#who amongst us HAS not been doing fan works and gone. cat what do you think.
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istherewifiinhell · 1 year ago
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vvv mentally ill girls with their cats
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[ID: 1. Comic panel of Mikey (Probably) with his cat reading a paper. The paper is in his lap, and Klunk is on his shell looking over his shoulder. Mikey's wearing his mask like a bandana on his head, above the eyes. 2. Full page panel, rich with details. Mikey, sits writing at messy desk. One hand on his head, and the other bringing his pen to his cheek in a sheepish gesture, he speaks to his cat, "Well, that's the story so far, what do you think Klunk-- Too corny?". He's wearing a batman logo tshirt, and his room is very fit for a teen, his gear strewn around, and lots of media posters and merch. END ID]
THATS UHHH. tales of... num 3 and mirage... 17? so lawson and brown, then talbot respectively.
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loafbud-wc · 1 year ago
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How do the clans work in your universe? I mean, it seems more humanized/anime-esque (not that it's a bad thing!) and I'm curious
I've been meaning to write out how the Clans are in my AU but never got around to, so I'm happy that you asked this!!
SO UUUUH-- THIS RESPONSE IS GONNA BE VERY VERY WORDY
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Warriors AU: A Superhero society of cats!
Each cat is born with their own superpower with a unique title that is said to be StarClan-given; not every superpower is unique tho, since multiple cats can have similar powers (e.g. lightning, super speed). So if two cats had the same superpower (e.g. fire power) the titles for their superpower will be different (like "Fire Blaster" & "Rage Flame"). For the powers regarding The Three, I'll talk more about them later on!
The ranks in this AU go like this:
Kits -> Kits
Apprentice -> Intern
Warrior -> Hero
Medicine Cats -> Medics
Deputy -> #2 Hero
Leader -> #1 Hero OR Superhero
Elder -> Retiree
(this AU is heavily inspired off of My Hero Academia btw!)
Some examples of Heroes & their powers: Longtail's Tailwhip / Lionheart's Mighty Roar / Sunbeam's Sunburst
Instead of being known as "warrior" cats they refer to themselves as "hero" cats, and the Clan cats live in more of a superhero society. Most often rivalry amongst Clans are about which Clan is the most heroic, etc
All the cats in the AU have humanlike capabilities/knowledge, like operate machines & occasionally walk on two legs
The Three (aka Jayfeather, Lionblaze, and Dovewing)
Every Clanborn cat has superpowers in this AU, so what does that make The Three (who have StarClan-given powers in canon)???
In this AU, The Three still have their powers like in the books. But the difference with them is that they are known as The Superstars!! They can take their superpowers and reach it to maximum heights by briefly evolving into a Superstar Form! <- I'LL MAKE A SEPARATE POST ABOUT THIS CONCEPT LATER
When Firestar got revealed to be the Fourth cat in the prophecy, his Superstar Form is literally just him going Super Saiyan mode LOL!!!
By the end of the Great Battle, they've fulfilled the prophecy and can no longer take on their Superstar Forms. Just like in the books, they also lose their own superpowers altogether in this AU.
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BloodClan in the AU!
I'M HONESTLY SUPER EXCITED TO TALK MORE ABOUT MY AU BLOODCLAN,,,,, UHH SORRY THIS ASK RESONSE IS LONG ALREADY LOL!!!!
BloodClan in this AU are a squad of punks that reside in Radioscream City, an abandoned city that was once sprawled & bustling with many people. All-over town are cardboard forts and LOOOTS graffiti. The members in BloodClan are referred to as grunts; their vibes have inspirations taken from Pokemon rival teams, specifically Team Yell!!!! Much like Team Yell, BloodClan grunts are HUUUGE FANS of Scourge & also have like,, posters they draw fanart on to show support for him. Even after Scourge is gone, BloodClan basically lives on as a Scourge fanbase haha
BloodClan cats do have superpowers, but they all share the same kind: Graffiti Saliva, where their saliva has become toxic paint they use to graffiti anywhere they go (i created this concept years before pokemon came up with grafaiai who's literally just my bloodclan concept- im p sure the concepts used elsewhere too but man lol)
A VERY TL;DR (NOT REALLY) BLOODCLAN LORE: growing up, Scourge (as Tiny) grew up being obsessed with video games, vampires & loved dark-colored aesthetics & graffiti-styled stuff (got it from one of their owner's kid who he liked to watch while they're gaming). When he ran away to Radioscream City after the Tigerclaw incident, it was overrun with cats without a name for themselves.
When Tiny called himself Scourge, he created BloodClan out of the stray cats & introduced them to graffiti painting. His otaku, vampire-loving side never changed & he references video games in life a lot. Scourge'd also say something like "LAWL" or "WE ARE TEH HAWTNESS o3o" or "GET REKT". After Scourge obtained Graffiti Saliva, he found a discarded painting mask that he wears 24/7.
I NEED TO MAKE A SEPARATE BLOODCLAN LORE INFO DUMP POST SOMETIME LATER ON, IDK WHEN
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PHEW ALRIGHT THAT'S ALL I CAN THINK OF WITHOUT MAKING THIS ANY WORDIER THAN IT ALERADY IS HAHA
I'll talk more about my interpretation of warrior cats in the future as different posts so I can go more in-depth + draw pics for those!
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playgroundfadings · 2 years ago
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i saw your post about the slashers playing just dance, and jasons got me thinking about: what if the slashers came home to you singing along pretty vulgar songs? like cupcakke- i just think it would be funny
saijfdhfdu pls this has me wheezing just thinking about their reactions. I hope you will enjoy this honey boo <333
TW: not beta read, cursing and slightly NSFW (songs lyrics).
|| Reacting to their SO singing vulgar songs || 
Featuring Michael, Thomas, Brahms, Jason and Yautja
Michael Myers
After a long day of work, you’re finally relaxing with some wine and music in the background. Anaconda by Nicki Minaj starts playing, and you’re singing along.
Normally, Michael would already be gone by this time, so you gave your all in this performance, believing you’re alone.
It just so happen that Michael makes himself known right as the lyrics ‘’this dude named Michael used to ride motorcycles’’ comes. 
And now that just catch his attention. The rest of the lyrics are vulgar at best, and he scoffs. 
You nearly jump off your skin, because you never heard him enter the living room. Lowkey ashamed he heard you sing.
Michael doesn’t care what kind of song you listen to, really. But he will tease you.
Thomas Hewitt
For the sake of this, let’s say the movie happened in recent years, because I don’t know songs from the 70s.
You’ve always appeared to be such a soft, calm person. Someone who could do no wrong.
So when Thomas comes up from the basement after hearing your voice, curious about you were doing, what he hears makes him pause.
This can't be right, you would never say things like that.
‘’My B-I-T-C-H is on my dick like this’’ and you even give a little hip thrust in the air.
That’s something he expects from Hoyt, not from you.
Then you jump and yelp when you notice Thomas, who’s staring at you with eyes the size of saucers.
Has to wrap his mind around the fact you’re not as innocent as he believed. 
Brahms Heelshire
It was an honest mistake from your part. You should have introduced Brahms to more modern music. So you don’t really blame him for his reaction when he caught you singing Need to know by Doja Cat.
‘’I heard from a friend of a friend that that dick was a ten out of ten’’ what friend??? Which dick????
Brahms will instantly believe you’re talking about Malcolm. To his knowledge, the delivery boy is the only other man around you.
‘’Are you cheating on me??’’ ‘’Huh?’’ 
Ensue a series of questions, until you realize what he’s talking about.
Making him listen to the song is quite an experience. A mix of intrigue, horror and disgust plays in Brahms’ eyes.
Let’s say he’s not a fan of crass songs, but he wouldn’t mind trying some of the stuff mentioned in the lyrics with you.
Jason Voorhees
The first time he heard you sing CPR by Cupcakke, he nearly had a heart attack.
‘’TIGHT AS A VIRGIN BOY DON’T GET NERVOUS TIIIIIGHT’’
What do you mean, you save dick by giving it CPR??? 
Will rush to the radio to either turn down the volume, or completely shut down the device. 
In his eyes, you are perfect. An angel sent from heaven. So hearing such crude words from you gives him whiplash. 
He will never stop you from doing things you enjoy, but he might ask you to not blast such songs in the cabins.
Or, at the very least, wear headphones.
Yautja (predator)
The human language is way too complicated in his opinion. 
But he does find it interesting how many words can be used to reference something.
Especially when you scream ‘’I WANT YOU TO PARK THAT BIG MACK TRUCK RIGHT IN THIS LITTLE GARAGE’’ at the top of your lungs while doing the dishes.
And how mortified you look when you realize he’s been standing right behind you all this time while you gave your best performance of WAP. 
Male Yautjas can be crude amongst themselves, so he really doesn’t blame you for the vulgarities you sing.
Though, your mate will probably poke fun at you and the song’s silly lyrics.
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teamironmanforever · 4 years ago
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HIGHLIGHT TRANSLATION OF THE SPANISH DUB ACTOR GUILLERMO ROJAS
Guillermo Rojas - Spanish Dubbing actor for Dean since season 12 until 15x18 (he contracted Covid and was unable to record 15x19 or 15x20 - he has yet to record those) 
INTERVIEWER: “Memo (nickname for Guillermo), I am not sure if you knew, but you broke the internet” 
MEMO: “Yes, a lot of people sought me out when this happened. I am so sorry I wasn’t able to answer at length all of your questions, but I was right in the middle of dealing with Covid. I couldn’t speak without feeling like I was drowning. Right now I am going to (voice) therapy. While it is not too dreary, there are 2 continued effects, so I couldn’t answer everyone who contacted me through various ways - through FB, instagram and an old youtube channel that I haven’t used in years - with respect to the situation that occurred between Dean and his friend (Cas). 
MEMO: “We try to follow (our lines) in what we see of the acting. Remember that dubbing is something where we must make a parallel alignment in our own language. Under the guidelines given to us by the client, we try to expand on all possibilities and all the alignments and - as actors - they permit us to give 100% of ourselves. So there isn’t a limit per se, so long as you don’t go off track (from what was requested from the client)” 
INTERVIEWER: “What were the guidelines for the line that broke the internet” 
MEMO: “It’s curious because neither the director nor us the actors knew much about the tendency that existed. Because we didn’t have much previous information that suggested that something like this would happen. To be honest when we recorded it, we were asking wait what’s happening? I mean we did it, but no one knew this was coming neither in the production studio nor amongst the actors.” 
INTERVIEWER “I need to ask for a clarification here. I mean we are talking about the love declaration Cas made to Dean after 12 years of intense eye-contact. But the big question is Dean’s answer. Because EVERYONE heard in your voice that clear “And I you, Cas”
MEMO “And I you, yes.” 
INTERVIEWER “Where does that “And I you” come from? Was it you? What happened there?” 
“The adaptation came entirely from my director (Adrian Fogarty). He adapted it and gave us our acting guidelines, and I performed accordingly - I gave what he asked of me. We all loved it. We never saw it coming so overtly.... If you remember across all seasons, we rarely see Dean get involved with any women. It just didn’t happen, unlike his brother. He just never got involved. It wasn’t his thing, especially because we have his brother to compare him to. We saw (Sam) in a relationship in the past 2 seasons with Eileen which was a very intense relationship, and very painful in the end. Dean never had to suffer through that. They tied Dean’s pain to the loss of his mother since he lost her more than once.” 
FB question: “So It wasn’t a rogue translator, it was a rogue director”
MEMO: “Look, Fogarty has some really intense abilities and one of them is to adapt the dialogue. When you see him translate a script, when he has the time to do it - even when he is not the one directing - and he leaves it in Spanish. The dialogue said, if I remember correctly, “me too” or something like that and then we switched it to “and I you” due to effects of lip movement, rhythm, etc... We don’t all have the ability that Fogarty has, that speed which he has, to think and translate immediately. We are a team and we work together, and pool our collective abilities, and of course Fogarty does his part. You need a Fogarty in every company.” 
(The interviewer mentioned that her cat hates Sam Winchester and loves dubbed Dean’s voice). 
INTERVIEWER “Do you know what Dean said in the original script before Fogarty got his hands on it?”
“Yes, of course. It made allusions to that. (Fogarty) made the right translation. It said and so do I or me too or something like that. It said it in the (original) script.” 
INTERVIEWER: “When you heard the english version while you recorded yours, did you hear Dean say I love you too?” 
MEMO: “No. If I would have, I would have taken the earphone out and gone what the fuck? *laughs*” 
INTERVIEWER: “What was your favorite episode to film?” 
MEMO: “With my short-term memory, I would say this last one (15x18), because it says so much. In one scene, it says it all. It was impressive, and so beautiful. I never saw it coming.” 
Interviewer “Well you have broken tumblr again.” 
MEMO: “Okay *Laughs*. Well, that’s good. Thank you very much.” 
MEMO: “I think it’s clear to everyone that the fact that he (fogarty?) broke the internet, with this information was a surprise for everyone. Absolutely everyone. Because we all say that if someone wants to be a “real man” we have to be like Dean. In fact it’s something very beautiful for me because it has nothing to do with gender and everything to do with feelings. It was a play by the writers that was marvelous. You didn’t see it coming, but damn do you like it.” 
MEMO: “Nothing was left out of the translation... No I was not called to re-record the “and I you”. I have not been asked to remake the dubbing. My director perfectly understood the texture of the text.” 
INTERVIEWER “Do you know if Supernatural has a quality review for the dubbing through Warner Bros?” 
MEMO: “I would be lying to you if I said yes, but I have been working for WB (LatAM) for many years as both an actor and director. And there is some specific material where they do have “filters”, but with something like supernatural I doubt it. I would assume the one left in charge of all decisions was our director (Fogarty).” 
INTERVIEWER “Have you been interpreting Dean as in love with Castiel this entire time or was it a surprise for you?” 
MEMO: “No, never, it was a surprise. In fact, to be entirely honest, to my closest friends - of the same gender - I do use the phrase “te amo”. I don’t have any issues with that. So I actually thought it went that way - but then I found out it was romantic.” 
INTERVIEWER: “Guillermo, what is your opinion, of destiel now that you know the nature of their relationship.” 
“Well it was a revelation for everyone - including me. I love how they handled it because we didn’t see it coming. And I think, of our understanding of the character’s traits and psychology, we know that if someone knows how to repress their feelings, it’s Dean Winchester. *laughs*” 
INTERVIEWER: “What would you say to Cas if he came back from the empty?” 
MEMO: “He came back?! (he hasn’t seen 15x19 or x20)
INTERVIEWER: “No I am saying what would he say IF he did” 
MEMO: “Oh, okay. I was under the assumption that I said I loved him so long as he wasn’t planning on coming back! *laughs* Well if he returns I guess I would say “Hello, Cas”.  
INTERVIEWER: *Tells MEMO about the not for nothing cas but the last person who looked at me like that I got laid” 
MEMO: OKAAAAY *laughs* That was too much. *laughs* 
INTERVIEWER: Would you be this fandom’s Godfather? 
MEMO: But of course *smiles* This was a big thing, from what I see. 
INTERVIEWER: “What message would you give to the fans who are descovering the spanish dub?” 
“first, thanks a lot of being part of the mexican dubbing. We do this job with all the heart and all the passion that we have. And I think I speak for all involved in this industry. We are glad to note that there are so many people from other countries that are watching these new projects in another language. So I have no words but thanks a lot.” 
INTERVIWER: “What would be your ideal ending for Dean Winchester” 
MEMO “I think, for all of them, they have sacrificed their lives and that of their loved ones for the safety and well being of everyone else. I think if anyone deserves to be well, happy, and calm, at least it’s those three (Sam, Cas, and Dean).” 
INTERVIEWER: “What about jack?” 
MEMO “Jack did attach himself to them, but I think he could find happiness in another nest.” *laughs* 
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narrators-journal · 3 years ago
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Hello, I hope you are well, can I ask Yandere Akutagawa who probably hates you for how you make us feel? I may degrade you but get mad if someone else does
I hope this is good and is what you wanted! I'm a little rusty with Yandere content, so it might be a bit subtle here. I hope you enjoy nonetheless!
As a new low ranking mafia goon you had expected some harsh bullying from your coworkers, but that didn't mean you couldn't despise them for it, or have the occassional breakdown in the headquarters bathroom or something. That was actually how you'd met your first friend-like person in the organization, Higuchi had found you fighting to not cry in the bathroom one day, and instead of belittling you for the moment of weakness, she gave you a paper towel to dab the tears from your (s/c) cheeks and assured you that she understood your predicament.
In all honesty, the harassment wouldn't be that bad if it weren't for one specific man. Akutagawa Ryuunosuke.
Akutagawa was a violent, hostile, rabid dog of a man who took any possible chance to insult you without mercy. It didn't even have to be anything that would get you into trouble or annoy him, he would belittle anything he could about you as a person, not just your work for the mafia. It had quickly lost all of the leeway you had for newbie-hazing. At least now you had a reason to blame for the prickly mafioso hating your guts. Turns out he isn't a fan of his fashion being labelled 'hot topic tween goth.' After that, you just avoided him as best you could, which seemed near impossible with how much he continued to pop up in your life, even after you'd insulted him.
Of course, Mori would pair you with the goth pretty frequently despite your reluctance, Akutagawa had a pretty variable set of jobs he could be assigned to and thus would be a good on-the-job teacher for a newbie such as yourself, but after you'd insulted the goth he didn't leave you alone like you might've thought he would. Instead, he seemed to pop up a lot more frequently, even outside of the jobs you were paired with him on. Of course, you would see the pale vampire at the headquarters when you weren't working with him, but now you had gone from seeing him maybe once a week for a task or to retrieve or deliver ill-gotten cash, to seeing him a distance behind you in the hallway of the headquarters almost every other day, or in one of the spare sitting rooms the goons had overtaken and claimed as a sort of 'break room' on nights when you'd stay super late into the night and should've been alone.
However, you couldn't really accuse the hostile man of stalking you just to glare at you or spit insults. After all, Higuchi had always had a very valid point as to why you were running into him when you brought the occurrences up, and you'd be labelled a loon for thinking he'd been trailing you just because you had spotted him in the grocery store. So, you opted to keep your mouth shut and just ignored him whenever you could get away with it.
Though, every once in a while a snide remark or two slipped out, like one had on the day he limped into the headquarters after another spat with his rival, Atsushi Nakajima.           "You look like a cat's half digested dinner," you snorted, watching the wheezing vampire flop into one of the fancy velvet chairs in the empty break room. He was still glowing a pretty vibrant red, with his coat ribbon lashing like the tail of an angry cat, but he ignored your comment and instead focused on wrapping his slashed up arm and leg in bandages. Then, just as you were beginning to leave the room to find your own place to do some paperwork, you felt fabric slither around your neck to tighten into a razor-wire choke-collar and yank you none-too-gently over to the chair Akutagawa sat in.
You weren't likely to cut an impressive figure with your (e/c) eyes wide with shock at the sudden attack, and fear at the feeling of Rashoumon's sharp edges biting into your (s/c) skin to draw blood under your bully's cold, humiliation-filled glare,          "I think you're beginning to forget your place here, newbie." He spat, his raspy growl dripping with venom, "Not only do I outrank you, but I am much stronger than you. You are nowhere near Jinko's strength, fucking Higuchi is more of a threat to me than you are, so the next time you want to feel more significant than you are and insult me, I suggest you have a fucking grave dug beforehand." He got right in your face as he spoke, barring his teeth at you with sin-worthy wrath in his grey eyes, but, just for a moment before the lethal ribbon threw you away as easily as he would a gum wrapper, he hesitated. It was brief, only a few seconds, but Akutagawa's anger lessened, and instead he leaned forward just a hair. Just as quickly as it appeared though, the moment was gone. His fury returned with a vengeance and the ribbon that held you captive launched you across the room, sending you sliding across the floor and into the wall hard enough to crack it just a bit.
You took the hint and scrambled to your feet as soon as you got some air into your lungs, coughing and wheezing as you fled the room before Rashoumon could be sent through your spine next.
Admittedly, being snippy with the vampire after he'd already been embarrassed like that hadn't been a shining example of your best timing, but you tried to move past it, and that weird moment of hesitation, and label it a learning experience. Your fellow goons however, caught wind of your confrontation and did not give you such kindness. They instead turned it into more ammunition for snide remarks about how intelligent you were.
