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tip-top-cloud-surfer · 1 year

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Stay Away from the Altar - Hangman

Pairing: Jake "Hangman" Seresin / Wife!Reader; Seresin Daughter!OC (Rose) / Bradshaw Son!OC (Nick)

Word Count: 4.4k

This work, all my works, and my entire blog are 18+ Only.

Warnings: (Over)protective Dad!Hangman; Angst; Fighting; Rebellious Teenagers; Tense Father-Daughter Relationship; Teenagers Dating; Crying; References to Threats; References to Previous or Hypothetical Pregnancy Scares

Summary: Jake isn't ready to accept that his daughter is growing up. And he's definitely not ready to accept that his daughter seems to have fallen for Rooster's spawn.

A.N. You could read this as a sequel to my Left at the Altar series, since I used the name that I gave Hangman and Reader's daughter in that fic for this fic. But it's not 1000% necessary to read the series to understand this story.

And I meant to post this as part of Father’s Day, but let’s just ignore the fact that it’s a day late.

Master List

Admiral Jake “Hangman” Seresin was a very accomplished man. He was the youngest man to reach the admiralty since Tom “Iceman” Kazansky and was currently the Air Boss of NAS Miramar. He had his beautiful wife and absolute love of his life still by his side with their twenty-year marriage anniversary just around the corner. And three beautiful children to brag about to the world.

Everything was going near perfectly in Jake Seresin’s life. And then his eldest daughter Rose suddenly snapped from his little princess and into a defiant teenager about to flee to a college on the other side of the country. And sure, Rose had mentioned going across the country for college before, but Jake was more than a little suspicious.

Why, you may ask? Because Washington DC was awfully close to Annapolis, Maryland. The Naval Academy. The Naval Academy that one little fucker was attending next year.

Nicholas Peter Bradshaw.

Rooster’s spawn was messing with Rose’s head and Jake was not going to stand for it.

Jake didn’t always have suspicions about Nick. He was a decently good kid. For Rooster’s kid, anyways. He was somewhat smart—not as smart as Rose, but he wasn’t dumb as rocks—and he didn’t cause too much trouble. And because of the handful of months between Nick and Rose, they were practically raised side-by-side, which was great until they hit their teenage years.

Because then Nick started to linger.

Spending so much time around Rose. Going to all of her games and all of her events, even if he had his own to worry about. Coming over to ‘study’ and to do ‘homework’ together frequently. Offering to give Rose and her siblings rides to school events or the beach. Always offering to help her and Jake’s wife too with anything to try and impress them.

Yeah, Jake had seen that game played before. He had played it himself back in the day. Successfully. Very successfully. He had the wedding ring, three full wedding albums, three kids, and nineteen and a half years of marriage to prove it. He knew all of the steps and all of the tricks to successfully convince a woman outside of his league to fall in love with him.

And, so, when Nick offered to take Rose for a ‘scenic’ drive in the Bronco, Jake put his foot down.

“What do you mean I can’t go?” Rose complained, glaring up at her dad. “It’s summer!”

“Exactly, so why don’t you go spend some time with your siblings? Or your other friends? Before you go all the way to the East Coast!”

“My other friends that just happen to be girls?” Rose emphasized, a scowl twinging at her lips.

“Yes,” Jake replied, causing Rose’s scowl to deepen.

“Why are you being so weird? Nick has driven me around all over the place!”

“You’re not going for a ride in that stupid bucket of bolts with him, Rose. And that’s final.”

“What is going on now?” Jake’s wife called tiredly, walking into the room.

“Dad won’t let me go for a drive with Nick,” Rose quickly explained, walking over to her mom.

“In the Bronco,” Jake emphasized, causing his wife to sigh.

Rubbing her face tiredly, Jake’s wife picked her head up and glanced between her eldest daughter and her husband. She knew exactly what Jake was concerned about, particularly with his emphasis on the Bronco. Taking a moment to come to a decision, Jake’s wife turned to Rose.

“You can go out with Nick in the Bronco, but be back by dark, okay?”

“But—” Jake started to protest.

“—Thanks, Mom!”

Rose hurried up to her room to change and to probably text Nick to come and pick her up while Jake stared at his wife with clear betrayal. In response, his wife shot him a knowing look and folded her arms over her chest.

“Jake, you’re overreacting,” his wife stated, causing Jake to gape at her.

“Do you want our daughter running around in the Bronco?” Jake hissed quietly, walking over to his wife. “Do you know what could happen to her there?”

“I’m sure that they’ll wear their seatbelts, Jake.”

“Babe, do you remember what we did when I took you for a ride in my truck? A nice slow ride on a summer night?” Jake asked, causing his wife to sigh again.

“Jake, they’re just friends.”

“That’s what we told your parents. Six months later, we were going at it like rabbits naked as the days we were born in the back of my pickup truck!”

“Jacob! For the love of—”

“—Why can’t you see that we’re losing her?” Jake interjected, causing his wife to pause for a moment.

The annoyed expression on her face dropped and she instead simply stared at her husband with a softer expression. Taking a step towards her husband. Rubbing his arm supportively, Jake’s wife reached out and grabbed his hand to give it a squeeze.

“We’re not losing her, Jake.”

“We are losing her,” Jake insisted, his voice coming out small. “She’s moving so far away in only a couple of months and she’ll barely have time to come home. She’s spent most of the last two years barely home between all of her activities and her friends. And I’m so proud of her, but she’s . . .”

“Growing up?” Jake’s wife suggested with a small smile. “Jake, she’s eighteen now. She’s not a little baby anymore.” Cupping Jake’s cheek with her hand, Jake’s wife offered him a small supportive smile. "She’s growing into her own person. And she’s your daughter so she’s stubborn as hell and won’t listen to anyone else while she does it. Least of all us.”

“But she’s going so far.”

“You’re in DC every other month,” Jake’s wife pointed out, rubbing his back. “And she has a phone. She’ll call us. She’s not leaving and never comin back, Jake.”

“She might if he gets involved,” Jake muttered under his breath, causing Jake’s wife to shoot him a look.

“Jake, they’re just friends. And even if they’re not, he’s a perfectly nice boy.”

“But, a Bradshaw? Really? She can do better than that.”

“I’m sure that Rooster would say the same if the situation was reversed,” Jake’s wife replied, shaking her head lightly. “But do not push Rose away by trying to come between her and Nick. The more that you make it seem like she’s rebelling, the more that she’s going to want to do it.”

“But I know exactly what the little twerp has planned!” Jake insisted, causing his wife to sigh.

“First of all, that little twerp is now taller than you. Second of all, Rose is a smart girl with a good head on her shoulders. She can take care of herself. Especially after all of those years of self-defense classes that you put her in.”

“She could kick his ass in three seconds,” Jake agreed, causing his wife to laugh.

“So, stop worrying about him. Just focus on spending time with your daughter, Jake. Okay?”

Pressing a soft kiss to Jake’s lips, she gave his hand a squeeze before walking off to continue on with her day. Jake stood there for a moment, thinking over his wife’s words, before the doorbell rang. Hearing Rose upstairs start to hurry, Jake quickly made his way to the door.

Nicholas Peter Bradshaw seemed a little surprised to see Jake standing at the door and subconsciously straightened up a bit more. Jake’s wife wasn’t lying—Nick was taller than Jake by a few inches, but he was like a little puppy in Jake’s eyes. And not just because Nick always wore a stupid lovesick smile on his face whenever Rose was around.

“Hey, Uncle Hangman,” Nick greeted him politely, nodding to him.

“You should get in the habit of calling me Admiral Seresin, Cadet,” Jake replied calmly, causing Nick to subtly wince a bit.

“Yes, sir.”

Jake nodded curtly as Rose hurried down the stairs, dressed for the San Diego heat. Letting out a light growl, Rose darted around her dad, grabbed Nick by the arm, and started pulling him towards the Bronco that was parked in the driveway.

“Goodbye!” Rose called over her shoulder.

“Be careful!” Jake called after them. “And think before you do anything!”

“Goodbye!” Rose emphasized back at her dad.

~~~~~

After the Bronco ride, Jake was still on alert when it came to Nick Bradshaw. His wife told him to calm down each and every time, warning him that he was going to give Rose a ‘complex’ if he kept trying to police her life like that, but Jake could just feel it in his bones that he should not trust Nick Bradshaw around his eldest daughter.

And because his instincts were second to none, he was proven right.

Jake was just starting to drift off to sleep with his wife happily tucked into his side. It was a warm night in Miramar and the air conditioner was running full blast. The white noise helped to lull his wife to sleep but Jake had always been a light sleeper, so it took more for him to fall asleep. Jake rested his head on top of his wife’s when he swore that he heard a noise from outside.

Jake picked his head up with his eyes cracked open, suspicious. He was always on alert. His wife often told him that he took the role of protecter a bit too seriously, but Jake couldn’t give in even a little bit with that. For his own conscience.

Getting up from bed, careful to not wake his wife, Jake padded down the hall. Passing by his younger children’s rooms, Jake kept his ear tuned to try and hear the sound. He peeked out the window, trying to spot any sort of indication about what could have made the noise. Like the neighbor’s stupid dog. And when he heard the subtle squeak again, Jake’s eyes narrowed.

~~~~~

Rose Seresin, meanwhile, was trying to open her window. She tried greasing the sides of it during the day, but it still made that stupid squeak occasionally. Holding her breath and hoping that her dad, who she knew was a light sleeper, didn’t hear her, Rose opened the window and looked down to see Nick waiting for her below.

He smiled up at her and waved, causing Rose’s heart to flutter in her chest. It wasn’t exactly planned for her to fall in love with her childhood best friend. But, as her mom told her, sometimes the heart just wants what it wants. And hers wanted Nick Peter Bradshaw.

Blowing him a quick kiss, Rose grinned and slid one leg out of her window. Planting her sneaker clad foot on the roof, Rose carefully slipped out of her window and lowered it a bit more, just in case her parents check in on her during the next few hours. Climbing down the side, Rose prepared to kick off and drop onto the soft mulch below when a chill went down her spine.

“Rose Leslie Seresin, what do you think you’re doing?”

Startled, Rose’s grip on the ledge slipped and she fell a bit. And Nick, also startled and close to shitting his pants, tried to catch her, but he ended up just acting as padding for Rose’s fall. Jake, still dressed in his pajamas, hurried over to help his daughter.

“Are you alright?” Jake called, pulling Rose to her feet and leaving Nick on the ground. “Are you hurt?”

“No,” Rose sighed, brushing dirt off of her.

“Then why were you jumping out of your window?” Jake hissed, pointing up at the window to her bedroom. “In the middle of the night?”

Rose, who, all thing’s considered, was a bit of a golden child, froze in place, not really sure what to say. The evidence was right there, after all. And nothing that she could come up with would somehow make all of that go away.

“That’s what I thought,” Jake practically growled, before turning to look down at Nick. “What are you doing here, Cadet?”

“His name is Nick,” Rose stated, coming to Nick’s defense.

“And your ass is grounded,” Jake snapped back, causing Rose to shrink into herself. “I cannot believe that you would be so irresponsible, Rose! Running around with him in the middle of the night! Climbing out of your window! What the hell do you think that you were doing!?”

“Why the hell are you . . .” Jake’s wife called, stepping outside, before she spotted the situation at hand. Sighing, she took a deep breath before walking down to the scene. “Come inside. You’re going to wake up the neighbors.”

Once they were all inside, Jake’s wife told him to take a breath and to go and call Rooster to pick his son up. Rose sat on the couch, curled up on herself, looking like she wanted to burst into tears. Nick sat on the opposite side of the room, staring over at Rose, but unable to reach out to comfort her because then Jake might really bite his head off.

“Your parents will be here in ten minutes,” Jake grunted to Nick, who winced, before turning to Rose. “Do you have any explanation for this, young lady?”

“Jake,” Jake’s wife called to him softly, not wanting to see her daughter burst out into tears. “Give her a second to collect herself.”

Though he already had about a two-hour scold on the tip of his tongue, Jake bit it back. Mostly because he didn’t want to see his daughter burst out into tears either, even if he was livid about what he just saw outside.

He knew that he shouldn’t have trusted Nick Bradshaw.

Rooster and his wife showed up promptly, looking a bit concerned and harried. Rooster’s wife was completely embarrassed and practically grabbed Nick by the ear to drag him out of the Seresin household. With a quick apology to Jake and his wife, Rooster’s wife pulled her son outside and to the family car, leaving Rooster to drive the Bronco home.

But Rooster just had a few words to share with Hangman before he took his own leave.

“Go easy on her,” Rooster stated, causing Jake to scowl at him.

“As if I’ll take any sort of parenting advice from you, Rooster, after what your son just did.”

“Right, because you were a saint when you were a teenager. Never sneaking out or sneaking your now wife out in the middle of the night, right?” Rooster asked dryly, causing Hangman to narrow his eyes. “They’re eighteen, but they’re still kids. They make mistakes and they deserve a chance to learn from them. Don’t let your own fears fuck with her head. Cause it’ll take decades to undo that.”

Jake simply clenched his jaw in response, so Rooster saw himself out. Glaring down at the floor for a moment, Jake turned to see Rose burst off the couch and run upstairs to her room again. Jake’s wife walked behind her, trying to calm her down, but Rose kept going until she reached her room. Jake’s wife shot him a concerned look before hurrying up the stairs after her.

Jake stood where he was, hearing his wife lightly knock on the door and walk into Rose’s bedroom. Jake walked upstairs slowly after a few moments and quietly padded down the hall to Rose’s room. But he could hear his daughter crying before he even reached her door.

“Honey, it’s going to be alright,” Jake’s wife told her daughter, trying to comfort Rose.

“No, it’s not! Nick’s never going to want to see me again after this!”

“Rose, he probably wants to see your right now,” Jake’s wife assured Rose, probably squeezing her into her side.

“And Dad probably hates me!” Rose cried, causing Jake’s heart to shatter in his chest.

“Your father will never hate you, Rose,” Jake’s wife stated firmly, not giving her daughter a moment to doubt herself. “He’s just upset.”

“You didn’t see him, Mom. He hates me! And Nick’s probably going to break up with me now and . . .” Rose trailed off with just a couple of cries and gasps for air.

