last with and you’ll be able to call them after you explain everything to us”

You sign the contract and hand it to him. “Do I have to say it in front of everyone” you look around to everyone and everyone looks so intimidating. They’re all with messy hair and deep voices. “Unfortunately you have to. It is just like a board meeting which was originally going to be in our headquarters but Haechan decided to do things differently” your whole body starts to heat up and have flashbacks to what happened. You can’t believe that happened, sunwoo never did that either.

“I-“ haechan was cut off “Y/N hasn’t answered and we do not need your comments” Renjun cut him off.

“So I was with my boyfriend but he suddenly left…again. Then his friends decided to take me to the boxing match since I was upset he left and they had his extra ticket. I wasn’t aware where we were even going. Once we got to our seats and watched more of the match I needed to go to the bathroom. I saw lots of doors from my seat so I figured one of them had to be the restroom. I go through the isles of seats and the random crowd which I believe that is the VIP area now. When I was in that area I was being pushed around alot and I got pushed so hard by this drunk man into this couple making out. And the lovely couple was your show girl and my boyfriend…ex boyfriend but whatever. So I was trying to escape the situation as much as possible and find a peaceful place to cry in but I stumbled into god knows what you guys are and I never got cry” you want to cry but you hold it in.

You look down to your hands and wait for Renjun to finish writing. “The interview is over, you are welcome to call one person since it is technically morning but you’re not allowed to tell them where you went or why. Make up a reasonable lie. To make you more comfortable you can go into the room and call but one of us has to be in the room with you” Renjun hands the phone to you.

“Can you come with” You look at Jisung and he nods yes.

“We’ll be right back” Jisung leads you to the room.

You decided to call Chanhee, “put it on speaker phone and mute yourself when I tap you” Jisung says and you nod.

“Y/N why didnt you come home tonight? are you ok?” the phone doesn’t even ring two times and chanhee picks up right away.

“I’m ok and I won’t be home for a little while. I just need a small break from everything” you respond to him.

“Sunwoo came home angry were you with him after hanging out with the guys?” he asks concerned and his name makes the tears fall down.

“No but I need a break from him, school, and everything else. I wish I can take you with but that’ll be selfish.” you wipe your tears and start sobbing.

“If anything happens or you need someone to talk to, you know the drill. take care my love and don’t forget about me” Chanhee says all sad.

“I will never forget you. You’re literally my favorite person. I’ll keep in touch every chance I get.” Your tears start pouring down even more.

“Bye y/n” chanhee sighs.

“byeee love you” you hang up and start sobbing uncontrollably. Jisung hands you tissues. “I’m sorry to put you through this” he says.

“You’re just doing your job, I don’t blame you” you wipe the last of your tears.

You hear a knock on the door “Jisung I need you start getting ready and go to headquarters in half an hour. I need you, Renjun, and Mark to wrap up this case. Chenle will drop you guys off. Jeno and Jaemin will stay with me.” Haechan says coming into the room.

Jisung whispers bye and steps out of the room. Haechan comes in and you stay silent, you feel embarrassed that he found out everything now. “Jaemin must’ve knocked him too much in the head and turn him dumb for him to cheat on you” you look at him confused.

“He has fought in the rink before?”

“No but our trainers use Jaemin to train them well but he got knocked up real bad last time since he stopped showing up to practice and hanging out with Jia. The guys are taking care of him” you now get worried. “They’re just going through a similar process as how we did with you earlier since he was the actual last person that is connected to you and to us. He doesn’t know what we really are” Haechan sits at the desk chair.

“What are you guys I am still very confused” you scan his face and he turns nervous.

“I swear I am not working with anyone I just want to know who i’ll be living with” his facial expression changes.

“I basically control and own all the illegal boxing rinks, casinos, cartels, and trading events in Korea, Europe, and The United States. We have millions of people working for us and we simply make the decision and sometimes get our hands dirty.” Haechan says.

“Wow and at your age you accomplished all that?” you gasp.

“I won’t take all the credit since my ancestors have been doing this since 1700s but I have broken many records and branched out internationally faster than anyone” he stands up and walks to you slowly. “I would also would like to know more about you. I know I didn’t give you chance earlier” he tucks a piece of your hair behind your ear and wipe the remaining tears left in your cheeks.

You and Haechan were in complete silence, looking into eachother’s eyes. His expression is more soft and observant than how he was last night. He is even more beautiful with his bareface and unstyled hair.

A dry throat wakes the both of you up, it’s Jaemin in a apron. “I made breakfast for y/n” he comes in with a board.

“Quit it” Haechan mutters to Jaemin under his breath and leaves.

“He’s always like this” he rolls his eyes. “Anyways fyi I kind of looked through your coffee coffin app to see how you like your coffee so sorry in advance”

You smile widely “That’s so sweet thank you” you taste it “ wow it’s way better than the one at coffin’s” you set the cup down.

“If you want to bring your food to the living room and watch tv you could” he says.

“Am I allowed?” you stare out the door.

“I’ll allow it. If Haechan says anything, blame it on me” you follow Jaemin with your food. You set your food down on the coffee table and sit on the floor.

He goes to kitchen to help Jeno finish up. Once they’re all done Jaemin joins you on watching some random episode of the Simpsons silently.

“What is she doing out here” Haechan comes out of his room all dressed up in a suit and gun to his hip. “She’s harmless plus you can’t keep her in there forever” Jaemin says.

“I own her until she is released so you do not get to make those decisions” Haechan grabs Jaemin by his shirt.

“Fine alright. Chill out, I didn’t expect you to react this way” Jaemin gets your food and signals you to go to the room.

You stand up and go up Haechan “If you own me atleast do something. I’m not a throw pillow in the guest bedroom” you walk away and follow Jaemin back into your now new room.

“Thank you for atleast trying” you sit on the bed and take the plate from him.

“I’ll bring in my laptop and we can watch something after he leaves. I would’ve defended you but he was strapped so I didn’t want to deal with that” he smiles and leaves your doorway.

You silently finish your food and stare at the wall. It is now hitting you that you will not be graduating on time, behind on bills, and not see your friends due to all this. Tears start to roll down again. You also no longer have a boyfriend which you loved to death.

He was your everything and one day he just flipped the switch. Sunwoo started calling you crazy and manipulative. He was just pushing you to break things off but you loved him too much to notice what was happening, he clearly didn’t love you enough to be honest and leave you.

You go to close the door but Haechan is standing there. “What did I do wrong this time” you start to sob more. “You look so pretty when you cry” he grabs your face and stares into your eyes. He inches closer to your face, his lips are a breath away from yours. “Tell me why you’re crying” he looks down at your lips and up to your eyes. You are trying to find words but his gaze just has you shock.

“It’s personal” you blink out the rest of your tears to see him more clearly.

“Tell me baby, I can fix anything for you” he stand up straight still holding your face.

“My ex boyfriend and school. But please don’t hurt him, he really wants to become a boxer”

“I won’t hurt him but Jaemin will. He’s a great money maker but it won’t stop me from giving him hell” he lets go of you and you’re left standing there looking stupid.

“Jaemin and Jeno will be here training all day. Do not leave your room, Jeno is in charge since Jaemin decided not to listen” he leaves.

He keeps switching to being an asshole to being warm. Then professional to whatever that was a couple seconds ago. The front door opens and closes and the multiple locks are heard clicking.

A knock at the doorframe was heard and Jaemin comes in as promised “I am not training today” he chuckles and sits on the bed next to you.

“Also is your body ok from yesterday?” he asks holding up your arm.

“I bruise easily so it isn’t too bad but I am a little sore” you look at all the rope marks on your legs and arms “this is so embarrassing” you pull your arm away gently.

“It’s impressive actually. Haechan is very picky from everyone else so it’s hard for someone or something to catch his attention…I can run you a salt bath after a movie, your bathroom has one” Jaemin has a big smile on his face. The most intimidating one turned out to be the sweetest.

“That’ll be lovely. You’re the best” you smile back at him.

After the movie, he opens the bathroom door and shows you how to work the shower and where everything is. “I’ll bring you some of my sweatpants and a sweatshirt. I’ll ask haechan if he can order hair and skin care specifically for you since this is just generic” he says.

“I don’t have money til next week so I’ll work with this” you say looking at the shampoo bottle. “That won’t be a problem sweetheart” Jaemin pour the salt and fills the tub.

“I will pay you guys back” you look down at the water.

“Oh you will” he smirks and you know exactly what he meant. “Check the water” he runs his hands through it and you do as well.

“Ooo it already feels nice. Thank you Jaemin” you side hug him.

“No problem. I’ll leave your clothes by the door. Lock it after I leave” you send a thumbs up.

You lock the door, get undressed and turn the bath lights on and lay on the circular bathtub. The bathroom is probably the same size as the room which shocked you because the one in your house and uni complex is the size of the tub itself.

You are floating in the tub and letting your body relax. After 20 minutes you step out of the tub and drain it. Then run to the shower to actually clean yourself. You grab the huge towel that was in the closet, and grab the clothes that Jaemin left you on the door step.

Jaemin’s sweatpants were comfy and his sweatshirt smelt good. You stepped out of the bathroom brushing your hair with a comb you found in the drawers.

Someone knocks at your door “come in” it’s Jaemin again and you smile at him. “I brought you socks from the convenient store and some fancy lotion that relaxes you” anyone can fall in love with him in seconds. He doesn’t even know you and he is doing all this.

“I cant thank you enough. You really didn’t have to do all this. You’re doing something I would beg my boyfriend to do and didn’t” you start to cry.

“Oh y/n don’t cry over someone who doesn’t deserve you” he opens the socks and lifts up the cover to reveal your feet. He puts them on and pats the cover over you.

“I’m sorry it’s just hitting me right now” you wipe off your tears.

“Let it all out” Jaemin hugs you and picks your body up to lay on him. You cry on his chest and you calm down after a while. The both of you are silent. His heart beat is in your ear and your eyes are slowly falling asleep.

Jaemin pets your head as you’re sleeping on his chest. He starts humming to a song he wrote not too long ago “like we just met”. Jaemin not only boxes but he loves to sing, write, and cook. Obviously this personality isn’t allowed to be seen by the outside world but he wishes to one day he could.

Haechan came home with 20 bags filled with clothes for you but found you and Jaemin sleeping tightly together. “Of course he wins again” the guys look at eachother confused and in shock…

a/n

This is more of a filler, so stay tuned for part three because things are going to escalate. Also! tysm for 200+ likes!! it is way more than i expected. take care everyone :)

[UNEDITED]

[host-club-hq]

Indeed: ~This... is Our Ouran Fair~

➼ pairing: kyoya ootori x reader

➼ summary: there's no easy way to say this... but you and tamaki seem to be leaving the host club for good. just like that, you're gone. that is, until a certain pair steps in and declares what they've been feeling all along...

➼ word count: 17.5k

➼ what to expect: "Not like this, y/n."

➼ warnings: heavy angst

➼ chapter navigation

➼ talk to my characters!

➼ thank you all for your support through this whole journey! there will be an announcement post after this at some point to express more thanks and announce some things :) please enjoy! i spent a long time thinking this chapter through

As your chest aches with dread, your feet carry you one step at a time. Just an hour or so after Tamaki's heartbreaking announcement, as you all needed time to collect yourselves after such devastation. 

But now, like the absolutely horrible person you are, you're about to drop another devastation on someone else. At least, you hope he'll be devastated. Wait, that came out the wrong way. You mean... you hope he'll miss you. 

You had even contemplated leaving without telling anyone. Sweeping it all under the carpet and hoping they don't look underneath. You then decided that it would be cruel, regardless of how you felt about it. 

Kyoya insisted that you make an appearance at his estate to tell him your news as you were all so rudely interrupted by Tamaki's world-changing announcement. You truly insisted that it wasn't a big deal and that you should both just return home and let Tamaki's news sink in. 

But that wouldn't suffice, of course. Kyoya wants- no, needs to hear what you have to say to him. And... as much as you hate to admit it, even to yourself, you agree. He needs to. 

So here you are, where you've been standing motionless for at least seven minutes, standing at Kyoya's estate's front door. You're having an internal battle, your expressions matching your thoughts. 

Just as you and your mind are arguing, Kyoya's sister strides along past the front door, spotting you in the window that outlines the door and peers outside. Fuyumi stops in her tracks, tilting her head curiously. Then, without another thought, she pulls open the door and greets you. 

You nearly scream, instead settling for a quiet gasp when she appears before you suddenly. She smiles nonetheless, "y/n, what are you doing out here? Are you here for Kyoya?" She opens the door just a bit more to reveal her body. 

Are you? Are you here for Kyoya? Should you just turn around and leave, apologizing for the inconvenience and act like nothing's happened? Like nothing's wrong? You should. You should go; you should go right now-

"I think so."

Fuyumi's brows crease. She steps aside despite her confusion, "Come on inside; I believe he's expecting you." She nods toward the entry hall of their estate.  

You really wish he wasn't expecting you. With all of your heart, you want this to be a dream, and you're only here to spend time with Kyoya in the comfort of his own home. But, unfortunately, you bear the burden of news to share. And this is only the first step. 

It's like you've never been here before. The walls suddenly feel like they're towering above you, and you feel so tiny under the vast ceilings. It's like the first time you ever stepped foot inside his estate- the fateful year of middle school when you met him. 

Fuyumi watches you carefully, taking note of your tensed frame as you step inside, glancing back and forth anxiously. 

"I'll go get him. Can I get you anything while you wait?"

Her offer startles you. You shake your head, "No, thank you. I'm alright."

Fuyumi can practically see the gears working in your head. She knows you've got something terribly strenuous on your mind. Only time will tell what that is. Maybe that's why you're here to see her baby brother.

"I'll go find Kyoya." You want to stop her. You want to reach out; don't. Leave me time to sprint out the door and back to my car, maybe to drive it off a cliff somewhere. 

This is how you know you should not be allowed behind a wheel until this entire ordeal is over... maybe you'll call your driver after this. 

Fuyumi returns shortly; your nerves spike, "He's in his room. He'd like you to come to him if you wouldn't mind." 

No. He should come to retrieve you. You can't trust yourself even to make it to his room. What if you manage to slip past Fuyumi and leave?

"Sure thing." You nod, offering her a smile as you clutch onto the strap of your purse, brushing past her in the direction of Kyoya's room. 

You've made it. You've made it to his door. It's, like, half of the first step of your process, but it's half. That's more than nothing. You're congratulating yourself on the little things for now. You're hoping that'll make things easier in the long run. 

You knock thrice, inhaling deeply and exhaling in the same manner. Finally, you hear his voice beckoning you inside. 

You do as you're told, twisting the door open and peeking inside to find Kyoya working away on his laptop. He glances up as you enter, shutting it instantly. 

"How are you feeling?" He inquires genuinely. 

The concern in his tone makes your heart pulse. You sigh, "I could be better. What about you?"

"Likewise. But... we don't have to talk about that right now. Come, sit." He makes space for you on his pristinely white sofa. 

And you do, sitting cautiously on the opposite side of the sofa, placing your purse beside you and chewing your lip. 

"What're you doing all the way over there?" Kyoya chuckles, patting a seat much closer to him. 

Please, don't do that. Your actions betray your mind, gently scooting closer to him and an acceptable distance.

"What is it that you wanted to tell me? Looked like it'd been bothering you all day." 

Kyoya vaguely notices that he's doing most of the talking... something very unusual for your dynamic. Something must genuinely be bothering you. Whatever it is, he hopes you trust him enough to let him console you. 

"Right, um..." You might bite off your lip from how hard you’re chewing it. 

"I don't really know how to start this conversation." You admit, at last, exhaling heavily. 

Kyoya nods, "That's alright; take your time." He assures. Although, at your hesitation, doubt is starting to envelop the deepest corners of his own mind. What could it possibly be that's making this so difficult for you?

You nod to yourself, eyes cast to the nearly blinding white of his sofa. You can't bear to look him in the eye, "My father... when he came to the fair today..."

Just at that, Kyoya scowls. His gaze darkens. Has he done something more to you? Have you come here seeking refuge from him? He urges you to continue wordlessly. 

"He made it quite clear that he still doesn't approve of my relationships with all of you... especially ours." You still can't encourage yourself to bring your eyes up to his. 

"Okay..." That's not a surprise at all. Kyoya's known for a long time that your father disapproves of the shenanigans that go on in Music Room #3. Honestly, he himself disapproves of them sometimes. His own father disapproves of them as well. 

"So... he called me today." 

Kyoya nods, creasing his brow, "What did he say?" 

A beat of deafening silence passes the both of you by. Just the thought of saying it out loud brings tears to your eyes, and you frown. 

"y/n, you can tell me. Whatever it is, I'm sure that-"

"I'm moving." 

That's not what he expected you to say. In fact, that's worse than what he expected you to say. He expected you to tell him that your father disapproves of your relationship and sent you here to end it. But, you would both find a way around it to see each other. That's what he was expecting you to tell him. 

Kyoya knows the answer to his question deeply in his soul, "... where are you moving?"

You lament your answer, brow creasing as your face contorts with the effort of holding back a cry, "London." 

That's about as far away from Japan as possible, but Kyoya suspects that's on purpose. His expression darkens. 

"When?" 

Nothing but a whisper, "Soon… really soon."

Now you and his best friend have abandoned him. Just like that, you both got up and left without another thought about it. 

"Isn't there any way you could-?"

"No," You choke, "My father made it very clear that it's absolute."

Kyoya knows... oh, how he knows it's not your fault. Of course, it's not yours, but he can't help the frustration that bubbles up inside his chest, and it takes everything within him to keep from exploding. 

"Well, what about your debt to the club?" 

Your eyes finally manage to land on his face, blinking with bewilderment, "My... debt?" You exhale breathily. The word almost feels foreign. 

Holding back each and every emotion that dares enter his body, Kyoya nods, keeping a straight, unfazed expression, "You still haven't paid it back, you know." 

You furrow your brows, "What does that have to do with anything?" You straighten a bit. Blinking, you wipe at budding tears. 

You don't recognize Kyoya from the way he's avoiding your gaze. You don't detect the warm, soft personality that he truly has underneath all of those layers of a cold, icy exterior. Instead, you're only met with his side profile. 

"You can't repay your debt if you leave, and you know what happens if you break our agreement." Kyoya adjusts his glasses, causing the glare from the light above to hide his tired, miserable eyes. 

He's grasping at straws. He's grasping at you. Maybe, if he can hold on to a little bit of pride, a little bit of hope... you might stay. You'll hate him. Oh, God, you'll probably hate him for the rest of your lives... but despite that heartbreaking fact, you'll still be here. 

"What?" You're completely and utterly rendered baffled in disbelief. Tell me you don't mean it. 

"You heard me." 