          "Hey! Look who just walked in!" A goon you had yet to learn the name of almost crowed one day when you were eating lunch in the breakroom, just trying to watch some tv before your next job when Akutagawa had come in. "Hey, (y/n), wanna try and see if he'll knock your braincells back into place?" You just glared at the man while he continued to call you stupid and just try to instigate whatever fight he could it seemed. You didn't fall for his trap though, keeping your mouth firmly shut and not responding to his insults or assumptions of how masochistic you were. No, you instead simply returned your attention to the tv and blocked out Akutagawa's existence until you finished your lunch and left for your job.
Thankfully, it was a solo mission, a new extension of trust from Mori, and a prime chance to not only prove yourself, but to get away from the assholes you worked with. So, by the time you returned to the mafia headquarters, you were feeling pretty good and had almost completely forgotten your earlier run-in with that asshole of a goon around your lunch time.
Of course, the sky was dark by the time you returned from the job, so on top of your improved mood, you were also spared further heckling since everyone else had finished their work and gone home for the night. So, you were gratefully able to fly through the report you had to write about the mission, and cataloging of the goods you'd distributed without issue. It wasn't until you stopped by the bathroom to change out of your clothing and into some more comfortable, not-dirty clothes before your walk home that you smelled the stench of blood.
It hit you like a brick as soon as you had opened the bathroom door. The whole bathroom reeked of the dizzying smell of iron and death so badly that it poured out into the empty hallway. All it took was a few steps inside to investigate for you to spot the source of such a strong stench. A corpse huddled into the far corner across from the stalls.
Through your stinging tears, you could see that it was likely one of the other mafia goons, and judging by the one bloody tuft of hair you could see amongst the chunks of flayed flesh...it was the same goon that was messing with you earlier. Since your only identifier was the shredded and blood soaked suit that the heap of shredded flesh and spilled entrails somewhat wore and a bit of hair, you couldn't say for certain, but something in your gut told you it was the same man.
      "You know, you should really grow a spine." You whirled around to face the doorway as soon as the raspy voice spoke, (e/c) eyes wide and your hand instantly falling to the small pistol you had at your hip. But, instead of some demented intruder out to murder any mafia goons they found, you were instead met with Akutagawa. Your worst bully.
For a moment, all you could do was stare in shock, your brain frantically scrambling to recollect its composure under the pressure of an almost primal terror, just letting you stammer out a shakey,         "What?" before your legs began to turn to jello, the thick blanket of coppery blood in the air making your stomach want to escape out of your mouth. However, you put your hand on the cool glass of the sink and bit back the urge to vomit. The last thing you wanted was to give the sadistic mafioso more ammo against you in his harassment, and if he was the goon-slaughtering-psycho, you didn't want to go out because you were too busy retching to defend yourself. However, he didn't attack you. He just stood in the doorway and glared at the mutilated pile of flesh as if it had insulted his family for a moment before speaking again,         "You're supposed to be a mafia member, (y/n), you can't just let people use you as a doormat, it reflects poorly on the organization." he chided with a derisive sniff, "Grow a damned spine and begin to stand up for yourself. No one's going to 'defend your honor' like this..." He trailed off, fixing you with a cold, irritated look for a long moment before he turned on his heel with a huff, "Clean that bastard up, before he stains the linoleum anymore than he already has."
With that, Akutagawa stomped off back to wherever he'd come from. Leaving you to deal with the bloody carnage you'd discovered, and to ask yourself why he had even been here. It was the middle of the night, most everyone should be home by now, but the goth had appeared only a moment after you'd entered the bathroom, how had he shown up so quickly? He didn't bring Mori or anyone else, so it wasn't like he'd discovered the body first...
You got a sick feeling that he'd been the one to leave such a nightmarish scene. And that he'd been waiting for you to find it or something.
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one-boring-person · 4 years ago
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Requested by: @phantomshadow13
I hope you like it!😊💛
Killjoy.
John Rambo (Rambo III) x reader
Warnings: minor death, cringy ass cat name because I couldn't think of better
Masterlist
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The familiar sound of padding footsteps, or rather pawsteps, draws me from the book in my lap, my head lifting to find the source of the quiet noise. A smile plays at my lips as I catch sight of the lithe black cat trotting over to my hammock, his wide green eyes staring up at me as he makes a light chirping sound in greeting, his tail in the air as he comes over. Placing down my book, I swing myself off of the hammock and crouch down to meet him, chuckling when he immediately butts his head against my hand, rubbing himself against me with a low purr of content. 
"Hey, buddy, where've you been?" I murmur to him, scratching behind his ears as he arches up into my touch, eyes dropping closed in enjoyment, "You've been gone all day."
The cat, who John aptly named Killer due to his slightly murderous nature, chirps again, as if in reply, moving away towards the other end of the veranda my hammock is areung up on, glancing back at me with a swish of his tail. Curious, I stand and follow him, amused by his need for attention as he meows at me, almost as if telling me to go faster, ears flicked back to make sure I'm still following. Easily keeping pace with him, I let him lead me to the steps of our little living area, where I stop stock still.
Killer stalks nonchalantly over to his latest prey, pawing at the disgruntled snake with no apparent care for the danger that poses. In response the snake hisses and curls in on itself, drawing back with intention to strike out, the sight of which makes me highly nervous.
Eyes wide, I move in and grab Killer, cradling the cat to my chest as I debate what to do, holding the writhing animal steady as he tries to get away, batting at my face as he attempts to get back at his new quarry.
"What the hell am I supposed to do now, you daft cat?" I mutter to him, rolling my eyes at his antics, not unused to this occurrence.
When John and I had first moved into the living quarters at the monastery, we'd quickly found the small black cat squatting here, using it for shelter as much as we did. Naturally, the two of us decided to take him in, finding the little animal endearing and sweet, and particularly affectionate. We never named him, not until he started to bring back dead animals, which was just small birds and mice-type things at first, prompting John to eventually start nicknaming him Killer, a name I wasn't so sure about, but that stuck in any case. As time went on, the black cat then brought back bigger and more interesting kills, or prey, as some were not even dead yet, things like large spiders, huge rats and some lizards making appearances on our front step, amongst the assortment of random bits and pieces he also brought us. Neither John nor I care too much, choosing just to clear away any dead animals, or catch and free any living ones, accepting that this may well be Killer's way of showing some affection.
He's never, however, brought back a snake before.
Looking at it now, I'm surprised he managed to catch that thing, acknowledging that snakes are mostly very fast animals, much too agile for a cat to catch, normally. Just as I think this, however, Killer manages to wriggle free of my grip, launching himself at the snake, ignoring the hiss it sends his way, spitting back at it instead, fur fluffing up around his body. I don't quite manage to catch him, calling out his name as he leaps at the snake, which draws back and prepares to strike properly, its jaw opening to reveal needle-sharp fangs.
At the last minute, Killer finds himself once again lifted into the air, this time by John, who walks up the steps in time to see him try and make a lunge. The veteran manages to grip the cat much tighter, soothing him a little as he rubs Killer's head, eyes swiftly finding the snake as he tries to ignore the cat's paws batting at his slightly sweaty hair.
"He brought back a snake?!" Is all he can say, brow furrowed, almost as if impressed.
"Yeah, a dangerous one, too." I reply grimly, edging slowly to the side to grab a nearby stick we use for John's fighting.
"He goes for the big guns." John chuckles, carefully holding Killer, who has relaxed into the man's grip, always having preferred his touch to mine.
"Yeah, he really does." I respond, moving up to the snake in its blind spot, before reaching out and swiftly flicking it into the bushes by our little hut.
Thankfully, the trick works, the snake disappearing back into the wild as both John and I relax, Killer letting out a low whine, struggling to get out of John's grip. Shaking his head, John sets him down, stroking along the cat's back before he trots off to another corner of the living space to sulk.
Exchanging a glance, we laugh a little, the sweaty man coming over to briefly wrap an arm around my waist, pulling me in to press a swift kiss to my lips. Kissing back, I smile into the gesture until he pulls away, moving away from me to pull off his shirt, exposing his muscular torso to the cooling evening air, the beads of sweat glistening in the fading light. Unable to tear my eyes away, I watch as each muscle ripples with each movement, eyeing him as he shakes out his long hair, his dark eyes easily meeting mine again.
"You're staring." He points out, smirking a little.
Blushing, I blink and look away, laughing him off.
"Wasn't staring at you." I try to disagree, though I know he definitely caught me.
"Not what it looked like." John murmurs, suddenly much closer to me, face inches from mine, his breath fanning out over my face, our lips nearly touching.
Swallowing, I told my head up a little, waiting for him to make a move, only to be interrupted by a series of meows. We both sigh, glancing over at the black cat, who is now laying in the corner, green eyes narrowed as he watches us, his expression almost disapproving.
"Killjoy." I mutter, heat rising to my cheeks as John chuckles and steps away again, grabbing a clean shirt, which he pulls on.
"I called him Killer for a reason." He shrugs, taking a seat on his hammock, the two of us watching as our adopted cat glares off into the distance.
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pop-punklouis · 4 years ago
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top five HL fanfic!!!!
biiiiitch you all know how hard it is for me to choose only 5. but sigh FINE here’s my all-time favorite list that isn’t 5 sorry i can’t choose 😔:
• Here in the Afterglow (89k)
“If you hadn’t noticed, I don’t have many friends,” Louis whispers, the blossom of insecurity in his stomach unfurling and clawing its way into his throat.
Harry is silent for a long time, and then he speaks; a soft, slow uncurl that makes Louis’ stomach shake. “I’ll be your friend.” 1970’s AU. In a tiny town in Idaho, Louis’ life is changed forever by the arrival of a curious stranger.
• Coax the Cold (86k)
England, 1897.
English Professor Louis Tomlinson’s passion for the occult has been a source of mockery and derision for most of his life. When he hears whispers of a travelling freak show newly established in London claiming the existence of a monstrous sea hybrid, half-man, half-fish, Louis sees it as his ticket to credibility amongst his peers. The summer he spends undercover working on the show, however, gives him much more than that.
• Wild and Unruly (124k)
Harry is a cowboy sitting on the biggest oil reservoir in Wyoming, and Louis is the paralegal assigned to pressure him into selling his land.
• This Wicked Game (70k)
An AU in which The Bachelor is gay, Louis is a contestant, Harry is the bachelor, everyone drinks a lot of champagne, the entire world gets to watch them fall in love, and no one plays by the rules.
• Love is a Rebellious Bird (135k)
AU in which the boys still make music. Louis is the concertmaster of the London Symphony Orchestra, Harry is the New! and Exciting! interim conductor/ex-cello prodigy who "has made Mozart cool again" according to Esquire Magazine (Louis hates him immediately, which is definitely why he internet stalked him in his dark bedroom late at night that one time), and Niall is the best. Zayn and Liam are around too.
• Fixated On One Star (53k)
Louis is just a boy with the world on his shoulders, and Harry's just a boy from the wrong side of the galaxy. A little thing like love doesn't stand a chance against a thousand years of war, at least until the right two come along to break the mold.
Or: space Romeo and Juliet AU
• Finding Lou (60k)
Louis is the nomadic stranger who wanders into Harry’s bookstore. Harry is the skeptic who falls for him.
• California Sold
Notoriously closeted boyband member Harry Styles is famous on a global scale, meanwhile Louis, as his best friend, is back home in Manchester, living the typical life of a 24 year old. When Harry needs Louis with him in LA, a publicity stunt gone wrong changes their friendship forever.
A fake-relationship AU between two lifelong best friends.
• Empty Skies (134k)
For three years, Harry has been running from his past. Now, he is moving to London and pledges to fulfil his only dream -- making it big in the music industry. Not everyone has a place, though, and the competition is tough. As is his past catching up on him.
Louis is part of the biggest boy band of the world, and getting there had meant a lot of hard work, as well as sacrificing parts of his heart and soul. He's still happy. Maybe not as happy as he could be, but who is he to complain?
• And Then a Bit (159k)
“We’d like to give the fans what they want.” Magee states, placing his hand on the table in front of him and leaning forward. “We want to give them Larry Stylinson.”
Or, take a parallel universe where Louis and Harry were never together, mix in a two year hiatus and an impending comeback, pour in a dash of lost fans, two tablespoons of strong friendship and a Modest! employee with a good idea. Add a squeeze of pretending to be a couple, lots of kisses and a tattoo or two. Stir. Serve: the mother of all publicity stunts. (aka Harry and Louis fake a relationship for publicity. Eventually it becomes a lot less fake and a lot more real.)
• Dream Awake (31k)
The sun leaks through the tent wall behind him the way it leaks through eyelids, bathing the boy in an ethereal half-light as he croons. The crowd is mesmerized. Louis is mesmerized. This is the most important person in the world, he thinks wildly, and then can't figure out how to take it back.
On a hazy day in August, Louis sees Harry perform at a music festival as an unsigned act and convinces him to spend the rest of the weekend in his company. Harry gets signed; life changes. They never really wake up from the dream.
• Say You’ll Remember (93.5k)
au. louis and harry are best mates that are only half aware that they're also soulmates. alternatively, louis goes to university and harry travels the world, and they always manage to find their way back to each other.
takes place over nine years, in which they love and hurt, make mistakes and learn, and above all, grow.
• Outwit, Outplay, Outlast (61k)
Survivor All-Stars AU in which Harry and Louis are just in this game to win the million dollars, but they end up with something better.
Featuring Harry's yellow swim shorts, Louis in snapbacks, and OT5 shenanigans.
• Nothing Else But Us Right Here (35k)
Louis sighs and gives himself a mental pep talk as he smooths his jumper down over his hips. He can do this. He can resist the draw of Harry Styles, because he is a responsible, mature adult, and as much as he wants to tangle his fingers in that mess of hair and map those ridiculous tattoos with his tongue, he does not want to get his daughter’s favorite teacher fired.
• Wings to Break Your Fall (103k)
strip club AU. Harry’s work and family are keeping him busy. He really isn’t looking for a relationship, doesn’t want one. He just wants Louis. Problem is, Louis has other plans.
• Leave it to the Breeze (81k)
Louis couldn’t be prouder of his bake, but there’s something—there’s something. Something about Harry Styles and the earnest way he measures, pours, mixes, scrapes. Something about the tip of his tongue poking out of his mouth as he knocks the air out of his batter.
or a great british bake off au in which louis cares about winning and winning only, harry is made of sunshine and rainbow sprinkles, and niall sticks his nose into other people's business. also featuring liam as louis's best friend-slash-concerned mother, and zayn as a macaron connoisseur.
• You Come Beating Like Moth’s Wings (81k)
Harry smiles. He's only known Louis for about two hours, knows nothing about him past his first name, but he's nice and sarcastic and helpful and so, so pretty. And Harry's still got a few days left in Barcelona, and he thinks he wouldn't mind spending them with Louis.
Also known as, Harry takes the summer before uni to travel Europe and meets Louis in Barcelona, and they end up traveling together.
• Hold Me Closer (36.5k)
Louis Tomlinson is one of the most promising dancers of the English National Ballet, on track to become the youngest principal dancer in the company's history. That is, until forces conspire to significantly complicate his life, including: a surprise ballet, an unfairly attractive guest choreographer, and being pushed into a rivalry with his best mate. Featuring lots of wine, dancing, pining, and a happy ending.
• In Vogue (121k)
Fashion AU. Louis is the editor in chief of Vogue magazine, and Harry's running British GQ. Featuring Zayn as the crazy creative director and Louis' confidant, Liam as the sports writer that gets to sit front row at fashion week and DJ Neil as the only sane person in the whole story. (There are no skinny jeans in this fic)
• These Things Will Never Change for Us at All (1.5k)
The room falls silent as they stay wrapped up in each other. Harry can feel Louis’ soft breaths on his neck, and he almost thinks Louis’ fallen asleep until he says softly, “How did you know you were in love with me?”
Or, Harry and Louis look back on five years.
• A Runaway American Dream (15k)
AU. they take route 66 with only each other and their secrets.
• Things Have Gotten Closer to the Sun (49k)
it’s strange, making the choice to face his past—it almost feels like he’s heading for the sun straight on, like he’s screaming come on and burn me, i deserve it.
when a solar flare is announced to end the world in twelve days, harry reunites with the people that he used to know better than the back of his own hand.
• Here (in your arms) (60k)
the one where Louis is a successful real estate agent and Harry works at a retirement home. They’ve never had a real home. Up until now.
(Starring Liam Payne as a fitness trainer, Zayn as an artist, and Niall, who busks.)
• These Inconvenient Fireworks (190k)
Future AU in which nobody tries out for X Factor but the boys end up finding one other eventually anyway. Louis is a jaded bastard who owns a cat named Duchess and teaches drama to teenagers, Harry is an idealistic aspiring photographer/part-time footy coach, Zayn teaches English lit and wears leather jackets, Liam saves people from burning buildings, and Niall is Niall.
• In Dreams (23k)
AU. When Harry moves to a new city, his new flat come with a number of sweet, anonymous gifts and surprises that brighten his days. Could it be a friendly ghost? Another friendly presence in his new building is his tattooed neighbor, Louis, who seems determined to put a smile back on his face.
• My Heart is Breathing for this Moment in Time (160k)
When Louis first saw Harry at the 2010 X Factor Auditions, he thought he was watching a peculiarly special stranger. But Harry has known Louis ever since he was five years old. Because Louis has a rare genetic disorder that causes him to Time Travel to important moments in his past and in his future - and to Harry, always to Harry. When they’re put into a band together, it seems like everything Harry has been waiting and wishing for has finally come true. Except for the small fact that Louis doesn’t know that Harry is in love with him- that Harry’s always been in love with him. Fate, it would seem, is just getting started.
A story about growing up and growing together, and the impossible love that makes it all worthwhile.
• Paint the Sky with Stars (63k)
On 10 April 1912, Harry Styles boards the finest ship the world has ever seen. Still grieving the death of their mother, he and his sister are being sent to America to live with a callous uncle who cares more about his business connections than family. Harry prepares himself for a long, disappointing voyage alone in his stateroom. Louis Tomlinson has borrowed and saved, and finally has enough to purchase a Third Class ticket to America. With all of his belongings in a single ruck sack, he boards the Titanic filled with hope for a brighter future. Never one to sit still, he can’t resist exploring the massive ship, and soon goes sneaking into First Class in a stolen steward’s uniform. By a twist of fate, Louis finds himself in Harry’s stateroom, entranced by the most attractive man he’s ever laid eyes on. He keeps returning day after day, even if he doesn’t understand what it is about Harry that continues pulling him in. That’s all right; Louis has a week to figure it out, and Harry is plenty willing to help. Except they don’t have a week. They have four days. Because on 15 April, their entire world will be turned upside down.
Or, the historically accurate Titanic AU with a happy ending.
• Through Eerie Chaos (102k)
For as long as anyone can remember, Old Hillsbridge Manor has always been believed to be haunted. Everyone in the village agrees and keeps a respectful, fearful, distance. New in town after a bad breakup and an internship that led to disappointment rather than a permanent job, Harry Styles figures taking pictures of the decrepit building could be a great new creative project. Or at least a much-needed distraction while he searches for a job and crashes at his parents’ new house. No one warned him about the apparitions though; about the music, the laughter, the people who flicker and vanish when you call after them, the echoes of a past that should be long gone… Harry has never believed in spirits but even he can admit that there’s something weird going on. What starts as mere curiosity evolves into a full-blown investigation and soon enough, Harry finds himself making friends with an aristocrat from the 1920s and struggling with finding the best way to tell him that he’s dead.
The Ghost Hunter AU where Niall lives to prove ghosts are real, Zayn is a skeptical librarian and Harry gets caught up in a century-old mystery and catches feeling in the process.
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virgil-writes · 3 years ago
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ash & soot
Long before the Winters come into play, a monster stalks the Forbidden Forest that surrounds the Village. Karl Heisenberg is sent to investigate, and heads deeper into darkness to find his prey, a thorn on his side and someone just like him. (Heisenberg x OC)
on AO3: chapter one | chapter two | chapter three | chapter four | chapter five | chapter six | chapter seven (ao3 only) | chapter eight | chapter nine | chapter ten | chapter eleven | chapter twelve | chapter thirteen (ao3 only, smut)
chapter 12 - cabin fever
SFW, around 5K words.
chapter 13 - liebchen (ao3 only, smut)
The sheets underneath him were worn but comfortable, ancient-looking in design but well taken care of. The bed frame is barely there, mattress a well-placed lattice away from being on the floor. He can’t remember the last time he’s been on a bed, the last time he’d laid his body down at all, for any reason. His back complains every other second, not because of the comfort of the bedding, but because it had gone without for so long. A wonderfully comfortable blanket covers him up to the hips, the soft mattress almost makes him feel like he is floating. Fuck, he really missed having a proper bed now.