Lowering his head, Jake walked away from the door and back to his own bedroom.

~~~~~

A week had passed and Rose was completely avoiding Jake. If he walked into the room, she quickly left it or didn’t make eye contact. She spent most of the day up in her room, serving out the grounding that Jake and his wife agreed upon for sneaking out through her window. He wasn’t sure if she was in contact with Nick at all, but either way, he felt like he couldn’t ask.

And with only two weeks left until Rose headed out to the East Coast for college, Jake knew that he had to try make sure that his relationship with his daughter was salvaged before she left and probably never looked or came back.

Walking upstairs, Jake headed down the hall and knocked on the door to Rose’s room. She opened it a few moments later and her features instantly sunk a bit when she noticed it was him standing there. Lowering her head, Rose hid a bit more behind the door.

“What is it?”

“Let’s go for a drive.”

“Dad, I just—”

“—Please?” Jake interjected, causing Rose to glance up at him.

Ten minutes later, they were driving down the road, just the two of them, in Jake’s truck that they used for their beach days and family road trips. Rose was silent in the passenger seat, her gaze focused out the window and her entire body curled away from him. But Jake remained patient and focused on the road in front of him.

Pulling into the old diner that he used to take all of his kids to when they were small and his wife was either working or taking some ‘me’ time, Jake glanced over to catch Rose’s reaction. She frowned a bit and turned to look at him for the first time during their drive.

“Why are we here?”

“Well, it’s lunch time, isn’t it?”

They got out of the truck, with Rose being a bit reluctant, and headed inside the diner. They were quickly seated in a booth and Rose used the menu to put a barrier between her and her dad. Jake remained patient and smiled at the older waitress as she walked over to take their orders. Jake and Rose gave their orders before being left on their own.

“Did you get everything that you need before you go?” Jake asked Rose softly, who shrugged her shoulders in response.

“Most of it. We’ll just pick it up when we get there. That’s what Mom said to do.”

“Are you packed then?”

“Somewhat,” Rose replied, keeping her voice quiet.

“Are you excited?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

Jake folded his arms underneath him and let out a sigh when Rose kept her responses short and her gaze lowered and away from his own. She fiddled with the paper wrap holding the utensils together, doing anything to fill the time and avoid having to talk to him.

“Rosie? Can you look at me?”

Rose glanced up at her dad, sinking a bit in her seat. Jake straightened up a bit, his expression serious and concerned, but his voice remained low and calm.

“I don’t hate you, Rosie. I could never hate you. You’re my daughter. My baby girl. And no matter what you do, I’ll never hate you, okay?”

“I know,” she replied quietly.

“Why didn’t you tell me and your mom about Nick?” Jake asked softly and not accusatorily.

“Because I knew that you would freak out,” Rose explained quietly. “And I really like him, so I didn’t want to scare him away or mess anything up between our families.”

“And he treats you well? Makes you happy?”

“Yeah,” Rose stated, nodding confidently. “He does.”

“Did he ever make you feel uncomfortable? Or pressure you into doing something that you didn’t want to do but he did?”

“No. The whole window situation was my idea,” Rose replied, causing Jake to sigh.

“About that—”

“—Dad, I don’t want to talk about it,” Rose interjected, lowering her head again.

“Rosie,” Jake began, though she kept her gaze away from him, “I know that you really like Nick. But I don’t want you to . . . build your life around him. You’re only eighteen. You have your whole life in front of you. Both of you do.”

“I know. I’m not saying that we’re getting married,” Rose insisted, picking her head up a bit defensively.

“And that makes me very happy to hear,” Jake replied, causing Rose to sigh. “But I just don’t want you to get into a situation that you’ll regret down the line. I did a lot of stupid stuff when I was your age and I was lucky that in the end everything worked its way out.”

“I know. Grandma told me,” Rose stated, causing Jake to wince.

“All of it?”

“Just the bit about Grandpa threatening to shoot you when they thought you knocked up Mom,” Rose explained, reaching for her drink.

“Yeah, I remember that conversation,” Jake sighed, rubbing his face. “And I don’t want you to ever be put in that position, Rosie.”

“Dad, I’m not stupid.”

“Are you calling your mom and I stupid then?” Jake countered, causing Rose to press her lips together.

“I’m not going to answer because I don’t want to be grounded again.”

“Good choice,” Jake stated, sitting up a bit straighter. “The point is, I remember what it was like to be a teenager and everything that goes along with it. And I made a lot of mistakes with your mom back then and even later and I wanted to protect you from all of that. But,” Jake emphasized, causing Rose to raise an eyebrow, “you’re going off to college soon and I need to accept that you’re growing up.”

“I’ve been growing up for a while, Dad,” Rose replied softly, shifting in her seat.

“I know, but I was in denial because it’s scary how fast you grew up. And you’ve accomplished more than I ever thought possible,” Jake continued, causing Rose to nod slowly. “Hell, you’re ten times better off than I was at your age and you get most of it from your mom, that’s for sure, and I’m so proud of you and I know that you’ll do even better at college and . . .”

Jake trailed off for a moment, taken back to a different day, about fourteen years ago, when Rose sat across from him at a booth in this dinner. She was missing about three teeth in her smile and her hair was pulled back away from her face. And she had a ketchup stain in her dress afterwards that his wife was not happy about, but made Rose giggle when he was getting scolded about it.

“Dad?” Rose called, bringing Jake back to the present.

Blinking a bit rapidly, Jake stared over at his daughter, who seemingly grew into a young woman overnight. She wasn’t a baby anymore. She didn’t need him or her mom like she needed them before. And she was ready to spread her wings and fly high, like they always knew she could.

“I don’t love the idea of you dating . . . but if Nick treats you right . . .”

“He does.”

“And he makes you happy . . .” Jake continued.

“He does,” Rose repeated, nodding curtly.

“Then you don’t have to hide your relationship from us anymore.” Rose noticeably perked up, but Jake was quick to add his paternal disclaimer. “But that doesn’t mean you two get to just do whatever you want. No excessive PDA and don’t ever think about climbing out of your window like that again. You’ll break your neck and then I’ll break him for not catching you.”

“Dad.”

“And if he gets you into any of the situations that your grandmother described to you about me and your mom back in the day—”

“—We won’t!”

“But if you do, I’m still an admiral. And if Nick wants to stay in the Navy, he better understand that I’m not afraid to call in some favors to serve him the consequences of his actions.”

“You mean Uncle Coyote?”

“I’ll call in a lot of favors,” Jake vowed, tapping his finger on the table threateningly, though Rose cracked a small smile in return.

~~~~~

The old Dagger Squad members who lived out and around southern California gathered during the last few days of summer to wish Nick and Rose good luck before they both headed out to the East Coast to start the next chapters of their young lives. Separate chapters or at the very least adjacent chapters in Jake’s mind.

Jake glanced over at where Rose and Nick were playing cornhole with a couple of the other Dagger kids when he felt arms wrap around his waist. His wife pressed a kiss to his back, between his shoulder blades, and rested her head against him.

“You made it right?”

“Mostly,” Jake replied, causing his wife to smile.

“I knew that you could,” Jake’s wife returned, walking around to his front.

“I still don’t like it. Or him,” Jake insisted as his wife cupped his cheek.

“But?” Jake’s wife suggested, rubbing his cheek with her thumb.

Jake sighed, turning away from his wife for a moment, before reluctantly turning back to face her. She arched her brow, like she knew exactly what he was going to say in response.

“But he makes her . . . somewhat happy.”

“I’m surprised that you survived that sentence,” Jake’s wife replied, leaning up to press a soft kiss to his lips that Jake returned happily.

“Barely.”

Wrapping an arm around his wife, like they were the teenagers, Jake glanced over at cornhole to see Nick with his arm wrapped around Rose’s waist.

“Don’t get too comfortable over there, Cadet!”

“Dad!”

“Jake!”

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yuzukult · 2 years

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yours, but not yours 05 || csc & reader

title: yours, but not yours 05 pairing: choi seungcheol x fem!reader/oc genre: angst, fluff, eventual smut, fake dating!au, bad influence!seungcheol, nice guy syndrome!namjoon, mechanic!seungcheol wc: 8.0k summary: when a nice guy gets too overbearing, you’re stuck with the option of having a fake boyfriend. warnings: profanity a/n: ello it’s me do you remember me... anyways, hope you all enjoy!!

You never thought you’d find yourself in this position: in between Kim Yubin and Choi Seungcheol.

He stands there, outside of your bedroom door with his arms by his sides, sleeves still rolled up to his elbows from washing the dishes earlier. If you could see the enmity now, the steam whistling out of his ears would be visible. Heat radiates from his cheeks, fueled with all the things he’s been holding back since he’s learned about the Kim siblings, and he’s ready to combust.

“You’re fucking joking,” he practically spits.

“S-Seungcheol,” Yubin stutters; the palm of her hand pressing down against the cushion of your loveseat couch as she forces herself to stand straight. She swallows, throat bobbing up and down as her eyes grow wide, alcohol flushing out of her system the moment she sees Seungcheol walk out. There’s resemblance between her and a child cowering in fear at the sight of a strict parent as she holds her hands in front of herself, observing every move he takes. “You’re—You’re here,” she lets out a nervous laugh. “I…I thought nobody else was home.”

She states the obvious, and the evident expression wiped across Seungcheol’s face is enough without interrogating his feelings. Everything stills and grows silent—you could almost hear your neighbors talking to their families next door and the cars driving by on the main road from how quiet it gets.

“You… You know, I thought you looked familiar,” he begins leerily before shutting his lids with a heavy sigh that releases from his chest. Then his eyes—those chocolate colored irises are suddenly dark when they open, filled with vexation and fury when they land on Yubin. You’ve never seen him angry like this before. Disappointed, yeah, but this is a totally different side of him that he unravels. “After all the things I’ve heard about you—from your best friend, too—it makes sense. Fits together like a missing piece of the puzzle. Especially with Namjoon too, everything clicks,” his jaw tenses. “You’re Mrs. Kim’s kid. The bitch who owns the country club.”

“My mother isn’t a bitch,” Yubin says through her gritted teeth. Smoothing out her skirt with the warmth of her hands, she clears her throat and pushes the strand of hair behind her ear as if the messy rat’s nest would be resolved from the mere action. Even when he says harsh words about her own mother, she hides behind that sheer facade because she’s trying to sway him with her mellifluous tone. Was your best friend really that two-faced the entire time? “But I-I am. I see that you finally recognize me after all this time.”

“It’s a little hard to remember you without the flamboyant pink tutu and the pounds of makeup on your face. Your stylist team was just hired for the night, weren’t they?”

Mouth agape, she scoffs in disbelief.

Why does that attire sound familiar?

Then the memory comes back like a storm. It was years ago—you’d find out that Yubin’s parents were elitists. Their wealth was the explanation for her and Namjoon’s capability to afford such exorbitant things; from her red bottom heels to her Hermés Birken bag and Namjoon’s array of Aston Martins, Maybach Exeleros, and Bugattis, when she told you what her parents did for a living, it answered all your open questions. She and her family were part of a society back at home–her explanation glorified, you simply narrowed it down to her lifestyle consisting of a bunch of rich people trying to kiss each other’s asses over some golf clubs and banquets.

Although you couldn’t relate to any of Yubin’s upbringing and her current lifestyle, her personality was enough for you to stay as a friend. She was lonely; no amount of money in the world could pay for friendship that was pure and genuine so you stuck around. Yubin always said that the people who followed her around only remained because of her money, guilt and sympathy sinking in the pits of your stomach, becoming the main reason that you decided that you’d be her best friend. Everyone needs a friend–even your worst enemy.

You’d be a loyal friend to Yubin, despite all the times you desperately needed help financially and she wouldn’t even bat a lash. It wasn’t her money, so to speak, therefore asking Yubin to lend a hand was disrespectful if it meant digging into her parents’ wallets to fund for your necessities. Living in the basement of your uncle’s house, she came to visit you in the late hours of the night while knocking obnoxiously on the back door that led downstairs to your makeshift apartment. No headboard, sharing a bathroom with six other people who resided in that home, never having any privacy since the laundry room was your bedroom, having Yubin seated on the edge of your bed while dressed in head to toe designer was juxtaposing.

Honestly, at first, you were a bit taken aback from the sight of her.

Usually, she wouldn’t get dolled up like this. Her makeup was smeared, just as it was now, black mascara streaked down her cheeks that was brushed with a blush that didn’t fit her skin tone. The lipstick was a hot pink to match her dress, layers of tulle stacked atop each other that made her seem like she was a contestant for a pageant and left you wondering how something like that could include so many zeros behind the first number. She needed a new stylist – whomever hired her definitely had a personal vendetta against Yubin.

“He’s the one,” you vaguely recalled her hopelessly declaring, eyes sparkling under the shoddy lights in your room. The one bulb in the corner was flickering, and you made a mental note to yourself that you would ask your handyman neighbor if you could bum one off of him instead of noticing how blindly in love Yubin was. “He basically told me that he’d wait for me–that he never met a girl like me before. He made me feel like a princess, like I was worth something. He didn’t even care about the money! His family has enough on their own.”

And quite frankly, if you’d been paying attention, you would’ve remembered this and construed it differently. But your priority wasn’t your friend who claimed to have met her soulmate–the homework assignment due in 13 minutes–no wait, 12 minutes, was your main concern.

“Mmm, wow, that’s crazy,” you responded, and thinking back on it, you should’ve been more engaged and probed for more because now you’re paying for the consequences of your actions. It was terrible on your part because you’d been a bad friend by not listening but also missing all the red flags that she was practically waving in front of your face.

This angle of Seungcheol is peculiar; usually he’d throw a couple sordid jokes here and there then attempt to use pick up lines paired with a wink. He’s normally kind, in spite of the label fuckboy he tends to walk around with, in semblance to the ‘A’ in the Scarlet Letter. Seungcheol would wear this identity with pride, but he never failed to still remain respectful of everyone’s boundaries–even now he doesn’t change that, and that’s without the trademark.

Yet, as he stands here before Yubin, he’s like an entirely different person. He’s cold–easily mistaken for a draft, but your place was warm with the heat on blast. Your thick layer of clothes, locked windows and space heater in the middle of the apartment didn’t warrant the frosty air but that unopened invitation didn’t matter to his attitude.

Seungcheol narrows his gaze. “Not usually something a guy who’s in love with you would say, would it?”

“Seungcheol,” you call his name out sternly but he doesn’t give you an ounce of attention–a new move on his part, considering he claims to kiss the ground you walk on. “What’s going on?”

“I’m baffled,” he begins, shaking his head. “This whole time, you pretended to not know me, then you come and tell my girlfriend that I’m in love with you. What gives? Did your brother implant that in your head? Because it’s fucking seeming like the Kim siblings just love to lie to get things their way. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, does it?”

“Seungcheol,” you reiterate, hand on his protruding chest to ease him. The touch soothes him just barely, and he takes a step back. “I asked a question—what's going on?”

When he diverts his attention to you, his gaze softens. Shoulders loosening, breathing unlabored, he becomes like putty underneath your fingertips. Even though this thing between you both isn’t clear, one thing you know for sure is that you have an impact on him, whether he likes it or not. “Your friend here,” the way he labels Yubin your friend leaves a bitter taste on his tongue, “… is making shit up. I just wanna make it clear, I’un lead on chicks like her.”

“Chicks like her? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means…” he doesn’t want to flat out say it but he knows you won’t let this go without a straightforward response. It’s the old version of himself, the one he’s been so desperately trying to get you to forget and see that that isn’t who he is anymore. Seungcheol sucks in his cheeks, running his fingers through his hair frustratedly. “We met before you. My lifestyle was different then—which meant I wasn’t gon’ go chase a girl with the intention of wanting anything more than somethin’ temporary.”

The words don’t leave your mouth, but he knows what you’re thinking. “I’m not like that anymore, if that’s what’s going through your head.”

“Fine,” you step aside and look over at Yubin. “Explain yourselves. You don’t get to come into my house, drunk off your shits, and you,” pointing at Seungcheol, you click your tongue, “... you don’t get to leave without explaining her accusations. Start over, and don’t leave any details out.”

Seungcheol raises a brow at Yubin. “Should I be explainin’, or should you?”

She doesn’t respond, instead she opts for crossing her arms over her chest aggravatedly.

“I should’ve told you sooner,” Seungcheol sighs. There’s a reason why he doesn’t tell you anything about his family, and truthfully, he feels that it’s justified. Some things are enough to lure in people with impure intentions and some are enough to push them away. With you, he’s afraid of both outcomes. “My parents are a lot… more well off then I’ve led you to believe. My father owns a tech company and my mom owns her own fashion company,” and when he says the name of the brand, you can’t even hide when your hand covers your mouth in shock. “... And, I’m pretty sure you know that Yubin’s family associates with those in that tax bracket. So, of course, my mom wants to leave quite an impression on those in that… community,” Seungcheol says through his gritted teeth, the concept bitter in his mouth, “hence the constant tea parties, gatherings, fundraisers and galas. I can’t say that I share the same concerns as my parents, but… that’s my mom. So I attend them for her, despite the fact that I don’t really care about what they say about me–I care about how they view her.”

You roll your lips. “And how do they see her?”

“The woman with two sons who seem to let their dick speak instead of their heads.”

And… that’s where it hits.

This reputation he created for himself that began early in his youth precedes him. A player, a fuckboy, a guy who can’t seem to hold onto a girl—not because he’s unable to but it’s just what he wanted. Girls weren’t his problem, he was his own problem, and at the time, it didn’t feel like an issue either. He liked how fast paced his lifestyle was. There was no commitment required or expected, unlike everything else at home, but he never… made it clear to you that it’s why he chose that route. The only thing he’s ever explained was that he chose you to be the reason to quit that mentality.

“The pink tutu,” you roll your lips, tilting your head to the side before glancing over at Yubin. “Was that… was that the night of one of your mom’s fundraisers? Your mom… she mentioned something about how you didn’t have options for a date. Well, I could’ve sworn that’s what she said until you came to my apartment that night, talking about… how there’s this boy…”

Your shoulders drop when you put two and two together. “She meant you. Yubin went on about how there was this boy who basically professed his love to her, but there was something about him that he couldn’t change and swore she’d be able to.”

He scoffs. “And does that sound like me?”

It… doesn’t.

When you look at the person who you claim is your best friend, the epithet “best” and the identification “friend” doesn’t quite fit her anymore. She’s an adaptation of herself that you can’t get behind; the old Yubin who was shy, timid, and oftentimes needed your support suddenly… vanishes.

The key word you should’ve listened for was “basically.” He basically professed his love, he basically says that he’d wait for her, and he basically told her that he’s waiting for the right time to come back and be with her. As she was bawling her eyes out from her mother’s harsh words that evening, you realize it was a distraction from the assumptions she made with indirect descriptions that you missed so easily because you trusted her.

The silence is thick in the air. Both Yubin and Seungcheol anxiously wait to hear from you, hoping that you’d pick them to side with but you’re left with confusing thoughts.

“I’ll um… I’ll get you an Uber,” you finally say as you pull your phone out of your pocket, and Yubin’s face contorts to a baffled one. “You need to get home–it’s late, and I don’t think you’re in the right mindset to have this conversation.”

