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thefanficmonster · 4 years ago

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Let Them Talk

Corpse Husband x Reader (Female) ft. Sykkuno

Warnings: Swearing, Jealousy

Genre: Fluff, a bit of Angst

Summary: We can all agree Among Us is a fun game on its own but what makes it ten times better is playing it with the right company. Y/N could agree 100% Being a streamer herself, she loves playing with the streamer gang that includes her boyfriend and best friend. But, what happens when her boyfriend starts doubting her feelings for him due to her close relationship with her best friend.

Requested by @cheetoscat . Thank you so much for your request! Sorry it took so long to write, I hope the final product is worth the wait. Enjoy! Love, Vy ❤

Y/AU/N - Your Among Us Name

I settle in my gaming chair, adjusting my webcam one last time before joining the Among Us lobby with my friends.

“Hi everyone!“ I say into the mic, a smile plastering itself on my face. Discord is a magical thing, man. It’s so easy to forget that the people you are talking to aren’t around you or within arm’s reach. You could be separated by miles and miles of land or - in our case - oceans as well. Distance becomes negligible when you hear your friends’ voices, their laughter; when you have a good time together despite being each behind a screen, often times alone.

Well, I’m one of those lucky ones that isn’t alone. No one knows that, though. Everyone thinks I’m a single, self-employed girl that’s straight out of college. And they are 90% right. Only thing is - I’m not single. That would be a shocker in and of itself, but revealing who’s changed my relationship status would be a bomb with a whole new intensity.

Speaking of my significant other who shall remain unnamed - just kidding, it’s Corpse - his form materializes in the doorway of my recording room. I give him a hand signal the camera isn’t able to capture, alerting him of the fact that my mic is on. He replies by blowing me a kiss and walking off down the hall to his recording room where he’ll be stationed for the next three or so hours.

I owe this relationship to my best friend Sykkuno. I’m a pretty new and not very well known on the platform, however, thanks to him I haven’t only obtained a boyfriend, but a following of a little over million subscribers as well.

It all started with an invitation to fill a spot in the Among Us lobby him and his friends had created. It took him quite a bit to convince me to join, but I eventually caved and agreed. Suddenly, there I was. In a Discord call, in an Among Us lobby with some of the most well-known names on this platform. I’m talking YouTube legends. I was that puppy playing with the big dogs. The newbie tagging along with the big leagues. Or at least that’s how I felt until we all started vibing - talking and teasing each other as though we’ve known each other for years and not minutes.

When I joined the call, Corpse wasn’t present. After everyone else introduced themselves, Sykkuno informed me that we were waiting for Corpse to return. The name sounded really cool to me and I was genuinely very excited to meet this Corpse guy.

And then, out of the blue - no prep, no warning...

“Did you get someone to fill the spot? Oh- Hello, Y/AU/N.“

…he started talking and he had me star-struck. Apparently, he also had me a blabbering mess cause I remember blurting out: “Whoa, who’s this guy speaking in bold and underlined at the same time?”

The entire lobby, including Corpse, laughed. Sean, or Jack like they called him most often, answered my question, “That is the voice of God, Y/N. Its source is named Corpse, though.”

Heat spread from the bottom of my neck to the tips of my ears. I was mortified by my own stupidity. I was well aware they couldn’t see me and I was incredibly thankful for that, but I simply could not get myself to open my eyes. “I’m so sorry.” I said through nervous laughter.

“No, no, I like that description. Bold and underlined at the same time, huh?“ His voice sounded even more pleasant when it had that teasing, mischievous note to it. That thought popping up in my head only made things worse for my self-esteem and only made me more embarrassed, causing me to hide my face in my hands. “You sure it’s not in Italics as well?“

His question got a weak laugh out of me. “Nope, definitely not. Nothing Italic about it.“

Yes, I don’t even know how some terrible jokes about MS Word fonts got me as far as a romantic relationship, but they did! We’ve been living together for quite some time now, dating for even longer - hiding it just as long. It’s not that we have been actively trying to hide it or something, we just wanted to see how long it would take someone to become sus of us. When we realized no one would notice, we decided that if any rumors about us started, or even fans shipping us, we’d come clean. That hasn’t happened either, so we haven’t had the proper chance to address our relationship and neither of us minds.

At this point, I’m honestly afraid of revealing it to the gaming squad. Sykkuno especially. He’s my best friend, after all. I can see him being hurt by the fact that I kept a secret so big even from him. The last thing I wanna do is hurt my best friend but it’s already too late for that, it’s inevitable.

“Y/N have you looked at Twitter today?“ Rae, another streamer I’ve become close with over the months, says urgently.

Overlooking the tension in her words, I answer: “Nope, haven’t had the time. Why? What’s up?“

Before Rae can say anything else, Sykkuno joins the conversation, his voice somehow even more urgent than Rae’s. “It’s nothing, Y/N. If you see it, just don’t let it bother you, ok?”

Hearing such a tone from Rae isn’t unusual, but hearing it from Sykkuno is completely different and a lot more worrisome. “Well if it has the potential of bothering me it can’t be nothing. What’s going on?”

Just then, my phone dings with two notifications. I check to see they are messages from Rae.

“I sent you screenshots. Sorry, Sykkuno. She has to know in order to address it and defuse it as well. I know better than anyone how fast these rumors can spread, especially if no one reacts to them.“ She says, her tone barely apologetic at all.

I open the screenshots she has sent me and I find myself frozen in shock. Some old pictures of Sykkuno and I have been posted on Twitter by some random user. These pictures have started an entire thread of suspicions surrounding our relationship.

The pictures in question are from a New Year’s Eve party a mutual friend of ours held two years ago. Sure, in the pictures we are a lot closer than what would be considered a platonic proximity. And yes one of the pictures is of me kissing his cheek. Yes we were both a bit tipsy. I acknowledge all those things and yet none of them are concrete reasons for these rumors to have started piling.

“This is silly.“ I finally say after maybe five minutes of silence on my end. ”This is absolutely ridiculous! And why are people so serious about it as well? Actual, important matters get discussed more nonchalantly than the potential relationship between two online personalities! What is this world we live in?“ I know I shouldn’t let these rumors get to me like this, especially not on camera. Still, I can’t help it. I feel it’s so unfair to Corpse. He has to put up with this as well and it’s by no means easy for him. I’ve been shipped with people from our group in the past and he always took those rumors to heart despite acting like he didn’t care. Neither of us should get worked up, but him getting upset about them creates a domino effect with my emotions - causing me to be hit just as hard as him, in some cases harder.

Rumors of the past aside, this one is the worst by far. Mostly cause even Corpse himself suspected something between Sykkuno and I at the very beginning, when we were still acquaintances, barely crossing into the realm of friends.

I pull up Twitter to look for the whole thread, barely sparing my stream chat a glance in the process. It seems pretty split - those who agree with me and those who think Sykkuno and I make ‘such an adorable couple’. The thread is ridiculously long, and if we take into account that it was only started approximately five hours ago, you can either view it as impressive, amusing or sad. Why sad? Because someone has dedicated so much time and effort into fueling the fire of a weakly supported theory.

I love Sykkuno with all my heart. Everyone knows that - fandom, streamer squad, Corpse and Sykkuno included. I love too much and too platonically to ever even dream of having a romantic connection with him. I thought that was more than obvious, but people are either blind here, or just grasping at straws. One thing’s for certain - they’re stepping on a nerve.

“Hey where’s Corpse? Did he disconnect?” Felix asks, gaining my full attention. My eyes dart to the monitor, searching through the little avatars in a desperate search for the one of my boyfriend. It’s nowhere to be found.

“He just messaged me saying his connection is unstable but he might join us later.“ Rae says, “You guys can invite someone to fill...“

“Bathroom break.“ I interrupt, not waiting for a response before shutting my mic off, putting the ‘BRB‘ graphic on my stream and yanking the headset off. I basically run down the hall to Corpse’s recording room, my heart pounding like a bass drum.

“Corpse?!“ I call out to him, one hand already on the doorknob. When five seconds pass by without a response, I barge in.

Inside, I find his usual spot on the gaming chair empty and his slumped figure seated on his bed.

“Corpse?“ I try again, watching for even the tiniest change of body language. He remains still as a statue, not bothering to look up at me either.

His hands are gripping the edge of the mattress, his head hanging low. His eyes are covered by the short curtain of his dark messy curls. I can’t gauge much. Is he angry? Is he sad? Both? How should I approach the situation?

Before I find the answer to any of those questions, I am kneeling in front of him, our height difference eliminated. I gently pry his hands off the mattress and take them in mine, holding them firmly but tenderly. With one hand I reach up to tilt his head so his eyes can meet mine. He complies, his tear-filled brown orbs meeting mine. Those tears have the same effect on me as fifty sharp knives stabbing into my chest. These tears focus their attack straight on my heart, tearing it to pieces.

“Baby....“

He cuts me off, “Why is it always someone else, huh? Do they deem me not worthy of being with you? Do they think you deserve better?” His voice wavers, “Well, they might be right. They are correct and there’s little I can do to prove them wrong. They mean you well, Y/N - pairing you with guys better than me. Those are some loyal fans you’ve got. They only want what’s best for you. And so do I. If ‘best’ is being with someone else then...”

It’s my turn to cut him off. I put an end to his nonsense ramble that’s slowly killing me by pressing my finger against his lips. The sternness of my gaze is beyond me as I get up and walk over to his computer setup. I put on his headset and hop into the call as well as the lobby with his avatar.

“Hey Corpse’s back!” Toast says, “Good to have you back buddy.”

“No, not Corpse.” I say in a casual, nonchalant voice.

“Wait, wha-“ Sean’s voice shows just how confused he is, representing the confusion of the entire lobby actually.

“I know all of you are streaming so this message will be heard by several different audiences so I’m gonna make myself perfectly clear.“ I take a deep breath, “Sykkuno and I aren’t dating. He’s a lovely guy and he deserves to find a girl who will treat him right. That girl isn’t and won’t be me though. I am already treating someone right. Someone who treats me more than right as well. An amazing person. A man-child with a heart of gold. You know him, to a certain extent. He goes by the name of Corpse Husband, but I prefer to call him ‘Love of my life’. Thank you for your time and attention, goodbye.“

I exit the call and turn around to find a stunned Copse looking at me.

“That was meant for you just as much.“ I say with a fake strict attitude, one hand on my hip the other rested on his desk behind me, “Were you listening?“

Within milliseconds, he’s on his feet standing directly in front of me, his lips inches away from mine. “I heard and memorized every word. But...” he pauses for a moment, “I think you have no idea how big of a chaos you just created.”

I smile mischievously, “We’ll worry about that later. For now...” I close the gap between us, connecting our lips in a sweet and passionate kiss.

@susceptible-but-siriusexual @simonsbluee @save-the-sky @hacker-ghost @itsminniekat @bi-andready-tocry @imtiredaffff @jazzkaurtheglorious @hereforbeebo @fandomgirl17 @chrysanthykios @maehemscorpyus @loraleiix @letsloveimagines @annshit @i-cant-choose-a-username-help @enigmaticmaze @divine-artemis @waterlilypat @idontknowwhatthisisfam @evi-ka @classyandfabulous00 @redperson58 @lilysdaydreams @the-fuck-up-of-today @slashersdream @chiefwombathoagiepizza @solowheein @mythicalamphitrite @axen-gers @luckygirl144 @nj01

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jmnjmnjmn · 4 years ago

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Celebrity Crush| part 1 | BTS x Reader mini series

Pairing: BTS x Celebrity!Reader

Key words: celebrity crush, singer, idol.

Word count: around 8,000

Masterlist

Okay, this one is just regular fluff, but it definitely has potential to become more juicy, maybe even angsty... I had many ideas when I was writing it, but decided upon cutting it where I did. Maybe there will be part two to this story, maybe not. If there will be it will also probably be able to functionas a totaly separate one shot. Also I couldn’t decide on a ship here! Initially it was supposed to be RM, but I kept coming back to JK (my bias xd). That’s where possibility of an angst story lays... Anyway tell me what you think of this piece!

“AH!” Namjoon exclaimed, dropping his spoon down into his soup.

“Hey, watch it! You’re spilling everything!” Seokjin yelled back at him as some of his friend's soup splashed out from his bowl.

“What happened?” Hoseok asked, sipping his soup slowly and looking at Namjoon with curiosity.

“It’s-It’s (Y/N).” He stuttered out, his eyes still glued to the screen of his phone. He was scrolling through Twitter when he noticed a tweet from his favourite female artist, (Y/N), announcing her world wide tour.

“What? Did she message you?” Seokjin asked him with a chuckle, knowing well that wouldn’t happen.

“I wish.” Namjoon scoffed and clicked on a link to an article some music site posted immediately after reading (Y/N)’s tweet. “(Y/N) has announced details of her long-awaited world tour.” He read out loud to his friends already feeling his heartbeat pick up. “The singer has continuously updated her fans on the details, promising them that she was working on the announcement. Now, via a short video on Instagram simply captioned ‘Hello world’, she has finally revealed when and where the No Limitations tour will be starting off. You can see the full dates, which she simultaneously posted on her Twitter account, below.” He quickly scrolled down to take a look at the dates and locations. His jaw dropped as he scanned down the list and noticed the Asia leg of the tour. “Soul is on the list.” He muttered. “In January. Seoul is on the list.” He repeated looking at his friends with wide eyes.

“Finally!” Hoseok exclaimed reaching across the table to pat him on the shoulder. “You can go see her then.”

“It hasn’t been announced when tickets will go on sale.” Namjoon said in panic as he frantically searched the internet for information about the tour.

“I’m sure our staff can get you in there without a ticket.” Seokjin said casually, but Namjoon took the matter very seriously. (Y/N) wasn’t just someone who’s music he liked. He also had a huge crush on her as a girl in general and he wasn’t about to pass on an opportunity to see her perform live.

“I have to talk to our PD about that.” He said in an excited tone and clicked his Messages app to draft up a passionate yet professional text saying how much he wants, no, needs to go to (Y/N)’s Seoul concert.

“Now?” Seokjin asked, taken aback a little by his fast pace.

“No time to waste. It’s (Y/N) we’re talking about.” Namjoon chuckled. “If all goes well maybe we could work on some music together.”

“Yeah and maybe something more.” Hoseok teased him, earning a loud laugh from Seokjin. Namjoon only smiled up at them from his phone, because among those who followed the news about BTS it was a well known fact that he had a thing for (Y/N).

Whenever they would get asked about their celebrity crushes in interviews he would say (Y/N)’s name. Ideal girl - someone like (Y/N). A song they could listen to on loop - (Y/N)’s latest single. Fashion inspiration at the moment - (Y/N). Favourite movie - that one (Y/N) had a cameo in for like three minutes. It would happen so much that ARMY’s started making compilations of him talking about her on YouTube called “Namjoon drooling over (Y/N) for 7 minutes straight” and so on. At first he was embarrassed about it, but after some time that awkward feeling turned into hope that maybe she’ll see it and fall for him as well. He knew it was wishful thinking, but he still liked to imagine the moment you would message him saying you would love to collab on a song.

“I’m going to go talk to our PD.” Namjoon said, as he took off the bright pink sunglasses with Happy New Year written on top of them in a silly font. He wore them for the small photoshoot they just had for BTS’s New Year’s Eve post on Twitter.

“Now?” Jimin asked him, raising his brows. He was still wearing his party hat he put on for the session. “It’s New Year’s Eve.”

“I know. I just-” He was interrupted by Taehyung’s loud cheer. “I’ll be right back.” Jimin just shook his head at his eagerness to find out whether (Y/N)’s staff has already answered BigHit’s request for letting Namjoon go to your show with a backstage pass as a celebrity guest of sorts.

Since they were already at the BigHit headquarters for the photoshoot and a little celebration for the beginning of the new year Namjoon had to walk just a couple of doors down to get to PD’s office. He took a deep breath before knocking on the door. After hearing a faint invitation he pressed on the handle and opened it.

“Oh, it’s you. Why aren’t you with the others celebrating?” The PD asked, obviously surprised to see Namjoon.

“Ah, yes. I’ll be joining them in a minute.” He said, remembering Jimin’s words. “I just came here to ask about the No Limitations show. It’s in January and since it’s already first of the month I wondered-”

“Ah, of course.” PD cut him off with a smile. “You're going.”

“Really?” Namjoon asked in shock.

“Yes, all of you are.” Namjoon must have looked very confused for a moment there, because PD rushed with an explanation. “We got an answer saying they were going to issue a formal invitation to the concert and an after party to the whole band anyway. Go and pass on the news to the rest of the boys. We’ll have a proper meeting about this next week.” Namjoon thanked him accesively and assured he’ll let the rest of the members know about the situation. As he walked down the hall he heard their voices from the dance studio they had the photo shoot in. He was speechless.

“It’s happening.” He thought, leaning on the wall to catch a breath before coming inside. After a moment he pushed the door open and joined his group members with a bright smile.

“Guys, guys. Listen” He called. “We’re going to (Y/N)’s concert!” He exclaimed and they cheered, gathering around him, smothering him with hugs and tugging on his cheeks teasingly.

“Look at him.” Jimin chuckled pointing at Namjoon who was pacing around the room. “So excited for the concert.”

“Of course he is. He’s going to meet his crush.” Seokjin added, also laughing.

The whole group was teasing him about (Y/N) all throughout January. It was seventeenth today, the day of her Seoul show and he couldn’t wait. They already got their hair and makeup done. They were dressed to the nines. All that was left was to get to the show.

“The car is here.” Someone from the staff announced and all the boys got up from their spots. As they walked down the hall together they all took turns patting Namjoon on the shoulder for encouragement.

“Do you think we’ll have a chance to talk to her?” Jungkook asked with excitement when they were all in the car together.

“Of course!” Hoseok exclaimed.

“No, but like, for real talk. Not just: nice to meet you, let’s take a picture, goodbye.” The youngest explained quickly.

“Hopefully.” Seokjin said, patting Namjoon on the thigh as that was something he was worried about. He would definitely be happy if he got even only a second with (Y/N), but he wished for more.

After a short drive the car stopped in an underground parking lot under the venue of the concert. As they got outside they could hear the cheers of the crowds gathered outside. Their staff took them on an elevator explaining once again how the night will go. First a before party with other guests, then the concert itself and after that the after party at a hotel. Namjoon repeated the sequence of these events in his head a million times already. Technically he was prepared, but practically he was a mess. His hands were sweating and his heart was racing like crazy. He looked around the small elevator at his closest friends and the familiar faces of BigHit staff who were accompanying them. Realising he has so many people around him for support eased his nerves a little.

“I can’t believe we’re in the same building.” Namjoon muttered under his breath.

“Yeah, she was also in the same building as us at the VMA’s and AMA’s and so on.” Yoongi teased him and everyone chuckled.

“That’s true, Namjoon.” Taehyung agreed with a grin. “You shouldn’t be so worried.”

“Easy for you to say.” Namjoon added right as the elevator door opened.

“Yeah, she already saw us perform at one of the award shows. She knows who we are. It’s going to be fine.” Jimin said in a nervous tone. Namjoon just nodded to himself trying to make the anxious thoughts go away as they approached the area where the before party was held.

They were all excited to see (Y/N)’s show and attend her after party, but with the tremendous enthusiasm also came the stress of meeting an A list celebrity from overseas.

“I can’t believe she’s still not here.” Namjoon whined to Taehyung and Jimin as the rest of the group scattered to chat with other invited idols and celebrities. “All the dancers and her band are here already.”

“It’s still early.” Taehyung tried to cheer him up. “She’ll show up any moment. I’m sure.”

“Definitely.” Jimin agreed with him energetically.

Before Namjoon could voice another concerned thought lingering in his brain everyone in the room started cheering and clapping. He looked around wondering what caused this reaction as he noticed the obvious reason.

“Thank you all so much for coming.” (Y/N) said stopping somewhere in the middle of the gathered crowd of celebrities and staff. “It means a lot. Really.” She put her hand to her chest as she spoke. “If all goes well the show will be starting in a couple of minutes. Wish me luck and have fun.”

“That’s it?” Taehyung asked as (Y/N) was rushed away by her staff to the stage entry. “I thought she was going to chat with everyone or something.”

“Do you chat with guests before the show?” Jimin asked. “That’s what the after party is for.” He explained and Namjoon hummed in agreement. Just the quick glimpse he caught of her was enough to leave him speechless.

“Let’s go watch the show.” Hoseok said approaching the three from behind with the rest of the group following close behind.