You flinch at his words, placing a hand over your heart. You had honestly thought he'd forgotten entirely about that wretched debt you owed him. Clearly not. You feel small enough to be that middle schooler sitting in the very same position years ago. You remember the horrible nightmares that moment gave you for months. You have a sinking feeling that they'll start up again for the same reason. 

"So if I leave... you're going to hold up your end of the agreement...? You're going to go to the media?" You gasp, grasping at your purse beside you. You need to hear it one more time. You need to hear it come from his mouth and reach your ears. 

"Of course. That's what happens when you don't hold up your end of the deal, isn't it?" Kyoya crosses his legs firmly, folding his hands atop his knees. 

"Aren't... aren't we past that?" You shift away from him. You don't feel familiar in his presence; you don't feel comfortable. You don't feel... safe. 

This isn't someone you know. This isn't the man that kissed you in that abandoned church in Karuizawa. This isn't the man whose arms you've spent countless nights in, simply enjoying his presence. This isn't the man that swept you off your feet and had you falling head over heels for years.

This is... the little boy who initiated this debt in the first place.

You stand to your feet, jaw grown slack and agape, glaring down at Kyoya on the sofa. 

"You're really threatening me? After all we've been through?!" You sputter. 

Kyoya's eyes narrow, challenging you with a growing fury in his irises.

You're really leaving me? After all we've been through?

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“And, y/n, I hope you intend to place that order for that tea our guests have requested?”

“Of course. I always do as you command, don’t I, Mr. Ootori?”

...

“Well, my appreciation is immeasurable, good sir.”

“Not to worry, my lady, the pleasure is all mine.”

...

“Ah, I see even a proper lady like yourself can’t resist the Hitachiin brothers.”

“No! Not at all… they’re just so…" “… sculpted.”

...

“Because Mommy was keeping a secret from Daddy.”

“Whatever. Why does everyone insist on referring to us like we’re husband and wife?”

...

“It is amusing to watch them question themselves, isn’t it?”

“Indeed, it is.”

...

“I wouldn’t have hit him that hard,”

“Well, I’m here to ensure you don’t hit him at all.”

...

“I think it’s about time I learn how to swim, huh? That might be a good idea…”

“A good idea indeed, y/n.”

...

“I just… I didn’t know who I could tell.”

“I’m here to listen.”

...

“When will the teasing ever end?”

“Probably never. You’ll never get rid of me.”

...

“You sound like a common servant.”

“… Is that any way to talk to the person with the knife?”

...

“Even so… I have just the slightest feeling that everything will work out just fine.”

“Oh? And what makes you say that?”

...

“Do whatever you’d like; I don’t mind.”

“Ew, no. This Kyoya is far too chipper. We’ll talk when my Kyoya is back.”

...

“I miss her.”

“I know you do.”

...

“Come on, Kyoya. Please?”

“… there will be some conditions.”

...

“Not too far to stay away, hm?”

“Unfortunately not.” 

...

“You just kissed me.”

"I think I did."

...

“You go to all this trouble, acting like you’re a perfect twat when…” “When being a sweet guy is quite natural for you… it seems counterintuitive.”

“That’s a very intriguing notion in its own way…”

...

“Kyoya… would it be wrong to punch a child?” 

“Let’s not have any threats of child abuse on our hands.”

...

“Kyoya? B-but- the picture, you made me get rid of it, how did you-”

“I’ll explain that later, but right now, we have much more pressing matters to deal with.”

...

“You’re so full of yourself, you know?"

"It’s healthy to be a little full of yourself-“

...

"Hm, maybe these aren't applied correctly."

"Get your hands out of my mouth!"

...

"Here, hold this."

"A-are you just going to leave me with this?"

...

"Better?"

"Much."

...

"You would?"

"Of course, it would be my pleasure."

...

"Just trust me."

"Alright, I trust you."

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If you were to wipe a stray tear now, you fear you'll look weak. You can't risk that now. 

"S-so, let me get this straight. I either have to stay and ruin my father's career in London or leave and ruin my father's career as a whole. How the hell does that work, Kyoya?! It's a catch-22 situation; I suffer either way! Why do you want me to suffer?" You point to yourself with a certain desperation, leaving Kyoya's chest aching incredibly painfully. 

Kyoya isn't sure he can handle the conflict within himself. He wants to pull you in with an insatiable hunger, kiss your trembling lips, and tell you that everything's going to be alright. That the both of you will find a way. 

But... his passion is turning to fury so fast that he can't tell it was any other emotion before. He's angry with you for leaving, but he knows full well that it's ultimately no fault of yours... which makes him all the more enraged at your father for doing this to you. 

But most of all, he's angry with himself. Angry with himself for never telling you everything he wanted to. Angry with himself for making you cry like you are now. He never wants to be the cause of this expression across your features. Disbelief, hurt, and hatred. 

Nonetheless, you know the expression, 'blinded by anger.' 

Kyoya stands to tower over you, fingers curled into his palms as fists, "Why do you care what happens to him, anyway? He's a bastard to you." 

You gasp indignantly, "Kyoya, he is my father! He's family! I know he's trying, I-I know he loves me... he just has a difficult time showing it." You're not only trying your hardest to convince Kyoya at this point but yourself as well. 

Kyoya can sympathize. Strong emotions are challenging to express or show, especially when they overwhelm each sense to the point that you feel as though you're simply going to burst. 

You cross your arms, your following statement going straight for the jugular, "Not like it's anything you'd understand."

It hits the target's bullseye, and Kyoya knows precisely what you mean. You've been so patient with him, and that word that makes everything just so different. It's too much different. It's not like you've said it yourself yet... but it's so painfully obvious how you would fall to your knees at his command. 

And it hits his limit. He squints his eyes shut tightly with the sudden urge to hurl himself over the edge of a bottomless pit and fall until the end of time. At least, that's how he feels. 

"You have until the end of the fair to decide your fate." 

Your features soften from absolute indignation to pure astonishment. Your throat constricts so tightly that you fear you might suffocate right here in his room. And part of you wants to... pass out and have absolutely no recollection of any of the events that have transpired today. 

"I... I thought we were past this. I thought you'd forgotten!" You can't help that your words come out as a desperate cry. 

Clearly, you were wrong. 

"I thought you'd changed." Barely a whisper. And what's worse, you'd even begun to believe that it was your doing that changed him. 

And you did. You changed him so intensely. But when fight or flight kicks in, many flight tactics include regression: returning to a previous state. 

And Kyoya's previous state is a cold, icy wall that protects his heart from the oncoming attacks that may or may not be approaching. 

"... I think we need to rethink this relationship, Kyoya."

One lonely bullet pierces through feet of thick ice and hits the softest spot within Kyoya's being. He wants to yell, scream, cry out in anguish, but he can't bring himself to do anything more than stand motionless, speechless. 

It can't be this easy... to sever such a strong bond formed by patience and trust... to merely break it with one weak moment of selfishness.

Your words even manage to soften his expression, making his chest heave as if there isn't enough oxygen in the room. 

Hold me tight, don't let me go. Hold me safely in your arms so that I don't have to face reality. 

"... maybe we should, then." 

You feel your heart shatter so abruptly that you must physically step away from him, staggering backward as you stare in disbelief at his side profile. 

Don't do this. Call me on my bluff, don't let me walk out that door and regret it for the rest of my life. 

Walking through the door and around the corner wouldn't have been so hard if you hadn't spotted the lone tear sliding down his cheek. 

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Fuyumi nearly stumbles as you storm past her, an absolute river cascading from your eyes as you throw open the front door and disappear. She doesn't even have a chance to call out to you. 

She blinks disorientedly, glancing between where you disappeared and the direction of her brother's room. Then, as quietly as she can, she tiptoes down the hall and to his door, left ajar after your quick exit. She senses no movement inside, but Kyoya is definitely still there. The lack of life inside makes her anxious. 

"Kyoya...?" She pushes his door open slowly, cautiously, and finds him seated on his sofa, unmoving. He's facing the window behind him, his arm propped on the back of the sofa and his legs elevated up on the seat. The light from outside merely outlines his silhouette, but Fuyumi can sense the tension that lingers. 

"What happened? Where did y/n go?" Fuyumi glances back where you disappeared and takes a few more steps into the room. 

A few more strides closer, she notices stray tears spilling from the corners of his eyes, but his expression remains emotionless. She nearly gasps. 

"We broke up."

"Oh." Fuyumi lowers her voice. 

He moves a hand from the sofa to rub over his mouth and chin as if he were thinking about something, considering something. He blinks; more tears. Fuyumi sits beside him, peering over his shoulder as his back is to her. 

"Do you want to talk about it?" She knows the answer. But, patiently, she awaits his response. 

"No." It's soft, almost inaudible. 

Fuyumi nods to herself, "Do you want a hug?" 

Kyoya places his feet flat on the floor, turning to look back at her with a wrecked expression, "Yes."

Fuyumi wastes no time pulling him in for a tender embrace, first removing his glasses and placing them haphazardly elsewhere. One arm around his back and the other at the nape of his neck. Kyoya tightly shuts his eyes, his arms desperately clinging around her torso as he buries his tear-stained face into the junction between her shoulder and neck. 

After a few silent moments, Kyoya inhales profoundly and exhales in quiet, trembling, breathy sobs. His body shakes, and his chest heaves. Tears spill over Fuyumi's neck and slide down her back, dampening her blouse, but she couldn't care in the slightest. 

Fuyumi hushes him like she would a child, stroking through his hair comfortingly as he clings to her. He might be larger than her in a physical sense, but she'll always be there to hold him when he feels so incredibly small that he might disappear. 

They stay like that until they lose track of time. Kyoya never speaks a word; remains silent. Fuyumi can feel every unspoken word in every tear. 

She'll hold him as long as he wants.

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Arriving home feels less dreadful than it usually does. You've let all of your tears stream during the drive home, your cheeks now slightly red and your nose tinted the same color. You shut your front door behind you, immediately greeted by your father. 

"y/n, there you are. Set the table for dinner; I have a friend joining us tonight." 

You nod indifferently, "Yes, sir." Then, you hang your purse to unpack later and stride straight for the kitchen. 

"I said now- oh." Your father blinks confusedly as you breeze past him without complaint or refusal. He assumed he was going to have to fight you on this.  

He watches quietly as you gather plates, setting them at one end of the extensive dining table, "Just one friend?" You inquire quietly, setting a place for them beside your father's plate. 

"Yes..." He responds absently, observing skeptically as you move out seamlessly. 

"Why are you so obedient all of a sudden?" He asks bluntly, narrowing his eyes to you. 

"Aren't I supposed to be?" You seem to have forgone the will to argue with your father day in and day out. Instead, you formally arrange the silverware and elegantly folded napkins at each place setting. 

"You are..." But you're not usually. 

You finish fairly quickly, folding your hands in front of you and peering up at your father, "Do you need me for anything else?" 

This is the most servant-like you've ever acted since he started treating you like one. He feels entirely uncomfortable asking his own daughter for anything all of a sudden. 

"No, that's all. Just be on time for dinner." 

You nod, "I'll be in my room then." Stepping past him, you aim to disappear around the corner when your father takes a sudden interest in your attitude. 

"Did something happen with Ootori?" He can't think of any other explanation for your behavior. It was Ootori that made you the way that you are, caused you to be so often upbeat, and seems to have been the reason that you fought him every step of the way. 

Your feet come together, and you remain still in the hallway, back turned to your father and unmoving as you allow his question to ring deafeningly loudly in your ears. 

Barely moving a muscle, "I am no longer with Kyoya." Your tone is, somehow, stable when you inform him of the events that have just recently transpired. 

Your father nods, quickly realizing that you're not facing him, "I see." He furrows his brow, confirming his suspicions. He should feel elated that you have separated, but why does it weigh on his heart and make his chest ache so?

"Will that be all?" You repeat, eyes darting to the left in hopes of catching a glimpse of him without turning your head. 

"Yes, go on then."

"Yes, sir." 

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Pulling the sleeves of your simple black dress down to your wrists on your way to the dining room, you catch wind of two voices. One is unmistakably your father's... the other belongs to woman that you do not recognize. 

You lift your head, mentally-prepared polite smile erased completely as you gawk at your father's aforementioned friend joining the two of you for dinner. 

If you were to analyze her character thematically from looks alone, you would peg her as a strict primary school teacher that all of the students pretended to adore but truthfully loathed entirely. While conventionally attractive and relatively young-looking, she looks as though she can tame a hoard of rowdy teenagers with one stern glance. 

Her sleek, starkly black locks of hair are tied neatly and tightly into a bun. The color of her hair matches her modestly flattering dress. It seems as though you have all dressed for attending a funeral- only you seem to think that the theme is appropriate. 

By the way your father kisses her knuckles, your stomach lurches. He isn't known to flatter any lady with such a gesture. 

Something is going on. Who is this woman?

As if reading your thoughts, "y/n, this is Ito, Sara. You may call her Ms. Ito." 

"Or mother, if you prefer." Her voice is teasing, but you wouldn't dare laugh. Your father does, though.

Your breath hitches. At the thought of calling a woman by a term you hold so dear, your blood practically boils underneath your skin. You even begin to feel quite flushed. 

Although it may be hard to believe, this is the first time that your father has brought home a lady friend with whom he seems to be... romantically involved. If he ever has been involved with anyone after your mother died at all, he's never brought them home before, at least not while you've been home. 

"Hm." Sara's eyes rake over your stiff figure, arms crossed. When she approaches you, you cringe as she reaches out and tilts your chin up to meet her eyes with her long, gaunt fingers with short, clean fingernails. Her gaze bores into your very soul. Your jaw clenches visibly, the muscles working painfully hard as your feel entirely disgusted by her touch. Your posture straightens, and you fold your arms behind your back, gaze narrowing back just as maliciously. 

"Aren't you a cute little thing? Well-groomed, too." She tilts her head, and you catch a glimpse of the eyeliner that compliments her dark irises. She blinks once, twice, and straightens. You notice the handbag looped over her arm as she adjusts it. 

"You're a second year in high school?" She muses, looking for an answer. 

"Yes, ma'am." 

"Which school are you going to attend in London?" 

It takes you longer than you would like to answer, letting go of a breath stuck in your throat at the painful reminder. 

"I'm not sure yet, Ms. Ito."

Sara is quick to notice that you have chosen not to refer to her as your mother. She nearly grins. You clearly have some sort of unresolved attachment to your late parent. 

"And you attended Ouran Academy?"

Your father seems to have mentioned quite a few things to her about you. Odd... 

"Yes." You nod curtly. You feel as though you're being interviewed for a prestigious employment position. 

"And you are involved with an Ootori family member? You know, that's quite a feat. I hear they're difficult."

A huff of air through your nose, a gentle shake of your head, "We have recently split. I'm no longer involved with Kyoya Ootori." 

Sara pouts with an exaggerated, jut lip, "Oh, well, that's too bad. Must have been quite recent; your father and I were discussing you two just the other day!" 

Now you realize her aim. Her eyes are set on you, dragon-shaped with an intent to aggravate and tease. 

"Today, in fact. We split today." If you play her game, you'll let her know that you're not one to submit easily. 

"Oh, wow, you must be feeling a little down. But, you know you don't have to sit through a meal with us. You're more than welcome to... take your leave." Sara cocks a brow with crossed arms. 

Your eyes narrow into slits, and you move to cross your arms as well, "I'll be perfectly fine, but thank you for your concern." 

Sara touches her chest and turns to your father, "My, Daisuke, you have quite a daughter." 

A pulse in your chest; it's been quite some time since you've heard anyone call your father by his first name, especially in this type of context. 

"Thank you, Sara. She's lovely, indeed."

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Kyoya's eyes peel open slowly and disorientedly. He winces at the burn that comes shortly after, blinking rapidly with furrowed brows. He turns his head, noticing that he's lying on his side on his sofa. He glances out the window; darkness has fallen. He must've fallen asleep for quite some time. The sting behind his eyelids is painfully reminiscent of tears previously shed. 

A quiet trill draws Kyoya's attention to something behind his legs. When he cranes his neck to peer over, Noel's head pops out of thin air, yawning and stretching her paws over his bent calf. He cracks a smile as she leaps over his leg now that he's awake and crawls to nuzzle against his chest. 

"You took a nap, too, huh? When did you get here?" Kyoya muses to no one but Noel, smoothing a hand over her head and down her back as she purrs contently. 

Noel isn't a particularly vocal creature, only purring loudly and letting out trills when she wants or needs something. She only truly makes noise in the morning when she has not been fed. So, in response, Noel leans up into Kyoya's hand as he strokes her. She falls to her side and shuts her eyes, legs splaying out and head tilting back with bliss as Kyoya scratches the specific spot on her chest that seems to be her favorite. 

"You're being sweet right now, aren't you? No urge to bite or scratch me?" More often than not, when Noel lies on her back, if Kyoya strokes her stomach for too long, she'll wrap both paws around his wrist and kick at the palm of his hand, sinking her teeth into his skin. He never takes it to heart, gently prying her off and settling for petting her head instead. 

Though Noel seems too tired to play right now, purring as Kyoya strokes along her stomach. When he stops, she wriggles and opens her eyes, silently imploring him to continue. 

"Did you find me sleeping here? You know something's wrong, huh?" Kyoya chuckles, lips tugging in a sad sort of smile when Noel stretches tiredly. Shortly after you'd given him Noel, Kyoya did his fair share of research into the mind of female cats and also determined her breed- it seems as though she is a black Bombay kitten, Kyoya deducted from the criteria he was provided with. He also fell into the rabbit hole of research about how most pets know when something is wrong or when you are sick. 

The notion of you erases the smile from his lips. He groans to himself, allowing his head to fall back onto the sofa with a thud. He slithers an arm around his face and lets out a trembling sigh, peeling his glasses from the bridge of his nose and tossing them haphazardly elsewhere. 

Noel's purring rises in volume when she nudges his arm with her face, insisting that he make room for her. She happily takes the place of his arm, licking her paws and cleaning behind her ears. 

"I think it's time for bed, my love. Come on." Kyoya hoists himself into a standing position, rubbing a hand over his eyes where his glasses should sit. He leaves them wherever they may be for now. He doesn't know the time; his body just knows that it would like to go to sleep now. Noel is quick to follow at his beckoning, nudging her body against his shin and nearly tripping him as he makes his way to his bathroom. 

"You're gonna kill me one day, you know that?" Kyoya mumbles, reaching to open his medicine cabinet. 

The first thing that catches his gaze is bright pink. The feminine products he stocked in the cabinet for you. And restocked. 

And there's your spare toothbrush, sitting in the cup with his own, the bristles protected by a hygienic cover because you couldn't stand the thought of your toothbrush even grazing his own, despite the fact that his lips have done more than grazed yours on multiple occasions. 

Instinctively, he opens a drawer near his hip: hair ties, a portable brush, and a travel-size vial of your signature scent. 

Another drawer: cleanser, cotton pads, makeup wipes. 