“I’m perfectly fine,” she snaps, but you’re already clicking the fast checkout option on the screen. “I can have this conversation. If everything he said to me was a lie, then what makes you think he won’t lie to you?”

You sigh. “I’m not having this conversation until you go home, drink some water, and get sober.”

And suddenly, that light that normally radiates from behind Yubin’s head fades.

In your eyes, despite all the things she’s done, Yubin has remained your best friend. Even with the issues you’ve had with her and Namjoon–you justified her actions, tried your best to understand what it’s like to be in her shoes, and without saying, you forgave her. It’s like an instinct, muscle memory–something you did unconsciously because how and why would Yubin, your best friend Yubin, the one who had your back for as long as you remember–how can Kim Yubin be the constant toxicity in your life? She was never like this before.

Or… has she always been and you’ve been too blinded by friendship to even realize?

“I appreciated you,” she begins, stepping in closer. The mascara that smears underneath the eyes isn’t the reason her gaze grows dark, it was her own doing. Her true colors are showing now, a gloom cloud casts over her as she finally says everything she’s been holding back until this very moment. “I admired you. I valued our friendship–I told you that I thought Namjoon was more fitting for you, and for good reason, too. I thought that we’d have that like–typical movie friendship where you’d end up with my brother, I’d be your maid of honor, and you’d be walking down the aisle in our parents’ backyard with Namjoon standing at the end of it.”

A look of incredulity appears on your face. “And what happens if I just… never end up with Namjoon? Have you ever thought about that?”

Yubin rolls her eyes. “It’s not that hard to convince you. You have a soft spot for me–I’m your best friend, the only one at that. Those other girls are just people you hang with, not people you trust. Even so, they all have the same opinion as I do–Namjoon is yours. You just need to get out of that head of yours and just listen.”

“Are you even listening to me?” you exasperate. You feel the heat burning through your skin, the tips of your ears warm from the anger boiling within. “I keep fucking telling you that I’m not interested in Namjoon–”

“You will,” she emphasizes. Your phone buzzes in your hand but your eyes don’t pull away from hers. “If you stop denying it, maybe you can stop this whole enemies to lovers mentality and finally let him love you. You’re always talking about self worth, but it feels like you don’t even recognize your own.”

Your phone vibrates again. Sneaking a glance at the screen, the timing of the Uber couldn’t be better. “Your ride is here. Get out.”

“I’m not done–”

“Go home, Yubin,” you state sternly through your gritted teeth. A wave of deja vu hits, almost like you’ve done this exact scenario before but with someone else. “I’ve–I’ve had enough.”

Right. You said the same words to Namjoon.

When she finally concedes and shuts the door behind her, your body releases the tension and you free the held breath from your lungs. Being in your twenties and lost in life was enough – having to figure out where you fit in the world, deciding whether or not someone is right for you, and if you want to spend the rest of your life with them (or… do you even want that for yourself?) was more than you needed on your plate, but dealing with your best friend trying to dictate every choice you make was only adding to the pressure. She’s supposed to make things easier, not harder.

As you lock the handle, you’re left with the next issue to tackle on your list.

Choi Seungcheol.

Where does this… leave the two of you? The situation was between him and Yubin, after all, but why did it feel like the indignation he’s radiating is toward you, too?

“I… I think Imma sleep in the garage,” he announces, walking over to the coat hook to grab his jacket. “I appreciate your offer of lettin’ me crash here–”

“— But what?” you interrupt, perplexed. You didn’t do anything wrong, so why are you paying the consequences of someone who did? “You’re–you’re pushing me away again. Did I do something?”

“I’m just —” he pauses for a moment to gather his thoughts. When he speaks this time around, his voice is gentler and calmed. Folding the jacket over his arm, he lets out a sigh. “Do you know why I fell for you?”

You blink blankly. It’s the question you ask constantly but Seungcheol never gives a straightforward answer, of course you’re curious and have no idea how. “Why?”

“Because you’re simple,” Seungcheol begins, hands slipping into the front pockets of his sweatpants. “Not in a bad way, but in a good way. Simple as in — you’re not living the type of life that my parents live and want me to. Every action I make is judged — from what I decide to do after high school, what girls I date, and what I just want to do generally. You? The simplicity goes down to the point where you’re craving a corn dog in the middle of the night so you pop a frozen one into the air fryer. Even when I poke fun at how much ketchup you pour, all you do is give me the side eye and continue.”

Rolling your lips, you’re left clueless. Where’s he going with this?

“I wanna love someone I admire,” and somehow, with just a few words, there’s a twinge in your chest. “I admire you. I admire the way you live your life — in spite of some drama—you live it in simplicity. You drive a car that could be replaced, but you choose not to. ‘It works’ is your mentality, not that it’s out of date and you want the newest and prettiest toy at the dealership. You’re just unapologetically you.”

“That doesn’t make me special,” you interject, and Seungcheol lets out a laugh. “What’s so funny?”

“It doesn’t,” he clarifies. It’s a bit offensive, but the reality of things. What makes you so different from all the other girls he’s met–how is it that you stick out the most from the plethora of women he’s encountered? “That’s just a portion of what makes up you. You’re not special because you’re simple – you’re special to me because… you make me feel comfortable. Like I don’t gotta flaunt my money around you, and you could say that about anyone, ‘cause you’re right, you can. But I’un feel that way about them. I feel that ‘bout you.”

“But you… you don’t want to be with me right now. You said so yourself – you need space because you can’t tell if my feelings are real.”

“Because I really can’t,” he admits solemnly, eyes trailing elsewhere as he licks his lips. “This whole thing with Yubin – fine, whatever. I’ll deal with her and Namjoon for you, but that’s ‘cause I like you. I wanted to be with you in the beginning because I thought you’d give me an ounce of a chance and you were just unsure since Namjoon kept putting things into your head. But I know now that it was your decision, and when you ignored my feelings toward you, that was your choice. Not Namjoon’s doing, not Yubin’s. You refuse to accept anything I’ve said, and it makes it hard to believe that you woke up one day and embraced me. You didn’t – you just feel guilty. You thought you lost me for a moment, and now you’re wondering if you’re missing out.”

The silence between the two of you is loud. It lasts for a couple minutes before you finally break it, words shaky and uncertain.

“What does this mean for us?”

As much as you hate to admit it, you sort of miss him. His cologne, the scent of the gel in his hair, the smug look on his face, and his fatuous pick up lines were just a few things to name off the top of your head, but the reality of it all is that you miss him. He used to just be some contemptible guy in your life that wouldn’t fuck off, but now, you’re suddenly wishing that he’d be by your side, chasing for your attention. You never know what you have until it’s gone, right?

You haven’t seen Seungcheol in over a week.

And blaming Yubin for him disappearing from your life in minutes is easy, but the real answer would be that you drove him away.

The garage door is closed, but you can hear the clanging of his tools from inside and the fluorescent lights beaming through the cracks of the framing gives it away that he’s here. Rent was due yesterday, and instead of calling you up with a tacky line to meet up with him so that he could transfer the money to you online (it was totally unnecessary, but he claims he wanted to see your pretty face), he just… sent you money. Nothing more, nothing less. Seungcheol wants space—he made that very clear.

At work, your mind works overtime.

The glass walls of your office look out into the workspace shared among your coworkers – the promotion was great in terms of what’s now written on your paycheck, but the position change came with an isolated office and your Outlook inbox incessantly ringing with notifications of new emails. The clacking against the keyboards, clicking of mouses, soft murmurs of those who visit another’s cubicle to stir up a conversation and the gossip that occurs by the water cooler isn’t audible anymore. The peacefulness is hostile – the heavy sounds of traffic, honking, and bystanders on the street below are usually a distraction, but today, Seungcheol causes the commotion in your mind.

What did this mean for you? For you and Seungcheol? Are you supposed to apologize? Do you… start chasing him?

But that would make you seem soft and like every other girl… right?

You scratch your head.

Guys are always confusing—you’ve yet to find a guy that’s straightforward and honest… that is until you met Seungcheol. He tells you exactly how it is; from his endeavors in his past life up until his feelings for you presently, he doesn’t hide anything from you besides the extent of his parents’ wealth. But he had his reasons for that, right? Were they even justifiable?

Even so, that didn’t matter to you.

But why are you having a hard time reading an uncomplicated yet complicated guy?

Before your thoughts could spiral further, one of your managers knocks on the door with an anxious smile. When you gesture him to come in, he eases his steps toward you slowly.

“Heyyy,” he begins, dragging his greeting. You spot a twitch in his jaw; it tightens and loosens with the occasional gulp. Dokyeom is a great boss — what you thought was impossible, separating management and friendship, he made it work. “Listen, remember that client we had a couple months ago? The software company – the one where –”

“Yeah,” you interrupt with a raised brow. Whenever Dokyeom gets nervous, he tends to add information into the conversation that may be necessary for someone who hadn’t been involved in anything earlier and needs context, but you weren’t one of those people this time. “I remember them. What’s up?”

“This… this may be a lot to ask from you but they’re asking us to attend their banquet this weekend. We helped increase their numbers, and they want us to celebrate with them.”

“I… don’t really want to go,” you confess, and Dokyeom plops into the seat across from your desk. “I haven’t been in the mood to… socialize.”

He puffs his cheeks. “Well, what if I told you that this isn’t something I’m asking from you, but demanding that you do?”

Well, this is different.

“If you’re making me, do I even have room for objection?”

He responds with a ‘no,’ a smile stretching on his face from ear to ear. “But you can at least go with Rowoon from business development. He said he’d be more than happy to accompany you.”

Truthfully, that doesn’t persuade you.

When Dokyeom leaves, not taking ‘no’ for an answer, the thought still doesn’t excite you. Why would you want to go to a banquet to celebrate the success of your project with a coworker while you’re occupied with barely making it to work? The drag marks from the bed to the front door says it all.

And when you’re at the water cooler, attempting to refill the 64oz Hydroflask (which you regret buying now, mostly because you’re stuck standing there for a solid 5 minutes because of the slow flow of the stream), your coworker, Hani, stops by. Despite the amount of people you dislike having small talk, Hani is one of the few you don’t despise.

“So,” she begins, popping her lips. “I heard you got roped into attending that party for the Choi project.”

You groan, a hand on your waist as you stare at the brutally lethargic current. “Yeah, tell me about it. Dokyeom insists I go — he said he can’t because his wife won’t let him. Something about finding a rich girl there and leaving her. So I’m left with the option of going alone or going with Rowoon.”

Instead of seeing it from your perspective, Hani sees the glass half full. With a raised brow, she taps your shoulder in a joking manner. “You do realize what Rowoon looks like, right?”

In all honesty, you haven’t. With the hybrid workplace being the new thing, you can’t quite say you can identify all the workers in your office, especially when turning on your webcams is optional. “Um… not really. Seen him a couple times on Teams, but I think his camera was broken whenever we were on a call together.”

Hani is quick to pull her phone out of her back pocket; tapping in her passcode at the speed of light, you recall the last time you mentioned a guy you were seeing was found within seconds of her instantaneous instagram searches. “Internet stalking is a skill that can’t always be taught. You need to feel the vibes,” she said last time, and now she showcases the talent once again. Within mere seconds, she pulls up Rowoon’s Instagram account and shoves her phone in your face.

Oh. He is cute.

He’s got the sweet gentleman look to him; the gelled hair, soft smile, and most of the pictures on his feed consisted of him, food, or a pretty skyline behind his equally attractive silhouette. In one of the photos, you swear you almost heard a ding! sound at the sight of his pearly white teeth. Why does he look like a model for someone who works a corporate job?

“You’re going with him,” she states. “He’s hot. He’s sweet. Smart. Available,” Hani practically sings. “You’re single, too. Please don’t pass up on this opportunity because of some boy.”

You blink blankly in shock. “How–What makes you think I’m turning down Rowoon’s company because of a guy?”

“You got them dejected eyes. Those dejected eyes with hints of love in it. Almost like you got your heart broken or something. I’ll find him on Instagram later–first, we need to get you to go to that banquet with Rowoon.”

Puffing up your cheeks, you pull out the bottle when the water nears the brim. Hani has good intentions but you don’t know if you should be appreciative or find it overbearing. Nonetheless, the one thing Hani doesn’t have in common with your other friends is that she doesn’t probe about Seungcheol–even if she already speculated what could’ve happened. Instead, she offers you another option that’ll keep your mind busy.

Maybe Rowoon would be a good distraction. It doesn’t hurt to have some eye candy, right? After all, where you stand with Seungcheol is a blur — he doesn’t want to see nor talk to you, and you haven’t given him a good reason to (in his terms, of course). But what’s the point then? Why do you have to try so hard to “win” him over when he insists on being the one who does it? It’s not like he believes you and your feelings anyway. How is it that suddenly the tables have turned? Either way, you’ll regret this decision to see Rowoon a lot less than agreeing to be Seungcheol’s fake girlfriend.

You smooth out the wrinkles of your dress with the warmth of the palm of your hands in front of the full length mirror in your living room. This black slip with an open back is more provocative than you’d like, but after the dresses that had a broken zipper, grass stain (from what?), torn up hemline, and just simply didn’t fit, this was the best option and you weren’t allowed to turn back on the invitation now.

Puffing up your cheeks, you grab your camel trench coat from your closet. Rowoon should be picking you up any minute now, and honestly, even though this isn’t really a date, he’s got you nervous with your heart racing in its beats.

But not in the same way as Seungcheol —

Wait, pause. Why’d you bring up Seungcheol?

Tonight is supposed to be everything but Seungcheol, and the fact you unconsciously brought him up only makes you seethe.

Rowoon doesn’t have the aroma remnants from cigarettes; his cologne wafts underneath your nose, a blend of citrus and sandalwood, he’s the definition of a man, someone independent, emotionally intelligent, and overall full of kind and generosity. He opens the door for you when you exit the car, quickly shuffling out of the front seat just to do it. Rowoon doesn’t recklessly ride a motorcycle, no, instead, he drives a reliable car – granted, it’s BMW and the amount of times you heard Seungcheol shit talk that manu–

Wait, why are you thinking about Seungcheol again?

He haunts you, worse than the ghosts and demons do in the horror movies he’s too afraid to watch (but won’t admit it), and the fact that even when Rowoon is trying to hold a conversation with you and you’re still thinking about Seungcheol is unbelievable. If he doesn’t trust you and your feelings, then why are you even bothering to think about him the slightest?

“I heard you played a big role on this project,” he says, voice thick and sweet as honey. With a hand on the steering wheel, he doesn’t fail to glance over at you every now and then so you can see from his actions that you have the entirety of his attention. “It’s what got you that promotion, right? Congrats on that. They’re a huge client.”

You rub the side of your neck sheepishly. “Haha, yeah. I didn’t really expect it–but I guess all those nights staying in my cubicle with empty boxes of Chinese food instead of partying was worth it. Lost a couple dates, yeah, but at least I’m an independent woman in power!” Although it’s true, you meant it in a cheesy, joking manner.

But it feels more embarrassing than funny with your fist and arm up in the air after that corny comment.

Would it be you if you didn’t make yourself look stupid in front of a hot guy?

“Sorry–not even sure why I did that.” You are definitely mentally smacking yourself up the head. This never happened with Seungcheol before, why are you doing this in front of Rowoon! Is it because you actually see him as a potential candidate? Seungcheol was just a guy that hit on you from time-to-time and rented out your garage. Rowoon works in business development at your office with a charming smile that wins you both jobs and your heart.

Oh. Now you hear yourself.

Maybe that’s why Seungcheol doesn’t believe you.

But none of that matters now. He said it already. Choi Seungcheol doesn’t trust your so-called feelings for him and that’s that.

“It’s cute,” Rowoon chuckles, cheekbones prominent with his wide smile. “You always seemed intimidating at work. I’m glad you’re a lot more loose than that.”

You turn to look at him with a raised brow. “Do I… Do I seem intimidating?”

Rowoon tilts his head a bit, rolling his lips for a moment to gather his thoughts. Hesitant, afraid to offend you, he chooses his words carefully before speaking his mind. “A bit. The whole… isolated office, glass walls, and Dokyeom meeting to talk to you in your office despite his position on the hierarchy, you definitely seem important.”

“And important equates to intimidating?”

He admits to you that your demeanor has always been serious; the last exchange that you had with him (and truthfully, you didn’t even remember this), you accidentally bumped into him after heating up your pasta in the microwave without saying a word. To him, it wasn’t rude (it definitely was), but instead, it was “standing your ground.” You can’t help but laugh at his explanation–you’re a dick to him but he still tries to sweeten it up.

Maybe you should give Rowoon a shot. It’s not like he’s going to be your boyfriend just from a little flirting, right? It’ll be just for fun. Just for the night.