There was a big screen in the backstage lounge and a couple of smaller TV’s located at the stage entries for those that wanted to glance at the stage during the show to see the real deal. They watched the first half of the show in the lounge and later relocated to the left entry area. Namjoon’s eyes were glued to the screen as everyone around him chatted away. He tried to pay attention to the conversation and partake from time to time, but his focus quickly went back to (Y/N). She looked stunning singing and dancing on stage.

Suddenly a group of staff dressed in all black rushed into the area they were hanging out in with some other guests.

“Wardrobe change, left.” One of the staff said as she clicked on her earpiece.

Namjoon almost jumped out of his seat when he saw (Y/N) jogging down from the stage and into the swarm of her people from her team.

“Woah, that gave me chills.” Yoongi commented as (Y/N) passed by them surrounded by her wardrobe, hair and makeup team.

“Say something.” Hoseok whispered, elbowing Namjoon’s side.

“Like what?” He asked following (Y/N) with his gaze as she disappeared behind her dressing room's door.

“Great show, looking good. Anything really.” He encouraged him with a cheeky smile.

“No.” Namjoon shook his head, already feeling the blood rushing to his head.

“Do it. Do it.” The rest of the members repeated after Hoseok, but he only shook his head once again.

“She’ll come out any second.” Seokjin added in a warning tone.

He was right. The dance number performed by her backup dancers was getting to an end and (Y/N) should be running out onto the stage soon to sing the next song.

“Great show!” Jungkook yelled out in English.

All the boys’s heads snapped in his direction and then onto (Y/N). She was walking out of her dressing room in long strides. As Jungkook yelled out his praise she turned to look his way without stopping,

“Thank you!” She answered quickly before being escorted by her staff into the understage corridors.

All the boys started shoving and pushing the youngest member teasingly.

“Namjoon was supposed to say that. You took over his part. Jungkook, you’re so eager.” They yelled with laughter.

“What time is it?” Taehyung asked the group as most of the guests gathered in the backstage lounge to watch the encore of the show.

“It’s close to eleven.” Seokjin answered, looking at his phone.

“Before we finish off the show with this last song I just wanted to take a minute to say: Thank you so much.” (Y/N)’s voice echoed from the stage and through the speakers in the lounge. She was standing in the bright lights holding the mic to her lips. “Thank you for choosing to come see the show and spending the night here with us. I really can’t even begin to express how grateful I am for all of you, here in the audience and back at home watching and streaming my music and the shows. Thank you so much.”

“Ah, she’s so nice. Never forgetting about her fans.” People around muttered.

“I really, truly appreciate you guys. I cannot imagine how this year would’ve gone if I hadn't spent it with all of you, all of the people on the stage and behind it. We’ve been away from our homes for so long.” (Y/N) voice got higher with nerves and sadness that came over her as she spoke about her home. “We’re coming close to ten months on the road now. That’s a long time.” She said, bringing her hand to her chest to show her gratitude. “Thank you so much for putting up with me.” She chuckled and the staff cheered. “I feel so lucky and so fortunate to be working with all of you and to be able to perform in front of all of you.” She sighed deeply, undoubtedly masking a cry. “So thank you. I love you so much. Thank you.”

The audience was shouting and applauding loudly as (Y/N) walked off the stage waving to them. As soon as she was out of the view she handed her microphone to one of the sound people and took a big gulp of water from the bottle one of the staff handed her.

“Thank you.” She breathed out. “I need to get out of this hair as soon as possible.” She chuckled tiredly as she walked into her dressing room.

“We’ve got about twenty minutes to get you ready for the after party.” Her assistant, who was waiting inside, spoke calmly as the beauty and wardrobe team gathered around (Y/N) quickly taking out the bobby pins from her hair and undoing the back of her dress. “There’s quite a lot of guests your manager would like you to talk to, at least for a minute.” She said and quickly moved on to listing all the most important people attending the party.

“Have any of those people been informed that I might want to reach out to work with them later?” (Y/N) asked, getting into her oversized sweatshirt dress with the help of some staff so that she doesn’t ruin her makeup.

“No, that’ll be done after tonight. Sometime this week though.” She explained scrolling through something on her tablet.

“What time is the flight to Osaka tomorrow?” (Y/N)’s voice sounded tired as she thought of getting on another plane.

“Actually, there’s been a change of plans.” Her assistant said casually. “You got surprise booked for a daytime show tomorrow, so we’re staying in Seoul for that for the whole day and flying to Japan the next morning. The crew will be already there setting everything up for Saturday.”

“Two days in Seoul?” (Y/N) was surprised.

“Mhm.”

“What’s the show?”

“King of Masked Singer. You’re going to be the surprise opening act. I’ll fill you in on everything tomorrow morning.”

“Perfect.” She said smiling at herself in the mirror as the hairstylist was fixing up her hair.

“Heels or sneakers?” One of the wardrobe girls asked.

“Heels.” (Y/N) answered without hesitation. She wanted to look her best when surrounded with so many new faces at the after party and pairing sneakers with an oversized sweatshirt didn’t seem like the greatest combination for that.

“Ready.” The head stylist stated as one of the staff helped (Y/N) get into her thigh high booties.

From there, accompanied by security, (Y/N) and her assistant walked to the elevator that took them to the parking lot located under the venue.

As (Y/N)’s car pulled up in front of the hotel a swarm of fans and paparazzi started yelling out her name and waving to get her attention. She stopped to get her pictures taken, walked up to a couple of fans to sign their albums or pictures and walked inside to get to the after party. With her assistant following her every step and the three body guards right behind them she took yet another elevator to the hotel bar rented for the occasion.

“Let’s do this.” (Y/N) whispered to herself as she pushed the bar door open.

When she walked deeper into the crowded room random hands touched her shoulders and unknown voices spoke words of praise directed her way. She smiled and thanked the faceless mass making her way towards the DJ’s stand.

“That’s her.” Hoseok whispered as (Y/N) passed by the group of boys.

“Woah. She’s dressed cool.” Taehyung gasped, eying down her figure.

When she stepped onto the slightly elevated stage the DJ stopped the music and handed her a microphone. A wave of cheers erupted from the gathered guests as everyone noticed the star of the night had arrived.

“Hi.” (Y/N) spoke sweetly into the microphone and let the crowd yell or whistle back at her for a moment. “It’s so nice to see all of you here.” She chuckled. “Eat, drink, have fun. It’s all on me tonight. Just tonight.” She joked and the crowd clapped and yelled in excitement. “I know you all came here after the concert, but it’s not all about my music tonight.” Her tone turned mysterious all of a sudden. “It’s actually a very special day for someone else as well. A very funny guy, an inspiration in the studio, a dance mastermind and a dear friend and coworker of mine.” With every endearment term she listed the cheers got wilder. “Johnny Campbell. Where you at?” She asked looking around the room.

“Here!” Someone called out in the front of the room.

“Johnny, this is for you.” (Y/N) said in a low voice and started singing a very sexy adaptation of the birthday song.

As she finished someone in the crowd whistled and Johnny joined her on stage.

“Happy birthday Johnny.” (Y/N) finished off her wishes and hugged him tightly. “Let’s party, everyone!” She exclaimed into the microphone earning a loud cheer from everyone gathered at the bar.

(Y/N) made her way to the bar, stopping to chat and take a picture with someone every couple of steps. More than twenty minutes had passed from the moment she got off stage to when she finally got to the counter and grabbed herself a glass of expensive champagne. She sipped on the bubbly liquid and chatted to members of her dance crew. Looking around the room she locked eyes with a guy she recognised from somewhere. It took her a minute to realise it was BTS’s Jimin she was looking at. She smiled to herself, remembering that his group was on her manager’s to-talk-to list. Being halfway done with her drink she decided to down it and get another one before walking up to the group of boys.

“Oh my god.” Jimin exclaimed. “(Y/N) just looked here.”

“Where is she?” Namjoon asked, feeling his panic and excitement blur into one.

“At the bar.” He answered through gritted teeth.

“She’s coming here. She’s coming here.” Jungkook said quickly as (Y/N) made her way towards them.

“Hi, guys. I’m so glad you could make it.” She said in a sweet tone. “I’m (Y/N).”

“We know.” Jungkook blurted out which would normally earn him a shove to the shoulder from the older members, but the sound of (Y/N)’s chuckle at his comment made them relax and join her with nervous laughter. “I’m Jungkook.” He added extending his hand.

“I know.” (Y/N) answered with a smile and went for a hug and kiss on the cheek instead of a simple handshake.

“You know?” He asked in shock.

“Yes, I saw you guys perform at award shows, your music is everywhere. I know BTS.” The members smiled widely as she explained and started greeting the rest of them in the same way one by one. The hugs were quick, but still sincere. “I’m so happy you found time in your busy schedule to come see my show.”

“We wouldn’t miss it.” Namjoon said, trying to sound cool and collected. He wasn’t going to mention that he practically begged their PD to get them backstage.

“Oh, thank you.” She smiled and Namjoon’s knees almost went weak at the sight.

“Yes, great show.” Jungkook added and the group laughed.

“Oh, it was you.” (Y/N) also laughed realising it was Jungkook who yelled the words of praise her way halfway through the concert.

“Yes, I… Liked your dance with… By Your Side.” Jungkook said slowly making sure he picked the right words. “Great choreography.”

“Thank you.” She answered, bringing her hand to her chest as she accepted his compliment. “It’s nothing compared to your routines though. Those look hard.”

“Ah, yes. Thank you. We work hard. A lot of practice.” They muttered with modesty.

“Honestly!” (Y/N) exclaimed. “I was trying to learn the routine for your song with Halsey with my girls… So hard.”

“Boy With Luv?” Jimin raised his eyebrows.

“Yeah, but the foot choreo was killing me.” She complained jokingly.

“Hyung, ask her which member’s part she learned.” Jungkook asked Namjoon in Korean.

“He wants to know which member’s choreography you learned.” Namjoon explained.

“Yours,” (Y/N) pointed to Jungkook.

“Me?” He asked and she nodded energetically. “Hyung, say I can teach her the choreography.” He added in Korean with a wide smile, still shocked he’s talking to such a huge star. Namjoon and the rest of the boys laughed at the youngest member’s bluntness.

“He’s saying he’ll teach you.” Namjoon hurried with an explanation as (Y/N) looked confused by what they were laughing about.

“Watch out, ‘cause I’ll take you up on that offer.” She raised her brow at Jungkook cheekily who looked at Namjoon for a translation.

“She says she might take you up on that.” He translated to his friend and he laughed, feeling a blush creep up onto his face.

“I sang your song during soundcheck today.” (Y/N) stated and all the members raised their brows at her.

“Which one?” Jungkook asked.

“Sweet Night. V’s solo.” She said pointing to Taehyung. “It’s such a sweet song and you sound amazing in it.” She said, touching his shoulder.

“Thank you so much.” Taehyung smiled, bowing to her slightly.

Not in many moments Namjoon was glad that his members couldn’t speak English as well as he did, but right now he couldn’t be happier about it. They were all so excited to be talking to (Y/N) they forgot their tongues. The alcoholic beverages that they already consumed didn’t help either. They asked him for translations every other sentence, meaning (Y/N) needed him to translate for her as well, meaning he was talking to her more than any other member, meaning she looked at him more than at any other member. Despite the language barrier the conversation flowed so easily between them. He felt ecstatic.

“(Y/N).” Her assistant called her name and brought her to the side for a moment.” It’s showtime.”

By saying “showtime” she meant that it’s time for (Y/N) to perform a song or two to entertain the guests and keep the party going.

“I’ll be right there.” She answered her and walked back to the group of boys.

“V, could I borrow you for a moment?” She asked with a sweet voice.

Unsure of what she might want from him, but still excited Taehyung followed (Y/N) into the bar.

“You said you love Underneath and know the lyrics by heart.” She said, glancing at him as they walked side by side through the crowded room filled with chatter and music. Taehyung hummed in agreement, feeling his heartbeat grow faster and faster. “You know them well enough to sing it live with me now?”

“What?” He asked, almost tripping over his own feet.

“I’m supposed to perform a couple of songs now. Would you like to perform one with me?” She asked stopping and looked him in the eyes with hope.

“Of course.” Taehyung answered, giving her his signature box smile.

“Great!” She exclaimed and grabbed his hand to lead him backstage. “This way.”

“Where do you think she took him?” Seokjin asked as (Y/N) disappeared with Taehyung in the crowd.

“I have no idea.” Namjoon answered, also curious about the whole ordeal.

“She’s very nice.” Jungkook commented.

“Yeah, nicer than I imagined.” Yoongi added.

“We have to get a picture together.” Hoseok said and the rest of the boys agreed.

“Look, there’s (Y/N).” Jimin pointed towards the stage where the DJ’s booth was located.

“Welcome to the stage, the one and only, (Y/N) and Korea’s very own, V of BTS!” Announced the DJ and all the boys’s jaws dropped to the floor.

“What?!” They screamed in unison.

“Hi.” (Y/N) said in a low voice. “V and I have a very special cover for you tonight. Please enjoy, Underneath.”

The rest of the members sang along to the fast paced pop song as V and (Y/N) performed. The lyrics talked about hidden feelings and the tension that can build up if you don’t give them a way out. Even though (Y/N) and Taehyung never sang together before their voices blended perfectly in the duet. When they finished their performance the crowd applauded loudly. (Y/N) put her arm behind Taehyung and he did the same. Joined in this side hug they bowed to the audience.

After a minute or two Taehyung got back to his friends with the widest smile on his face.

“Can you believe this?” He was still in shock.

“Congratulations. You were so good. Woah.” All the boys chattered at the same time.

“I recorded you.” Seokjin added as he pulled out his phone from his pocket. They gathered around the small screen watching Taehyung and (Y/N)’s performance once again.

“Where is she?” Namjoon asked Taehyung as the video came to an end.

“Last I saw her she was talking to MAMAMOO.”

“Ah, so cool. She’s probably busy. We didn’t even take a picture together.” The group chimed. After a moment of sulking they went back to obsessing over the fact that they met (Y/N) and that one of their own members sang with her.

Surrounded by music, food and alcohol the time seemed to fly by very fast. Accompanied by their staff they left the party around two in the morning without having a chance to talk to (Y/N) one more time.

Mornings after concerts are usually pretty bad for both the audience members and the performing artists, but mornings after concerts combined with after parties, meeting new people and mingling with every music producer possible are even harder.

(Y/N) woke up with a headache and a bitter taste in her mouth. From her bed she walked straight to the bathroom to take a shower. When brushing her teeth she scrolled through her Twitter feed reviewing every other caption or photo on the endless string of posts from last night she was tagged in. She liked a couple of tweets posted by her friends and was about to lock her phone when she noticed a simple caption.

“Great show #정국” (Y/N) pressed on the picture to see it whole. She immediately recognised Jungkook, one of the members of BTS, a band she met last night. He was standing in front of the big monitor backstage with her tour logo on it, making hearts with his fingers and smiling at the camera. She smiled to herself remembering how easily yesterday’s conversation flowed with the group of boys.

“Ah, I wish I had his number.” (Y/N) muttered. “I could take him up on that dance lesson offer.”

(Y/N) rushed to open her hotel room’s door to the room service. The hoteboy brought in the big breakfast she just ordered minutes ago and set it on the table. As she got ready to dig into the scrambled eggs her phone started vibrating. She looked at the called ID and quickly picked up as she saw it was her assistant calling. She gave her a quick rundown of the day’s events and informed her she’s free to rest and relax until three in the afternoon.

“That’s when they’ll pick us up for King of Masked Singer.” She finished explaining.

“I have one more question.” An interesting idea popped into (Y/N)’s head. “Is there a way you could get me the number of BTS’s Jungkook?”

(Y/N)’s phone chimed as she was finishing up her breakfast. She picked it up reading the message she just recieved.

“I got it.” As she read the message from her assistant another one appeared on the screen. This time it was a string of numbers.

“Ah, what should I say?” (Y/N) pasted the number into her contacts and waited a minute before pressing the dial button. The phone beeped a couple of times before going silent. Jungkook didn’t pick up. “Hm. Let’s try again.”

Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, Jungkook was hanging out with his friends in their shared apartment. He was typing something up on his phone when the screen lip up with an unfamiliar number.

“Hyung, do you know this number?” He showed the ringing screen to Taehyung sitting beside him on the couch.

“No. Pick up.” Jungkook just shook his head at his answer.

“I don’t pick up unknown callers.” He rejected the call and went back to what he was doing. “This person is calling again.”

“Pick up.” More preoccupied with switching through TV channels, Taehyung encouraged him tiredly. Jungkook swiped right to take the call and put it on speaker.

“Hello?” He asked in Korean.

“Ah- Hello.” Jungkook and Taehyung locked eyes in surprise and curiosity as the person on the other side spoke in English. “It’s (Y/N). From yesterday.” Taehyung almost screamed in shock. Jungkook felt all his blood rush to his head.

“Ah, sorry. Hello. Sorry.” He stumbled over his words, trying to explain why he didn’t answer her call at first ring. “I don’t pick up if I don’t know the number.” (Y/N) chuckled on the other end of the line.

“It’s fine.” Her voice was sweet and calm. “Actually, I’m calling, ‘cause I’m still in Seoul-” Taehyung stood up from the couch covering his mouth with his hands, still in deep shock. “-and I was wondering- I was thinking about what you said last night, so…” Jungkook scrunched his eyebrows, trying his hardest to remember what he said that made (Y/N) call him the next morning. “If you have time we could meet and dance together.” Taehyung gasped. “You could teach me the Boy With Luv choreo and-” Jungkook couldn’t control himself and answered her before she could even finish asking the question.

“Yes.” He blurted out. Taehyung jumped back on the couch and pushed his shoulder with a huge smile.

“Really?”

“Yes, yes.” He assured her.

“Should I come to your-” Eager to see her he cut her off again.

“You can come to our studio. I will text you the address.”

“Great. I’m free until three in the afternoon so text me the time as well.” She added.

“Okay.”

“Okay. I’ll see you there.” (Y/N) added after a moment of silence.

“Okay. Bye.”

“Bye.”

“AH!” Jungkook threw his phone, which felt red hot in his hands right now, on the other side of the couch.

“What was that?!” Taehyung yelled, shaking on his shoulders. “How did she get your number?!”

“I have no idea!” Jungkook felt his body relax as he was no longer on the phone. “Oh my god. I have to text her now!” He reached to dig his phone out from under a stack of pillows and blankets on the couch. “And I have to go see her!”

“You’re doing great.” Jungkook praised (Y/N) with laughter as she jokingly overdid the moves and gestures in the choreography. “Like that.”

“Okay, but in all seriousness how did I do?” She asked, cutting the jokes short. Jungkook raised his thumbs up with a smile and she chuckled again.

“Let’s do it again and record it so we can review. You vs me.” He set his phone up on the floor by the mirrors in the studio space at BigHit.

“Teacher vs student.” Jungkook just hummed in agreement before playing the music.

Tired after practicing Boy With Luv for an hour and freestyling for almost two more (Y/N) and Jungkook sat down on the floor of the dance studio panting. She stood up to get herself some water and immediately regretted it.

“Ah, my legs.” Jungkook smiled at her words. Although (Y/N) danced in her music videos and during live performances her routines were far more relaxed that BTS’s regular dances. Their moves were sharp and strong and her’s more sexy and slow. Chucked her emptied water bottle back into her bag and turned to face Jungkook again. “Are you hungry?” He raised his brows, knowing what will come next if he says he is in fact hungry.

“Yeah.”

“Let’s go eat something.” Her proposition was so blunt and free. He could not refuse her, but the excitement that filled his chest at that moment didn’t overshadow the fact that the rest of his group would be so bummed they didn’t get to eat with (Y/N) as well.

“Ah, can I do this to them?” He whined in Korean. (Y/N) gave him a confused look since she didn’t understand a word he just said. “My members will be jealous.” He explained with a slight smile.

“Oh, I didn’t think about that. Should we invite them?” That Jungkook wasn’t expecting.

“You want that?” He asked to make sure he didn’t just hear something wrong. (Y/N) smiled sincerely at his unsure expression.

“Yeah, why not?” Jungkook quickly got up from the ground and dug his phone up from his pocket.

“I’ll call them. Wait a second.”

“Okay.” (Y/N) answered as he walked out of the studio to call his friends.

Jungkook dialed Namjoon’s number, knowing he was at the apartment right now enjoying his day of rest. The line beeped a couple of times before he finally picked up.

“Hello?” His voice was low and sleepy in contrast with Jungkook’s, which was excited and fast paced.

“Hyung, listen. Get the rest of the guys and put me on speaker. I have something to tell all of you.”

