#which is why this AU evolving is so beautiful and scary because I need to keep up!!!

[ivycorp]

Riot's TFP AU: Have you tried turning your Prime off and on again?

Agent Fowler kept a folder on everyone - the one for Optimus for a very long time contained a log of dates and places. The frequency of whatever he was tracking decreased at some point significantly, coming to a halt - and judging from the man's smile, it was a good thing.

When Agent Fowler was informed he would be dealing with giant alien robots from space, he was torn between being understandably stupefied by the notion of lifeforms from beyond the stars existing at all, and wondering if he had actually pissed someone off on the last work party. His superiors specified he was mainly to collect intel from within as a ‘liaison’ - to help them figure out what made the Cybertronians tick, and let them prepare for the eventuality when the Earth would have to deal with them as their own enemies.

“Precaution, agent - we can’t let ourselves be caught unawares should they turn on us,” his commander said, handing over a slim file of what they already knew. It was barely a few pages long, with more blanks than any actual information - which meant he was essentially going in blind. 

Marvelous - it was truly an ideal state of matters when talking with huge robots that can squash you like a bug.

Someone up there in senior command really didn’t like him.

Fowler accepted the job in the end, but on the inside he hoped it wouldn't last too long; he would usually choose shorter gigs to not grow attached to his targets. And when aliens were added into the picture, there was no place to get mushy - he needed to stand firmly on the side of humanity and his country.

In the beginning, it wasn't too difficult to keep the necessary emotional distance while remaining adequately civil - the differences between them were so numerous, the Autobots appeared standoffish and weird at first; he suspected that to them, he most likely seemed the same. They worked together, but that was it; he struggled to make progress beyond what he was told directly. Dry recounts, a few remarks, a hushed conversation here and there of which he heard a fraction at best.

He was almost considering reassignment, anything to alleviate the boredom - he'd even take the traffic duty over yet another day of silence. The paperwork was filed, ready to be sent out to his supervisor with a note that his skills were not being properly utilized, when he heard a loud clash.

Getting up and peering over the railing, he saw Optimus Prime sprawled on the floor by the console. Fowler cursed to himself; the one day when everyone was on patrol but their leader, he suffered some malfunction. How was he supposed to react? Should he get some jumper cables or something?

Deciding he might at least investigate, he went down and approached the mech with caution. Maybe it was some sort of robotic narcolepsy? Was Optimus sleeping? 

The agent's brows furrowed - could they even sleep?

He called out to the bot, hoping it would stir some reaction, but it all fell on deaf audials. He noticed the lights and noises that he associated with their kind were absent. 

To Fowler, Prime looked pretty much dead. 

He spent the next few minutes panicking, trying to discern how he would break the news to the command (and well, to bots too) - when the mech shook and on-lined with a soft gasp. The man stepped away, instinctively trying to give space to breathe to a being that didn’t even have lungs; he cursed quietly, trying to stamp out the flash of empathy that tried to read its ugly head at the obvious discomfort he was witnessing, as the Autobot leader got himself up to a sitting position, wincing at the stray electricity dancing on his plating.

"What was that?"

The Prime turned his helm, one of his servos massaging the middle of his chest gently; seeing the human, he raised the other one to wave the inquiry away.

"Nothing serious, Agent Fowler, do not concern yourself with this - it's not the first time it happened, and it will not be the last," said the mech placatingly, composure slipping at the end of the sentence to reveal… exhaustion? Seeing the bot already start to gather himself up, legs shaking slightly, the man decided to drop it. He would add it to the report and keep his eye out on the Prime to make sure it doesn't occur too often.

He repeated to himself that he was not growing concerned - that would imply caring, and that would imply getting attached. Very unprofessional. 

The reassignment paperwork was not sent out that day, though.

*****

Over the next few weeks, he kept to his routine without any major changes. Yet, something about that odd incident made him ask Ratchet a vague question about Cybertronians rest cycles. The medic was never very talkative, usually outright dismissive, but the question caught him by surprise - he actually gave a brief, but clear answer that turned the agent even more pensive. They were able to recharge, but they would not power down completely for it - so whatever struck the Prime was not a nap or a fainting spell. 

Thanking for the information, he walked back up to the raised platform and stopped, looking around. Arcee and Bumblebee were out on patrol, Cliffjumper and Bulkhead took off on a joyride…

Where was Optimus?

The man walked around the base, looking at every nook and cranny in search of the missing Autobot leader; a familiar sound of restarting machinery caught his ear, letting him follow it to the source. He found the Prime resting between storage boxes, frame barely visible in the dim room, biolights glowing in the darkness. When the agent got closer, he started recognising what the mech was muttering:

"What was it this time… you can't keep… this is not… please…" 

Fowler tried to remain stealthy, as he wanted to hear more of what Optimus was talking about; however, before he could actually catch anything, the automatic light sensors tripped and the room illuminated, startling the bot. 

"Who's there?" came a loud question, as the sounds of a Cybertronian scrambling to get up joined in. The agent cursed internally, before he put his shoulders back and strode inside. 

"It's me, Prime, relax," he said pacifyingly, trying to look confident and not at all like a man who just failed at trying to eavesdrop on an alien. The red and blue bot looked at him, shoulders dropping; the bright optics focused on him, and he had a feeling the mech was looking inside of his soul directly. Fowler intently did not think about spying, even though he was certain there was no way the other would know he was trying to listen in on whatever was happening. 

"Agent Fowler, what can I do for you?" Optimus inquired, slipping back into the familiar dynamic - most likely hoping the man wouldn't ask what he was doing in the dark storage room. 

"Nothing, I wasn't looking for you - I was just passing by, must have walked too close to the sensor," the man decided to leave the matter be for now, gesturing towards the lights. The mech stared at him, before nodding in understanding. 

"Then don't let me stop you from your duties, Agent Fowler, I'll be back at the main console in a few minutes if you do require my help," the Autobot leader acknowledged, and the man took it as a great opportunity to leave without raising suspicion.

As he walked down the hallway, he wondered why the lights weren't on in the first place - just how long was Optimus not moving in this room?

*****

On one of the few occasions where the Autobots were asked to help the human side of the alliance months later, Fowler had the dubious pleasure of getting stuck between rock and a hard place - quite literally. 

When he rode inside Optimus's cabin, writing up his report after they successfully delivered some sensitive military cargo without encountering the mercenaries they expected, he forgot that the lack of engagement was not equal to lack of possible excitement; a tremor shook the ground caused a landslide, which barrelled straight into the truck and threw them out of the road, off the edge of the cliff. The agent noticed the bot shift, turning to cushion the fall in a more controlled fashion, before they hit the bottom with a loud thud.

Dizzy but alive, Fowler got up on his legs, panting, adrenaline coursing high through his veins, as he started making his way towards the unmoving Autobot. Optimus had taken the brunt of the damages, and while the man got thrown to the side, the remaining rocks and pieces of road landed right on top of the mech.

"Prime, you good?" he called out, and upon hearing no response, frantically began to clear the rubble. His hands hurt, but he managed to dislodge a piece of the structure so that it unveiled a familiar red armor. After a bit more digging, he unburied the blue helm, dirty and scratched up.

There were no signs of life, and mech's chest was impaled right through by a piece of what he could recognize as a mangled crash barrier. The agent patted himself down for a phone, before he pulled out the wrecked device. It was beyond recovery, and he cursed not being able to hail anyone for help - the return trip was just him and Prime, so there would be nobody looking for them for a while.

He supposed at some point Ratchet would realize their leader dropped dead - he knew the medic was monitoring all the crew's stats. It was actually weird that there was no space bridge in there yet.

Worry growing, he shrieked when the mechanism emitted a disharmonious sound - and Optimus groaned. The bot got up, hissing as the metal embedded in him started sliding out. The screeching and squelching of unknown origin combined into a sickening discordant noise that made him want to barf.

"Watch out, Prime, it nearly killed you!" Fowler threw his hands up, hoping to catch the attention of the mech; the blue optics shifted towards him in a mix of surprise and relief.

“Ah, you had not been harmed - that’s good,” Optimus said, smiling weakly as he propped himself up on his elbows and glared at the metal jutting out of his torso. The long servos tried to reach behind his back, failing to grasp at the end of it - the piece got buried deep into the ground.

The only way off it was up.

“You said it ‘nearly’ killed me, correct, Agent Fowler?” the Autobot asked aloud, though the man felt this was less of a question and more of an acknowledgement, as he could swear he could hear the quotation marks in the sentence. Numbly, he nodded, and nearly snickered from stress when the bot said something that sounded suspiciously like a curse in a foreign language - the emotion behind the words was very much recognizable. He grabbed the barrier and tore it as close to his windshields as possible, before he leveled Fowler with a tired look.

“There is a chance this will ‘nearly’ kill me again - if this happens, don’t worry, just give me a few minutes. If I try to do this again after that, tell me it didn’t work and to call Ratchet instead,” came the orders, voice of the mech devoid of any humor - the agent could only nod his head again, as Prime sighed and started pulling himself off it, inch by inch. 

At some point the rubble he was in shifted, making him sway; the mech seized up with a guttural sound in his vocaliser, and his biolights blinked away. Fowler stood there, watching the bot dangle like that for a couple of minutes, before the sound of re-starting systems filled his ears again. 

Optimus groaned, looking around disoriented, as he tried to move again.

“No!” shouted the man, successfully stopping the bot, as he quickly followed it up with “it didn’t work, call Ratchet,”; to his amazement, Prime listened, opening the comm line to the base, as the familiar lights of a ground bridge appeared close by. The medic came out, shouting at his leader, as he started chewing the mech’s audials off for getting stuck into another weird situation again. The blue and red Autobot apologized the entire way back, as he limped to the medbay - agent following silently, wondering what had he actually witnessed. 

*****

“Optimus, please, let me take a look at it,” said Ratchet, poking at the mech’s internals, mending the remaining wires with care and precision. Prime shook his helm negative, mumbling:

“You tried that already, old friend, and we both know I can't remove it yet.”

Fowler froze with an arm raised, as he was about to knock on a pipe and ask the medic some questions about Cybertronian biology he was getting more curious about lately - instead, he darted to the wall, hiding behind one of the storage boxes, telling himself he was not feeling guilty for listening in on a private conversation between a doctor and their patient. 

He was not the one sworn to secrecy in that matter.

This was expected from his job!

Why did he feel so bad about listening in, then?

“Still, this is not healthy for you!” the angry words came back at the Prime; the man had to strain his ears to pick up what followed after, muscles aching from trying not to make a sound and stop this conversation. 

“The fact that I had to add a delay on the medical alert for when you drop off-line just because that one time you kept on dropping and coming back several times in a row because of whatever you and this piece of scrap in your chest disagreed about - you don’t even remember what was the subject of the discussion! - it’s simply asking for trouble! Had you not called, I would have never known you needed assistance!” Ratchet fumed, angrily slamming something closed, before gathering the equipment and leaving it to clatter on the tray for treatment later on. A sympathetic hum was heard, and the medic emitted a sound of exhausted disappointment. 

“I really wish you would let me try again - Decepticons aren’t around, so you suffer for nothing,” he mumbled, as he went back to the sanitizing unit, to get the equipment cleaned up. 

Fowler could see the familiar legs of Optimus at the edge of his field of vision behind the crate, as the mech calmly patted his friend on the shoulder and stated:

“If in a year we will be able to say the same, I will be open for another attempt - for now, I have a feeling we are not alone here.”

The agent stood still, mulling these words over, as he finally slipped away into the base proper. From such an odd piece of intel, he wasn’t sure if he could explain it in his report - so for now, it remained out of the official documentation. 

Until he knew a little bit more.

Not at all because he was actually worried.

*****

Ten months later, Fowler noted at least twenty of those strange occurrences - and when Cliffjumper died, alerting them to the enemy presence, he had to restrain himself from looking at Ratchet’s offended face, as he grumbled about ‘stupid Cons not waiting with this slag for two more months’. The man had by then grown a bit more attached to the Autobots, but he still periodically considered calling it quits - the paperwork sitting in drafts all this time, ready at a click of a button to get him into a less weird job. 

When he observed the Decepticons in action, he congratulated himself on the patience - they were providing him more information than he could ever hope to piece away from the Bots alone! They talked so much and with so little care, it was like taking candy from a baby.

He quickly picked up on some sort of prior history between the two factions’ leaders, though he was surprised at how little Optimus seemed to be affected by this weird dance between him and Megatron; to Fowler, it looked like the silver mech was putting so many innuendos about their lives that he started using it as a reference under what was previously a blank slate of ‘Prime’s past’ in his file. The red and blue bot did not show the same level of engagement, and the man could see it was driving the former gladiator into anger. It was like watching a telenovela - and he was quickly sucked into the drama.

The agent wrote down ‘possibly exes?’ in the file quite early on, later scratching out the first word, instead underlining the latter four times.

Month after that, he added exclamation marks.

It later came into being the central part on the mind map he created to keep up with all the information he was getting.

And there was a lot of it.

As more and more Cybertronians showed up, his job became way more dynamic - between reports, missions, and increasing liveliness of the inhabitants of the base, he barely had time for boredom. He was sure he was close to getting into internal communication on board the Nemesis, and that would for sure give him even more intel. He needed more insight, to give them an edge in this conflict - to both the Autobots and humankind.

Especially since the Bots somehow managed to get kids involved in the mess.

‘Still’, he mused, looking around from where he stood finishing up a phone call, ‘at least the guys have some life in them now.’ 

He stopped on the stairs, realizing how true that statement was. Fowler racked his brain trying to recall if he saw Arcee smile so openly before. Had he heard Bulkhead’s laugh so loud? Had Bumblebee allowed himself some time to play around? Brows furrowing in concentration, he opened his notepad and checked his personal tally he kept on Optimus. 

There had been no new entries from when the Decepticons returned. 

*****

The appearance of Unicron into the equation caused an uproar; even worse was the fact that the only solution they could think about involved cooperation with Megatron. There was not much time left for dilly-dallying, and Optimus did not leave much room for argument, having tried the diplomacy route and failing spectacularly before getting rescued by his nemesis - who was way too giddy for such an event, gloating and flirting the entire time. 