The house is humongous. Well, even the fucking word humongous is an understatement.

Rowoon is equally in awe, stating something along the lines of, “this is a whole mansion,” but this place isn’t just a mansion either–that’s just a portion of the property. The land extends what feels like 3 acres, housing the mansion, a garage big enough to fit at least ten cars, a tennis court, a fountain in the middle of a garden, a guest house (imagine having two homes on one property), and even the living quarters for the staff (just kidding, make that three). The roundabout at the main entrance should’ve given it away (and the valets that grabbed the cars–apparently, they work at the residence full time. Who has valets full time?)

Rumor has it, they have an underground pool, a hot tub, and two home gyms. Two! Normal people don’t even have one.

Truly, you’ll never fully understand how people could even be this wealthy. To add onto that, you can’t even believe you got invited to be here to witness it all. Is this how Yubin lives? You’ve never been to her childhood home before, but just visiting her apartment alone left you in astonishment. Four of your apartment was enough to fit one floor in her penthouse.

“This is… kinda crazy,” you admit, passing your coat to the clerk. “I can’t imagine growing up here.”

“I went to a private school,” Rowoon says, grabbing the number slip from the employee. “There were quite a handful of students that attended and lived in mansions. It’s pretty much what you expect it to be.”

“What? House parties when the parents are away? Got so rowdy that the cops came.”

“It seems like a movie cliche, but it’s more real than you think.”

Maybe public school in a city suburb didn’t prepare you well enough for this.

You feel out of place here. Adjusting the sides of your dress, it makes you a little conscious of the fact that you got yours from a Target collection rather than a store on the Rue Faubourg Saint-Honoré strip that only sells luxury name brands or from a private appointment with a famous designer that requires a letter of recommendation or invitation just to have you written in their calendar for a fitting.

“Just play it chill,” Rowoon says, hand hovering your lower back to guide you inside. He could feel your nervousness, displaying that warming grin of his in hopes it brings some comfort. “I’m sure we don’t have to socialize that much. Just showing face and greeting Mr. Choi should be enough. He’d be happy we made the effort.”

Although you would much prefer ditching and going back home where being underneath a blanket on your couch while streaming a sitcom, advice from someone in the business development department at work would be the option you have to take if it meant developing good relations with the client for potential future clients. Mr. Choi owned one of the biggest software programs globally, which meant if you got on his good side, the possibilities for connections are endless.

You roll your lips. Maybe alcohol will give you a bit more of a confidence boost–you don’t do well in settings like these, especially since you know nobody else other than Rowoon, and even Rowoon himself, you don’t really know that well.

As a server walks by with a tray of glasses filled with champagne at the perfect timing; snatching one up, Rowoon watches as you down it in one shot.

“Um, impressive. And you don’t have to burp?”

You press your hand against your chest. “Burns a little, but I’m holding it in out of respect.” With a soft chuckle, he shakes his head.

Okay, after the fourth glass of champagne, you’re a bit bold.

The third and fourth ones weren’t planned–initially, you figured that two would be good enough to get you a little buzzed, just enough to hold a conversation with Rowoon but also prepare you with the aftershocks of liquid courage that you desperately need for when you speak to Mr. Choi. It’s different approaching him outside of a conference room, especially in a formal event like this, you’re stepping outside of your comfort zone.

But you’re definitely comfortable after that last glass of champagne.

Rowoon suddenly looks a lot more attractive underneath the lights.

You might have an ulterior motive tonight.

The event is set in the backyard, the stairs leading into the house being the main stage and the tables are scattered across the lawn with white tablecloths. There are a couple highboy tables for casual discussions over a drink, one you’ve been leaning on for the past half hour with your elbows pressed as close together as you can.

The thought itself didn’t present until about… well, half an hour ago. Rowoon has been nothing but a gentleman all night; laughing at your stupid jokes, never judging when you accidentally overshare (something you need to work on is shutting the fuck up when you’ve got a little alcohol in your system), and even managing to separate you from your work. People don’t usually do that – especially when they work with you.

There’s really no reason for you to not shoot your shot with Rowoon. He practically checks off all the boxes on your list of characteristics you want your future boyfriend to have: handsome, kind, stable job, a family person, and he’s even into woodworking! He sweetly offers to make a new set of chairs for you since you mentioned how you broke it that one night. That night with Seungcheol.

Fuck. Seungcheol.

You feel like this thing between Seungcheol is like that leg that cracked on the chair. The constant creaking each time you sat on it were like the red flags that you probably shouldn’t be with him, that it was time to part ways with both the chair and Seungcheol, and the nail that you managed to drill in to temporarily fix it wasn’t really a solution. Maybe you need a new chair–a new guy, really. That guy could be Rowoon.

But what’s embarrassing is that even though you’re here, at this extravagant place with a sultry dress, makeup and hair done, a strand twirling around your finger as you giggle at another one of Rowoon’s attempt to joke, you’re still fucking thinking about Choi Seungcheol. He doesn’t even check anything off that list of yours; he’s… well, yeah, he’s handsome, and… okay, he’s kind too–but he doesn’t have a stable– well, he gets frequent customers at your garage, you’ve seen a handful of people come by. The only thing you could hold against him was that he was sort of a family man… but… he also is? Very confusing.

You’ve never been with a guy who got punched over you. Or someone who complicates things by asking to be your fake boyfriend, or someone who acted so well at being your boyfriend that you almost believed it when he said he harbors these feelings for you when he evidently cares for the list of women he’s slept with.

Then again, those are claims that were made by Namjoon and Yubin, who clearly couldn’t be trusted.

It would be easier to start fresh with Rowoon, or any guy, really. There wouldn’t be this same hesitance that you have with Seungcheol – but the more you continue to think about it, no one… makes you go out of your comfort zone like Seungcheol does. Since when did you sleep with a guy the first night you meet him? And how do you continuously let him into your house, despite the fact that you absolutely hate company? Even Yubin isn’t allowed over. And when did you… cry like that, grow that concerned, and feel that rush of emotions that feared for the potential loss of a boy who isn’t even yours?

Either way, your thoughts get interrupted when Mr. Choi takes the “stage,” microphone in hand as he clears his throat to quiet the crowd. He’s got on the typical black tuxedo and white dress shirt underneath (kinda matches the salt and pepper that is his hair) with his wife beside him that really takes the spotlight with her features. She smiles so brightly, a smile that feels familiar, with high cheekbones and long lashes that brushes against them. Her lavender gown is beautiful, but she is the mean beauty. Apparently, the couple had two sons–one that stands beside Mr. Choi, and the other… is late, but he seems to be making his way up the steps to be next to his mother. His silhouette seems familiar, but you pay no mind to it.

That is, until… he turns around.

You think you’re hallucinating–maybe you’ve had too much alcohol for the night and with all the things that went down with Seungcheol, it would be the reason why you think he’s in front of you. He’s been occupying your mind frequently, after all, so it’s a good explanation.

Right?

Right.

But you spoke too soon.

“I want to thank you all for attending our event,” his father begins, glasses glaring from the light. He doesn’t look like Seungcheol – in fact, Mr. Choi looks like his other son, which means Seungcheol took all his mother’s genes. “We’ve been working hard to improve our business, to keep food on our employees’ tables, and expand as a company in order to keep up with the industry. I’d like to thank our executive team…” Mr. Choi starts to name people that you didn’t know, but you clap along with the crowd, “... and our third party team that assisted us with the changes…” and when he mentions the name of your company, he gestures to you and Rowoon in the crowd before stating your name clearly.

And your eyes meet with Seungcheol.

You don’t know what you expect from him – will he be mad, upset, happy? The furrow of his brows only exhibit confusion, but beyond that, you don’t know how he feels.

When Mr. Choi finishes off his speech, you do your best to avoid Seungcheol. Attention all on Rowoon, you listen to him babble on about his recent woodworking project, but at this point, you’re tuning him out and just nodding. How unlucky are you that you of course would see Seungcheol here! At a fucking work event. With a guy you’re trying to hit on. A hot guy, a matter-of-fact, and the amount of times you have to remind yourself that Seungcheol made it clear that he needed space from you is only reassuring that pressing your chest together for Rowoon to get a better view of the girls is what you need to do to move forward.

“... and I found crotch lumber!” he exclaims, and you have no clue what the fuck he’s talking about but with how he flexes his arm in that tight shirt in excitement, you want to do his–

“Hey,” that voice greets, his hot breath against your shoulder. “Can we talk?”

“Sorry, do I know you?”

Seungcheol licks his teeth in annoyance.

Admittingly, you were so shocked to see him earlier that you barely noticed him in his suit. Why… Why are the sleeves of his blazer so snug? Hair slicked back and even having shaved his five o’clock stache, he’s got his hands in the front pockets of his trousers, sucking in his cheeks in irritation. “Baby, don’t play. What are you doing here?”

Baby. How does he manage to make your heart clench with one word?

“I got invited here,” you turn your body to face him completely. You can only imagine what Rowoon thinks of the two of you, especially with the pet name that Seungcheol throws so casually. “Apparently, I’ve worked for your dad and didn’t even realize it.”

Seungcheol clenches his jaw before gesturing at Rowoon with it. “And who’s he?”

“My date slash co-worker.”

Oh, he didn’t like that answer. “Come. Let’s talk.” Seungcheol places his hand on your arm, but seconds after, Rowoon has a grip on Seungcheol’s wrist. Their eyes lock, and you could feel the burning lasers that Seungcheol shoots–it feels like deja vu.

“Who are you?”

← last chapter | next chapter →

#seungcheol smut #seungcheol #scoups #scoups fanfic #seungcheol fanfic #svt fanfic #svt x reader #seventeen x reader #seventeen fanfic #svt smut

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turquoisetuber · 3 months

Note

"Hey... I was told there was another human here and, you seem to fit the bill? I was kinda curious... Are you from Shiver Star too? Or Old Earth or whatever people call it now?"

"It's just... people there all kind of dress like you and I do..."

Noir awkwardly kicks at the dirt before sighing

"...There's no way to make this next part sound good so..." "Did you...make it out? Intact and...alive...?"

AN: Hi hi! I hope you're still taking asks for Jade...? I'd been wanting to send you something from my own human teen the moment I saw there was another human OC here~! I hope the scope of the question is broad enough, if you want to share a little about what her former life was like...?

🛸 - thank you for the ask!! ive wanted to talk to noir as well!! i enjoyed answering this!! questions are still open, infact i may leave them open permanently since people love her!!

🌟 - Jade took notice of the young man before her, standing up quickly, giving him a warm smile and a wave.

"Hi!- I would probably be the human you heard about, yeah..- I believe I'v heard about you as well.. Noir, right?- I've wanted to introduce myself, but of course I was too shy to say anything."

"But.. On the topic of your question, I'm.. well, to put it simply, as I explained to that... interesting knight, I'm not from that galaxy at all—not even that dimension."

Jade snapped her fingers, and beside her a small portal opened.

In the view of the rift stool a small field and an old-looking and rather large house.

"This is where I grew up. It's.. Sort of akin to Another Dimension. It's called a Riftal Archipelago, and it's like a series of islands between dimensions. I'm not sure if this is how the story goes in your world, but the people of Planet Popstar—the humans who lived there after they left Halcandra—had left and arrived at this strange between-dimension. So.. They set up camp there. So while I may not have grown up on Popstar or Shiver Star, I have family roots in Popstar."

She sighed quietly—she wanted to answer his whole question, but she was slightly dreading the second bit.

"As for the next bit-"

The portal zipped shut and she grew visibly upset.

Finally, she spoke up in a quiet—yet audible—whisper.

"I did make it out. Probably not from what you're referring to, but... A conflict started between my family's island and my aunt's island, and... Well, battle broke out and I ran away from home after my mom was killed, and..."

She sighed shakily. "I made it out. But I almost died doing so, and in a moment of panic I opened a portal and.. I wound up in Dreamland, leaving behind my siblings and my dad. And... I had to live with the fact that they were without me and my mom."

She shook her head. "But.. things are a lot better now and we ended the war. So... Life sure isn't easy, but.. I still made it, right?-"

She smiled. "So.. Yeah, there's my sob story. How about you?- What was life on Shiver Star like, if you don't mind my asking?-"

#kirby #kirby oc #kirby oc tournament #jade starstrider #turquoisetuber ocs #oc (2024): jade #oc (2024): noir #noir fontaine #turquoisetuber art #shoutout to noir for being SO COOL and SO HARD 2 DRAW lmao his hair was a STRUGGLE #love him tho!!!!! :D #also theres jades story u guys feel bad for her yet because the mental illnesses run soo deep #will tag the tourney in a reblog :3

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asirensrage · 29 days

Text

Saudade - Chapter 6

Rating: Explicit Pairing: Mikey x OC, Hanma x OC, Ran x OC, Mikey x OC x Draken Fandom: Tokyo Revengers Warnings: swearing, violence, threats of violence, murder, smoking, sex, consensual sex between teenagers, alcohol, recreational drug use, mention of trafficking, torture, family neglect, mentions of sexual violence. isekai OC. memory loss. unbeta’d **warnings are not exhaustive** Summary: No one seems to realize she doesn’t belong until she finally runs into her “new” brother, Hanagaki Takemichi. Now, hearing his story, Takara makes the choice to help him and hopefully find her way home, but faking it til you make it only lasts so long when you start losing the memories of the life you had before. As Takemichi becomes the only family she’s ever known, how far will she go to protect him?

notes: Thank you so much for the comments on the last chapter. I'm so glad you've enjoyed it. I hope you like this one as well. This includes one of my friend's favourite scenes

Please be advised it does follow canon in this next part and that does include canon character death…in a junkyard…where our girl meets some of our favourite siblings ;)

I hope you enjoy it. Your comments mean the world to me. Thank you all.

also on ao3

fic masterlist - prev chapter

Takemichi tries to keep Takara out of the fight. The one that he’s already warned her changes their future and results in Hina’s death. She promises to stay away so that he doesn’t have to worry about her and breaks it the moment he leaves. She’s not about to let her brother do something stupid. Not when she can help.

The junkyard where the fight is organized to happen is easy to find. It takes Takara a little bit to get past some of the people dressed up and getting ready to celebrate the day. Part of her regrets not being involved, being excited to scare others and gorge herself on candy…but she has enough weird things happening in her life. She doesn’t need to search for more.

She pauses at one of the entrances, checking around quickly for the best place to watch this go down. Most of the spots are already taken by various boys wearing signs and colours she doesn’t recognize. The ground is also not solid which means she’s going to have a hell of a time walking over on her wheels. She hears a bunch of voices coming closer from behind and she makes a split decision, heading for a section that’s out of the way but seems manageable to sit at. There’s also not as many men in the area as others but she makes the choice to ask instead of barging in on their area they’ve claimed.

“Hey, you guys mind if I sit with you?”

They look over at her in surprise. She doesn’t know if it was because she hobbled over in her skates or the fact that she asked.

“What are you doing here?” the blond asks.

“I came to see if my brother’s going to get his ass kicked again. Someone’s gotta look out for the punk.”

That gets their attention. “Your brother?” the one with the braids asks.

“Yeah, he’s in the Tokyo Manji gang.”

“You’re fucking brave, aren’t you? You know there’s a reason there are no girls here, right?” the blond asks again.

“Family over gender,” she says, waving it off. “I’ll take off if I need to.”

The two look at each other before the one with the braids nods. “Alright, you can sit. We’ll make sure no one touches you.”

She grins sharply before hopping up on one of the scrap heaps with her hands. “Thanks.” They don’t say anything else, eyes on the groups that are coming in to actually fight. Takara looks, trying to find her brother in a sea of black and bleached hair. It’s harder than she thought it would be. Draken however is easy, both by being tall and in the front. As is the asshole who stole a kiss from her. Her lip curls, unimpressed at the sight of him.

They don’t seem to notice her, at least not at first as their attention is focused on the other gang…until Takemichi yells her name.

“Takara!”

She curses him under her breath as multiple eyes look toward her. “Idiot,” she mutters. The members of Toman frown at her presence, except for Mikey who nods toward her. She’s not worried about them though.

“Come to see me win, princess?” Hanma shouts at her. He’s grinning widely, looking completely unconcerned about the fact he’s about to be in the middle of a major gang fight.

“Only to see you fucking bleed!” she snarls back. He just laughs, as though he expected that response. She turns her attention to Draken who’s watching it all carefully. “Hey! Draken! That’s the asshole I had to teach consent to!”

Draken’s expression darkens just like she expected it to. She remembers the way he reacted to her telling them about it. Hopefully, he’ll take care of that problem.