“What is it?”

“Are they all there?”

“Wait a second.” Some shuffling and name calling was heard on the other side of the line before Namjoon spoke up again. “Okay, go.”

“So I’m with (Y/N) right now. We just got done dancing and all that and… She’s invited us all to lunch.”

“What? Oh, wow. Really? How cool.” The group erupted in chatter as they heard Jungkook’s news.

“Yeah. Can you come?”

“Of course. Yes. I can’t.” Another bundle of statements was heard.

“Who can’t?” Jungkook asked, saddened.

“Yoongi.” Seokjin said.

“I already have plans with our producers, but you all should go.” Yoongi explained, still encouraging the rest of the boys to go out.

“You sure?” Namjoon asked.

“Yes, go.”

“We’ll take a picture for you.” Hoseok joked.

“What are we going to eat?” Taehyung asked out of the blue.

“I don’t know.” Jungkook answered, not really having thought about that yet.

“Since we know Seoul maybe we should pick the place?” Seokjin proposed thoughtfully.

“Good idea. I’ll tell her that. When will you come here?”

“Thirty minutes? We need to get dressed.” Namjoon said and murmur of agreement was heard.

“Okay, okay. Don’t overdress though, we’re both in sweatpants.” Jungkook added with a chuckle. After exchanging goodbyes he hung up and sighed deeply, letting his shoulders relax a little before going back into the studio.

When he opened the door he saw (Y/N) stretching her legs in a sitting down position. He joined her on the floor before speaking.

As Taehyung pulled into BigHit’s parking lot Jungkook and (Y/N) were already waiting outside. Both dressed in large black puffer jackets going over their knees, they stood beside one another. Jungkook was looking over (Y/N)’s shoulder pointing to something on her phone.

“Now you can add a picture.” He said, swiping his finger on her screen. (Y/N) nodded and pressed on the camera option.

“Take a selfie with me.” She asked, raising her phone up to take a picture of the two of them.

Jungkook smiled shyly and pulled his mask down half way. (Y/N) did the same before snapping a cute picture to set as her contact photo. Jungkook quickly pulled his mask back up to cover his cheeks that started to turn bright red. He glanced over her shoulder as she manipulated the photo to fit both of their faces into the small square.

“And synchronise your contacts, so I will be there.” He added as she finally accepted the placement of the picture.

“Oh, great.”

“Yeah.” (Y/N) pressed on the ‘synch contacts’ button before looking up at Jungkook.

“Thank you.” She said sweetly and pulled her mask back over her nose.

“You’re welcome.”

Taehyung noticed the two of them standing in front of the building exit and slowly pulled up. As he got closer he rolled down his window.

“Hello!” The sudden greeting made them jump up slightly.

“Hi!” (Y/N) called back sweetly.

“Come in!” Shoulder to shoulder they walked towards the car after Taehyung's invitation.

Namjoon was already sitting in the passenger's seat making it so that Jungkook and (Y/N) had to sit together in the backseat.

“How was dance practice?” Namjoon asked them.

“What was it?” (Y/N) tapped Jungkook’s arm. He whispered something to her and she clapped her hands in realisation. “Daebak.” Namjoon and Taehyung laughed at her harsh pronunciation.

“It was good. Great.” Jungkook added after the chuckles died down. “Where are the other guys?” He asked Namjoon in Korean.

“The rest of the guys will meet us at the restaurant.” He explained in English, so (Y/N) could understand. She was still doing something on her phone when he glanced at her from the front seat.

“Jungkook.” Her shy tone echoed in the car. “I synced the contacts, but you’re not here.” She showed him her phone with a concerned expression. “Look.”

“Maybe I will just add my number like normal and then it will be saved in the contacts.” (Y/N) hummed in agreement, giving him her phone.

“What are you doing?” Taehyung asked in Korean, eying the two in the rearview mirror. Jungkook glanced at him, thanking god that (Y/N) doesn’t speak their language.

“I made (Y/N) a Kakao account.”

“And you’re putting your number in?” Taehyung continued in a teasing tone. Jungkook smiled at (Y/N)’s screen and typed in his ID.

“It’s not like that.”

The boys picked out a traditional korean diner with private rooms and floor level tables. They ordered mountains of meat to fry and tons of side dishes, soups and rice. At first (Y/N) widened her eyes at the amount of food concerned there will be leftovers, but within thirty or forty minutes she realised that those six boys’s stomachs can intake much more food that she can.

The conversation within the group flowed swiftly and comfortably as it did the night before. There even was some talk about possible musical collaborations. No one was looking at the clock, but at two o’clock sharp (Y/N)’s phone buzzed.

“Ah, it’s my assistant.” She announced with deep sorrow in her voice. “Unfortunately I will have to get going soon, guys. I have a TV appearance this evening.”

“TV today?” Seokjin asked in English. He seemed really shocked. When he spoke again he directed his words to Namjoon and spoke in Korean. “She shouldn't have eaten so much noodles and rice. She’ll be bloated and puffy. That’s very bad.”

“He says noodles and rice is bad for TV, ‘cause you might get puffy.” Namjoon explained to (Y/N) who just waved him off and chuckled.

“Ah, I’ll be wearing a big dress and a mask anyway.”

“What show are you on?” Namjoon asked, curiously.

“Something called King of Masked Singer.” The boys started talking over each other in Korean and patting Jungkook on the shoulders. After a moment of that Namjoon translated the jist of it to (Y/N).

“Yeah, so JK also was on that show.” (Y/N), who was sitting opposite to the youngest member of the group, looked up at him with a smile.

“Really?” She asked after swallowing another sip of hot soup. “What did they put you in? What costume?”

“I was…” He wanted to tell her everything in English, but was missing the most crucial word. “Hyung, how do you say fencer?” He asked Namjoon who looked confused for a second before answering him with a shrug. Jungkook reached to his pocket and pulled out his phone. “I’ll show you.” He typed the right words into YouTube and passed (Y/N) his phone. As soon as she looked at the moving screen she nodded in realisation.

“Ah, fencer.”

“Fencer, yes.” Namjoon agreed. (Y/N) skimmed through the video listening to Jungkook’s clear and beautiful vocals in the cover of BIGBANG’s If You.

“Woah, this is good.” She said, looking up at him.

“Thank you.” He accepted the compliment as she passed the phone back to him.

“You know what you will have?” Hoseok asked.

“What I’ll be dressed in? Yeah, I’m singing Beauty and the Beast, so I’ll be a princess.”

“Ah, cute.” Seokjin called out with a chuckle as (Y/N)’s phone buzzed once more.

“Ah, I really have to go.” She sighed deeply as the boys whined at her early leave. “I have to get myself intact before going to the studio.” She said gesturing to her laid back outfit. Since she was meeting Jungkook earlier for dance practice she was wearing a pair of branded sneakers, high waisted sweatpants and a hoodie - an outfit most of the boys in the room thought of as very pretty, but to her it was just workout gear.

“Do you need a ride?” Jungkook asked, all of a sudden realising she drove here with them and might not have a ride back to her hotel, but (Y/N) shook her head.

“No, my security is already parked outside.” The boys nodded at the professional sound of that statement. She was an A list celebrity after all and couldn’t just run around town by herself.

Everyone stood up from the table as (Y/N) slipped on her shoes and jacket.

“It was so nice to see you again.” Namjoon started as (Y/N) turned towards them before going out the door of the private dining room. She smiled sincerely and swung her backpack onto her shoulder.

“I’m so glad we got to hang out.” She looked at them with a shine in her eyes before going in for a hug with each of them. “And that we got to dance.” She added stopping in front of Jungkook. He smiled and chuckled as she hugged him goodbye.

“Yes. Me too.”

The group exchanged a couple more words of goodbye before (Y/N) walked towards the sliding door. As she was about to close it behind herself she slipped her face mask down and smiled at the group once more.

“Hopefully that’s not the last I see of you.” She added and the boys erupted with negating statements and chuckles.

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iernbone · 2 years ago

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#𝐈𝐄𝐑𝐍𝐁𝐎𝐍𝐄: an independent, mid-low activity blog for Artoirel de Fortemps of the FFXIV series, as written by Tao ( they/them, 20 ) Spoilers present and tagged. Pinned template from apocalypseresources. Mobile rules under the cut:

01. This is an independent, private blog for Artoirel de Fortemps, as portrayed by Tao. Activity may or may not be sporadic due to the fact that I am a full time student working on finishing a degree for a particularly difficult major, so please bear with me in the meantime if my replies both IC and OOC are slow. I’m not ignoring, you, I promise. Also, though this blog is largely canon-compliant, there are still areas where my portrayal is canon divergent, which I have made note of on this page here. There will be Endwalker spoilers present, so read at your discretion!

02. This blog’s portrayal is largely framed in context of the Heavensward expansion, and therefore may contain triggering content such as war, blood, death, religion, genocide, racism, and xenophobia. Spoilers will also be present for all expansions, so I strongly recommend that you do not follow this blog unless you have finished up to the Heavensward expansion at the very least, and I still advise discretion if you haven’t finished the rest of the expansions. All spoilers and triggers will be tagged to the best of my abilities, but please let me know if I miss anything or need to tag anything in particular for you and I will accommodate you as best as I am able. Note that if you post untagged triggering content in excess, I will most likely softblock you, and if you state on your blog that you will post untagged triggering content, I am not likely to follow you in the first place. I will curate my dashboard according to my comfort, and it is my hope that you do the same.

03. I follow based on interest for writing or the passion people have for their muses, and while I am not strict about interacting if I do follow you, I will softblock if I see that there is no potential for interaction at all. I encourage people to reach out to plot with me if they want to write with me, especially if you are a WoL blog and you would like a different relationship with Artoirel other than the one he has with the WoL in canon. Otherwise, I default to Artoirel treating the WoL as a close friend and sibling that he holds in high regard, as he does in the latter half of Heavensward and beyond.

04. Artoirel is quite a reserved character who, quite frankly, does not have much interest in romancing or being romanced by others. As such, shipping won’t be present very much on this blog. That isn’t to say that shipping is out of the question entirely, but if you want to ship, I urge you to reach out to me OOC beforehand. Do note however that I completely refuse to write incest, and I will not be shipping with minors.

05. Please do not heavily format posts in replies to me, as I have a difficult time reading it. Bolding and italicizing here and there is fine with me, but I will most likely reach out to you if you use double small font or lettering that is too lightly colored.

06. Feel free to message me anytime if you have questions, or just want to chat. If we’re mutuals, you can also ask for my discord contact, where I am more readily available than I am here! I can’t promise that I will always respond in a timely manner, but I will try to get back to you as soon as I am able.

Thank you for reading, and I hope we can interact soon!

#pinned.

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x-infernhoes-x · 3 years ago

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Evermore- Maliksi x Reader

Title: Evermore

Genre: : )

Warnings: Not much but I’ll leave it to you guys lmao. Implied Relationship as well so ye.

Word Count: 1, 690 k +

Description: I don’t know WHY I get ideas for fanfics at ungodly hours of the night like I’m supposed to be on a break here since my neck still hurts from writing that 2k pound of word vomit that is known to be one of my greatest smut piece that eventually earned me the title as ‘The Emissary for Zaddy Cannibal’ WHEEZE and I started writing this at 1:57 am so let’s hope I’d finish this before 4 am. I’m basing some stuff I know about Maliksi from the comics and perhaps the anime as well. I also suggest listening to Evermore from the live-action version of Beauty and the Beast after reading!

PS. I didn’t finish this last night because I got sleepy at 3 am. There’s an AO3 version of this that’s direct to the point if you want something shorter than this one which can be found here! Oh and my grandma suggested that I set the font size to 12 instead of 11! and as always, I finished this at 3:29 am GGWP talaga.

Anyways, enjoy! _______________________________________

If people asked about how the Prince of Tikbalangs was like as a person, most of them would describe him as rowdy, haughty, stubborn at times may even be perceived as a pervert due to his distaste of not wearing any underwear underneath his jeans. Some thought of him as the classical, spoiled rich kid who cared for no one but himself but in reality, he was so much more than what people would perceive him to be. Being a Prince was something, sure he got everything that he wanted regardless of what it was, he would always find a way for it but sometimes it led him to live a rather lonely life that felt like he was nothing more but a slave to live through this illusion of being the perfect prince.

If they took the time to peek through the curtains of his façade, they would see that he just wanted someone to understand and see him for who he is but this also proved to be contradictory for the poor fellow given the fact that every time someone would show him just the right amount of honesty and kindness, he would find out that most of these people were only after him for things such as taming him to become their loyal servant, for his money or even for the sake of his looks. He thought that this curse of his would stay with him for the rest of his Engkanto life but somehow that all seemed to change his rather pessimistic view on life when he had come across someone who would turn his whole life in a different direction.

Maliksi had met (Y/N) (L/N) on one of his father’s many extravagant events where he was forced to sit through it. Of course, while his father was busy chatting away, the prince took this as an opportunity to sneak away which eventually led him towards an unsuspecting person who would change his life forever.

At first, the two of them were like total opposites, always clashing and arguing about something to the point that his father, Senior Armanaz had to interfere with their constant bickering but time seemed to wear both Maliksi and (Y/N)’s dissatisfaction for each other’s presence and instead began to tolerate the other, which eventually led into something more than just friendship among the two.

Maliksi and (Y/N) were completely inseparable, almost attached to the hip to the point that the Prince was rarely seen without them. He would take (Y/N) on trips across the country, sometimes he would take them out on long drives after his races and almost everything in between. People have reported that the two seemed even more in sync especially in battle, covering each other’s backs while bantering about which car model was the best or where they would eat after this whole ordeal like the two of them were playing a mere game of Patintero or even playing a good round of Pogs to see who got the most hits on their opponents and who seemed to be stronger.

But there were precious moments where Maliksi would take them on trips across the country just to escape from the hectic and bustling streets of the city and gave them the taste of what it means to be free and live life in color. He would watch his partner’s joyful and almost curious gaze with a feeling of warmth and care in his chest that would make him smile along with them, the two of them would participate in various festivals such as Flores de Mayo and its ritual pageant, Santa Cruzan, The Masskara Festival in Bacolod down to his personal favorite which happened to be the Moriones Festival that takes place in Marinduque. But out of those trips, the one that he treasures the most was the time Maliksi and his parents had flown out to their home province, Bukidnon to celebrate the Kaamulan Festival where his partner met the rest of the family, of course, this was also the time where he had proposed to (Y/N) after their 3 years of dating, he was glad that they had accepted his proposal.

Who knew things would eventually change from thereon. With the underworld restless and agitated from all the events that have transpired, it seemed to put a strain between Maliksi and his fiancé. To make matters worse between the two, Maliksi began to do races that would conclude in fatal car accidents for both parties. This would result in (Y/N) and Maliksi arguing non-stop every time they meet however these fights never resulted in something physical but it would leave them in tears or the other walking away with a slam of the door. This cycle seemed to break the moment a certain Babaylan-Mangdirigma had beat him at his own game and managed to snap some sense into him as well the moment his beloved ran at him at full force, scolding him right in front of Alexandra Trese before the two left to settle their problems in private.

“Magpakasal na tayo.” Maliksi told (Y/N) the morning after the two of them had reconciled. Of course, this made his fiance cough up their drink, eyes wide and still hacking their lungs out while Maliksi made his way over to them, patting their back gently to ease their pain. Once things were clear, (Y/N) could only look at him, disbelief and surprise evident on their face before they spoke, “Seryoso ka ba?! Paano yung simbahan, yung venue-“ Holding their hands in his own, Maliksi could only give his soon-to-be spouse a grin, placing a chaste kiss upon the back of their hands. “Wag ka nang magalala, babe. I’ve got it covered.” And just like he had said, Maliksi did have it covered, the venue, the church, and everything in between. It was a quick but simple ceremony that had his parents and (Y/N)’s parents present and nobody outside of the clan knew about this union between them. Time seemed to move quickly after that but the two newlyweds felt like it was an eternity for them both.

In a short amount of time the fantasy of church bells and dreaming faded into war cries and chants of ‘Sic Itur Ad Astra’ quickly and we see Maliksi and his spouse come face to face with the greatest foe they’ve ever come across, the war-god of Bukidnon, Talagbusao. With the rest of their forces subdued by the War God and Maliksi trying to recover from the hit he had taken from Talagbusao, the Tikbalang prince seemed to take notice that his spouse was nowhere in sight and panic seemed to take a hold on him like a choke-hold. Standing up, he began to look for them, ruby-red eyes rapidly scanning the area, furiously looking for his beloved, silently praying to Bathala that they were okay or let alone still be alive.

His prayers seemed to be answered when he saw them, still kicking and fighting and running to where Talagbusao was and he immediately knew something was wrong. “(Y/N)!! ANONG GINAGAWA MO!?” Maliksi yelled out through the sound of roaring bullets, trying his best to reach over to where their lover was. “Alexandra, ngayon na!” Maliksi heard (Y/N)’s commanding voice ring out as she caught the Babylan-Mandirigma’s knife, Sinag throwing it to her while they subdued Talagbusao to the best of their abilities, eyes locked with their husband as they mouthed at him, ‘Patawarin mo ako, Maliksi.’ And as quick as a flash, Alexandra, Talagbusao, and (Y/N) disappeared into the Dragon’s Gate. Maliksi was left to watch his spouse in paralyzed horror and shock disappear right before his eyes, chest clenching in panic as the impact of the closing portal sent everyone nearby it flying backward.

_____________________

A month has then passed after that event and we see Maliksi within the Trese household as he would always do, always waiting, hoping, and praying that his (Y/N) would return to him safe and unharmed. This day was different than the other days he would spend at the household because this day was the day that Alexandra Trese had returned as announced by a pale-looking and wide-eyed Hank. The tikbalang prince was the first to head where Alexandra---who was now swarmed by her older brothers and the kambal, his eyes still searching for his spouse, his expression of hope immediately diminished as he spoke, his voice slowly trembling with each step he took, “Nasaan si (Y/N), Alexandra?” at the mention of his spouse’s name, Alexandra then refused to meet his eyes as the rest of the Trese siblings along with the Kambal clearing a path for him, all watching him with disconsolate looks and glistening eyes as Alexandra held onto Sinag as tightly as she could, trying her best to find the right words to say to him.

“Wala na si, (Y/N), Maliksi. She’s gone.”

_________________________

“There is a story, of a man who had lost his beloved in a war, some say he still waits for their return, others say that the day his beloved had disappeared, he had soon followed.”

“They say that this man could be found standing by the tall windows of Tower A [1] located in Ayala Avenue. Urban myths suggest that this man is a ghost bound to the building, others say that he’s the reason why that Tower still exists.” Now in his prime, Maliksi sat in the place where his father used to sit. It had been years since he had taken over the clan and years since his beloved, (Y/N) was taken away from him at such an early age. Beside him was an empty throne reserved for them once they return. No matter how many years it would take him, Maliksi Armanaz, former prince and now leader of the Armanaz clan, would still wait for his beloved, (Y/N) to return to him until the end of his days. He would wait for them for evermore.

#trese netflix #trese #trese imagine #maliksi imagine #maliksi armanaz #fanfic #trese x reader #maliksi x reader #kailan kaya ako titigil #ewan ko ba HAHAHA

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deobienthusiast · 4 years ago

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young, dumb, and rich

• pairing: kim sunwoo (the boyz) x reader ft. eric sohn

• word count: 2,426 words

• genre: bad boy!sunwoo, rich boy!sunwoo, rich!reader, popular!reader, fluff, tiny bit of angst

• warnings: suggestive at times, snobbish sunwoo

• notes: i liked this request a lot. if sunwoo had the chance to act out a character like this, i think he’d do really well (also this is coming out after i found out i hit 300 followers! thanks so much for that🤩☺️🥳)

• requested: yes | no by anon

There was always a stigma around being the rich kid. Everyone had their own opinions about being rich. Some thought it would be a blessing to be rich, while others believe that being rich makes you a snob. You didn’t want to be known as the snobby rich kid. Your parents raised you better than that, so you made sure to live up to how they raised you. You got along with everyone, and you had a lot of friends.

You also had a tinge of a thing for the risky side. You had perhaps the biggest crush on your school’s biggest personality, Kim Sunwoo. Sunwoo wasn’t the most likeable kid on the block. Like you, he was born into a wealthy family. Unlike you, he liked to use that to his advantage. He loved to show off and use his wealth to make friends, but it made him more enemies than anything. Not that Sunwoo minded, but he would always hope that it never ran you off. Unbeknownst to you, he felt just as strongly for you as you did for him.