Gently, he shuts them both. Nothing inside is disturbed nor dwelt upon for too long. That is until he realizes he's failed to take down the polaroid of you taped to the bottom of his mirror. Without thinking, Kyoya plucks the picture off the mirror with ease, taking a closer, longing look at it. 

It was taken after a particularly long night at one of his family's formal parties. Of course, just like any other event, you were on his arm the entire evening, charming the guests without giving it a second thought. Although this party seemed to carry on a bit too long for either of your liking, so you retired to Kyoya's room while the party was still in full swing. 

In this particular photo, you're sitting on his sofa, one strap of your black, flattering dress hanging off your shoulder, and you're bent down to strip off a heel. You're looking at the camera with squinted eyes and a tired expression. 

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"No, no! Stop!" You pathetically whine, lunging for Kyoya as he lifts the drying polaroid out of your reach once again. 

"Be careful; it's still developing." Kyoya teasingly warns, easily shoving you away. Gently, of course. 

"Well, I don't want it to develop. Give it here!" You tiredly lunge once more, trying and failing miserably to gain possession of the photo. 

You groan, "I'm too tired to fight you." Finally, you allow your body to lay on his sofa, fully outstretched, with a sigh. 

"Good. It's going on my mirror." Kyoya tucks the photo in a secure spot. You wave him off lazily. 

"Yeah, yeah." Your eyes slip shut, almost moaning at the relief you feel to rest your body on the cushion below you. 

A shadow casts over your eyes. You peel one open tiredly, finding Kyoya hovering above you, arms caging you in with a cheeky grin spread across his lips. You crack one of your own. 

"What're you doing?" You snort less than gracefully, nose scrunching at his proximity. 

"Lying down on my couch." Kyoya lets his weight drop and buries his face beside you, his hair brushing your cheek as you gasp dramatically. 

"You're crushing me!" You weakly shove at his limp body. Kyoya hums contently, "This is very comfortable; I could definitely sleep right here on this couch." 

"This sofa will gobble you up if you don't get off it." You turn your head and nibble on Kyoya's earlobe for emphasis. 

"Ow! That was uncalled for." Kyoya lifts his upper body and cradles his poor, abused ear. 

A brief moment of silence. 

"I should have never given you that polaroid camera."

"That is your bad." 

"Mm, my bad." Your fingers rake through his neatly combed locks with an aura of comfort, mussing them up, but Kyoya couldn't care in the slightest as he rests his head near your collarbone, just on your chest. As he adjusts his position, his glasses slightly dig into your skin, and just as he's about to take them off-

"Oh, let me get those." You take the arm of his glasses and slide them from his temples and the bridge of his nose. A shiver runs down his spine as he glances up at his glasses that you set on the table. He lets his head rest without restraint and sighs heavily. 

This is a type of comfort that Kyoya never realized he could find in another human being. He closes his eyes and breathes in through his nose and out through his mouth. 

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That comfort has been cruelly torn away from him by the hand of his own selfish actions. 

A heavy sigh, a pang in his chest, Kyoya lets the picture gently fall into an open drawer with your belongings and shuts it tightly. 

A dreamless sleep is what Kyoya wishes he fell into when his head hit his pillow. Not a night filled with images of you flitting to and fro across his eyelids. 

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~School fair day 2 -- main fair~

After a dreadful night's sleep for each member of the Host Club, the central salon is buzzing with activity as the Club is open for business to the general public for the second day in a row, despite how they might feel. 

As composed and neatly put together as ever, Kyoya sets down a teacup before Lady Éclair with a smile, "Welcome, Miss."

"I know you. You're one of the Ootori family's sons, aren't you? Unfortunately, you're the third son, so you can never be the family's successor." Éclair peers at Kyoya's stiff appearance through her theater binoculars. An outrightly unpleasant thing to say, but Kyoya expects nothing less from an unpleasant woman. 

Deflecting her comment, "What can I do for you today, mademoiselle?"

A brief moment of silence passes before Éclair lowers her binoculars and tilts her head, "You can tell me how much Haruhi Fujioka is still in debt with the Host Club." 

Not even Kyoya can hide the fact that the irrelevant and strange inquiry catches him off guard. 

"Haruhi." At the beckon of her name, Haruhi turns Kyoya's way. 

"Someone to see you." And as Kyoya strides away to busy himself elsewhere, Haruhi finds herself wondering what exactly is running through his mind. It's clear as day, well, to Haruhi, that something seems to be amiss, other than the devastating news that the entire club had received just yesterday evening. 

Despite fighting with yourself, you've managed to show up to the last day of the Ouran Fair and make yourself useful. You had seriously considered not making an appearance and leaving Japan without a second thought. But, you thought it would be unfair to the rest of the Hosts, seeing as your job keeps their time free to busy themselves with guests rather than your work. 

Of course, you thought about how your interactions with Kyoya would go today. You simply plan to avoid him altogether. As petty as that may sound, you genuinely believe that it is the best solution at the moment. 

You mindlessly push your cart slotted with two trays of sweets and beverages for any guest who happens to stumble upon you and ask for either. 

"I wonder what happened to Tama-chan." Honey whines dejectedly as the Hosts have gathered into a small huddle. 

"I'm getting worried; something's up with him after what he said yesterday." Hikaru declares, hand propped on his hip with a scowl. 

You stop so abruptly that you nearly lurch over the handle of your cart.

"As of today, Lady Éclair Tonnerre and I are officially engaged. Furthermore, the Host Club will be permanently dissolved after the Ouran Fair."

It seems that the unpleasant memory has resurfaced for each host at Hikaru's words. 

Two claps and an encouraging voice, "Alright, gentlemen, no more idle chatter. Our guests are waiting for us." 

"Senpai, it's like you don't even care," Kaoru whines adamantly. 

Little do they know, Kyoya has become quite adept in using distractions to conceal underlying emotions- no matter how strong they may be. Years of training are to thank for that. 

"It's our job to take care of our guests to the best of our abilities." Kyoya adjusts his glasses with his pointer finger, "Remember, they're looking to all of us to entertain them. Their happiness is of the utmost importance."

The twins grumble, refusing to meet Kyoya's eyes. Then, honey takes action of his own, "He's right, Kao-chan!" He lunges into Kaoru's back and effectively pushes him away from the huddle. 

"Honey-Senpai, what're you doing?!" 

Mori wraps a crushing arm around Hikaru and drags him in the same direction, "C'mon, Hikaru." He orders in a gruff voice. 

"Let go, Mori-Senpai!" Hikaru strangles. 

As Kyoya turns, he merely catches your back as you lean forward and use your weight to kick-start the wheels of your cart, trodding off in a different direction. 

Kyoya feels the weight of the burden he bears. The weight of knowing such information that he is certain would devastate his friends if they knew. But none would feel the pain that he feels. None would feel the sense of longing and regret that his body contains. It wouldn't be possible, he believes. Yet, Kyoya knows something they don't, and it makes him feel as though he's hurting them all. 

He wonders if they can tell. He wonders if they can sense your despair as strongly as he can as it hangs in the air like something tangible. He wonders if they can see easily through his facade and are sparing his feelings. 

~This... Is our Ouran Fair~

As you slide a fresh teacup and saucer onto a guest's table, the sound of prominent footfalls catches your attention and you glance toward the offending noise. 

With his back turned, Kyoya's father and a colleague pass him by. Kyoya's eyes slide to the right to catch as much visibility of his father as he can. However, while the colleague bows to Kyoya, his father does not imitate the gesture. Rather, he stops just short of passing his son. 

"When they're young, many assume they have all the time in the world but really that is never the case. Don't waste your time with something that will ultimately have no value."

Shoving your cart out of your way, you huff angrily and audibly. Close enough to the pair to merely step across the aisle to reach them; you call out before your mind can catch up with your running mouth. 

Just because you split with Kyoya doesn't mean that you're heartless. 

"You don't get to decide what has value to someone else."

Yoshio stops once more in a similar fashion to moments earlier. He does not face you, but you know that he is listening. 

"You may be powerful, but you don't control human beings. Not even your own son." Your voice is filled with frustration built up over the past several hours as your body nearly trembles with rage. Nonetheless, you keep yourself in check. 

"And if entertaining others gives him and others fulfillment, what does that matter? Have you even thought of that? How could you possibly decide for someone you know next to nothing about?"

Craning his neck without turning his body, Kyoya's wide-set eyes land on your tense, indignant posture. 

"It doesn't matter what you say; I think your son has the potential to bend anyone to his will. But he doesn't want to. That's what sets you and him apart. That's what makes him better." 

As Yoshio and his colleague begin their path once more, Yoshio mutters, "I'm surprised that such insolence ever won Kyoya over." 

Your gaze is trained on Yoshio's retreating back; every muscle strained not to meet Kyoya's eyes that are staring straight into your side profile. 

At your side, Haruhi lets a few beats of stunned silence pass before she gently reaches toward you, "y/n-Senpai-"

And for the first time in all the length you've known her, you turn sharply from Haruhi without sparing her a glance or a word, resuming your duties as you whisk away from her side. 

Your silence cements the notion in Haruhi's mind- something has transpired that she has no knowledge of. But clearly, something dreadful. 

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Sliding on a coat, you ensure that your cart is safely out of the way of guests passing by and that the refreshments are handed out entirely. You straighten the sleeves and sigh, dusting yourself off as you spin on your heel and stride over to the first host that you find. 

Rather, the first host that finds you. Mori's towering figure stops you effectively in your tracks. Your head tilts back to meet his concerned gaze. He says nothing but has obviously taken note of your changed attire. 

With a deep intake of air, "There are some things that I want to tell you, but I don't have the heart. I hope you'll forgive me." His intimidating gaze nearly pricks tears in your waterline. 

Soundlessly, you know that Mori understands your intentions on a certain deep level. He hums, nods, and turns to reveal Honey standing directly behind him. 

"y/n-chan? Are you okay?" His eyes are wide-set and glistening with furrowed brows, gripping Usa-chan with confusion washing over his parted lips. 

You bend at the hips and place two hands over his shoulders, "Will you save me a seat next to you and Usa-chan for the parade?" 

You don't exactly know why you've asked that of him. But your heart pulses when he nods excitedly. 

"Of course! Usa-chan would love to sit with you! But... where are you going?" Honey innocently wonders why you won't be able to reserve your seat yourself. 

"I just have to check on something, alright?" Then, with a maternal hand, you stroke over his cheek and stand to your feet. 

You can't bear to look at his questioning eyes any longer. You turn more abruptly than you intend and pull your coat tight to you. 

At the door, you're stopped by none other than two identical gingers. You wince. 

"Senpai, where are you going?" Kaoru inquires casually, Hikaru arriving shortly at his side. 

"I just have to step out for a moment." Your throat strains with a searing pain. 

Hikaru shrugs, "Alright, but be back soon. We have your outfit prepared for you, and it'll take a while to get you into it." He simpers mischievously. 

You turn to look at them through glassy eyes. Finally, you manage a fond smile at their antics, "Okay." 

You're sure that you would have loved whatever strenuous pieces of clothing they have personally prepared for you. You hope they won't hold it against you. 

As they saunter off, you take one last longing glance at the grand central salon before sliding through the door and shutting it gently behind you. 

You expect your father has prepared you a ride to the airport as you scurry down the steps, holding your coat close to you for comfort. But when you lift your head, you're met with a red convertible. And standing just outside with an open door is Tamaki, dressed in a white suit. 

You merely stand gawking at him a moment before he gently smiles. 

"Where have you been?" You demand immediately. 

Tamaki chuckles, "Our fathers spoke. Your father asked if we would give you a ride to the airport." 

"You're going to the airport?" You lean slightly to the side and spot Éclair sitting on the far side of the vehicle, binoculars pressed to her eyes as she remains focused on her line of sight straight ahead. She spares you no acknowledgment. 

"I could ask the same of you." Tamaki teases. Though his tone of voice is playful, his expression conveys a solemn despair that you feel you mirror yourself. 

Your shoulders droop with a certain aura of anguish, "You're leaving too, aren't you?"

"To France. I... hear you're moving to London?"

Your resolve finally crumbles, leaping off the steps and into Tamaki's awaiting arms. You grip the back of his blazer, face buried in his chest with a heaving cry. 

"My darling, we're going to be alright." He whispers gently, stroking over the back of your head in a comforting motion. 

He pries you away by your shoulders at a close length, "I believe it's a sign that you and I are taking this journey together." He assures with a firm gaze. 

"But we won't be together." You sniffle, watering eyes meeting his violet irises. 

"You and me? We'll always be together, don't you worry." He jests, gently tapping under your chin affectionately. 

"Will you visit me? We'll be so close, Tamaki; we're just a two-hour train ride apart. I-I'll come see you every weekend, and we-"

He quickly brings your head back to his chest with his hand, resulting in your muffled silence and arms around his torso. You hiccup. 

Tamaki whispers quietly into your hair, away from Éclair's prying ears, "Do you trust me?" 

You nod into his suit with a pathetic "Mhm."

"Then this isn't the last time that you and I will meet. I promise."

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The King of the Host Club, which remains intact for only a few more hours, has failed to arrive for the Ouran Fair. A certain errand girl is missing as well. 

Kyoya stands solemnly by the window, glasses creating a glare as he urgently presses his cell phone to his ear. He knows that no one on the other line is there to answer, but he persists. 

"Kyoya-Senpai, what's with the outfit?" Haruhi grumbles from underneath layers upon layers of victorian-era women's clothing. Kyoya turns silently to her. 

"We told you, it's a costume for the special parade." Hikaru scoffs as a reminder. 

"You look so cute, Haru-chan!" Honey giggles excitedly. 

"I don't understand. Why am I the only person dressed as a girl? Where's Senpai?" 

"Aw, c'mon, it's cosplay, so it's okay for you to dress like a girl." Hikaru teases, leaning into Haruhi's space with a wagging finger and a grin. 

"I am one, you know." She huffs. Hikaru chortles maliciously. 

Kaoru's expression is less than amused, turning to Kyoya who's been trying Tamaki's cellphone for some time now. 

"Well?" 

"No luck. He's not there." Kyoya sighs, shutting his cell phone with a snap! and a frown. The rest of the Club tunes into the conversation. 

"I can't believe... they didn't show." Haruhi hands her head dejectedly. 

"I really thought Tamaki-Senpai was gonna make it despite what she said... but that doesn't explain why y/n-Senpai isn't here. Did she even leave?" 

"She left to get something... she said she would be right back," Hikaru recalls, his tone filled with exasperation. 

"I wouldn’t be surprised if she didn’t show." Kyoya's voice rings out unexpectedly, even to himself. 

"Senpai?" Haruhi echoes with utter confusion written across her features. 

"What do you mean, Kyo-chan?" Honey pries insistently, urging him almost desperately to continue. 

Without meeting a single one of their gazes, Kyoya shoves his cell phone into his pocket. 

"y/n and I ended our relationship yesterday." 

"What?!"

"Are you kidding?!"

"Senpai, how the hell did that happen?!" 

"Why would you go and do that?!" 

At the last of the varied exclamations, Kyoya scoffs, "It wasn't any choice of mine. She threatened to violate the terms of her debt and when I told her that it was unacceptable, she broke it off." 

Most of that is far from the truth and Kyoya knows it. 

"Now I know that's not true. y/n-Senpai would never do something that shallow." Haruhi defiantly bores her gaze into Kyoya's. 

In every sense, Haruhi is completely correct. 

"Yeah, Senpai, what really happened?" Kaoru pries further, also not entirely convinced. 

"Fine. You want to know what really happened?" Losing control of his tone steadily, "y/n informed me that she's moving to London by the end of the fair, and since that is in violation of our contract, I enforced her terms, and evidently she was unhappy with that result; therefore she ended our relationship."

Stunned gasps echo gently at his revelation. 

"She said she was going to be right back! Are you kidding me?!" Hikaru's fists clench, eyes trained intently on the floor as he recalls his earlier conversation with you. You lied to them, straight to their faces. 

"She said she was going away for a little bit..." Finally, realization sets in behind Honey's wide eyes. 

"She told you?" Haruhi inquires urgently. 

"She didn't tell me anything!" Honey cries. Mori steadies a hand on his shoulder. 

Hikaru buries his face in his hands, "Not like this, y/n." He gently sighs. Kaoru slides an arm around his shoulder and steadies the other on his upper arm. 

"So she's already gone? Why didn't she tell us, Kyoya-Senpai?" Haruhi glances to Kyoya for answers that he doesn't have. 

“She could still be coming back. To tell us goodbye." Hikaru insists. He knows you would never leave them without a goodbye. Never in a million years. 

In the beat of painful silence that passes, Kyoya wrenches his phone from his pocket and dials a number that he knows will get him an answer to the absence of his best friend. He worries that he might have taken the same path as you with each passing second. He turns to the window as the phone rings. 

The telltale sound of the receiver being picked up causes him to be the first to speak, "Hello, Shima? Been a while, hasn't it? It's Kyoya." 

"This is about Master Tamaki, isn't it? I'm sorry, Kyoya, but the Master will be departing for France soon."

Kyoya's eyes fly open, and he stumbles toward the window. 

"I tried to talk him out of it, but he said the Suoh family had forgiven his beloved mother and that he was finally going to see her again. He also said that if he stayed at Ouran any longer, his capriciousness would only continue to make trouble for you and everyone else in the club. I believe he is also accompanied by your partner, Miss l/n. She mentioned that she wouldn't like to burden anyone else with her absence and decided to leave it at that."

You warned Kyoya about saying things like that to Tamaki. On some level, he knew then of his mistake. 

"How could they be so stupid?!" Kyoya growls, gaining the attention of the hosts. 

Pulling the phone from his ear, "Evidently, Tamaki is planning to return to France. y/n is joining him on his way." 

Blow after blow to the hosts, they each cry out indignantly. 

"They're both leaving us?!" Honey sharply inhales. 

"We just can't let it end so suddenly!" Hikaru becomes enraged once more at the thought of everything falling apart. 

"Hikaru." Kaoru consoles gently. 

"Excuse me, sir." Shima quickly gains Kyoya's attention. 

"Yes?" 

"I was just thinking. If the Master's mother really is as remarkable a woman as he claims she is, then I can only imagine that she would be upset with the manner in which the Master has chosen to leave Ouran Academy. And... I can't imagine why you've chosen to let Miss l/n leave so easily like this."

"Do you know when they're leaving, Shima?" Kyoya presses imperatively, leaning even closer to the window. 

"I'm afraid their flights are this evening."

"Why are they leaving so soon?" Kyoya gapes with a tone of desperation. 

"Master Tamaki would have left sooner, but he said he had to wait until the Ouran Fair was ending."

Just as she speaks, a red convertible dashes by on the road below the very window that Kyoya stands at. 

He gasps, "y/n!" 

At his exclamation, the Hosts rush to the window and press themselves against it. 