It made the agent laugh internally to see the Autobot leader ignore all of it, in favor of dealing with the situation on hand - to the Decepticon’s obvious dismay.

Knowing the silver mech was inside the base felt like a horrible intrusion, nonetheless. There was nothing that could be done about it, and the agent prayed that he would not have to write down today’s date in his little log.

As he watched them cross the space bridge, he admitted that at least if he needed to add another entry, the Prime would be there, alive and well.

The entire operation passed quickly, nerves flying high, as the tremors finally ceased - crisis averted. The Earth would see another day, and the public would be none the wiser that the planet was, in fact, a giant robot.

Opening the space bridge again, the Bots returned, oddly quiet for such a success.

Fowler looked at them, and his face fell.

Optimus wasn’t with them.

“Where is he?” he asked, walking closer to the guardrail, right as Ratchet piped up with the same sentiment. The agent knew that if the mech had been killed, they would have dragged the husk back - and he would probably wake up after a few minutes.

As always.

He always came back.

No matter what, no matter how bad - he always powered up, looking around before his memory caught up to him enough to start thinking again.

When the bots explained their leader couldn't recognize them and left with Megatron, he decided the group chat he got into would be way more closely monitored than he initially suspected.

*****

Getting Optimus back was a relief.

Fowler already knew a bit more than others what had happened from the Vehicons recount of the events, as he lurked on as an anonymous presence with them on the comms. He decided to keep the majority of it to himself, expecting the rumors to be at least slightly exaggerated - he could try to let the mech retain his dignity. 

The notes he took were for now out of the official documentation, hidden in the depths of his archiving cabinet under lock and key. It could have been an insinuation of a bored staff, he knew how easy gossip spread and mutated. 

And it's not possible they had been going at it as often as the messages implied. They were at war, on the same ship as Soundwave who listened in on anyone at any given time - that must put a bit of a damper on the horizontal tango.

Prime walked between his Autobots, smiling, letting them touch him; understanding the need for reassurance, his presence grounding the others. He allowed himself to be pulled into hugs, right before he was dragged away by the medic who already raged at all the check-ups he needed to run ('I expect you to carry tons of malware, so you ain't touching any consoles before I clear you' Ratchet threatened, pulling the mech by a servo insistently). 

Right as it should be: down to the mumbled curses, laughing kids, and their exhausted but relieved Bot companions.

Their worries were finally over, their leader returned, and things would be back to normal soon. If they gave him time and space, he would be the patient, wise figure they got used to. 

Fowler later guessed they never really knew the actual 'normal' for the mech, so they really shouldn't have been as surprised as what followed.

*****

There was something different about the Prime, but the agent wasn't sure yet if this was actually a bad thing. 

On one hand, the mech had been way more expressive, open to conversation and emotion; there were more positive interactions, as the underlying stiffness he associated with Optimus being, well, a Prime - he heard Ratchet say like the sole fact was the worst thing that could have happened to the bot - was gone. The kids enjoyed that a lot, responding well to his smiles and encouragement shared at their curiosity.

On another, it became very obvious that the past Megatron was alluding to was, in fact, precisely as he implied.

And the feelings were very much returned.

The agent kicked himself mentally for not believing the group chat more - the staff on board Nemesis obviously knew what was going on and were not shy to gossip about it. At least he was not forced to be within the same ship as Megatron, who seemed to be most affected by the shift of this dynamic.

After one of those missions that ended with everyone being very weirded out, he decided it wasn't bad to ask him about one of his suspicions on an unrelated topic - it's not like the day could get much stranger.

"So, Optimus, the Matrix ain't bothering you as much these days?" Fowler asked without preamble, hoping the bluntness would make it less inappropriate. The mech grinned, and confirmed:

"Yes, there should be no more spontaneous deaths triggered by SOMEONE," he looked down at where the Matrix resided in his frame with a frown, "who decides that the best option to win an argument is to make me forget the topic of it by killing me out of the blue, removing the last few minutes from my memory as a by-product."

He placed his servos on hips, as he spoke to the middle of his chest disapprovingly:

"Very mature approach, for sure."

Optimus cocked his helm to the side, as if listening to someone speak, before he added an angry "No excuses, you ain't pulling this on me ever again, you piece of scrap - ‘will of Primus’ or not, we will talk things out like grown mechanisms, you hear?" slapping his torso right above his spark, driving his point home.

Fowler couldn't help the chuckle that escaped him in response, as his theories were getting validated.

"Has the Matrix been turning you off and on again, hoping you would drop whatever the issue was? Would it be happening again anytime soon?" he asked to clarify, as his brain was filled with an image of an ethereal looking bot insistently pushing the power button to force a shutdown, only to do it again when the same issue popped in right after and getting mad that it's not working with such a stubborn mech that Optimus was turning out to be. It made him laugh, but it also was worrying to think that it could start again. 

Prime nodded, smirking, as he added:

"It surely seemed that way, but the game has changed - no more 'blue screens of death' for me, I'm glad to say."

The agent decided in the end that the change was good - this Optimus smiled way more often.

*****

Laughing at the last messages from the chat, Fowler saved yet another file onto his phone; he would need to print this out and include it in his reports, though he expected other agents would grow only more concerned at the mess the Cybertronians were creating lately. For a brief moment, he wondered if maybe there was a problem with him, before he shrugged - it really didn't matter, he enjoyed this too much. His documentation was thorough these days, and as Prowl remarked, very well organized.

Plus, he was getting very good at fancy presentations - he wouldn't give up a chance to whip up another one for the matter of a surprise addition to the lives of certain faction leaders. He had so many pictures saved, he had to use them for good. 

Aside from the baby album he was preparing in secret for Optimus, of course. He should have probably written it down - he kept on forgetting to check up on the large print order he placed, so a physical memo could help. The agent flipped his notepad open, pen at the ready.

The little thing no longer carried the tally log of all the Primes Deaths And Returns; these pages were transferred into the side file cabinet, as another reference in the 'no longer applicable concern' category: it fit right by 'estimation of chances of Megatron killing off Optimus' and 'list of injuries and treatments related to being grabbed by a Cybertronian'.

A message piped on his phone, and he snorted at the picture sent by the kids from the day at the beach, visiting Griffin Rock for some well deserved R&R. He went to type a reply, when he found the old and forgotten reassignment request. Fowler shook his head at his old worries.

With no hesitation, he deleted the draft.

This job was not boring at all.

************************************

@transingthoseformers I couldn't find the post in which it was mentioned that Fowler has seen Optimus die enough time to know how to react to it, but it's been sitting with me for a while so... yeah.

[lindalofbroome]

wait this begs a question ive not asked myself but why does the mask want to take root? what does it gain? does it give anything? is it like a parasite? symbiotic?

maybe it reaches into a face and taps into the bloodstream for nutrients and grows. omg wait au where the purebond root masks actually grow and evolve and age. the mask feeds off the host and then grows to become truly exquisite as describe but it's not based off human craftsmanship, it is its own wild beauty. which means that the elders will become such horrific wonderful eerie eldritch looking beings. they'd be so scary but you wouldnt be able to look away. maybe the mask will grow down and expand down their backs and arms?? i was just thinking a very elaborate head, might even take on headdress proportions with decorations. like a deer head with antlers that are so huge and detailed and intertwined,,

god what happens when it's not got enough?? what will the host do when the mask is starving??? have this horrible image of big animal head humanoids crunched over bloody meat, .. i did imagine it was cannibalistic but i guess it doesnt have to be?? but yikes the masked ones definitely already doing some shady shit up in the north lol

i suppose theres also the question of whether the freshness of the other materials matter?? like maybe not? but also whats to say that they dont keep beasts to use for fresh pelts and feathers and scales etc. we didnt see everything of the masked ones and also could explain some of the backlog for adult masks (but it was mostly the purebond roots canonically) like ''oh i requested a rainbow fish mask but bess said we had to wait until we cross a river with the right fish first" maybe even this is part of the rite of passage? gathering the uh. materials. this could be done completely respectfully of animals, clean kills and using all the parts one way or another etc, but i guess im submerged in the eldritch horror of it all for good or ill

anyway it could not matter, but i think i am leaning in to fresh materials because then theres a trace of life in them for the purebond roots to recognise and replicate. i guess i got Rowan 3 in my head where they needed a fresh quill because it was the natural oil of the bird they actually needed, not the feather. but i guess what im thinking is that if stuff is fresh as possible then it's the least amount of time for the cells to start to die and then the purebond roots can figure out how to make more of it if that makes sense and then thats how the masks can evolve over time

as for the "mask's magic" that lief describes the Belt's magic resisting, it brought to mind a theory i heard at some point that maybe ergot poisoning caused the Salem witchcraft accusations. ergot is a fungus that grows on grain and when consumed, will affect a person physically and mentally.

the theory is debated, and also not a one-to-one to what im thinking about, but i was thinking about how it can induce psychological symptoms and perhaps the purebond root is like that? like the root itself, or something it carries perhaps, can affect the host's mind and change their behaviour, make them suggestive to stuff, make them see or believe things, stuff like that. god now im thinking about how the shadow lord found out about jell in Three Doors, and if it found out about (this concept of) purebond roots it 100000% would see it as an opportunity oh no oh boy ANYWAY i think i like the idea that it's the roots themselves that make the 'magic' rather than the masked ones casting a spell or something on the masks which i originally thought when i read Shadowgate. like it's actually a science question not a magic question of how it works (excluding the evolving mask thing of course) so it's called magic because they dont know how and why the hell it's happening but they know what the hell is happening.

it's like the "true names have power" concept for example. like i think there's a bit of a real thing to that tbh. like if some random person said "go to your room" thats not gonna mean much to you but if your mother says "[your entire full name] go to your room" there's definitely some weight to that. or idk you go to a bar and some guy asks for your name and you give a fake name and when he calls you that, he doesnt really have power over you in a certain way etc.

or i guess something like art i can make an artwork and someone might compliment or comment on the feelings or something they like idk and to me it may be like i used certain colours and composition or whatever specifically to evoke the message for you to read, it is a bit like a science to me sometimes? but to a random person it might be magic i guess. that sounds so cheesy omg anyway

i could give infinite examples so i'll stop but im sure you get the picture

i just like the idea of the purebond masks being like. a live thing? i guess? ma'am there is a macroorganism on your face and it is eating you and changing you from the inside you are dying and something else is being born

i suppose the subject of fungi also raises cordyceps, which are fungal parasites often found on insects and anthropods, and inspired The Last Of Us zombies. they work by basically tapping into the neural system and taking over brain and motor functions, treating the body as a puppet. i personally prefer the drama of the idea of having the mask "whispering" to the person and they try to resist or go along with it etc, like what lief had going on. it's not going to be like a whisper obviously, it would just be thoughts but they might feel wrong to you, or be like intrusive thoughts. maybe trigger or induce hormones or neurotransmitters that will influence the person's mood or thoughts. not sure if it falls under those categories but also induce hallucinations, mess with memory and stuff,, like i prefer the subtle suggestive quality, but if it's more like controlling motor function it definitely could be affecting a person that way. purebond root jaegar piloting around looking for nourishment lol.

on a how did this come about note. rodda alludes to ballum himself creating the purebond masks in Sister of the South but im not sure if i want to accept that tbh alsdkjfhalksd

reminder of the lore is that ballum was king elstred's brother and the chief advisor interfered to get rid of him because he countered her advice. his face got badly burned by a trick gone wrong and hence wore a mask, but soon he had to flee after a false accusation of regicide. he fled to the north and eventually had a friend group entertainer troupe and they wore masks too to make it difficult for guards to find him at a glance, so he could evade them.

one option is that ballum stumbled across the root and somehow figured out how they worked and went "ah yes! now it will never come off however hard someone tries!" and set to work. seems a bit too dramatic to me. i dont know if he wouldve wanted a permanent mask even if he was burned but maybe he was vain or scared or something idk. i mean i dont see how a permanent mask would soothe your fears but who knows. sometimes people are irrational lol.

oh also while writing that i remembered lief saw the roots in a sack and touched it and it was started to stick to his fingers and he was like OH HELL NO and rubbed it off and then bess was like SIT STILL OH MY GOD anyway so whoever discovers the purebond root mightve noticed that. i suppose it might not even be the masked ones, it could be a niche local knowledge even. that it sticks to stuff. maybe could be a glue even?? no one else would make clothes out of it lol.

anyway the other option i can think of and prefer is that actually the purebond root masks develop several generations after ballum. that theres been so much time that they dont remember why they wear masks constantly, they just know that it's important. and then some descendant of his (or not i suppose, but probably) discovers this, or they knew of it already and invents the permanent mask. probably thinks it's glorifying or participating in tradition To The Max™ and that it's a good thing. i wonder if the first permanent mask wearers had informed consent or did the find out too late? the modern ones do know, or at least the inner circle do, but initially? who knows. i suppose this line of thinking would point to yes they do know.

wait oh my god the parallels to the palace Rule. oh they would roil in their graves and their masks. the "i dont know why but this is a rule i need to follow". they both do/did it.