“Stop staring at him!” You heard someone say as everyone got settled into their seats before class.

You turned to the voice and came face to face with your best friend and, of course, Sunwoo’s best friend, Eric Sohn.

“Why are you bothering me, Eric?” You asked the boy, eyeing him this time.

Eric grinned. “Oh come on, you love me.”

You fought back the small grin appearing on your face as Eric laughed. You rolled your eyes slightly before bringing them back to the dark-haired male sitting on the other side of the room.

“You know, if you just tell him how you feel then this whole little cat and mouse game will go much easier.” Eric whispered.

You shook your head. “Why would I set myself up for that type of embarrassment?”

He snorted. “Is it really embarrassing if he likes you back?”

It was your turn to snort as the teacher walked through the door. Eric gave you a little look before hopping up from the seat he was in and heading to sit with his best friend, preparing to give Sunwoo the same little “peptalk” he had given you.

“Alright students, I have the results of your previous exams. Some of you did very well, others, not so much. These will be representative on your final grades at the end of the year, so I suggest that the ones who didn’t do too well, start being perfect from here on out.” The teacher said as he handed out the scores to everyone.

A quiet scoff was heard from across the room and you smiled to yourself, knowing exactly who it was coming from.

“Is something wrong Mr. Kim?” The teacher asked, calling out Sunwoo.

All the attention turned to the cocky boy sitting by the door as he shook his head with a confident smile. “Not at all. Just thinking about how lucky I am.”

The teacher eyed him for a moment before nodding as he continued handing out the test scores. You got your paper as you looked over the typed out black font. The score you saw made you smile, you passed. Looking at the rank on the paper you noticed there was a score above yours. You knew exactly who it was. You looked over at his side of the room, seeing him staring right back at you.

“Good job.” He mouthed.

You smiled. “Thank you.”

He gave you a smile from across the room before feeling a tap on his shoulder. “Dear lord, just tell her how you feel?”

Sunwoo kept his eyes on you as he shook his head. “No way.”

“Why not?” Eric asked the boy.

Sunwoo turned himself around in his chair to look at his best friend. The blonde streaks in Eric’s hair catching Sunwoo’s eyes as he spoke.

“Eric, she doesn’t like me. She just sees me the same way the rest of the school sees me. A snobby rich kid who gets away with everything.” Sunwoo said with a sigh.

He heard Eric snicker as he narrowed his eyes. “What’s so funny?”

Eric shrugged. “I mean, isn’t that what you are?”

Sunwoo punched Eric’s arm as he let a smile fall on his face. “As my best friend, you’re not supposed to agree with the crowd.”

The teacher went on and on as he gave the class a lecture about your next assignment. When the bell rang to dismiss class, Sunwoo watched the numerous people that stopped by your desk to congratulate you on your score, or just to stop and talk to you. He admired that about you. He sometimes wished he didn’t have this awful snob attitude, but he knew that he made up that image himself, so he had to deal with it.

You headed towards the door before stopping in front of the two boys.

“So Sunwoo, how much did you pay the teacher so you could pass the exam?” You asked in a teasing tone.

Despite his clear knowledge that you were joking, Sunwoo knew that in the back of everyone else’s minds they were thinking the same statement in a more serious mindset.

“How much do you think?” Sunwoo teased back, causing you to laugh.

You threw your head back to let out that beautiful laugh that Sunwoo had absolutely fallen in love with throughout the years. He just thought it was the most amazing sound in the world.

“Hey, why don’t you join us for lunch?” Eric suddenly asked, making Sunwoo freeze.

Sunwoo turned to Eric, ready to punch him in the face before hearing your voice.

“I’d love to. That is if Sunwoo is okay with it?” You asked softly, feeling your heartbeat out of your chest as you awaited the answer.

The boy tore his gaze off of his best friend as he nodded immediately. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. That’s perfect!”

Eric smirked at both of you as he pushed through the two of you towards the door. “I’ll meet you guys at lunch. I need to find someone first.”

He rushed out of the classroom as you turned to Sunwoo. You went to speak before someone beat you to it.

“Hey, can I talk to you?” You both heard someone say as Sunwoo’s head followed the voice.

A tall boy that was younger than you both said softly.

“Jisung, what’s up?” Sunwoo suddenly asked.

You stepped aside to let the two boys talk before being pulled away by a friend of yours. She walked with you to your locker before looking at you.

“I don’t get why you like him. He’s so rude.” She said.

You smiled to yourself as you laid your books inside the metal walls of your locker. “He’s not, though. Sunwoo is so sweet.”

Your friend sighed. “He paid the teacher so he could pass the exam.”

You shrugged. “To each his own.”

She snorted. “You have a weird taste in guys.

This caused you to laugh as you closed your locker. “You just have to get to know him better, that’s all.”

You both walked to the lunch room as you headed towards the table Eric was already seated at with a plate full of food in front of him. With him was another boy that you didn’t know as you looked around for Sunwoo. Eric waved you over before pulling you down into the seat next to him. This gave you a good look at the boy sitting across from you as he lifted his head, smiling.

“This is Bomin! Bomin this is my friend I was telling you about earlier.” Eric introduced the both of you.

Bomin nodded as he brought his dark eyes back to you, his lips stretching into a big grin.

“I’m Bomin. It’s nice to meet you.” He said in a deep, almost baritone voice as he reached across the table to shake your hand.

You smiled. “It’s nice to meet you too, Bomin.”

Eric took a little more time getting you and Bomin more acquainted as a mischievous smirk bloomed on his face when he saw Sunwoo walk through the door. It didn’t take long for Sunwoo to recognize the boy that was chatting you up as he sat down on the other side of Eric.

“Bomin, how have you been?” Sunwoo asked, rather curtly.

Bomin didn’t seem to notice the way in which his friend greeted him as he put his conversation on hold with you to reply.

“What’s up Sunwoo? Eric invited me for lunch. I wasn't too busy with school work so I thought I’d actually come to lunch for once.” Bomin said, making both Eric and you laugh.

Sunwoo watched the interaction between you two as Eric watched the boy bore holes into Bomin. This was exactly what Eric wanted.

“So, still focusing entirely on school?” Sunwoo asked, rather rudely.

Bomin smiled. “I am. Are you still bullying people to death with your wealth?”

Of course, Bomin was joking. This wasn’t an unusual statement that he would address Sunwoo with, but at this very moment, Sunwoo didn’t exactly appreciate it.

“Old habits die hard, I’m afraid.” Sunwoo whispered out, picking at the food in front of him.

The rest of the lunch was just Sunwoo watching Bomin flirt with you, and much to his heartache, you flirting back. It all came to a boiling point for Sunwoo.

“You know, Bomin, you’re sitting next to a top notch student.” Eric said, gathering everyone’s attention.

Bomin looked at you with a smile. “Really? Well I’m always looking to improve. Perhaps I should get your number?”

A shy smile grew on your face as you nodded before there was a slam on the table. Both you and Bomin jumped as the three of you watched Sunwoo storm off from the table.

You looked at Eric as he watched him. “What’s wrong with Sunwoo?”

Eric shrugged, continuing to eat as you narrowed your eyes at the boy.

“I hope everything is alright.” Bomin said softly.

You excused yourself from the table as you headed down the same path as Sunwoo. Getting to the front entrance of the school, you noticed Sunwoo sitting on the hood of his car. He was talking to himself as you made your way towards him.

“Eric told me you had grown out of that.” You said jokingly.

Sunwoo lifted his head as he eyed you. “No Bomin?”

You scrunched up your nose. “Did you want me to bring him?”

Sunwoo scoffed. “Not a chance.”

“Since when are you so unhappy about being around one of your best friends? To be honest, you didn’t seem all that thrilled that he joined us for lunch.” You pointed out.

Sunwoo shrugged. “Sometimes his presence can get a bit overwhelming.”

You smiled slightly as you could finally feel what Sunwoo was getting at.

“Are you jealous of Bomin?” You asked Sunwoo, taking a step closer to him to close the gap.

The tip of your feet were now about an inch from Sunwoo’s as he shook his head.

“Why would I be jealous of Bomin? I’ve got no reason to be. I’m rich. He isn’t. I’ve got more than he does.” Sunwoo said.

You nodded before hearing him speak again. “Maybe that’s why you like him. Because he isn’t like me.”

Not understanding what he was saying, you spoke up. “What do you mean?”

“You like Bomin. It’s obvious. He’s smart and kind. It makes sense. He’s everything I’m not.” Sunwoo said, picking at his fingers.

You shook your head. “No. Sunwoo, I don’t like Bomin. I’ll admit he’s a sweetheart, but he’s definitely not my type.”

Sunwoo lifted his head to look you in the eyes as he quietly whispered. “Then what is your type.”

This was it. The make or break moment that could change the course of your friendship forever.

“You are. You’re my type.” You breathed out.

“I, I am?” Sunwoo asked, standing up from the hood of his car.

You nodded. “Isn’t it obvious? I’ve liked you since the moment I laid eyes on you. I’m not going to lie, I kind of befriended Eric just to get closer to you. It was just an added bonus that he ended up becoming one of my closest friends.”

This caused Sunwoo to smile. “I thought I was being obvious as well.”

You looked at him confused as he spoke again. “I like you. A lot! Eric had been pushing me for months to tell you how I feel. I always thought you didn’t like me.”

“Eric had been telling me the same thing, but I always thought you didn’t like me.” You replied back.

Sunwoo reached for both of your hands, making your heart swell as he chuckled. “I guess us being rich doesn’t make us too smart, now does it?”

You giggled. “Not if we keep paying off our teachers.”

Sunwoo rolled his eyes at your teasing gesture as he pulled you into him, wrapping his arms tightly around you.

“You know I don’t actually pay my teachers off, right?” He asked seriously.

You looked at him. “Sunwoo, you know I don’t think that about you. I just like teasing you.”

Sunwoo pecked your forehead as he smiled. “So I guess we should probably go back in and tell Eric.”

You shook your head. “Not a chance. He’ll use that and hold it over our heads for the rest of our lives. Besides, we can always go back to your place or mine and just spend a bit more time together.”

As if knowing what you were getting at, Sunwoo pulled away from you to open the passenger side door. “Why go to my place when the backseat of my car is big enough.”

You pushed at his chest as you spoke. “Easy there, tiger. A date first would be better.”

Sunwoo snorted as he opened the driver’s side door. “Oh I’m sorry. Weren’t you the one suggesting it first?”

You gave him a shrug. “If you take me on a date now, and it goes well, maybe I’ll reward you. In the backseat of your car.”

Sunwoo smirked. “You got yourself a deal, babe.”

You both hopped into his car, leaving the school parking lot without realizing your shared best friend standing with a triumphant smile on his face. He definitely planned on teasing the two of you about this the next time he saw you.

#kwritersworldnet #tbznetwork #deobiwritersnet #kafenetwork #the boyz #tbz #the boyz sunwoo #tbz sunwoo #kim sunwoo #the boyz imagines #the boyz drabbles #the boyz scenarios #tbz imagines #tbz drabbles #tbz scenarios #the boyz eric #tbz eric #eric sohn

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viivdle · 9 months ago

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cardan: i exile you

jude: ..?!

cardan:

#tweety bird #cardan greenbriar #jude duarte #jurdan #the cruel prince #the wicked king #the queen of nothing #the folk of the air #tfota memes #tfota #holly black #holly blacj #chai anna jude #babe do u want me to write starrynightsxo😭😭#using the chat font in hopes it will reach more people

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cryptidofthekeys · 3 years ago

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The Adventures of Tiny Robbie

Wow, me? Writing fluff? And writing another story this quickly? Not foretold but it’s here! I figured I’d get this one outta my list, I knew it wouldn’t be a SUPER long one from the beginning but I hope y’all like it anyway, no trigger warnings for this one except maybe tooth rotting fluff lmao

The cute lil font I had for a certain part in this story doesn’t show up here so r.i.p that

Robbie was shambling throughout the house as he usually did, he didn’t really have anywhere to be in particular, he was just roaming and looking around, overall today had been a pretty good day for the zombie! Chase played some games with him, Jameson had a tea party with him as well! ...Granted, Robbie tried to eat the cup at the end, but he couldn’t help it though! The cup looked pretty and had pretty flowers on it! And he’s eaten flowers before and they tasted good so why couldn’t he eat the cup? Robbie… Didn’t understand it but he saw Jameson’s distress and backed off, he understood at the very least that for whatever reason if he ate the cup, Jamie would be sad and he didn’t want that! He hated to see any of the others distressed because he knows it’s bad, it feels bad and icky… Maybe next he’d try to find Anti, he hadn’t seen him in awhile so that’d be his next task so long as he didn’t get distracted by anything! Meanwhile…

Marvin was nearby, he noticed Anti’s door open to his room and he quickly took out his wand, he grinned mischievously “...This will be payback for ruining my stuff earlier, you nasty glitch…” He muttered to himself, he slowly got into position and waited for the glitch to come closer, at first he heard Anti grumbling slightly and then he finally heard footsteps coming closer, and closer… And closer… And… ...NOW! He jumped out and chanted a spell really fast before waving his wand, and casting it to… ...O-Oh… Oh no! Robbie was in the way of Anti! He was going to get hit by the spell, as Marvin called out to him to get out of the way, the zombie slowly turned and suddenly he felt, well he wasn’t sure how to describe the feeling, it wasn’t really painful but he did let out a slight yelp of fear and held his arms up as a shield, and for a few moments nothing happened so Robbie lowered his arms and blinked slowly, tilting his head, and he looked back at Anti and then tilted his head as he noticed… “...A-Attiii…? T-Taalllerrrr…?” Robbie watched as Anti kept getting taller and taller but then he seemed to piece it together, it wasn’t JUST Anti getting taller! He was getting… Smaller? Or something…? As things finally stopped growing around him, the zombie turned around and noticed, okay… Everything was giant now.

He let out a small whimper and clutched at himself, he flinched upon feeling hands suddenly around him, they were gentle but it was still scary, it was something new and something he didn’t understand… As the hands lifted him up, he blinked and looked up toward Anti’s face who looked… Shocked, but then he held Robbie closer to his chest with one hand "̸͡.̷̀̀..̢Rob̛́b̕įe̡͟͜, ̡͘͟ç̴̛o͞v̴̧ęr̶͏ y͜͠è̢̧r̵̕ e̷͟͞a̢̨ŗ̸͞s̷ ́f̷̵o͏r҉͟ a̶͘ ͞͠s̛e͘͝҉c̴͢.̸͟͜.͏.͢" The zombie was confused but did as told and placed his hands over his ears, he didn’t notice the knife form into Anti’s other hand until he raised it up at Marvin "̵͝Yo̴͠͠ú͟ fu͏c͠k̕i̶ń͟g̨͘͜ ̀͠Ì̧ ̧D I̵͜ ͢O͘ ͡T̵͞҉!"͏ Even with the zombie covering his ears, the yell still sounded a bit loud, he didn’t like this, he heard the two talk with each other, it sounded like they were bickering, but it was more like Marvin trying to defend himself and Anti yelling at him for t h i s… “I was aiming for you, not him! How was I supposed to know he was in front of you?!” Anti’s eye twitched at this, he grinned however even though it was clear he was still pissed "͏͘͏Y҉͞o̴u ҉̶d̸̡o ̶͠ŗ͝ea̵͞l̶͠i̴z̀e ͏t̵̡͡h͢҉a͠t̕͝͏ ̸o̕n̸͝l̶̡y ͏m̕a͠k̷̛ȩs̡ ḿ̷͡e̡̡ ҉M̵̡͢ ͠Ù ̷͠C͜ ̀H͝ ̨m̸or͏e̛͡ ͞ą́͘n̛g̸̕r͜͡į͜͜e̷r͠ ̢̡a͘t̨͜ ̕yo̶u ̴̢b͞ ̶̷̀u ҉t͠..̷.͢ ̴͟Y͢a̷͞ ͞ķ̴n̵̛ow͝,͘ ҉͟i̷͝n͠s͝͠t̢͠e͡͞͠ad̸ ͟ơf̧ ͜͝͠Ḿ͞E͏̀ ̴k̶il̢͏́li͢n͢͝g͘͡ ͝y͏͏o̸u̸̡,̸͏̛ ̢h̶̴o͝w ͘ą̵̀boứ̧t̶ y̨͘͞ơ̢͘u͝ ̢f̢͘a̛c̛͞e͜ ̴͞͡t͟͡͞he ͢c̵̵͜o̸̕ǹs̨̀́e͢qu̡ȩn̸c̡͞e͝s of͏ ̧͟y̡͠͠o̡u̷ŕ̀ ̷̡́a͜c͞t̷͟͞ì̢o͟͜ņ͏s̡?̷̨ ̀I̶'̵l̡̀l̵̛ ̨̕l̶̕̕e҉̸t̶̡ ̡́͟t͡h́e ̶̢O̡̨T̷͘H̨͜E͏͢R̴̀͞S̶͟ ̨̛k̀i͜͜ll̶̀ ̢y̴͢͏o̴͏u thèm̸̛s̵̸e̕ĺ̵̡v̴̸es͠͏~" Before Marvin could even think about opening his mouth to retort, he heard Henrik’s voice call out “What is all the yelling about? What is wrong?” He sounded tired and pretty irritated if anything.

Next came Chase’s voice as the two walked down the hall “Yeah dudes, what’s goin’ on?” Anti turned to the two and grinned "̶̡W̛h҉̛y̵ d͠͞o͏͝n̷͝'̶̡t I ś̛h́͠͝o̧w҉̵ y̶e̴ ̡͜t̀wǫ w̕͡͝h̶̢͡at̢͠ our̡̀ ̸͢Ẁ̧ÓN̵D͏E͠R̀F̨Ų̷̷L̷ l̴͏i̷t͞t̷́l̡͠e҉̴̨ ma̕g̢͞ì̡͡c͠i͞an̕ ̴͏͢d͢i͟͝d̛͝ ̀̕m͜y̴̢̕s̴̶e̸͠l͘͘f̶̨,́҉ ̛͏h̨͏m~̨҉?͜͡"̀ And then Anti held Robbie out, who blinked and looked up toward Henrik and Chase, they were really big too… The zombie felt like he was about to start crying, everything was so much bigger, so much louder… And it seemed Henrik and Chase both noticed him about to burst into tears, even Anti, the three turned back to glare at Marvin who smiled nervously “...I-I was… Aiming for Anti… I-I was trying to get… G-Get back at him…! H-He ruined my things…!” Henrik looked toward Anti “Give Robbie to Chase for a moment, and Chase? ...Go take Robbie to Jameson’s room please… I’d like to have a chat with Marvin for a bit” Anti nodded "͞T̡̀͝h͟'̸͡ ͏̸f͠͝͞i̸̷̡r̷͝ś��͟t̢ ̸ţ̛͢h͡i̡̛n̡g̵ ̴ẁe̡'̶̢v̡͘͠e̸͝ ̵͘E͏͠V̶̕E̷̡͡R̶͡ a҉̕gr̢ȩ̡e̴̕d̶̀ ̸͘o̕͢͟n̷,͝͏ ̵̷d́o̶c̵t͏҉o͜r͏.͟͡.̢.͝͏~̸̧" Anti gently handed Robbie to Chase even though he was a bit hesitant to do so… Chase quickly walked off toward Jameson’s room, he heard Marvin desperately trying to get out of this, saying that they could talk about this and the last thing Chase heard before leaving the vicinity entirely was “Oh, we’re going to talk about it, alright” From Henrik who sounded just as unhappy as Anti had… (Hen’s gonna get Anti’s ass too for breaking someone’s things bc he isn't INNOCENT by any means)

Chase looked down at his hands at Robbie who looked like he was sobbing now “H-Heey… Heyy… Robbie buddy… C’mon dude, it’s alright, it’ll be okay… I know it’s scary, being that small… Everything’s so much scarier being that small, trust me… H-Heh… I’ve been there, no thanks to Marv…” He grumbled slightly but held Robbie against his chest, the zombie immediately nuzzling into him, still crying “S-Scarrreeedd… W-Wann… be… big againnn…” Chase sighed “I know buddy… I know… We’ll get it sorted… For now, let’s get’cha to Jamie’s room lil duder… It’ll be extra quiet there…” Robbie sniffled and nodded his head and then Chase was heading down the hallway and finally knocking on Jameson’s door, it took a few minutes but finally he answered the door and signed [ Ah! What brings you here, Chase? Is there a problem? ] Chase sighed “Uh, I guess you could say we got a SMALL problem on our hands…” He grinned a little sheepishly before holding out Robbie who waved at JJ, the man paused for a moment before mimicking a sigh [ ...Let me guess, Marvin’s doing? ] Chase nodded and then Jameson invited him in, he gently closed the door behind himself and finally… Robbie was relaxing a little bit more.