"Tama-chan!" 

"y/n-Senpai!" 

"No way!" Kaoru presses his hands on the window pane with a whimper. 

"The Ouran Fair isn't even over yet!" Hikaru shouts. 

Haruhi remains seated in her chair, hands poised elegantly in her lap as her eyes continue to bore into the table before her, seemingly shell-shocked. 

"My family's car should be in the parking lot!" 

"Haruhi, let's go!" 

Only then does Haruhi raise her head.

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As the sun sets behind the clouds, the Host club sprints across the parking lot of the Academy, aiming for Kyoya's family car, where his driver sits, awaiting their arrival. 

Kyoya bends to his window, "We're in a hurry. Can you drive us?" 

"I'm sorry, sir, but..." 

Both hands gripping the vehicle, Kyoya urges his driver to spit out whatever he's got to say, "What is it? What's wrong?" 

"Well, you see, the thing is..." 

As he speaks, the members of Kyoya's private police force filter in through the cars surrounding them, silent as they approach cautiously. 

Feeling irked to no end, "You want to tell me your orders? Let me guess; you've been hired to protect Lady Éclair."

Through a protective mask, "I'm truly sorry it has come to this, but as you know, as members of the Ootori private police, we answer to your father." 

Hikaru and Kaoru face the officers with caution, barring themselves around Haruhi without thinking twice. 

Brow twitching and face contorting into a grimace, Kyoya's bottled fury releases with a sudden burst of strength. He brings his fist down onto the hood of his family's car and leaves a significant dent and a loud, echoing bang!

"Damn it!" 

"I'm terribly sorry, sir, but we've been ordered not to allow any of you to leave, even if we have to stop you by force." 

Conveniently, the two martial arts masters are missing. 

But it isn't long before the Host Club can hear the sound of hoofbeats and rolling wheels, a carriage bursting through the tight ring of officers, carrying none other than Honey and Mori at the reins. 

Honey leaps from within the carriage, and the police force wastes no time in recognizing who exactly they're dealing with. 

"Hikaru, take the carriage. If you use the back hills bypass, you can cut them off." Mori directs in one breath, joining Honey's side, much to the horror of The Ootori Private Police Force. 

"It's Haninozuka!" 

"And Morinozuka!" 

Hikaru and Kaoru are the first to mount the carriage. Kaoru reaches for Haruhi, "C'mon!" 

Although hesitant, Kyoya grabs her tightly by the shoulders and gently nudges her forward. 

"Haruhi, go get those idiots. Hurry." 

Just as she leaves his grasp, Haruhi uses her last few remaining moments and grabs Kyoya by the lining of his jacket, pulling him along with her. 

"Senpai- if we don't succeed, you may never see y/n-Senpai again. You need to fix this yourself; you have to stop hiding from the pain even if your efforts are in vain."

Gripping her shoulders with renewed vigor, Kyoya's fingers tremble. Then, with one last urge, Haruhi yanks him forward by his coat and he stumbles onto the carriage as Hikaru flicks the reins.

"Hah!" 

With a talented driver behind the reins, the horses pick up their speed and dash straight through another group of police officers. They barely leap out of their way in time.

"Don't just stand there! Stop that carriage!" The officer giving orders is knocked to the ground as Honey uses his helmet to leap across the pavement and block the path left by the retreating carriage.

Kyoya steadies himself in the wagon, gripping the edges as Hikaru continues to urge the horses to their top speed. 

He decides in that moment that if you're going to leave, he's not letting go without a fight. 

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Sunlight filters through the rapidly passing trees as Kyoya, Haruhi, and the twins press on in their strangely chosen mode of transport. 

The horses are approaching a dangerous speed, but Hikaru continues to urge them on. 

"Hikaru! Don't you think we should slow down? Somebody could get hurt!" Kaoru exclaims as the carriage jostles them; both Kyoya and himself are prioritizing Haruhi's safety. 

"We're not slowing down till we get y/n and the boss back!" 

"But Hikaru-!" 

"If it wasn't for y/n, then the two of us would still only be lost souls. We were able to become friends with Haruhi and the others because the Host Club brought us together. To think that all of it could end so suddenly like this..."

Hikaru grimaces, "... is something that I can't tolerate!!" 

A crash is heard below them and suddenly the carriage is lifted into the air. The horses stumble mid-air, and both Kyoya and Kaoru leap to grip the sides of the carriage and hold the three of them steady, eyes squeezing shut.

With no one to steady him, Hikaru's body is hurled from the carriage and into a nearby pumpkin patch. He hits the ground with a pained yelp as the horses whinny in surprise and halt immediately at the sudden upheaval. The carriage hits the ground loudly and comes to a screeching halt. 

"No, Hikaru! Hikaru! Hikaru!" Kaoru leaps from the carriage and rushes to his brother's aid, falling to his knees and heaving Hikaru's body into his lap with all the strength he can muster. 

"Hikaru, are you okay? Is your arm hurting you?" 

The sun continues to set behind the trees, and only the clock tower is visible over the horizon. Both Haruhi and Kyoya observe the twins as they come together. 

"This can't be the end." Hikaru's voice comes out with a struggle, leaning into his brother. 

"It's just not fair; the Host Club's the only thing that made us happy. Damn it..." 

"Hikaru..."

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"Where are you going?" 

You turn at Kyoya's groggy voice, rubbing his eyes as he sits up and lets the blanket fall from his chest. He looks so adorably sleepy that you almost laugh. 

"To the washroom. Is that alright?" You suppress a snicker with a teasing tone. 

It's well into the early hours of the morning, and Kyoya is roused from his sleep by the sudden loss of warmth in his arms. You'd decided that you would spend the night with Kyoya after a particularly rough day. 

"You can't just leave me so suddenly." 

You snicker, "I'll always come back, you know." You peek at him from the doorframe now, slowly inching away. 

"Well, next time, I'll just have to come chasing after you, won't I?" 

"I would be worried if you didn't." 

Kyoya cracks a smile at your own, listening to your laughter as you disappear into his bathroom.

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Kyoya hasn't noticed that Haruhi's cosplay wig and overcoat have come off as she pulls him back into the carriage and out of his deep train of thought. 

"Kyoya-Senpai..." He glances at her, "We have to go."

With a determined nod, Kyoya picks up the reins. 

You were right- he never knew he'd need to know how to drive horses until this very moment. It's a damn good thing he picked up a thing or two in the past two days.

"Hah!" With a shout, the horses pick up their feet again and are speeding off with only two remaining passengers. 

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"What's the matter, Tamaki? You haven't said a word since we left. You're a host, aren't you? C'mon, entertain me." Éclair urges with a sultry plea, her binoculars boring into Tamaki's solemn expression. 

"I have a question. Are you sure about this? Will you even be happy married to me, or are you just... following orders?"

The hoofbeats against the ground are no match for the pounding of Kyoya's heart in his ears. The sound is deafening as they rapidly approach the bypass that overlooks the bridge they anticipate you and Tamaki to be driving on. 

"Look!" Haruhi points to a moving figure between the trees. Surely enough, a red convertible drives along below them. 

Desperate to match your speed, Kyoya flicks the reins with another shout, "Yah!" 

Your chin is propped up on your fist as you stare over the side of the bridge, watching the water glisten with the last dwindling glints of daylight. 

The bypass is slowly narrowing, and both Haruhi and Kyoya know that it's coming to an end soon. Kyoya demands the horses continue, resulting in the pair of steeds leaping into the air to avoid falling. Kyoya feels his stomach drop as the horses leap off the ledge and onto the paved road, surely giving the wheels a scare. 

The sound can be heard for near miles and certainly doesn't go unnoticed by you all in the vehicle. Upon hearing the loudest crack! you think you've ever heard; you turn your head in curiosity to glance at the road behind you to see what the trouble is. 

You honestly believe your mind is playing tricks on you when you spot a horse-drawn carriage catching up to your vehicle. When you spot the two passengers inside, you nudge Tamaki urgently. 

"Kyoya! Haruhi!" You call out, twisting your entire body to face them in complete and utter bewilderment. 

With windswept hair and furrowed brows, Kyoya's eyes meet yours briefly, and the only thought that enters your mind is how much he resembles a knight in shining armor, arriving to save his damsel in distress. Kyoya shouts again; the horses match your convertible's speed. 

"What are you doing?! This is dangerous! Stop that carriage now!" Tamaki shouts as the carriage arrives alongside the car with miraculous strength. 

"Guys! Please come back to Ouran!" 

"Slow down!" You scream over the rushing wind and beating of your heart, leaning over the back of the convertible for the pair to hear your pleas. 

"All of us would be completely lost without you guys." Haruhi urges, ignoring your commands. 

Tamaki frowns, shrinking in on himself, "But they... they all said they were put out by the Host Club." 

"You really are an idiot! What's wrong with you?!" Haruhi all but growls in response, completely fed up with Tamaki's obliviousness to his surroundings. 

"After all this time we've been together... you still can't tell when we're joking and when we're serious?! Everyone loves being in the Host Club... we really do! Even me, Senpai! I love being part of the Host Club too!"

Tamaki's eyes become vacant as Haruhi reaches to him with an outstretched hand and fond smile. 

In the moment of desperation when you catch the carriage's nature of instability, you lean over the car door, "Kyoya, stop the carriage! This isn't safe!" 

"I'm not stopping until you do!" Kyoya grips the reins tightly, his voice rising in urgency and volume over the noise of the carriage and galloping horses. 

"You're being ridiculous!" 

"That's rich, coming from you!" He barks back in response. 

"I thought I had a debt to repay; what happened to that?" You shout, tears brimming your waterline as you bang your fist onto the door of the convertible. 

"No, you don't! I don't know why I threatened you with that stupid debt in the first place! I... I didn't know how else to keep you here, but I know it was selfish and wrong. I see that now... I don't ask for your forgiveness because I don't deserve it, but I ask you to stay!" 

The passion and desperation in Kyoya's voice feel utterly foreign to you. You stumble over your thoughts to gather them as well as your words. 

"I... I thought you didn't care." Your voice barely reaches Kyoya's ears, but when it does, he cries out indignantly, more so with agony rather than irritation.

"Are you so dense that you don't know how much I feel for you?! I've never felt this way toward someone, and you- you just got up and left!" 

The visible confusion on your face ignites an inevitable distress within Kyoya that his point is completely missing its mark. 

"I-... I'm in love with you!" 

Your head lifts to meet his gaze, eyes open wide in disbelief, and you stand to full height in the car without a second thought. The speed at which you straighten jostles you, and you nearly fall back into your seat. Kyoya flinches, arm briefly reaching out for you in concern as he grips the reins in his remaining hand. 

Just the mere sound of Kyoya's voice declaring those words feels like you've reached home. And all at once, your heart drops as you realize you've made the worst mistake of your life. 

You lean forward as Tamaki reaches out toward Haruhi. Just as he does, a hand grabs his arm and tries to pull him back down. Tamaki glances down at Éclair for a moment. Her blindingly blue irises plead with him jealously. 

If Kyoya could pinpoint his mistake, it would be letting go of one of the reins. The horses knock shoulders violently, jostling the carriage enough for Haruhi to fall into Kyoya's arms. 

They each know what is inevitably coming as they glance at each other, Haruhi squeezing Kyoya's coat in her fingers for dear life. Kyoya acts too quickly for his mind to catch up as he sweeps his arm under Haruhi's legs and hoists her into his arms bridal style. 

"Tamaki!" He exclaims, managing to gain Tamaki's attention for merely a split second before he prays to whatever god is listening and hurls Haruhi's lightweight body with all of his gathered strength toward her savior. 

"Haruhi!" Tamaki screams, lurching over the side of the convertible and catching her easily, pulling her into the safety of the vehicle and cradling her head against his shoulder with a firm grasp. 

The carriage scrapes along the parapet of the bridge with a deafening screech, and Kyoya is flung toward the edge, barely able to stand on his own feet. 

"Oh my God, Kyoya!!" You shriek, watching as his balance is lost. 

Eyes swimming with panic and terror, Kyoya's gaze meets yours as he's thrown from the carriage and over the side of the bridge, reaching for something, anything that might save him from his fate. 

Risks be damned, you don't spare the couple behind you a glance before you hoist yourself onto the side of the vehicle, managing to steady yourself before lunging over to the now mostly steady, still moving carriage. Your foot barely meets the wagon's floor before you're lifting off again, using all of your strength to push yourself off and over the bridge. 

And Kyoya watches you helplessly, reaching out for you subconsciously. Then, miraculously, Kyoya's arm stretches, and your hands meet. His reaction is immediate, gripping your hand tightly and pulling you firmly toward him. 

"Are you crazy?!" He yells, eyes still carrying a significant amount of panic. 

"About you? Yeah." 

Two souls colliding together, two hearts beating as one.

The clock tower chimes in the distance, but the two of you are lost to the world. The chime should result in the carriage turning back into a pumpkin at the last stroke. But with a combined effort, the fairy godmother has decided otherwise. In the last glimmer of hope, you made the spell permanent, retrieved the glass slipper, and restored everything to its rightful place. 

You secure your arms around Kyoya's neck, his hand pushing your forehead to bury in his chest for safety. The both of you close your eyes, bracing for impact and holding each other as tightly as possible. 

Will you save me when I fall into the deep water below?

You know I will.

With a splash, your bodies are submerged into the cold water under the bridge. But neither of you have anything to fear. Not anymore. 

The feeling is familiar- you resting in Kyoya's arms bridal style as he wades through the shallow waters and toward the shore.

"We have to stop meeting like this." You jest, glancing up at him with a smile. 

Kyoya rolls his eyes, "Moron." He groans. 

"Excuse me?" You gasp as Kyoya sets you down on your feet in less than ankle-deep water. You put a hand on your heart, feigning a hurt expression. 

Kyoya reaches for you and you jerk away from him. 

"You, sir, cannot touch me like that. I'm single, you know." 

You cross your arms and turn away from him as a child would. Kyoya purses his lips, sighing in exasperation. 

"Did you miss the whole 'I'm in love with you' part earlier?" He cocks a brow at your behavior, nearly cracking a smile himself. 

Silence, save for the sound of water lapping at the shore.

"... you better take me off the market again before someone else does." 

Kyoya decides he's had enough of you, lunging for you quickly, "Come here, you." 

You squeal as he takes you in his arms and spins you around to face him, twirling you elegantly before dipping you with grace and sealing his lips against your own in a passionate kiss. Your hand cups the back of his neck, unable to kiss him properly because of the stupid smile spread across your lips. 

Kyoya hauls you to your feet again and laughs, "Dance with me, my love." He arranges the pair of you in an embrace appropriate for dancing, and you snicker at his antics. 

"But there's no music." You remind. 

"My heart sings when I'm with you. That's music enough." Kyoya insists, moving along to the beat of his own heart. 

You laugh long and loud, throwing your head back, and he continues to move with you beautifully. 

"You're being weird." You snort as Kyoya twirls you and pulls you back into his arms for a gentle embrace. You allow him to sway with you as you bask in the utter bliss, entirely unafraid of drowning if you're in Kyoya's arms. 

The mood between the two of you makes a noticeable shift, and you stretch onto your tiptoes to cling around his neck, "Please don't let me leave." 

"They'd have to pry you from my cold, dead hands."

You giggle, pulling back only just to meet his eyes, pressing your forehead to his. 

"I'm in love with you, too, Kyoya." Your lips meet in another searing kiss, and this time it's Kyoya's whose lips are stretched into such a broad smile that he is unable to give you a proper kiss. 

"Hey! Are you guys alright?" 

You manage to pull away from Kyoya enough to crane your neck to the voice behind you. Tamaki and Haruhi are leaned over the bridge's parapet, seeing as the convertible has stopped to let them out. 

"We're alright!" You assure with an enthusiastic wave, Kyoya mimicking you smally as Haruhi waves her arm. 

"y/n-chan! Kyo-chan!" A screech of your names turns you the opposite way, finding Honey throwing himself from the inside of a car and clumsily stumbling toward the shore to greet you with enthusiasm. 

"Senpai!" The twins follow him not too far behind. A quick glance back toward the bridge confirms that Tamaki has taken off to find a quick way to convene with the rest of his club. Haruhi must not be far behind. 

Meanwhile, Honey lunges into your awaiting arms with a squealing giggle, and you swing him around once and set him back down. 

Behind you, the red convertible waits for just a moment more before pulling away and peeling off down the road, continuing on as if nothing has changed. 

"Boss!" Tamaki arrives as quickly as his legs can carry him, a worn-out, breathless Haruhi on his tail. 

"Man, he's fast..." She bends over, hands placed on her knees as she heaves out short puffs of air. 

"The both of you are morons..." Kyoya grumbles bitterly, drawing both your and Tamaki's gaze toward him with confused expressions. 

"... leaving without saying goodbye? What were you thinking?" He scoffs. Tamaki's lips tug upward in a soft smile as Kyoya pulls you close to his body, seemingly unwilling to let you out of his arms for even a mere second after one of the most frightening experiences of his life- almost letting you walk away without even putting up a fight. 

"I clearly missed playing dress-up. You all look so dashing in your victorian outfits." You tease, tugging at Kyoya's time period-accurate collar. 

"Let's get you into your costume-"

"-before you run off and leave us again." The twins seem playfully bitter; arms crossed with teasing scowls upon their brows. 

You let out a sound that can only be characterized as a laugh mixed together with a sob, leaping onto your tiptoes and tossing your arms around their necks, causing them to bend to your level with surprised grunts. You squeeze your eyes shut tightly, a grin splitting your cheeks in two. 

"I hate you guys." You sniffle, an unsteady giggle forcing its way through your throat. 

Hikaru clears his throat, "Yeah, well... you're the worst, so." He rolls his eyes. 

Kaoru scoffs, maneuvering the three of you apart so that he can sweep you into a tight embrace of his own, claiming you to himself for just a brief moment, "Can't just leave us like that, Senpai." He whines pitifully. You coo tenderly, pressing a hand to the back of Kaoru's neck, threading your fingers through his ginger locks as his face presses into your shoulder. 

"Couldn't ever leave you, Kaoru." The ever-present reminder that you know him sets Kaoru's heart alight with a comforting warmth, a smile spreading across his lips as a content expression settles over his features. You know him separately; you see him for who he is, an individual. 

"Hey, I'm still here," Hikaru grumbles as Kaoru pulls his face from your neck to face his brother, you turning along with him with a smug smile and a knowing glance. 

"Admit that you were going to miss me, and I'll hug you, too." You cross your arms playfully, a self-satisfied simper playing your lips. 

"You know, he was pretty distraught when we-"

"Shut up! I... I was gonna miss you." Hikaru mumbles. 

He isn't quite ready for you to pounce on him the way you do, practically hanging from his neck as his arms uncross themselves, unsure of how to react. Then, his miffed expression is completely erased and replaced with one of unexpected surprise.  