🧍‍♂️

���

wow what a fun time. uh. thank you for coming to my ted talk

if anyone was wondering why i draw lief's face scars the way i do it's because im imagining the mask literally taking root in his face and so when jasmine is ripping it off, she's trying to pull the roots that are quickly taking hold and tearing small chunks of his face off 🙃

[shiroganeryo]

if you still doin that character thingy... Kanda, pls? or Krorykins, whichever u wanna do more, cuz i cannot choose 😅

*breathes in* This is it. This is how I finally get to write about two characters in one go because I also can’t choose XD I hope you don’t mind this getting long and thank you for giving me them, you beautiful human being! 🥺

Kanda

My otp for them: With Alma, no doubt (only trust!). Alma’s last moments break my heart, in a good way - they are soulmates meant to be. Their story is very sad and yet extremely touching and beautiful. I have a thing for lovers who meet again in their next lives, as I’m a sucker for the “red string of fate” myth. I get emotional just thinking of their relationship, and I wish, I really wish, that if they have another chance, that they can meet again and finally be happy together without being torn apart by the tragedies of war. My brotp for them: Weirdly enough, I’d say Allen! After Alma arc, Kanda seems to be a lot softer than before, and I’ve been loving the mutualism between him and Allen. They are very alike (as much as they hate to admit it), and that’s why they can understand each other well and know what the other needs without him needing to say anything. They’re both not good at talking about their feelings. Any other ships: With Lenalee! I know most people see their relationship as a brotherly one, but man, they have such good chemistry together. They bicker often, but just imagine what a killer duo they would be 💦 I’m weak for powerful couples. They know each other ever since they’re little, so they have shared a lot of moments together and know each other well, too - the scene in which Lenalee goes to meditate with him because she was scared of Lvellie was adorable; she feels safe around him. Their best friend: I want to say Marie! I think Kanda would rather people who don’t snoop around too much into his personal space, and Marie simply knows where these boundaries are at. He also knows how to deal very well with Kanda’s temper. He understands him but also knows of his flaws, yet he doesn’t question or confronts him, which I’m sure Kanda appreciates. He’s been recently showing that he cares a lot about Johnny as well, but deep down, Kanda does care about many of the people close to him.  My favorite nickname for them: It’s gotta be Bakanda, the pun is just great XD It doubles in greatness because, in my language/official release, this got translated as “BabaKanda”, which is also a pun! In Portuguese, “babaca” is the same as “idiot”. So I appreciate this silly pun a lot more thanks to that XD My favorite AU headcanon of them: I think that, sadly, Kanda won’t make it alive to the end of the story. I headcanon that, in case he does die, it’s after repaying his debt with Allen in a roundabout way; he did help Allen, but at the same time, he went to rest in peace together with Alma. And Allen did fight for them to be happy together, so I just... kinda want this to be true. It would pain me to see Kanda go, but this would be his happy ending and he deserves this. My favorite outfit they wear: A hard pick! Kanda is very handsome so basically, anything he puts on will look awesome. However, the one moment that made me go 💓 was when we saw him in civilian clothes (Chapter 208). Jesus Christ!? He was stunning. I really like his current Order uniform + outer coat combo too, looks so comfy and warm. Defining color: When I think of Kanda, I think of a mix of colors. Namely, Cobalt (#1338BE), Carnation (#FFA6C9) and Indigo (#4B0082). I believe it’s because of the Lotus Pain ending using this palette for the effects of the lotus flowers shining in contrast with the dark background colors. Would I date them: As handsome and amazing as he is, I wouldn’t. I know he’d hate my guts because I’m the type of person who wants to overthink and needlessly talk things over more than he should, and Kanda simply abhors the very idea of this 😂 He is a simpleminded guy, and I quite like that on him. First impression: I knew Kanda wouldn’t be the bland “angry asshole character” trope during his and Allen’s first mission together, in Martel. What he told Allen left a mark and made me think there was a lot more depth to him: "I hate the way naive people like you do things... And even more so, I hate people who don't keep their promises!" This one line told me a lot about his personality. Current impression: Pretty much my first impression, but with a lot more context! I really love Kanda and his past was a surprise to me. It made me appreciate him even more than I already did. Hogwarts House: I’d say Slytherin. He would stop at nothing until he found “that person”, and this House is well known for the ambition of its people. He’s also sharp and while not smarts smart, he is perceptive and intelligent in his own way; very skilled as well. Which Pokemon starter they’d be: Oshawott! Samurott looks as intimidating and stoic as Kanda, besides, it’s definitely based on a samurai, so they share this trait as well. Its first stages don’t look like much, but Samurott gets its own sword to fight with!

Krory

My otp for them: With Elliade! Now, this is one complex relationship. I admit I don’t like Elliade much but, at the same time, I understand her. For an Akuma, she really did love Krory; and he still loves her too. I just wish she hadn’t left him in the dark for so long. Her love was selfish and, while I understand how she felt, I feel bad for Krory since he thought he was a monster and that drove him to loneliness. I wish things could have been different, because their love was really pretty despite the downsides, their feelings for each other were very strong. My brotp for them: I want to say Marie! The latest Discussion Room (Vol.27) mentioned how good Krory is at many things, one of them being music. I love to think that he and Marie could have enjoyable long talks about their shared interest, they do look like the type of guys to appreciate music on a higher, more emotional level. Any other ships: I don’t have any, but I’ll make a mention to Miranda! While I don’t ship them personally, I totally see why people do. They’re both soft sweethearts who are always ready to do their best towards the people they care about - and they also share low self-esteem, sadly. The world has been very unfair with them 😢 Their best friend: Definitely Allen and Lavi! They were Krory’s first friends ever, and it’s clear how much he cares about them. My heart literally can’t take how they’re the first thoughts that cross Krory’s mind when he’s scared; it means that he feels accepted by them, they bring him comfort and make him feel safe and confident that everything will be alright. It’s just so sweet. My favorite nickname for them: Krorykins! If there’s one thing the English translation did right (and I can’t say that for like 80% of it), was translating “Kuro-chan” as “Krorykins”. It sounds so silly it’s cute 😅 My favorite AU headcanon of them: Just like I wrote about Miranda on her post, I headcanon he’s one of the people to either drop out of the Order to side with Allen, or actively help him in other ways. I think it’s not a mere coincidence Hoshino-sensei had specifically him, one of the people who cherish Allen the most, accompany Chaozii to go after him. I’m observing with great interest, as they might meet again sometime soon. It broke my heart to see him wanting to see Allen but, at the same time, wishing he had escaped safely. My favorite outfit they wear: There’s only one answer to this question, and it’s his casual clothes! He looks so elegant and fancy, so handsome yet so adorable! I mean, just look at him! Defining color: When I think of Krory, I think of deep red, a crimson shade like Carmine (#960019). I’m very sure it’s because of his Innocence. Would I date them: Maybe? I think I’d like befriending him more than dating him. He’s close to me in age though (unlike most of the characters I’ve written about so far XD) so I’d be down to it. Imagine dating a sweet guy who not only could cook you your favorite dishes but also has a more assertive, wilder side to him. Sounds like the complete package. First impression: Who is this? He looks scary but my intuition tells me there’s more than it meets the eye. Oh, he’s crying. He’s worried...? That’s too sweet, I’m betting he’s not a villain. Current impression: Well, he wasn’t a villain just like I had thought! Krory is an amazing but underrated character, he definitely deserves more love and appreciation. I love his personality, but what I love the most about him is how he had everything to be the “plain edgy, shady character” and then this notion was completely twisted around. I love it when things aren’t just about appearance. Hogwarts House: I see him being in Hufflepuff! The best people I know (namely, my best friend and spouse) are from this House and while they’re sweet and caring people, there’s also a lot to them more than it meets the eye, just like with Krory! Hufflepuffs are dedicated, loyal, and capable. Which Pokemon starter they’d be: Great question because when you think of him, you’d instantly think of a bat Pokémon, right? haha But I’d give him Sobble, I think! Poor shy crybaby that gets to go from water to wine upon evolving into its last stage, which is completely fabulous and badass! Drizzile even has the prominent bang falling on its face, while Inteleon has what could look like how Krory’s bang gets upward when his Innocence is activated 🤔

[chicago-reeed]

PHCK ME - Reed900 Fic Rec List

Hello!!! You might not remember, but awhile back I mentioned I had the start of a fic rec list that I planned to post (which I never did). To celebrate all 1K+ of you, I thought I would finish the list for you! It is my duty as a loyal reed900 servant.

DISCLAIMER: This list of reccomendations was made purely out of personal opinion. I by no means want to discredit any other fics/authors. Some may not agree with my choices, and that’s totally understandable. I just wanted to share these fics because I personally enjoyed them <3

I didn’t include some fics because they haven’t been updated in a long time, or I didn’t remember them enough to give them accurate reviews. Also, I’m sure there are many more fics that I forgot to put on here (these are from my ao3 bookmarks). I might include them in a future update.

Anyways, all of my recs are under the cut! There are a lot!! I had eight pages worth of them in my documents haha

Mint Condition - by itsdefinitive - Mature - Content warnings - Chapters 18/? - Reed could see what they were going for there -- the whole infallible super-soldier thing.  A monument to testosterone made perfect, cast in steel within plastic.  It was actually really creepy.  Maybe that was on purpose.

The first reed900 fic I read, and it’s honestly what got me into the pairing itself.

Charon - by Vapewraith - Explicit: only suitable for adults - Author chose not to warn for content - Chapters 20/20 - Gavin Reed, a mess of a human being, just wants to be left to his self destructive tendencies. RK900, an android designed by the most brilliant minds in the world to be the perfect machine, is desperate to grasp the full range of emotional freedom now afforded to him. The two will need to find an equilibrium before their incompatible personalities—and an eccentric serial killer with a dangerous piece of tech—swallow them whole.

I can’t even describe how much I love this fic. I’m a slut for horror, and there’s plenty of that in here. It might just be my favorite. Definitely recommend.

Two Sides of a Vaguely Similar Coin - by ZombiBird - Mature - Author chose not to warn for content - Chapters 13/? - RK900 is lost.

It’s been months since the Revolution and he’s still no closer to figuring out what the hell he’s supposed to be doing with himself. He feels like an outsider in his own body. Completely detached, nothing more than a quiet observer; like he’s looking down at the world through a layer of glass instead of fully living in it.

Gavin Reed is a temperamental asshole.

This isn’t news, okay? Gavin’s fully aware of what he is. He burns bridges instead of building them. Bites hands instead of shaking them. Would rather drown in a sea comprised of the consequences of his faults and misdeeds than try to change the way he is. Because people like him? Maybe they deserve to drown.

[Alternatively: Both lost in different ways, Gavin and RK900 try to figure their shit out and end up learning that, sometimes, it takes two people who have absolutely no idea what the hell they’re doing to get a goddamn clue.]

I don’t remember much about this fic, if I’m honest. Not that the story is forgettable, it’s just been awhile since I read it. However, the title definitely stood out to me so I know it was very good :P

Captcha Encryption - by Cerulaine - Explicit: only suitable for adults - Content warnings - Chapters 18/? - It's a little over a year after the android uprising and it's still the end of the fucking world.

Back in the day when things became shit he used to enjoy a drink or two. Or Five. It all depended on how long the shift ran. After 'The Accident' he can't even cough without Nines breathing down his neck anymore.

He just wishes everything would go back to normal, but if there's anything Gavin has learned it's that you can't unring a bell once it's been rung.

Or whatever. Fuck if he knows.

Similar situation to the last fic: I don’t remember much about it (my memory SUCKS), but I do remember thoroughly enjoying this one.

Daydreamer - by Pence - Mature - Content warnings - Chapters 21/24 - Large purple bruises twined prettily around the corpse’s throat, every finger defined in perfect cruelty. His eyes tore away from the handprints as a cold finger traced the lightning strike scar across the center of his face—drawing his attention to a small, blue lipped smile.

“Do you think you’ll ever leave this town, Gavin?”

________

When a series of Detroit murders are linked as originating in his hometown, Gavin Reed is unwillingly assigned the case. Fowler insists that his history with the place and people will hugely benefit such an investigation.

He was fucking wrong. 

This fic is one big holy shit moment tbh. Really fantastic. Really makes you wonder why these authors aren’t paid to do this.

All Aboard the Underground Railroad - by Senjihae - No Rating - Author chose not to warn for content - Chapters 11/? - What starts as sticking it towards his half brother evolves into something with the potential to rewrite android history as he knows it. Gavin doesn't realize what he gets himself into until he is mistaken as the 'Android Messiah' of all things. It's not like he goes out of his way to help them, but his life gets a lot harder once Hank is assigned a shiny new boy toy ('sent by CyberLife').

Things only get worse when he's gifted a heap of metal of his own ('sent by Elijah Kamski').

(Yeah, fuck off Elijah)

Very interesting fic. Gavin is RA9 so that’s a thing. A nice slow burn!

Dragon Become Age - by errantwheat - Explicit: only suitable for adults - Content Warnings - Chapters 11/? - Y’all wanted me to write dragon age!au so I did :)

YES! YES! YES! DRAGON AGE AU! YES! YES! YES! (it’s really gud)

Warmth - by TheRedPaladin101 - Teen and Up Audiences - No Warnings - Chapters 1/1 - Gavin frowned, the aching in his shoulder fading from his mind for a moment. “Then give me my jacket.”

“Your jacket is in no condition to keep you warm,” he stated. “For now, use mine and stay warm while we wait to head back to the station.”

----

Five times RK900 gave Gavin Reed his jacket, and one time Gavin gave his in return.

Very wholesome. Lives up to its title. Some good ole hurt/comfort!

Letifer - Terminallydepraved - Explicit: only suitable for adults - Author chose not to warn for content - Chapters 19/19 - Gavin Reed is a DPD beat cop determined to make detective by any means possible, and putting an end to a string of murders looks like the quickest way to accomplishing that goal. Unfortunately for him, he fails to account for the real culprit— or the thought that perhaps he isn't the only one on the hunt for a killer.

(Now with cover art by Leetmorry!)

I love beat cop!gavin. It humbles him. And vampire!nines is scary and amazing. Love how the author wrote both of these characters (and the others too!). I definitely recommend this one!

A Strange and Beautiful Creature -  by LittleLalaith - General audiences - No warnings - Chapters 7/7 - Scientist Nines is called in to Amanda's lab to assist with a new discovery - a genuine Mermaid.

While Amanda is indifferent to the creature's circumstances, Nines builds an unlikely connection to the specimen and they grow a little closer than either of them expected.

(AKA Gavin is a sassy sea slug and Nines thrills in breaking the safety protocols)

Mermaid au! Nines wants to save mermaid Gavin, and it’s all very wholesome.

I Think You Do - by spotlightonmringenue - Teen and Up Audiences - Author chose not to warn for content - Chapters 16/? - “Son of a bitch, there’s another one. What the fuck is it doing,” Gavin says, grip going white on the gun as the android continues to stare at him without acknowledging Connor.