🐈‍⬛

She doesn't really know what's going on if she's honest. There's a lot happening and she loses sight of Takemichi multiple times as the gangs swarm together. It's only easy to see Mikey once he’s climbed up on the junk pile, even as he looks like he's defeated.

She can sort of make out what the one boy is yelling at Mikey, which makes it seem like there was a bunch of drama behind the scenes that led to this build-up. It wasn’t surprising based on what she remembers her brother and Baji telling her, but it reaffirmed that it was probably one of those things where it all could have been avoided if the boys just had a proper conversation.

She keeps her mouth shut, watching Kisaki make a call to arms to help Mikey. She could see how it looked natural, but based on everything she knows, it feels like a set up. It is too easy, especially with how he slipped through the sea of bodies to make it there. Then…Baji appears, aiming straight for him.

Takara remembers the way Baji told her he had a plan, that it would work but not that it was good and when she sees the one who attacked Mikey sneak up on him, blade glinting in the light as he stabs him, she knows Baji failed. She also knows this has officially gone too far.

She digs out her cell phone, watching Baji force himself to stand, acting like he’s fine. She’s seen enough boys try to hide injuries so they could keep playing over the years, her brother included, to know he’s lying, even at this distance.

“Hey,” she calls out to the two older boys who let her sit with them. “You guys might want to run. I’m calling an ambulance.” They offered to protect her while she was here. The least she could do was give them a fair warning.

“Fight’s not over,” the blond with the glasses points out.

“Yes, it is. Someone brought a knife to a fistfight. That means the rules changed and I’m stepping in before this goes off the rails. No one needs to die for some stupid shit.” She dials the number for emergency while the boys she’s with don’t move. They might rat her out for this, but she’ll take the chance. As soon as someone picks up, she starts talking fast, pitching her voice up higher so it’s less recognizable. “There’s a fight!” She gives off the location before continuing, trying to sound more panicked than she feels. “Someone’s been stabbed! I think they’re really hurt! Hurry!” She hangs up as soon as they confirm that someone is on the way.

The one with the braids shakes his head, seemingly amused. “Get ready to move.”

Glasses glares towards her but Takara simply shrugs back, turning to see Mikey pummeling the one who stabbed Baji. She knows she should be concerned, but that seemed like a logical consequence for trying to murder a friend. Besides, the cops are on their way…even if she should have maybe requested two ambulances…

She watches as Baji calls for Mikey to stop as he stands…and then decides to be dramatic and stab himself. Again.

Takara doesn’t think. She jumps off of the junk that she’s sitting on and hobbles her way over as she hears the boys panic, crying at Baji for what he’s done. No one’s putting pressure on the wound. Honestly, you’d think they were helpless.

She doesn’t listen as people try to stop her, managing to slip out of their grips before she can reach Baji and those who surround him. She can suddenly hear sirens and the panic around her increases. She ignores it, ignores the way Mikey stares at her as she pulls off her shirt and uses it to press against Baji’s stomach wound as she drops to her knees next to him.

“Fucking idiot,” she mutters. Baji just grins at her.

“Worked,” he says back before talking to her brother who moves in next to her, trying to cover her up from the gazes of the boys and men around them. She’s in a sports bra. Even if it’s not something anyone else here is used to, she’s fine.

The one who stabbed Baji is stock still, staying even as Takara has to threaten her brother to leave. She’s not sure who pulls who away as Takemichi and Chifuyu leave, but she throws his jacket to Takashi so there’s no trace him. She doesn’t move, keeping her hands pressed against Baji and telling him that he’s not allowed to die. He grins at her again before passing out and she realizes that she hasn’t stopped the blood from the wound on his back.

“Give me your shirt,” she demands, not even looking up at the attempted murderer.

“What?” he asks, still seemingly in shock. She doesn’t know why. What did he think would happen?

“Your shirt! Now!”

He quickly strips it off, coming to kneel across from her on the other side of Baji. She grabs it and uses it to try to staunch the blood flow from the wound he created.

“Is he..?”

“Shut up!” she snaps. She’s trying to save a friend and the cops are coming and she has to figure out what the story she’s going to tell is. Takara can only try because everyone else is fucking useless including the boy who stabbed her friend in the first place. Just because he’s passed out doesn’t mean he’s dead. There’s still time.

It feels like forever before the ambulance finally arrives, paramedics praising her as they take over. Baji is taken into the ambulance and Takara stands in the junkyard alone, hands covered in blood and surrounded by police as they arrest the boy who stabbed him.

🐈‍⬛

She’s covered with a blanket to give her some sense of modesty. She’s not sure if it’s for her or them. The police can’t seem to decide whether or not to praise her or tell her off for getting involved. Her story was that she was rollerblading and came across the two of them fighting. She saw Baji get stabbed and it devolved from there. She called emergency services and tried to help. That’s how they found them.

She gets charged for being a public nuisance because of her rollerblading, because one of the cops recognized her, but it only comes with a small fine and a warning. She’s forced into slippers and doesn’t get to leave though until she’s picked up by an adult because she’s technically still a minor.

“What about my friend?” she asks once they finally stop repeating their questions. “Is he okay?”

There’s a moment of silence, the officers looking between each other, that tells her everything she needs to know. That explained why they suddenly came in earlier, their questions more demanding than before.

“Oh.”

She had tried. Her hands were still stained with his blood. She could see it in the cracks of her skin and under her nails. She had tried.

“Your friend died in the hospital,” one officer says softly. “They tried but…there–there was too much blood loss and his internal organs were shredded.”

“Fucking idiot,” She mutters again. She doesn’t say anything else.

Takara feels as though she’s been submerged in water as the world moves around her. She can hear her father lecturing her for getting involved but she can’t really make out the words. It’s doesn’t matter. He’s not really hers. He finally falls silent, leaving her to her own thoughts on the ride home.

She walks into the house, still wrapped up in a scratchy blanket, wearing thin slippers that threaten to fall off of her feet as her father tucks her blades away, and Takemichi comes running from the other room. He skids to a stop, looking at her.

“Takara! What happened?”

“Baji’s dead,” she tells him, the simple fact it now is. She hears him protest, demand more information, but she ignores him, moving on autopilot to the bathroom. There is blood on her clothes and her skin. She strips, throwing the clothes in the garbage before stepping into the shower. She turns the water on as hot as she can stand it.

Baji is dead.

They weren’t close, but she liked him. He felt familiar, he made her laugh, and now he was dead because the boys in this world were fucking idiots.

It was a sharp reminder of what awaited them, that the threat that continued to linger over Takemichi’s head waiting to fall in the future was real.

She scrubbed hard at her skin. That was never going to happen to her brother. Just because the boys of this world were idiots, didn’t mean she had to fall into that same trap. Takemichi was going to be fine. She’d make sure of it.

🐈‍⬛

Takara has never been to a funeral like Baji’s.

Takemichi has yet to leave, to go back to his proper place in the future, and he leads her through it, whispering guidance. None of his advice helps when she finds her arms full with a crying older woman who is thanking her for trying to save her son.

“Don’t thank me. It wasn’t enough,” Takara says softly.

“It was,” the woman insists.

She’s never dealt with this before but she hugs the woman back, hearing a voice in her head telling her that everyone deserves comfort, and she offers her apologies and assistance should the woman need it.

The woman pulls back and cups her cheek gently, smiling softly at her as tears fall. “You’re a good girl. Your parents must be proud.”

They barely act like she exists, but Takara nods and Baji’s mother is led away by another relative, back to her position for the wake.

She sits with her brother. Their parents were too busy to attend a funeral for a boy they didn’t know, but they handed them money to contribute and left them to their own devices. They’re surrounded by friends, all of them here to offer their respects.

Chifuyu and Emma are crying, while Draken looks solemn. Mikey looks like he’s still in shock, like he did in the hospital when his men were around him and he was determined to be strong. It looks exhausting.

Takemichi is crying. Of course, he is. She pulls out the tissues she brought in her bag because she knew he would and hands them over to him. Takara stares at Baji’s picture on the altar, listening to the service and the sounds of mourning but she doesn’t really hear it. All she knows is that it won’t be her, she won’t be sitting in a wake mourning again. She’s lost too much already. She won’t lose another brother. Not if she can help it.

tag list: @raith-way @zeleniafic @veetlegeuse @chickensarentcheap @residentdormouse

@themaradwrites @kingsmakers @thatmagickjuju @awkwardchick87

tr tag: @mitsuwuyaa @blackfire2013 @bleach-your-panties @reiners-milkbiddies

saudade tag: @thisbicc @scythegal

network tag: @pixelcafe-network

#fic: saudade #oc: takara #tokyo revengers oc #tr oc #tokyo revengers fanfic #sano mikey x oc #haitani ran x oc #hanma shuji x oc

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perfectprofessorloverapricot · 11 months

Text

•| A not so stolen youth |•

Stranger things / Chapter 1

Summary: Everything in life seemed limited to walls of whites and rainbows. Caged within the confines of the lab. But an accident that involved a group of teenagers and the upside down world finally let him free. In a funny turn of events he found himself hiding in a step sibling's shed. A redhead that loves video games and a blond that spends his time making sure to keep his good looks.

Character: Male child OC

Warnings: Possible to descriptive scenes, child abuse, use of drugs and bad language.

A/N: I ask you to take into account that I lack experience writing in English and there'll be some grammatical mistakes because my native language is Spanish.

Prev part - Masterlist - Next part

“What does it say here?” Sounded the voice of the teenage redhead in the shed. She pointed to one of the dialog bubbles in the comic.

Thirteen tilted his head in a vain attempt to read better. The comic was in his own hands and moving it wasn’t as helpful as he thought. “Mmm… final… v… victory?” He stutter. He felt he chest warm when he saw the look of pride in Max face while she nodded.

“Yeah. You’re getting better.” She said excitedly. A big smile was formed in the kids face.

It’s been two weeks since they met. And everything’s going good so far.

The day after Max let him stay, with the condition of being careful no to be seen, she went to check on him only to have heart attack when she didn’t find him.

The blankets she gave him were folded and there was no trace of him.

She spent the whole morning of school wondering where he could have gone. It’s not like she paid attention to the classes before.

And after an uncomfortable ride home with her stepbrother she went straight to the shed getting an insult of how weird she was behaving from the blond and disappointment from finding nothing.

She stayed on her room thinking the few things she knew about him while her brother worked out in the living room. She thought about the limited vocabulary of the kid and that she had to read the comics she showed him because he couldn’t.

There were no visible signs of physical abuse but she got a glimpse of a tattoo in his left wrist when he rubbed his eyes after yawning.

The kid is only ten, what kind of tattoo would a kid his age want?

He is dirty and his clothe doesn’t fit him, obviously not his. But still, none of it gives her a hint from where he comes from or how to find him.

She didn’t even know why she wanted to finde him so bad. Or more like, she pretended not to know.

She’s always thought of herself as independent, which was accurate for the most part, but didn’t mean she liked being alone.

Before moving to Hawkins, in California, she made her life outside of the awkward environment of her house. She spent most of her time with her two best friends and going to her biological fathers house. Even when her mother met Neil and his son, she did it.

But now, she is stuck in a place she doesn’t know with her awkwardly nervous mother, an asshole who controls the house and everyone in it and calls himself her father just to have an excuse to “educate” her and a stepbrother that gives cero shit about her.

The kid was like her hope for something better. His innocent soul hasn’t been taught how to be an though (asshole) to confront the live out there. He was a little piece of the remaining good things of the world.

Fortunately, before she could exit and give her stepbrother an excuse to leave the house she was startled out of her thoughts by a knock on her window.

There he was peeking over the edge of the window and lifting a hand with three bags of chips to share with her.

Since then it became a routine that they manage to hold for a week. While Max goes to school and avoids as much interaction with her current family as she could, thirteen sneaks out to explore more. He already knows most of the place like the back of his hands but he still finds interesting the things that people do, even tho he is to scared to get close.

Those are the moments too bitersweet to him. He loves watching others have fun and imagine himself enjoying with them, having a life where he didn’t have to keep hiding, but before he can get a step closer to the kids in the park the fear of returning to the lab and being punished for leaving in the first place stops him.

That’s why he always goes back to the shed. To a place where he knows he is not alone anymore. At least the fear of being found didn’t bother him for the first week, but at the beginning of the second something that neither he or Max could have thought happened.

It was a normal day for them until the girl came back from school and went to her room like usual. But her heart fell once she saw Billy walking out of the house with a grey tank top and a pair of shorts he only uses when he knows his going to get dirty. Which means he is going thinker with his car, which means, he needs his tolls that are in the shed.

She took a shortcut jumping through her window. She run to catch her stepbrother and walked as normal as posible beside him.

“What are you doing?” She asked, trying to act normal.

He threw her a a momentary look, easily realizing her act. “To mind my business.” He answers bluntly.

She put herself in front of him walking backwards, only making the situation even weirder to Billy. “Don’t you have a date? With the… that blonde girl. What was her name?” She tried to remember almost stumbling with a rock.

Billy rolled his eyes in exasperation. “I don’t know and I don’t care. That was yesterday. Now move.” He pushed her effortlessly to the side once they reached the shed.

Max almost face planted in the floor but that wasn’t her priority. She turned to Billy only to witness him stop in his place with the door open.

“What the fuck?” He mumbled.

Max rammed her body against the door and closed it staying between it and her stepbrother. “It’s not what it looks like.” She defended.

Billy rose a brown in incredulity. “Really? Because it looks like you’re keeping a stray in Neil’s shed.”

“He’s not a dog, he’s a kid.” She defended, actually offended. “A really scared kid.”

“And I don’t give a shit. You’ve been keeping him there in a shed that doesn’t belong to you.” Max knew that what he said was true, but she couldn’t let him to his own with the possibility of returning to an abusive home. “What could a kid of his age be scared of? A monster under his bed?” He shook his head. It was ridiculous. “He needs to go.” He said with finality.

Max pressed her back even harder against the door and shook her head.

Billy got closer to her, using his height to tower over her in an intimidating way. “Get him out before Neil finds out or I’ll do it.” He threatened in a gruff voice.

Max genuinely felt scared. She knew what he was capable of, but she bets that the kid is even more scared than she is right now. And she was right, the boy was shaking inside the shed, hugging to his chest one of the comics Max left for him. His favorite comics. One of x-men’s.

“No.” She said with all the confidence she could in front of her intimidating brother.

The blond grabbed her arm in a painfully strong grip and dragged her a few steps away from the shed before throwing her, ignoring her yelp when she fell on her side. “Then I’m gonna get rid of the scaredy cat myself.” He conclude walking with heavy steps towards the shed.

Max panicked. She let out something that she knew could affect him. “He’s scared of his father, okay?” She screamed.

She felt a small relief when Billy stopped in his actions with his hand in the door’s handle.

His hesitation brought some confidence to the girl. “He hurts him.” She explained in hopes of changing his mindset. “I’m not asking you to take care of him. Just don’t tell anyone. You won’t even notice he is here.” She pleaded a little calmer now but still seating in the floor. “You won’t even notice he is here.” She repeated in a soft voice.

Billy bit the inside of his cheek in thought. He doesn't know how long the kid’s been there but if it weren't for the fact that he personally went to the shed he wouldn't know of his existence.

Almost reluctantly, Billy opened the shed again. He stayed in his place but he took his time to actually take a look at the kid. Scared and dirty, the boy stayed in the very back of the wooden place, shaking. Those blue innocent eyes were looking at him, waiting for the worst.

For a second, a small flash, he saw himself in the boy. When he was recently abandoned by his mother and left with his abusive father. He moved slowly to one of the shelves close to the door to grab the box of tools, keeping an eye on the kid.

Once he was out he looked at the surprised redhead in the floor as he closed the door behind him.

He stepped in front of his sister with his always present frown in his face. “If Neil finds out I let you hide a kid in the shed I’m gonna drag you under the bus with me. Do you understand?” He concluded.

Max was stunned for a few seconds but nodded slowly.

Billy scoffed, proceeding with his plans on tinkering in his car but made a las comment. “And wash that filthy kid. His gonna become a charcoal by the weekend.”

Max blinked a few times. She sat there for a moment, processing what just happened until she heard the door creaked open and a pair of eyes accompanied by a dirty fur (at least that’s what it looks like) peeked out of the place. She gave him a toothed smile that soon became a laugh that turned into a cackle that had her almost rolling on the floor.

The boy came out of the shed smiling, visibly confused but smiling. If Max was happy that means good news.

And it did.

Now that she didn’t have to actually hide the boy it became easier to change places between her room and the shed, they go through her bedroom’s window though.

She did what Billy said. She gave him a bath. She took his clothes and left him in his underwear covering it with a towel and sat him in the bathtub. She was horrified when the water changed color almost instantly and she had to change it for more clean water.