He inspects himself carefully, still not fully convinced this is not a fever-induced hallucination. His hand is where it should be, and so is his leg, and every other part of his body that he recalled having before. There are half a dozen new scars that he can count, all healed over perfectly like they’d opened years ago instead of hours, forming a map of stories he would rather not tell. He is shirtless but is wearing pants now, his trench coat and hat nowhere to be found. He pushes the blanket aside to find the damn woolen slippers waiting for him on a woven rug. It doesn’t take him long to realize where he is, but nothing resembles her, no personal belongings on the nightstand, no desk or mirror or even a dresser. It looked as if the room was rarely visited, kept clean but empty, and he wondered if sleep was a foreign concept to her, too.
Hesitant, tentative movements take him down the ladder and into the living room, and he expects to find her hard at work at something or another, humming a tune while she cooks, petting the goat and telling it asinine, cutesy things in a soft voice. But the house is silent and she is nowhere to be found, the dog sits in front of the closed front door and watches his every move. It is not aggressive but watchful, like it had been given the task of keeping an eye on the ailing man and alerting his owner in case anything was amiss.
“I’m fine, fleabag.” He laughs at the dog and gets a huff in response, an acknowledgment, and the shepherd moves from its post at the door to give him passage if he so desires. Heisenberg gives it a well deserved pat on the head as it passes by, tail wagging hesitantly as it tried to make friends with him. He is glad to be alone - if anyone ever used this against him, he would deny it.
A plate awaits him at the dinner table, and despite his intentions of running out of there before she could see him again, breakfast is an offer he cannot bring himself to refuse. Bread and jam, a robust omelet served with sprinkles of cheese and herbs. He can almost see the aroma the coffee has left behind, and finds the pot on the side of the wood stove, cup and saucer set for him nearby.
He eats slowly and in silence, chews thoroughly before swallowing, as if he fears some abrupt movement would rip reality apart and throw him back into the pit of suffering he found himself in the night before. There is no blood, no pain; no sign of the madness he had come so close to drowning in. He is safe and comfortable, there is good food in his belly and a warm hearth to keep the cold at bay. His problems are far and cannot catch him, and maybe if he keeps stalling to finish breakfast he can stay in this bliss forever. The world is quiet outside, and so are his thoughts, for once in his life.
A shirt and sweater are neatly folded and arranged as to call attention on the couch, no doubt to replace his blood-stained, ragged trench coat. He feels naked without it, he muses as he pulls the moss-colored shirt over his head, and it feels awkward not to wear the hat and the glasses. It would be unpleasant if she were to catch him now, free of his usual regalia; he felt that she would see right through him, stare deep into his eyes and find out all he had worked so hard to hide.
He did not feel like Karl Heisenberg, Lord of the Village, powerful mutant capable of unspeakable acts of violence. He was… Karl, middle-aged immortal man who enjoyed tinkering, was a big fan of meat an potatoes and didn’t know what to do when he had time to waste in his hands. Karl, of German origin but Romanian by birth, come from a long line of miners and steel workers. People of few words and fewer luxuries, hardy of constitution and blunt to a fault. He had been content to be those things and nothing more, to carry on what the Heisenbergs had done for centuries, until life dumped him on his head and led him to where he is today.
But not today, because maybe just today he can forget, and let his gracious host distract him with her mystery and the delicate curves of her buttocks. Perhaps tomorrow he would go back to treating her like a tool he would use and discard, but today she would be none the wiser, and neither would he. The fresh air of the mountain and distance from the cramped confines of the factory would do him good, he decided, help reinvigorate his spirit and refresh his ideas, spark some inspiration. And if not, well, the food was excellent and she was easy on the eyes.
A pair of boots that didn’t belong to him were by the door, just the right size to fit him. He had walked all the way up barefoot, he remembers, but he would very much like to know how she seemed to have everything that he needed readily available. Was she clairvoyant alongside being a healer? Did she bleed money that she could buy information on him from the Duke and the apparel to go with it? He opened the door to find her outside, looking like the cat that ate the canary, a couple meters away from the gate that separated her plot of land from the heart of the forest. She had just emerged from amongst the trees, heavy coat over her shoulders and leather boots to keep the ice off her feet. Her hands were free, no basket for foraging or firewood in her arms. No sign of a knife or any other kind of weapon, but judging by the look on her face, he could swear she had just committed murder. Her eyes told him she would not speak of it.
“Good morning, pumpkin,” he began, leaning against the door frame, arms crossed over his chest, at least trying to fish an explanation out of her. Instead she pretended to forget the suspicious circumstances and focused on him instead, her face lighting up at the sight of him up and about, like she didn’t expect to see him anytime soon. Had it been that bad?
“Good morning, my lord. Are you well?” Shame and madness aside, he thought, things were going swimmingly. “I hope the accommodations were to your liking.” Once again with the pleasantries, with the caring for what he thought of her hospitality. Did she get a kick out of being so kind? That was the most foolish thing he had ever heard. He tried to come up with a witty response that would catch her off guard, but the night had been long and there was too much tiredness swamping his mind, and all he got was honesty:
“Quite. Hadn’t slept in a bed in decades.” As if to validate his words, he stretched and grunted in approval, pains he did not even realize he’d had gone like magic.
“Well, it remains at your disposal,” was her response as she chuckled, wiping her hands on the embroidered apron before gesturing an invitation. There was dirt on her palms. “It may not be much, but it’ll give you a good night’s rest.” She motioned for him to follow, something he would grow accustomed to.
“You know,” he began, following her into the shed, accepting the shallow basket she handed him. “I bet it’d be even better if you were there with me.” She hummed in approval, a smile as devious as his on her face. The damn woman would always catch him off guard; Heisenberg was not used to being flirted with, words thrown about only half-seriously, only to make the villagers blush and Alcina mad. He had never followed up on any of it, because it was always meant to annoy, and the fact that she not only took him seriously but fired back pulled the rug right from under him. And boy did he like it.
They laughed but spoke no more of it, tension like static in the air, both fully aware the joke had more than a few nuggets of truth to it. A dozen different scenarios ran through his mind, on ways he could take her, mark her, ruin her. Inside the shed, behind the stables, propped on the porch railing. Standing, face pressed against the floor, legs tightly wrapped around his waist. She smirked as she passed by him, smirked like she could tell every image that went through his mind. Smirked like she knew he would not do any of it, that his flirting was just a front and he had never found the courage to take the plunge, not even once. Her wink was the cherry on the cake, the challenge that made his cheeks flush at just the right moment so that she wouldn’t see it.
The morning was spent tending to the animals and the garden, and she instructed him on how to feed the chickens and keep the tiny goat happy. Its name was Prince and it demanded to be treated like royalty, lest the puny humans faced his wrath and for now adorable headbutts. The thing followed him around the whole time, demanded his attention when he collected the eggs from the coop, when he let the horse out of the stable to let it stretch its legs. Only when the weather took a turn for the worse did it scurry off to hide in the pens with its mom, settling down on a nice and dry bundle of hay.
He was put in charge of firewood while she tended the garden. The innuendos were kept to a minimum, but the static never left, and he felt her eyes heavy on him as he brought the axe down, muscles flexing and veins showing on his forearms with the effort. Maybe he ought to do more housework around her, and she’d come around and do his bidding without hesitation.
When the wind blew away his hat, Heisenberg realized there would be no going back to the factory unless he hurried. The storm had been mounting for days now, but he had never been one to pay much attention to the tells of weather; he rarely left his hideout, and with the factory being mostly underground, he would be trapped inside for a few days at best. He had perhaps half an hour for a journey that would take him one or two under such bad weather, and he would have to be lucky for the bridge to hold if it got too bad. She wasted little time paying attention to his inner turmoil, and went about securing the animals instead, making sure they had food, water and a warm place to spend the night. Snow was falling fast by the time she was done, and she ushered him in when he’d stood there too long, snow coming up to his shins already. They brushed off as much as they could on the porch before heading inside, water dripping down their shoulders. There was a long pause as they both watched the storm come down through the living room window, a knowing silence that the day would be long, and the night longer, and neither would be leaving that cabin for at least the next day.
“Well, it seems the bed is yours for the night again, my lord,” were her words as she bolted the door, a hint of joy in her voice. He imagined it was a lonely existence, secluded in the mountains and feared by all, not part of any community and especially not theirs. She always seemed so happy to see him, to see another human whose first instinct wasn’t to attack her. He would pity her if he cared, if his existence wasn’t equally as lonesome, if he hadn’t fashioned it to be exactly what he wished. He’d never needed anyone yapping about everything and nothing in his ears, interrupting his work and diverting his attention from what really mattered. Alcina was insane to have taken in the girls, really; children sounded like an exhausting chore that never ended. He never understood why she always looked so content in spite of it all. His mother always told him one day he would understand, he would want to keep someone close, and then he would want someone else just like them to cherish and love, to teach and share the good and bad moments. He would turn a hundred soon and never quite felt like it; maybe in another hundred years?
His only answer was a lopsided smile, tired and sad, and he tried to brace for the barrage of questions and comments that were certain to come. She was trapped inside her living space with the stranger who emerged from the guts of the forest, come from a village rife with death, where he was sovereign save for Mother dearest. He was the favorite son and the most powerful, gifted with strength and wits and influence and power. Those he could not talk down he could easily buy out, and those he could not buy out he could easily destroy. He was a fabled recluse and rumors ran rampant of the work he’d conduct in his factory, of treasures he kept deep underground. It would be a long day, the first in forever that he would spend so close to another breathing, talking human, and he did not know what to expect aside from a lot of chit-chat and a mounting headache. Surely she would like to know all about him, now that he couldn’t run away from her. Surely she would pry into his motives, pepper in questions about his siblings and the village. A thousand smug answers he conjured in his mind, each snappier than the other, every retort a question thrown back at her. It was only fair, of course; she had thrown much at him, bits and pieces of improbabilities that he couldn’t put together, and if she intended on digging deep, he would do the same.
To his surprise, all she did was leave her boots behind next to him and proceed to ignore him, going about her daily life like he was of no consequence. He found himself stunned, rooted in front of the door with a puzzled expression on his face. She looked at him as if to say well, this is it, make yourself at home and enjoy the day, and once again the domesticity of it all broke him more than words could ever have. He felt weird as he reached for the papers he had brought with him the night before, tucked next to the myriad of books on her shelf. They remained silent when he took a seat at the table and pushed open the schematics to get a better look at them, the potted plant centerpiece serving as a paper weight so he could work properly.
First, she dusted the shelves, reorganized her herb cabinet and found a place for his hat. The curtains were drawn and she took a peek outside, checking on the pens and the stable to make sure the animals would have a comfortable enough day. Then she bound off to a corner of the living room, producing a basket with threads and fabric, yarn and needles that she brought over to the couch. She sat cross-legged, close to the fire, and only spared him a brief glance before tending to her needlework. He felt weird as he reached for the papers he had brought with him the night before, tucked next to the myriad of books on her shelf. They remained silent when he took a seat at the table and pushed open the schematics to get a better look at them, the potted plant centerpiece serving as a paper weight so he could work properly. The first few minutes were nerve-racking, his paranoia telling him he would look away and find her peering curiously over his shoulder, trying to steal away his secrets to use against him as leverage. He read the same words again and again only to realize he hadn’t understood them, eyes turning to her every minute to make sure she still hadn’t moved. She caught him eventually, eyebrow raised in his direction as she tried to make sense of the situation, mouth turning into an “oh” as she jumped off the couch and stood on the tips of her toes to reach the very top of the bookshelf. A minute later and she had brought him a candle and holder, a half-empty box of matches in her other hand. She stood at the other end of the table and pushed it in his direction, still not curious regarding his work, but figuring that, even in daylight, the cabin was dark and he likely was not used to doing things by candlelight. It took him a moment to process and bring the light closer, shocked as he was to see that she intended to leave him to his own devices but cared about his comfort.
The hours were a blur then, when he convinced himself she would not surprise him, and his suspicions were correct; a change of environment had done wonders for his creativity, solutions jumping at him paper after paper, a multitude of new projects and ideas for him to try once he was back at the factory. He can’t remember the last time he had been so productive, the last time he had folded everything in and told himself he was done for the day, because he had done more than enough. She had brought him tea and bread at some point and he had eaten absentmindedly, crumbs and drops of jam staining the papers, but he could not bring himself to care. After tea she had brought him coffee, and then a jug of water, and while he felt a bit like a caged animal being fed periodically, it did wonders to keep his work flowing.
Night had already fallen when he finally took a break, got up to stretch his legs and look around to see just what she had been doing this whole time. Her crafts basket was back in its place, a sock taking shape on the needles. A book abandoned where she was sitting instead, the little witch nowhere near it. Instead she was busy preparing dinner, swaying her hips to a tune but quiet as a mouse, like she was going out of her way to give him peace and quiet. He appreciated it, try as he might to deny it, how she cared without meddling, made herself present but not intruding.
Maybe he should hire her to be his assistant, help him organize the half-done office he had begun building on the upper floors of the factory. She certainly would be great at helping him keep his affairs in order - and by that he meant she would keep him fed, mostly, the one thing he kept forgetting to do and that always set him back. He could provide her with something better than this, surely, her very own quarters with modern wonders such as electricity and proper plumbing, a bathroom of her own, maybe even a fridge. Had she ever seen a fridge before? He imagined she would decorate the place with all manner of silly things that would only serve to gather dust, knickknacks and wreaths and woven things, and that it would smell of flowers and fresh-baked bread. Her responsibilities would include housekeeping and Heisenkeeping - organizing his papers so he wouldn’t lose them, keeping track of all of the family meetings he had to attend, dealing with the Duke for supplies so he wouldn’t have to. He’d reward her handsomely, give her days off, be a good employer unlike his parents had been. Not a bad plan, if he did say so himself.
He had only forgotten to factor in that she was, still, a powerful, self-described blood witch. He had been entertaining himself with the thoughts of having her around as he watched her prepare dinner; she’d gone hunting in the morning, he realized, two hares hanging upside down from an iron ring. She took one down to place it at the cutting board, its insides clean but pelt still intact. He had no doubt she would be skilled at skinning it; when one lives as long as she has with no contact with the outside world, such skills are necessary for survival. What he did not expect was the way she’d go about it: a firm hand grabbed a handful of fur, gave it a gentle twist and pulled, effortlessly, the entire thing coming off in her hand, no cuts and no tears, neck and head and all. He could see the knife from where he was sitting, placed blade down into the ceramic jug.
Heisenberg bent forward to see better when she did it the second time around, and it was as unexplainable and horrifying as the first. Gross but humane, like she simply coaxed the skin to slide right off the flesh. If the thing had been alive, he imagined it would have been quite painful, a whole human suit in her hand and living flesh left behind. The thought almost makes him gag, a disgusted sound escaping his lips and making her realize she’s not alone. She slowly turns to face him with a sheepish smile, like a child caught red-handed. “Pretend you didn’t see that?” She offers, but he shakes his head no. Not in a million years he would forget the sheer brutality of it. He waits but she doesn’t explain it, goes back to making dinner like nothing had happened.
“Could you do that to something… Bigger, darling?” He approaches her slowly, like a predator carefully stalking its prey, though he feels far from a position of power at the moment. She nods her head yes. “Like, say, a good ole’ human?” He whispers in her ear, a shiver running down her spine at the sudden intrusion and hot breath against her skin, flirting his go-to attempt at getting back the reigns of any situation.
“Want me to test it on you, my lord?” She quips in the same whisper tone, and he is wise enough to back off for now.
“Think I’ll pass.” Before he can run back to his seat, she hands him the smaller, bone-bladed knife and pushes a bowl of potatoes towards him, the sudden motion startling him and eliciting a chuckle out of her. Looks like he’ll have to earn his keep. For a while they work shoulder to shoulder in peaceful silence, save for his grunts of frustration at not being able to peel a potato successfully. It’s been a long time. “You ought to show me what you can do one of these days. I’m awful curious.” She considers it for a second, head moving left and right, knife following the movement.
“I’ll show you mine if you show me yours,” and she doesn’t mean metal bending and knife juggling, he knows. He can’t think of a reason why she would want to see him, truly see him, monstrous appearance and all, but if that’s the price to pay, he’ll gladly do it. It would be good for his ego, too, that priceless look on her face as he shifts into the stuff of nightmares.
There are no more gruesome sneak peeks for the night and soon the stew is ready, he helps set the table and she finds a bottle of wine she’d stashed away for a rainy day. She explains over dinner that he was quite feverish when he arrived, and it’s a wonder he made it through the night. He truly was sturdy, no ifs or buts about it, she said in appreciation. There were cuts and bruises all over him, all shapes and sizes, like he’d fallen through glass. Did he have an accident at the factory? There was genuine concern in her voice, though they both knew that she knew better.
His curiosity gets the better of him and he experiments with a few questions, each answer leaving him further in the dark. How old was she? Somewhere around a hundred and thirty. She remembers being old enough to read around 1902, when she saw the date on a newspaper she fished out of the gutter, but beyond that time was either a blur or she’d been too young to remember. Where did she come from? Not a clue, but she’s been around: she’s seen Italian castles, been to centuries old British pubs. She’s seen the Brandenburg Gate and visited Chateau de Versailles. She’s bathed in the beautiful waters of the Greek coast, made a pilgrimage to the volcanic beaches of Iceland. She’s never made it past the ocean to the Americas or down to the warmer climates of Africa, but time has never been an issue, and she figures she’ll get to it eventually. He asks her why all the wandering, is someone after her? Her breath hitches and her eyes lower, shoulders slump, a deep breath before the replies. Something like that, and he understands maybe it’s best if he doesn’t push.
They returned to the topic of his feverish display once dinner was over, with her cautioning that he had been lucky this time around, lucky that she was home, lucky that he even made it across the bridge and found his way home. Home, her use of the word is deliberate and strokes something warm and fuzzy within him. Disgusting. There was the matter of the shard, he took a sit on the couch as she reached into a drawer to pull out a bundle of clean cloth, and he feigns confusion when she unwraps it to reveal a piece of metal shaped similar to an arrowhead. He recognized it, the shavings of a project he had worked on… Maybe a year ago? It’d been sticking out through his ribs when he arrived, she said, and it looked anything but recent; infection had taken around it, skin red and swollen. She could see that it was agonizingly painful - had he not noticed it at all?
“Ah, so that’s what it was.” He blurted without really meaning to, a humorless chuckle that left her confused. “I’d been feeling this weird poke in my ribs for the longest time - thought I’d broken something.” He shrugs and she nods, clearly aware of their peculiar situations, perhaps now beginning to comprehend just how many layers of fucked up he was made of. “You’re a miracle worker, doll.” His fingers instinctively trace over the spot where the shard had been, nothing there but a scar that had healed remarkably well. “How can I ever repay you?”
Money, gems, jewelry? She didn’t strike him as the materialistic kind. No, she was all about the meaningful gestures, the showing of kindness. There were a few ways he could think of showing his appreciation - slamming her body against the wall to press a hard kiss on her lips, a nice, firm tug on her hair as he nibbled on her neck. Or maybe something softer if she was so inclined, more romantic even, like a well-placed, resounding slap on her ass cheek. “I’ll be sure to think of something, my lord.” Was the answer she gave, though he was sure she meant something else entirely judging by the way she let her coat slide off to reveal her bare shoulders as she set about getting ready for bed. Her hands gathered more and more of her skirt until it’d reached the middle of her thighs, delicate lace adorning the band of her stockings, tiny suspenders disappearing from sight but serving to peak his curiosity. She undid the hooks that kept it in place, fingers threatening to roll the garment down agonizingly slow. Instead she turned to look at her enraptured audience, the pose propping her ass up and so close to his hands. He had thought it had all been an act, carefully orchestrated to put him on edge, but the gasp of surprise she let out told him otherwise. “I am so sorry, my lord.” She quickly let go of it all and stood up straight, a flush running across her face. “I am not used to having visitors.”
“You needn’t stop on account of little ole’ me, darling.” He is quick to say, rich laughter that filled the room with mischief. Heisenberg sprawls further onto the couch, legs parting like an invitation. Best seat in the house, in the whole village even. “I did enjoy it.”