“RK900, my name is Connor. I’m part of a group called Jericho that recovered you from Cyberlife’s Production Center late yesterday. We are currently in the Detroit Police Department Central Station. Are you feeling okay?”

“It doesn’t feel shit,” Gavin mumbles, resisting the urge to step back as the RK900 takes a step closer. It holds out the cup, and Gavin’s eyes dart to it for only a second before flipping between Connor and his doppelganger.

“You requested coffee,” it says, and Hank sighs, leaning back against his desk while rubbing a hand over his forehead.

Quality ‘enemies to friends’ content. Nines is intimidating. Gavin is confused. Good times.

Flying with Crooked Wings - by UnCon - Mature - No warnings - Chapters 20/? - “Listen, kid,” Gavin started, cutting off the desolate child. Sure it was sad his dog had died but it wasn’t Gavin’s fault no one taught the little twerp chocolate was a dog’s kryptonite, “he’s in a better place, alright, so if you’d just stop asking for him to come back—it’d be much appreciated.”

“You promise?” the eight-year-old asked, his big brown eyes looking like glass—fragile and sparkly.

“Yeah,” Gavin lied, looking away as he did it—his halo going a bit crooked. To be honest, he wasn’t sure where dogs went after they died, only that he was tasked with calming the little boys and girls who despaired after them—at least until his punishment was up. “So just, you know, go to sleep and all that.”

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

In a world where angels and demons inhabit the same earth, both searching for a way to overthrow the other, both failing--Gavin sits right in the middle, with a crooked halo and a pair of wings to match. It's not enough to be a bit mischievous, however, he also has to get caught up in the demon brothers' scheme to take over heaven. Perfect.

Really good! This fic has the interesting dynamic of Gavin as an angel and Nines as a demon. Check it out!

The Red String Will Still Connect Us Ten Thousand Miles Apart (and to the moon and back) - by Jillflur - Teen and Up - Content warnings - Chapters 5/5 - Gavin, an ‘unlovable’ man without a Soulmate. He was used to it, never had one since he could remember. However, that little fact changes when he wakes up one day and realizes that he suddenly has a Red String connected to his ring finger. It only gets worse when months later, an android walks into the precinct who apparently is his new Soulmate!

Can androids even have Soulmates?!

To make everything even more complicated, a sudden new killer is on the Streets, and he murders people by cutting their Red Strings!

A soulmate fic by our very own jillflur! So good. Amazin. I love the red string trope so much. Yall should big read.

the prince & the reed - by Pence - Mature - Content warnings - Chapters 2/? - "I wanted to marry you," the prince murmured, polished armor gleaming as he stared down at the injured man--icy eyes tinged with sadness. Regret.

A guttural scream ripped from the soldier's throat as a heel dug into his wound, arm coated crimson from his weeping shoulder.

The soldier's teeth were stained pink as he jerked his chin up to grin toothily at the other man, bloody fingers scrambling down his thigh in search of the dagger tucked into his boot.

"Then drop to your knees and ask me properly, Nines."

Okay this fic is only two chapters and hasn’t been updated in awhile but GOT DAMN do I love how the author set this medieval fic up. I’m a slut for the medieval au’s, so that’s just extra points.

Not a teacher but I can teach you a thing or two - by Adishailan - Teens and Up - No warnings - Chapters 20/20 - Gavin owed the walking hunk of plastic. He owed him. Ugh, Gavin hated owing people stuff. It gave him a horrible feeling in his stomach, like indigestion, except worse because it involved emotionsTM. This, coupled with the fact he was pumped up with drugs and suffering a concussion, was why he was about to make a terrible, terrible mistake.

“‘Kay. Fine. Thanks or whatever. Lemme know if you ever need anythin' prick.”

RK900’s LED went yellow at this, and this time Gavin was pretty sure he was doing the processing thing. It was still yellow even when he nodded in a serious way and said:

“That would be useful.”

Oh man this one is BIG CUTE! It’s so soft, and is a fantastic slow burn. I totally recommend this fic.

O May I Join the Choir Invisible - by BanishedOne - Mature - No warnings - Chapters 13/? - Gavin Reed was a new inmate at a prison where the infamous killer, R. Nathan Kearney, was on death row. Circumstances led to an unfortunate encounter.

Okay don’t quote me on this but I think you can find the rest of this fic on Twitter. It was posted in a bunch of seperate posts and it was really confusing but there was definitely extra chapters. You can find the post here (or at BanishedOne on twitter). Other than that, this is a really good fic! The boys get into a lot of trouble!

Neon Maps - by caffienefueledfeels - Explicit: only suitable for adults - Content warnings - Chapters 11/11 - Everyone has their limits. Gavin is about to discover several of his own.

He's broke, barely scraping along, and struggling to keep an aggressive black-mailer off his back. On top of that, the grey-eyed distraction in his bed is about to test his heart in more ways than one.

Cyberpunk fic!! Super interesting! Go check it out!

Computers Are Elaborate Cat Beds, Actually - by errantwheat - No Rating - Author chose not to warn for content - Chapters 6/? - “Marvelous find, Gavin. They’ll promote you for this, surely.”

Gavin pulled an exaggerated frown. He was awfully animated for a robot. “Jesus, What kind of human are you? I’m waving a fucking kitten in your face and you’re still a bitch.”

Really cute. I’m pretty sure there’s some art to go with this fic. Super duper cute reverse au!

More Than a Woman, More Than a Bride - by AvixiLynn91 - Explicit: only suitable for adults - Content warnings - Chapters 38/? - When Gavin’s life is threatened for the last time by a violent gang expanding the production of a new drug in Detroit, Captain Fowler must come up with a plan for his safety. Perhaps forcing a marriage between Nines and Gavin wasn’t the best solution he could come up with...

Oh man. This fic. Let me tell you. I’ve been with this fic since the beginning and it is one hell of a roller coaster XD. The author updates constantly, it’s really impressive.

More Like You - by Mooneye - Teen and Up - No warnings - Chapters 1/1 - “This next bit’s going to get awkward. I’m going to interface with you.”

At that he could feel the collective confusion in the room. His eyes darted up to look at Hank and then Nines. They both seemed eerily still and were possibly thinking that Gavin had surely lost his mind.

Gavin has kept his prosthetic arm, with good reason, a secret from humans and androids alike for as long as he’s had it. The prospect of losing Nines threatens to unravel everything, but perhaps it’s worth the cost.

The idea of Gavin (an android hater in-game) having a prosthetic-android arm is definitely interesting!

An Unforeseen Union - by AvixiLynn91 - Explicit: only suitable for adults - Author chose not to warn for content - Chapters 16/16 - Gavin and Nines are sent undercover to investigate a slew of brutal murders at a gay counselling and therapy resort for androids and humans. They're forced to pose as a couple, but soon feel their relationship becoming more than an act as real feelings develop.

I loved the dramatic whodunnit vibes in this fic! It gets crazy :P

The Great DPD Kink-Off - by connorssock, LittleLalaith, Skye_Willows, Stujet9rainshine - Explicit: only suitable for adults - Author chose not to warn for content - Chapters 24/24 - It started out as a bit of rivalry and turned into a competition. Who was the kinkiest android in town?

If you like smut, then read this. That is all I will say.

The Black Nights, The Long Dark - by bvssbot - Explicit - Content warnings - Chapters 8/12 - translation of an amazing russian fic тёмные ночи, долгая тьма (the dark nights, the long darkness) into english

An unknown catastrophe was the reason Gavin ended up stranded alone on a godforsaken Canadian island. Having almost made peace with the thought of living in solitude for the rest of his days, he saves the life of a pilot named Richard, whose airplane crashed in the middle of his humanitarian mission.

Shit, I loved ‘The Long Dark’ and I love this fic. I don’t speak russian, unfortunately, so I must wait to read the end. But this is still amazing and you all should read it.

Detroit: Outlast - by Cardboardghost - Mature - Content warnings - Chapters 1/? - Connor Upshur is a down on his luck reporter, who spends his nights getting drunk and passing out at home. A mysterious email calls him to Mount Massive Asylum, owned by the Cyberlife corporation. Armed with nothing but a camera and his wits, Connor must brave the asylum's horrors and find way to save the people Cyberlife stole from him.

Gavin Park is a beat cop looking for a more well paying job. So when an offer to work private security at the Cyberlife corporation all but falls into his lap, how could he refuse? Gavin quickly realizes things are not what they seem, and in an attempt to expose Cyberlife, he ends up further in their clutches. Now he and Connor must work together to claw their way out of the asylum's depths, and the familiar faces that wait inside those walls.

This fic only has onw chapter, but go check out Cardboardghost’s art if you finish reading this!! They have provided so much quality content for the Outlast/DBH crossover I didn’t know I needed.

Gin & Tonic - by limchi - Explicit - No warnings - Chapters 8/? - People didn’t like Gavin Reed. Gavin Reed didn’t like people. It went together like gin and tonic, you can’t have one without the other. Nines hated him and he hated Nines. Those were the rules they played by, the rules that couldn't be changed - until fate decided they could.

It turned Gavin into pretending to dislike and Nines into a dense idiot with a crush, unable to grasp the concept of love. Both in utter denial. The catch: gravity worked against them, pulled them together at a frightening pace. Push against and defy the rules of nature or go along the prevailing forces?

Your friendly neighborhood reed900 fic. Very epic slow burn and fluff (and a hint of angst tbh). I definitely recommend!

Bitter Half - by turnabout - Mature - Author chose not to warn for content - Chapters 5/5 - Gavin Reed was born unmarked, and had spent his entire life expecting to die like he lived - alone. It isn't until Tina points out the new serial number on his chest that he realizes everything is about to change. Whether that's for better or for worse is up to him.

I’m a sucker for soulmate fics and this one does not disappoint!

K-900 - by Serazimei - Teen and Up - No warnings - Chapters 3/3 - Gavin and Nines were a great team. Unfortunately they were both huge workaholics. That's why when Nines' body gets busted on a job and the needed parts aren't available yet chaos is inevitable. Needing to choose between waiting and potentially being of no use at work or participate in one of Kamskis experiments and transfer his mind into an Android dog the decision is easy to make.

Who knew being in a dog body could become such a hassle? Not Nines, that's for sure.

Nines is a pup!!! I don’t believe I’ve seen a fic like this yet, so it’s really cool!

Thanks I'm Hating It - by Lupo (LupoLight) - Explicit: only suitable for adults - No warnings - Chapters 4/4 - Gavin goes to a fast food burger joint and Nines judges him. Then he realizes that Gavin isn't as much of a dick as he used to be, except he is, but in a different way. He isn't sure how to react to this knowledge.

QUALITY reed900 content

Bloodstains - by DeviantAlicee - Mature - Content warnings - Chapters 12/? - Nines is an interrogator & detective for the DPD with a dark past. His thick skin & smarts helping him to be one of the most valuable members of the department. He's cold & daunting.

GV200 is one of the first police android models who's partnered with a cruel beat cop who not only hates that his partner is an android but doesn't think GV can feel any of the cruel things he does or says to him. The android doesn't speak up due to the fear of being shut down.

Nines has no clue that the android he bumped into at a bar is in fact a police android. He just thinks that he might be somebody in need of some help. But, as time passes by & a new drug that can be used by androids begins to circulate, Nines begins to realise the situation is a whole lot more convoluted than he originally thought.

This is a really interesting reverse au! Check it out!

Team spirit - by ilse_writes - Mature - No warnings - Chapters 4/4 - Someone had the unholy idea to go camping with the department, all in the name of 'team building'. Gavin is not liking it very much. That tall instructor with his haughty manners and cool eyes... that one he likes very much.

I don’t think I’ve seen another au quite like this one. Very epic content, can we hit Gavin Reed?

Wake Up - by SkySquid22 - Mature - Content warnings - Chapters 6/? - “Gavin!”

GV200 slipped out of his stasis. He didn’t get a chance to open his eyes before a file came down on his face, smacking him.

“And here I thought tin cans didn’t sleep.”

Something was wrong.

Something was very very wrong.

DIS GOT ME  F U C K E D  U P!!! Bruh @skysquid200 really out here shaking my world with this fic. I was hollering while reading this like I got HYPED

Natural - by Erik_Heinrich - Teen and Up - Author chose not to warn for content - Chapters 1/? - They are all wing people.

Gavin gets partnered with Nines. As expected hes not too happy about it, but their partnership seems to be going well. That is until spring comes along. Nines wings seem a bit fidgety and Gavin is nesting. Nines doesn't realize he's been trying to court Gavin, and Gavin is just as oblivious.

or. They are both complete idiots the whole time

WING FIC WING FIC WING FIC!!!! Yall dont know how long I’ve looked for a reed900 wing fic. My homie @phckingusername out here doin God’s work <333

Thank you all so much for 1K!!! Being able to hop on Tumblr everyday and talk to you guys makes me so happy!! I really hope I didn't f up this rec list anywhere lol. Hope u guys like it!!

[eddiespagheti]

and dream of sheep

Soulmate AU- in which your dreams are not your own, but your soulmate’s memories. this is a story about the missed opportunities, the waiting and the finding.

Jake: Part 1

When Jake has his first official dream, he’s three years old.

Later, when he finally meets her and all the dreams cease to exist, this is the one that remains out of the thousands of them. It’s of big blurry faces gazing over and warbled-like voices as they coo and awe.

For years before that, Jake’s dreams were filled with disarrays of blue and pink; childish dreams of lollipops as big as heads and button noses on bears. When he’s three, however, it all changes.

These dreams are not like any other, it’s like he’s watching someone else’s life, someone whom he doesn’t know and whom he has yet to see.

They are nightly borrowings of someone else’s memories.

But he’s confused by these grey, thundering dreams. When he awakes crying, his parents sit him down and tell him the truth. The truth of soulmates and dreams that will inhabit his own until he meets them.

Jake, honey, his mother says, dreams are memories that they’re having and this is life’s way of introducing them to you.