She knew he got dirty through the week but not that much.

She was surprised once again when she gave him the bottle of her brother’s shampoo and he only looked at it in wonder.

The kid didn’t know how to use a shampoo, much less the conditioner. He now has hair long enough to go a little below his ears when wet but that’s new to him, he’s always had a buzz cut since he was a kid. He never needed anything more than soap for his whole body, like the rest of the kids in the lab.

Knowing the kid was never taught how to use a shampoo put another knot in Max’s heart. Through how much has the kid gone?

She end up teaching him how to use the shampoo and conditioner. He needed a little help to get some knots out of his hair but it was easy.

Surprise surprise. Under those old rags and all the dirt was a beautiful kid with light brown hair. It was formerly a way darker color.

Even Billy who was just on his way to his room did a doble take to the boy standing patiently in the hall. He scoffed and continued on his way. Who could have thought?

Meanwhile Max was practically buried in the main closet of the house, it was more like a storage room with all the unpacked boxes, looking for clothe that would fit him. More specifically, clothes her stepbrother used, but there was nothing. She already looked for in the unpacked boxes around the house and the closet was her last option.

She debated if she should ask Billy personally. It wasn’t the best of her ideas but it was the only one. The probability of Billy slamming the door in her face where high.

She sigh. It was her only option for now.

Reluctantly, she made her way to her stepbrothers bedroom where he was gathering clean clothes to take to the bathroom. His towel was already in his shoulder.

She knocked on the doorframe a little shy.

“What?” He grumbled without looking at her.

“Can you lend me some of your old clothes. The kid doesn’t have any.” She said in a small voice.

He huffed as he grabbed a blue tank top from his closet. “Why is that my problem? He should have thought about it before running away.” He said in a low voice with a hint of annoyance.

“Come on Billy. You can’t let him freeze to death in the autumn weather. Winter is already close.” She answered with a little bit of annoyance in her own voice.

Billy slammed the door of his closet shut and turned to Max. He already had what he needed. He pointed at her with his free hand. “You said he isn’t my problem and I wouldn’t even notice him. This doesn’t seem like it.” He had a point. “Give him some of your old clothes.” He recommended walking to the door. “You dress like a boy anyway.” He insult on his way out, bumping with Max’s shoulder on purpose.

Thirteen, still in the hallway, looked at Billy in curiosity when he walked by him, even when the teenage was obviously ignoring his presence.

Max huffed at him. Well she didn’t have that much expectations in him anyway.

She guided Thirteen back to her room and sat him down on her bed.

She looked for her own old clothes through the many unpacked boxes in her room, grumbling every time something fell out of the boxes for the lack of space needed.

It took a long time but finally, she found her clothes. she organized it into tree divisions. The too small for the 10 year old kid, the clothes that fits and the clothes that will fit. All of that, after selecting the ones that looked boyish.

By the end of it thirteen already had his hair sticking out in every direction, full of static. He put on and took off everything to measure.

While they were both doing their own things, Billy was back in his room. He discarded the dirty clothes in the laundry basket and dried his hair with harsh movements of the towel. Once satisfied he threw the towel to wherever the hell it flew, he just wanted to fall on his bed and blast some music, but he was stopped when he heard a commotion at the feet of his bed.

He huffed. The towel fell on top a stack of books placed on an unpacked box and caused everything to fall.

He grabbed the towel with annoyance only to freeze when he saw the box slightly opened. The item wasn’t hidden but wasn’t visible either from the door, that’s why Max didn’t see it when she came to ask. The light left a cloth visible inside the box. The box was filled with the clothes Max was looking for and some other things of his childhood.

Memories of the few good times. When his mother was still with him and he was happy.

He hasn’t been able to get rid of the things. To sentimental. But he doesn’t want to be reminded of the past and keeps everything hidden. Just like his feelings.

Agitated, Billy grabbed the box of things, slammed his closet’s door open, threw the box inside and slammed it back shut. He walked to his nightstand and grabbed the box of cigarettes. He lighted one up with hands trembling in bottled fury and disgust towards himself and the world.

The relief of breathing nicotine and filling his lungs with the smoke was almost instant. He held his breath for a few seconds, calming himself first then letting it out just like the bad feelings.

The past is in the past, he cannot be weak anymore. He doesn’t have that chance.

To drown every remaining of that bad taste in his mouth he blasted his noisy music so loud that he couldn’t hear his own thoughts anymore.

Thirteen, still in Max’s room frowned when the music reached his ears. Billy’s door was close and so was Max’s, yet, he could still hear the music very clear. He didn’t like how it sounds.

A little thing he hasn’t told Max yet is one of his rare capabilities. Everyone in the lab new it was a possibility to gain enhanced senses once some of the kids started showing signs of it. More specifically, hearing and smell.

Whatever they did to expand the limits of their minds also better enabled the senses limited by mental capacity.

9 of the 15 kids they had developed the enhanced senses along with telepathy and psychokinetic powers. Thirteen was one of them. He only got the hearing though.

But he never got to interact enough with them because he was separated from the rest of the kids when his father found out he was a late bloomer. He was left in isolation for many hours with the excuse that it was to help him concentrate. He was raised in the east side of the lab while the rest were held in the west.

But still, he ended up better than his father ever anticipated and now he has some resemblance of freedom.

Uncomfortable with the music rumbling in his head he rubbed his ears for a moment. The security alarms in the lab were still worse so it wasn’t that much of a problem.

“Here” cheered Max grabbing jeans, a pair of socks, a navy-blue t-shirt with long sleeves and a red hoodie that has less color than when it was new for the many times it’s been washed.

Happy to cover his chilling skinny body he quickly put on the clothes. Max helped him when he managed to get his head stuck in one of the long sleeves.

At last, when he was done, he had a big innocent smile in his face that was reflected in Max’s own. The clothes fitted perfectly.

“Looking good, uh?” she said rising and lowering her eyebrows consecutively. The smile in the boy’s face widened with joy. “Now you can blend in with the others if you need.” Thirteen nodded in agreement. “Wanna read a comic now?” She asked, getting another nod as an answer.

“Magneto?” asked the boy in hope.

Max laughed a little, already grabbing an x-men comic. She knows that the boy’s favorite character is Magneto. She doesn’t know why but she likes how he thinks outside of the box. Most of the kids like a hero, but Thirteen likes a villain, just like she likes monsters. In some way, they are similar.

That’s how the first two weeks of knowing the stepsiblings went. Enjoying a little bit of liberty and not lonely anymore.

But Halloween is close, and so are other things in the dark he thought he would never see again.

Fortunately, this time he won’t be alone.

What do you think?

Any comment or constructive criticism are appreciated.

#stranger things #stranger things x male reader #male reader #x child reader #male oc #x male oc #billy hargrove #max mayfield #eleven hopper #jim hopper #steve harrington #stranger things x reader

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an0ther1 · 5 months

Text

Untitled pt.2

Leah x OC

A/N: A little more in my current project. I’m still getting a feel for my characters. Feedback/thoughts welcome.

“What are we at, one more week?” Kim adjusted the weight on the bench press bar.

“Abouts yeah. I make it to the end of the week without any pain and things feel normal, I’ll get to run on the grass with everyone next.”

Kim laid down on the bench. “Well I’m sure you know what I’m going to say, but I’m going to say it anyway. Don’t do anything stupid and listen to your body. If something is off, waiting an extra day or 2 isn’t going to kill you.” She pushed the bar up off the rack. “Trust me.” She grunted as she lowered the bar to her chest.

“I hear you. And I won’t.”

“Hey Caps.” Beth came bouncing to the end of the bench. “Le, what time do we have the venue for Saturday?”

“Umm, 9 until whenever really. Though I told ‘em it would probably wrap up around 5. 6 hours for a baby shower seemed like more than enough.” Leah answered as she spotted Kim.

“Probably right on that. So we have 2 hours to decorate? That should be plenty. I think Steph has the catering scheduled for between 10 and 11.” Beth twisted her lips as she tried to remember.

“What did I do?”

“Catering. What time is that showing up?”

“Ah, yeah. 10:30 bouts. I’ll call and confirm on Thursday though.”

Kim put the bar back on the rack and sat up. “If we can get in at 9, I’ll schedule the cake and sweets to come around 10.”

“So we just need all the girls to show up at 9 to set up?” Leah switched with Kim after removing a few pounds from either end of the bar.

“Yeah, that should be about it. Caitlin promised that she kept a check on Katie and the games, but Stina is going to claim that she will be the one running the games so she can see what she came up with.”

“Good idea Meado. When Katie called dibs on games and said she was going to use a few “McCabe family classics” I was a bit worried about what those would entail. You really never know what you might get with an Irish family that large.” Kim helped Leah lift the bar to start her set.

“I thought most of Katie’s siblings were younger than her?” Steph asked.

“Ask her to name all her cousins some time.” Lotte interjected as she joined the group. “We talking about Erin’s baby shower?” The group nodded. “You know she’s right there.” Lotte pointed across the room to Erin, their social media content creator, who was sitting in a chair with a laptop balanced on a very round belly. “I thought this was supposed to be a surprise.”

“She has her headphones in editing. She can’t hear anything.” Beth shrugged. “You have everything worked out with Dylan?”

“Yeah. Him and Tao have some plan that Dylan swears Erin will fall for. They’re going to tell her I have a children’s event to attend so I can help set up.”

“Great. And Viv has been talking to Erin’s family, she just needs to confirm the time with them.” Beth added.

“What about Dylan’s family?” Leah said as she finished her set in the bench press. “I know they're American, but is Dylan’s parents planning on being here when Gemma is born? They might be in by then.”

Lotte shook her head. “Dylan told me and Tao he doesn’t talk to anyone in his family besides his cousin Rose.”

“Wait, isn’t that the middle name they’re giving Gemma?” Steph asked.

“Yeah. Rose is the cousin he grew up with. Dylan talks about her like a sister. I think she’s a year or two older. But she’ll be there. So he’ll at least have some family.” Lotte finished.

“Sounds like this is going to be a fantastic party for our little Gooner and her mum.” Kim looked around the group. “But now, finish up your reps. We’re on the pitch in 30.”

Everyone saluted their captain before dispersing.

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

The week for the most part had gone smoothly. The team didn’t have their first January game for another 10 days. But Leah was finally going to be able to join team trainings next week, after almost 9 months, and the anticipation was wearing her thin. Several times she was asked if she was excited, or nervous, and repeatedly reminded that the wait was almost over. Almost. She was sure Saturday was going to be full of the same, though the full Arsenal staff and then some would be at Erin’s baby shower, so Leah would hear it ten fold. She needed a break. Which is how she found herself out to dinner on a Friday night, alone, sitting at the end of the bar top of the restaurant she had come to the previous week. She had come in a little earlier this time though, hoping it would be less crowded before the dinner rush, and she had been right, allowing her to get the same seat at the end with her back to everyone else. Tonight she would be any other diner. Not soon to return from injury, Leah Williamson.

Leah greeted Colin as she took her seat, ordering a glass of Chardonnay. The bar keep was placing the glass in front of Leah with a menu before she had even gotten comfortable.

“Would you like the chicken again?” The ginger asked.

“Might do an app first. Take my time and do some reading on my phone if it’s no bother.” Leah smiled.

“Not at all. I’d say the hummus is great. That and the pitas are made in house.”

“Yeah? Alright. I’ll start with that, thanks.” Leah pushed the menu back towards Colin. “And I’ll order the chicken a little later.”

Colin reached for the menu. “I’ll have that right out.”

Leah leaned back in her chair and pulled up the book she was reading on her phone. Picking the wine glass up off the bar, she took a small sip and relaxed. Colin placed a plate in front of her a short time later and for the next 20 minutes or so, she enjoyed her wine and appetizer completely uninterrupted while she read. The noise in the restaurant slowly rose as the main dining area filled and the seats at the bar top were taken one by one. Colin had just refilled her wine and was putting in her dinner order when someone finally claimed the last seat next to her.

“Is this seat taken, miss?”

Leah had heard that voice before. She lowered her phone. “No it’s not. By all means.” She smiled at the new guest. “Hello again RJ.”

“Miss Williamson.” RJ smiled softly as they pulled out the chair before placing their coat over the back. “Nice seeing you here again.”

“Will you be watching another football match?” Leah asked as she watched RJ prop their phone up on top of the bar.

“I was planning on finally watching Sinclair’s last international match. Figured if I did it in public I wouldn’t cry.” RJ waved at Colin and gave him a thumbs up. Clearly not needing words to order.

“Are you Canadian?”

RJ chuckled and shook their head slightly. “No. But as a kid I just kind of decided she was my favorite player and that was that. Figured after a month I should finally just bite the bullet and watch the damn game.”

“Mmmm, yeah, retirement games are hard to watch. She’s still playing one more year for the Thorns though, yeah?” Leah finished the last of her wine and caught Colin’s eye, signally for another glass.

“She is. But that doesn’t make watching this any easier.” RJ picked up their phone and waved it before unlocking it. Leah couldn’t help but notice that their background looked like an abstract black and white print of some sort. Once RJ had the game queued up they set it back on the bar top. “You’re welcome to watch. But I won’t bother you if you wish to continue what you were doing.” They hit the play button on the screen.

“Thank you. I think I might try to finish this chapter of the book I was reading.” Leah turned back to her phone as Colin placed RJ’s drink down and refilled Leah’s wine glass. The pair sat in companionable silence as Leah continued reading.

“Who do you think is going to take the armband in the future?” Leah broke the silence after putting her phone down. “Sinc has been captain far longer than I can remember.”

“Fleming.” JR’s said with a seconds hesitation.

“Seriously? She’s so young?”

RJ turned in their chair and looked Leah straight in the eye. “Really?” They paused for a moment. “You, the youngest captain in England history, is going to say that Jessie Fleming, who is 25, is too young.”

“Oh. Yeah I see your point.”

“Aside from her age.” RJ turned back. “She’s been a regular fixture on the national team for about 9 years. When Sinc and Schmidt stepped off this field she was the 4th longest tenured player on the team.” RJ took a sip of their drink.

“You aren’t just a casual fan, are you?

RJ side-eyed Leah. “What makes you say that?”

“A casual fan generally doesn’t know those types of statistics for a player who don’t play for their team”

“How do you know she doesn’t play for “my team”?” RJ used air quotes. “She may not play for the US, but.”

“Ew. You’re a Chelsea fan?” Leah dramatically recoiled further from RJ who just laughed.

“No.” RJ smiled. A full bright, cheerful smile. “I am a fan of the players individually, especially Fishel and Macario. But not the team as a whole.”

“Do you even have a WSL team?” Leah raised an eyebrow.

“I do.” RJ smirked. “And don’t worry. They wear the right shade of red.” They leaned back in their seat. “Can I ask you something? None football related and not terribly personal.” They rushed out the last bit. “And you obviously don’t have to answer.”

“Well with those conditions, sure.”

RJ tilted their head. “If you hadn’t become a pro footballer, what would you have chosen to do?”

“Probably an accountant or something like that. I’m pretty good with numbers and enjoy that there is always an answer to any problem.”

“Figures.”

“What’s that s’pose to me?” Leah asked, offended by the assumption, regardless of what it was.

“You play football like a mathematician, calculated.”

“Oh.” Leah adjusted in her seat, sitting up a bit straighter. “Thank you.”

RJ just hummed in response.

“What about you? You obviously know what I do and now what I would do.” Leah relaxed a bit in her chair. “Colin said you did something in media, I think.”

RJ glanced down the bar at the mentioned bartender. “Digital media.”

“What do you do in digital media? That seems like a, a very broad field. And do you work for a company in the UK?”

RJ took a long slow sip of their drink, clearly stalling as they then swirled the liquid in the glass before answering. “The company is US based. I do a lot of behind the scenes stuff, sometimes editing, camera work, desk stuff.”

Leah picked up her phone. “Must be a small company if you’re doing all of that. Is there an Insta page I can check out? Give a like.”

“Yes, we have an Instagram account.”

“Okay. What’s the name of the company?” Leah had the app open and was just waiting.

RJ had their glass to their lips when they answered. “-third.”

“What was that?”

“Attacking Third.” RJ repeated.

“Really? That’s the show that covers the NWSL, right?” Leah started looking at the company's account on their app. “If they cover the NSWL, what are you doing here? Covering former NWSL players or something?”

“Something like that.”

Colin approached with a plate in hand. “Ms. Williamson, your chicken.” He slid the plate onto the bartop. “Enjoy. RJ, did you want anything?” RJ raised their now empty glass. “Be right back.”

After Colin dropped off the drink, the pair continued watching the game in silence as Leah ate her meal. Her plate was finished and cleared away when the match hit halftime. “I should get going. I have an event I need to be at tomorrow morning with the girls that will be far more mentally draining than 90 minutes on the pitch.”