It was always pretty quiet in Jameson’s room, he had some very faint old timey music playing usually but it was nothing that’d hurt Robbie’s tiny ears, Robbie looked at the tea set “Ch-Chaa…? D-Daaadaa…” Chase looked down at the tiny zombie “What’s up, kiddo…?” Robbie pointed to the tea set “D-Doowwnnn…! Downnn!” Chase looked a little nervous but he carefully placed Robbie down on the table by the tea set, the zombie smiled and looked up at the giant objects, he seemed… Fascinated… Sure, it was still scary to the zombie with EVERYTHING being so large but he reached out a hand and gently touched the cup, he was so small compared to it, he could easily climb into the cup and fit in it! ...And then he was doing so, he climbed on up and tumbled a little into the cup and peered up at Chase and Jameson who was watching him, he giggled and smiled a little lopsidedly “...C-Cuuppp…!” Robbie pointed to himself then the cup, this made Jameson smile while Chase chuckled “If he fits he sits…” Jameson then looked back toward Chase and began signing [ So, you said Marvin did this? What EXACTLY happened out there? ]

Chase sighed “...Well ya see, Marv was tryna get back at Anti or some shi…” Chase paused, glancing down at Robbie who was giggling and waddling around in the cup before looking back toward Jameson who had that one look on his face “...Something like that… I think Anti broke some of his things” Jameson sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose [ Golly, that demon really does love to pester people… ] Chase nodded “Hen and Anti are probably givin’ Marv a lecture right now as we speak… Of course m’ sure Anti’s gettin’ a lecture too, heh… Dude ain’t gonna get away t h a t easily” JJ nodded [ I hope Henrik isn’t being TOO harsh on Marvin at the very least, the doc can be… A pretty intimidating fella when angry ] Chase chuckled “Yep, he sure can… I mean, I won’t deny… Robbie is even cuter than he usually is…” The two looked down to Robbie who was now climbing out of the cup and waddling around on the table, he looked to the kettle and it was even bigger than the cups and he looked more fascinated now then scared, Robbie then walked closer toward Jameson and held his arms in the air, jumping up and down “U-Up…!” JJ smiled at this and held his hand down, as flat as he could manage so Robbie could have an easier time of climbing up, the zombie still struggled a bit but not nearly as bad.

Once Robbie was on his hand, Jameson carefully and slowly lifted the zombie up, he giggled while being lifted up, this wasn’t AS bad as Robbie was thinking previously, sure, he’d still prefer to be normal sized again but for now… He could manage! Jameson then placed two fingers down onto his other hand, watching Robbie take a hold of them and he used his fingers to dance around with the zombie who was giggling and dancing along, he used one finger to carefully help Robbie twirl around and this made Chase clutch at his heart, a look of adoration on his face, he mouthed an ‘Aww’ so he wouldn’t interrupt this moment as Jameson continued to ‘dance’ with Robbie for a few moments, before the zombie finally let go of his fingers, JJ smiled brightly at this and gently booped Robbie’s nose, the zombie clapped and seemed so happy and giggly before his stomach suddenly started gurgling, he looked back at Chase “H-Huunngrrryyy…” Chase stood from his spot “Alright kiddo, I’ll go get’cha some food, you stay here…” Robbie quickly spoke up “N-nnnooo…! W-Wan… Go.. With…!! W-Wan s e e… Differ… di… n-neeeww…!” Chase looked a little confused by that but Jameson quickly grabbed his attention.

[ I believe what Robbie wants is to see the difference with things now that he’s a wee fellow! He wants to see how different the world is now ] Chase perked up at that and smiled “...Well… I guess it wouldn’t hurt, but, Robbie, you gotta promise me you’ll be careful… It can be very dangerous when you're that small” The zombie giggled and nodded “Proomisse p-ppaapaa…! Prrromise I… Be saaafe…!” And then Robbie was jumping up and down, making grabby hands for Chase who gently took a hold of him, he smiled as Robbie nuzzled into his chest and got comfortable, he gave a nod toward Jameson since he couldn’t really wave but the other seemed to understand, he waved nonetheless and then Chase was walking out and looking around, he saw no sign of the others… He hurriedly padded off toward the kitchen and once he got there he gently set Robbie down onto the counter, the zombie looked… Amazed, sure, he definitely seemed intimidated by all the new things that were much larger than himself but… He had an aura of curiosity, and he quickly put that curiosity in motion by exploring around the counter, gently placing his hands on various things or standing next to it to see the sheer size of it.

Chase chuckled, “Havin’ fun lil duder?” Robbie giggled and nodded “Mmhm…!” Chase was happy now that Robbie was less scared and having much more fun, definitely a different reaction then how he felt when he was tiny, but also… He had to worry about Anti when he was tiny, Robbie won’t thankfully… “What’cha want to eat, kiddo?” Robbie paused for a few moments, he seemed to be thinking before he finally spoke up “M-Meeaat…! Pleease…” Chase nodded and told Robbie to stay put which he surprisingly did so, the zombie waited patiently for the other to bring his food back and when Chase brought the slab of meat back, the zombie’s jaw nearly dropped, t-thankfully it didn’t because sometimes his jaw could… Fall completely off… But the zombie’s eyes were practically sparkling as he stared up at the giant slab of meat, his mouth watering as he got up and rather quickly sped toward it, he stopped in front of it to gaze up at it (keep in mind, this is raw meat, Robbie doesn’t,, really like cooked meat actually but to be fair I mean, he has nothing to worry about eating raw meat he IS a zombie after all) he placed a hand against it and tore a chunk off and began munching away, this made Chase a little nervous so he quickly chimed in “Don’t eat TOO much, okay kiddo?”

Robbie nodded, still tearing off bits and pieces here and there to consume, he ate pretty slowly but eventually he seemed to get his fill, he ate a bit more than Chase would have liked him to but seeing the bright smile on the zombie’s face made it worth it, he could have a little extra… After Robbie was finished he took the slab of meat and put it back in the fridge, he had originally put it in the fridge a bit earlier since he was the one preparing Robbie’s food this time, the egos usually took turns with making sure Robbie gets fed, after all they know how dangerous he is when he doesn’t… That thought made Chase shudder and he shook his head, walking back over to the counter and looking down at Robbie “F-Fooodd… Gooodd…” The zombie mumbled, and for a few moments it was calm and peaceful… Until Jackie popped his head into the room and his voice was loud as he called out to Chase, this made Robbie whimper and hold his ears “L-Loouudd…!” Chase quickly whipped around and pressed a finger to his lips “Jackie…! Shush…!” Before Jackie could open his mouth to question why, Chase stepped to the side and pointed toward the counter, Jackie stepped a bit closer to get a better look and then he saw a tiny Robbie sitting there, covering his ears and whimpering softly.

Jackie quickly put a hand over his mouth, mostly because aww Robbie was even more adorable! But also… He felt bad for scaring the other, he toned his voice down as best he could “Sorry lil buddy… I didn’t know you were in here…” Robbie looked up to Jackie and nodded “I-It… Okaaay…” He spoke out, to which Jackie smiled at, he then turned to Chase “So… What happened to him exactly?” Chase sighed “Marvin was aimin’ for Anti or somethin’ because he broke some of his stuff, he didn’t see Robbie standing in front of Anti at first and so… Robbie got hit by the blast” Jackie’s eyes widened a bit “...Jeez… Lemme guess, cause I did hear someone getting lectured a few minutes ago, that was probably Marvin in there, huh?” Chase nodded “More than likely dude, I mean… Both Henrik and Anti were pretty angry at him” Jackie shivered at that “Dang… Hope Marv’s alright in there… I know how Henrik’s lectures can be” Chase nodded, a look of sympathy on his face “...Don’t we all, bro… Don’t we all…” Jackie then held a hand down on the counter and Robbie carefully climbed up onto it, the zombie looked down and gently began patting at the gloves, giggling while doing so “So...Soo..fft…! Soft…!” Jackie smiled at this “Aww… So cute…” He watched Robbie pat at his gloves for a bit.

Robbie seemed to really like the texture of Jackie’s gloves, despite being leather they still felt so soft… And warm and snug… And that’s when Robbie really started paying attention to other details… He remembered Jameson’s hands were a bit smaller than the others seemed to be and much softer… Chase’s hands were usually warm and very comforting, Jackie’s hands were covered by gloves but the gloves felt nice and now Robbie was gently grasping at one of Jackie’s fingers, he really WAS small… Even their fingers were a bit bigger than he was! He wrapped his arms around Jackie’s finger in a hug, nuzzling his face into the gloves, and both Chase and the hero swore, if Robbie didn’t stop now, they were going to have some sort of cuteness overdose… “Heh… You having some fun there, Robbie?” Jackie asked to which the zombie replied with a giggle and then a nod, and for a bit, the zombie played and messed around with Jackie’s hands, trying to even do what he did to some punching bags on occasion, this made the hero smile brightly “Ooh…! Big strong boy…!” Jackie praised, truthfully though it felt like a feather grazing his fingers when the zombie punched his fingers, but hearing the other giggle and clap and look so happy? ...Robbie didn’t need to know the truth on this matter.

And then Jackie felt his phone buzzing in his pocket, he carefully handed Robbie back to Chase and pulled it out, his eyes scanned over the message and sighed “Ah, duty calls…!” Chase nodded and both him and Robbie waved goodbye to Jackie who quickly ran off, meanwhile Robbie was papping at Chase’s hands to get his attention, he looked down “What’s up, kiddo?” The zombie pointed “Wanna… See… Others… See Maarr… Henn… A-Attiii…! Wan… See…” And there was a pause, the zombie huffing a little in frustration as he tried to show Chase what he meant instead, he made some motions at the other’s hands and placed his hand against one of his fingers, hoping Chase would understand somewhat “U-Uhh… You… Want the… Others to hold ya, is that it dude?” Robbie sighed ...Close enough at least so he nodded “Mmhmm…!” Chase thought about it for a moment before sighing “Well… Let’s go see if Hen’s done with his lecture…” And then Chase was heading off in that direction, he held Robbie close to his chest and kept him mostly covered just in case, he walked down the hallway and toward Marvin’s room, he figured the others would be in there, luckily enough for his and Robbie’s sake, there was no loud yelling, he could hear some talking now as he got closer to the door, he knocked on it and it fell silent for a few moments before Henrik had opened the door.

He looked at Chase then down to his hands, noticing him cradling Robbie toward his chest “Ah… How’s he doing, Chase?” Henrik did smile a little, even though the zombie being small was a bit nerve wracking for him he wouldn’t deny, seeing Robbie like this made his heart swoon… “He’s doing alright now, Hen… Heh… If anything I think the lil duder enjoys being small now…! Robbie actually wanted to come in here, he uh, I think he wants you all to hold him, or somethin’ like that… I didn’t… Really understand…” Henrik nodded and held a hand out, Chase carefully handed the small zombie to the doctor and the zombie giggled at this, he looked at Henrik’s hands and began comparing them to his own, grasping at his fingers and inspecting them… He didn’t like that Henrik’s hands felt a bit rougher than the others, that made him frown a little, however despite the rough feeling… Henrik held him in such a gentle caring manner, his hands were just as warm if not a bit warmer than Chase’s… Henrik was smiling at this and he chuckled “I suppose he has been curious about all these new changes, yes?” Chase nodded “At first he was a lil scared… But uh…” And Chase paused to clear his throat.

“It looks like he’s been interested in random items around the house, he’s been comparing himself to those and our hands a lot… He did it with Jameson’s, Mine, and Jackie’s so far…” Henrik nodded, watching as Robbie gave his hands some paps and played with it as if his hand were some form of toy… “Well… I’m glad he seems to be more curious than frightened… I remember when you got turned tiny, woo boy… Chase, you were just a ball of anxiety” Henrik smiled while Chase grumbled and crossed his arms “It was scary dude… Being that small? Especially around a certain someone…” Chase glared over at Anti who just gave him a menacing smile and he cackled a little "̢̧Hȩh͜.̡́..̷͠ ̷̶Ş͡a̶y ̴͟M̧a҉rv̛in͠͏,̴͘͞ ̧́͟w͜͠h͠y d̵́͡ò̧n̶̵'t͏'̸̛c̡̡h̴̡͞a͢ m̷͠͞a̴͜k̷͟è̷͘ ͜͡Ç͟͠h͢àse ̵tįn̸͜y̶͜ ̸aga͝i͞n̨~̷͞?̡̕͞ ̛͘I̢͟'̨d̸̀ ̵l̢ove̷ ̛͝ta͞͞ m̨e̵s̢͡s͏ à͏r͝oư҉n̕͘d̡̛̕ ̸w̷̸͡ì͟t̵̵h̡ h̷͝i̕͢m̨̀ ̵a̢̛͞g̨͘á͟͜i͘͝n~̶́" Marvin glared at Anti as well “No, the next time… It’ll be YOU I hit with that spell… You disgusting glitch…” Anti chuckled and grinned at that "̴͝Y̶̷̕'̴s̵̛͠ho̷u͡҉͠l̛̀d̨͟ ̛r͏ ̢̛͞é̶͜ ̵͢͟a͢͟ ̴ļ̶̛ ͘͢l̶͢ ̨͢͢y̶̸ t̶̡̛ŗ̸͘y͝ s҉̸o͢͢͝me̛͡t͏͡h̀͟͝in̵̶͝'͢ ̢n̛è͘w͘.̕.̶.̸̕͞ Les͏ţ͢ ͢y̸e̴͜ ͟҉͏ẃa̛҉̵n̡t̢ ̡i҉n̛̕ ҉tŕo͏̨ubl̵̕e ҉̸a̡̛͡ga̶͟i̸͡n͢͝,̸͠ ͘͟hm͘m҉~?"̕ Marvin huffed at that and turned away from Anti, meanwhile Henrik had turned to glare at the pair “Alright… That’s enough you two…” He warned, this made them immediately hush, meanwhile Robbie was giggling and reaching out for Marvin “Mar-Mar…! Maarrr…!” Henrik walked over and let Marvin have the tiny zombie.

Marvin smiled at him “Hello little darling… I’m very sorry Robbie, you weren’t the target of that, I hope you can forgive me…” The zombie giggled “It okaaay…! S-Scaarry at firrrst… Buuut… F-Fun now…!” And then Robbie was messing around with Marvin’s hands, his hands were even softer than Jameson’s! His hands felt much more smooth as well, a little cold but nothing too bad… Marvin smiled as he watched Robbie mess around with his hand and fingers, hugging at them and placing his hand against them “...Oh yes, I should say, the spell will wear off before the night’s out, so he won’t be tiny forever…” Chase nodded, okay that’s relief on his part, on all of their parts really… Anti watched Robbie play with Marvin’s hands for a bit as did the rest of them, the zombie climbing all over them, almost making them all panic when he lost his footing, he quickly corrected himself however and kept crawling around, after Marvin’s hands were inspected Robbie turned toward Anti and pointed “A-Atii… H-Hold…!” He made grabby hands for the other who, for once, actually looked a little nervous "̡͏̨Y'̶w̡a҉n͜͠t̢ ҉̨m̛ ̢͢e̶͞ ̛͜͢t͜o͘͜ ̷̨͞h̢̛ol͏͞d͘͟ ̧͝͝y̸͠a͘͘͡?͘ ̨.̢.̶̴.̕I͞͝-̀͠I҉̕ ̵̧̀d̡̛u͟n̷͠n͏̵o̧͟.҉̀.̡́.͢͢" The glitch looked down at Robbie who kept making grabby hands, he looked like he really wanted Anti to hold him, he even had those puppy dog eyes which made Anti sigh.

"͏͜͏.͢.̷̛.̕͢F̡̀͏i͝n̕ȩ̴.̧͘͝.̧͏.̧̀͞" Marvin was admittedly a bit hesitant to give Robbie to Anti but the zombie was squirming around and he seemed so excited, he reluctantly handed Robbie to Anti who was cupping his hands together and it was such a strange sight… To see Anti so nervous… Only with Robbie had they ever seen such a different side of him… Anti watched as Robbie giggled and papped at his hands, then he grabbed onto a finger and repeated the process as he did with all the others. After that, Anti seemed to relax a little, and he completely forgot there were others around… He let himself smile genuinely as he took a finger and gently started tickling at the zombie, he was being EXTREMELY mindful of his claws as he did so of course, luckily for him, the zombie seemed to squeal with laughter at this, the two had such happy looks on their faces "A̷͘ḩ̸͜.́.͘.͝ Y̨e̛͜͜'̵̛ve̛͞ ̸̡alwa̵̢ỳ̷s ̧͞b̢͡ee̸n ̶a ̸͡c̕u͏͜t͏̛e̢'͜͠e̕͘͜n҉ h̴͞ąv͡e͘҉n't'̶̸ch̨͟͠a̕?” Robbie gripped at Anti’s finger after a moment and that made Anti stop, the zombie giggled again “G-Goottt yooouuu…!” Anti was still smiling, he nodded and sat down on the bed "͜͏Ye̛͘p̴..̷.̡!͠ ͝Ỳ̴e̵ ̵g̷̛ot̸ ̀̕͢m̵͘e͘̕͞ a̧lri͜ǵh̢t̡̀.̵͜͟.. ̀͞O҉͟r͢.̵̴.̛͜.͘ ́H̢́҉ a͞ v̢ ̕e y o҉̕ ̀̕͠ú̀͠~͏?" And then Anti let some strings form from his fingertips, they gently grabbed at Robbie.

The other egos flinched upon seeing strings but they remained silent and continued watching in awe… Robbie giggled and squealed as the strings wrapped around him, encasing him like a cocoon actually “Attiii… Goottt meee…!” He was making happy gurgling sounds now, that made the others' nerves ease, when Robbie was REALLY happy, he’d make some gurgling noises and while they didn’t… Sound pleasant to most, to the egos they knew what it was an indicator of… And then Anti manipulated the strings once more, the strings then unwrapped themselves from Robbie’s tiny form and let him rest in Anti’s palm, they dangled in front of Robbie who begun to grab at them, batting at them almost like a cat even at times, and then the strings were helping Robbie up, he kept a hold on them and just like how it happened with Jameson earlier, Robbie began to dance around on Anti’s palm with the strings, the strings curling around his arms and back to give him some extra support, just to ensure he didn’t fall off while moving and spinning around, the two did this dance for awhile, Anti smiling brightly and Robbie giggling all the while.

Eventually Robbie stopped and the strings released him, he sat there on Anti’s palm and watched the strings disappear into thin air, he was always amazed how Anti could do that… Robbie seemed satisfied now with his discoveries and little mental notes about their hands and random objects… Now he wanted to try something a lot more different “Attii… Put me doowwnn… Pleease…” Anti was originally going to hand Robbie to Chase but then Robbie clutched onto his finger “N-Nnnooo…! O-Onnn grrround…” Anti looked toward the others who looked concerned “U-Uh Robbie… I don’t know…” Henrik was the one to speak up and then Chase chimed in “It’ll be kinda dangerous to just… Leave ya down on the floor kiddo…” Robbie pouted “...W-Wann… Go… Jamie room… Myself…” Robbie seemed determined and his mind was set on being put down and going off on his own, the three looked at each other before sighing “...Alright Robbie… We’ll let you do this… But, STRAIGHT to Jameson’s room, understood kiddo?” The zombie’s eyes lit up and he smiled lopsidedly “Mmhmm…! J-Jaaam’s roommm only…!” And then Anti was gently setting Robbie onto the ground, and at first the zombie looked around, seeing all three of them staring at him and woah… It felt even BIGGER now that he was on the ground! He shambled over to Henrik and looked at his shoe for a few seconds.

He inspected his height compared to that before he smiled and seemed to get what he was looking for, it was so fascinating to the zombie how different the perspective was! Now, Robbie had held a tiny person a few times! Some of the other egos got shrunk before! He remembers pretty vividly actually of holding Chase, it felt… Weird to be one that could be held in the palm of someone’s hands, he kind of understood now why Chase and some of the others had been so intimidated but after a while, the intimidation fades! Well at least it did for Robbie! He was so curious and intrigued by everything! He waved goodbye to the three and headed off and out the door, he felt a LOT more slower than what he usually was and seeing how far it was to Jameson’s room made the zombie stop dead in his tracks… ...Oh that was… a LOT farther than what he previously thought but the zombie puffed his chest for a moment and got a determined bold look in his eyes and slowly, very slowly he was off… Heading right toward Jameson’s room way down at the end of the hallway, being a zombie did have its perks, he didn’t get AS tired as easily as regular humans seemed to.