Jake’s apprehensive of having someone else’s memories as his dreams; doesn’t know how to react. He also recalls the scary figures he saw in those dreams and fears for his soulmate. Hopes that these scary things are not as frightening to them as they are to him. His mother explains to him that since his dreams just started, his soulmate was probably a baby. Jake didn’t know what to do with that information; he didn’t know how to take care of a baby.

Babies were so soft and doughy, it’d be like hanging out with a loaf of French bread. He did have a baby turtle though and wondered if the baby was as quiet as Leo or as scaly.

Most nights, Jake would try to stay up as much as he could, hoping to keep these memories out of his brain. These nights were the hardest because his eyes would start drooping as he stared at the walls in sheer concentration and he’d fall into an even deeper sleep.

When Jake turns six, his family throws him a big party. Part of him thinks it’s just his dad overcompensating because Jake caught him kissing Mrs. Smith last week, her red lipstick like sores down his throat.

But, part of him wishes that it’s because he’s finally six and they’re just here to celebrate him. Gina, the daughter of her mom’s best friend, attends his party and makes him play hide and seek. After only six seconds of searching for him, she gives up. Jake listens to the commotions of his party from inside his mother’s closet and between her leopard print sweaters, he slowly falls asleep.

It’s been three years since that first dream and they’ve since evolved from scary figures to long black tendrils wrapped around hands. When his mom finds him in the closet, fifteen minutes later, he’s still asleep.

Jake’s dad leaves when Jake is halfway through seven. He sits on his bed and listens as his mother tells him that his father no longer lives with them. Jake stares at his Ninja Turtle shoes—the ones that light up with every step—and taps his feet together, making the lights in their eyes flash. It casts a slight lighting on the floor, like a storm is fast approaching but it doesn’t compare to the one that is inside his chest. Heart and debris alike beat quickly in his chest, as if racing for something.

His mother’s eyes are soft and dark but kind, shadowed by half-moons of purple that showcase she’s been crying. She hunches over and stares into his eyes. Jake urges himself not to look away.

“Do you have any questions?” she asks softly, like tiptoeing in the darkened quiet.

“No.”

His mother nods slightly and straightens up to leave, but Jake stops her with a call of his voice. She turns over at him.

“Yes, honey?”

“But, you’ll still have dreams about him, right?”

And her eyes get sadder than he’s ever seen.

“No, honey. The dreams stop when you meet them, remember?”

After that, Jake starts cherishing his dreams, holding them tight against his chest. He wishes he could stuff them into his pockets, replaying them only to himself and keeping them far away from anybody else.

Because, what if it also ends with a hush-yelled conversation and a loudly shut door? And, what if, like his mother, Jake doesn’t have his dreams to hold onto anymore? What if, like his mother, half-moons of sorrow make home under his eyes and he has nothing to bring heat to the dense cold in his chest?

So, he starts documenting them.

Every time he has a dream, he writes it down into an old notebook of his mother. Usually, he wouldn’t remember them fully, but he’d write down what slight edge he did remember.

(much, much later, these pages would be torn from these notebooks and these recalls of dreams would be used to wrap a wedding bouquet. the most legible would be bedtime stories for his children before they went to sleep and dreamed of their soulmates. but that’s a story long to come)

However, most of the dreams remained foggy, as if he was seeing them through a piece of warped plastic or dirty glasses. His mother assured him that this was normal, that the dreams were never going to be one hundred percent clear.

Gina told him that her dreams were dark, like light was turned off. That scared Jake. Gina, however, would tuck her hair behind her ears, pushing her too-short bangs to the side and say, “It’s totally cool. It’s like my mom says, a little surprise keeps them wanting more. That’s why I squint a lot, because I see everything blurry and my soulmate won’t be able to see my dreams super clearly.”

All that squinting gave Gina was a perpetual headache and thick glasses. Despite it, she didn’t stop. Not until she met her soulmate did she allow herself to see. Literally and figuratively.

As Jake grew, the dreams went from blurry heads and to tiny fingers on ivory keys and later, so many books that Jake burned one of his mother’s old romance novels to give his soulmate some kind of sign.

     Please, I hate books. I need you to stop reading. I’m tired of seeing them in my dreams.  

But, the piano, that he could do with. His mother had recently shown him The Phantom of the Opera, and now Jake was obsessed with organs and masks. He figured that piano was the closest thing to an organ.

He would practice on the old piano in the apartment. He didn’t know anything other than Mary Has a Little Lamb and Happy Birthday—his piano lessons had stopped long ago. He stops when in one of his dreams, her fingers dash up and down the keys, far advanced from his crappy piano playing.

But, he wonders what they dream about, what part of his day they’re allowed access to. Did they see him cry when his father didn’t come to his eleventh birthday party? Did they see Marcia Foley kiss him behind the jungle gym at lunchtime?

It totally wasn’t his fault, he wished they’d know, Marcia was dared by Rita McKinnon.  If not, Marcia had to eat a slug found at the corner of the playground. Jake was glad that his lips went above a slug, even if Marcia’s face puckered up with slight disgust afterwards.

But, his skin blushes at his soulmate watching him cry when Leo Washington broke his transformer in the playground. Or when he refused to kiss Ashley and he had to eat the slug he saved Marcia from eating.

He fears that she’s never going to want to meet him and instead, he crafts a plan to look at cool things. Things that he thinks they’d like, like books and ugly flowers. (He had somewhat deduced his soulmate was a nerd.)

He urges his mom to take him to the public library and it turns out to be tremendous fail. Jake’s mind wanders every time he tries to read anything, looking over his book at the grandpa that reads to the children in the corner.

Soon, he doesn’t even go towards the books and instead sits among the others as the grandfather reads to them.

After this, he gives up. He scuffs his shoes in disappointment on the way home but then, the sweet smell of jasmine hits him. Mrs. Rudmore’s house. Her garden. His heart nearly bursts.

Mrs. Rudmore was an eighty-year-old widow whom the neighborhood kids called a witch because of her long white braid and the perpetual frown on her face. Jake sneaks into the garden, slithering on his belly like a snake until he reaches just what he wants. The pretty blooming flowers, the bushes, the things that he knows his soulmate is going to love. He does this daily after school, telling his mother that he’s going to Gina’s house afterwards.

Jake never takes anything. All he does is sneak into the garden with all the pretty flowers in the back and stares at them. At the blooming tulips, the deadly oleanders, crisp white roses. He sits among them and lets the breeze blow by him, lets the sweet smell of them wash over him. He knows that dreams are void of sound and smell but wishes they’re able to see the way the flowers sway in the breeze in his dreams. The hairs on his arms rise with each wave of sweetly smell the wind brings.

He wonders how a woman so scary could create something so beautiful.

He finds it out three months later, when she catches him. Her son, Leeroy, holds Jake by his collar as he stutters out his reply. He tells them of his soulmate and wanting them to see the pretty flowers. Mrs. Rudmore’s eyes soften and after that, she leaves the gate unlocked for him.

She watches from the kitchen window as he lays his backpack as a pillow and stretches onto her grass. In the spring air, the flowers flow like dancing fairies and some rain down on his face. He lets them bury him, taking a jasmine in his hand and twirling it like a ballerina in two fingers. She invites him in for tea and shows him old folded photos of her soulmate, a tall blonde man who slowly turned into a hunched, bald wrinkled ball of a man.

“His name was Nathaniel,” she says, voice dreamy and airy so light that the wind could blow it away, “and he loved me like no one ever loved before.”

Jake can’t believe she’s not the wicked witch this side of Hudson. She smiles at him but her long braid still reminds him of a rat tail and he fears it’s going to levitate and choke him.

“I vowed that I wouldn’t cut my hair after he passed,” She explains, patting her thick braid. She leans in and smiles at Jake, “Plus, if it keeps the neighborhood kids away from my oleanders then hooray.”

Jake takes a bite of his sugar cookie, dusting the crumbs off his school uniform and asks her, “Do you miss having him in your dreams?”

“Yes,” she says. “But, you’ll always have the memories. You won’t need dreams Jake, when they’re next to you.”

He wants to tell her of his parents and the six months that have passed since he last saw his father and that maybe, things don’t always go like that. Instead, he finishes his sugar cookie and wishes his soulmate sees this tonight. This is something that he wishes to share with them.

But, his soulmate never meets Mrs. Rudmore.

His dad comes around one March night, no speck of shame on his face. His old mustache is exchanged for skin soft and shiny. He takes him out for lunch, as if this will make up for the fact that he hasn’t as much dropped a phone call in months.

They go to his apartment afterwards, a total piece of crap in downtown Harlem and Jake’s dad puts on a movie that came out a few years before. Jake had seen the previews on TV and had urged his mother to take him but she never did, citing it too violent for Jake.

But, his dad puts the movie on without thinking it twice. Jake is too young to notice that this is his father’s way of keeping him from asking questions about his return and the fact that the only thing they’ve spoken about is popular culture. Not about the eight long months, or unattended birthday parties.

Jake, however, is enamored by the movie, eyes wide and unblinking through it all. His dad is asleep by the time it’s over and Jake puts it on again and again. Jake doesn’t sleep until much later, when the movie credits are rolling and the dark night sky is turning into a peachy morning.

     In Queens, his soulmate groans and turns in her sleep as visions of guns and white tank tops flash behind her eyelids; it’s the first of many Die Hard dreams. Somehow, she never sees the movie until he shows it to her two weeks into their relationship years later.  

Jake’s friendship with Mrs. Rudmore continues. Jake stops by everyday afterschool and helps her tend her garden. She explains the Latin names of the flowers, and tells him the story behind every tree or bush.

She points towards the white roses, “Nathaniel gave me white roses the first time we met. They were meant to be for a friend of his in the hospital but our eyes met in that bus and that was it.”

Jake nods along. “So, you saw him and that was it?”

Mrs. Rudmore nods. “Yes. You just know Jake. Some say the Earth shakes or the stars shine brighter but for me, the whole universe was aligned. For me, the whole universe finally made sense.”

His mother once described meeting his father at a party. He was there with his girlfriend and saw his mother in the other side of the room. “It was kismet. He was the only one for me and that was that.”

What she neglected to tell him was that she was never just the one for him and that it was the reason for the empty drawers in her room.

When Jake turns thirteen, Mrs. Rudmore gets very sick. Jake’s mom takes him to the hospital to visit her and Jake brings her a bouquet of white roses. She’s not the woman he’s known all this time. The braid is gone, her hair loose like wild snakes on the bed. Her eyes are sunken in and slightly shut and she’s shrunken to half her size.

But, her smile is the same and it grows as she brings the bouquet of white to her nose.

“Thank you, Nathaniel.”

Jake doesn’t tell her that it’s him and instead sits beside her, trying not to think about the inevitable thing that’s coming.

He stays for three hours, watching her family drift in and out of the room, and then she calls him.

“Jake.” He stands and walks over, still slightly shocked at her face. “What is the Latin name for oleanders?”

“You know that I have no idea,” He says easily. She smiles and then falls asleep. It’s their last conversation.

He gets a call two days later from Leeroy. Mrs. Rudmore has passed away in her sleep and her house has been sold.

Jake asks what’s to happen to the flowers but Leeroy doesn’t know how to answer.

Jake gets three rose clippings in the mail from Leeroy, Nathaniel’s favorite. He plants them right outside his bedroom window. They grow sky high and even after he’s long moved out, Jake takes care of those blooming white roses.

When Jake turns fifteen, he gets his first girlfriend. It’s Marcia, the same girl who took his first kiss behind the jungle gym years before. She’s now a spry fifteen-year-old, only an inch below him with flaming red hair and pretty red lips. Jake hopes his soulmate doesn’t see Marcia in their dreams, they’ve got to be about eleven now he figures, no longer a doughy baby but a pre-teen with big thick glasses. (He had dreamt of his soulmate’s optometrist appointment a few months ago.)

Jake tries to ignore the guilt.

He feels guilty every time he kisses Marcia under the bleachers and he sees the spray of white oleanders behind his eyelids, as if he’s betraying Mrs. Rudmore and her lessons.

One day, he swears he sees a thick bramble of grey braid turning over the corner. But, every time he tries to focus on his soulmate, Jake is reminded of his mother’s sad eyes and his father’s dingy apartment with its empty rooms and week-old takeout.  Also, of the plowed over flowers on Mrs. Rudmore’s house.

What it shows him is: everything ends and nothing lasts forever.

And, who knows when he’s going to meet them? Plus, Marcia’s fun. She likes the same things he does and she even watches Die Hard without falling asleep.

All of that repressed guilt however comes to full light when they’ve been dating for three weeks and she surprises him. She’s been acting strange for days now and the dumb boy part of Jake thinks it must have something to do with her parents going away for the weekend or something along those lines.

“Jake, promise you won’t tell anyone?” she says quietly. Jake nods, gazing adoringly at her cupid’s bow. Marcia makes fists with her hands and relaxes them a second later. Her eyes crinkle and stare at the ground as she speaks, “I think I’m a lesbian.”

Jake blinks, all thoughts of kissing her gone. “Oh.”

Marcia’s eyebrows rise as she tries to placate him. “I think. I mean, I don’t think-I’m-I’m like that but-” she stutters, words like floating balloons never caught in her hands. Jake’s eyes soften at the worry in her eyes.

“I’m not gonna tell anybody,” he says quietly. “I just…. why are you dating me?”

She cringes. “I don’t know. You’re the first guy I’ve ever kissed and for the life of me, I thought maybe you could, I don’t know turn me?” she groans. “Not that you can turn anyone, like you can’t. I’m living proof that.”

Jake nods along, trying to make sense of it all in his head. “Yeah.”

“But, when I dream of my soulmate…” she trails off quietly and starts again. “When I dream of them, I’m sure they're a girl.”

Jake’s mouth goes dry at the dreamy look on her face. He had thought of his soulmate, of course he had, but not with the intensity that shone brightly on Marcia’s.  He never had that urge to fall asleep as soon as possible so he could catch a glimpse of his soulmate’s daily life. And now, he wonders if they did. And, he feels guilty, horribly so. Like he’s let down not only his soulmate but Mrs. Rudmore.