RJ chuckled. “I can only imagine.”

The footballer gave the other patron a soft smile. “It was good to see you again. Maybe we’ll get lucky again.”

“I’ll get my hopes up.” They smiled. “Have a good evening Ms. Williamson.”

#leah williamson #woso community #woso fanfics #woso soccer

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t1oui · 4 months

Text

since nuna (neville x luna) are and have been one of my otps since i first became part of the hp fandom, whenever i write next gen lorcan and lysander scamander are actually lorcan and lysander longbottom and they're neville and luna's kids. but recently i had an idea for the twins that i love even more

so whenever i write next gen, lorcan and lysander also have a younger sister named alice who's 6 years younger than them. in my head, alice looks a lot like neville and the twins both look mostly like luna. i also have an oc named ivan scamander who is rolf and hannah abbott's, and he's 3 years younger than the twins.

so what if, instead of the twins being neville's from the start, they're from luna's first marriage to rolf?

luna and rolf meet and become friends when rolf returns to hogwarts for his eighth year. they get married soon after graduation, even though they're mostly just good friends. they have the twins together and when the twins are a year old, they end up divorcing.

pretty soon after rolf and hannah meet at the leaky cauldron and start talking. to be honest, hannah getting pregnant is sort of a surprise, and rolf definitely shows up at luna's in a panic when he finds out. he and hannah end up deciding to keep the kid though, aka ivan scamander.

around the same time that ivan is born, luna and neville run into each other at some event or something and start talking again. they write letters back and forth about plants and theories and the latest edition of the quibbler before neville finally works up the courage to ask her out (with a lot, and i mean a lot, of encouragement from harry and ginny) and they start dating. they get married after 2 years and alice is born another year later.

all of that is to say, lorcan and lysander are ivan's half siblings and also have a younger half-sister named alice, and i think that's great

honestly i see rolf as sort of a mess, especially with this au, so he may or may not also get divorced from hannah at some point. idk who he'd date after that - i'm thinking one of the background hufflepuff boys (justin, ernie, or zacharias)

anyway this was very random but yeah here are some headcanons ig

#hp fandom #harry potter fandom #hp #neville longbottom #luna lovegood #rolf scamander #hannah abbott #lorcan scamander #lysander scamander #hp next gen #hp next gen fandom #hp next gen oc #ivan scamander #alice longbottom ii #nuna #neville x luna

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meliskindachildishlol · 14 days

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Behold, AU lore.

Other info. before I forget it:

Blaze, Sparkle and AJ are all siblings here because AJ is adopted.

The Water Realm and Galactic Realm are the only realms that are ruled either by a king or a queen.

The main ship on this is Blattsher :3

This was originally going to be writted on AO3 or Wattpad, but I knew damn well I wasn't going to finish it so I am working on this at my own pace lolz.

Remember Mx. Bloody? Well, xe may or may not have a revamp and be a part of this AU. :)

Fan-OCs will also be used here, like Maddison! (I'd be surprised if anyone ever remembers her since I only did like, two drawings of her-)

I think that's all for now?

But yeah The amount of things I added and scrapped for this is absolutely I N S A N E. And the worst is that I may change some things in the future too... lord have mercy (also, shoutout to @/ask-the-blasher-fam for giving me a hand with the name :'] I put the slash thingy there just because-).

ALRIGHT, THE REF SHEETS ARE NEXT JADJDBJS

#blaze and the monster machines #batmm au #Fictioned Machines! AU #original au #au lore #:3 #why are you reading the tags?

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lumisparks · 16 days

Text

Redoing My Old KH OCs Part 1 --

Emi Kaibyo

Hello, everyone! This will be a short series about redoing my old KH OCs. I currently have 7... I think? ... I dunno, I’m losing track of how many I have “^ ^

Aaaaanyway, I’ve always wanted to share my OCs on the internet buuuut looking back... All I want to scream is a big, fat “NOPE!” when looking at their designs and stories.

I was kind of lucky not to share them especially the fact that 5 of them were cat hybrids(how I normally address half-human, half-animal characters). But now I get to upload a better version of them! So suffer with me to see their evolutions! Starting with Emi Kaibyo

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

1st Version(2015 – 2018)

(🚨 WARNING! 🚨 THESE TWO ARE OLD ART XP)

To start things off, she wasn’t named Emi yet. Instead; she was “Exaleme”, a nobody who used to be Eleame. Ex was the 15th member of the OG Org. Xiii. I made Ex and El when I was in 6th grade as I was new to KH at the time. Immediately, I made Ex because I thought Nobodies were cool as she was my KH self insert. So with my name “Emalee” and smack in the X... Exaleme was born.

In a previous iteration, SHE WAS FULLY HUMAN. I don’t know why I changed her into a catgirl – but hey! I liked catgirls and now she’s a freak of nature. Now to Ex/Eleame’s backstory...

It’s an average tragic past: her parents died, she was taken away into the castle, got killed, split into a nobody and Heartless, and she works for Org. Xiii for some -🦆- reason while her Heartless(Eleame) works for Ansem SoD for... SOME -🦆-ING REASON.

As for her personality, she’s supposed to be the shy, cutesy type. But instead in most drawings, she’s all happy or something. Idfk man

Oh yeah, did I mention I made Ex to be shipped with someone in the organization? Yeah... I don’t want to mention who though. I am too ashamed to say it and that’ll be for the best so no one will ever know.

2nd version...?(Around 2020s)

I don’t know if I would call it “2nd version”, it’s more like the processing stage. In the past, I didn’t do much to improve or redo her story because I was busy with school stuff. Despite Ex and Eleame being my first KH OCs, I kind of forgot their KH side of them. How? By going through various RPs and AUs with my friend from KH Amino to Discord.

I did manage to get some ideas though. Instead of having Ex and El being like 1 person, they’re twin siblings named “Emi” and “Elise”. Elise being the joyful older twin while Emi the cautious younger twin. Oh and their parents are alive and healthy. I still want to ship Emi with someone because... Why the hell not. Who would that be?

... ODDLY MICHAEL MOTHER 🦆-ING AFTON(In teen years) FROM GOD DAMN FNAF. IT WAS A ME AND FRIEND DOING RP STUFF THING.

... But also because I like Michael, alright? I’ll find a way to make them work in my KH story for the Kaibyo twins.

✨Final Version✨

Here she is! All human and not a catgirl. Don’t worry, I’m doing her sister next. As for her lore, she lives peacefully in Radiant Garden with her family.

Her dad Fuyu works as a captain of the castle guards while Emi, Elise, and their mother Caitlyn work at the Kupo Kafé. However, the family’s hometown will lose their peace in an upcoming darkness.

#sparks' art #kingdom hearts #KH #kh oc #kh ocs #Kaibyo Family #Emi Kaibyo

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laugtherhyena · 2 months

Note

I have a question for you:

Which sprites you used as a base for Child!Beni's sprites?

I want to do some sprites for a character I'm doing, and I want to do both child and adult sprites for them, but I don't have any idea of how to do the child ones.

The kid sprites are actually kinda of a long story but tldr basically just Beni herself for the most part, tho allow me to elaborate

First things first we gotta dial back to the first kid sprite i made which was funnily enough also a fankid! Little Mako Shinabe who is an OcxCanon kiddo from my girl Akemi Nijiue and Rumi Shinabe (who is a background character from Dr1, one of Sayaka's bandmates)

I made her kid sprites back in february last year because i wanted her to show up at the end of the All eyes on me arc in ASOOT (my friend's blog of which i lend a handful of Another series ocs to be used/appear in). This was the second try at making kid sprites for me because the first one failed misserably and this one was still a decent challenge for me back then because i was only used to making sprites of teens or older characters, i remember using both Masaru and Kotoko from Udg as references for her since she is around the same age as them, tho a lot of this sprite was me messing around to make it still look Dra style despite using canon Dr sprites as a base.

Nowadays i'm not super happy with her sprites anymore, mainly in the face department since i feel as if i made it way too round + the ears having absolutelly no detail bother me to no end. Something about her just looks a little wonky to me, so i steered away from making more kid sprites until i made Beni and wanted to make kid sprites of her as well as the main/adult design.

It was as the idea set in my mind that i though of doing something similar to what i did when ginving the Nijiue siblings new designs, which was using the original edit itself as a base and just edit the main body and poses around with the new design, which saves a huge amount of time since then i can just reuse the facial features + it makes the overall gallery look of the same quality as the og one.

I really think this gives off the best result because they retained the facial features and i didn't have to try making a baby head from scratch haha.

So for kid Beni i picked up her normal sprite and edited it to be smaller, adjusting the proportions so that her head didn't look enormous and making the face (and the eyeshape on Akira's case) look ever so slighly rounder/softer and it worked like a charm! I did use Mako's sprites too during that, but it was more as a reference for the proportions rather than a straight up base.

So yeah, my advice is to use the character you want to age down themselves as a base and adjust the proportions acordingly. But if you don't have that the next best thing is to look for sprites of characters of a similar age for reference tho that is usually a tab bit harder.

#i would have remade Mako's kid sprites using this method by now if i hadn't deleted them from my ibis gallery a while back #to get more space on the tablet..#maybe someday i'll work around that #but then again i don't HATE Mako's kid sprites or anything. i do think they hold up nicely #they just don't look as nice as Beni and Akira's by now #edit #sprite edit #sprite edit tutorial #tutorial #dra #danganronpa another #oc #fankid #Benitsuru Ando #Mako Shinabe #hyena ramblings

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lilydoeswrite · 7 months

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THE MERCILESS SIREN | CHAPTER THIRTEEN

wattpad link previous chapter series masterlist next chapter

summary: It is the 66th Hunger Games when Oceana Fontaine is reaped as tribute, and at just thirteen years old, the odds are certainly not in her favour. As much as it is seen as an honour for Oceana to represent her district in the games, it is also practically a death sentence. But Oceana knows she needs to go home and is determined to, no matter how low her chances are and with the help of her mentors, she might just do that. But if she is to win, she will have to learn where her biggest strengths start to turn into her biggest flaws and weigh her options carefully as she starts making choices that pushes her morality and the lengths she will go to for love.

tags: slow burn (finnick x oc), violence, death, canon typical violence the usual stuff when it comes to the hunger games, weapons, not sure what else

“What?” I ask. I’m confused. Is Gill genuinely trying to protect me? Is he watching out for me? But what would he benefit from it other than putting himself in more danger in one way or another? As he said, we’re all fighting for ourselves here in the games, so why is he looking out for me?

“Oceana,” Gill sighs, “you remind me too much of my little sister for me to not look out for you.”

Silence falls again as the soft crackle of the fire becomes louder. I’m unsure of what to say. Maybe I should’ve gotten to know Gill better before the games and I regret not getting to know him better. I should’ve at least tried to make conversation with him from time to time, to know him as a person and not just as my partner in the games. Maybe I had been too quick to judge his motives and perhaps it was wrong of me to do so. There's no point in having regrets and not doing anything about them so I say something. “Tell me about her,” I say, breaking the awfully loud silence.

“She’s twelve,” Gill says after taking in a deep breath. “Her name is Daria and she loves to snorkel. Her favourite colour is blue and she wants to be a professional diver one day. Her favourite colour is pink– a soft pastel pink, not a bright pink– she loves to go jet skiing with me. She’s just like you in many ways, I guess. She’s brave and smart and kind.”

“Well, she sounds like an amazing girl,” I comment. So that’s her name, Daria. She’s also only one year younger than me. I can’t imagine how terrified, or proud, she must’ve felt seeing her older brother get reaped. I let out a sigh, “I’m guessing you would do everything to see them again?”

“I guess,” he shrugs, “how about you? Any siblings?”

“Yeah,” I nod, “I have a sister. Her name’s Aurelia, she’s nineteen. She’s studying to become a marine biologist or oceanographer right now. We would go out every weekend to the Centre or wake up early to see the sunrise on the beach. She’d take me out on our boat and then we’d go diving...She’s the best older sister I could ask for, despite all the ups and downs.” I dare not go to the part where she’s everyone’s favourite and how I’ll always be in her shadow, I decide not to and choose to ignore it, I don’t want my last words of hers to be bad ones.

“I’m guessing you miss her?”

“More than anything,” I chuckle. “It’s hard to imagine that if not for the games we would’ve spent the day together…” In District 4, the first day of the games is always a big event. Everything is put on hold and it’s more or less a celebration as we gather in the square to watch the beginning of it, cheering on our tributes. It’s celebrated just as widely as any other holiday. On any other year, Aurelia and I would spend our mornings on the boat, diving into the water and splashing around before having to head to the square. I doubt she is having as much fun though, she’s probably too busy getting prepared to look at least presentable to be on stage. The family’s of the tributes are always invited to watch the beginning on the stage in front of everyone in a grand manner with everyone congratulating them on the honour although they must be worried sick.

“What would you be doing today if not for, y’know,” Gill looks at me as the warm glow of the fire makes him at least visible. His blue eyes reflect the orange flames and his blonde hair is ruffled and messy.

“Probably diving in the morning with Aurelia before heading to the square,” I try recounting last year’s events. “Then we’d probably meet up with all of our friends and watch the beginning of the games before going to one of the restaurants in the Centre to eat. That’s what we did last year, anyways. After, we’d probably spend the day hanging around on the beach.”

Gill nods, “sounds fun.”

“How about you?” I ask.

“Me? Well, I’d probably sleep in till as late as possible then go watch it with my friends. After that we’d probably be hanging around by the Rocks, jumping into the sea and stuff like that.” He’s smiling as he talks about it. “I hope they’re doing fine and that they’ve done something extra this year. Hopefully they’ve found someone to cover my shifts.”

“You have a job?” I’m curious and for some reason I’m surprised.

“Yeah, I’m a part-time lifeguard at the beach by the Tides,” Gill chuckles. “It’s honestly quite a rewarding job, I really like it. Saving people, it’s a little terrifying sometimes, but it’s worth it. Although, I mean, I did plan on becoming a marine engineer. What about you? Any dream jobs?”

“Well, I mean, a marine biologist, I guess. I mean, I’ve always liked the idea of it and that’s what Aurelia does, so it only makes sense to do it as well. Although, I’d probably like to be a professional diver as well.” I reply and Gill simply nods. I’m thinking about what I can say next when I hear a rustle behind me. Turning my head towards the direction of the sound, I heave a sigh of relief when I see Briar coming out of her tent as she drags a groggy Alvise with her. “Hi Briar, hi Alvise,” I greet them.

“Hi guys,” she smiles, “we’ll take over from here, you two can go back to sleep,” Briar says and Gill and I nod, heading back into our tent.

I lie down in my sleeping bag which I’m grateful for as it keeps me somewhat warm in the chilly night and before I know it, my eyes are shut and my body is relaxed. I’m awakened by Briar who is telling me to quickly get up and that we would spend the next few hours hunting before the sun comes up. I’m still a little groggy but wake up nonetheless, folding up the tent and roll up the sleeping bag to strap onto my bag once again. “Where to?” I ask.

Giselle uses her sword which reflects the moon light and draws a path using it. “Just straight ahead and up the hill, see if there’s any tributes.” I nod as I watch Alvise put out the fire before motioning for us to follow his lead.

We hike up the hilly mountain in silence, not daring to say anything but also not knowing what to say. I’m not sure how long it’s been since we’ve started hiking but I know that my feet are starting to feel slightly heavy. If the Gamemakers were looking for a show, they would not be getting one, as so far, we’ve come across no tributes and little to no animals which could possibly see us as victims. I’ve started to zone out– thinking about Aurelia, mother and father and how they’d probably spend the night unable to sleep and unable to watch this and then I think about Cordelia and Pearl who’d be receiving live updates at lunch in school, I sincerely hope that they’re not too affected by me being in the games although it’s impossible that they aren’t. How about Finnick and Coral? I wonder if they’ve already planned out when to send me the gifts and have, hopefully, acquired some sponsors for me. I’m brought back into the present when we hear something fall from the trees not too far away. Gill nudges me and we run behind the others who are more than excited as they follow the sound of the noise.

“Look what we have here!” Briar squeals, pinning down the tired tribute with her spear before looking at us. She’s smiling almost sinisterly as she gazes at each of us, “who wants to do the honours?” I glance at Briar and then down at the tribute. She looks absolutely terrified, her eyes widened in fear and shock upon Briar’s words as she tries to shout for help only for Briar to press her hand against the tribute’s mouth. “Shut up will you? You make too much noise.” The girl nods, staying quiet as tears fall down from her eyes as she shuts them.