Robbie actually had an idea in mind he wanted to discuss with Jameson in fact, this is the very reason he embarked out on his own, he wanted this discussion to be in private with JJ! He looked up as he was passing by a shelf, it was so large right now, Robbie was tempted to climb up it just to see how well he could manage… But no! The zombie shook his head and looked back down the hallway, he had a mission to do and he was going to do it! ...This might take a while though even still… Meanwhile back in Marvin’s room, Marvin looked at Anti and he was smiling a little “You know… We might not get along in the slightest but… It’s nice to see how close you and Robbie are, that darling boy looks up to you a lot…” Anti scoffed and crossed his arms "̴̨͘T̸̛́e̢͡ļ̷l̨͘ ̡҉a̶̕n͘yb̧̛͜o͟d̨̢͠y͠ a̛bo̴u̢t ͏̨̧w͏̕h͡a̷̸t ͜h̸͠a̢p͞pe̸̕͝ǹ͜e͠d̀ ̶a̛ņ̢d̕ ̴̴͜Ì҉'l͏͞ĺ ̧̨͏g̶u͝t̡̀͜ ̀͜y͜o̷u̷" Marvin rolled his eyes “...Figures as much… ...I solemnly swear I will tell no one” Anti huffed and the two said nothing else to each other, meanwhile Chase and Henrik were… Admittedly both trying to calm each other down, they were very worried over Robbie venturing out all on his own but, they knew if they didn’t let him, he’d just be upset with them, they knew deep down… Robbie had to do this, he WANTED to and he was determined, so they’d just have to hope he made it there safely, sure there really wasn’t anyone else who could be out there right now since Jackie had left but still, anything can happen when you're that small.

Eventually, Robbie had gotten closer and even from where he was he could hear the faint old timey music growing closer and closer… This had taken him a LONG while to get to even just the doorway (but luckily time skips are a thing in stories n such) and finally after what felt like it could have been a LONG few minutes, Robbie had finally made it in the doorway and he saw Jameson messing around with his little booth, he was placing his finger puppets in order and getting everything neatly organized, this was perfect… Robbie shambled in the doorway and over toward JJ, it took him another few minutes but he got there and called out to JJ who quickly turned his attention to the zombie, he mimicked a gasp and gently scooped Robbie into his hands, he then set him down onto the booth and began to sign [ Good golly! Robbie?! How did you get here? And why aren’t the others monitoring you? ] The zombie giggled and smiled brightly “I maade it herre… All by… self… I wannttedd too… Wan… Taalkk abbbout… Stuff…!” JJ raised a brow [ Well what is it little fellow? I’m all ears! ] And then Robbie motioned for Jameson to lean down, the man did so and Robbie slowly began to whisper his ingenious plan to JJ, and it did admittedly take a few moments for the zombie since for one, his voice was already slowed and a bit slurred and two sometimes he just couldn’t think of the right words.

After that Jameson smiled brightly [ Oh Robbie, dear… That’s the bee's knees! Yes, yes, we can do that…! Let’s get everything set up and then I’ll go get the others ] The zombie clapped and giggled excitedly, the two got to work, well… Mostly it was Jameson but Robbie did help out with some things that he could actually carry, after a bit of setting everything up it was perfect! Jameson clapped as did Robbie and then he began to sign [ Everything should be in order now…! Shall I go get the others? ] The zombie eagerly nodded “Mmhmm…!” Jameson helped Robbie behind the curtain and left him on the sill of the booth and then Jameson had stood up and walked out, the zombie was so excited! And a little nervous at the same time, he waited for JJ to return with the others, double checking and making sure everything was in the right order, he looked over everything and it seemed to be just fine and then he heard multiple footsteps, they sounded like they were trying to be quiet as the approached and entered the room.

Robbie carefully peered out from behind the curtains and saw Jameson leading Henrik, Chase, Marvin, Anti and even Jackie! They were ALL here! Robbie didn’t think Jackie would have even showed up since he was busy with the call he got earlier but he definitely wasn’t complaining! Meanwhile Jameson was signing to the other egos [ Gentlemen and Anti… ] He began, noticing Anti only smiled at him, although this wasn’t a friendly smile like the one he gave Robbie, this was more so a menacing one… Either way, Jameson tried to shake it off and continue [ Take your seats, right here in front of the booth please! ] And then Jameson was heading behind said booth, watching as all the egos sat down on the floor, he didn’t have much time to get chairs but also his room wasn’t necessarily big enough, either way, they didn’t seem to care about chairs… [ I am proud to present to you all this evening, Jameson Jackson’s Jolly Jaunts! Featuring a special little zombie we all know and love, Robbie~! ] The egos clapped for a moment before going silent as Jameson ducked behind the booth, and then the curtains were slowly pulled back and the show began…

Jameson pulled out one of the signs he prepared for this and held it up, it read the title of this evening’s show { The Friendly Zombie! } After a few moments of letting the others read it he quickly pulled the sign down and then placed one of his finger puppets on, he held it up so the others could see and began moving it a little, acting as if it were talking and then he put it down to grab another sign, had he been on an actual stage he would have had a better way of doing this but for now, this would have to do… He held up another sign that showed what the puppet had said { Golly! Today sure has been peaceful! I sure do hope nothing s t r a n g e happens! } And then the sign was gone and the puppet was back up there, just pretending to walk around before Robbie shambled onto the stage, gurgling and groaning, looking like an actual stereotypical zombie from a horror movie, Jameson made the puppet place a hand over its mouth for a gasp and then started moving it around MUCH more frantically { Egad! A zombie?! Don’t eat my brains good sir! } Robbie continued gurgling and groaning as he slowly shuffled toward the man, Jameson made the puppet jump before running away.

The zombie stopped dead in his tracks and looked down, sighing a little, Robbie looked very dejected by what just happened, he turned around and shambled back off stage and then Jameson held out another sign { Golly, he sure looked sad didn’t he? You are all probably wondering why that is, well stick around and find out! } There went that sign and Jameson pulled out another puppet, this time a puppet of a lady who was making her way through the booth all gracefully, she looked around and for a moment she looked as though she was about to walk off stage before the sound of a stick crunching could be heard, the woman jumped and looked around frantically before Jameson held another sign up { EEP! W-WHAT WAS THAT?!? } And then that sign went and the woman was shown to be looking around frantically still and then a familiar gurgling sound started, Jameson also must’ve had something that played music as some suspenseful music started playing in the background before finally… Robbie shuffled out from the stage, gurgling and groaning like previously, the woman jumped once again.

Jameson made it look like the puppet was screaming and then held up a sign that literally just said ‘AHH!!!’ on it (not gonna do the fancy font for something simple | Well jokes on you past me the font doesnt even work so R.I.P) As the zombie headed toward her, he looked like he was about to reach out before the puppet’s arm slapped him in the face, JJ was extremely relieved he didn’t accidentally knock Robbie off there… And then he made the lady run away screaming, like the last time the poor zombie had that dejected look and he sighed, once again turning and shambling away off stage, and then out came another sign { After a lot of complaints from people… A devilishly handsome Detective had decided he’d step in and investigate this so called ‘Zombie’ } Down the sign went and next came a puppet that looked a good bit like Jameson himself, walking around and looking for some clues, Jameson made the puppet put a hand to his chin before another sign came out { Now if I were a Zombie… Where would I be…? }

The detective pondered for a moment before he pointed, as if getting an idea, a sign coming out that said ‘Aha!’ before quickly disappearing and then Jameson made the puppet wander and the scene changed into a night background (it’s been a day background in like a London street-esque kinda setting i just forgot to specify that) and then it looked like a graveyard, the music changing into something more spooky to fit the atmosphere… The detective creeped around the graveyard, looking around before seeing a zombie sitting by an open grave, he quickly came over and saw the zombie was crying, Jameson made the detective jump at that, the detective despite being just a puppet was… Surprised…! He didn’t expect to see a crying zombie ever in his life, he walked over and gently patted the zombie on the shoulder who turned around, sniffling a little and wiping at his eyes “G-Gooo… Aawaaayy… I-Im… a mmonstterrr… N-Noooboddyyy l-liikess mee…” A sign came out { Now what makes you say that little fellow? } The zombie sniffled again “...E-Everrryone… rrrann awaaay…” The detective nodded at this and he looked down before another sign appeared { I see… Is that all you wanted all along, was just someone who likes you? A… Friend perhaps? } And the zombie nodded at this.

The detective puppet then looked as if he were laughing, but it wasn’t directed at Robbie { I see! Well then, come on little one, let’s go set the record straight, shall we? } The zombie was confused at this, he was also shocked the detective hadn’t ran away like all the others did, however as the puppet held out its hand, the zombie gently took a hold of it and they walked off stage, and then the background changed back into the streets, Jameson held up his other hand with the lady and man puppets from earlier, they looked to be discussing their incident before the detective came out with the zombie holding his hands, the two puppets jumped and acted like they were screaming before JJ pulled another sign out, he had to be a bit more careful this time with so many puppets and stuff, he was still so anxious he was going to knock Robbie off stage { Eek! It’s the Zombie! Detective! Look out sir! } and then the sign went down and the detective shook his head.

{ There has been a BIG misunderstanding here folks! You see… This Zombie isn’t dangerous, he was just misjudged from the start! He never wanted to hurt anybody! He was merely in search of a friend! } And both the puppets gasped in shock, meanwhile the zombie nodded at this “...Ittss trrruuee… I’m sorry... f-foorrrr frrrightening yoouu…” There was a pause before both puppets came over looking down slightly and moving a bit slowly and then another sign { We’re so sorry Mr. Zombie! We should have given you a chance to speak before judging you like that! } Robbie smiled a little and nodded “Itt… ookaay… R-Robbieee… Underrrstaand… Was scarryy…” The two puppets nodded before the detective looked like he was laughing before turning to the audience as did the other puppets and Robbie himself { Well that clears that mess up! Now I think we should all remember this one folks! The important thing here is to NEVER judge a book by it’s cover! }

And then the puppets along with Robbie himself took a bow and then a ‘The End’ card popped up behind them this time, the egos started clapping at this, well clapping a bit quietly for Robbie’s sake of course, all of them standing up while doing so, meanwhile the puppets and Robbie continued to bow for a few moments before the curtain closed on them, and then JJ removed the puppets and let the card fall down, he scooped Robbie up into his hands and stood up, the zombie was smiling so VERY brightly, he looked extremely proud of himself and JJ did as well, the others finally quit clapping and Chase was the first to speak up “Duude that was epic...!” Henrik nodded “Yes, that was really wonderful...!” Marvin was the next to chime in “Very entertaining, well done darlings~!” Jackie then pitched in “Like Chase said! That was awesome…!” And finally Anti who was smirking "̧̛Eh̷͘͘, ̀͠n͘o̕t ̷̀̀b̶a̢d͜҉ ̷̶a̷t̴̸̀ ͏a̷l͟͝ĺ̢͡~̴ ̵́N̶̨͜ev̴͘͢e̵ŗ̴͜ ̷̶k͢nę̶w̸̨ ̴͘͜R͟o̡bb͠ie̵̵ c̀ơ̵ul̵̀d͏͢͞ ͞a̴ct͡҉͠ ͘s̴̕o͏̢͘ ̵w͟e̶̡ll~̷̧̧" He cooed, this made the little zombie bounce up and down and giggle, Jameson meanwhile held him with one hand so he could sign with the other [ Well it was Robbie’s idea in the first place! He was a bit nervous with everything but he did so wonderfully! ]

The egos all cooed their praises, both praising Jameson and of course Robbie as well since he was the little mastermind behind all this, and as they were doing so, the zombie’s eyes drooped a little and he started yawning, he stretched out a little and laid down in Jameson’s hands, the other egos seemed to take notice of this, they quieted down a lot more and Chase smiled at this “Looks like he’s finally tuckered out…” Marvin piped up “Indeed, seems the star of the show could use some good rest~” He snapped his fingers and suddenly a bed small enough to fit Robbie appeared, he handed it to Jameson who smiled and gently placed the bed down on his dresser, he then carefully placed Robbie into it and tucked him in, the zombie’s eyes were still open slightly, the old timey music faintly in the background was only making him more drowsy, he yawned again “...R-Robbieee… s-sleepy…” He muttered, rubbing at his eyes before Chase spoke up “Go ahead and get some rest, kiddo…” The others said goodnight to Robbie except for Jameson who signed goodnight obviously and then the zombie slowly closed his eyes, not too long after that he was sound asleep, softly snoring…

It had been a long day and a long adventure for the tiny zombie, that was for certain but... He’d be lying if he said it wasn’t a fun one! Robbie would remember and cherish this day for a long time.

(Alrighty that’s it, this came outta nowhere but I had fun writing it, hope y’all like it too! Also god, me? Writing soft Anti? It’s SO fucking r a r e! I write soft Anti so rarely but this was too sweet n cute to ruin ...hes still a bastard but not near as bad were this angst, anyhoo- here y’all go, some fluff for ya!

I figured I’d, kinda write the egos how I used to in a way but this time I’m more so proud and confident in myself, I’m proud of this story and I hope y’all enjoy it as well)

#jse community #jse egos #robbie the zombie #jameson jackson #henrik von schneeplestein #chase brody #jackieboy man #marvin the magnificent #fluff #gt fluff #giant and tiny #tooth rotting fluff perhaps?#im REALLY proud of the puppet show part that was the cutest part to write #Chase's Long Ass Stories

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fleckcmscott · 4 years ago

Text

Bewitching Hour

Summary: October has been a blissfully busy month. With Halloween around the corner, Arthur and Y/N have some planning to do.

Warnings: Swearing

Words: 4,665

A/N: Special thanks to @hhandley80 for this request! You've been so supportive and sweet. I truly appreciate you and hope you enjoy it!

On a side note, my oneshots will be more sporadic. I'm still writing but life has been life. Also, I've finished the first draft of another multi-chapter featuring Arthur and Y/N. It's going to take time to rewrite the subsequent drafts and edit, edit, edit. The chapters will go up once the story is ready. Thanks for your patience and support! 🙂 I heart you all!

If you have any thoughts or questions, please comment, feel free to message me, or send me an ask!

Arthur's suggestion that they make plans to celebrate Halloween should not have been a surprise. He loved starting traditions with Y/N, and she prized adopting them with him. "It's been awhile," he'd said as they'd walked arm-in-arm to the laundromat. "I think it'd be nice."

Holidays had been a source of merriment most of her life. The beauty of red and green decorations at Christmas. Turkey and mashed potatoes at Thanksgiving. An egg hunt and chocolate rabbit at Easter. The togetherness of family during them all.

Halloween, though, wasn't a favorite.

As a child, she'd had fun trick-or-treating, riding her bike from house to far-flung house. And she hadn't minded escorting her little sister as a teenager. Y/N's homemade witch costume had been passed down. She could still recall the sleekness of the ribbon between her fingers as she'd secured the pointed hat under Mabel's chin.

But the magic had fallen away. When married to Jeff, she'd had to attend his boss's annual party. After receiving an apologetic shrug and kiss, she'd be relegated to hanging out with the other wives. They'd included her in their recipe swaps, in their exchanges of mild gossip. Her natural friendliness made chit-chat easy, far easier than having a good time. Those evenings had been spent nursing a glass of wine and willing the clock to go faster.

During the period she'd cared for her father, she'd tried to hand out candy. She liked being a good neighbor and imparting kindness in the form of bite-sized sweets. As his health had declined, the porch light had gone dark. Random rings of the doorbell would result in shouting and swearing. Repeated attempts to explain the door's lock wasn't broken. Festivity would transform into drudgery. It hadn't been worth the trouble. Instead, she'd watched terrible TV specials while her thoughts wandered to a future far from Boonville. A future she'd doubted would ever be.

"I don't know if it's your thing," Arthur had continued, bringing her back to the present. "But you might enjoy it with me." The response he longed for was evident in the worrying of his pocket, outlines of his knuckles visible through the tan cloth.

Everything they'd experienced together had soothed the sting of those wasted years. The hesitancy lurking in her was silly. Unwelcome. Less than either of them deserved. She'd met his keen eyes and half-smile. The sudden mental image of him dressed as a cowboy or pirate, eyepatch and all, prompted a laugh. Convinced her as she dug out her dry-cleaning stub. "It isn't my thing," she'd said. "But you are."

Relief had relaxed his wrinkles, save for his crows feet, which had deepened as he'd returned her happy expression. A slender arm wrapped around her waist, drew her against his solid frame. Once the clerk disappeared through the swinging doors to retrieve their clothes, Arthur grasped her chin and kissed her. The tender explorations were soon sloppy, and she'd giggled, his enthusiasm becoming her own. Their noses had met, his lashes resting on his wide cheekbones. "I think you're the sweetest treat, Mrs. Fleck."

Currently, Donahue's Department Store, Gotham's number one retail emporium (if the ads were to be believed), was bustling with last-minute shoppers. Weary mothers escorted their babbling children through the aisles. Clerks swapped out displays for the changing blue light specials. Lines went for yards. Patricia and Y/N sought refuge at a corner table in the café on the top floor. The warm glow from the pendant lamps provided a relaxed ambience, one that matched the hot cider and pumpkin spice cake they were savoring.

"I've got my grandson on Sunday," Patricia said between bites. "My daughter's going to a party with a medical records tech from Gotham General. Met him when she missed the bus. They split a cab and hit it off." Chuckling, she lifted her mug. "Speaking of, how's married life been so far?"

Memories of the past week quickened Y/N's heart, until she thought it might stop. How Arthur had gripped her replacement Social Security card, just to read her new name. The way he'd grab her for a twirl whenever they were in the kitchen. The reverence in his gaze when they'd lay together after sex, a look that both thrilled and made her blush. "The bills for his medication and appointments will no longer make us cringe," she deadpanned. She lowered her fork. "When we met, I was kind of blindsided - I'm not the type to fall in love quickly." The corners of her lips tugged up. "Being married to Arthur feels like a habit. A habit I should have learned twenty years ago."

"I'm glad you found each other." Patricia reached across the light brown table and covered Y/N's hand, gave it a squeeze. Then she wiped frosting from her mouth and nodded in the direction of the escalator. "Now let's find a costume that'll drive him nuts."

Beyond the colorful cosmetics and pungent perfume counters, they sorted through racks of vinyl smocks and plastic masks. Pop culture icons and princesses. Vampires and spooks. Knockoffs of classic movie monsters. Most were poorly made and decidedly uninteresting. Y/N pawed through accessories in a nearby basket, a cigar here, a patched hat there. "How about a hobo? I could steal Arthur's tie."

"This was his idea. Give him something a little exciting." After a roll of Y/N's eyes, Patricia held out a plastic display bag. "Found it."

The white font on its blue label declared she should "Create a unique look!" A woman in a leopard-print leotard and bow-tie wore black cat ears and a tail, the only two items included in the set. Y/N's nose wrinkled. "I don't think so, Patricia." She rummaged through another bin and examined a hockey mask. "I don't show a lot of skin."

"You show Arthur." Patricia ignored Y/N's glare, continuing to shove it at her. "Every man loves a woman dressed as a cat. Our next lunch is on me if I'm wrong."