He has his journal, although the writings had grown less detailed and into one or two words of dreams that could be better described but Jake lacked the effort. They’ve never felt real. He never really thought about them as some tangible being out there whom he’s destined to be with.

They’ve always been illusive, just out of his reach.

After Marcia leaves quietly, as Jake sits on his bed reading over his older notes and his ears flush with embarrassment.

Birds, reads the one from two days ago. Subway station, reads another.

He starts documenting his dreams again, leaving that dog-eared notebook by his bedside.  If he’s to live the rest of his life with this individual he better start getting to know them.

And if it ends like his mother and father for them, then he’ll still have the memory of white roses and the slight reminder of love.

Highschool flies for Jake. The day of his senior prom, his friend Marcia meets her soulmate, a girl by the name of Norma. Jake watches as they talk in the corner and something akin to jealousy lights him from within.

His own date, Mrs. Stratton’s daughter Elisa, tugs on his arm as they make their way out the door. He and Elisa had history--if you called losing his virginity to her six months prior history. It had been awkward for weeks around them but as prom rolled around, it seemed only natural for him to ask her.

He loses Elisa at an after-party at Liam Smith’s house and later finds her making-out with Wilbur from their Math class. Jake is about to leave when he spots Lina Molina atop the stairs. She had gone to prom with Wilbur, who was otherwise preoccupied. He never noticed her, she was always on the outskirts of everything, a blushing rose in a world of red.

But, as Jake glances up at her from the foot of the stairs, her eyes meet his.  And then, Jake notices just how pretty her eyes are.

They date during the Summer, bleeding into Jake’s first semester at NYU.   But, Lina overwhelmed with her school work, breaks up with him late September.

It’s Jake’s first real break-up since Marcia and he’s uncertain of the feelings in his chest, confused by them. His soulmate however, has just started a new romance, as Jake must see every night in his dreams. It makes him sad and slightly jealous but he forces himself to document the dreams every morning.

 …..a hand clasped in theirs and the gentle flip of butterflies in a stomach-

Jake just wants it to be over but it doesn’t stop. Not for three years.

Jake awakes at once.

Jake groans, covering his eyes. Is this how his soulmate felt watching him fall for Lina? He sluggers around his dorm, eating three-day old food and staring at the walls. He turned twenty-one in a week and the Spring semester was over in two. He tosses the rest of the takeout box into the trash can and falls onto bed groaning loudly. He uncovers one eye and looks up at the off-white ceiling.

He counts the seconds, trying not to remember the dream, their memory. He knows that once they meet they’ll probably look back at this memory and laugh.

 Remember when your stomach seized up with jealousy because I was dating someone? Ha-ha!

(Little did Jake know that years later, one wedding later, when she handed him the pregnancy test, is when Jake would next remember this memory. Through the happy tears, Jake did smile.)

For now, Jake groans again and falls asleep.

Jake blinks his eyes open, reaching for the notebook as he always does. He sits up, still hungover from his 21st birthday celebration days ago. He tries to remember the dream, tapping his pen against the paper but all he remembers was the red and the white trimming, like-

Sal’s! He jumps up, throwing the notebook to the floor. He could recognize those red shutters anywhere and where they were sitting, by the windows, that’s his favorite booth.

He changes quickly, only brushing his teeth and slithering into his jeans from last night. He knows that he should shower or spruce himself up to meet the person he’s going to end up with but he runs out the door without a care.

Jake’s out of breath by the time he finally makes it there. He sits in that booth, facing the door. He looks into the face of everyone who walks in. Looks for thick glasses or anything at all.  

Hello, he thinks, you ma’am in the blue. Do you like reading a lot of books and did you obnoxiously rub your three-yearlong love-story in my dreams? All while I was going through a heartbreak? Also, I’m sorry if you had to see me having sex in your dreams but I really didn’t enjoy the onslaught of books in mine, so we’re even.

But nothing happens. If anything, his creepy staring scares several people.

After eight hours of sitting there, Jake gives up and instead trudges home. He chastises himself on the way home. It was a stupid idea. This whole thing was stupid and dumb.  He should’ve not done this and he shouldn’t have eaten those two leftover pizzas Sal gave him.

But, had he not left, he would’ve looked into brown eyes merely ten minutes later, instead of in fifteen years. Had he not left, things would’ve been very different between them and their first meeting he would not remember with drunken blurriness.

But unbeknownst to Jake, this the first of many missed opportunities.

When Jake starts the Academy, he really doesn’t expect to be friends with Rosa Diaz. She sits in the corner of their class, arms crossed and a perpetual frown on her face. Everyone stayed away from the glaring curly-haired girl. Even Jake, who had heard she once punched a man so hard he swallowed his own heart.

Jake doesn’t fully know if she’s cutout for police work, seeing as she has a temper but she’s smart, smarter than all of them and she isn’t afraid to show it.

The others don’t tease, don’t let themselves even smile in a joking manner when she raises her hand to answer a question nor do they laugh at the lonely pencil she carries along with her.

She doesn’t write anything down, doesn’t even uncross her arms all class but she’s always the first one to answer. First one to get the answer right. But she has a bad temper and Jake finds this out when Fernandez makes a sexual joke about one of the other three other girls in their class.

“Think you’re such a man, Fernandez?” Rosa says, standing up from her desk.

Fernandez shakes his head, “No, I- “

“Why don’t you fight me if you’re such a man?”

Fernandez shakes his head, hands up, “Look, I was just joking- “

“No, do it. Fight me,” She says. The class starts crowding over them, forming a circle of curious ants. Fernandez tries to back off but Johnson pushes him back into the circle.

“I was just joking, Rosa-” But he never gets to finish his sentence as Rosa grabs his arm, pulling him towards her. Fernandez struggles, getting in a few good moves as they start to fight.

But then, Rosa pins him to her chest, arm around his neck and with her leg, she trips him. Fernandez overturns, his arm making a sick ‘crunch’ as he lands. Jake and the rest of the rookies cringe.

Rosa smiles.

The only thing she struggles in are the grueling exercises. Jake grimaces every time Captain Rowley makes them do push-ups. A thousand, he yells, the spit from his mouth landing on his chin. Jake stares at it as he does the push-ups, trying to ignore the burn of his arms.

“Why are you staring at my lips so much, Peralta? You wanna kiss me or somethin’?”

Rosa snickers beside him and Jake’s eyes widen. It’s the first time he’s ever heard her snicker, or even laugh. Except that time she snapped Fernandez’s arm like a damn twig.

“You shut it, Diaz.” He says, pushing on the small of her back with the toe of his boot.

Rosa bares her teeth.

“Bet you I can finish them faster than you.” Jake says in-between breaths.

Rosa rolls her eyes but quickens her pace. Jake follows along, ignoring his crying arms. The rookies form a circle around them, hungry for a fight. Even Rodriguez, with his arm cast.

Rodriguez and Smith cheer Jake on, while the others urge Rosa. Even Rowley joins in, frowning, arms crossed in the back of the circle surrounding them.

Rosa wins, only by a fraction of a second. She stands and holds her arm out and Jake stands.

“I’d rather die than do a thousand.” He tells her when the crowd has dispersed and he has enough breath to speak.

“I’d gladly hold the knife.” She replies and pats his back. Jake smiles.

And it feels like an initiation to be her friend. Sort of. But, what it really is, is a promise.

During his time in the academy, Jake’s soulmate attends college. Jake’s dreams are littered with books upon books upon books. Jake’s time in college was a splendid blend of all-nighters, parties, and chugging three-day old half-drunken Red Bulls before finals.

His soulmate’s however, differentiates.

They read, a lot. So much that Jake only sees pages whenever he blinks. During late December, Jake stumbles into bed after a grueling day in the Academy and dreams of books. Jake wakes up with a headache.

Jake passes by Mrs. Rudmore’s house one day and stops by the fence, glancing at the cut oleander trees, the chopped roses, the neatly planted bushes that lie there instead. His heart lurches.

When May arrives, Jake finishes the Academy.  Rosa graduates top of their class, though she tells Jake she’ll hurt him if he ever tells anybody. They’d become friends of sorts. Though, they most drank in silence in the dark corner of the bar.

Jake wanted to ask her about her soulmate or about her life but he mostly was scared to. Jake himself hadn’t done much dating in the past years.

Most of them went nowhere, most of them became one-night stands and a small percentage of them led to more than one night in bed. Not too many, though, and not since Lina does Jake really get his heartbroken.

Most of the time it’s the standard, It’s not you, it’s me speech or the I think we both have different interests. He knows that there’s a soulmate out there for him, someone who will complete it all, but what kills him is that he doesn’t know how it’s going to take or just how long he’s willing to wait.

He meets a girl named Taylor and despite his best intention not to, he falls for her, hard. When he tells her one morning later, her face goes white.

“I just don’t see it, Jake.” Taylor says and dresses quickly, leaving out the door.

“Right. Me, neither.” Jake says to the empty room, staring at the space that Taylor once inhibited.

Jake rolls over, curling into the warmth that Taylor left over and clings into the feeling of wholeness that won’t last long.

In the NYU campus, his soulmate falls asleep in the library, chin deep into her Calculus book. As she dreams, she sees the sliver of blonde hair as Taylor turns and walks away. She watches as her soulmate turns over and hugs the still-warm pillow to his chest.

The loneliness overtakes her in her sleep.

Two weeks later, is the first time that Jake and Amy are in the same room, the time they first touch and the first time Amy hears him say her name.

But they don’t speak or meet.

And that’s the last time they’re in the same room for another twelve years.

Jake takes another sip of his beer, sitting beside Rosa as they celebrate their assignment to the same precinct. Rosa taps on her beer glass, silent. They’d been there thirty minutes and Rosa had spoken a total of three words. Two of them being “Beer, please” and the other being his name.

“Hold on, I have to go to the restroom.” He says after a moment, Rosa nods but doesn’t speak.

The bar is unusually busy that night, with the people crowding over the booths, waiting like vultures for one to be free.  As Jake walks along the busy bar, a soft hand slides along his. He stops in his tracks, glancing around the room in suspicion, feeling the touch like a lightning bolt. His heart beats quickly in his chest and eyes dilated, he tries to focus on the person who touched him.

But, he doesn’t see anything and continues his trek to the restroom, still shivering from the feel.

Jake doesn’t know it but that brush of hand against his own would be the hand that he’d hold until he turned old and grey and that hand would wear his grandmother’s old diamond ring.

And he also doesn’t see the tall dark ponytail that paused merely five feet away from him.

Nor the way that a simple touch of his hand took her breath away and made her so dizzy she ran to the empty booth in the corner of the room, angering the same vultures that waited for it.

So dizzy she shakes.

But their eyes don’t meet and the spell isn’t fully cast.

Not yet. Not now.

As Jake walks out of the restroom, he sees a blonde girl yelling for her friend, obviously having lost her.

“Amy!” the blonde girl calls. “Where’d you go?”

“Amy.” Jake repeats loudly, liking the way the sharp ‘a’ and the soft ‘y’ melt into his mouth. The blonde girl pushes past him with an eye-roll. Jake continues back to the bar top and finds Rosa.

“Let’s go.” Rosa scowls, looking around. “There’s too many people here.”

Jake nods, still remembering the touch of lightning.

“Hey, have you met your soulmate?” he says suddenly.

Rosa rolls her eyes and starts making her way through the crowd, pushing them out of her way. Jake follows after her like a shadow.

“Nah,” She says, so softly that Jake almost doesn’t hear her.

“Me, neither but…I touched someone and it was like...I don’t know.” He shakes his head.

“Maybe you’re just drunk.”

“Maybe.” Jake agrees, but looks around the room and into the many eyes of the patrons.  

They walk out of the bar and into the outside with a sky gilded with stars.

And there, outside the same bar that Jake would find out who she really was, is where Jake stares up at those stars and wonders where they are.

Just a mere thirty feet away, in a booth as she celebrates her 21st birthday with her friend Kylie. Just a mere thirty feet away, as she thinks the same thing.

[wardencommanderrodimiss]

Sice we’re talking about Ace Attorney and Pokemon, here’s something I’ve had sitting around for a bit about the Pokemon Attorney AU. Lemme list out all of the characters I’ve got matched up to Pokemon so far, and then see who I haven’t figured out yet. I could probably list “relevant Pokedex entries” for half of these, hm.

TRILOGY AND INVESTIGATIONS:

Phoenix: Espurr. psychic-type to allude to his connection to the Fey family, small and unsuspecting, looks like it’s always panicked with no idea what the hell is happening around it.

Maya: Exeggutor. named Charley, formerly Mia’s Pokemon who Phoenix took care of briefly until Maya was cleared of suspicion in the trial. again, a psychic-type, given the profession of the Feys.

Pearl: Munna. another psychic-type. but small, cute, and pink.

Miles: Espeon. given to him as an Eevee by his father, Gregory. proof to Phoenix that even the “Demon Prosecutor” still has a heart if his Eevee loved him enough to evolve via friendship. has its own cravat.

Gumshoe: Yungoos. looks unsuspecting but is determined, always thinking about food, evolves into a quality pun.

Franziska: Absol. color scheme almost perfectly matches hers, said to herald disaster, dark-type in opposition to Miles’ Espeon. 

Godot: Yamask. ghost-type, for his whole “back from the dead” shtick. according to the ‘dex, Yamask “arose from the spirits of people interred in graves” and “carries a mask that used to be its face when it was human” which seems thematic considering Godot’s mask which hides his face.

Lang: Mightyena. totally fits his aesthetic and theme. another dark-type in opposition to Miles.

Kay: Murkrow. should be self-evident with her crow theme.

STILL UNDER CONSIDERATION:

von Karma: I was originally thinking Hydreigon because it’s big and scary as hell and the association with shitty fathers is already built right in by the main series Pokemon games. that is also why I don’t want to use Hydreigon, because I want to come up with something new. I like the dark-type, though, as something that’s got an advantage over Miles. and dragon-type to me has the association with an old and powerful legacy, which is the Thing that von Karma has going so hell maybe I should just go with Hydreigon anyway.