"I would have missed you and your stubborn ass, too."

Hikaru's cheeks flood with heat, tinting them a dusty pink shade as he groans, "Yeah, yeah." His arms cautiously encircle your body, apprehensively sparing Kyoya a glance as he does so. 

While expecting your partner to be glowering at the show of affection you're giving them. Instead Hikaru finds a fond smile spread from cheek to cheek, eyes soft and unaccusing. 

Hikaru lets his eyes slip shut with a feeling of relief, huffing out a breath of air over your back. When you pull yourself from him, his prominent frown has softened, and he looks at you as though you've returned something precious to him. 

A hand presses down onto your head, twisting gently through your hair as you crane your neck to meet the perpetrator's eyes. Mori's irises fall on yours with a tender expression. 

"I forgive you." He manages. 

You snort with laughter as he lets his hand trail from the top of your head to your cheek fondly, allowing you to lean into his callous palm before he's gently pulling away. 

"Are you okay? I can't believe you guys fell off the bridge like that..." Haruhi approaches you cautiously, carefully avoiding the edge of the water. 

You smile, embracing her tightly, to which she returns just as enthusiastically, "I should be asking you the same thing." You chuckle, pulling back far enough to meet her eyes. 

"Oh yeah, that was probably one of the scariest experiences of my life." Haruhi threads her fingers through her short locks, tittering awkwardly. 

"But even so... thanks, Kyoya-Senpai..." She turns to meet Kyoya's eyes. 

Kyoya places a steady hand on her shoulder, "Don't thank me... I should be thanking you." He settles Haruhi's confused expression when you settle in close to him, allowing him to wrap his arms around you tightly. 

"You guys made up?" Honey inquires with hopeful, glittering eyes. 

"After that show? How could I not forgive him?" You tease. Kyoya rolls his eyes, gently shoving you in a playful manner as you stumble with a malicious giggle. 

"What? You guys fought?" Tamaki gawks, a panicked expression overtaking his features. 

"And broke up," Kyoya adds with devious intent, actively fighting a smug smirk. 

"WHAT-?"

"Senpai, it's okay... they made up," Haruhi assures, intervening at the perfect time to ensure that Tamaki doesn't break into an outburst. 

A shiver runs down your spine, causing your body to convulse briefly as you start to comprehend the consequences of plunging into a body of water in November. As you're pressed into Kyoya's body, his reaction is immediate. 

"Let's get you into your costume." He takes you by the shoulders and leads you toward the vehicle. 

"Yeah, it's cold out here." Hikaru agrees, rubbing his hands over his arms as the club crowds toward the car they'd arrived in. 

You glance up at Kyoya as you walk, "You know, I'm gonna tell everyone we ever meet about this." 

He groans, "Oh, God, please don't." He pleads futilely. 

"Kyoya hijacked a horse-drawn carriage and fell off said moving carriage over a bridge, all to get me to stay in Japan." You recall with a sense of dramatic theatricalism.  

"You fell off the bridge too, you know," Kyoya grumbles bitterly, wrenching open the door to the car before you get the chance to. 

"Yeah, trying to save you!" You remind with a wide grin. 

"Get in the car." Kyoya pleads with a knowing look, gesturing to the car's interior. 

"Sure you don't wanna take the carriage-?"

"Enough." 

♡        ♡        ♡        ♡        ♡        ♡        ♡        ♡        ♡        ♡        ♡

You're more than ready to end your eventful evening with a waltz or two with your club... with your friends. You do your very best to slip and squeeze between swaying dance partners despite the rather generous skirt of your costume's gown. With the help of Haruhi, Hikaru, and Kaoru, your hair is dried to near perfection and styled according to the time period. 

You pick up the light, baby pink skirt of your dress so as not to trip over it as you search for someone you know. 

"y/n-chan!" Before you know it, someone takes you by the wrist and spins you around to face them. After realizing that the perpetrator is none other than Honey, he takes you by both of your hands and continues to spin the both of you in a series of tight circles. 

Before you can get a word in, Honey's relinquished his grasp on you and sent you spinning without a partner. Although, it's not long before someone takes your outstretched arm and pulls you into a much calmer embrace, assuming the traditional waltz position. You're met with Mori in his navy blue tailcoat, severely concentrating on smoothly moving along with you. 

Meanwhile, Yuzuru Suoh and Yoshio Ootori convene in Yuzuru's office with a convenient view of the clock tower. 

"I'm sorry that we caused you concern. It looks as though Grand Tonnerre will not be purchasing my company after all." Yoshio's hands are folded in his lap as he occupies the sofa adjacent to Yuzuru's desk. 

"An unexpected backer turned up. They bought the company before Tonnerre had a chance and the backer said that he was turning all the management rights over to me."

Your next dance partner is Kaoru, swaying along with you with a gentle smile across his lips. 

"That was a bold move. Which funds manager was it?"

Kaoru twirls you under his arm expertly, drawing a giggle from you as you spiral right into his identical brother. 

"A student investor called K.O."

"Oh, God, what happened to your arm?" You gasp, finding that Hikaru has shed his jacket and opted for a sling around his right arm hanging off his neck. 

"Carriage accident, nothing too bad... you know it's kind of your fault." Hikaru smirks, trying his best to spin you around single-handedly. 

"He cleverly left his name out of the deal, but it didn't me long to figure out who it was." 

"Yeah, well- whoa!" Hikaru slings you along to your next partner. You seem to be progressing toward Kyoya, who is ready to welcome you with open arms when Tamaki slithers between the two of you. 

With a sinister smile, Tamaki steals you away for a brief waltz, much to Kyoya's shock and dismay as he stands speechless. 

You laugh at his reaction, placing your hands on Tamaki's shoulders and allowing him to dip you low to the ground, hoisting you back up with a goofy grin. 

"You are something, you know?" You snicker, watching over Tamaki's shoulder as Kyoya's gaze bores into his back, rather impatiently awaiting your return. 

"Have to tease him sometimes, you know?" Tamaki's eyes disappear as he grins, twirling you thrice under his arm. 

"K.O. is Kyoya Ootori. The new backer was none other than my own son." 

Tamaki turns you by your shoulder and thrusts you in Kyoya's direction. 

"Well, aren't you a vision?" Kyoya's simper widens, sliding an arm to rest on your waist and the other to intertwine with your fingers. 

"Yeah? Like it?" You beam confidently, absently reaching to touch the matching cherry blossom flowers in your hair. You allow your body to fall into a natural rhythm with his. 

"Indeed." Kyoya nods, eyes remaining on your smiling features. 

"You know, you say that a lot." Your brows furrow with the realization. Kyoya tilts his head. 

"Say what?" He inquires. 

"You say 'indeed' a lot. Why is that?" You tease, sucking your bottom lip between your teeth to suppress a giggle. 

Kyoya shrugs, "Couldn't say." He fails to keep a smile off his face. 

"Is that your thing now?" Kyoya twirls you, pulling you back to his body closely. 

"If you want it to be." Kyoya nearly laughs at the way you're looking at him. 

"At least we know we don't have to worry about the future. I thought I knew how brilliant Kyoya was, but it seems he's even smarter than I thought."

You hum in contentment, gasping in realization when your mind sifts through topics of conversation, "Oh, my God. What happened with Grand Tonnerre? Aren't they buying your father's company?" You glance up at him anxiously. But to your surprise, he doesn't mirror an ounce of your worry. 

"I don't think we'll have anything to worry about." 

"What? How could you not worry? I mean, I don't want to stress you out, but it's sort of a big deal." You scoff in a nonthreatening way; brows furrowed as you mindlessly let Kyoya lead you in a gentle sway. 

"Maybe so, but I think your son is the one who's truly amazing."

"Don't get me wrong. I know it's a big deal." Weirdly enough, Kyoya cannot find it in himself to stop smiling. 

"I am responsible for the entirety of Kyoya's education. I always knew he would surpass his older brothers someday."

"Then- why are you being so weird? Aren't you afraid of your father losing the company?" You shake your head in disbelief at his reaction. 

"No, not really." Kyoya shrugs his shoulders, nibbling his bottom lip, containing his excitement for now. 

"However, I must say I'm shocked. While I can imagine Kyoya taking over a company, I never dreamed he'd turn around and give it right back to its original owner." 

"You-... You know something that I don't." Narrowing your eyes in an accusatory way, cracking Kyoya's resolve. 

"I might." 

"Are you going to keep being annoying, or are you going to tell me what the hell you know?" 

"As Kyoya grew up, I was constantly dangling the Ootori family companies in front of his face, torturing him with something he could never have." 

"Don't worry; I made sure that my father won't be losing the Ootori Group," Kyoya assures. 

"Spit it out, Kyoya. You can't keep going like this-"

"I... bought it out from under him." 

You blink, freezing on the spot. In turn, Kyoya's body halts along with you, both seemingly frozen in time in the traditional waltz position. 

"You... bought your father's company?" Your eyes grow wide in awe, your fingers tightening around the fabric of Kyoya's jacket where it lays on his chest. 

"Now, not only has he taken it out from under me by force, but he's basically told me he doesn't want it and has thrown it back in my face."

"That's unbelievable! Are you kidding?! I knew you were capable of something like that." You grab him by his collar, pulling him slightly down in your excitement. He chuckles. 

"Well, I didn't keep it." 

"Do you understand what that means?"

"What? Why the hell not? You could've... I don't know, taught your father and everyone else a lesson about underestimating you." You shake your head to yourself, eyes no longer focused on Kyoya's face with a creased brow. 

Kyoya hums, sliding his hands over your forearms and up to your wrists, tenderly taking hold of each one with affectionate eyes. 

"It means he's finally found it. He's found something that has an even greater value to him." 

"Because I have much more important things to focus on... I wouldn't have time for all of that." 

It's like a promise to spend your futures together. That owning a company at such a young age would hinder his attention on your relationship. Nearly letting you walk away has made Kyoya reconsider his priorities in a major sense. He's placed you at the top of the list. 

Your eyes well up with appreciatory tears, lip trembling as you whimper. You spring upward and drape your arms around Kyoya's neck, your nose buried into the junction of his shoulder and neck. He reciprocates quickly, arms encircling your body as he helps you reach him by holding your weight against him. 

"I love you." You whisper softly, eyes shut tightly and fingers just as tightly anchored to the fabric of Kyoya's jacket. It feels like a weight lifted off your shoulders just to say something so intimate to someone that you feel so strongly about. 

Kyoya's grin could practically split his cheeks, "I love you, too." He blinks, feeling a terrible stinging behind his eyes that he is nearly unable to put a stop to. 

Kyoya puts you at a distance enough to face each other, cupping your chin with his fingers and meeting you in the middle, and molding his lips to yours. 

A terribly loud crack! echoes through the sky, and you part from Kyoya abruptly, a startled gasp forcing its way through your lips as you glance to the starry night sky and find that a firework show has begun. 

"Oh wow... perfect timing, huh?" You exhale heavily, a hand over your chest, soothing your rapidly beating heart. 

You gasp, covering your lips, "Oh, we're in public." While your lips are still tingling with a spark, you glance around at the guests and fair attendees who might be watching you. 

"I'm aware." You squeal as Kyoya surges forward for another peck, flashing a smug smirk shortly afterward. 

Your heart swells with warmth. You hum with a laugh, pressing a kiss to his cheek in appreciation. 

Kyoya's pocket vibrates, his ringtone for an unknown caller blasting in the silence between you. You separate yourself enough so that Kyoya can slide his hand between the two of you and fish his cell phone from his blazer. 

"I don't usually answer unknown numbers... but with everything going on with my father's company..." Kyoya sighs, glancing at you briefly. 

"Oh, no, by all means. I'll find one of the twins to dance with in the meanwhile." You tease. Kyoya groans, "Keep them under control; I'll be only a second." 

You pat him on the shoulder and spin on your heel to find either Hikaru or Kaoru, or the first host that manages to sweep you up; you don't particularly have a preference. 

Kyoya presses the phone to his ear, "Kyoya Ootori." He answers, voice taking a quick turn from gentle in your ear to professional over the phone. 

"I assume that my daughter is with you? Seeing as she's not at the airport with me by now." A grumble comes from the other line. 

Kyoya blinks, a deadpan expression over his features as your father's gruff voice reaches his ears. 

"She hasn't contacted me about anything, and I cannot reach her. I asked your father for your number, so here we are." 

Kyoya nods, soon realizing that your father cannot see anything he does, "Yes, she's here at the fair." 

A long sigh on the other end and a groan, "I somewhat expected this... in that case, I'll be leaving for London soon enough."

Another moment of silence, "I'm calling you... to say that I owe you an apology and a bout of gratitude." 

That's probably the last thing Kyoya ever expected to come through the mouth of your father and through the phone to his ears. 

"I'm not sure I understand what you mean." Kyoya's brows furrow with a baffled expression. 

"I've just caught word of the nameless backer that returned your father's company to him. The initials couldn't have been any less inconspicuous, you know."

Is... that a speck of sarcasm in your father's tone that he hears? One surprise after another. 

"And you gave it up."

Kyoya exhales, "Yes, sir, I did." 

"If I'm not mistaken, that's thanks to my daughter, is it not?" 

At the mention of you, Kyoya swivels his head to find you in the crowd. You're being tossed between Hikaru and Kaoru, respectively. He can hear your indistinguishable shouts of alarm as you're switched to and fro. 

"You guys!!"

If Kyoya weren't on the phone with your father, he would laugh. Instead, he shakes his head to himself, a fond simper tugging at the corners of his lips, "Indeed." Kyoya affirms. 

"I also caught wind... that you know of a certain unfortunate incident that transpired under my company some years ago."

Kyoya's heart drops to his stomach. Your debt. He's talking about the safety error found in the l/n Model 7 that he kept for years above your head. 

"And I wanted to thank you. You managed to keep that secret for God knows how long... I still wonder how you found out, but nonetheless, you didn't..." Your father pauses with a heavy exhale, forfeiting his next choice of words. 

"And I know that it was for the sake of my daughter and her continued financial security, but in turn, you also saved me from a world of trouble."

Kyoya inhales deeply, "I care for your daughter more than you know, sir, and I want to ensure that she is always safe in every sense. Whatever that may mean." 

The statement has a self-evident underlying meaning, and it certainly does not fly unnoticed over your father's head.  

"I'm going to continue to London. I believe that my daughter would appreciate the space for the time being. I trust that she would be more than happy to have the house to herself. But I need someone to check up on her every now and then. I think you're the man for the job."

It's becoming increasingly clear to Kyoya that your father is a man that does, indeed, care deeply for you and your well-being. Despite his doubt, he realizes that you were able to look past all of his outer behaviors and many, many flaws and see his inner workings. 

Your father trusts Kyoya to keep you safe. And although he may fight it, Kyoya's heart flutters gently at the notion, "No danger will come to her as long as there is breath in my body; you can be sure of that." 

Sitting alone in his grounded private jet, your father nods to himself. "Good, good. I hope you mean that. And I trust you'll relay the message to y/n."

"I will." Shortly after his reply, the line goes dead. Kyoya brings his cell phone away from his cheek and shuts it promptly, stuffing it into his blazer pocket with a newfound sense of pride. 

It isn't long before Kyoya finds you after he begins his search, squeezed tightly in Tamaki's arms as he shields you away from two griping ginger-haired brothers. 

"You can't just toss my daughter around like a rag-doll! Have some respect!" Tamaki hollers. You, on the other hand, look like you're about to asphyxiate with Tamaki's constricting arms around your body. 

"Alright, that's enough." Kyoya intervenes firmly. 

Tamaki is quick to relinquish his grasp on you, startled by Kyoya's appearance. You inhale with a gasp, clearing your throat with relief shortly after. 

"I will dance with you later, Tamaki. Go find Haruhi." You pat Tamaki on the shoulder, ignoring the pink tint that spreads across the apples of his cheeks and the tip of his nose before turning to Kyoya eagerly. 

"So? Who was it? You were talking to them for a while." You adjust his collar absently, peering up at him expectantly. 

"We'll talk about it later. For now, I just want to dance with you." Kyoya pleads softly. 

You sigh, "You already danced with me, darling." You tease. 

"Then let's just sway here, alright?" Instead of assuming the traditional position for a waltz like your surrounding peers, Kyoya slides both hands to your waist and encourages you to sling both arms lazily over his shoulders. You do just as you're told. 

"You're cute; I like you." You giggle once your mouth is within proximity to his ear, nudging his head with your own. 

"Like me?" Kyoya raises a playful brow, not that you can see it, but you can practically hear it. 

"Fine. Love you." It seems as though neither of you can get enough of hearing or saying the word. 

"You're ridiculous." Kyoya scoffs. 

"Mhm, but you love me." You sing with a playful tone. 

"Indeed, I do." 

If Kyoya could have written his own story in middle school, he knows it would have a different plot than it does now. But when he looks into your eyes in this moment, watching them sparkling at him with such adoration like the stars above, the reflection of the beautiful fireworks in your irises, he knows that he could rewrite his story time and time again, and it would always end in some shape or form with you by his side. 

You know that you can count on your fearless confidant to pick you up when you fall and kneel with you when you're down. You know that in his arms, you are safe. Safe from the godforsaken world, safe from reality, safe from any hardship you might face. 

Only those with excellent social standing and those from filthy rich families are lucky enough to spend their time here at the elite, private school Ouran Academy. The Ouran Host Club is where the school's handsomest boys entertain with too much time on their hands entertain young ladies who also have way too much time on their hands. Just think of it as Ouran Academy's elegant playground for the super rich and beautiful. 

Remember, you're welcome to come and visit us in Music Room #3 whenever you'd like. The Ouran Host Club will be waiting for you.

And we wanna thank you, from the bottom of our hearts.

We hope you'll stay tuned, for our author has a lot more planned for our future. 

We'll see you then!!

~FIN~

🎵I run and run a thousand miles, and I am barely breathing. Only the fuel of a passionate heart keeps this body strong and moving forward.

Could it be I found a place to rest? How far until I’m OK?

Trees of the town reveal the time has come once again to shift our shade and colors. 🎵

🎵The world always changes around us but weakness will always remain;

Through all the pain, believe in who we are right here and now! 🎵

🎵Raise one hand to the sky; raise them both lift them high!!

And you’ll cut through the darkness make it go!

The time to start is now! And I can show you how.

Start with me, and the world will be even bigger than ever before. 🎵 

want to read more? here's my ouran masterlist 🌹

and here's my bts blog💜

want me to write something you want to see? request something💌

have any questions? talk to my characters!🙏🏻

Adieu~ 🌹🌹🌹

[superm4ks]

Do you maybe know if there are articles with the reactions of younger drivers to max coming into f1? Like maybe what drivers like esteban, pierre, alex, charles or even like george were thinking at that time. I'm just really curious to know what the younger Gen of drivers (especially esteban since he won the previous championship) were saying when they saw one of their peers in a f1 car, winning in an f1 car, before they were even on the grid.