Patricia could be relentless, but Y/N had to admit she was usually right. She arched a brow as she eyed the costume. Maybe she could find a solid body suit instead of animal print. The kit was only $2.98. And her friend had made it a challenge. "You're on. But I'm not wearing a bow-tie." She crossed her arms across her chest and tapped her mouth. "Your turn. Would Robert like you as a French maid or a go-go dancer?"

~~~~~

It was a busy season for performers. Arthur remembered HaHa's talent agency being booked solid for October by the end of August. Myriad functions at nursing homes, parties, and children's organizations took place throughout the city. Amusement Mile had a series of special events, allowing Arthur to work extra hours before the slowness of winter dragged in. Once the holiday was over, he'd buy make-up and props on clearance.

He'd always assumed he would like Halloween - if he'd had the chance to celebrate it properly. It was about connection, something he'd never managed. The customs gave him a pretense, a template to meet people, rather than leaving him wondering how to go about it. Provided a hiding place for his seeming inability to act normal.

Recollections of the day were few but vivid. When he'd been around eight, there'd been a party at school. The teacher had made brownies and given the students a half-hour respite from lessons. (A welcome relief, since he wasn't very good at most of them.) But he hadn't had a costume. Hadn't known how to reply when the other kids asked where it was. Not wanting to be left out, he'd pocketed a watercolor pallet and sneaked to the bathroom.

The teacher (he wished he could remember her name) had walked in as he'd smeared green and blue on his face, a pathetic attempt at a turtle. Fear of punishment had caused his laughter. But her kindness as she knelt, wiped away tears and pigment with a scratchy, brown paper towel, had calmed him. "Wait here," she'd instructed. It had taken all his courage not to run home.

After some minutes, she'd returned, an old white sheet in one hand, black marker and pair of scissors in the other. "The nurse won't miss this." She'd traced eyeholes, helped him cut them out. She'd asked questions. About his mother and what it was like at home. Questions he was at a loss for how to answer. Finally, she'd draped the cloth over his head. "There," she'd declared. "Gotham Elementary has its own ghost."

Even as he'd gotten taller and the sheet no longer went beyond his knees, that costume had remained his go-to. He'd venture out to the rest of his building, knocking on paint-chipped doors and pushing broken buzzers. Having learned to stay away from doors that yelling or funny smells emanated from, he hadn't gotten a lot of candy. What he had collected he'd shared with Penny. The wax lips became a free toy. He wasn't sure his memory of startling his mother and being tickled until he couldn't breathe was real or imagined.

At twelve, he was told he was too old to go trick-or-treating. He'd starting scrounging for change to buy hard candies at Helm's Pharmacy. They weren't particularly appetizing, but they'd been what he could afford. Only a few kids rang, a number that dwindled further every year. Most neighbors kept their distance, likely aware he was troubled. Cinnamon discs and butterscotch drops had loitered around the apartment for months. He'd sucked on them in an attempt to cut down on his smoking, just to save money. It hadn't worked.

Y/N hadn't spoken about the holiday, not the way she had other special occasions. At first, he'd thought it had slipped her mind. Work, planning their honeymoon, completing the red tape required to meld all aspects of their lives had taken up much of their time. But, given her reluctance to talk in detail about her past heartache, he'd come to assume her Halloweens had been unpleasant. He was certain he could change that.

Sitting on the dingy, dark green plastic seat of the train car, he giggled to himself, chest puffing up as he straightened. They'd been man and wife for eight whole days. Movies and songs said love was supposed to be somewhere between serendipitous and fated. A happy accident that was meant to be. Lying awake at night, he would find himself wondering where they were on that scale. If the emotions swirling through him - the excitement of belonging, the fear of fucking up - were what every newlywed felt. Then Y/N would snuggle closer in her sleep, murmur nonsense into his skin, and for a few minutes he'd be at peace.

Years had been spent trying to figure out who he was. Trying to find an identity, his role within the world. While he was still searching, it had been far easier to become accustomed to the role of "husband" than he'd dreamed.

Teaching his wife about events across the city had been a delight. Gotham Village's Annual Costume Extravaganza was a parade that went all the way to Gotham Square. He'd participated a couple of times, never formally registering but slipping into the clown section. It had been exhilarating. Had allowed him to pretend, for a little while, that he was being seen. That the crowds lining the sidewalks were cheering for him. Signs for extravagant balls were plastered on billboards and lampposts throughout the streets; he'd have gladly attended and shown her off. A haunted house was being held in a building in his old neighborhood, a fundraiser for the orphanage. He hadn't brought that up.

In the end, once he'd explained trick-or-treaters went from apartment to apartment, they'd decided on a cozy evening at home. The details had been left to her. Whatever she'd plan, he'd love it. He wondered what she'd disguise herself as. Would she be a sexy devil or nurse, like he'd seen on a sit-com? The notion sparked a fire in his cheeks.

Given how busy he'd be, he'd stay dressed as plain, old Carnival. Part of him regretted accepting two gigs, especially on a Sunday. He would have preferred her company. But he wanted to put the money towards the wedding band he'd put on layaway. (Even though they had one account, he wasn't going to let her chip in for it.) He should already be wearing it for all of Gotham to see.

The lurch of the subway prompted him to rise and grasp the pole grip. His stance widened as it came to a halt, knees bending with the instinct of a man who'd ridden public transportation since he was a boy. As soon as the graffiti-covered doors parted, he stepped out onto the platform and ascended the stairs, eager to share his new insurance information with Dr. Ludlow.

~~~~~

Scratchy violins and the hum of a theremin. Shrill shrieks and cracks of thunder. A cackle resounded, then a pipe organ, playing a melody in a minor key.

There was no doubt about it. Halloween spirit had saturated 4A.

NCB's Movie Marathon Mayhem had begun at 10:00 AM. Y/N had had it on since getting out of the shower, hoping to catch a horror classic while she decorated the apartment and prepared Bloody Mary mix. As she hung cotton batting between the television's rabbit ears, creating a long, narrow spider-web, she realized they were only playing cheesy B-movies. Giant insects threatening buildings. Science experiments gone wrong. Alien invasions. Oh well. At least she wouldn't have to pay much attention to get the gist of the plots.

The orange plastic platter, black bats along its edges, had been an impulse buy. She thought its array of sugary skeletons, candy bracelets, and Jolly Jack chocolate bars would be well received. But having seen only one or two kids in the lobby, she had no idea how many children lived in their building. She hoped she'd bought enough.

The cardstock window decorations she'd found were festive and matched Arthur's sweet nature. One portrayed a warted, green witch flying on a broom past a full moon. On the other, a ghost and mouse shared a pillowcase of candy and wished a "Happy Halloween." She held the tape dispenser between her teeth as she stuck them to their white front door.

Just then, the elevator dinged. Glancing to her left, she saw Arthur stroll down the cheerfully lit hallway. Buoyant expression on him, despite his white, blue, and red make-up being streaked from sweat. Striped prop bag on his shoulder and carved pumpkin cradled in his arms. "The store owner was going to throw it out," he explained with a half hug. "But he let me have it as a tip."

Classic, triangular eyes evoked the annual carving contest her parents had taken part of back home. Her father had been well-known in the community, being the town's only doctor. Entering the competition had been expected. They'd never won but enjoyed it all the same. Y/N had picked out the patterns and scooped out the squash's slimy innards. Her mother had baked the seeds. Peals of their laughter echoed in her ears, and a lump formed in her throat.

She swallowed hard against it. Dammit, Y/N. Get it together. This was supposed to be a special night for Arthur and her. She needed to distract herself. One of his curls peeked out from under his bald-cap and green wig. She twirled a strand around her finger. "With that toothy grin, it just might be your twin," she said. He pecked her temple, the kiss sticky from greasepaint. She lit the half-melted candles using his red lighter and put the jack-o-lantern just outside their door.

While he freshened his paint in the bedroom, she slinked into the bathroom to change. Arthur's and her routines were closely aligned; keeping her costume hidden had not been easy. The headband holding the furry cat ears was quite stiff, its teeth a tad sharp on her scalp. Once it was in place, she hid it under her hair. The lint on her form-fitting stretch top and leggings reminded her why she rarely wore all black. She retrieved her brown eyeliner from the nearby shelf and started in on her whiskers.

Arthur's footsteps neared, heavy due to his clown shoes, and Y/N turned to lean back on the sink. His thin lips parted as he scanned her body, forehead furrowed in pleasant surprise. His reaction planted a seed of bliss in her belly, one that bloomed every second they regarded each other. The lunch she'd have to spring for was well worth the pink shells of his ears. Eventually, she held out the fluffy, wired tail and a safety pin. "Would you pin this just below my waistband?"

Fingers grazing hers, he took it and sat on the toilet lid. He cupped her hips and pulled her closer, positioned her until the dampness of his breath hit a bare sliver of her back. "Hold still," he murmured, his voice sending a tingle through her. At his gentle ministrations, the spandex of her leggings felt snugger. "Did you- Did you read my journal?"

A faint click of metal as the pin closed. "No." She colored the tip of her nose, frowned at how lackluster the shade was. "I'd never do that. Even if I'm dying for a preview of your material. Why?"

"No reason." A soft huff, his shy smile clear in his answer. "I have an idea." He handed her a washcloth and hurried out of the room. She was patting her face dry when he returned, a fine tipped brush and pot of black greasepaint in his hand. "This'll look better."

Her brow arched. She'd only had her make-up done once; Patricia had invited her when they'd first met. Such an outing was not her preference, but Y/N had accepted, being new in town and wanting to learn about her colleague. There'd been champagne at the counter, which she'd sipped until she'd spent too much on eyeshadow and apricot scrub. The next morning, she'd put the products and a note on Patricia's desk: "I'll never forgive you. Thanks!"

The heat radiating from Arthur prompted her to close the gap between them. She craned her neck towards him, slid her palms to his yellow vest until she held him just below his ribs. His forefinger curled under her chin, lifted it slightly and angled it to the right. The cool, wet brush met her fevered skin. The dusty smell of the greasepaint blended with a whiff of stale cigarette smoke and traces of his sweat. She licked her lips.

The vibration of his chuckle was felt before heard. "I really like your costume," he said lowly. Two more ticklish caresses of the bristles on the apple of her cheek. "If you're not careful, I might werewolf and go wild."

She stretched closer to him, the fervor in his tone going straight to her center. Though he'd been growing bolder, his cocky side wasn't often revealed. She wanted it, thirsted to see more of the wild horse kicking inside him. Her touch ran over his chest, until she dipped under his black suspenders and pulled. "Are you going to gobble me up?"

Teasing strokes on her nose. "Maybe." Then his thumb whispered along her jaw and guided her face upwards. His kiss was supple, slow, a drag of his mouth as his tongue sought entry. She yielded, the simmer of anticipation bringing her to her toes. He groaned deeply and palmed her thigh, then fondled the curve of her rear-

The ding-dong of the doorbell halted them. He lifted his head and laughed, gaze sparkling. "I got paint on you."

She twisted in his arms and looked in the mirror. The whiskers caught her eye, embellished at the ends with dainty curlicues - his skill never ceased to impress her. Red brightened her lips and streaks of white were on her cheek. "It's all right. They'll just know I've been necking with a clown."

~~~~~

The sound of the bell continued. Over and over and over. More than it ever had in Otisburg. There were mummies, ghosts, a couple of skeletons. A superhero proudly displayed his red cape and blue tights, and a kid in her karate robe went on about her yellow belt. A tiny clown, too young to walk, was brought by her sister. As Arthur made funny faces, the baby cooed and tried to take his red, foam nose. Arthur parted with it gladly.

Only one member of the Wayne family appeared, slicked back hair and pompous pout making the disguise complete. The man accompanying the boy introduced himself as their upstairs neighbor and shook their hands. After one look at Y/N, he nudged Arthur's bicep. "So, she's the one keeping half the building up at night. Good on you, pal." Arthur blinked in confusion as she ushered the guy away, red-faced and muttering about his nerve.

Arthur was overly generous, giving out fistfuls of sweets while taking a few extra seconds to gather his nerves and compliment the costumes he liked best. It felt good to interact with strangers without constantly second guessing himself. Y/N would rub his arm or kiss his shoulder and tell him what a great job he was doing. "Kids are easy," he said, refilling the candy dish. But he reveled in her praises, anyway. And the knowledge that meeting the neighbors was going well.

Clean-up required little effort. The jack-o-lantern sat on their kitchen table, flames flickering as the wicks burned away. The door decor was packed safely for use next year. His plaid blazer was slung over the back of a dining chair and his wig was off. Y/N's decision to leave her whiskers on pleased him - she made a damn sexy cat. He pocketed the last few pieces of candy to snack on during the remainder of the evening.

The Sunday Night Special Presentation she'd picked out, a made-for-TV horror movie, began at 9:00 PM on GBC. Most of its airtime was punctuated by her tipsy snickers and legal wisecracks, which was typical when they watched something stupid. Yet, as the show went on, she grew quieter, barely speaking between sips of her third cocktail. As they sat on the sofa, her posture stiffened. Forearms crossed over her breasts. Her nails dug into her upper arm.

The change started two-thirds of the way into the show, when the plot about a doll running amok twisted into a story about a professional woman trying to assert herself against the demands of her mother. Against the expectations of availability. To fight for the simplicity of having dinner and peace and quiet. It resonated with him, which felt weird. Especially when the film cut to black, the implication being the mother would meet a violent end at the hands of her possessed daughter.

A cheerful jingle came on. Puerto Rico was a direct flight from Gotham Airport, it advertised, a flight that lasted "two hours and fifteen tropical minutes." They should get out while the weather was still good. The juxtaposition of mood broke him out of his ponderings. He flicked off the blaring television with the remote. Then he heard Y/N sniffling.

She set her glass on the coffee table, a slight tremble in her hand. "I need some air," she whispered as she rose, then went out onto the fire escape.

Arthur rubbed his thigh and pressed his lips together. He wasn't used to seeing her cry. Not from sadness. Should he follow her? Give her time? Both had worked previously, depending on the situation. But he wasn't sure what had upset her, what situation they were in now.

Exhaling sharply, he grabbed her glass and dumped the rest of the drink down the kitchen sink. Rinsed their dinner plates and put the slow cooker in the fridge. When he'd finished making decaf coffee ten minutes later, she still hadn't returned. He ambled towards the ajar glass door and stepped out.

Moonlight outlined her shapely figure and reflected off her hair, the silver a contrast to the orange glow of the streetlamps illuminating her face. Her stare seemed fixated on the street below. He followed it to see a group of ghouls and goblins spraying shaving cream on a shop window. A couple, one he'd see occasionally when out for a cigarette, walked down the sidewalk. A woman was half-carrying a drunk man towards a bus stop.

Upon clearing her throat, Y/N spoke. "I may not look like it, but I had a great time with you tonight. The movie just got to me." Relieved, Arthur sidled next to her, wrapped his arm about her back. Her head fell to his shoulder and she smoothed her hand over his stomach. "I don't mean to hide from you. Someday you'll know the details of my earlier life." She scoffed. "When I'm ready to think about them." He entwined their fingers and kissed her hairline, avoiding the wired tips of her cat ears.

Shivering, she took a shaky breath. "There are no skeletons in my closet. Only disappointments." Her voice cracked as she beamed at him, cupped his cheek, and pressed her face to his. "Knowing I'd get to have you would have made those years so much easier."

He held her tightly, massaging between her shoulders. She'd been speaking about herself, but he couldn't help thinking it was about him, too. His years with Penny. His stints in Arkham. The loneliness, the isolation, the endless anger and yearning to be more than a speck of dirt no one cared for. His journal was full of questions about where the hell his one and only was. If he'd known she'd be real, tangible instead of a figment, would existence have hurt less?

Wincing, he tried to push through those thoughts. To focus on her instead of himself. What mattered was that Y/N needed him. Perhaps a joke would cheer her. "I was thinking the other night of how easy it is to smile around you," he said. "You tickle my funny bone." Amusement bubbled in her throat, music to his ears. She released a contented sigh and nuzzled the crook of his neck.

Peaceful stillness ensued as the minutes passed. Though the breeze was chill, goosebumps forming on his pale skin, her affection kept his heart warm. His fingertips rubbed circles into her lower back, and she offered a pleasured hum. Across the way, footsteps pounded. He glanced to see a kid darting up the street, plastic pumpkin pail in tow. The boy's scream was filled with boundless energy: "Happy Halloween, Gotham!"

Snorting, Y/N took Arthur's hand and led him inside. The cheap tail she wore bounced with every exaggerated swivel of her hips. "I've behaved all evening, which your werewolf comment made extraordinarily difficult." She looped her arms around him and flashed a come-hither stare. "May I have a goodie?"

The scrape of her nails on his scalp coiled a knot in his abdomen. "Aren't you supposed to say 'trick-or-treat?'" he asked huskily.

"Your pussycat needs a petting or two." She closed the bedroom door behind them. "Maybe even a mauling."

His brows shot up on a hitched giggle. Then he palmed her hip while she started in on his buttons. Before she got too far, he traced a whisker with the pad of his thumb. Let their foreheads meet and pecked her eyelids. "Only if you give me something good to eat." He pressed into her, his enjoyment relentless, not waiting for her reply before devouring her mouth.

~~~~~

Tag list (Let me know if you want to be added!): @harmonioussolve, @howdylilflower, @sweet-nothings04, @stephieraptorr, @rommies, @fallenstarsabyss, @gruffle1, @octopus-plasma, @tsukiakarinobara, @arthur-flecks-lovely-smile, @another-day-in-chuckletown, @hhandley80, @jokerownsmysoul, @mrscarnival

#arthur fleck #arthur fleck fanfic #arthur fleck x reader #arthur fleck x ofc #arthur fleck x female reader #joker 2019 #watchwhathappens

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indigo-wendigo · 3 years ago

Text

Cornibus Saga: Chapter 4

Crepuscular

He was standing in a forest. The twilight hour had cast a low contrast filter on the environment. And there was a faint smell of decay wafting on every other breath. William’s eyes strained to make out details. There were leaves on the ground, but none on the trees. Not one. Ahead of him, after his pupils had adjusted as well as they could, he could identify a clearing. Small and near. All his senses told him this was a trap, as it most often was in his case. So, he turned around.

The clearing. But closer.

He exhaled through his nose and went forward. The rotting aroma was getting stronger, but it still seemed as if the source was far away—not as close as the middle of the clearing where there stood a lone, metal mailbox. The red flag was up.

William stopped in front of it and looked around thoroughly. There was no movement among the trees. No shadows. So, he inspected the mailbox. No numbers. He hooked his finger to pull the door open.

Folded papers spilled out on his feet. Endless papers. And they kept falling in a solid flood. Slowly, he reached for one and lifted each flap carefully. It was typed in normal-sized font, dead center of the page.

HELP

William picked up another. His fingers were just as careful but maybe a smidge faster.

SAVE ME

They kept falling out of the mailbox as if there were no back on it. The pile of paper was now ankle deep and growing. Sweet, flowery wisps managed to swirl their presence in with the odor of soured meat. Movement other than the cascading white from the mailbox caught his eye and his pupils once again adjusted to the dusky atmosphere through the trees.

One of the trees shifted behind another.

No.

It wasn’t a tree.

William’s eyes opened to their full capacity in spite of the sunlight that illuminated his room. He blinked a few times, now having realized it was a dream. How interesting; he rarely dreamed. And if he did, he rarely remembered, unless it was Scarlet’s doing. And this was not her typical style.

After getting dressed, he exited his room and made his way down the hall. It was after breakfast already, but he didn’t mind. All he cared to have was some coffee. He was greeted again upon entering the cafeteria. “Good morning, William!” said one of the staff. “They were about to go wake you up!”

He poured himself a travel mug and decided he wanted it black today. “Yeah?”

“You got group in a couple minutes,” said another. “Hope you have a good first session!”

Oh. That. “Thank you,” he said and left with his coffee. On his way to the room he had been shown on his first day, he wondered what it would be like. Christian had said, “Don’t worry. It’s not like it is on the movies.” He didn’t even have that as a frame of reference to go by; he’d not seen any films with group therapy sessions, except for AA meetings.

He entered and sat down in the last empty chair. The patients were all chatting normally. One young lady was rattling off dirty jokes for entertainment and someone commented on how she might have heard of so many. “If you hang out with the wrong people, you hear a lot,” she replied.

“All right, how about we put a pin in that and circle back,” said the woman who looked to be in her mid-thirties with a badge on her shirt. “William made it to his first group therapy session. How about we all introduce ourselves?”

“I fucking hate that you make us do this every time,” said a man.

“I know you do, Jonathan,” she said with a gentle sigh. Not one of agitation, something more akin to sympathy. “But don’t you think it’s important for the people you’re going to spend your group sessions with to know who you are?”

“No.” He slouched.

“Well, I’m sorry. But I think it’s important. But I’ll introduce you.” She smiled at William. “This charming gentleman is Jonathan. He is here to work out some issues surrounding his past trauma and maybe find some better ways of coping for the time being.”

William nodded in acknowledgement and proceeded to do the same for each who introduced themselves and why they were here. When they had finished, he took a sip of his coffee.

“I think we all know who you are,” the therapist put her hands on her knees. “Would you like to tell us a little about why you’re here? Just a general tidbit is fine for today.”

He took a breath and attempted to conjure a single-liner similar to what he had just heard. “I’m… looking to manage my symptoms a little better. And get back to work as soon as possible.” He added the last part out of a not-entirely-unconscious gesture toward his feelings about having been suspended. To be honest, the first part wasn’t even true. He felt he was managing his symptoms quite well since having been medicated.