When it was time to say goodnight, he kept his composure and even helped her move one of the pillows and blanket down the ladder. If his mother were alive she would chastise him for not being a gentleman, for not refusing vehemently to let her sleep on an uncomfortable couch instead of her own bed. But the day was over and so were the pleasantries, and he would have to take the time to cleanse her off his mind, ease himself back into his usual mindset. She was impossibly alluring, impossibly annoying, impossibly loving. There was no figuring her out and it seemed there would be no delving deeper in. Playtime was over and it was back to work tomorrow as soon as she storm had passed. He needed to shed away her kindness before it managed to ooze under his skin, but she had no intention of making it any easier on him.
“Here you go,” Heisenberg had no time to stand on ceremony, shoved the pillow in her direction and flashed her a smile to keep up appearances, mind wandering somewhere else, somewhere where he did not care about her. It was better this way. “Good night, sweetheart.”
Even though he tried, he never truly reached that fabled place where she was of no importance. Not that he would ever acknowledge it.
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hheeyyhay · 4 years ago
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The Familiarity of New Memories
Pairing: Hitoshi Shinso x Reader (can pass as gender neutral if ya squint)
Summary: Old traditions make way for new ones as reader makes new friends with the help of a certain ball of fur. 
OR Shinso volunteers at a shelter with a grumpy old cat who just so happens to play matchmaker between himself and the newcomer to town.
A/N: Hope you guys enjoy my contribution to the Konoha Simps’ latest server collab!! You can check out all the other wonderful pieces in this event right here. This is the first piece of fan fiction that I have written since high school, and the first piece I have ever put out into the world for others to see. I cannot thank the members of the Konoha Simps Server enough for giving me the motivation and courage I needed to FINALLY do this-- I love you guys so much!! 
Warning(s): fluff, mentions of anxiety/depression
quirkless college AU
Word Count: ~3K
There was no doubt about it, summer was officially on the way out. You could tell by the way green leaves were giving way to crisp splotches of red, yellow, and orange. In the way the cool breeze kissed your cheeks as it danced by. Most importantly, you could tell by the way your workload for classes picked up.
You tried to take in your surroundings-- take a moment to process a quick hello to autumn, and with it a farewell to simpler times. Gone would be the times where your biggest worries were what kind of trouble you would have to convince the rest of your friends to stay out of in between shifts at the local cafe. Normally, this goodbye was easier to say as it leaned to the happier side of bittersweet. After all, back home fall was your favorite season. That was all in the past though.
In your hometown, your walks around the neighborhood at the start of fall were comforting. You could stroll the streets with a snack in one hand, and a warm drink in the other as you headed to meet up with your friends under the canopy of changing leaves at the park. With textbooks sprawled across picnic tables and blankets the support of your friends kept you all warm against the slowly dropping temperatures. However, it was no longer the streets of your hometown that you were strolling along with a backpack over your shoulders, and it was no longer your friends at your side, but strangers.
You shivered, pulling your thick cardigan closer around yourself with a heavy sigh. You had been so certain that moving hundreds of miles away from home to finish your college work was a good idea. You had told your anxious family and friends that you would be fine, being alone in a new place for a while was just a sacrifice you had to be willing to make in order to pursue your dreams. Yet you began to doubt the truth in your own claims as the usual cold autumn wind whipped your hair about. It felt foreign rather than welcome as it would back home. The chill sunk into your bones where it mixed with your new found loneliness causing you to wrap your arms around your middle.
“I don’t know what I was thinking,” you thought to yourself pulling out your phone to see no new messages in response to all the ones you had sent out. You had known your friends for years and were lost without them. You sighed once more, shaking your head as you pocketed your phone. It had been the fifth time in an hour that you checked your phone knowing there were not any notifications you had already seen. You scolded yourself for being foolish and worrying that your friends had moved on without you. 
You had been distracted by the chatter of your own inner demons the entire rest of your walk, and it was not long before you were turning off the sidewalk onto the back walkway leading around to the front of the library.
You were headed inside to study on your own at the tables inside. It had become your new tradition after having found it too hard to study outside at any of the parks, where all the passerby would remind you of just how lonely you were here in this new town. As you rounded the corner and came up alongside the library you paused, noticing a lot more noise and chatter than usual. Balloons and signs amongst the visitors caught your eye. “Adoption day?”
You wandered closer to the tents that were set up in a corner of the parking lot. Upon closer inspection you realized that the people were gathering around various cages, crates, and pens filled with pets from the local shelter. There were as many different people there looking for new four legged family members to bring home as there were animals. Some children were leaning over a crate full of guinea pigs, others were picking out rabbits from one of the other pens, and still others were begging their parents for either a puppy or kitten. There were couples young and old alike speaking with the volunteers about which cat or dog was the best fit for them. You wished you could hang around a little longer, but there were so many people in such a small space that you could not help, but feel anxious. Turning away to finally walk inside you pulled out your phone once more to smile down at your lock screen; a photo of your cat from back home. 
Pocketing your phone you caught a glimpse of something familiar out of the corner of your eye. Following your line of sight as you walked away, you were surprised to recognize a boy from campus. If his wild purple hair and dark under eye bags were not enough to make him stand out from the crowd then his lanky limbs decked out in his unique dark, edgy style definitely was. You paused at the top of the staircase to the library and watched as he spun around to crouch in front of a cage. As he stood there squatting in front of the cage you realized that he was a volunteer from the shelter along with the others.
With one last final look over your shoulder you walked through the door, leaving the boy and all the homeless pets outside. As he disappeared from view at your departure, you caught a last glimpse of him pulling a rather forsaken cat out of the cage he had previously been standing in front of. Heading to your usual secluded table behind some less frequented bookshelves you tried to not think of the cat or the boy who held it in his arms. From what you had observed from your short visit to the Adoption Day Event, no one else had shown the poor old cat any sort of attention. The lump of fur was not only fluffy, but a bit on the large side, and while his coat was far from scraggly you could tell that he had only recently fallen on some sort of good fortune. He was missing a leg and both eyes, rendering him blind. It made you sad to think that the others were more than likely passing over the cat in favor of the other healthier, younger cats who would not have as many problems. As far as the boy, you could not even begin to guess why he seemed to be clouding up your thoughts. It was not like you had ever spoken to him before. 
Your thoughts were a jumbled mess and before you had known it you were throwing your pen down in frustration. “Ughhhh! This is useless! It has been two hours and I have barely put a dent into this chapter,” you dropped your head into your notebook as you slammed your textbook closed. 
“Maybe I would have been better off just studying at home afterall,” you thought to yourself as you packed up the rest of your belongings. 
You stopped at the circulation desk on your way to the exit to check out a book you had reserved on your previous trip in. “At least today wasn’t a total loss,” you thought to yourself as you gripped the book to your chest and headed for the door.
As you threw open the door and made your exit you were once again met with the chill of the outside air. It did not feel as cold as it had that morning though. You looked down at the book clutched to your chest and then back out across the parking lot. With a smile on your face and a new sense of determination that you had not felt since you had moved you found yourself walking across back to the makeshift shelter. The crowds from earlier had long since thinned only serving to further justify your impulsive decision. 
With a deep breath you had brought yourself up to one of the tables where the last few volunteers were congregated around the forlorn cat. Everything else was just about picked up and it was clear he had not been able to find a “furever” home at the event. The volunteers, mostly middle aged women with bright smiles, greeted you and asked if you wanted any information on the shelter they were from or if you were perhaps interested in volunteering yourself.
You explained that you had recently moved to the area to finish your schooling, but that you had been especially missing your cat from back home. You showed them a few pictures as you expressed interest in the cat lounging on the table and using his one good front paw to swat away anyone who tried to pet him.
A deep voice from behind you startled you out of your conversation, “You really want that mangey thing instead of a cute kitten?” 
You turned around and were met with the lanky boy from campus. You had been about to argue with him, stand up for your new feline friend when you noticed the boy was giving you a devilish smirk and rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. “Shinso Hitoshi,” he extended his other hand to you, “I’ve uh--seen you around school a few times.”
You shook the offered hand and introduced yourself as well, “We have two classes together. I’d hope you’ve seen me around at least once or twice.” You tried to play it off cool as a blush crept up the back of your own neck. Your eyes searched each other up and down briefly and it took a lot of self control to not make an attempt to hide your face as you felt the blush grow across your cheeks as you watched Shinso’s own face begin to turn red. 
“Ahh, well, I’m fostering old Charlie here until he recovers more from his surgery,” Shinso made a show of gesturing to his own eyes and then to Charlie’s like it was some secret or he did not want to hurt the cat’s feelings. You could not help, but stifle a laugh. From the impressions you had of Shinso you had not expected him to be so forward, or funny for that matter. “Lucky for you, Charlie is quite picky and has scared away any potential suitors.”
Shinso reached around you and was able to give Charlie a few successful scratches under his chin. You reached forward too and copied Shinso’s movements. While Charlie was a little hesitant at first, he quickly warmed up to you and much to Shinso’s surprise, even let you pick him up and give him forehead kisses.
“Alright, well I guess you passed the test,” he congratulated you as he took Charlie from your arms and gently placed him into a carrier. “He has another week or so, until he’s ready to go to a new home. If you want you can fill out one of the adoption contact cards and then one of us at the shelter can give you a call when it’s time for him to get ready to go home to you?” Shinso turned away as he once again began rubbing the back of his neck as he started turning red again, “Orrrrr, I don’t know. Maybe you could give me your number and I could text you updates or something?”
The other volunteers had slowly begun to disperse during your interaction with Shinso, and the last older woman who was left chuckled a bit to herself as she passed you a clipboard with the adoption paperwork. “Just fill this out for me dear and then Charlie will be all yours pending his final follow up with the vet. Shinso can go ahead and answer any questions you may have.” She gave you a final pat on the shoulder as she wandered off to help the others finish cleaning up.
You quickly filled out the paperwork and handed it back to Shinso, your phone sitting on top of the clipboard unlocked and already opened to the messaging app so he could add his number, “Please don’t tell me you volunteer at the shelter just to use the poor animals as your wingmen.”
Shinso made quick work of adding his number to your contacts and made sure he had yours as well before adding the clipboard to a pile on the table. “Only when they help me get the courage to finally talk to a girl I’ve had my eye on since she first transferred a couple weeks ago.” His face was red and his eyes were downcast. You wondered if maybe your first impressions of him were true and that Charlie had inspired him to do something out of his comfort zone just like the cat had done for you.
You could not put your finger on it, but you once again found your thoughts swimming with the boy from campus. This time though you had a name and even a voice to put to the face. You were not ready to say goodbye and decided to stay to help Shinso and the other volunteers finish cleaning up. The sun was quickly setting at that point and as the darkness rolled in so did another bout of cool autumn wind. However, this time you hardly noticed it. It carried a clean, crisp scent of fall that felt the most familiar than it had since your move. 
You passed the time with idle chit chat, quickly becoming closer and closer to Shinso. You learned a lot about each other and came to realize you had a lot more in common than you would have ever thought. 
Pausing you closed your eyes and tilted your head back taking a few deep breaths. It had been ages since you felt this content. You were not alone, you were not worried about the many different reasons your friends could possibly have for not texting you back, and you were not worried about the fear of never finding somewhere to fit in within this new place. You walked over to where Shinso had Charlie’s carrier resting on the sidewalk leading towards the back of the library. Kneeling down you poked your fingers as far through the bars as you could manage, “Thanks Charlie. Without you, I really wouldn’t have any friends here and I don’t think I would be able to love the fall anymore. With you by my side maybe I’ll be able to remember being stuck in this new place will be worth it all in the end.” 
You had not realized that Shinso had come up behind you, and you bumped into him as you tried standing up. He gripped your elbow tightly as you regained your balance, “So you really are new around here huh? I thought so, but. Well. I don’t know.” Shinso shrugged his shoulders sheepishly as he let go of you and quickly gave you back your space. As he avoided your gaze and looked up at the setting sun you noticed just how dark the circles under his eyes really were. 
“Yeah. Uhm,” you shifted your weight back and forth nervously as you tugged at your own sleeves. “Thanks for helping me with the adoption stuff. I hope Charlie doesn’t give you too much of a hard time before he can come home.”
There was a tension in the air as you were both starting to get cold as the dark approached, but neither of you particularly wanted to be the first to leave. You tucked a strand of loose hair between your ear, using the action to hide your face a bit as you gnawed on your lip. Shinso mirrored your uneasy behavior, staying halfway turned away and pulling his fingers through the mop of purple hair on his head. Luckily, Charlie had woken up and given a pitiful meow that sounded more like a chirp. It was just the encouragement you both needed as you and Shinso were once again able to make eye contact.
“It’s getting pretty dark and looks like it may rain,” Shinso broke away and looked up at the sky momentarily. You could not help, but be mesmerized by the way the sunset played on his pale features, accentuating his jawline. You felt the blush making its presence known on your face once more and simply nodded. Charlie chirpped again as if he were trying to encourage Shinso to continue on before he blew his shot. “My place isn’t too far from here. We could head there and hangout with Charlie for a bit to wait out the rain, and then I could walk you home if you’d like?...”
You could tell Shinso was nervous to hear your answer as he began rubbing at the back of his neck. Grabbing his wrist to gently guide it back down you flashed him a genuine smile as it felt like a weight was being lifted from your shoulders. The moment was interrupted by Charlie who decided that was the perfect opportunity to make it known that it was past his dinner time. “Come on Shinso, we wouldn’t want to make old Charlie think we’re planning on starving him.”
Shinso laughed and bent down to grab the carrier. “Wait until he realizes he’s going on a d-i-e-t after he’s fully healed up,” he spelt out. Charlie made a noise from the back of his carrier like he understood what Shinso was saying and was not pleased about it, which only made you laugh that much harder.
You once again found yourself taking the rear pathway behind the library into town. This time was different though. You were no longer alone. You had two new friends you could confide in. The leaves dancing in the autumn breeze were once again a welcomed sight. The dropping temperatures no longer reached the innermost corners of your bones amplifying your loneliness. The ghosts of the memories of your friends were no longer haunting you everywhere you looked as you walked down the street. There was now someone special you could create new memories and cherish the autumn with.
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vulpiximisa · 4 years ago
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here is a post of Why I Like Nanamaru Sanbatsu which may or may not also be a Reasons Why You Should Watch Nanamaru Sanbatsu but it’s not made with the intent of persuasion and more of me just gushing over things because this isn’t spoiler friendly
1) Niche Sport
I’m not a stranger to “Sport but it doesn’t involve Ball or Sweat”. That’s a lie, the players sweat a lot in Chihayafuru. The fact that Sasaijma (and then another character in the later chapters in the manga) refer to Karuta is a reason enough to pick up the series. Hikaru no Go was one of my earlier sports anime as well. It’s not like I was a fan of Go or Karuta either but the way the characters wholeheartedly loved what they were doing (and competitively), it made me love it as well. The same definitely goes for Quiz Bowl. While the two I listed were something I completely had no clue how the rules go, Quiz Bowl is a bit more obvious so it’s easier to get into.
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(kinda hate these promo pics because there looks like so many fcking charas but really you just need to remember like 5 of them)
2) Nerdy Protag in a Sports anime
Actually coming from YowaPeda, Crunchyroll recommended this amongst other things. YowaPeda did the trope a lot better, given that you’d never associate an Otaku with Biking while a Bookworm being associated with Quiz Bowl does not seem unheard of. But the idea of a nerdy protagonist in a competitive sport was still an allure. 
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And oops, I think Koshiyama is a cutie so there’s a huge bias towards that. The fact that Horie Shun who voices Enta Jinnai from Sarazanmai voices Koshiyama Shiki gave me a laugh and he actually fits his role very well. Further emphasizes his cuteness without Enta’s weird gay crush lol
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3) Ishikawa Kaito
I’m not above watching anime for seiyuu reasons alone but I actually went in blind with this series and to my surprise one of my favs was in it. I’d known Kaito mostly for Kageyama Tobio first, but he’s gone through so many other roles that I enjoy (Kaki from Pokemon SM, Iida from BokuHero, Mimura Subaru from 2.43) and I’ve watched a lot of seiyuu events/radios with him so I’m just a big fan of him in general. Dunno if I should have just merged this point with the next but-
4) Mikuriya Chisato
Kaito has The Range and can do whatever role he wants (I’m most impressed by his role as Alan from BNA) but I think I have a weakness for when he’s slightly an asshole. Mikuriya gave off the generic rival trope, which he kind of is. I got some Subaru vibes from him as well. I don’t know if he’s canonically handsome, but yes I think he’s very good looking for an anime character. Plus the fact that he’s The Cool Guy but is participating in such a sport as Quiz Bowl. AND the moe gap that is his feminine sounding first name and the possibility that he might also actually be an otaku is 👌👌👌👌
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My friend had tagged something with him as “Chazz Princeton with a haircut” and while Not Entirely, he is the “We are not friends, we are rivals but I interact and help you enough that we are practically friends but i will continue to deny it” and I love that trope. The way he’s so not interested in Gorls or Nonsense reminds me of Manga Manjoume, though nowhere as serious because he is not above nonsense himself.
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5) Fukami Mari
The moment she was introduced, I had very low expectations for her. Of course she is the one that drags Koshiyama into the Quiz Bowl world BUT she doesn’t fall into the trope of “Female is very good at The Thing, BUT Newbie Male MC does it better than her almost immediately”. I’m so glad for that because as you go on with the series, she is very much an entire character and not just a female support cast. 
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She loves Quiz Bowl but she’s not the best or even very good at it. Her childhood friend from another school (which I was 75% betting that it was going to be a male and a potential love interest) turned out to be a female friend. Instead of “cat fight”, they are still very amicable towards each other and support each other but also acknowledge each other as rivals. The fact that Yuki had only started Quiz Bowl because of Mari but liked it enough to continue on by herself, I think that’s really great. 
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The anime doesn’t get to it, but she confronts her brother about why he quit Quiz Bowl and challenges him. She has her own goals and ambitions and you see her working on it. She also has her strengths and weaknesses and is a vital addition to the Buzou Quiz Team. Fukami Mari is A Good Girl and I won’t tolerate any slander towards her. The way the beginning of the series sexuallizes her via putting her and Koshiyama into generic anime situations is so uncomfortable but I’m glad they move past that later.
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Also since their group isn’t technically a Club (?) Mari isn’t just Female Manager. A plus to Quiz Bowl being Co-Ed sport.
6) Quiz Questions
I like trivia. It’s a little harder to guess the questions along with the anime because you’d have to pause all the time and half the time the contestants are going to buzz in early before you hear the entire question. Unfortunately, unless you actually are a fan of random knowledge or a huge nerd, the questions might actually be hard as well. I literally only knew about 3 questions asked in the entire series and its the anime/manga related ones lol. Still, I enjoyed seeing the characters draw their conclusions and to know what each character’s strong and weak points were. (Mikuriya using Math to calculate the Day of the Week from the past was 😚👌)
7) Side Characters
The first one I’m thinking is obviously Sonohara Akira. The moment of his first appearance, I had a hunch that it wasn’t exactly as it looked. He’s a little schemer but he has his own code of ethics, so he’s not all that bad. (Also hes A Gamer, so Relatable.) The fact that he’s related to Sonohara of Asagaoka makes it all the more interesting because they're’ so different. The way everyone reacts to him is so interesting because he doesn’t take it seriously while everyone else does. My favorite interactions with him aside from the Akiba Squad are the ones with Ookura. (I actually prefer to ship them over Niina/Akira lol)
Sasajima, mysterious Quiz Master with a past related to Fukami’s brother, who used to go to the Prestigious Quiz King School. Character wise, he doesn’t seem interesting but I love his idea of what a Quiz Bowl should be. My favorite parts of a series is when they love the thing they do, and that having fun is what is the most important. Of course you have to be fairly good at the thing first to be able to enjoy yourself freely but he never brags and is a supportive senpai.
Jinko. She’s cute. That’s good enough for me lol. I guess her Electronics Thing is also pretty cool. I like seeing the Sasajimas interact.
8) Ship
Okay, well, its obvious where I fall here. I don’t remember the last time I’ve watched such a generic sport series with a one on one protag vs rival. I’m not above shipping the “obvious/main” ship, as SasuNaru and Edgewright are some of my ships. However I didn’t ship Akira/Hikaru and I don’t ship KageHina but I do ship something like Manjoume/Judai and if asked MakoHaru vs RinHaru, I’d pick the latter, so it might just be a matter of tastes and I won’t fall immediately into every “rival” ship.