Thats a fun question!! idk if I went looking for it the right way but well here u go. 😽🌼

Just somethign to keep in mind is that teen athletes are literally being held at gunpoint at all times by somebody whose sole job is to make sure everybody likes them and they're like thee most employable people in the world. So they wont exactly come out and say how they feel in that moment u shud prolly look to older drivers or mentors or pundits for that. Also Reddit is down and that’s usually where u can find some real juicy and biased one liners without context. The real stuff yk.

Ok so in 2015/2016 I think all Esteban said when asked was that Max had become his 'reference point' and that he hoped to join Max in f1 and ‘eventually beat him’. But something he's admitted since then is that Max's f1 debut was 'difficult to swallow' because he was the one who was winning in f3 and yet Max got the invite. I think Esteban understands why and ultimately he used Max's achievement as motivation, and still does. Last year he called Max a ‘shining example of their generation of drivers’ which I thought was very beautiful.

Baby sharls declarations to the media on the other hand are literally just chatgp wid a mortal conscience. No fr. In 2014 he called Max a 'formidable rival' and said competing wid Max 'builds character' and 'multiple crashes wid Max on track gave him 'additional experience’ in his career. Also ‘coming within 2 seconds of Max Verstappen in KTM was exceptional’. 😭 bro had that experience section LOCKED he wasn’t taking any chances. George I couldn’t find any quotes from that year but George has always had a backhanded type of media game he likes to play wid Verstappen that imo, is very insecure and boring. Last year he said that Max was ‘very patient wid Red Bull’ because in ‘5 years he only won won like 8 races’ and now this season he’s won ‘like 15’. Even tho he ‘deserved to fight for titles sooner’ he didn’t have a ‘championship car’ and now he does so he can. Remarkable. George later adds to this completely unprompted that maybe if Max had ‘signed wid merc first’ and gotten Lewis Hamilton for a teammate’ he wudnt have had such an ‘easy time’ and maybe his career wud resemble George’s more. I have nothing to say to this because I’m an incredibly mature person and it’s pride month. I will instead take a sip of water and listen to my gf snore and wonder what nick latifi is doing. If hes happy.

Now here is where we’re gonna put the Max Generational Limit because the following drivers are all at least 2 years older than Max and had their careers inadvertently shaped by helmut putting an underage child in a f1 car.

So Daniil Kvyat as u can imagine wasn’t exactly ✨thrilled ✨ considering max went on to steal his seat ((and his baby mama.😐😐)). When asked about the mid season swap wid Max he said, ‘I don't know, 18 years old is probably on the edge. But who can say? It is his seat now and it is up to him to do something with it’. To Kvyats credit Max did do something wid it lmfao. He has also recently talked about rbr ‘stabbing him in the back’ and that he wishes he could’ve ‘competed wid Max in equal machinery’ in toro rosso which is funny to me because the mf who did that also got beat for the rbr seat. 😐

Carlos unfortunately suffered from the incurable Max Rivalry disease that has affected 1 in 100 drivers in the world is highly contagious and symptoms include: hallucinations, helmut marko hate crimes, possible mclaren implications. In 2014 while helmut was reshaping pediatric care under the guise of a ‘Junior Programme’ and floating the idea of signing Max because he’s literally allergic to not giving everybody the tea all the time Carlos immediately said he ‘deserved the rbr seat more than Max’ because ‘Max was third in his championship and was beat by another rookie’ ((ESTEBAN MENTION)) and Carlos was ‘the level above that’ which I presume is like Jesus. So ok he wasn’t. That’s fine, it happens, its the disease. Pierre. I don’t care for Pierre he was terminal.

Finally, Alex. Again I literally couldn’t find any direct quote from 2014-2016 about Max but in 2020 Alex said even in karting max was already ‘the young guy to beat’. He’s also made some infamous comments about the way rbr builds their cars that he’s had to backtrack and explain so many times and I kinda feel bad for him because he’s sm bigger than his time wid Red Bull it shouldn’t even matter anymore. However. He did give us this sexy quote on verstappen’s untamable big nosed twin: ‘And when I got into the Red Bull … I mean there was so much nose on the thing that if you blew on the wheel the car would turn. If you play Call of Duty, or a game like that, turn your sensitivity up to the highest it will go. That’s what it’s like to drive that car’ 😋

[ninus9607]

2. First day

The annoying sound of the alarm going off filled my bedroom. "Ugh, I hate mornings," I grumbled. I threw the duvet onto the floor, my feet touching the cold ground. In a sleepy state, I stumbled into the bathroom. Ugh, I look terrible. After a long shower, I made my favorite coffee and sat at the kitchen table. I can't start the day without morning coffee. I usually make a cappuccino.

While sipping my morning coffee, I began to feel quite hungry. Unfortunately, my fridge was empty, so I needed to go shopping. I don't know where. I looked up the nearest store and it's only 10 minutes away. Sounds perfect. I made sure to grab everything I needed, especially the house keys, before heading out. The path to the store passed through the main road, then through the park, and finally arrived at the shop. When I opened the door of the shop, I was delighted. It was huge compared to the shops I had back home in Europe. I walked through a few shelves and picked up the things I needed for at least a week.

And suddenly, my phone starts ringing. Meredith?

"Um, hello?"

"Where on earth are you?"

"Why are you so aggressive? I went to the store."

"You need to get to the hospital fast, Bailey's been yelling at me about where you are."

"And what do you mean, I'm not supposed to start until tomorrow?"

"You didn't check your emails? There's been a major car accident and Bailey wants everyone to come in. Hurry over here." she said and hung up the phone.

Fuck, I forgot to check those damn emails this morning, now I'm going to look like an idiot. Fuck me. And who's Bailey? She must be our boss. Anyway, I quickly made my way to the checkout to pay. I quickly ordered an Uber as soon as I left the shop. I arrived home in about 5 minutes to quickly put the shopping away and take the most important things to the hospital, even though I didn't know what to expect. It took me about 15 minutes to get to the hospital, but those 15 minutes felt like an hour to me, I was so nervous and so scared. I paid the driver and made my way to the hospital.

The hospital was very nice and huge from the outside. It already has a very professional look and feel. Lena, get your shit together. I took a deep breath and entered the hospital. It was huge. I arrived at the reception desk.

"Hi. Sorry to bother you, but could you tell me where I could find Chief?" An adorable nurse answered me and sent me to his office. Oh my god, I'm too gay for this...Lena stop, don't flirt with people from work on your first day. Although, that nurse was really pretty and kind. I quickly got rid of what I thought and arrived at the Office.

knock, knock

"Come in" I slowly opened the door to the office and stepped into it.

"Hi, I'm Doc. Anderson, I've been accepted as a new intern in your program and the nurse sent me to see you."

"Ah, yes Doc. Anderson, I'm Doc. Webber,  we have been waiting for you. Please sit down."

He seemed like a nice guy. During the interview, I was given all the details about participating in the program, signed the papers, and received the keys to the locker.

"That's it, I'm glad you've joined us, your work in Europe was amazing and I'm thrilled that you can do it in our hospital. Now, I believe it's time for you to join the team and help with the crash. Bailey doesn't like to wait." He said as he got up to walk me to the door.

"Yes, of course, Chief, I'll try my best" And with that, I left the room. I ran downstairs to change into my dressing gown. I met some people on the road. It was quite chaotic because of the accident. I opened the door to the changing room. It was almost empty. I found my locker, picked out my clothes, and started to change. Then I noticed a guy sitting on the bench next to me, staring at me.

"Are you going to tell me something? or are you going to keep looking at me?" I raised my eyebrows

"You're the new one, aren't you? I'm Alex Karev" He sat down closer to me.

"And if you want to have one of the best nights of your life, you can wit-" I didn't even let him finish that sentence

"No thanks Alex, Meredith has already told me about you, so don't waste time" I smiled at him and headed for the door.

"This isn't fair!" He cried out in falsity.

"Life is hard, darling, try to give syphilis to someone else." I laughed at him and walked out of the dressing room. I made my way through a few corridors until I was in sight of Meredith. I approached her from behind. I gave her a little elbow so she would notice me.

"Well, you've finally come." said the woman standing beside Meredith.

"Excuse me?"

"Cristina be nice! I'm sorry Len, this is Cristina I told you about"  Meredith immediately apologized

"The mean one? Oh, I remember." I smiled at Cristina

"We will be very good friends," Cristina said with a laugh.

"Why are you just standing there? Don't you have a job?" There was a loud voice behind me. I turned around and there was a woman with a surprised look on her face.

"You know I'm new here, I was just asking Meredith where to log in."

"I don't care if you're new, Grey and Yang go help Doc. Burke, he needs some interns and you" She stopped and pointed at me "Go to the Doc. Shepherd, he asked for someone clever, so let's see what you've got." She said, but she was looking at me weirdly the whole time, It must be Bailey, I can see why everyone calls her a Nazi.

"Yes, Doctor Bailey"

I went to see Doctor Shepherd, I crossed the room on my way to see him, but all of a sudden there was a terrible beeping sound. My body automatically turned and entered the room, the nurses loudly announcing that the patient's heart was in failure. There was no doctor in charge. If I didn't intervene, the patient would die. I quickly thought about what to do and gathered every ounce of courage I had. After trying to resuscitate didn't help. A plan quickly formed in my mind to save him. It was a very difficult plan, but probably my only option.

After 20 minutes the patient was stabilized again, my plan worked perfectly and it sounded like a miracle. The nurses were very surprised, and one of them even mentioned that she had never seen an intern do such a thing before. And at that moment, a man in his 40s, dressed in dark blue clothes, rolled into the room, it must have been Doc. Shepherd

"What happened here?" he said in a breathy voice, he must have run here.

One of the nurses spoke up "This intern saved a patient's life, the patient collapsed and no one was around until she came and rescued him. She proved it, even though resuscitation didn't work."

"Wow, I'm very impressed with what you've done, you're the new intern right?" he said, shaking my hand

"I'm Lena Anderson"

"Doctor Derek Shepherd, wait aren't you the neighbor of Meredith?"

"Yeah, How did you know?"

"Well, Uhm" He acted strangely, and I would even say that he blushed but before he answered, his pager beeped. I could see in his face how relieved he was that his pager beeped. Interesting 

"We have to go, just below with me, today you will be in my service, you deserved my admiration in those first days. I had to see what talent you had."

He said, and together we went to another patient. I think I can say that my first day at work won't be too bad.

AN: Now, the second chapter is behind me.It was very interesting writing but also a bit difficult as I don't know medics at all. I hope you enjoyed it and I will be glad for any feedback  

PS: YES DON'T BE AFRAID, AMELIA WILL APPEAR IN THE NEXT CHAPTER

xx

[nekoannie-chan]

Run

Title: Run.

Fandom: Marvel, Captain America.

Ship: Brock Rumlow X Sinthea Schmidt.

Word count: 555 words.

Square: N1 “A locked trunk.”

Rating: Teen.

Summary: Brock and Sin escaped from Steve.

Major Tags: Locked trunk, mission, mention of Dark Dimension.

Additional tags: This is my entry to @marvelrarepairbingo, @marvelrarepairs Marvel Rare Pair Round 3 2024. MRP-066.

Links: Wattpad, Ao3, Spanish version.

@saiyanprincessswanie

My native language is Spanish so I wanna improve my writing skills in English if you notice any mistakes, please let me know and I will correct them.

I don’t give any kind of permission for my fics to be posted on other platforms or languages (I translate myself my work) or the use of my graphics (my dividers are included in this), I did them exclusively for my fics, please respect my work and don't steal it. There are some people here who make dividers that anyone can use, mine is not this type, please look for the other people. The only exception is the ones I gifted 'cuz now belong to someone else. If you find any of my works on a different platform and are not one of my accounts, please let me know. Reblogs and comments are always welcome.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Marvel's characters (unfortunately), except for the original characters and the story.

Add yourself to my taglist here.

My other media where I publish:  Ao3, Wattpad, ffnet, TikTok, Instagram, Twitter. 

If you like it, please vote, comment, and give me feedback to improve my skills and reblog.

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Brock and Sinthea were on a secret operation on the outskirts of New York. They had stolen a valuable mystical artefact, which was necessary to achieve the link they wanted with the Dark Dimension. Everything was going according to plan until they got the news they least wanted to hear: Rogers was on to them.

“We have to move now," Sinthea said, her voice full of anger. Brock nodded; his jaw clenched. He knew that taking on Steve Rogers was not something to be taken lightly and would ruin all their plans.

As they quickly packed their belongings, the sound of a motorbike engine rumbled in the distance. There was no time to waste. They ran out to the car parked outside the warehouse. Brock threw the briefcase with the artefact into the back seat and jumped behind the wheel, with Sinthea at his side.

The car started up just as Steve's silhouette appeared in the rearview mirror. The chase was on. Brock stepped on the accelerator, winding through narrow streets and away from the city center. However, no matter how fast they went or what they tried, it seemed, no, rather, Steve Rogers was chasing them.

The road grew narrower and seemed endless. As they came to an old rusty metal bridge, Brock made a drastic decision.

“Hold on tight," he shouted, turning the steering wheel sharply. The car skidded, hurtling down a bumpy, weedy back road.

The sudden movement almost caused the car to overturn, but they managed to keep it under control. However, the situation took a turn for the worse in a matter of seconds and in an unexpected way; the car hit a large rock and lurched, coming to a halt with a high-pitched screech. With no time to assess the damage or try to figure out if the car would start, Brock and Sinthea jumped out of the car and ran towards an old barn they saw in the distance, without leaving the contraption behind.

They entered the barn and found a trap door on the floor. There was no other option so they opened the door and dropped into the dark underground space. They crawled towards a large wooden box, big enough for both of them to hide in.

With the sounds of Steve's boots approaching, Brock and Sinthea slipped into the box and carefully closed the lid. They knew Steve could find them at any moment, but Sinthea managed to spot a small exit, so they had to go out that way quietly while Steve searched the barn. Steve's footsteps approached, and for a moment, they both held their breath. 

They immediately left the place, they cursed, they were in the open, so they were an easy target, they both exchanged glances, there was no other option, otherwise Steve would find them, they ran to the car and hid in the boot. They stayed in the trunk for a couple of hours until they were sure that Steve was no longer around.

It was then that Brock was able to check the car, which indeed wouldn't start, so they had no choice but to walk for a while until they could find another vehicle.

“You know you can't run forever," Brock muttered, Sinthea nodded.

“I know. But today, we survive. Tomorrow, we plan our revenge," she replied.

[h-c-u]

Come here, loverboy...

Summary: Mav's first time being dominated by his partner. 

Pairing: sub!Pete "Maverick" Mitchell x dom!fem!reader

W/C: 3.9k

Rating: +18, orgasm denial, dom/sub, spanking, light choking, 

TWs: Bodily fluids, blood

A/N: Started writing it. Had a breakdown. Bon Appetite. (not even a crumb of plot)

Masterlist | List of tags

Maverick gave everyone the impression that he was this cocky and confident pilot, but you saw right through that when you laid your eyes on him for the first time. He was the brattiest brat you'd ever seen, and he simply needed someone to put him in his place.

Sure, at first you made him think that he hooked and sunk you, so the expression of confusion when you left the bar without even saying goodbye was even more delicious. He chased you and still tried to swoon at you, but you only cooed at him dismissively.

- I don't need a brat to take home with me tonight, love. - he didn't know that yet, but you'd indeed had plans for him, just not the ones he was thinking of, and you were more than willing to wait. Although you had a sneaky suspicion that you wouldn't have to. 

- What? I'm not a brat! - he seemed genuinely offended at that notion, but something clicked in his brain.

- Oh, but you are. - you gently patted his cheek, observing how his expression changed. - Find me when you're ready to be a good boy, love. - and with that, you were off, leaving him in your rearview mirror. It wasn't long before you saw a motorcycle closing in behind you and following you to your house. You knew of course it was him, because who else could it be...? 

When you exited your car, he was already off his bike, not sure what to do next, but you didn't help him. If he wanted to be a good boy, he had to at least show some initiative in that. 

- I am a brat... - he finally stated; his voice confident, even if quiet, but he wasn't able to look you in the eye. 

- And...? - you asked after a long break. After all, if he really wanted something, he'd have to work for it; you weren't just another one of his conquests. 

- And I'm ready to be a good boy... - he said a bit quieter, still unable to raise his gaze. You didn't say anything, just crossed your arms on your chest and looked at him expectantly, so when he finally looked at you, he was met with clear disappointment. - I'm ready to be your good boy, ma'am. - he said, raising his chin up as if he tried to hold onto the dignity that was currently slipping through his fingers. 

- Doesn't really sound like it, love... - you just shook your head disapprovingly and sighed heavily. - But let's see what can be done with you... Follow me. - and he did. Just a few steps behind you right through the threshold. You closed and locked the door behind both of you. 

- Kneel. - you've said, and he looked at you, pure surprise on his face, but one raised eyebrow from you was enough for him to follow instructions and fall to his knees, which was met with a satisfied hum from you. - Stay here. Knees apart, hands behind your back, eyes up. - and he changed his position to the one you demanded. He acutely observed your every move, even as small as undoing small buckles on your sandals, but he didn't move, even though he wanted to crawl and undo them with his teeth for you. 

But then you disappeared from his sight... At first, he was a bit amused, but then he heard the sound of running water in the distance and he realized that he smelled of cigarette smoke and cheap bear, which wasn't the best, and it made him uncomfortable enough that he started to wriggle on his heals, unsure what the rest of the evening entailed. He was getting impatient because he was following your instructions and didn't get anything in return. He started to get up, to at least check on what you were doing, but unfortunately for him, you came back just as he was on his feet, frozen in a moment like a deer in headlights.

- If you want to leave, I'm not holding you hostage. You know where the doors are. - you've said, evidently giving him time to change his mind, but he only hung his head in shame and went back to his knees. - Do you have a preferred safeword or any hard noes? - you asked, not moving from the place you were standing. 

- No, ma'am. - oh, so he was really fresh to this. You sighed gently. 

- Quick course then. Never say you don't have any hard noes, especially if you haven't tried anything. - he blushed a little bit because he was trying to hide from you exactly how new to all of this he was. - We're gonna use the standard color scale tonight, and I will be checking with you from time to time, even if you won't be using it. Green means that everything is ok, yellow will make me stop and check in with you, and red is a hard stop. I will always abide by them without any questions or comments. Do you understand? - he nodded. - How are you with pain? - the question surprised him because apparently, the thought didn't even cross his mind when was telling you that he didn't have any hard noes. 

- I'm... open to it. - he finally replied. It took some time, but he seemed cautiously curious. 