Gregory: -shrugs loudly-

Ray: probably takes ownership of whatever Pokemon that Gregory had when he died. maybe an Eeveelution, tie the two of them together with Miles on that.

Sebastian: I’m thinking something kind of weak that does eventually become useful when it evolves. not Magikarp, though, that’s way too obvious. or is it. him just fucking carryin around a Magikarp all the time, that’s hilarious.

Courtney: -shrugs loudly again-

SEVEN YEARS LATER

Apollo: Chatot. it does the “Chords of Steel” exercises with him so sometimes you’ll just here Apollo yelling and then his bird squawking and yelling as an echo.

Trucy: Meowstic. Phoenix’s Espurr, now evolved and given to his daughter. has its own cape and top hat.

Phoenix: Sandslash (Alolan). blue and spiky. need more be said? it’s something a bit more intimidating-looking, what with claws and spikes, for his work at the club, which I feel has gotten ugly and turned into fights with more than just Zak.

Klavier: Kricketune. a singing Pokémon for a singer. it collaborates with him on composing music. does the bug chirp Klavier’s songs or does Klavier play and add lyrics to the bug’s songs? who knows. also I just love the concept of Klavier having, not some glamorous or flashy Pokémon, but instead this funny-looking bug which he adores.

Kristoph: Ninetales. matches whatever the hell is going on with his hair. smart, beautiful, and vindictive and petty as all hell. fire, against Klavier’s bug.

Athena: Audino. it hears people’s emotions. need more be said.

Simon: Staraptor. bird of prey, color scheme fits his aesthetic and whatever’s going on with his hair perfectly.

Clay: Clefairy. because space. honestly this one, like Athena, is pretty self-evident.

Miles, Maya, and Pearl have the same as prior.

UNDER CONSIDERATION:

Ema: something to fit her scientist look. probably steel-type?

Maya: maybe she has a Pokémon inherited from Misty’s death, or maybe she acquired one wholly new for herself because she’s now in training for the title of Master. or maybe both! I kind of like the idea of her having three Pokémon, Charley who was Mia’s, one that Misty had, and one for herself. 

Apollo and Trucy: having other Pokémon left to them by parents - Apollo from their mother, Trucy from her father?

whoever the hell else is significant that I haven’t gotten to yet. we will cross that bridge when we get there.

[igotmysteriousmessages]

Pokemon AU: RFA+Mint Eye as Pokemon Trainers

Ok,I’m a sucker for Pokemon almost as much as I am for Mystic Messenger so I had to write this AU... I hope you like it (and sorry to the people in my askbox because this took forever to be made so is the only think I’ve worked on this week)

Credits to shootingstar03 on deviantart for the template for the trainer cards

Warning: This is full of spoilers, like everywhere and from every route

RFA Member Yoosung wants to battle

Since he is still unsure of what to do with his life I don’t think he has a preferred type on his team despite him having quite a few normal types.

His team is mostly composed of cute and energetic pokemon (Lillipup, Buneary, Ambipom, Pachirisu) but in case of needing they can still give a good fight.

He caught a Rockruff because it was cute and with time it evolved into Lycanroc a Pokemon that is loyal and protective like Yoosung is to MC in his route.

Similar he caught Goomy because it was cute and looked like a slime (he is a gamer kid after all) and as they trained together it evolved into his most powerful and beloved Pokemon.

Pachirisu besides the reasons already given is very protective of its food and it reminded me of Yoosung and his HBC bag  

Lillipup came into his team after Rika’s Herdier died but after Rika dying not too long after he found himself unable to evolve it till he meets MC.  Towards the end of his route it becomes a Stoutland.

RFA Member Zen wants to battle

I do know beautiful is not a Pokemon type but a contest attribute, the reason I chose is because I firmly believe Zen is a contest trainer therefore he hasn’t got a main type.

His family runs a gym and he was expected to succeed his brother as gym leader but he loved acting, singing and pretty Pokemon so he ran away to become a contest trainer.

Lurantis and Vivillion are Pokemon that look pretty and elegant so I think they’d fit him well

Munna is a Pokemon that protects the dreams of its trainer with its psychic powers so I chose it because of Zen’s psychic dreams

Arcanine, besides being a beautiful Pokemon this big dog is loyal and protective; Much like Zen.

For Gallade I have no much explanation, his ace is a beautiful knight on white armor (he probably owns the mega-stone too)

When he was a kid he caught a Feebas and kept it since he felt identified because everybody said it was weak and ugly. After running away and start winning contests Feebas beauty stat raised to the point it evolved into Milotic.

RFA Member Jaehee wants to battle

(Confession time: I was very tempted to give her Meloetta because of her love for musicals but I didn’t want to use legendaries so I had to leave it out… maybe in the future I’ll write about RFA and legendary Pokemon)

I hadn’t planned her to have a defined favorite type but as the Pokemon were chosen the flying type became evidently fitting since flying is associated with freedom and her route is about her freeing herself from expectations and finding her happiness.

Throh is the Judo pokemon so it fits her pretty well

Noctowl, owls are known to be smart and this particular one along his pre-evolution is based on clocks as for most her route Jaehee is running against time also is nocturnal and this poor woman never sleeps.

Fletchinder and Altaria are both known for being beautiful and have pretty singing voice which I bet she’d appreciate in her team since she loves Zen’s musicals.

Swanna is partly inspired in the tale of the ugly duckling and it reminded me of Jaehee forcing herself to wear office oufits, short hair and glasses for her job despite her loving long hair and pretty dresses, probably when she met MC she had a ducklett and it evolved with time.

Oricorio Pom-Pom style (Caught by MC) Knowing Jaehee liked musical Pokemon and that this particular one is known for cheering up depressed trainers MC caught one and gave it to her as a gift.

RFA Member Jumin wants to battle

As you might have imagined this man has mostly cat pokemon

Also his team is not very battle orientated since he is a businessman not a fighter and thought his team can hold a pretty good fight he keeps them mostly as company.

This rational man that is also interested on paranormal stuff screams Psychic type. Thought he only has 1 ghost type I think he might be pretty knowledgeable on the type since he is interested on magic.

Meowstic is the only female on his team (is a white female cat inspired on a domestic cat…so, basically Elizabeth the 3rd)

Alolan Meowth they are the pets of wealthy families so probably Jumin got a Meowth from his father who has a Persian.

Alakazam, since they are incredibly intelligent and with amazing psychic powers I bet Jumin wants one on his team…. Similarly grumping has great psychic power too.

Espeon is cute and thought not exactly a cat is pretty close. I have headcanon that MC suggests him to get and Eevee like hers because they are good friends and could help him open up… he wasn’t trying to evolve it, it just happened.

I already said, this man is interested in magic so a witch inspired pokemon like Mismagius is a need on his team.

It wasn’t on purpose but I couldn’t help but mention most of his team is purple and even in shades similar to his hearts.

RFA member Saeyoung wants to battle

Since he is a hacker he has electric pokemon related to electronics like Rotom, Magneton and Vikavolt.

By the way he said hackers were like cockroaches so it seems fitting he has electric bug Pokemon as Joltik and Vikavolt (sadly there is no Pokemon inspired on cockroaches)

Beheeyem is an alien with the ability to rewrite people’s memories which is both very fitting with his personality at the beginning of the story and useful for a secret agent.

Vikavolt is inspired on a bug, a battery and an alien so is no wonder is his ace.

Plusle is not in his team at the beginning of the story though he caught it on his childhood. The reason is because is a symbol of the past he is hiding. As he and MC head to rescue Saeran Plusle becomes an important member of the team.

When they were kids Saeyoung and Saeran found the eggs of Plusle and Minun and decided to raise them; hiding them from their mother who didn’t allow them to have pokemon. When Saeyoung joins the agency he keeps Plusle but can have him on his team because is part of the past he supposedly erased but he always keeps it close because it reminds him of Saeran.

RFA leader Jihyun wants to battle

This man has such a free and creative soul that I don’t think he’d have a main type

I don’t really think I need to explain why Smeargle is his ace; is a painter after all.

Maractus is quite evident too, this man loves his cacti.

Chansey and Audino are both pokemon who main role is to be healers which is what Jihyun wants to do for his friends, heal their pain and keep them safe… also Chansey is related to good luck which Jihyun needs.

I’m going to hell for giving him a Cubone, I know. But Cubone wears it’s mother skull on its head till it evolves into Marowak when is replaced for its own and since one of the biggest traumas Jihyun carries with is his mother dead he’d probably feel very close to this Pokemon.

He adopted Cubone after his mother dead but it didn’t evolve till his 2 year trip after his route.

Braviary is known for protecting its friends without stopping to consider consequences, very similar to Jihyun.

Mint Eye admin Ray wants to battle

He like plants and beautiful/cute stuff so his specialty would be Grass and Fairy

Roselia, of course flower boy’s ace would be inspired on a rose. Also it has a blue rose (unattainable) and a red rose (love)

Mimikyu hides it’s true self because it wants to be loved and make friends, just like Ray.

His savoir has a Florges so he in his admiration for her, he adopts Flabebé (one with a Blue flower) and raises it to become Floette. He dreams that one day his savoir will acknowledge his hard work and loyalty and will grant him a shiny stone so he can evolve Floette into Florges.

Mareep, it cute and cuddly so he probably would like it, also it produces electricity so it becomes helpful in his job as a hacker; especially on the firsts stages of the building of Magenta when he didn’t have permanent access to electricity (Also sheep are associated with sleeping and this boy needs a nap)

I chose Chespin mostly based on the XY series rather than the game itself. Clemont’s Chespin was really cute and loved sweets which I think suits Ray.

Cherubi, based on the chatroom in which him consideres destroying the stronger branch of his plant to let the weak survive because when Cherubi is ready to evolve the smaller cherry dries up; (Also you know he has no respect for the 4th wall, so Cheritz reference)

Mint Eye admin Saeran wants to battle

I like the idea of his specialities being somewhat the opposite of Ray’s. Dark is contrary to Fairy (which symbolizes light) and Poison (associated to death) is quite contrary to Grass (Plants are the base of life) but despite that the reason is because of how dark his personality becomes and poison for the elixir.

His team in this case is composed of pokemon known to look scary and aggressive but that tend to be very protective of themselves or their master (since he tries to prove he is the stronger by being aggressive to MC yet he keep obeying his savoir) like Houndoom, Liepard and Mightyena.

The choice of Type:Null is rather similar but I wanted to expand a little here. Type:Null was created by humans as a weapon and it resulted to be too powerful so it has to be contained by that helmet or it might lose control and go against it’s trainer…. Which is exactly what Rika does to him with the elixir… in a minor point is very aesthetically fitting.

(I was rather reluctant to choose this one since it falls in a grey area between being and not being a legendary but it fitted too well to leave it out)

Toxapex is also similar to the others but rather than taking the offensive this pokemon hides on a hard poisonous shell.

Zweilous two heads are in constant conflict and the one that gets more food gets to be in control of the body which reminds of the relationship between Ray and Saeran during this part of his route.

RFA Member Saeran wants to battle

He said it. He is both Ray and Saeran so he keeps both of his teams aces and since he reached a new stage on his life so do those pokemon.

Roselia evolves through shiny stone. MC gives one to him after escaping Mint Eye since she knew how much he wanted one. But he is now free from Rika’s influence so instead of evolving Floette (which represents he relationship with Rika) he decides to use it on the Pokemon that represents Ray, thus Roselia becomes Roserade.

Type:Null on the other hand evolves through friendship stopping it’s agresive behavior when it meets a partner it fully trust therefore no longer needing the helmet. So basically when Saeran decides to leave Mint Eye and open his heart to love and friendship Type:Null evolves into Silvally

Skiploom, I kind of cheated here because this is based on something we learn about Saeran on the secret endings rather than on his route but I think it stills applies to him. Skiploom is based on a flower and a bulb and likes to float through the wind similar to how Saeran likes to be able to see the sky.

Lillygant, he caught this one the night on the cabin when he leaves to pick the flowers.  Lillygant produces a relaxing smell, gets along with other pokemon pretty easily, is very beautiful and loyal so when he found one he immediately thought of MC and decided to add it to his team.

Swirlix, sweet candy pokemon which reminds of cotton candy and ice cream is perfect for this guy (I know vanillite family is literally ice-cream but somehow I feel swirlix fits Saeran better)

Minun; the same as with Saeyoung. He kept minun with him all time after Saeyoung disappeared but after joining Mint Eye he kept it on its pokeball because the memory of his brother’s betrayal was too painful, yet he didn’t have the heart to get rid of it. When he starts working with the intelligence unit to find Saeyoung Minun becomes part of his team.

Mint Eye Leader Rika wants to battle

When she was in RFA she was a Fairy type trainer because she wanted to be good and didn’t want anybody to notice the darkness within her but when she embraces her demons she becomes more fond of Dark type (even though there is only 1 dark type pokemon on his team)

Vespiquen, this pokemon is the queen of the hive which is the role the savoir plays at Mint Eye.

Solrock, I don’t need to explain this…you all saw that coming.

Shiinotic, it produces powerful spores that Rika uses to make the elixir.

Florges (Yellow Flower) this is based on the chatroom with V on Ray route in which he talks about the daffodil on his garden, Florges absorbs energy from the surrounding plants.

Absol, they are believed to be a bad omen and bring disgrace which is pretty much how Rika lived as a child so it became her closest friend from the day she caught it when she was a child. When she started going out with V she hide it because she didn’t want him to reject her but when she discovers V sees nothing wrong with her Absol it becomes a permanent member of her team

Herdier (based on Sally) died on battle. It was a very traumatic experience for Rika from which she never got over so the spot on her team was left forever empty.

[yoonified]

Crepuscular pt.1

(adj.)  of, resembling, or relating to twilight.

Gif belongs to myloveseokjin 

pt.1

Words: 3.3K

Genre: Vampire AU, smut, fluff, angst

Summary: Longing looks and stares can only suffice him so much, when will he take matters into his own hands?