So why would I ship Mikuriya/Koshiyama? Because I love it when the Cool Guy falls for the Nerd and EXTRA POINTS if the Cool Guy is also secretly a nerd too. When I mean secretly a nerd, I don’t mean Mikuriya being on quiz bowl but that he might be a closet Otaku. (ImaSaka is everything about this trope.) 
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Anyway, they are the main two rivals in the series, so of course they acknowledge each other. Koshiyama took it so dramatically but in the past, nobody cared about his presence, let alone think that he’s a Threat. Mikuriya is a Hot Shot and thinks he’s better than everyone but this newb with potential beat him one time (unofficially) so he’s automatically curious. 
Even though it is Hot Blooded Competition, Mikuriya always seems to encourage and cheer Koshiyama on (in his own rival-y way of course) whenever he feels down about not being strong enough to compete with him. (When they were lining up for the Third round at Asagaoka) Even when Koshiyama lost, after Mikuriya had a huge handicap, Mikuriya tells him he’ll take him on anytime. The fact that he wants to do Quiz Bowl with (against) him, is practically Sports Anime confession. “I won’t wait for you, Git Gud” “Okay I will Git Gud so we can fight again” *Fist Bump* What are you guys doing.
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It might just be the art style but there is a copious amount of blushing happening every time the two interact. Also that height difference!! Mikuriya is 172 while Koshiyama is 153, I fucking love it. 
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Uhhhh that’s about it. I would like to gush more but there’s only a few chapters of the manga that’s been fan translated and it’s not even half of what’s actually out there. (I think the manga is complete by now?) There’s only one anime season of the series, and I doubt there’s going to be more so RIP me.
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siriannatan · 4 years ago
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Beeduo Oneshots #3 Unexpected reunion
Ao3 link to the whole series
Disclaimer: All physical displays of affection are meant in a purely platonic way, and I, the author, take no responsibility for how some people may see it. The characters in the stories aren't meant to represent the content creators, just characters they portray in their roleplay. 
 _____________________________________________________________
Doomsday shook the whole SMP. Dream going to prison didn't help much.
On his end, Ranboo was happy with where he was, as long as he wasn't being evicted that is, but he was good at keeping out of people's business so he was safe. He spends most of his time away anyway, lonely long mining trips and treasure hunts were slowly becoming his favourite activities. When he wasn't waking up in random spots. Aside from that, he was okay being alone. Ranboo wasn't lonely.
On the other end, Tubbo was also okay. Being away from people, alone in Snowchester, as he named the frozen patch of land he decided to live on, was good for him he told himself. He had all the freedom to practice magic and alchemy... All on his lonely own... Back in the day, Dream would visit to see his experiments and compliment him on his good work... He just missed old days, not Dream and his scheming. Tubbo wasn't lonely.
On some level, they both knew they were missing something. They were just unsure what...
Usually, Tubbo would stay in reading some old book in long gone language, making his skeleton's bring him food or fiddle with alchemical formulas or spells. Anyone would want a bit of a break from time to time, so on one a bit less cold day, just after a snowstorm he put on a heavy coat, heavy shoes and went out for a walk.
Ranboo wasn't a fan of his sleepwalking habits, especially when his sleepwalking would deposit him in the middle of snowy nowhere, snowy nowhere that wasn't anywhere near home. At least that was what he thought until he saw smoke in the distance. With that little ray of hope in a slowly dying down snowstorm, he forced his legs to move forwards. Even if he was a bit more okay with cold than most as a part enderman, extended stay outside in the cold still wasn't a good idea. How long was he walking? Was the world always spinning that much? Was the ground always this clo...
Out of all people he used to know Tubbo didn't expect to see Ranboo passed out in the snow barely outside of his land. Alone. Didn't he live with Technoblade and Philza now? Crouching down he poked the enderman hybrid. "You okay man?"
No answer.
With a heavy sigh and a glare to the side, he took control of a couple of skeletons hiding among nearby foliage, probably since the storm and commanded them to carry Ranboo for him. There was no way he could carry him, he was too tall and lanky. There was no urgency in Tubbo's return. Ranboo would be okay, he knew what he was capable of better than anyone, he was usually fixing him for Dream back in the day after all, despite Dream being better at healing magic. It was rather funny how their magic was so opposite. Dream with healing and Tubbo with necromancy. Dream always explained it with healing magic not working well on endermen, and it wasn't like Tubbo was using magic, just heavily advanced, mostly forgotten alchemy he picked up out of boredom.
At home Tubbo went right to work, sending all skeleton's away as soon as his guest was safely tucked away into only bed in the small house. With how tall Ranboo was it was rather hard and looked very funny with how much of his legs were out of the bed. He didn't need Ranboo freaking out right after waking up.
With them alone, he got to work mixing a very familiar formula he didn't do in a while, a specialised ointment for endermen water burns. Even though it sounded easy to make it was a while since he had to make something on that scale so he didn't mind. It was fun to stretch his abilities from time to time.
When Ranboo woke up he was warm and he could hear a familiar low humming. "Tubbo?" he muttered trying to sit up, It was indeed Tubbo who was humming, in simple overalls and a thick yellow sweater, fiddling with alchemical stands. "Your horns got big," he noticed before a jolt of pain forced him to hive upon sitting up.
"No moving for you big guy," Tubbo said turning around, left side first so his good eye could see his guest properly. "You were pretty messed up when I found you."
Ranboo just smiled weakly. He missed Tubbo, more than he realised. "Tommy said you died. He told us Dream got you."
"Maybe he did, maybe he didn't, either way, it was an out from all the conflict." Tubbo said walking closer and passed him a small bowl with some sparkling ointment, "put this on your water burns, should make it better faster than regen potions. You hungry?"
"Yes?" Ranboo wasn't sure what to answer after that.
Tubbo's cottage was nice, not big but Ranboo was used to small spaces living with Techno and Philza. He was sure they made interiors cramped for defensive purposes, it wasn't like they lacked space to build bigger. Soon Tubbo was back with two steaming bowls of some sort of soup.
"But why hide? I'm pretty sure no one would bother you all that much," he asked with a nod of a thank you...
"I didn't like the idea of hiding my horns forever, and who knows how people would react... Everyone saw that Dream has horns and instantly started drawing connections to Schlatt and... I don't need to be involved in that, prison doesn't sound fun."
Ranboo could agree with that. He saw the prison a couple of times and it wasn't a good look, he'd rather didn't need one. Techno and Phil didn't seem to care much. "Yeah... So, Dream also has horns... is that a..."
"Older, he's my older brother. I'm pretty sure he's the only reason I'm still alive because Schlatt shouldn't be trusted with a pair of old socks, not to say a child," Tubbo said looking at the sun setting over the cold bay.
That was a good reason to avoid people. Ranboo knew from previous talks with Tubbo that the glamour he used to hide his horns took a lot of energy to keep up if he didn't want anyone bumping into invisible horns. With both Dream and Schlatt's reputations, nothing would keep people from being weird about Tubbo's family tree. People tended to be weird to him about Techno and Phil and he was just living with them, and they weren't as hated as Dream.
"So you hid amongst snow like Technoblade?"
"It worked until Philza left his compass outside his ender chest. And I probably should add that I can do some necromancy."
"Necromancy? Like raise and control undead?"
"Yeah, that's how I brought you here. Even more reason for people to lock me with Dream," Tubbo shrugged. Ranboo just nodded turning his full attention to his bowl. He was going to die. There was no way Tubbo was letting him go with all that knowledge. He was either going to die or be locked here to keep Tubbo company, undead couldn't be good company.
Ranboo didn't die. He and Tubbo had a lovely evening catching up on what happened since Tubbo 'died', he seemed satisfied hearing he's got a monument dedicated to him and a proper funeral. "Wilbur never got a funeral, maybe Phil did something but I don't know."
"He's got a picture of him in his house but that's all I know. He doesn't like talking about Wil."
"I get it. We should probably figure out sleeping arrangements, I don't get many guests here. Only Foolish ever visits me, to bring some supplies and check if I'm still alive and not undead. He's my cousin actually, through Puffy adopting him."
"Wha? Isn't he like a millions of years old god?"
"Puffy's crazy like this. She sees a sad god in conflict with himself after aeons of destroying and adopt him as her son, unfortunately, Schlatt was good at avoiding his sister so Dream and I had to take care of ourselves. Now, where will we be putting you to sleep..."
Ranboo looked at his hands. Could Tubbo know about the possible connection between him and Dream? How closely was he working with Dream during his presidency? Was Tommy's exile really for the good of L'Manburg? How much of that argument in the blown-up community house was honest and how much was acting?
"I know what you're thinking. Did I exile Tommy because of family relations or because I thought it was a good choice for Manburg, and all the other times I had to confront Dream," Tubbo broke him out of his thoughts "I haven't spoken to Dream as my brother, I was angry at him for a lot of that time, ever since... Schlatts presidency was coddling me and trying to push me to stay away from it all. We had our first decent conversation the evening before the final battle, he proposed this whole fake death thing and at that point, I was okay with that 'we'll make them think we're dead and move far from the server, leave looking after every one to XD...', I was looking forward to it you know. Just me and my brother like in the old days, he didn't think the whole server would show up" Ranboo was sure Tubbbo was about to start crying. He had no idea what to do, he saw Tubbo cry a few times during his presidency but it wasn't this direct, he was usually trying to be a tough Mr President people could depend on. Vwoop Awkwardly Ranbbo dragged his friend closer into a hug. He had no idea why, it was an instinct of some sort. To hug Tubbo and let him cry until he's done. Neither of them mentioned the soft purr-like sound Ranboo started making. It was something along cat purring and a much calmer angry enderman noises. "Sorry," Tubbo muttered between soft sobs. Ranboo just purred more and dragged Tubbo to sit on the bed. Soon they both unknowingly fell asleep. Tubbo crying about what could have been and Ranboo purring softly, purple creeping into the edges of his vision.
Just as Ranboo was falling asleep he could swear he heard Dream somewhere in his mind. 'Take care of him for me, beastie.' followed by a slow humming of a lullaby, both familiar and alien to him (A/N: check Ranboo's Lullaby by Hator).
Ranboo got woken up by the sun right into his lidless eyes. Tubbo was still sleeping so he let him be...
"Morning hot stuff," Tubbo muttered from somewhere around Ranboo's chest "We should probably get up and bring you back to Techno and Philza before they notice you're gone," he added with a hint of sadness in his voice.
"I tend to disappear for long periods of time so I think we have some time, you better?" he asked as Tubbo began attempting to get himself out of the cocoon Ranboo became overnight.
"How often does your communicator ping on those days? Every hour?" Tubbo asked pointing to the thing which, as to give his point some weight pinged at that exact moment.
"Should have written to Phil last evening," Ranboo muttered letting Tubbo go, and just as Tubbo went to the other room to start breakfast did he look at his communicator. Fifty messages from Phil and five from Technoblade, all along the lines of 'where are you?' and 'you good, mate?' With a small smile Ranboo replied:
"I'm okay, communicator died for a while on me. Be back home by evening or tomorrow depending on the weather."
"I think we'll have to get me back to Anarchy Town soon, Phil's freaking out," Ranboo said as Tubbo came back with two steaming cups of tea.
"That's too bad, I was hoping to keep you for a bit longer," he was trying to joke but it was obvious he wasn't.
"I can come by from time to time," Ranboo offered with a meek smile, "as long as no one follows me here we should be okay."
"That would be nice, skeleton's aren't very talkative..."
"Whatever you say handsome," Ranboo said smugly,  remembering how Tubbo addressed him earlier.
"You better not be hitting on me, mister," Tubbo feigned being offended as a skeleton brought two identical plates of breakfast with beans, bread, egg, ham and tomatoes. Ranboo looked at Tubbo in distress over the amount of different food on his plate.
"You started flirting first," Ranboo said seeing no sympathy for his weak, brought up on potatoes self.
For a moment they were quiet until Tubbo couldn't stand it anymore. "I'll need more beds if that's the case, and don't bring last night up, that was..."
"That was last night and that's it?" Ranboo proposed with a pretend glare at his food, it was good but he'd never admit it.
"Yes, at least that's something to do. How far do you think your place is from here? You're with Techno and Phil, right? They're also in some snowy hellhole so it can't be all that far, right?" Tubbo agreed.
After a quick check-up with Philza, it was about half a day way in good weather so Tubbo gave Ranboo a lovely tour of Snowchester as he called his one-man colony, and they set out on the long trek to the Anarchy Commune. When the roof of Techno's house could be seen in the distance Tubbo and two skeleton's he dragged with them along the way. "I guess I'll leave you here." As much as they had fun on the way this was suddenly very awkward. "And I'll see you sometime, handsome."
Ranboo laughed awkwardly at the compliment, "I... are you tactically flirting with me?"
"No, I'm going home. So bye, remember to write to me or I'll send an army of skeletons to drag you back or whatever." Tubbo said turning around as not to show how distressed he was.
"Oh, I will call you so you better answer when I do." All seriousness of the statement was lost as both of them burst out laughing.
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peppusae · 4 years ago
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How to say 'I love you' without saying 'I love you' | Chae Hyungwon pt 1
part: 1 of 3
other parts:  pt 1 || pt 2 || pt 3
pairing: chae hyungwon x reader
genre: fluff, little slow-burn and angst, smut
word count: 5.6k words
note: i had a dream about this plot so i must write this because after this dream hyungwon became my bias wrecker and i cry about him every day since pls send help gbye
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ugh i love him so much :(((
>
How to say 'I love you' without saying 'I love you'
What’s every kpop fan’s goal in life?
To meet their idols, attend a concert, and attend a fan sign, right?
Some others... They aim higher than that.
And you’re one of those people.
In fact, you love k-pop so much that you found your career took a whooping turn and you ended up majoring in language, for the very simple fact that you could apply to join an entertainment company and be a staff/writer, the latter which makes you feel the proudest of yourself.
But life….
Life can be super mean sometimes. And you learn this the hard way, when you get rejected by SM entertainment - your first and actually the only choice because you are a major Shinee fan and life is just NOT fair at all!
One way or the another, after multiple applying, you finally get a good job in another company - Starship Entertainment.
Now, Starship was definitely not one amongst your top 5 agencies. But you always try not to let that affect your work - and over time, you come to love your job.
Especially when you get assigned as Monsta X’s writer and interpreter.
You find the members of the group very very appealing, all of them having their own charms.
Hyunwoo, who goes by the name Shownu and has an appetite that makes everyone giggle; He is such a soft-hearted soul and you really look up to him because he is always kind enough to give you a hand if he finds you doing something like lugging some boxes around, and would give the prettiest eye smiles when he gets a compliment.
Hoseok, who goes by the name Wonho and is probably the person you would sacrifice everything for; because of the heartwarming smile he has to offer, the way he continuously asks you to go through the comments he received on his vlives, and would politely request you to review what fans are saying about him on his posts.
Kihyun, who is very much Korean down to the bone with his extremely polite mannerisms and the way he always makes sure the staff - you included - are always eating as well; even if it’s a show about them. And also, the way he had once asked if he was your bias, and looked shocked to hear he wasn’t - and then continued to do things to get your attention and ask “Am I your bias now?” in the middle, like an idiot.
Jooheon, who also occasionally comes to you and asks for mini English lessons, and then gets bored after learning two or three new words - and then instead likes to chat about random things like the cats he owns, and your line of cacti which he, for some reason, is obsessed with, and your chats with Jooheon usually end with a compliment battle, and he always made you feel proud because he always says that chatting about normal things like that always inspires him a lot too.
Changkyun, who you consider as your bias wrecker because he keeps his own cool, stays in his own bubble and get things done, and doesn’t brag; instead, he’s very gentle, always the first person to notice if you’re sitting out in the lounge by yourself racking your brains for new content, and uses you as a guinea pig for testing out his lame new puns or pickup lines.
And then… Hyungwon, who doesn’t talk a lot when he’s with the rest of the group, but you found to be startlingly talkative when he’s doing a solo vlive or with only a few members like either Shownu or Wonho. In fact, you remember being wide-eyed when he continuously chatted with his fans on a vlive for a whooping 2 hours, and you can’t forget the precious and warm smile he had on his face when you said you liked seeing him so lively and talkative.
“I have a lot of things up my sleeve which you probably don’t know that much about, [Name]-ah.” He had said that time, and sometimes, you can see the way his eyes would filter through the staff during shows and land on yours, and smile at you.
And finally, Minhyuk, who was your absolute favourite out of the entire group, your bias because he gets along so well with everyone, always making everyone - including the staff - laugh, and would not hesitate to call anyone out if they’re doing something they shouldn’t. It makes you giggle, the way he would approach you in the middle of a variety show shooting they’re doing and ask if you were the writer of the show and how you had the audacity to make them walk around like lunatics. He acts like a crackhead like that, but you’ve grown to be so attached to him when you realized that, beyond his bright personality, he also is an insanely sweet person; You found this out when you had mentioned applying to SM entertainment because Shinee was your favorite group ever, and Minhyuk -even if he asked how dare you talk about other men in his presence - met up with Shinee while hosting a show and got the members to sign, and even got Kibum, your Shinee bias, to sign you a message inside their recent album.
Undoubtedly, Minhyuk was your favorite, for a good reason.
But still, to be put frankly, Hyungwon was the member that has your heart, for the simple reason that he was so unpredictable and has his own sense of humour and personality.
Since you got assigned to work with Monsta X, your life has been a messy tangle of fun, a normal day being you having a chat with Hyungwon and then getting interrupted by Minhyuk who would have zero filters and ask “Are you two dating?”, which causes the two of you to flush red for no reason, while Kihyun would overhear this and say “Huh?! You’re picking him to date but you don’t think of me as bias material?”.
The cycle would be endless, with Wonho laughing while watching the entire scene unfold, while Jooheon would join in with Minhyuk while Shownu would butt in and say “Minhyuk-ah, we have to go back to practise now tho,” and Changkyun sticking his head out from his dorm room and saying he still has 5 more minutes to finish the session of his favorite game.
You’ve grown to love this cycle and it doesn’t feel like a job, doing something you love with good people to work with, and life has been even easier after you got a dorm room within the building.
So, even if you had a roommate - and she’s nice, just not too close - things at Starship has been working out well for you.
Your daily chaos started simmering down a little once the pandemic hit, and all of the staff got confined to their rooms for work.
Because some of the shows you’re writing the scripts for are getting approved easily, you feel lucky to be one of the few staff who is now allowed to go alongside the members when they’re out for shows.
The times when you’re working from your dorm room, you feel so tired - perhaps missing the chaos you were so used to for the past couple years.
One day, you get a kakao chat from Hyungwon, asking if he can come over to discuss something with you.
It’s early in the morning - 8:15 am, and you’re half awake but you let him in, trying your hardest not to yawn too much in front of the member you considered the most attractive from the bunch.
Your roommate, Dawon, was kind enough to clean up the room a little bit when you said Hyungwon was coming over - and you said it on purpose because you knew she called Hyungwon her type and admits to having a teensy crush on him even though she knows it won’t work out anyways.
Hyungwon is wearing a caramel sweater and grey baggy sweatpants, and it always warms your heart to see the boys dressed in comfy clothes because they have to spend so much time wearing clothes that probably look good but not feel as comfy.
“Hyungwonnie, come on in!” You greet him, and he reacts with a chuckle and he always does that ever since you started calling him by that nickname after the day he said you should use casual language with him.
Hyungwon gives a little nod to your roommate in acknowledgement, and waits until you draw the curtain separating the room, before he speaks.
“I have a magazine shooting next month, and these are the set of questions they’re gonna ask me.” He says, putting the big envelope he had in his clutches on the top of your desk after he takes his seat. “I need help coming up with answers.”
Hyungwon was usually one of the few members who always comes to use the opportunity; the artists are free to ask the writers for help with answers they’ll give for their interviews, and Hyungwon always makes full use of the opportunity, and Shownu and Wonho occasionally drop by too, as well.
You’re always happy to be asked for help, but today, you find yourself sweat-dropping at the thought. You were so sleepy, the only reason you’re not dozing off is because you had forced yourself not to sit down.
“Why?”
“What?”
“You’re usually always excited when I ask for something like this, so why today?”
Ouch. Sometimes, much like you can read the boy’s faces and know what’s going on, they can sometimes do the same for you, too.
“Well, you see....”
“Have you been getting enough sleep?”