- Are you allergic to latex or silicone? - another confused look, but he shook his head for no. - Good. Don't move. - you closed the distance between you two at last, and he leaned to try to kiss you, which earned him a slap to the face. - I said don't move, brat. - he clenched his jaw, heat spreading on his skin. Fortunately for him, you weren't wearing any jewelry tonight, because it might have stung much more. 

- I'm sorry, ma'am. - he mumbled under his breath, looking at the ground, and you honestly weren't sure if he was forgetting himself so quickly, or just wanted to be punished. 

You gently took his leather jacket off and put it on yourself. Only now he realized that you must have taken your shirt off when you were gone because you were currently wearing only your bra on the top part of your body. You kneeled in front of him and moved his leg to unlace his shoe, which took him by surprise. You also took it off for him, and qucly did the same with the second one. Sure, you could have told him to do that, but it was much more fun to watch him squirm under your touch, completely unused to this type of attention. 

You traced your hands up his thighs and unbuckled his belt, without even touching his most sensitive area, and yet, you could see it filled more than it was. This was going to be fun... 

- Undress. Everything. Leave it at the door and when you're ready, crawl to the bedroom, the doors will be open. - you quickly cupped his manhood through the thick material of his jeans and left him speechless, while you headed to the bedroom to finish preparing everything there. There was not much left since the lube and a bowl of warm water were already on the nightstand. You only put a fresh towel on the bed, just in case. 

He joined you there surprisingly quickly. On all fours, like you requested, and with a heavy cock hanging between his legs. 

- You lied to me. - you've said. - You told me you were ready to be a good boy for me, yet I leave you for a minute and you couldn't follow a simple command. - he realized that you were serious. - Or your silly little brain just couldn't process one thing for longer than a minute... Either way, I've had dogs who were better at following instructions than you... - your voice was soft, even if your words cut deeply. - You're not a good boy, you're a brat. And bratty behavior will be punished under this roof, do you understand? - he nodded, ready to sit on his heels and get his hands off the ground, but one warning look from you stopped him from doing that.  

You sat on the edge of the bed and patted your knees, letting him what to do next. You didn't want to use a paddle or a riding crop during his first time, but you had a sneaking suspicion that there won't be long before he'll start begging for them. 

He splayed on your knees without a word, only a short squeal when you grabbed his hips and pulled them closer to you, so he wouldn't be able to slip so easily. It was a surprise, since you pinned him more as a suffer-in-silence guy, and the sound he made was simply adorable. Not adorable enough to convince you to go easier on him though. 

- 20 should be enough for now, what do you say, brat...? - he already hid his face in his hands, but he couldn't hide the erection that was growing against your thigh. - And just so we're clear, you're not allowed to cum yet, do you understand? - you couldn't see his face, but you were ready to put in a good sum of money on the fact, that it was red. 

- Green... - he said quietly, earning a smile from you. 

- Good boy... - you've gently patted his ass almost lovingly. - You're going to count. - you've said, relaxed your wrist, and slapped him right in the center of his right cheek hard and without any warning. And the motherfucker moaned so loud, that it caught you by surprise... It will be so fun to take him apart... 

- One... - he said almost out of breath and you hummed in agreement, gently massaging the place on his skin you just hit, the red outline of your hand already visible. The second one landed on his left cheek almost a mirror to the first. He moaned again, this time a bit quieter, but still with a full chest. You could feel his cock twitch in between your thighs. You couldn't help but wonder if you'd be able to make him cum only with spanking. 

- Two... - his voice was so desperate, but he didn't even know for what. - Three... Four... - you alternated your focus between both cheeks. Usually, you would aim for that place where the cheek was meeting with a thigh since it stung the most, but you wanted to give him as good of a time as possible during his first time with you. He was counting, moaning, but when you heard a sob, you stopped immediately. 

- Color? - he looked at you with tears streaming down his cheeks and for a fraction of a second you were worried you went too far. 

- Green. - he said through gritted teeth. - So fucking green. Harder. Please, ma'am... - oh he looked so delicious like that and you couldn't help but grin. You pulled his hips back into the perfect position and closed your thighs a bit, so his fully erect cock was now trapped in between them. You obliged his request, by taking wider swings and allowing your hand to hit a bit lower than a center, so few of your fingers landed on that sweet place connecting his ass to his legs. 

He continued to count diligently, even if saying the words took him a bit longer with each hit now, but when you got to 17...

- Yellow, yellow, yellow...! - he screamed and you immediately stopped, moved your hand to his chin, and forced him to look at you. 

- What's wrong? Do you want to stop...? - you asked in a soft, calming tone, as to let him know you won't be mad, disappointed, or anything else. 

- No! - he said almost immediately. - Just... - the embarrassment slowly started to leak into his eyes. - You've said I wasn't allowed to cum... - his voice barely a whisper, and only now you realized how much of his pre-cum was smeared on your thighs. 

- Awwww... - you couldn't help but smile; it was almost adorable how at the moment he valued your orders more than his own release. - Such a good and needy boy...

- I'm good to continue... just... a few seconds... - he said and you cupped his face. 

- That was good... Not only following the instructions, but the fact that you didn't hesitate to use the safe word. - you've praised him, and rubbed the tears from his eyes with your thumb. He looked so beautiful so messed up... You couldn't help but wonder if he'd be open to wearing some eyeliner or mascara just so you could ruin it and mess him up even more. 

- I'm ready for the last three... - he was still hard against you, but he wasn't crying anymore, and his breath was steady and calm. And if he was sure that he could handle the last three, who were you to deny him that? But you did something different... You didn't wait for him to count, quickly and harshly hitting the same, precise spot three times in a row, and he cried out loud, trying to get away for the last one, but you still managed to land it exactly where you wanted. 

His skin was such a pretty shade of red, and as soon as he realized that was it, he relaxed on his knees a bit, shoulders and arms slumping on the bed, with his face buried deep in the sheet. 

- You did very good... - you whispered, while gently rubbing your hand on his ass, soothing the pain you caused. - Such a good boy... Do you think you deserve a reward for being so good during your punishment...? - he groaned into the mattress and nodded his head, apparently too gone for words, at least for now, and you couldn't stop a chuckle from leaving your chest. - Come here... - you helped him raise up, but he slipped to the floor and landed on his knees in front of you. He didn't sit on his heels though...

You grabbed his jaw and forced him to look up. His eyes were glassy and in such a beautiful shade of green. His cheeks were so beautifully pink and wet from his tears, that you wanted to lick them. His parched lips were so plump from biting that you wanted to soothe them.

- Beautiful... - you couldn't help yourself and brought his face closer to yours and placed a soft kiss on his lips; a huge contrast to your fingers digging into his jaw and stopping him from diving deeper into you. You forced him to stand up and made him switch places with you, so now he was the one sitting on the edge of the bed, you quickly took off your panties and kicked them away. You nudged him a bit more and he moved further away on the bed, making a bit more space for you. 

You straddled him, putting your knees around his hips, and gently started grinding against him, without letting his jaw from your fingers.

- You're not allowed to cum yet... You did well, but you still have a lot to prove, so you're going to let me use your body to get off... - your whisperes soft, gentle against his lips; a complete contrast to the words you were saying. - And I will allow you to cum... Only after I will for the second time, understood? - he seemed genuinely terrified at the idea of waiting that long and was clearly not sure if he'll manage to last that long. On the other hand... He realized that the punishment almost made him cum, and he wouldn't entirely mind if it was to happen again. 

- Green... - he said cautiously, and you couldn't help but smile. He was learning quickly and apparently accepted his new role. You couldn't help but wonder how would that affect his future encounters... Will he still seek other stupid girls to boss around, or did you spoil him for them...? 

You reached in between you two and guided him inside you... At first, you only sank just the tip, feeling his whole body tensing up under you, while your walls were slowly stretching around him. You released his jaw and put both of your hands on his shoulders to stabilize yourself better on the soft mattress. 

- Can I please touch you...? - his voice was barely a whisper, and yet it hugged you warmly. 

- Yes, you can. - you smiled. You didn't give him any limitations as to where exactly he could touch you, because you were curious about what he would do. His touch was very light against your skin, almost like an echo. He slipped his hands under his own leather jacket that you were still wearing and pulled you a bit closer to him, but he didn't try to force you to do anything... He just wanted to hold you close, so you wouldn't slip away. 

You finally started sinking down, taking him deeper inside you, and he inhaled sharply, his arms tightening around you as if he was afraid that you could disappear any second. 

- Can I please kiss your chest and suck on your nipples...? - he was on his best behavior after the initial mess-up, politely asking for everything, and you nodded, while you slowly rose up, feeling his penis drag against that sweet bundle of nerves inside you. 

He slowly started placing small kisses on your neck and moved lower, not missing a single patch of skin, while you were slowly rising up and sinking onto him; a welcome distraction, something else to focus on besides his throbbing cock deep inside you... You moved one of your hands to the back of his head and grabbed a fistful of his hair. You didn't pull him away, just a small reminder of who was in charge... 

He dug his fingers deeper into the skin on your back, and you couldn't help but moan a little, because, at the same time, he moved the material of your bra with his tongue, to get to the nipple and sucked it in. He of course noticed your reaction and immediately did that with the other one, which rewarded him with another moan from between your lips. It was so easy to use him as you wished, changing the angle to your liking, having him touch you all over while you were still wearing his clothes... 

You clenched around him and he let out a harsh breath and immediately bit his lower lip to the blood. 

- Hey, hey, hey... None of that... No hurting yourself on my watch... - you immediately stopped moving, put your finger under his chin, and separated his lips with your thumb.

- I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm fine... - he repeated it like a mantra, his thoughts obviously occupied by something else. 

- What's your color, baby...? - you checked with him, catching his gaze and without words forcing him to match his breath with your's which was much slower.

- Green, so fucking green, but I'm going to cum, you just feel so good... - there were tears gathering in the corners of his eyes. - So fucking good around me... I wanna cum so bad, ma'am, but you told me not to and I want to be good, but you feel so good... - he almost didn't have control over the words that were coming out of his mouth. Everything in his brain was scrambled. You closed your lips around his lower lip and sucked on it gently, tasting his blood. He almost immediately tried to make the kiss deeper, but you firmly held his head by the hair in one place. - You feel so good, just so good... - he was still whispering against your skin. 

- Since it's our first time together... - you pulled him away and looked him in the eyes. - I'm going to allow you to cum after I'll cum only once, but I will still have to do that first... And you will owe me one orgasm in the future since I'm so graciously letting it go for now. Are you ok with that...? - he was so lost in his own pleasure and so set on not getting release just yet, that it was truly adorable. - Focus. - your tone sharpened and grounded him in reality. 

- Yes, I am more than fine with that... - he said, finally focusing his train of thoughts on you. 

- Now... I was getting close, so if you'll keep making those silly little noises, I won't last long... - you run your thumb on his lower lip, smearing the blood on it. - Can you do that for me, sweet boy...? - you asked and he nodded enthusiastically. - Good... I will start moving now... - you informed him and continued to hold his gaze. After just a few seconds he moaned so prettily that you couldn't help but smile. With your every move, his moans became higher, needier, and more desperate... He was still focused so much on not coming that he didn't realize that your walls started clenching around him and you rode him through the whole orgasm... Only when you slumped against his body and slowly kissed him, licking the dried blood from his lip, he realized that you indeed came. It took you a moment to compose yourself, while he was patiently waiting for your next decision. 

But instead of saying anything, you started grinding against him again. This time your moves were much more shallow and you didn't let him slip too much out of you. Tears were streaming down his cheeks, his jaw clenched and he looked at you pleadingly unable to do anything more. You moved your right hand to his throat, found his artery, and put pressure on it, while he slowly started following your moves, instead of meeting them in the middle. Your hand didn't go near his windpipe, because you didn't want to accidentally damage it... But by putting enough pressure on his artery, the blood supply to his brain was slowly getting cut, making him more dizzy and high with every gasp of breath. 

- You can cum now... - you whispered and kissed him deeply, not releasing his throat yes, so all the sensations would be heightened. And he did. He spilled so violently inside you, that you could actually feel every shot against your walls. His arms were almost crushing your ribs under the jacket. He cried from relief straight into your mouth and you drank it with pleasure, and when he finally stopped convulsing under you, you released your hand from his throat, allowing all the oxygenated blood to rush to his brain, continuing the high he was currently on. 

- Fuck... Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck... - he whispered against your lips, trying to process exactly what was happening. 

- Shhh, shhh, shhhhhhhh... It's alright... Just ride it through... - you whispered, putting your forehead against his and gently moving your hand to his neck. You knew his orgasm was much stronger than yours, but you didn't mind; you were just so happy to see him break under our touch, and that was what got you off more than anything; that primal power over another person was what you craved and nothing else could compare. 

- Fuck... - he whispered one last time and moved forward to hide his face in the nook of your neck. - Give me like 20 minutes and I'll be ready for more... But I need those 20 minutes to recover because right now I literally can't move... - your laugh was genuine and sounded pleasantly in his ears. You couldn't wait for the rest of the night. 

[alittlextrathatway]

Line: "And I'm highly suspicious that everyone who sees you wants you." Location: supermarket

High School AU time again.

You can find parts 1 & 2: here and here

***

Matt had a very different plan for Homecoming.

Nice suit, fancy dinner, dancing, Severide's after party...

But then he pulled a bonehead move and forgot to pick up his dad's old suit from the cleaners where his sister had helped him arrange and pay for alterations. If it were up to him, he wouldn't touch anything that used to be his dad's. As much as losing him threw Matt's life into upheaval and deprived him of any hope of repairing their relationship someday, he knows he's better off without him. However, he can't afford a new suit so his only option, apart from just not going, is to repurpose something of his dad's. Or at least it was.

Now, he's screwed.

He calls Sylvie as he gets back into his car, staring mournfully at the dark storefront. He's such an idiot.

"Hey! Everything okay?"

"No. I'm a moron."

"I very much doubt that."

"Yeah, hold that thought till after I tell you what's happened."

He recounts the story of agreeing to work for a friend of his mom's who runs a construction business and of how the job ran later than expected. He was in such a rush to leave that he forgot he still needed to pick up his dress clothes until he was stepping out of the shower. And by then the cleaners had already been closed for 10 minutes.

"I don't have any thing I can wear instead. Not to a dance. Not when you've probably got a beautiful dress picked out -- If I show up in slacks and a polo I'd embarrass the hell out of you."

"You wouldn't," Sylvie assures him. "At last year's Homecoming in Fowlerton my ex boyfriend wore jeans and a cowboy hat. I don't mind farmer wear on a daily basis but to a dance? I wanted to throttle him. Slacks and a polo would be perfectly acceptable to me."

He starts to think maybe he didn't ruin her first school dance in Chicago until she finishes her thought.

"But unfortunately the school dress code for the dance isn't quite so flexible."

Shit. He forgot about the school dress code. Even if he did work something out, they wouldn't let him in.

"Dammit, you're right. I'm so sorry, Sylvie. This is not how I wanted our first date to go. Maybe we can try again some other night?"

"Try again?" She asks, sounding appalled at the suggestion. "You're not getting out of tonight that easily, Matt Casey. Pick me up at 7 and wear slacks and a polo just like we talked about. I have an idea."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. Just because we can't go to the dance doesn't mean we can't hang out."

He shows up two hours later with a small bouquet of flowers and another apology ready to go, but his mind goes instantly blank when Sylvie answers the door in her Homecoming dress. It's a satin baby blue dress that matches the exact shade of her eyes. The top scoops, but is too high to be considered anything but modest and the front of the skirt skims the tops of her knees and then lengthens at the back. The fabric flows in a way that makes him think of a waterfall, gorgeous and serene. He's at a loss for any substantial words.

"Uh, wow. Hi."

She giggles and blushes, glancing down at her strappy silver heels. "Hi. Let me get my coat and we can go."

As she turns to head back inside he gets a glimpse of the back of the dress. It ties across her back in a wide bow and then leaves three inches of her skin exposed above the waistline of the skirt.

Yeah, a coat. She needs a coat. The urge to touch that little bit of smooth skin is going to take all the self control he has. She comes back with a black peacoat. It's on but open, the buttons undone and the sash untied.

She grabs his hand as she passes him and drags him down he hall toward her building's elevator. "Let's go before my mom forces us to take a million pictures."

They make it down to his truck very clumsily. Sylvie tripped over her shoes one or two times. Lucky for them both, Matt's got fast reflexes and caught her arm both times. They're laughing as he holds open his passenger door for her and offers his hand to help her climb in. Once she's settled he closes the door and hops in himself.

"So, what's the plan, boss?" Matt asks as he starts his truck.

"Oh, boss. I like that," Sylvie says with a smirk.

That smirk makes him want to lean across the middle console and kiss her, but he holds off. He'll wait for her to give him the green light.

"Head to the supermarket around the corner," Sylvie instructs.

"Supermarket?" Matt asks with a furrowed brow.

"Trust me."

He drives around the corner and parallel parks. As he parks, the reason Sylvie directed them here becomes clear. It's one of those markets with a salad bar and a hot buffet. Everything is fresh and affordable and can be packed up to go. "We're having supermarket hot wings?"

She laughs and nods. "Sure, if you want. I thought we'd pick up food here and then go have a picnic on the football field. No one will be there and we'll even be able to hear the DJ they hired for the dance. It'll be like our own private Homecoming celebration."

Oh, that's perfect, actually. Of course she'd think of that. She's brilliant. "That sounds like the best idea I've heard all day."

They get out and walk toward the supermarket. Sylvie grabs his hand as they pass through the automatic doors. He adjusts their hands to tangle their fingers together. The smile she points at him afterward is nothing short of radiant.

They each pick out an entree, a side, and a drink and head to the registers. The meal is easily more affordable than the fancy dinner he assumed he would need to treat her to and Sylvie seems just as excited about this food as she would about anything else.

She leans toward him to speak in a low voice as they wait their turn in line. "This chicken salad is amazing. I've been dreaming about it all week."

When they reach the cashier, Matt waves. They had English together last year. It must suck to have to work the night of the dance. "Hey, Naomi."

She smiles sweetly at him, flicking her hair over her shoulder. "Matt, hi! I thought you'd be at the dance. What are you doing here?"

"We're on our way there," he replies. It's not technically a lie. They are going to the school after all. "But my date," he says nodding toward Sylvie and pointing a teasing grin at her. "Just had to have some of this chicken salad so here we are."

"Date?" Naomi asks, eyes widening with curiosity. "I just assumed you'd be going with Gabby again."

"Ah, no, Gabby and I broke up last year." He distracts himself from the interest in Naomi's stare and the awkward question by pulling his wallet out of his back pocket. He nods to Sylvie again. "Have you met Sylvie Brett? She just started at our school this year."

Sylvie smiles but Matt can tell it's forced. Naomi skims a gaze over Sylvie but seems unimpressed. "I wish I'd known you were available. I've got to find better sources for my gossip."