The therapist explained that their sessions alternated between thorough check-ins for the full three hours and days where they spent half the time checking in and the other half learning about psychology and behavioral health. Today was a lesson day. He spent the first hour and a half listening to each patient update everyone on how they were feeling, what things they had been dealing with, and thoughts that were on their minds. Though he was listening, he couldn’t help but quickly grow tired of it. Three-hour sessions. And apparently this was just minimum. Thankfully they received a break at the halfway mark in which he went to the restroom and stepped outside for some fresh air. Upon returning, the lesson commenced, consisting of early childhood development. Surprisingly, he found this to be intriguing. For example, he did not know it was a common misconception that the best thing to do for a fussing infant at bedtime is to let them “cry it out.” The therapist wrote down statistics from a book published two years ago about the number of adults who suffered from a specific symptom of depression who were left in their cribs alone to cry until they couldn’t cry anymore.

“The child learns early on if they cry because they feel they need someone and their cries go unheard, then there is no need to continue vocalizing needing help because they won’t receive any. This almost always yields adults who suffer in silence and are known to keep things bottled up.”

While William had no way of knowing if he was left to “cry it out” when he was an infant, he certainly remembered countless nights cowering in the dark of the new slum the clan had inhabited that was riddled and dripping with strange activity and noises. He remembered many times he asked to sleep with Scarlet. Sometimes she pulled back the blanket and let him climb in next to her and hugged him against her bony body. Other times she refused and sent him away and threatened to punish him if he asked to sleep with someone else. What did that yield? Such an inconsistent parenting method had probably never been studied.

When the session was over, he was free to spend the rest of the day as he pleased. Finding a loophole in the time limit for watching the news on television, he took to reading the newspaper. He spent a little while on the local news before turning to the national news where he was greeted with the headline of ‘CAPTAIN MILORD OF USAC MISSES PENTAGON GATHERING’. He scoffed. “Who the fuck even notices I’m gone?”

“You’d be surprised how many people would notice your empty seat.”

He looked over the paper to see Mallory smiling at him. He folded it up and set it aside. “Apparently.”

Her mouth went crooked. “Doesn’t sound like the people who feel the need to write about it in the paper have your best intentions in mind though.”

“When I make it to the news?” He shifted on the bench. “They rarely do.”

“The media has certainly pegged their formula for top-notch ratings. Which is more sad? The fact that people care more about the bad news? Or that the media takes advantage of it and spoon feeds us.”

He raised his eyebrows and nodded. He’d never heard anyone put it that way before, but it struck a chord. William straightened his posture. “Hey, can I ask you something?”

“Please do!”

“Are you a Deviant? Er—” He remembered where they were and that this word could have another meaning. “Preternatural.”

“Yessir.”

He cocked an eyebrow. “Do you have a Special Ability?”

She feigned a gasp. “How did you know?”

“Because you seem to know things about me that most don’t.”

She chuckled. “You think I’m psychic? That’s so nice of you.”

“You’re not?”

Mallory took a seat next to him, leaving ample space between them. “There’s nothing I know about you that everyone else wouldn’t if they just paid attention. And I mean paid attention with no ulterior motive. Like noticing when you don’t show up to places so they can put you in the paper.”

He blinked and paused for a short moment. “But… no one else does.”

“No. They don’t.” She stared outward and she wasn’t smiling anymore.

William noticed now that the sun had sunk so low that it wasn’t reflecting off of the pond anymore. He should not have been trying to read in this lighting, especially without his glasses.

“Don’t you find this time of day magical?”

He looked at her.

“I mean, sunrises are wonderful too but… somehow dusk looks and feels different.”

He followed her gaze to the minimal values between hues before everything turned dark blue. And for a moment he thought he smelled blight and flowers. “Yeah. It does.”

#writblr #original work #cornibus saga

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lilyharvord · 4 years ago

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The Chain (Part 1)

I’ve got two words for you all: Time Travel. Main concept: Two love struck idiots get sent back to a pretty UGH time period in their lives (that required me to reread all the books again) and have to hide the fact that they know everything. Stupidity ensues. Enjoy everyone. @redqueenetwork (this is what I mentioned to ya’ll in the chat, it’s finally here!!!) If you want a tag let me know. I don’t even know who is in the fandom anymore.

“Don’t back her into the corner, whatever you do. We still don’t know what she’s capable of.” I hiss into my receiver as I sprint down another tight alleyway with Ella close on my tail. My hair sticks to my face as raindrops roll down my nose, and thunder rolls overhead. I swipe my hand across my forehead to push the annoying strands out of my face as we go. Behind me, Ella puffs out an annoyed sigh.

“She helped blow up a building Mare, I think we have a pretty decent idea of what she can do.” She admonishes as we round the corner, following Kilorn’s quickly relayed instructions from a moment ago. Ella and I had originally gone after the accomplice but after he hoped a fence and vanished into thin air, we had realized our mistake. He was a fucking teleporter, and therefore the perfect goose for our wild goose chase. We should have guessed something like this would happen. We needed the girl more than anything now. Sometimes I really hated being called into things like this.

“Ella has a point.”

“Agree with her one more time, Cal. I dare you.” I grumble into the receiver, pissed he is even chiming in. “Shouldn’t you be more focused on following our suspect and getting her to a place where we can make an arrest?” 

“Trying.” Is his reply, followed by a burst of static from Kilorn probably messing with his receiver again. I reach up and bat at the piece in my ear, grinding my jaw against the sound. I could always just short the thing, but that wouldn’t really help with my frustration. It was my fault we lost the teleporter. I’d let him get too far ahead of me instead of just trying to incapacitate him. The last thing I wanted to do was cook him by mistake though. We wouldn’t get any information from a dead body. We needed that information if we wanted these bombings, and other things like them to stop though.

We rounded the corner and I almost slammed into Kilorn’s back. He manages to dance out of my way. HIs expression is drawn tight, as he puts his arm out to stop Ella. With a quick gesture to the alley beyond the corner he says, “Cal is trying to talk her down.”

I push his arm out of my way and say, “No one engages Ardents alone, it’s a rule.”

“She’s a kid Mare, they tend to respond to him better.” He says with a shrug, making me shake my head. If there is one thing Cal is still incredibly good at, it’s being a royal pain in my ass. He shouldn’t face anyone alone. Tyton had learned that the hard way when a young Ardent had put him in intensive care for three days. The last thing I need is Cal getting his leg broken because a kid hears what he has to say and doesn’t like it. My mother will never forgive him if he so much as has a bruise going into our wedding planning. Not that that was happening anytime soon, not now with the information I have tucked away to share tonight. I step around my best friend, who only passively tries to stop me. He knows that’s futile and steps back to stand with Ella as I slide around the corner.

My skin barks in protest as a wave of heat rolls over my skin. I hold my hand up to cover my eyes from the flames that circle Cal and the girl who has her back pressed up against the wall. She glares at him, her palms pressed to the brick and stone. I reach a hand out for the flames, knowing Cal will sense the shift in the flames distribution. Sure enough, the flames die in a small me-sized hole, giving me a chance to slip through them. They kiss the edges of my jacket and burn away the rain there.

As soon as I enter the makeshift ring, the girl’s eyes fly to me over Cal’s shoulder. I know a cornered animal when I see one. She reminds me of myself too, which screams trouble. She’ll do anything to get out of that corner. Talking her down might not be an option, but we have a duty to her to at least try. Forcing my hands to remain at my sides I say, “We want to help.”

“The last thing I need is your help.” She spit with a sneer and a raised chin. Definitely red, I realize in the light of the fire. She’s either an Ardent or a Red. I’m praying for a Red, they are far easier to apprehend and deal with during interrogation.

The girl takes a step off the wall and holds a hand up in threat. Immediately my own hands light up with sparks, and Cal takes a step back to give me a clearer shot. The flames around us die as he channels that fire to a more useful source. Hopefully Ella senses the shift in the air and joins us to apprehend this kid. She can’t be older than sixteen, but that just makes her that much more dangerous. Younger Ardents were untapped fonts of power.

The shadows from the early morning cut into the alley, and my lightning bathes us all in a deep purples glow. The dark shadows under the girl’s eyes are like bruises in this light. Her ragged breathing turns her into a woman possessed though. I try to dim my electricity, to prevent her from acting too brashly. She doesn’t take the hint, and instead takes another step closer to us. The air around us condenses until my ears pop painfully.

I cry out at the sensation, almost dropping to a knee, and press my hands to my ears. Next to me, Cal pushes himself in front of me, using his own body to shield mine. I wish he would stop doing that, but no amount of arguing is going to change instinct, I’ve figured that out. Four years is a long time to spend with someone. You knew the intricacies of everything. In fact, if this still goes to plan, I can name exactly what he will want for breakfast after, down to how many cups of coffee he will need to stay awake for the rest of the day.

A wicked wind snaps at me, ripping strands of hair out of my braid and extinguishing Cal’s flames completely. His hand on my shoulder is both a question and an order. If I’m incapable of standing, I need to get out of his way. If I’m capable, then I need to stand and help him. His voice carries even with the hurricane building around us, and he speaks to her like she hasn’t already made herself a danger to us. “Giselle, at least listen.”

I have no idea how he got her name, but I file it away for later as I look up. She laughs at his attempt to negotiate, and brings her other hand away from her body, palm side up. The wind whips her auburn hair into a frenzy, but she does nothing to tame it. She should do what’s best for herself and listen. If she blatantly attacks us, her punishment will be more severe than blowing up an abandoned building.

I grab onto Cal’s sleeve, as the wind tears at me as well. If I could just get a well-placed shot off, then I could disable her. Bringing my hand up, fingers spread, I take careful aim for the space right below her heart. Her eyes fly in my direction, and her lips fall into a tight line. “Don’t make me do it.”

“Whatever you plan, you won’t be as fast as me,” I assure her, trying to rise to my feet completely. She shakes her head, her eyes growing just a hint wider as she states, “I can’t stop it now.”

My stomach plummets, and my blood runs cold. What has she done? Is there another bomb? Is she about to set another one off somewhere else in the city? Somewhere that might actually be populated?

“Whatever it is, we can stop it, if you just stand down.” Cal argues, keeping a tight hand on my arm, while his other arm tries to shield his eyes from the debris in the alley that the wind kicks up. Giselle shakes her head one more time, before looking down at her hands. Her entire body begins shaking, and with a smirk she says, “I’d tell you I’m sorry, but I’m not even sure where you’ll land.”

My brows fly up into my hairline, and I grab Cal to pull him out of the way as she holds her hands out again. A body blow sends us flying backwards though, and through a wall.

Immediately, my body goes into free-fall, and instinct kicks in as I try to flip myself over. There’s nothing but a wash of color around me though, and I end up tumbling in circles, simply trying to keep myself in one position.

My hands seek purchase, and I manage to grasp Cal’s jacket again. His hand latches onto mine and I try to pull myself closer to him. I’m gasping for air though, unable to breathe. It feels like I’m being squished through a pipe the size of my pinkie, like how it used to feel when Shade teleported me. I wish I had opened my eyes during those times, maybe I would have seen the same wash of colors. Those trips always took a heartbeat though; this is taking seconds. I had never seen an Ardent that could teleport people and not themselves. Were Ardents evolving again? Julian said it was a possibility, but it should have taken hundreds of years, just like it had taken that long for us to appear in the first place.

“Don’t let go,” I managed to gasp to Cal, as he tries to wrap an arm around my hips. I grip the front of his jacket with two hands, terrified of what will happen if I lose him in this tunnel. His answer is to squeeze me tightly to him.

I press my face into his shoulder trying to inhale the scent he always carries with him. He smells more like the lake in Monfort now, probably because he keeps wearing this jacket when he walks around the lake with Kilorn. He should know better. It reeks of moist lake water.

I glance over his shoulder only for something to catch my shoulder. I try to scream an alarm as my fingers release Cal, and I go spinning off to the side. My vision is limited but I still see him go limp from whatever hit he took. I scramble to grab at him, my fingers managing to catch his sleeve before we both collide with the side of the tunnel.

It is like passing through a window, with multicolored glass shards explode around us. I spiral into darkness then, losing my weak grip on Cal completely. My chest heaves for air, and I try to force myself to be as loose as possible in case I end up hitting the ground. It’s a pointless exercise, any hit will kill me at this point. The pressure around me changes again, making me ears pop once more. Only a heartbeat later, I slam into something else, and finally fall unconscious.

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n-ugg · 4 years ago

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I didn't expect to get tagged but here we are. As you all will be able to tell in a bit, I am a massive Quackity fan

Thank you for tagging me @skeetlehands!

who is your favourite member on the smp?

Look, I love them all but these have a special place in my heart.

Quackity, Slimecicle (I am fully aware he just joined but I still love him), Schlatt, Tubbo, Eret, AweSamdude, and Ponk.

They're just great in and out of character and just have comforting vibes.

when did you first start watching the smp and what made you get into it?

I gotten in during the Pogtopia era since it took me a while to get access to the streams.

I mainly gotten in with the Sad-ist War animatics along with me trying to catch up on Quackity's VODS. Just someone that I was already familiar with being an easier shift into story and learning others through him

what is your favourite part about watching the smp?

Just watching everyone interact with other and just seeing the plot progress in real time. Its literally just dnd but with extra steps but I enjoy it so much

The improv that they all do is amazing and how everyone have different approaches to their characters makes my writer's side so happy with dissecting everything.

What piece of cursed lore is your favourite

That Wilbur canonically fucked a fish and Philza canonically fucked a Samasung fridge and just seeing the fanbase try to change into something that will at least make a bit more sense.

Im included in this, I basically joined the side that has Sally being a mermaid shapeshifting pirate. Mainly because of pirate Fundy

Who is your favorite duo on the smp

Slimecicle and Ranboo: They're the same person but in different fonts, you can convince me otherwise

Schlatt and Quackity: They managed to be super funny together with all of the jokes and balanced with making a very realistic abusive relationship work. It was always fun seeing them flirt with each other for a joke then get hit with whiplash when canon comes in to remind me that this isnt healthy

Tubbo and Tommy: They're two dumbasses who share the same braincell but then they constantly lose it and Tubbo mainly has custody of it

Wilbur and Schlatt: I just enjoy seeing Schlatt messing with Wilbur and occasionally flirts with him to get Wilbur more pissed off

Who are your comfort streamers

Quackity and Slimecicle are comfort streamers

Eret, Fundy, and AweSamdude are my comfort people (meaning I dont watch them as much but I find comfort in their presence. And the other two are also under this category)

Who is your favorite character

Quackity due to how complex his character is and yet how it looks so simple

Schlatt because is just a villian who knows how to play the game without getting caught

Tubbo, watching him trying to be hopeful with everything destroy around him and he just slowly become used to everything going wrong

AweSamdude because he is just trying his best to be a father figure others and I just got family issues

Who do you think the best actor(s) on the smp

Imma skip over the ones that we all already said and get into the ones that dont get enough praise

Quackity: Just how he managed to make his character seem so basic but in reality its really complex. And just seeing the shift from him being a chaotic force of nature to being a serious character that is trying his best to reach something that has been hanging over his head is just *chefs kiss* and he always delivers amazing lines on the spot.

BadBoyHalo: He is doing great right now, even though he is a bit rusty with starting he still manages to get into character and stay in character the entire time. When slowly easing in, you can tell its a bit forced but once he finds his footing, he knows how to deliver his lines.

AweSamdude: His entire bit where he was getting rescued from the egg fucking hurt. How he sounded weak from the entire thing and tired to where he just wanted to rest was so well. And I know he can act more energetic when he was accidentally dragged into playing a cop during Quackity's and Bad's date

Fundy: You guys need to give him more praise for his acting because he is fucking amazing at it. The little touches to how he voice when speaks is so good along with his body language in game. He knows what he's fucking doing and I love him for that. And when he snapped, it made complete sense if you payed attention to his character

I didnt add Ranboo because he's automatically at the top section due to him being a dnd player. Same goes to Slimecicle even though he hasnt acted yet. I dont make the rules. You play dnd, you know how to act

What are your favorite quotes

I dont have favorite quotes, just dialog heavy scenes.

Before Doomsday, Quackity going to take his horse far away from L'Manberg, it being the one thing he cares about. It was just so good

The entire Schlatt and Quackity argument in front of the white house

The meeting between Schlatt and Quackity with Schlatt yelling out to him in a taunting way to where Tommy and Quackity are trying to figure out what happened to the tnt. I constantly rewatch it to feel the adrinaline pumping to feel something

Wilbur's slow descend into insanity and talking to Tommy. Just showing his paranoia and fears consuming him, him projecting his fears into Tommy as an attempt of manipulation, and his hero complex shift into villian one

Schlatt's winning speech of him projecting it as something that was bound to happen no matter what. The amount of charisma and confidence that was in his voice as I was watching Tommy hiding underground in fear was just a perfect scene

Tommy's argument with Dream when everyone is protecting Tommy. Its the small details of Tommy taunting Dream to kill him, knowing he wont no matter what. Him telling everyone to protect Tubbo and everyone listening without hesitation.

The debate that Quackity and Dream had for like 11 or 14 minutes. All of that was completely unprompted unscripted, it was just so satisfying seeing someone stand up against Dream for the first time and actually beating him. Sure it was in a verble conflict but it still counts as a defeat

Be honest, who do you simp for? (Ayo if anyone says Tommy or Tubbo I will🗡)

Schlatt, Quackity, and Slimecicle

Its pretty obvious, I dont really try to hide it

Whats your favorite stream

Uhhhh I dont exactly have one so none I guess

Whats your least favorite streams

Im sorry, but all of the Jackbox stream. You need a specific group of people to play together in order to actually make it funny and keeping the energy throughout the entire thing.

After a bit later, everyone has a tendency of pandering to the audience and repeat jokes. They managed to beat jokes to the ground faster than Tiktok AND Twitter.

Dont get me started with DreamTeam being in there. They're funny in thier own rights but the shipping jokes get so unfunny so quick and they dont know how bounce off of others well. The only exception to this is when Quackity, Velvet, and Ant were playing with Sapnap and Dream. And thats because they decided to mess with the straight white guys into accidently saying offensive shit and seeing those two suffer with trying tiptoe around was so amusing

Whats something about the smp fandom thay makes you sad

This doesnt get me sad, just frustrated and its mostly towards dsmptok and dsmptwt but sometimes this fandom doesnt fucking know how to analyze characters. Like when everyone jumped on Tubbo on being the bad guy when he was a kid trying to use old tatics that knows that worked before and stand up for himself

How when one person decides to do something that they believe is right, everyone just throws the term villian arc around

When one person does one good thing the suddenly everyone accepts into them being good and not ever looking into it.

For fucks sakes, I saw people keep saying that Quackity was turning into Dream or Wilbur and I just sat there being confused on how they conntected those dots that were in different books.

Its so frustrating to read through. But here on dsmpblr, you guys actually understand character analysis, are able to critique them and able to love whoever you enjoy.

Another thing is how this fanbase really puts everyone on a pedestal or objectify them. Just completely forgetting that they're human and treat the streamer as a character. Like, yeah they're playing up a persona whenever they're making content but theres a difference and you shouldn't hold them up like that.

You cant use the argument of "They're young, they dont know any better", when I first entered my first fandom (I was like 11/12), I fully understood that theres a boundary between me and the creator. What they are on screen is a persona but they're still human and I should treat them as such. Its just something that bugs me and its unnerving to see whenever people start getting wierd about it

Final bit is just how the twitch chat acts. They all force the streamer to follow the 'main' plot of it being Tommy or Techno or whoever the fandom chooses to have a favorite, completely ignoring the fact that they are their own character. No one wants to meta game because where is the fun in that but the fucking chat gets so annoying when the streamer goes against fanfavorite of the week. It drains the fun of it being multiple pov's and different characters.

When Slimecicle was barely starting stream I saw so many people spam "Go with Ranboo" and not let him even get into lore first. I hated that I knew it was coming but it was still so fucking frustrating seeing them try to boss him around. Please just let people live outside of the 'main' plot, not everything revolves around your favorites. Now shut the fuck up and let them play

What about the smp fandom that makes you happy?

The people that create art, animatics, theories, playlist, or write oneshots

All of you creators are great and deserve so much more respect then what the fandom gives you because jesus fucking christ they're all so fucking rude. You guys are the ones that are carrying this fandom on your backs and I fucking respect yall for that

________________

Time for da spead: @nixavia @dambette404 and @mocha-is-lost yall dont need to join.....unless😳😳😳

#this is long as hell #sorry #ALSO THANK YOU SKETTLE FOR TAGGING ME #I THOUGHT I WAS MOSTLY AN ANNOYANCE TO YOU FOR CONSTANTLY SENDING IN SOME LONG ASS ASK #dream smp #mcyt

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