Double ouch. You knew the boys - at least, most of them - were good observers, but you didn’t expect Hyungwon to catch on so easily.
“I actually do get enough sleep, but these days, I feel extra sleepy for an hour or so after I wake up.”
This makes Hyungwon chuckle, putting the papers back inside the envelope and turning back to you.
“Welcome to the life of every human being. You sound like you’ve been babied too much.” He has to say, and you watch the way he gets up from his seat and places the envelope inside one of your drawers.
“Let’s get some breakfast.”
“W-What?!”
This makes the male raise an eyebrow, glancing around the room as if he was unsure if it really was you who said that.
“You’re acting as if we have never gone out for a meal together.”
“Well…” You say, because you’ve actually gone with him a couple of times over the four years you’ve been assigned to them.
That was probably because the boys enjoyed ordering in mostly, and eating at their own free times.
Anyhow, it was only a few times, so it definitely did surprise you.
“Okay. Where do we go?”
“I’m in the mood for some eggs and sausages, do you have anything you want to eat?”
“Hey, we’re gonna split the bill okay!?” You hurry to race Hyungwon outside, who goes out in a very knowing way, one that was like a deja vu of the times when he’d butt in when you’re trying to innocently pay for your delivered lunch tray and he’d ask to tab it over to him.
Kihyun was right, he really was different from the way most Monbebe actually looked up at him.
At the restaurant, Hyungwon takes his mask off only after you two are seated at one of the sectioned booths and have ordered your food.
“The pandemic isn’t good, but this is the only thing that I enjoy about it.” He admits, eyes going over to the lack of people inside the place which would usually be filled to the brim with office workers trying to grab a quick breakfast.
“This pandemic has made me a sleepyhead like you.”
“Hey!”
You find yourself smiling so hard around Hyungwon because during breakfast and after you had forcibly paid for you two, on your way back when he offers to buy you coffee - and even remembers your usual order - and the next two hours he spent with you while you helped him write answers and edit what he wrote, it really does not feel like he’s a celebrity at all; but more so as a close friend who makes you feel warm in ways you’ve never felt before.
“Why?”
You snap out from your little trance and go back to typing your script on the laptop, when he interrupts you.
“Why are you smiling? What kind of madness of a show are you writing now?!”
“Hey! Don’t accuse me of writing madness when your Monbebe loves it so much!”
“Yah, that’s too much! Our Monbebe will love us anyway even if you show them us being normal!”
You giggle, because really. When has Monsta X ever been normal?
---
The next day, right after you wake up, you’re working on the itinerary for Monsta X’s upcoming vacation show - a little too late, you had to admit, and that too, when you’re feeling so desperately sleepy like you’ve been feeling lately every morning.
Dawon had gone out to grab breakfast with some of the other staff, and you’re munching on your melon bread, knowing well that the espresso shot you’ve had just a while ago won’t last you for more than 15 minutes.
And it doesn’t.
In fact, you’re actually snoring when your phone rings loudly, making you lift your sorry face up from your laptop keyboard and answering as soon as you pick up the phone.
“Yes, Manager-nim? I’ll send you the itinerary in fifteen minutes!” You say the impossible, because your task in barely done, and you had a feeling you’d fall back onto the laptop keyboard the second the manager hangs up the call.
The sound of familiar chuckling makes you raise an eyebrow and glance at your phone, horrified to see Hyungwon’s name on the display.
“I need it in ten minutes, not fifteen.” He says in a heavy voice, and it makes you huff in embarrassment, glad that he couldn’t see you.
“Very funny, Hyungwon. What did you need?”
“Nothing. Just wanted to wake you up.”
“I was up!”
This makes him laugh yet again, and you sigh, typing on the keyboard as you think about what good excuse you can say.
“If you were up, you wouldn’t have thought I was your manager.”
You let out a little groan, connecting your headphones to the phone so you could multitask while speaking to the male.
“Really, now, Hyungwonnie, what did you really want? Is there something you wanted to ask again?”
“No, I really just called to wake you up.”
“Well. Isn’t that sweet of you.” You say, sarcastically.
The mini banter and sarcastic comments continue for about ten minutes, by which you’d even finished up the itinerary.
So, even if he did laugh at your sleepyhead behaviour - as if he could talk - you made sure to thank him before you go out to take the printouts and finish off your task.
---
And then, that becomes a ritual.
Hyungwon calls you every day at 8 am, right when you’ve signed in for work and are about to head to get some coffee.
He makes small talk with you, talks about little episodes he’d had, and listens to your ideas.
After the first week, you don’t feel sleepy even if you don’t get the coffee; and you don’t even get sleepy after he hangs up.
Every day, it feels like he’s prepared something new, because he makes you laugh so hard that your sleep completely vanishes.
In fact, after a couple of days, he searches up English songs on Genie Music and sings, butchering up a lot of the lyrics on purpose - you know it’s on purpose because Hyungwon has a really good pronunciation when he tries.
One day, you’re butchering up the lyrics of a song along with Hyungwon while you’re writing talk segments for Monsta X’s comeback showcase. Your roommate has been giving you funny looks recently, especially after she asked who was calling you every day and you couldn’t lie and told her it was Hyungwon.
The sudden sound of your door flying wide open and a blonde Lee Minhyuk barrelling into your room makes you stop your singing.
“Oh. So it was you, huh.” He has to say, making himself comfortable on your beanbag chair, and drawing the cloth partition between your room when Dawon - your roommate - keeps staring.
Really, Minhyuk does not know what filters are supposed to be.
“What do you mean?” You ask, and from your headphone, Hyungwon hears his friend’s voice, so he dismisses the call after saying he’ll see you again later.
“So it was you Hyungwonie has been getting up every morning to sing his heart out, huh?”
You stare at him, baffled. “Well, he does sing some normal songs, but he mostly sings crack-”
“He usually never wakes up on his own even if he has schedules, and now he has an alarm to call you every day? What, are you guys dating or something?”
“Yah, Minhyuk, what are you saying!!” You hiss, horrified, because the cloth partition does little to block out sounds from the other side.
“I always tell people if they like someone, to stop being so obvious and just ask them out. It’s easy!!”
“It’s not easy and omg shut up!! He’s just calling me because he’s waking me up, he’s just being kind!”
“Hyungwon never wakes up for us, he’s never kind to us, then! And he’s always still sleepy even if he wakes you up, because he goes straight back to bed after he wakes you up!”
You sigh out loud in frustration, shaking your head. “Come on. What did you want, Minhyukkie?”
Minhyuk gives you a knowing smile before he shakes his head, handing you the binded notebook he had in his clutches.
“You’ll give me a read-over, right? I told you about the radio-show I’m gonna start hosting in a few weeks, right? The concept is clear, but I have some topics I want to talk about and I made some scripts about how I could continue the talk.”
“You got it. I’ll need some time, though, how does Thursday sound?”
“Perfect. Thanks!” He gives you a flying kiss that makes you laugh, and then he’s out as fast as he came barreling in.
---
You expected Hyungwon to stop the calling after the confining to your room rule gets lifted up and you’ve started to go to the office for work.
But he doesn’t, and he sounds as if he’s never been as prepared before as he is now.
Even when the comeback is near and he must be practising into the late hours of the night, he never misses a single day.
A few days before the comeback, you find him having lunch with Shownu, and it’s the first time you’ve seen him in a while - and you hadn’t seen his new hair till then too.
For the first time in the four years you’ve been assigned to work with Monsta X, you take a good look at Hyungwon.
A really, really good look.
At first, he hadn’t noticed you, and while you’re refilling your water bottle with chilled water, you notice the way he’s smiling a little while he listens to what Shownu is saying. The way he uses his hand to brush the fringe of his hair he’s dyed blonde is attractive for the first time - and you’d always thought he was a really, really handsome young man… But this is the first time he looks so attractive that you feel like you’re in a daze, staring at him until chilled water fills up your bottle and pours on your fingers, finally catching your attention.
What gives?
The little yelp you let out makes both Shownu and Hyungwon glance over at you - noticing you for the first time. Hyungwon’s eyes go wide, the top of his palm going up to cover his mouth.
“Ah, [Name]-ah. How are you?” Shownu calls over to you, ever so naturally, and you greet him with a smile when it looks like he’s motioning for you to come over.
“I haven’t seen you in a while. Are you doing well?”
“I’m doing good, Hyunwoo-oppa. You guys must be working super hard for the comeback, right?” You say, glancing at Hyungwon, and for the first time ever, you think he’s actually… blushing ?!
It makes you flustered, thinking about what Minhyuk had talked to you about, while he accused you two of dating. Really, Minhyuk had no filters, it never fails to drive you insane sometimes.
“Yeah! You can expect a lot, please do support us a lot!”
You turn to look at Shownu, beaming at his friendly and charming smile before you excuse yourself and head back before you felt your head would explode.
Now, what the heck was that all about!?
Whatever it was, you were definitely going to blame Minhyuk for this!
---
It absolutely surprises you when Hyungwon doesn’t fail to call you, even the following morning.
You guess you had just imagined it in your head yesterday when Hyungwon looked flustered to see you.
Stupid Minhyuk! It was all in your head after all.
“Now that today’s dumb song segment is over,” Hyungwon says, after he sings a butchered up version of Pretty Please, “I’m gonna sing a song from our album!”
“Oh? Will that be okay?”
“Well, you’ll hear the album preview later today, so, why not?” He has to say. “It’s one of my favorites from the album.”
And then, he sings up to the second chorus of Beautiful Night - a song you fall in love with instantly, because the lyrics are so beautiful and Hyungwon sings as if he’s doing so with his whole soul. It almost makes your eyes teary, and you can barely tell him that you love it, before you have to excuse yourself with a little lie.
Since when did Hyungwon’s voice sound this emotional? It’s been over four years, but his voice has always been the same, beautiful voice as before. You open up Genie music, playing some of the older albums, listening to Hyungwon’s voice in the songs, and you feel like you’ve missed out this side of Hyungwon completely, this madly romantic side of him that sounds so sincere that it makes your heart race.
What is going on, seriously…
---
As the days pass by, the little tingle in your heart whenever you see or hear Hyungwon keeps on getting more and more painful.
In fact, by the end of Monsta X’s three-week promotions for Fantasia X, hearing Hyungwon singing songs for you become almost unbearably sad.
Despite having to wake up earlier, or even having to excuse himself in the middle of getting his hair and makeup done, he makes sure to call you - even if you’re sitting and listening to him when he’s in the same room as you are in.
You realize you can’t hold out your expressions if it’s in front of him, so you make sure to get up and go away somewhere when Hyungwon’s call arrives every day at 8 am on the dot.
It’s a warm Saturday morning, and you’re on your bed, your earpods on and listening to Fantasia X on Genie when Hyungwon’s call of the day arrives.
Today, it’s different.
Usually, he sings a trot song, or a really ugly version of an English song with the hopes of making you laugh so much that your sleep completely vanishes.
But today, he doesn’t say anything and immediately starts to sing soulfully; today, he sings Newton, one of your absolute favorite songs by the group, and…
The way he sings it is so, so sad .
Something inside your heart feels like it is burning, and unknowingly, your eyes brim with tears, because…
All the things Minhyuk had told you, all the things you’ve been thinking about Hyungwon lately, all the little glances he sends your way and then looks away when he sees you’re watching…
You feel your emotions going haywire, and your wishful thinking makes you start crying and you pray to god that Hyungwon, who’s singing the chorus so beautiful and sincerely does not notice.
It’s almost unbearable, and you take off your earpods and have him on speaker, thankful that he doesn’t notice you’ve reached for tissues to wipe your tears.
Since when did I start feeling this way about him?
How can I think this way about one of the members I work for?
Why does Hyungwon sing as if he’s singing just for me, and only me?
Why does it feel like we are never able to meet eyes now?
You have so many questions and no answers, and your hands are shaking as you try to press record on your phone because he sounds so, so beautiful and your crying is not helping you in focusing on his sincere singing.
It is at this moment that the door to your room flies open, and your roommate, Dawon enter the room, then freezes when she sees you crying.
“What’s going on?!”
You’re only able to hand over the phone to her, and mumble a little “Please record it for me” through your sobs.
Dawon looks very confused, raising an eyebrow when she looks at the receiver and sees that it is Hyungwon, on the call.
At that moment, Hyungwon wraps up his singing, clearing his throat a little and speaks for the first time today.
“[Name]-ah.”
You find yourself sniffling, glancing at Dawon who looks visibly upset now… and you can’t even blame her…
“[Name]-ah.” He calls your name again, and this is one of the things that makes you sad in regards to Hyungwon, because… He is a member of Monsta X, one of the manlier groups in the industry for sure, but… He’s so gentle and sweet, a kind-hearted soul, and he does not lack in anything, as he has proudly claimed so.
Even the way he calls your name out is so gentle that it makes more tears stream down your face, and you’re almost scared at how to answer whatever Hyungwon would ask from you.
“[Name]-ah. I have something I have to tell you, in person.”
Your eyes meet with Dawon, who now looks wide-eyed, and you were sure you would probably look the same.
“I… I have to tell you this in person, so, if you… If you’re willing, would you like to… go for dinner with me today?”
More tears stream down your face, and now you know you can never look Dawon in the eyes either so you bury your face on one of your pillows, heart aching too much to do anything else.
“Hyungwon-ssi.”
Dawon speaks into the speakerphone, and it makes you glance at her, wondering what she was going to say.
Hyungwon replies with a loud ‘Huh?’ in confusion.
“Hyungwon-ssi, I’m sorry, but [Name] is outside and she left her phone here.”
Dawon looks at you, lips pressed into a thin line. You feel so uneasy, and it felt like Hyungwon felt the same, because he starts to stammer.
“Wh-Wha? What?! If [Name] wasn’t the one who answered, then wh- Whaaaaa!” You hear a loud whine before the call gets disconnected with a quick mumble of “Sorry!”.
Dawon hurls the phone at your bed, and leaves the room without a word, and it pains your heart so much that you feel like you’ll die.
A text message pops up on your phone a little while later and seeing the text makes you feel a little dizzy, even.
‘If you’re freely going to allow other people to roam through your phone even, I don’t think I have any other choice but to come to see you right away.’
What?
Wait, does he mean-
You hurry to grab your phone and iPad, wiping your face as best as you could and going out of your room. You find Minhyuk and Kihyun using the Xbox in the lounge, so you quietly take a seat near them, greeting them and opening up your iPad without another word.
“[Name]-ah, why do you look so weird?”
“Yah, Minhyuk, how can you say something so rude?!”
You shake your head and give a weak smile at the two, opening up your notepad and leaning against the couch.
A moment passes by, and Minhyuk moves closer to you on the couch, so close that you actually move a little back as well.
“What?”
“I finished my game with Kihyunnie. So. Why? Why do you look so sad? Did Hyungwonie hurt you?”
Now, you’ve been doing a good job of not crying since you got out of the room, but seeing Minhyuk’s worried face and then remembering Hyungwon’s words - along with Minhyuk hitting a bullseye right away… All of that combine together and it makes you start to cry again.
“Wha? Hey?!” Minhyuk looks very startled, and he usually never looks surprised like he doesn’t know what to do, but today he looks like he’s at a dead end, and you allow him to grab your hand and tell Kihyun he’ll be right back, before he hurries to drag you over to the other end of the lounge near the vending machines.
“Yah, what is going on with you lately? Hyungwon really said something mean to you, didn’t he? Sheesh. Acting like he’s in love with you and then making you cry like this? I didn’t expect him out of everyone to behave this way.”
The more Minhyuk spoke, the worse you felt, and you’re barely able to ask him if he could be kind enough to leave you alone for a second when you hear a familiar voice calling your name.
“[Name]-ah…. Minhyuk-ah?!”
You and Minhyuk glance up to see Hyungwon approaching you, and you hurry to take your hand away from Minhyuk’s clutch.
Really, Hyungwon couldn’t have caught a worse timing.
Minhyuk shoots you a sad look, then gets up from his seat, goes to say something to Kihyun, then the two of them leave while Kihyun glances at you with a worried look on his face. You can’t get yourself to look at Hyungwon, so you’re looking at your hands, fingers fumbling while Hyungwon stands in his spot in front of you, not saying a single word.
More tears fall down your face when you remember Minhyuk’s words - and how wrong was he to assume the worst from the sweetest person you know, and it pains your heart because you knew if you looked in his eyes, you wouldn’t be able to stop crying.
“Why?”
Hyungwon says a single word, and honestly, that was the only thing you didn’t have an answer for.
Why were you crying?
You didn’t know.
Why can’t you look at Hyungwon?
You had no clue.
Why did Minhyuk know right away?
That too, you didn’t know at all.
Why can’t you answer him?
You had no reason.
So instead, you find tears streaming down your face, and you wish you could leave, but you felt like you owed Hyungwon at least this much, to hear what he had to say even if you felt like something was cutting through your heart.
“Stand up.”
It’s the first time you’ve heard him ask you to do something in that voice, an angry, impatient voice you’ve never imagined you’d ever be on the receiving end for.
“[Name]-ah.”
You hum in response, eyes on the ground. Hyungwon lets out an exhale and you can feel your hands trembling because it’s while you’re looking at his shoes with an aching heart, that you realize something you’ve been wishing so hard was not true.
You were in love with Chae Hyungwon.
Out of completely nowhere, so naturally.... You were so madly in love with Chae Hyungwon; so much that looking at him now would be too much to take, now.
“You heard everything I said, didn’t you?”
Now, that’s something you didn’t expect to hear from him. He had sounded so worried and embarrassed on the phone so you didn’t think he would have any suspicious, but here he was, showing you that he certainly did.
It makes you look up at his face for the first time today, and it pains your heart.
It paints your heart, because he’s wearing clothes with a lot of creases - something he’s been wearing to sleep, and he has on a beanie that covers most of his messy-looking hair, and he’s looking at you with puffy eyes and a frown that hurts so much to look at.
You couldn’t bear to look at him anymore so you shake your head in response. Hyungwon looks visibly disappointed, like he knew right away that you were lying. You think he has something more he wants to say, because his lips part a little… And then, he lets out a sigh and shakes his head as well.
“If you are this burdened by how I feel, then…” Hyungwon’s voice trails off, taking a step back and then turning around. You watch the way he walks out of the lounge without a word, and if you felt like you’d never been more hurt before, you were completely wrong, because nothing pained your heart more than watching the male leave like that, as if he had so much to say and couldn’t…. Just like how you felt while you sink back on the couch and cry your heart out.
And from that day onwards, Hyungwon doesn’t call you again.
-----
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perseusjackson-jasongrace · 4 years ago
Text
Crimson Shadows 2
Jercy Vampire AU: Percy
masterlist; information post for fic
I was debating whether i should change traditional things like greetings but then i realised this is my fic and im writing it for purely self indulgent purposes so like i could if i wanted. Thanks for joining in on my hedonism! Please enjoy.
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Perseus steps onto the creaky wooden floor of his ostentatious 16th century mansion and mentally reminds himself for the two-hundredth time that he needs to get someone in to fix it. The worst thing about being immortal, he has come to learn, is that he procrastinates everything ten times harder. At least his teenage self would be impressed with his tactics, even if his mother was rolling in her grave.
The house is unusually quiet for an Orion morning and he strains his already sonic hearing to catch the sounds of silent footfalls and bustling bodies. But the wind rushes through the space and there are no other noises. A flutter gives in his chest as he steps into the kitchen to find breakfast waiting for him and a note folded neatly next to it.
Hey Doc,
Twins have gone to Bharatanatyam class and Hoku went to the beach. I’m just picking stuff up at the grocer, be home in a jiff.
- Keeya
He releases a breath and sits down at the table with a smile. The delicious smell of eggs and blood hit him as he takes off the cover to reveal a plate of eggs benedict, hash-browns and a small glass of ichor. He shoots down the blood, content to let it work through him as he gobbles down the heavenly breakfast. He knows Keeya cooked because she was always experimenting with food, always in here creating dishes and making them beg to eat whatever is giving off that sublime smell. Just as he cuts into a hash brown he hears the door shut and hurried footsteps rushing towards him.
“To the Sun,” Keeya flurries into the kitchen, face blocked by brown paper bags stuffed to the brim with what he’s sure to be her latest concoction.
“Amongst the Stars,” His lips twitch in amusement, “Early morning?”