"Yeah, okay," Matt says with a wince. "Can you ring us up? We're sort of eager to get going."

The smile on Sylvie's face doesn't waiver but he can see her eyes narrowing every so slightly. "By the way," she says, in a firm yet overly polite voice. "He's not."

"Not what?" Naomi asks as she turns her attention to the register and rings up their items.

"Available."

Matt should be offended that Sylvie's speaking for him. He used to hate it when Gabby did that and she did it a lot. But this moment with Sylvie is different. He's too thrilled to hear her claim him to care that she hasn't run it by him first.

That one word grabs Naomi's attention. She quirks a brow at Sylvie but otherwise ignores her, choosing to tell Matt his total instead. He pays, grabs Sylvie's hand, and leads them outside.

"Oh my god," Sylvie says, closing her eyes and hiding her face in his shoulder. "I can't believe I just did that. I am so sorry."

"Sylvie, really, it's fine--"

"No, I shouldn't have said that without talking to you about it first. Just because we're going on one date doesn't mean that you want everyone to think you're taken or that we're an item or something and I just went and blabbed that we are to -- whoever the heck that was. She was just so rude and blatantly checking you out right in front of me! It made me so mad and-- and--"

"Jealous?" He suggests, interrupting her with a mirthful smirk.

"Do not let that go to your head," she warns, her face flushing in embarrassment.

"Too late," he replies, taking her food from her and setting both their meals on the hood of his car. "Sylvie Brett just told the biggest gossip in school that I'm hers. If anything's gonna puff up my ego, it's that. Next time Sheffield comes sniffing around I'll be sure to tell him you're unavailable too. Truthfully, I can't wait. Maybe we'll run into him tonight."

"Wait, hold on," Sylvie says, stepping closer to him. "You're happy I basically told her you're mine like a jealous girlfriend?"

He shrugs, barely withholding a gleeful smile. "Like you said, she was rude. Naomi kinda deserved it. Plus, what if I told you I want you to be my girlfriend?"

Her confusion melts into elation. "You do?"

"More than anything."

She laughs and then bounces up onto her toes, grabbing his face and bringing his lips down to hers. It's a quick, excited kiss. Passionate but over much too soon. He responds by wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her against him, resting his forehead on hers.

"Is that a yes?"

"That's a hell yes," Sylvie says, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Thank God," Matt says before he swoops in for another kiss. This one is deeper and longer and far more exploratory. Kissing Sylvie Brett is already one of his favorite memories and it's not even over yet. Nor will this be the last time he kisses her. No, he plans to keep coming back for more for as long as he can.

He never saw the new girl coming. She's flipped everything he thought he knew upside down and he's glad she did. His world needed a little shaking up. Thank God it was Sylvie that did the shaking. He doesn't want to imagine how his senior year would have started without her.

[devondespresso]

Find the Word Tag Game!!

tagged by @lingeringmirth and my words are: beloved, insipient, clever, diverse and pervasive

unfortunately, my vocabulary hasn't extended to any of these, outside of one joke use of "my beloved" in the planning notes of my doc, and since i see no rules I'm making my own and stealing (oh so evil) lingeringmirth's words (because i already know i use them all the time)

Tear, Frown, Skin, Heard, and Lean

Tear -

Steve shook his head, finally sitting up and breathing. “No, sorry I– hey, what’s wrong?” He leaned forward to get a better look at Dustin's face, and as his mind woke up he finally heard the shakiness of his breath and saw light reflecting off tears falling just below his eyes. Steve dropped his feet to the ground and gave Dustin the space to sit.

Frown -

The sound of scattered clinks came from behind them, stopping just as sudden as it started. Steve turned around and saw Mrs. Henderson paused after pouring cat food in a dish. She put the box down, opening the bag inside to put the food back. Steve turned back around quickly. He chanced a glance at Dustin, who was still looking back over his shoulder, eyes shiny and mouth hanging in a small frown. After a moment he turned back around, busying himself with spreading jelly but blinking too much to be really over it.

Skin - (the most painful one to just choose one from, so we picked my favouite from the Dustin pov chapter)

Dustin had to take another breath. At least he was getting it out of the way. Better now in the house with clean supplies than in the car, or the tunnels, where Upside Down stuff could get in and make him sick. He took the wet side again, trying to scrub the dried blood off while being gentle, using a different spot on the towel every time it got too dark. The dry blood was stubborn, sticking to the skin like a scab and he couldn’t be sure how hard he could scrub without hurting Steve more. Not that Steve could feel it right now.

Heard -

Steve huffed a laugh before pressing the button.  “Well right now I'm sitting in Dustin’s room talking to nerds on a walkie.” “You’re so funny, Harrington, now why are you at Dustin's?” Steve laughed again, this time letting it be heard, and leaned back against the dresser. “Hopper freaked when he heard my parents are out of town and can’t check to make sure I don't die in my sleep. Dustin volunteered his couch till they're back.”

Lean - (also difficult to choose, but mostly becuase it's apparently all i write with 84 appearances in my document, so heres the most recent one)

He turned back around to the house, looking just as he left it. He walked around to the back of the patio to grab the slipper that he dropped, but turning the corner he found the area empty. Steve tiptoed up to the sliding door, opening it just enough to slip inside. The house looked empty with one glance around. He slid the door shut behind him, intending to go upstairs, but a few steps into the room and he made eye-contact with his mom. Leaning against the kitchen wall, arms folded with the missing slipper in hand, watching and waiting for him to notice.

and im tagging @marvel-ous-m @eriquin @roguenancy @sharpbutsoft @itsthestrangestthings @findafight

and your words are: strange, shaking, smile, scratch, and still.

[unabashegirl]

Safely

Author's note: HAPPY NEW YEARS! I hope you all have plenty of blessings this year. I wish you lots of love and health. In honor of the holiday, I wanted to give you a little piece. A unique piece that only my members of Patreon will be able to read further on. I've been writing it for a few days, and I hope you like it. I was thinking of making her an OC (Patreon exclusive) and make other pieces based on their relationship and surroundings. Let me know in the comments if you liked it!

DISCLAIMER: I decided to make this an OC, exclusively for my Patreon's, but I wanted to share at least ONE PIECE with my Tumblr followers.

--

It had been an exceptionally long day at work, but she was finally getting into bed and getting some rest. The apartment was noticeably quiet, causing her to struggle to catch sleep. On top of it, her dog was away, and she felt unprotected. Either way, sleep got the most of her, and she allowed herself to fall into it.

“Hello?” Her phone had been ringing for what felt like hours even though it had only been two minutes. It had rung long enough to wake her up. She didn’t even bother to open her eyes to check the caller ID. Whomever it was they had pissed Y/N off.

“Kitten” A single word was enough to get rid of any grogginess from her. She pulled her phone away from her ear, trying to read the time. It read 3:06 causing her to groan.

“Please, don't tell me you are arrested again” She heard his attractive chuckle from the other side of the phone. She threw the covers off her body and sat up. Y/N already knew the answer, and she didn’t need it to come out of his lips.

“Where are you?”

“At the apartment” Y/N grabbed the first pair of jeans that she could find in the darkness.

“Why?” She rolled her eyes. He was going to lecture her. She was supposed to be staying in the house with the family. “The fuckin’ dog isn’t even there with yeh! You know where you are supposed to be when I am not home” She could picture him, spatting into the phone, worried about things that weren’t as important.

“This whole authoritarian attitude isn’t such a panty dropper like when we first met” She teased, enjoying how easily his buttons could get pushed.

“Call Henry and tell him to get here and take your ass home”

“Now?”

“Yes. Now, Y/N!” he hung up on her. He worried more about her safety than his. Sure, he had taught her how to defend herself, but he could never be too safe. He wasn’t rude or pushed her around, but his priority was always her safety. Ever since they met on that rainy day.

A stupid mistake had landed him in jail again. The fucking police officers had intercepted one of his calls and had busted in before Harry could put a bullet between the other man’s eyes. Although, the police were the least of his problems.

“Styles? You are free to go” Harry smiled with cockiness as he walked past him. “We’ll get you don’t worry” He stopped and turned to look at him. His eyes scanned for his name on his super chest.

“Copper isn’t?” He was straight out of the academy, and unfortunately, he still had no idea who he was dealing with. “I’ll make sure to remember your name officer cooper” It was an empty promise. He had no intention of going after the young officer. He just enjoyed making people uncomfortable. Harry also hated police officers.

“Here is your shit, Styles” an older officer threw him his phone, wallet, keys, and everything else that he had been carrying in his pockets when he had been detained. He remained quiet, picking his stuff off the counter. He could see Henry and the rest of his closest men outside, waiting for him. “I hope you see you soon here”. He just rolled his eyes and continued walking.

“Give me a cigarette” he interrupted Henry before he could say something to him. He had a few ears to pull or cut off. Henry closed his mouth; without any response, he gave him what he craved. “Let’s go home,” he said after he had gotten in the car. Harry didn’t want to say anything until he was in the comfort and safety of his house. He also craved Y/N. He wanted to see her, but he had to wait because business always came first for the family.

“Harry—”

“I SAID TAKE US HOME!” Henry then feared for his life.

----------

The state was on the outskirts of the city, and he preferred it like that. Even his father had opted for it when he was in charge. Of course, that had been a long time ago. It was much safer for everyone. The entire place was always patrolled by his men and cameras had been set up in every nook and cranny of the property which was why he had been so upset with Y/N earlier. Because there was no safer place.

“Lineup” he sternly dictated; he wasted no time. Harry was going to teach them a lesson in the foyer. He had no energy or patience to take them downstairs or to the other house where he usually took care of business. He lit up another cigarette, trying to ease the anger that was eating him up from the inside out. “Hope you don’t mind” he smiled sadistically, yanking a gun off one of his men. “What’s your name?”.

“Arthur, boss” He gulped heavily, trying his best not to pee on himself.

Harry Styles had a reputation. He ran London’s underworld. Men feared him and he liked it. His father and mother had been assassinated when he was only ten years old. His sister and he had been the only survivors in the family.

“Do you know how many men oversee my personal safety, Arthur?”

“N-no sir”

“Take a guess” he insisted as he finished his cigarette.

“20?”  Arthur looked around trying to estimate how many men were forming the line. Harry kept walking from one extreme to the other. He observed the men that had taken an oath to protect and be loyal to him.

“Get in the fuckin’ line, Henry!” He yelled, noticing that he stood behind him. “You know how I hate to repeat myself!”

“But boss—” Harry took four strides in his direction, and suddenly he was in his face. Henry closed his eyes for a second as he felt the cold metal against his temple.

“Don’t be fooled, Henry. I don’t care if you are my second in command. I won’t hesitate to paint the walls of this FUCKIN’ house with your brains. Don’t you ever talk back to me” He threatened. Harry usually wasn’t this stern, but everything had gone to shit tonight. Hence, why he was on the brim of shooting everyone. “Get in line,” he said between his teeth.

“30, Arthur. And do you know what they were doing today while I was in my meeting?” Harry knew who Arthur was, he was also aware that Arthur’s job wasn’t to keep them safe. Harry knew most of his men. He could recognize them by their faces and their names. It was his duty to know everyone who was working under his roof.

“N-no sir”

“They were playing with their balls and cocks!” He yelled then chuckled sarcastically, outraged by their careless behavior. He needed another smoke, and so he lit one up and took a drag. “Now take a step forward if you were in charge of Y/N’s personal security” Much to Harry’s distaste no one stepped forward which only angered him more. He felt as if the blood running through his veins was bubbling. “No one is going to step up. Really?” He yelled and the estate shook. “Peter”.

The man didn’t bulge and so it seemed like Harry was going to take care of it. He grabbed him by the collar and practically dragged him in front of everyone, with his cigarette still tucked between his lips.

“Were or weren’t you in charge of Y/N’s safety?” He asked, walking down the lengthy line of men.

“Sir, the thing is that —”

“ANSWER THE QUESTION! YES, OR NO?”

“Yes,” Harry turned his back to him as he tried his best not to shoot him in the head. He reminded himself that he wasn’t the same man that had met Y/N that cold afternoon. He had changed. His serenity didn’t last long. Suddenly, he turned around and shot Peter in the leg without hesitation or any remorse.

Peter’s screams echoed through the entire house. The bullet had perforated through the skin right below the knee. Everyone in the house could hear his piercing voice. Although no one said anything, and no one did anything. They feared the man holding the gun and respected him enough not to cross him.

“Let this be a lesson for every single one of you. Y/N must always be protected. Someone must always be with her. Especially when I am not around. Her security comes first” He spat and quietly walked up to Peter, who remained on the floor, applying pressure on his wound. He tried his best not to shed a single tear, but it was extremely hard. “Peter might have gotten away with it, but the next time something like this happens. I won’t be this lenient” he threatened.

Harry kneeled before him and pressed the gun to this wound instantly causing Peter to yell in agonizing pain.

“When I ask you to do something — you do it without hesitation. You are lucky that nothing happened to Y/N. Otherwise, I would have tortured you until you begged me to end your life. Make sure this doesn’t ever happen again” He dangerously whispered to him. “Consider yourself lucky, I’m giving you another chance” He retracted with a smile. “You are dismissed” he mumbled, reaching out for the handkerchief he kept in his pocket. Harry cleaned the blood off his gun and finished his cigarette.

Harry was his most patient with her, but not when it came to her safety. Once, he had come close to losing her — incredibly close. From that day forward he promised himself that he would never allow it again. He promised himself that if it ever happened again, he would let her go and never threaten again with her safety. He would detach himself permanently from her life. Even if it pained him and even if it killed him to see her go.

“That was quick” He found her, tucked in bed, her hair up in a bun with her big, framed glasses resting on the bridge of her nose. She paused her show, wanting to devote her utter attention to him. “What happened downstairs?” she had heard his rough tone but hadn’t been able to make out his exact words.

“Why were you in the apartment?” he asked bluntly, without responding to her. He pulled off his blazer, setting it on the futon by the end of the bed, and then proceeded to unbutton the cuffs of his shirt.

“Because it’s our apartment and I can sleep over there if I want to?”

“What was the only condition in staying in the apartment, pup?” He stood straight, chest puffed out, arms crossed across his chest. His eyebrow raised high and pursed his lips.

“Achilles always had to be with me but Har—”

“And where is Achilles, Y/N?” Harry interrupted her, trying to prove his point.

“Getting trained” Achilles was the dog that Harry had gotten her after she had been released from the hospital. It was a Doberman and after lots of tears and arguing Y/N finally allowed him to leave for training.  “So? I had a meeting with a dangerous man. A man that with the snap of his fingers could have sent someone to hurt you” He tried his best not to involve her with his business. He never gave her details or names unless she pressured him into it.  “I could have easily found you murdered in the apartment. Or worst, you could have been kidnapped and tortured! When will you learn? All the security that I send with you is for your safety” the thought of losing her made him want to kill himself.

“I am sorry” she frowned, seeing the desperation and concern in his eyes. Y/N was very stubborn, and she knew that she wasn’t easy to handle. “It’s just sometimes, their presence is overbearing, and I feel like I can’t breathe with so many of them around” her head hung low, and she genuinely looked regretful — not like the other times.

Harry exhaled loudly and walked up to the side of her bed. He sat by the edge and was incredibly close to her. He got a whiff of her scent and instantly felt his muscles relax. Y/N reached out, noticing the exhaustion and the bags under his eyes. She inched closer and cupped his face with her delicate hands.

“I shot Peter in the leg” he admitted as she squished his cheeks together like she always does before kissing him.

“Harry!”

“He’ll live” he rolled his eyes, “His job is to protect you when I am not around, and he failed miserably today” Y/N pecked his lips multiple times before allowing him to kiss her deeply. “Don’t ever go” he whispered as their foreheads were pressed against each other.

“I wouldn’t. I love you”

“Loving you is easy. Deserving you is something else” he whispered back.

[lolottes]

So…my cat died yesterday

She was 18 years old, she was my cat granny.

She was the family cat, then particularly my sister's cat, when she had babies and we kept one which became mine, he died (poisoned by a neighbor we suppose) she survived him, then we adopted a little cat so she wouldn't be alone and to help me bounce back, she also died (we also think poisoned), she also survived her, then we had a rescue which I was entrusted but ultimately preferred my mother, he was hit by a car, she also survived him, I moved in alone with her and realized that she was my cat, she no longer behaved with my sister like before but she behaved special way with me now, our bond has become more and more special and fusional over time

She had cancer of the gum (or at least which started to be visible there) which gradually took over the whole bottom of her mouth, she suffocated yesterday in my arms.

We knew it was coming, I saw the cancer disfigure her, even if she remained the cutest for me, I had to shower her because she couldn't clean herself anymore, I cleaned her face at every meal, I I had to remove the necrotic tissues as best I could (due to the unfortunate scratches she was scratching) from additional flesh due to cancer and had to remove dislodged teeth so that it wouldn't hurt her.. .I knew intellectually that this would happen…

That doesn't make it any easier

I'm going to try not to let myself get discouraged, after all it's her who wakes me up or encourages me to eat when I'm at my worst. She certainly wouldn't want me to let myself rot again

I was her human just as she was my cat. She was mine as much as I was hers. We were about equal or as equal as I think a cat and a human can be.

I miss her very much. Waking up without my little radiator against my side is clearly not the same thing. Hanging around here with a mouse in my right hand and without she fur under my left hand is not the same thing. Do not hug her gently when I cry or give her little kisses when I find something funny….

so RIP Minette

PS: it was my sister who gave it she name, I accept no responsibility (it like name is cat Kitty for French)

photo and anecdote under the cut

photo of her cute face asleep sticking out her tongue (before her cancer)

I interrupted the scratching without permission to take this photo, she was not very happy

she had just meowed until I moved my arm just right for her to settle down as she prefers when she wants my attention but not too much either

one of the first times she felt like getting under the covers, a huge step in confidence because she couldn't get out alone, she had to meow and I opened an exit for her

she was just cute, and it was one of the first times she fell asleep like that without me lying against her

her watching over her estate after we moved to town. I chose my current accommodation especially for the interior courtyard because she had lived all her life until she ended up in a family house with a garden and the possibility of going to the neighbors and even the little piece of forest not far away. My sister and I even brought her some branches from there

I had argued with her (I don't know why) but she decided to sulk me, and therefore sulk the bedroom, she dropped everything that I had put next to my internet router at the time for s 'install against it because it hums with heat

she managed to escape outside during one of her first showers. I finally caught my minette

she woke me up in the middle of the night playing the acrobat. she started this stupid thing again soooo many times

she having installed herself in chicken mode in the place where I was sitting just before going to the toilet. Look at the face that says: no, I've always been here, it's my rightful place! If you really want to settle down there you're going to have to do it around me!

I lifted her, placed myself cross legged then placed in the hollow of my legs and she did not move from there, she was satisfied with the situation, she is still technically in the same place and now surrounds me with my warm thighs