A/N: My first actual fan fic ever :) hope you all like it, this is the side blog to @omgbigbangtanboys 

He watched you walk to school every day, he saw the way your hair swayed back and forth and feet quickened with every sound that broke out behind you. The cars rushing past you, the loud shouts of workers on the street and even the birds chirping up in the trees. Only then did he speed his way into an overcrowded hallway in the building on the University’s campus that was three miles away. It didn’t take longer than ten seconds to get there with his vampire speed and all.

You were maybe ten minutes away from campus, walking never bothered you, you’d rather walk than drive the simple three miles it helped you stay active throughout the day and you didn’t want to waste gas. You were running late as is and groaned upon stopping at another crosswalk, the big red hand telling you to stop and wait. Your hand came up to the button and you pressed it rapidly. “You know pressing it once would probably do the trick.” A tall boy who stood a few feet from you said. You turned from your rapid button pushing and saw him, he was a good amount of height taller than you, he had a very light blonde hair which went well with his pale skin and his eyes contrasting to his light skin and hair were very dark, almost black because you could barely see the sliver of brown in his eyes.

You had to catch yourself from staring at the boy because it must’ve looked like you were checking him out. You straightened your posture and tightened the three books you had in your arms to your chest. You just nodded and looked back at the cars passing in front of you. “Ah don’t like to talk, that’s alright.”

“I’m late, I have no-” The minute you turned your head back to the boy he was gone. Spinning around in all directions to see where he could’ve gone, but he was nowhere to be seen.

A loud beep brought your attention back towards the crosswalk, the little white symbol to walk appeared and you hustled your way across the street speed walking towards the campus.

Yoongi always wanted to be there before you got to school, making sure you got to class okay, not running into any of the snobby girls that liked to mumble comments just loud enough for you to hear and he just enjoyed watching you. You fascinated him, every little thing that you did interested him and he wanted nothing more than to actually get to know you, it was only a matter of perfect timing to do so.

He had classes with you, three to be exact. He didn’t bother going to his other two classes, he only cared about being near you, plus the material wasn’t anything he’s never seen before. He being a vampire does allow him to learn quite a few things. He’s learned that you like to read, you spend most of your time studying in the library and you walk from your apartment to school every day. He remembered first seeing you as well, that memory always plays back in the back of his head, though it was only a few weeks ago he still thought about it a lot.

It was close to midnight already and Yoongi could feel his hunger grow by the minute, he hadn’t eaten for two days and he had to go into the city the next day. Vampires need blood in their system in order to walk in the sun, they don’t need to drain a human of all of their blood but rather just take a few gulps of blood. Having blood in a vampire’s system can allow them to walk freely in the sun for 24 hours. Too much blood in a vampire’s system can cause problems, the term all vampires use is called ‘blood lust’ and it’s not a fun situation to be in…at least not for humans. Too much blood cause vampires to turn predatory, every vampire is different. Some have blood lust after draining a human of all of their blood, some only can take half a human and others can drain multiple humans of their blood. They don’t know what they’re doing half the time, the desire of blood floods their minds and that’s all they can think about. All that goes through their minds is the taste of blood, smell of blood and feeling of blood sliding down their throat.  

Yoongi has only been in blood lust a few times, two times within the first month of him being a vampire, but that was back in the 1700’s. The last time he was in blood lust he didn’t remember anything, it was like blacking out when you consume too much alcohol and he only knew what had happened when his best friend had told him. Yoongi didn’t like to speak of that moment, bad things happened that day and he tried to block it out as much as he could.

Yoongi was waiting in the forest, it was a cold March night but he knew that didn’t stop the drunk fools to stumble in the forest in the middle of the night or even some couple wanting to get away to make out. He scoffs while rolling his eyes at how many times he’s caught and killed someone doing either of those two. Honestly he would’ve thought humans would have evolved in some way over the centuries but they seemed to just grow dumber and dumber.

A big gust of air blew parting his dark hair slightly, he brushed his hair back to normal and that’s when his nose picked up your scent. His ears perked up hearing the sound of your fast footsteps break the stiff leaves and fallen branches. Even with the ability to see in the dark he wasn’t able to see you just yet.

Yoongi easily jumped from the branch he was on and landed on the forest floor with little to no sound at all. When you came into view he quickly sped to another tree hiding behind it. It was obvious to him that you weren’t able to see as well as him but he couldn’t take any chances. He peered from around the tree and that’s when his ears caught the sound of a small sniff and the mumbles of “Stupid, stupid, stupid.” And “How can I be so dumb?”

He had gotten closer by now. It’s not that he couldn’t see you, he could see you clearly, but something pulled him to you. Something in him needed to be near you and he had not a clue as to why. He killed humans so why did he want to do anything but harm you?

He wanted to believe it’s because of the lack of blood that makes him want to get closer to you and not actually being genuinely interested in a human.

He can see you clearly in the darkness of the night, your medium length straight brown hair, your eyes and how dark they were, but Yoongi couldn’t help but frown upon focusing on your face. He sees the dried tear stains running along your smooth skin of your cheeks. He could practically smell the emotion coming off of you. He wonders how someone so pure, innocent…beautiful could be so sad, then his mind couldn’t help but wonder as to what drove you to the forest this late at night. Clearly it’s not safe, there’s been multiple ‘animal attacks’ thanks to himself and a few friends. He was sure you had to know, he was positive-

“(Y/N)!”

And that’s when he heard it, the call of a male’s voice and the hitch in your throat. You were holding your breath as you turned around to where the call came from. You began to shake your head and repeat the same word over and over again. “No, no, no.” You didn’t take a second thought before you turned back around to the direction you were walking in and began sprinting through the forest.

Yoongi watched as you disappeared through the thickness of the trees before he turned around to find whoever you had been running from. Yoongi could still hear the male’s voice, since you were able to hear him as well he knew that the male was close, it didn’t take that much longer than a minute to catch the scent of him. He smelt the scent of alcohol and couldn’t help but groan out knowing that’s what he’s going to be tasting when he sinks his teeth in him. It’s not that Yoongi doesn’t like alcohol, he’s 300 something years old so he’s had plenty of experience with liquor he would just rather drink blood from someone who wasn’t completely bombed with whiskey. And just by the look of the male he clearly couldn’t handle his liquor as he was bumping and tripping into any little thing the forest offered.

Yoongi continued to watch him for a bit, allowing the drunken male to make his way closer to Yoongi rather than Yoongi making his way toward him. Yoongi eyed him up and down, he certainly didn’t look scary or frightening. He had black hair which was a mess on his head, he was maybe an inch or two taller than Yoongi but he was lanky, skinny at first glance and he still had a baby face, no structure to his face really.

Yoongi was having a hard time figuring out what this man could have done to frighten you so badly, what did he do to make your heart nearly stop and if so, what did he do to make you so sad. The scent of you was so strong that Yoongi knew you must’ve been feeling this way for a while.

Yoongi’s thoughts were quickly cut off by the male’s voice as he had stopped looking around to what Yoongi was guessing for you.

“Where did that little bitch go?”

Honestly, those words shouldn’t have affected Yoongi like they did. Anger shot up through Yoongi and in a second he appeared right behind the drunken male. His fists clenched together by his side and took another step towards the male letting his low grunt of a voice shock the male. “You’re not going to find her.” The male spun around as quickly as he could, stumbling back a few feet and to Yoongi’s shock he didn’t trip or fall on his ass like he had thought.

The male squinted, trying to see Yoongi in the dark and Yoongi could only smirk at the poor human’s efforts, he was struggling but eventually his eyes focused in the dark and saw Yoongi. “Who the fuck are you?”

Yoongi just smiled, he smiled a ‘creepy psycho killer in horror movies’ kind of smile. “You’re worst nightmare.” Yoongi’s eyes faded from brown to a dark red in seconds, the veins under his eyes darkened as well and his fangs easily appeared.

The sinking of his teeth into the male’s jugular took all of two minutes to drain. He drained him of all of his blood, the sting of alcohol hitting his throat every time he gulped down his blood. Yoongi felt no fight in the man, not that he could’ve fought back that much anyways. The male fell limp into Yoongi, Yoongi getting the last of the blood let him fall down on the forest floor. As the lanky man hit the ground almost as if on cue a howl could be heard in the distance. “At least I don’t have to clean up this jackass’s body.” He grumbled and sped away from the dead body on the floor. He knew they would find him, he also knew that the body most likely wouldn’t be found in the morning thanks to his friends, if he could even call them that.

Yoongi didn’t realize it but killing that drunken man had saved your life and it won’t be the last time either. The fear that man had etched into you caused you to run from the library through the local park and escape into the forest which you had thought you surely had escaped him.

Stopping somewhere in the woods Yoongi licked his lips getting the remainder of the blood. He took a deep breath in and for the life of him tried to pick up your scent, pick up a sound of your breathing or even hear a heart beating erratically as you had ran from where you were found. He needed to know that you were okay, that no one else had caught up to you, whether the ‘no one’ be another vampire or if that drunk had a few other friends.

Yoongi went to speed off in one direction but came to a halt when he heard it, the heavy pants and slight whimpers coming from the direction opposite of which he was going. In a matter of seconds Yoongi had found you, you were sitting with your back against a tree, your head fell between your knees and Yoongi could see you slightly shake your head mumbling the word “Stupid.” again. Yoongi could smell you again, it was a big wave as the emotion overwhelmed you. The tears flowed unchecked down your cheeks and dripped from your chin. You were too sad to cry out or wail so small inaudible whimpers left you instead. You just stood there as still as a statue on the forest floor having what happened not even twenty minutes ago play back in your head. The way he had smiled down at you…it was so fake, you shake your head again lifting it and letting it rest against the tree behind you. “Stupid.” You repeat thinking about it some more. The smile turning into a straight line on his face as he gripped your arm, only then did you smell the alcohol and hear the empty bottle break along the concrete sidewalk. Thankfully, he was so intoxicated that you were able to push him back and slip from his grip which you had to admit was strong, but he stumbling back caused him to loosen his grip a good amount and that’s when you ran. Dropping your books and book bag you sprinted from the library’s entrance to the park which wasn’t that far and before you knew it you escaped into the forest.

Wiping the tears from your eyes you shakily got back on your two feet and tried not to think about how you were alone in the woods with animals that could tear you limb from limb. What you didn’t know was that there was no real animals, at least not the animal you would expect. Yoongi watched as you walked through the forest again, head snapping at every little sound that echoed through the trees and he couldn’t help but smile slightly at you, you had no idea that you didn’t have to be afraid, he was there and he sure as hell wasn’t going to let you out of his sight again.

Ten o’clock hit the clock in the building Yoongi was in and he knew what that meant. Time for his next class which he wouldn’t be attending and it was your cue to leave your classroom and make your way for Chemistry. You easily toss your bag over your shoulder and left the classroom being the first one to exit, you don’t even notice Yoongi as you pass right by him. Your hair whipping back as you sped to the classroom that was on the other side of campus, your scent flowing right into Yoongi and he gave off a small smile knowing that the scent you first had on when he laid eyes on you was nowhere to be found on you.

“This isn’t a good idea.” Hoseok spoke beside him, Yoongi snapped his head looking over at his best friend. Hoseok was shaking his head, his eyes trained on you as you continued to walk away from both boys. “How did you find me?” Yoongi asked still looking at his best friend. “You’re my best friend, Yoongi. I always watch over you.” Hoseok says still looking at you as you disappeared outside of the building. “And?” Yoongi asks knowing there was something else. “And your father was looking for you, I told him you were in town.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me just yet.” Hoseok finally turns to face Yoongi. “I can only cover for you so much, as the kings right hand man he could have my head for this-”

“He’s not going to have your head. I’ll make sure of that.”

“Good because if I’m dead…well again, who’s going to keep the prince from following a pesky human around.” Hoseok chuckles at his words, Yoongi doesn’t even know that Hoseok had already met you. Yoongi shakes his head at the word ‘pesky’ “She’s not pesky, Hoseok. She’s interesting.”

“She’s quiet.” Hoseok looked down the direction in which you left. “She doesn’t really do a lot.” Yoongi becomes more alert at his words. Something about what Hoseok said didn’t sit right with him. “Have you been following her around too?”

“You could say that.” Hoseok smiles looking back over to a now serious looking Yoongi. “It was only to find out what’s so special about her.”

“Well stop.” Yoongi grits his teeth before uttering out a ‘Please’ to him. Yoongi gives Hoseok a threatening look and Hoseok, unphased by Yoongi just nods. “Very well, your highness.”

Yoongi rolls his eyes at Hoseok’s choice of words. “I told you not to call me that.”

“You are the Prince of Black Haven after all.”

He was right, Yoongi was the prince while his father ruled for the past three hundred something years, honestly he had lost count by now and it’s not like he took his high position in the kingdom for granted. He went to every meeting, took the proper training and his father even included him in some of the decision making for the kingdom. That was probably the only nice thing about his father, he took notice of the leadership Yoongi had and took pleasure in knowing that his son, his only son would be the next ruler of Black Haven. Other than that his father only cared about himself and how others could benefit him and that was something Yoongi just learned to get used to and deal with all these years.

“Did my father actually need me?” Yoongi asked praying that he didn’t have to leave early, being here was one of the two times he got to see you. He’d always make sure you got home safely, and something in him just knew when you were about to leave your house, whether it be 20 minutes after you got home or 2 hours after. Yoongi only knew where to find you when you were leaving your home because he followed you home that one night, you were still shaken up but you made it home in one piece.

Hoseok shook his head at your question looking around at other students walking past them. “No, he just wanted to know where you were.” Yoongi nodded not giving him another reply. There’s no way his father could ever find out what he has been doing. As much as he didn’t really know you, he wanted to. There’s nothing more that he wanted than to actually know you, your name, your age, your favorite things, everything, he wanted to know everything. If his father ever found out about his interest in a human he knew your life would be hanging by a thread, all hell would break loose and Yoongi definitely didn’t want to bring you down with him. So, he continued to watch, what is another week of silently observing you anyways?