“I couldn’t sleep so i-” Her voice muffles as she busies herself packing items in the pantry, “-thought I’d start on breakfast but while i was looking for an eggs benny recipe i came across this golden cake and-” Her head pops out of the pantry, black eyes flashing with excitement, “Doc when i tell you i almost died right there, it sounded so good. Anyway of course i had to leave immediately to get all the things we didn’t have.” She finally collapses onto a stool across from him and takes a breath.
He hides a laugh and waits for the rest of the story, because with Keeya there is always more. 
“Anyway i get to the shop-” She starts. He covers his inescapable laugh with a cough. “And they don’t have desiccated coconut. Can you believe that? I mean it’s the main ingredient in the damn cake. So I was panicking a little because it’s the closest shop open at that time, the others I'd have to take a train for which is so inconvenient?” She gives him an incredulous look. He nods seriously; inside he is fighting off giggles. “But they found some in the back, thank the stars, and then I just grabbed a few things because it’s ‘make your own pizza’ night and I think some people from the Araw house are joining us.”
“Sounds fun, is Elouan going to be here?” He pops the last bit of poached egg in his mouth and looks at her expectantly.
She makes a disapproving face, “No, he’s off with his new partner. I don’t trust them at all.”
“Why?” Perseus is on guard immediately, fingers curling, hair sensitive, and gums stinging with the need to unsheathe his fangs. 
“Their vibe is off,” Her nose scrunches up, “Like they’re used to getting into trouble and bailing out.”
“I’ll tell Elly to be careful but maybe go with him next time Kee,” He suggests, a tentative look in his eyes as her own widen.
“All we’ll do is argue, and besides, he hates me hanging out with his friends.”
“Ever asked him why?” He has a feeling about it but he’ll never voice it. No, the two can come to their own conclusions. After all, they had forever to figure it out.
“I don’t care why. He’s a dick and I'm not interested in anything he has to say.”
He shrugs but leaves the conversation, and the kitchen, so Keeya can do her thing. He has some admin to do anyway; a dreary task but one that must be done all the same. Besides without the twins and Hoku the house is absurdly silent, so he needs something to occupy himself.
His study is actually a little desk situated in their library. It’s his favourite room in the house for the opulent fireplace that stays lit through Baridi and serves as a soot-slide in Caldu, and of course the books which although he doesn't read many of, remind him of his mother. He has been alive for almost three hundred years and there is hardly a day that goes by when he doesn’t think of her. For every part of him that isn’t human, there’s a part of her that makes him so. He stares up at the portrait of her hanging near the doorway, painted by a friend long gone and with a loving smile gets to work.
He sorts, and signs, and stamps, and notes in an endless cycle until finally his finances are in order, his donations are chequed and his letters are sealed. He’s sure Hoku will groan endlessly about receiving yet another letter under their pillow and try to explain that email is much more convenient and faster for everyone. Perseus tilts his head to the ceiling and watches the stars dance as he plays out the conversation in his head.
“Doc, I really appreciate the effort you put into sending us letters but this is not the eighteenth century, just use email.”
“Hoku i like the letters, they’re personal and calming to write.”
“Doc, emails are more convenient and i can take them anywhere.”
“Okay I’ll stop giving you letters. I’ll just give the others.”
“What? No? That’s a terrible idea. I still want my letters.”
And they would have the conversation every month without fail. It is a rather amusing part of the routine and sometimes Perseus purposefully makes Hoku’s letters a little longer, just to bother them. A secret best kept as such, but funny nonetheless.
“DOC!” A voice screams through the house, shattering his ear drums.
The twins.
He steps out of the library, and half jogs to the source of the noise, which he discovers is coming from the entertainment room. 
“To the Sun, you two.”
Serafina looks up first, her brown eyes shining with never-ending energy. The anklets on her feet jingle as she runs towards him and slams her body into his. He holds firm as he catches her and wraps his arms around her shoulders.
“Amongst the Stars,” She mumbles, face buried in his shirt.
“How was Bharatanatyam?”
She gasps, stepping out of his embrace and squealing with delight. “Doc we have to show you what we learnt! Aaru come!” Her dark eyebrows knit together as she focuses on her brother.
“Tusa Aarush.” Perseus smiles, squatting down so he’s level with the boy. A little hand, the colour of cherry wood, reaches up to give him a high-five. A standard greeting for the quiet brother; a complete opposite to his outgoing sister.
“Aaru are you ready?” Serafina comes to stand beside them, after setting up the sound system.
He nods and moves so they’re in the middle of the room. Quickly they do the opening prayer before Serafina bounces to the sound bar and presses play. The sweet, sturdy music fills the room and then they're going through a whole routine. Stamping their feet in a rhythm that matches the beat perfectly. Aarush pinches his fingers and fans them out. A closed flower opening, he recognises. They do a series of moves all impressive and beautiful, before the music fades and they pose, breathless with exertion and excitement. 
He claps enthusiastically and opens his arms for hugs. “You did wonderfully!” Serafina slams into him. Aarush gives him another high-five. “When is the performance?”
“Not for a long time Doc.” The little girl says, as if he should know this. She heads off to fiddle with the speakers. 
“In two months,” Aaru answers. His voice is clear and even. He is quiet but not soft. “In Pluto.”
“Ah, I'll make sure I have it down in the calendar.” The little boy's face lights up like a stadium and Perseus’ heart clenches with love. The twins had only been living with him for half a century but within the first year they had him completely wrapped around his fingers. Their claimed age is ten but their true age is one hundred and two. He found them shivering behind a dumpster in Orman, their skin stretched across their bones and that rabid look of underfed vampire in their eyes. He had taken them in and given them blood and a bed for the night, which turned into a week, and then a month. Before he knew it he was bringing them to this house in Roshani where they had immediately fallen in love with the city and made it their home.
“Fina, i’m going to shower.” Aarush states and without further flurry he leaves.
“Is everything okay with classes? All of them, not just Bharatanatyam.” Perseus asks the talkative twin.
“Yes,” She nods, unclipping her anklets. Her voice lowers, serious bleeding in. It is hard to forget their age, true or claimed, when this happens. Because suddenly their bubbly little girl who flits around the house and talks your ear off and throws herself into everything with the vivacity of a ten year old, disappears. In her place is the century old girl who has experienced more of life’s pleasures and hardships than most of the world can only begin to imagine.
“We’re covered for everything. And Aaru starts teaching a new linguistics course on Monday so he’ll have some cash to fling around. Although,” She rolls her eyes, “We all know he’ll just put it in his account and let it sit like a fat cat.”
He laughs, flicking her nose at her distaste for her brother’s complete lack of spending. “He likes to invest in stocks and give it away. You know he doesn’t hoard.”
“I know i know,” She grumbles, scrunching her nose, “I just wish he’d spend some on himself.”
“I think he thinks you spoil him enough.”
“I don’t spoil him nearly enough. Most times I try to buy him something and he just shuts it down. Like last Draco i tried to buy him that new puzzle he was talking about and he just slammed my laptop shut.”
She looks so put out he can't help but giggle, and when she scowls at him for it he pulls her in for a hug and kisses her head. “He likes to do things with you. Maybe try getting things you guys can do together.” She brightens at that, and he can see the gears turning in her sharp mind. “Alternatively, save up all the buying for special occasions like Birthdays or Turning or Koro day.” She hums in acknowledgement but her thoughts are still going a mile a minute so he steps out and lets her work it through.
The house is alive again: Keeya is still in the kitchen, and by the sounds of it Hoku too, begging for something. Elouan still isn’t in and he cannot stop the trinkle of worry that falls between his ribs. Trying to keep it out of his mind he walks towards the noise and is greeted by the site of countertops covered in dishes filled with all sorts of delights. The smell is enough to put him in a coma. And Hoku sits on the counter, pale blue eyes puppy-wide with pleading. He glances to their wrist and sees the sunshine yellow band. She/her today then. It gets exhausting, she had told them, to continuously have to announce yourself to the world, especially when you didn’t know how the world would react. 
“Hoku,” Keeya sighs, “I am not giving you the poli until you go and change. You smell like seaweed.” The coconut-stuffed pastry pockets sit on the counter, still piping hot from the oil they had just been fried in. 
“Awww come on Kee, i just need one. I’ll pass out in the shower if i don’t get it and then it’ll be all your fault.”
Keeya’s eyes roll so far back he’s worried she’ll get them stuck behind her sockets. But they roll forward and give Hoku a very pointed glare.
“Get your ass out of my kitchen and go and shower, you irritation!” She scolds; rendered a little ineffective by the flour smeared across her cheek which is a startling contrast to her brown-scapolite skin.
“You are the absolute worst.” Hoku sulks as she slides off the stool and trudges to the entrance. "Tusa Doc.” The sigh is heavy and he struggles to keep in the laughter threatening to spill past his lips. It is never a dull moment in the Aarde House. Perseus collapses onto the stool Hoku had just vacated and lets loose the smile he had been trying to hide. Keeya returns it with one of her own and then launches into a conversation about her latest creations.
Hours later they had moved from food talk, which made him unfathomably hungry, to her teaching, to his own escapades and ideas. She laughed as he recounted the night out he had some weeks ago and the beautiful blue-haired person he had taken a bodyshot on. But soon the sun is sinking to the city floor and the people in the house emerge from their various rooms to congregate in the kitchen, which serves as the house hangout spot. Keeya had packed most of the food away, save for a loaf of fresh bread and the poli Hoku had been begging for. She puts the kettle on and starts up the coffee machine, chattering away as she did. 
Aarush shuffles into the room and immediately takes up a spot next to Perseus. Serafina and Hoku walk in next talking about knee pains and sore feet.
“Did you guys bother to put ice packs or kinaesthetic tape on?” Keeya raises an eyebrow. They both stick their tongues out at her, and move to sit on the opposite side of the table.
“Hoku,” Aaru settles his brown eyes on her, “Will you teach me how to do the splits? My Bharatanatyam teacher says i need to learn to be more flexible.”
Hoku is already nodding enthusiastically, “Of course A, i can absolutely teach you. But you should know flexibility doesn’t come from doing the splits it comes from muscle control and ligament manipulation.”
“I read up about it but i don't feel confident enough to try on my own.”
A gleam enters Hoku’s blue eyes, “You should come with me to a ballet class. Elouan is doing piano for us next week in preparation for our concert coming up. We’ll be able to get the studio to ourselves for a little while.”
“Sure,” Aru shrugs, “Sounds fun.”
“Why didn’t you ask me for help?” Serafina tugs her twin's sleeve, looking at him with hurt in her eyes.
“I didn’t want to bother you, and besides Hoku teaches ballet I figured she’d be the best bet for me.”
Serafina looks like she’s going to say something, argue maybe, but then the last of their little household walks in and conversation drifts.
“Past the Moon, Elouan,” Perseus smiles at the oldest of the group, save for him.
A floppy smile transforms a pasty face. As he hobbles towards them, leaning heavily on his walking stick, he mumbles a round of greetings.
“How are you?” Keeya asks once he’s settled into a chair next to her.
“I could do with some food and maybe some blood but otherwise just peachy.” His moonlight white curls fall into his face and he pushes them back absentmindedly.
“Can we finally have the poli now?” Hoku glares at their baker, rebellion already flashing in her blue eyes.
“Dig in you little heathen,” Keeya shoves the plate towards her and they all descend. 
Tea and coffee are passed around as well as small glasses of blood for any of them that need it. Perseus and the twins refrain, having had their fill at some point during the day but they happily dig into the coconut pastry and drink copious amounts of coffee.
“So,” Elouan says around a mouthful of poli, “Who’s coming with me to the Red Queen tomorrow?”
“Me!” Hoku shouts immediately. Ever the party animal.
“I’d love to.” Keeya mumbles behind her tea, suddenly shy.
“No thanks.” Aarush pulls a face and goes back to stacking the knives into a precarious tower.
“Fina? Doc?”
“I have to work on stuff for varsity but maybe next time.” Serafina shrugs a shoulder, her brown eyes glazing over as her mind goes back to working a mile a minute.
“I’ll let you know after our dinner tonight. I think some of the Houses want to call a meeting tomorrow to discuss funding and housing in a few cities.”
“You should invite them along,” His white eyebrows knit together in thought, “You guys should invite anyone you want.”
“What’s got you so friendly?” Keeya gives a suspicious look.
“Arrow said they wanted to meet you.”
Her face pulls into something resembling horror, “Uh never mind i think i have stuff to do, maybe next time.”
Elouan pins his honey eyes on her and they look more like the sting of the bee than the gold of the nectar. “What the fuck is your problem?”
“I don’t trust them.” She bites out, setting her mug down with a hard crack.
“You don’t even know them. You’re just being judgmental because they’ve turned a few innocents.”
“It’s not just that Elouan,” Where he is the sky, Keeya is the earth. “They are leading you to the dens and soon you’ll be following in their footsteps.”
Perseus was content to ignore their argument and continue talking to everyone else or eating his way through the feast, but that angered whisper steals his attention. “You’ve been going to the dens?”
“I went twice and i didn't even do anything.” He rolls his eyes.
“It’s not about what you do El,” Keeya’s voice is lethal with fury, and worry. “It’s about what gets done in there.” 
“It’s not safe Elouan. Not only for you but if something happens you put a target on all of our backs. And I will not have you endangering anyone in this house just to look cool for your new partner.” There is no compromise in Perseus’ hard green eyes.
The younger vamp sees this and nods once. “I won’t go to the dens again, Doc.”
“Right now that we have that sorted,” He leaves no room for further say on the topic, “What do you need us to do for dinner before the Araw House gets here, Kee?”
He sees her hide the emotions still burning in her eyes before she claps her hands and puts them to work. And when the members of the Araw house arrive there is no lingering anger suffocating the kitchen. It is bright and loud and messy. It is home.
“Tamo, tamo, everyone!” Musical greetings come from the front of the house and a few seconds later Drew Tanaka and Charles Beckendorf appear in the doorway, as radiant and deadly as always.
Drew looks devastating in a blood red jumpsuit and a gold choker glittering at her neck. Charles has a hand wrapped around her and looks just as sinful in an emerald green suit lined with the most startling azure. His wedding band glints in the soft yellow lights of the kitchen and the two rubies encrusted in it match the band around Drew’s finger.
“Towards the Moon, old man,” Drew sits down with the grace of a dancer who has been perfecting their art for centuries. 
“Who are you calling old man?” Perseus scoffs, “I’m only one month older than you. Besides Charlie is the old man.” 
The subject in question rolls his eyes and shoves both their shoulders, flashing his fangs. His wife just laughs waggling perfectly sculpted eyebrows that suggest more than any of them are willing to interpret.
“Where’s the rest of your chaotic crew?” He motions to the lack of people that usually surrounded them.
“They’re all busy tonight, something about the Safe Haven Sound.” Charlie shrugs, “I’m actually surprised none of you guys went. It was apparently some big event.”
Hoku makes a face that means trouble. Nobody stops her. “It’s mostly for new vamps trying to enter the world. There’s a lot that can go wrong. We tend to stay away.”
Drew turns to her sharply, “Who runs it?”
“The Underboss.” Hoku makes another, more disgusted face.
“Actually,” Keeya says quietly, “It’s the Underboss’ lackey that runs it. The Underboss just owns it.”
“Ugh i hate that slimy little shit more than my ex.”
“Hoku,” Serafina frowns, “Give Luke some credit. At least he was hot.”
Perseus lets a smile loose at that. “Octavian is not ugly, he’s just ghaunt.”
“Doc,” Elouan raises a brow, “He is a ghost.”
“Literally? Aarush frowns, the first thing he’s said since their guests arrived.
“No,” Drew has a contemplative look on her face, “At least i don’t think so.”
“He was part of the Trials.” Charlie adds “That’s what i’ve heard anyway.”
Perseus shudders inwardly as he remembers those dark times. Power-hungry people, people who had no right to participate in their world, had taken it upon themselves to try and create their own supernatural creatures. It was a horrible, terrifying time for humans and duniyarall alike. They had stopped it before it had become the war it intended to be but it was deemed unethical to kill the products of those experiments. So, even today, a century and a half later, there are still Triallers- as they had been so creatively named- roaming, existing, living. For the most part they seem to be peaceful, despite being created for violence, but there are some like the Underboss’ lackey that still give an off-vibe; like feral is just around the corner, one blink away.
“How about we make some pizzas?” Keeya interrupts their conversation before they dive into what will inevitably become a two hour discussion.
“Let’s!” Serafina claps her hands, and Hoku matches her as they hop up and dive towards the fridge where cut and readied ingredients sit.
The evening is chaotic, and bright and full of laughter. They discover that between all their years of life, none of them had ever learnt how to toss pizza dough. Charlie and Keeya make a deal to go to Italy and learn before the decade is out. Drew sees the trip as a chance to get a tan in the beautiful Italian heat, and be fed delicious food straight from her husband’s hands. They make the most of the evening, a rare and peaceful one that recharges the energy in them like bolts of lightning. Perseus hasn’t felt this content in many many moons. 
Soon enough, however, it is just Elouan, Charlie, and Drew sitting on the velvet couches of their lounging area, chatting quietly as they sip various expensive liquor.
He looks at his friends, the gentle glow of the chandelier striking their features. They are beautiful. It is a warm kind of beauty, noticeable in the softness of an expression, or the happiness of a moment. They’re angelic.
“Doc?” Elouan drags him out of his quiet admiration.
“Sorry?”
“Drew and Charlie were just discussing what to do about the hotel on Palace road,” The moonlight caught in his hair ripples as he speaks. “They wanted to find out if you’d be okay with extraction?”
Perseus nods, considering the angles, the necessities
“I don’t feel it’s right to go in armed.” Charlie looks around the room, that composed intensity washing over them. “They’re children, and they’re probably scared.”
The frown between Drew’s perfect brows deepens. “I heard there’s cubs and sangrinos inside.”
“Who’s getting them food? How do they leave? What’s keeping them there?”
A loud ding sounds from someone in the room, and Elouan scrambles to reach his phone. The screen is bright in the dimly lit space and he has to blink hard to adjust his eyes, but then he lets out a curse and rushes towards the door, leaning deeply into stick as the anger worsens his limp.
“Everything okay El?”
“Just Arrow.” He waves it off, “I’ll be back before sun.”
Perseus just nods, watching as the large wooden doors slam shut behind the vampire. When he hears the front door bang, he stands, bowing to his guest in a sign of quick return and steps out of the room in search of members of their household.
“Keeya, Aaru.” He calls from the parlor.
They arrive within seconds, her with a face mask on and her dressing gown half tied, and him with charcoal smudges on his cheeks, and a loose paper in his hand.
‘Doc?” Keeya frowns, sensing the urgency in his aura.
“Elouan just stepped out to help Arrow. Please will you two trace him, make sure he isn’t going to the dens. Don’t make yourself known until you know it’s safe.”
“Armed?” The steel reflecting in Aarush’s dark eyes calm Perseus’ nerves.
“No.” He doesn’t need to cause trouble with the Underboss. “Just make sure Elouan is okay. No violent blood is spilled tonight at your hands.” The volatile expression on the little vampire’s face lessens only a fraction. They both nod at him and disappear into their rooms to ready themselves.
He goes back to the lounge, and continues his discussion with his friends. When he hears the front door close, the quiet click echoing in his mind like a drum, he tells Charlie and Drew what is happening.
Drew, ever the mother, is immediately righteous, demanding she send out some of her pack as scouts. Charlie just holds her hand and looks to him with that expression that so often graces his face: how can we help?
Perseus smiles at Drew and her anger, understanding how she feels. “It is okay Tanaka,” He reassures her. “I’ve got it covered. We should talk about the children.”
She growls, and he can hear the wolf in her throat. “You will let us know if you need help Perseus.”
“Yes,” Even Charlie looks adamant, unstoppable. “We will not be in the dark again. Not when it comes to our own.”
He breathes, and it has taken two centuries to get here. To this moment. “I will ask for help if the time comes.”
“The Underboss is holding them in the hotel, and bribing them with food to join her army.” Just like that they move onto the next problem. The next call for help.
“Well then,” Perseus grins, and it looks like the first signs of destruction, “i guess we’ll be paying the Queen a visit.”
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Elouan my love what are you doing????? Also: Who do you think the Queen is? *sus eyes*
Tags (if you want to be added to/taken off the tag list all my channels of communication are open):
@msdrpreist; @sparkythunderstorm; @aalikun; @crazy-stupid-bean; @queen-of-demons-and-hell; @pjo-hp-things; @nishlicious-01; @spoopylucy; @larrikin-is-a-himbo; @cyra04​; @leydiangelo​; @elecsinnerz​
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taesulies · 4 years ago
Note
Hwanghan
Prompt - Home stopped being a place when you entered my life
Hello! Thanks for the request! Here’s the link to ao3  if you wanna check it out over there! I really hope you like it anon! ;-;
(fic under the cut)
“Home stopped being a place when you entered my life.” 
Han Yeojin pauses in the middle of stacking the dry plates in the cabinet and turns around to stare at him. “What did you say?” she asks slowly, dragging out her words. He stares back as he leans against the counter, head tilting curiously at the faint blush creeping up her cheeks.  
Yeojin is the first one to break the stare, blinking in rapid succession. He watches as she brings up a hand to her face and starts fanning, her voice shaky as she lets out a small chuckle. “Have you been watching rom-coms behind my back? I know you’re on leave, but I didn’t think you’d be that bored.”   
Simok is quiet as he looks at the floor, thinking back to when he had gone out to meet someone for lunch earlier in the day. Lifting his head again to look at her, he replies, “Someone told me to tell you that…” Frowning, he glances elsewhere and avoids her gaze. “Please forget I said anything.”  
From the corner of his eye, he sees Yeojin taking a step towards him, and another, until she is standing directly in front of him. He observes her closely, wondering what she will do next, only to be completely taken by surprise when she loops her arms around his torso and rests her head on his shoulder. He sighs and relaxes in her embrace, the tension in his body seeping away as he wraps his arms around her, pulling her closer.  
“It makes me really happy to hear you say that, Simok-ah. I’m glad you think highly enough of me to say that,” she murmurs close to his ear. He smiles, relieved that he had not somehow upset their relationship in any way. After a moment, she leans back and looks him in the eye. “But… who exactly told you to say that?” 
Earlier  
Simok arrives at the restaurant he was asked to come to. He bows politely at the waitress as he enters, and immediately finds the person he is supposed to meet seated in the middle of the venue, the man’s tall figure and neat suit making him stand out amongst the other patrons. As he approaches the table the man is seated at, the person pauses in the middle of his meal and looks up, smiling when he sees Simok.  
“Prosecutor Hwang! You’re here!” exclaims the man. Simok bows to his senior. 
“Prosecutor Seo.” 
Seo Dongjae lets out a laugh, though what he finds so amusing Simok does not know. “Yah, look at you! You actually look happy!”  
He stares at Prosecutor Seo blankly and nods, unsure of how to respond, as he seats himself across the table. “Yes.”  
“I guess that’s what being in love does to someone, huh? Even our Prosecutor Hwang is not immune to the effects of love!”  
Alright, Simok really does not know what the man is saying. “Why did you ask to see me?” he asks quickly, putting a stop to the speech that he senses Prosecutor Seo is about to go on. When a waitress comes by to take his order, he asks for the same meal the other prosecutor ordered.  
“Aish, we’re co-workers, aren’t we? Or former co-workers, I guess,” says Seo Dongjae, frowning a little. “Anyway, I just feel like catching up with you. What have you been up to, besides getting yourself a girl?”  
His eye twitches almost imperceptibly, because Han Yeojin is most definitely not just a girl, but he chooses to let that comment slide. Instead, he feels slightly uncomfortable at the fact that he is in the middle of Seoul having lunch with just Seo Dongjae and nobody else, for the purpose of something that is not work-related. A heavy feeling sits at his chest, which he determines to be regret, based on what Yeojin had told him once a while ago. He regrets coming here.  
“Work in Wonju has been busy,” explains Simok briefly. After a moment of neither one saying anything, Prosecutor Seo sighs. 
“Really? That’s it? What about Senior Inspector Han then? What do you guys usually do together? Come on Hwang Simok, I want details!”  
“I don’t think it’s any of your business,” says Simok quietly, though one look at his fellow prosecutor shows that the man really does not care. After all, would it be Seo Dongjae if he is actually concerned about butting into other people’s business?  
“You know, I never imagined I’d live to see the day you date –“ 
“We go to the park on Saturdays.”  
“Oh,” responds Prosecutor Seo eloquently. He waves a hand at Simok, gesturing for him to continue. “Alright, go on.” 
Simok ponders on what else to say. Yet again he finds himself regretting coming here. “We discuss cases. Sometimes Senior Inspector Han makes us cook together…”  
“Okay, stop right there,” says Prosecutor Seo exasperatedly. “Take it from someone who’s been through it, alright? You want to woo them with declarations of love and romantic words! Honestly, from the way you’re speaking, it’s like you’re not even interested.” 
“That’s not true,” insists Simok firmly, his face hardening almost immediately, finding himself disturbed by what Seo Dongjae said, if the churning in his stomach is any indication. At this point, Simok wonders if he should just stop entertaining his colleague and leave the restaurant entirely.  
“Okay, okay. Well, that’s obviously not true, right?” The man laughs awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. “But still, you’re gonna want to woo her, Prosecutor Hwang. Maybe she’s used to, well, you, but you need to go above and beyond if you want this to keep.”  
Deciding to humor him one last time, Simok asks, “What should I do, then?”  
Seo Dongjae leans forward, the corners of his lips pulling to form a wide smile, almost Cheshire cat-like. “Okay, so you should be telling her things like ‘you look really beautiful today’, but that’s pretty basic, right? No, I think you should say ‘now that we’re together, I cannot imagine my life any other way’. I bet you if you say that, you’ll get married within the week.” 
Simok blinks. Then blinks again. He wonders if his ears have somehow stopped functioning the way they are supposed to, because he does not think that he heard the man right.  
“Oh, I have another good one. Tell her, ‘home stopped being a place when you entered my life.’ That will work, I guarantee –“ 
“No.” It is already the last straw for Simok. If he has to hear one more cheesy pick-up line, he will throw something. Preferably, Seo Dongjae. Taking out his wallet from the pocket of his jacket, he pulls out ten thousand won and places the banknote on the table. “Thank you for the lunch, Prosecutor Seo, but I have to go back to the office now.” With that, he simply gets up from his chair and bows slightly to the man before turning around to leave. 
“I – Wha - Wait, Hwang Simok, you can’t just leave! I’m not finished!” 
He nods serenely at the same waitress from earlier as he leaves, steadily ignoring the indignant yells directed at him. Stepping outside, he lets out a sigh of relief, feeling like a weight had just been lifted off of his shoulders. Making his way back to his car, a smile slowly forms, unbidden, on his face, the thought of spending time in the company of one Han Yeojin filling him with a warm, pleasant feeling that he has come to associate with her. The smile disappears, however, when his stomach grumbles, displeased that he left before his food had even arrived. 
In the restaurant, Seo Dongjae narrows his eyes at the ten thousand won laid neatly across the table that was left to him by his junior. He feels the first signs of a headache forming on his head and proceeds to massage the middle of his forehead, sighing out loud. “That prick is still as insufferable as ever. I don’t know why I even bothered. And what was that about going to the office? He’s wearing a sweater and jeans! Did he forget how to lie or what?”  
Just then, a thought occurs to him. “Wait, what if… no, there’s absolutely no way that he’ll actually say some of the crap I told him to, right?” 
Now  
“You’re telling me you took dating advice from Seo Dongjae?” questions Yeojin incredulously. 
“Yes.” 
“I… I don’t know what to say. Tell me you didn’t even want to say it. Please.” 
“Not initially, no,” confirms Simok. He meets her eyes, the look in his own eyes unreadable. “But I thought about it, and I don’t think it is a false statement. Perhaps Prosecutor Seo should be given some credit. Home truly did stop being a place when you entered my life.”  
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bottlesandcats · 4 years ago
Text
Pardon My 15x20 Rant
I woke up this morning with Thoughts, so time for a ranty post. Be prepared this is going to read more like word vomit than anything, but I just wanted to get my thoughts down on paper. No one may even read this bc I don’t have a lot of followers but it feels good to just get this off my chest and out into the Universe. Warning, there is a gratuitous use of caps.
So....I see so many fans on Twitter saying how beautiful and perfect that ending was and, I have to say, I’m truly bewildered by that.
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 Even if you aren’t a Destiel fan, I’m not sure how you could’ve found that ending to be remotely satisfying. See list of non Destiel-related reasons below (bc I’m trying to see this from the perspective of someone who isn’t in that part of the fandom):
1. The MOW was crap; wtf was with the Halloween masks? When have we ever seen that with vamps? The dumbest shit I’ve seen. 
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They trotted out some extra from season 1 like it’s supposed to be some fun little Easter egg. Why are we supposed to give a shit about her? I didn’t even remember her with the flashback. Who are you, again? NM, I DON’T CARE. It also honestly made no sense to feature a MOW episode after everything that just happened, it wasn’t necessary. It was clearly just a means to an end to get Dean killed.
2. They shoved some random family, for Sam, into the last ten minutes of the episode. Sam’s kid is named Dean? OF COURSE HE IS. And that whole father-son montage was so clunky and awkward, I would’ve been more convinced if you told me Sam actually just wandered into some anonymous woman’s backyard and started playing ball with her kid. 
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We’ve seen how emotionally invested Sam gets in his relationships and we’ve had such beautiful moments: Sam/Jess, Sam/Madison, (even Sam/Ruby), and of course Sam/Eileen. And now we are supposed to care about Anonymous Brunette Woman #4? GTFO. I’ve seen some people saying they couldn’t get Shoshanna bc of COVID, but give us something to indicate it was Eileen. Have Sam sign something to her from across the yard; IT’S THAT SIMPLE. But no, not one single mention of her in either 19 or 20, after Sam nearly broke when he lost her in 18.
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 I couldn’t even feel happy for him bc I had 0 emotional investment in this life of his. And it was all just rushed through so we could get to the “good part” where Sam dies and is reunited with Dean in Heaven. 
Also small note, what happened to Dean’s dog???
3. The wardrobe department really needs to reconsider some of their life choices. I’ve seen tufts of cat hair in the corners of my house that would’ve made a better wig than that rag they threw on Jared’s head. It was so ridiculous, I started thinking this was going to wind up being some big gag like The Mystery Spot” and The Trickster was going to pop out. 
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And why did Jim Beaver’s beard look like they spray-painted cotton balls brown and glued them to his face? It was honestly distracting. 
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4. After 15 years, and FINALLY achieving freedom and happiness, Dean gets taken down by a rebar and a Vamp-mime. The only way I could justify this to myself was that, now that they are no longer God’s puppets he’s not bending the rules for them and they don’t have that death-defying luck on their side now. But even that is weak. After all his fighting, sacrificing, and wanting nothing more than to chill on a beach with Sam and Cas, this is what he gets. This was a show about defying destiny, THAT WAS THE WHOLE PLOT OF S15.
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 Dean always said he figured it was his destiny to die bloody, and that’s exactly why he shouldn’t have gone out this way. STORY ARC, WHAT’S THAT? Cas told Dean, when he first met him, that good things do happen. So basically, the only way Dean could get his happiness was to die? What a heart-warming message. 
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5. Dean’s lack of emotion over the loss of Cas was the most OOC I think I’ve ever seen from him. Dean DOES NOT accept the deaths of those he loves in any way. He does not cope, he does not move on, he does not happily eat a bunch of pie. We’ve seen how Dean has handled Cas’s death in the past. It’s...not good, and it only became more unhealthy as the show progressed, with the last time (before 18) having Dean literally killing himself. Even in 15x19, we still got that desperate heartache from him with Dean demanding that Chuck bring Cas back. We also saw him sleeping amongst a pile of empty liquor bottles, which is very on-character for him. But in 15x20, he’s the one telling Sam they need to move on and keep living (oops) over a giant tray of pie slices at a county fair. Even Sam feels off. One minute he’s all “I’m sad about Cas and Jack” and the next he’s putting a pie in Dean’s face and is like “I feel better now!” You’ve got a direct in with God!Jack now, and we know from 15x19 that God can pull beings out of The Empty bc he did it with Lucifer! THAT WAS YOUR IN, YOU IDIOTS. You ask Chuck to bring back Cas, but not the one to whom he was a father to????????? 
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6. Even if you weren’t a Destiel shipper, you should still be disappointed in the noticeable absence of Castiel, especially since he was left with such a cliffhanger of character development and was mentioned multiple times in episodes 19 and 20. He was a pivotal part of the show for 11 years. Even if you take out the Destiel stuff, the boys have called him their brother numerous times. Dean’s call him his best friend. Wouldn’t his ideal Heaven have his best friend in it?
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7. I’m not going to rail on the scene between the brothers while Dean is dying. I didn’t really get Wincest vibes from it, though I never put much stock into that side of the fandom anyway. My one issue is this was the “love confession” moment they gave us. Dean dying in a barn and telling Sam he loves his baby brother. *SNORE*
8. The big reunion moment we were hoping for? They wasted it on Dean’s car. A FUCKING CAR. Yes, I get the Impala is important to the story, but come the fuck on. NO CHICK FLICK MOMENTS. MUCH BRO. 
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All-in-all the whole ending felt like 1 step forward, and 15 years back. After all the character development and story arcs, it’s like they just threw it all out the window. Nothing changed. Everyone was back to where they started: Cas working for God, Dean being a good soldier and dying bloody doing the only thing he knows how to do, Sam being left to pick up the pieces with some distorted version of an apple pie life where he was basically just living to die so he could be with Dean again. I felt like the lesson was that the only way you get what you want is to die. It was gross. It was a disservice to the actors, the characters, and the fans. I can’t begin to even see this as fan-service bc I’d love to know who the TPTB thought they were serving with this garbage. And honestly, I don’t think they knew either. I feel like they were so worried about pissing off all the different subsets of the fandom that they went as safe as they could. *slow claps* Way to go, guys, really groundbreaking stuff.
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At the end of the day though, it’s my fault for being disappointed. I shouldn’t have expected so much of a show that had mostly cis white men working behind the scenes. A show that’s killed almost every female character who stepped up to the plate (also, POC anyone? Nahhh). A show that took their one real LGBTQ character (also female), killed her and left her body in a bathtub (FRIDGING IS FUN) for absolutely no good reason. A show that, at the end of the day, is just a show about a couple bros who kill monsters, on the CW, and the CW is hardly the go-to place for real boundary-pushing content. A show that has managed to drop the ball at almost every opportunity though we, as a fandom, have continued to lower the bar for them.
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me 100 times? 
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So with all that being said...
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Peace out bitches.
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celsidebottom · 5 years ago
Text
Some of my favorite lines from RQGG today (minus the bits where they read things in character because there are already so many)
“The banana forests of Scandinavia”
“Baby Empty.  YEET”
“#DropTheChild”
“Alexander Jail Newall”
“Tell me of the ghost rotor”
“We still got to use the ruler and that’s valuable in and of itself”
“The secret is the fourth dimension”
“The subgame of removing the bodies”
“Oh look!  Jonny’s named someone Michael!”
“When I give you guys power… boy do you go ham”
“HE’S A BAD COW”
“Sean Bean is an ancient being”
“Helen’s being filthy!!!”
“What’s a lead in line for Sean Bean?  Oh, bastard.”
“The cow has replaced everything”
“It’s really simple: Sean Bean is older than time itself.  He’s also fifteen people.  You are one fifteenth of Sean Bean. “
“Spies are inherently sexy”
“Convene the beans!”  “Bean con!”  “By all means, convene the beans!”  “The scene of beans has been seen”
“All aboard the tea trolley”
“Let’s round up some children”
“On stream, we’re family friendly so no families are dead”
“Three strong, northern, craggy dads”
“Immersed amongst the present spikes”
“I’ve got lots of money under my clothes”
“If there’s one thing I like more than money, it’s naked poor people”
“Come with me into the sexatorium”
“Our sexatoriums are drastically underfunded”
“The coolant pigs”
“My cat believes I am so incompetent that he brought me a marinated pork loin with a bit of cheese on top”
“I’m ready to Santa… the proper way”
“There are Macedonian… cosplayers…”  “Not in Sheffield!”
“For the sake of time, I’m just going to say you failed”
“Visit the north!  We’ve got above average schools!  Do you like cities?  We’ve got a few!”
“Imagine a three piece hazmat suit”
“It’s neck o’clock! Ding ding ding!  Everybody get some neck!”
“I love standing on dogs! Boo me some more!”
“Are you guys up for some mounting?”
“He starts and possibly never ends”
“Too much mounting. Not good for the health.”
“We got some Canadians here? Has Michael Buble come out of hibernation yet?”
“I would wash you like a mummy cat”
“I’ve taken up an extreme sport, say, sky punching”
“We do not speak of the bolo tie.  It is America’s greatest shame”
“I would make you a delicious deodorant pie and kill two birds with one stone.  And maybe you!”
“That I want to lick your armpit during sex is a bad thing?”
“I like stabbing people. Who would you stab, and why?”
“Cars Movie 5: Weird Sex Car”
“No third party lubricant for this guy!”
“You can’t get a good crumb on a child”
“That cacophony is the screams of our fans”  “Aww, that’s so personal!”
“I never took any anatomy classes.  I hear that was good call”
“CORN SMUT”
“Interwstong”
“What’s the difference between most people and dragons?  They don’t fireball themselves”
“Bryn looks like a cross between seventeen corgis and a whole ass dragon” vs “Bryn looks like a cross between a welsh cake and a tomato”
“My family is like Tim: just tremendous” vs “My family is like Tim: Insufferable and omnipresent”
“That cow looks scared of something.”  “It’s probably the knives”
“‘I’m Tim Meredith, I’m a high brow comic!’”
“I like my sex like I like my hummus: with peppers!”
“I came up here in good faith!”  “That was your first mistake.”
“You have to be Boris Johnson forever.”  “That’s the worst fate ever!”
“Zolf can swear! Struck by fucking lightning!”
“If I’m not directly talking I’m not interested”
“He’s a prospector with glorious thighs.  She’s an actual snake.  Haunches and the Snake.  Coming to CBS this fall to be immediately cancelled.”
“Haunches is a good character, you shouldn’t have given him to me.”  “You gave me a beer, it’s fine.”
“Fuck!  Piss!  Shit! They’re all on the table!  Oh no”
“Regular bits Tim”
“You keep your beautiful, chiseled face out of what we have”
“Where the fuck is the pickle?”
“You’re a half pint of horse shit.  You know that?  I take it back.  Full pint.”
“It’s a game about playing cards and trying not to make an erotic atmosphere, Tim.”
“You draw one and then you play?”  “You draw one and then you play.”
“It wasn’t a joke I just like the tiny island”
“It’s pickles all the way down”
“Lovecraft can take it, he’s dead.  Good.”
“I need the wet”
“When’s the last time you pitched a bail of hay, you fraud?”
“I think the last vaguely country thing I did… was carry a load of dead birds”
“Jane Prentiss?  Super good character.”  “I gave those worms a home!”  “And I have the world something to do!”
“This game is a thicc boi”
“This game is a chonky, chonky boi”
“I explained that I work with a podcasting company and she walked away very quickly, so, waitress at Nando’s, thank you for that”
“[A relationship is] not a competition, it’s a fight to the death”
“These are the traits I don’t want Alex to have”  “Insomnia went in the pile, that’s interesting”
“You’re a young ish man”  “That was a very big ‘ish’ and a very quiet ‘young’”
“Marriage is a lot like poker”
“‘I’m over my head in deadlines.’  And then I have a PTSD flashback to my actual life.”
“Aren’t relationships just sexy networking?”
“You ask a man if you can hold his baubles once…”
“Mike is now crowd surfing naked… Unfortunately, the cameras can only pan so wide… I think that’s his hand waving…”
“I’m not used to having emotions, I don’t know what to do with them.”
“Those wholesome bastards are gone now!”
“Asking for a friend.”  “You don’t have friends, Tim”
“I’m going to shuffle slow just to piss off Mike.  It’s just because I’m drunk… I am not abusing the alcohol!  We are in a consensual relationship!”
“A safe play by a safe man.”  “Saucy”
“Deal me in, motherhuggers”
“He knows how to play! That’s cheating!”
“What are we playing?”  “Doesn’t matter.”
“I got dukes coming out the butt!”
“Got dummy thicc stacks”  “Forgive me for being anti-meme but I’m going to take from your stacks… they’re thicc with one c.”
“I don’t trust you.”  “Why do you keep casting me as people who kill people?”  “Because I don’t trust you! What about this doesn’t check out?”
“I’m going to coup Alex because I don’t like having a job”
“Other gods, deities, and belief systems are available.”
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