I’m horrified, but refuse to let it show. I can’t have the others thinking I’m weak. I watch as Briar and Alvise argue over whoever gets to have the honours of finishing the poor girl off. I watch as more tears run down her face, her jet black hair sprawled across the ground and her body which is frozen in fear. I’ve always known the stereotypes of Career tributes– overly vicious, arrogant, better trained and better fed– but never in a million years would I imagine having to witness what is going on right now.

“I’ll just do it,” Briar ultimately sighs before turning to the girl who has now opened her eyes. “Any last words?”

The next thing I know, Briar has plunged her spear into the chest of the girl, blood spilling out from her chest and drenching her clothes. The canon goes off and it’s only then that Briar pulls the spear out. The tribute’s face is so pale it’s almost white and I take in a sharp breath as I watch her lie on the ground, motionless and still. To say that I’m shocked is an understatement.

I don’t understand it, how could you kill someone so mercilessly without any guilt whatsoever? Much less be so joyful while doing so? It seems to me that for Briar, the games are nothing but fun. She’s in this for fun and that’s something beyond my comprehension. Did she understand the consequences of being in these games? That her family and friends would never see her again? Or did they know it as well and welcomed it openly all for the means of bringing glory to their district. Were they content with the fact that she might not see them again? I didn’t know how District 1 saw the Hunger Games but from what I’ve gathered, it’s vastly different. She was in this out of choice, to have the honour of representing her district, for fun and for the apparent giggles.

The next thing I know, we’re moving on from her dead body and continue trekking up the hill, looking for any sign of other tributes. The sun is starting to come up now, which meant we had been hiking for at least a couple hours before we had found the girl. The sky is painted a soft orange with hues of pink, and if not for the situation I’m in, I would’ve sat down somewhere to watch as the sun rises and the sky turns blue.

By the rate things are going, Gill and I will be going off on our own in no time.

“Did you see how scared she was?” Giselle laughs as Briar skips gleefully through the trees. “She really thought shouting was going to help her!”

Alvise, Chase and Gill laugh in synchronisation as they try to mock her cries for help. I so badly want to assume that Gill is only joining in for the sake of wanting to fit in with the others but I can’t be sure of anything whilst I’m still in the arena.

“Everyone is going down in no time!” Alvise laughs as we continue to go through the woods. “And as long as we stick to the plan–”

“Screw the plan, Al!” Briar laughs as she makes the small jump off the rock we’re on, crunching a pile of leaves underneath her foot. “Loosen up! Have fun!”

“Exactly,” Chase is smiling as he helps Giselle down, “let’s have fun while we can! Come on, we already know we’ll take down the tributes in no time, they’re weaklings anyway.”

I keep quiet and force a smile when Briar looks my way. I hope I can keep this act up.

author's note: and chapter thirteen is up! sorry for the long wait, but it's finally out :) took me a while to write chapter sixteen so i'm sorry for the longer wait than usual. i hope you like this chapter and if you do, please consider reblogging and/or commenting, it would mean the world to me! thank you, and as always constructive crticism is always always welcomed!

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levi-venn · 2 months

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So, what would Memento have been like if he hadn't died? 👀

Memento (1k words) An OC from the Mirror Squad Headcannon. Read about them here!

The Kaminoans’ second attempt to make a “Calm Soldier” came in the form of CT-9905.

Void of the Mirror Squad had been an emotionless, manipulative sociopath who liked to push the limits of other clones to see how they “ticked”.

CT-9905 did have some similar traits. He kept a cool head under duress, wore a deadpan expression, and had a dangerously high pain tolerance. While they both had a fascination with humanoid psychology, CT-9905 didn’t weaponize that knowledge against his fellow clones. He used it to live vicariously through the fluctuations of his brothers’ emotions that he could never achieve himself. Wrecker’s loud and honest joy, Hunter’s warm kindness, Tech’s cheeky sarcasm, and Crosshair’s desert-dry humor.

He wished he had felt something. Anything. And more than anything else…

…he wanted to belong.

In combat he was a cohesive part of the team that made every training exercise in their cadet years flawlessly executed. He had the ability to adapt to any gaps in his squad's defense, and add pressure to all efforts of offense. He was versatile and efficient. A team player.

But when it came time to celebrate, he withdrew back to his bunk, watching his four brothers cheer and joke and bicker the way brothers should (according to sibling interactions he read about in his texts).

Then one day, he overheard Crosshair talk to Tech about crows that would offer trinkets to humans to repay them for their kindness. It was a method of communication between species. CT-9905 stopped listening when Tech and Crosshair argued over the tactical advantages and disadvantages of a “battle crow” in their squad. Still, it gave CT-9905 an idea.

That's when the trinkets began to appear. Strips of red fabric stolen for Hunter to make new bandanas. A new stylus stolen from a mean cadet who broke Tech's prized touch-pen. A chunk of wood carved out of a strict instructor’s chair to become future toothpicks for Crosshair. And for Wrecker…well…the trinkets varied. “Hey,” Wrecker said, holding up his present. “It’s my tooth! Was looking for this!”

CT-9905 conveniently hid when he knew his brother was about ot discover another offering. He didn't do it for the praise. He did it because...he thought maybe…perhaps…he felt…something. A ghost of a feeling. Something fleeting, but unmistakably there.

And when CT-9905 survived his cadet years…

…the small offerings grew more sophisticated.

On their first field exercise as brand new shinies, the brothers were dropped in a forest without equipment, ordered to use their environment to make their way to the rendezvous point. Too easy of a task with Hunter and they made it back well before any of the other teams. That night, Hunter found a wood-carved compass on his pillow.

The next successful exercise involved dismantling droids without firing a single shot. Another easy feat. Tech and Crosshair sliced droids in record time, then used the remaining time reprogramming the droids to fight each other. They were reprimanded, but still received full marks. Tech and Crosshair found a droid finger on their pillows later that day.

It was the third exercise where Wrecker and CT-9905 got to shine. Hunter, Tech, and Crosshair had the ability to disarm thermal dets, proximity minds, and trip wires, but all at once? Within a time limit? Hunter would overthink it, Crosshair would get frustrated, even Tech’s fingers couldn’t move that nimbly. Meanwhile Wrecker was giggling like a madman from one bomb to the next, and CT-9905 calmly made short work of the rest without breaking a sweat.

After the last land mine was disarmed Wrecker cheered and slapped CT-9905 on the back. “Yeah! Alright! I can’t wait to see what you’ll put on my pillow! Will it be a bomb? I want a whole bomb!”

CT-9905, a clone of few words (usually one or two), uttered three words quietly. “You liked them?”

“The lil souvenirs? Hell yeah. Tech calls ‘em uh…memots…moments…hey, Tech! What’d you call ‘em?”

“Mementos,” Tech said, pulling out a droid finger in his pouch and holding it up for CT-9905 to see. Crosshair pulled out the fresh toothpicks made from his recent supply of wood. Hunter tapped the strips of cloth wrapped covertly around his belt under one of his pouches.

“We wanted to thank you," Hunter said. "But you're never around when we find 'em.”

CT-9905 shrugged.

“My guess," Tech said, "is that your inability to express emotion is due to the lack of dopamine, serotonin, endorphins, oxytocin, norepinephrine, glutamate-”

“Tech,” Crosshair snipped, resting an elbow on Tech’s shoulder. “Get on with it.”

Tech huffed irritably at his brother. “...a lack of chemicals that allow you to regulate emotion. You are communicating affection through objects. Thus these mementos.”

"Like a crow," Crosshair said, with a smile that read less like a sneer to CT-9905 and more...brotherly.

“Memento!” Wrecker gasped and wrapped a strong arm around Memento’s neck nearly choking him. “That’s what we’ll call ya, huh? Whatcha think?”

“Okay,” Memento said.

“Memento,” Hunter nodded. “You were long overdue for a name anyway, brother.”

Memento studied the smile on Hunter’s face. He copied it. It felt almost normal.

***

The Clone Wars were over.

The inhibitor chip changed Memento in ways he didn’t expect. Not physically, he didn’t succumb to the effects as Crosshair did, but the concept of the chip changed his views on himself. On what it meant to be the "Calm Soldier".

It was cruel.

The Kaminoans had robbed him of basic human emotions to make him a fighting machine.

And when he learned of Void, the brother he never knew, the "prototype" to who he was, Memento understood what path he could have taken had he been designed just a little differently.

After the destruction of Kamino was brought to light, Memento left the Bad Batch to join Echo and Rex on Coruscant. It was time to use his study of humanoid psychology not for his own satisfaction, but to help others. It became his life's work. He used all he had learned to treat veteran clones with PTSD.

The Calm Soldier became the Calm Healer, helping thousands of brothers find their way into a gentler existence.

He thought it was correct to miss his brothers, though he understood why he never felt that painful "ache" when he thought of them. Maybe it was a good thing, but he wished he knew what it felt like, to truly grieve.

Every now and then he would get a care package with no return address. There was always a pile of trinkets very clearly from adventures Hunter, Wrecker, Tech, and Omega would have. Little souvenirs for their brother.

Memento would look down at this package and mimic Hunter’s warm smile.

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

@huntressdarkness thank you so much for this question!! I hope this was an adequate answer! I saw you wanted to write about these OCs too, please do and tag me, I'd love to read it!

#the bad batch #tbb #star wars the clone wars #The mirror squad #tbb memento #tbb oc #bad batch crosshair #bad batch tech #tbb hunter #tbb wrecker

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zwy01 · 9 months

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Raegyn doodles!

Yaaaaaaa giving my snarky smartass boy some love.

This is my OC, Raegyn Kertia! He is Regis and Rael’s son, and the latter’s heir.

I haven’t gone in depth with his backstory yet, so I figured I could do that lol. He’s one of my 15 “main” characters of my Millennium AU and his full bio is up in my pinned post.

I’ll be mentioning some other names in here too so to quickly recap, Raegyn is the older one of the two Regis/Rael kids and his full-sibling and younger sister is Arya K. Landegre. (Raegyn has three half-siblings, with his elder half-brother Kaelestis Blerster on Rael’s side, and younger half-brother Garyth J. Loyard and younger half-sister Alethea J. Loyard on Regis’ side.) Raegyn has a pretty good relationship with his loving family, buuut it wasn’t always like that, which is the fun part I’m getting to later. Woo!

Raegyn is a really interesting one and I had so much fun making his design and I can’t wait to dive into his story in detail. Let’s get started yaaa! My beloved Ray’s (almost) full backstory.

So we already know that Raegyn is the smartest and most popular of his generation. The star of the show, the center of attention, Lukedonia’s local celebrity… the number one guy. Loved by all, respected by all. Everyone wants to be his friend, maybe even competing with each other for his attention. People constantly shower him with admiration. It’s like he’s walking on the red carpet wherever he goes. People just can’t get enough of him. It’s always “how is Raegyn?”, “what is Raegyn doing today?”, and “I need Raegyn’s advice, where can I find him?”… etc. People are always saying his name, and frankly, he enjoys the attention he receives. Sometimes he thinks it’s funny how he’s not the Lord yet he arguably gets more enthusiasm from the general population than she does. Hah. Hilarious.

Raegyn’s just so lucky, isn’t he? He’s got the brains, a radiating confidence, an irresistible charm, a loving family, and a literal empire of friends… if life is a giant lottery then he had already won it all. Life can’t possibly get better than what it is now, can it? Well, for Raegyn, life is good indeed. Very good.

Everything he has ever wanted gets handed to him easily. If not, he just needs a minute to work it out in his head and say a little something to make the other person give in, and it works every single time even when his requests are obviously beyond reasonable. Basically, Raegyn knows how to use his thinking skills and his natural charm to his complete advantage. Thus life is easy for him.

But because everything comes so easily, life… is also boring. There was nothing to surprise him, to make him go “well that was fresh”. Now what? Life is predictable and repetitive, at least from his experience, because he is so capable of fine tuning things and people to be the way he wants. And the thing is Raegyn does like to be in control of every precise detail in his life, so he would rather have life be a bit boring than to give up on steering everything in his direction. Sometime in his early childhood, he had a single taste of being in control, and he has been hooked ever since. To lose that control would be a big no-no for him. Frankly, without it, he probably has little idea of how to actually live life as it is, which is letting things naturally unfold without his intervention. Yeah. He’d actually physically cringe if he had to stay idle.

This leads to my next point, which is Raegyn’s childhood. Oh boy. How do I even begin. Raegyn is the first child between Regis and Rael, but he’s not Rael first child. Rael is the soul fragment donor of Karias’ heir Kaelestis, who is Raegyn’s elder half-brother. This means Kaelestis is technically Rael’s first child, though the latter is merely a donor in both title and practice. Despite that, Rael was very much involved in Kaelestis’ early childhood as an adult figure, a mentor etc. Kaelestis adored his donor “other parent”, and Rael loved his sweet Blerster boy very much. Donor and son were close and made wonderful memories together, which led to Rael becoming very excited to have his own heir. Maybe even the exact reason why Raegyn was born not very long after Rael and Karias had Kaelestis. (Raegyn was born when Kaelestis was the equivalent of a 6-8 year old human) Rael was more than ecstatic to bond with his second son, his beloved heir, the light of his life. He loved his little boy with all his heart and he couldn’t wait to experience the joy of parenting. He was certain that it was going to be great.

Eeeexcept it didn’t go quite as Rael had expected. Uh oh. The fact that Raegyn didn’t automatically love Rael wasn’t even the worst part about it. Raegyn seemed to despise him. This hurt Rael very much, as he didn’t understand why his heir didn’t want anything to do with him. Raegyn resisted being communicated with telepathically, ignored words spoken at him, never responded to questions, looked away when being looked at, and squirmed with all his strength when any adult tried to hold him. At one point Rael gave up on trying to read Raegyn’s mind because he would find some… not so nice things Raegyn had to say about him, and he didn’t need to break his own heart any further. Rael didn’t know what he had done wrong, if anything. He had already gained experience as a parent from his time with Kaelestis; he learned how to be around kids, what to do and what not to do, and in general just how to handle them. He just couldn’t get his second son to like him. Something is wrong here. Kaelestis was fine with him, then why doesn’t Raegyn like him? And it wasn’t just Rael. Regis was also very puzzled by their son’s behavior, as Raegyn seemed to actively resist him as well. Regis tried to comfort his husband by telling him to not take it personally, because Raegyn… well, he disliked everyone equally. Rael was not convinced at all. Rip. At least Regis tried.

And so this went on for a while, until by complete chance a very tired Regis chuckled something along the lines of “You know what, child? Your behavior isn’t helpful in the slightest, and your father and I are having a hard time. Here, why don’t we make a deal so all of us get the most out of it while we’re still living in the same house?” Boom. That was it. The correct answer. To both his parents’ surprise, Raegyn actually responded. He turned around, stared at his fathers in the eyes, and said “Only if you have something good enough to offer. Just so you know, I won’t settle for less. Very well, Rael Kertia and Regis K. Landegre. Convince me.” Regis swore he heard Rael’s jaw drop to the floor, and he himself was speechless. So their son was capable of communicating with them after all, it’s just that he never did simply because he didn’t want to. The two of them came to the conclusion that their son didn’t like being treated like a child, and they were using the wrong approach the entire time. Regis and Rael thought they were doing the right thing, but they were quite mistaken, as their son needed to be treated as an adult, basically as their equal. None of that kiddie talk, mushy coddling, nonstop love smothering… nope. Interact with him like they would with any other adult? Yep, that got Raegyn talking and assured that they would get milder and even positive responses from him.

That’s when Regis and Rael realized that Raegyn was different, even if they can’t put their finger on it. It was a mix of surprise and curiosity. As impressive as it was, they couldn’t help but feel uncanny. Maybe they were even a bit reluctant to admit that they were uneasy, but Raegyn was their son after all, and they didn’t want to overthink it. I mean, this kid’s first (spoken) words were him trying to bargain with his parents. Maybe their son was just being funny and pranking them all along. They laughed it off, no big deal, all while still keeping an eye out for their unusual kid. From then on they’d modify their approach with their son and things changed for the better and Rael was finally able to bond with Raegyn, though not quite in the way he had expected. Anything is better than nothing, so Rael has no complaints. He might as well beg his son for attention if he really is that desperate.

What about from Raegyn’s perspective? Well, unfortunately, Raegyn wasn’t being funny nor was he pulling pranks on his parents. He was dead serious. He was no ordinary child, and he hated being treated as one. To Raegyn, his parents and the other adults treating him like a baby was a direct insult because he thought the adults were messing with him. That’s correct. Raegyn believed that the adults somehow conspired together and formed a sort of mutual agreement between them where they all treat him like he doesn’t know any better because they think he’s too dumb or something. It wasn’t until later, when Raegyn eventually realized that he himself was the outlier, the odd one out, not them. The adults handled him like they would with any normal noble child. Still, Raegyn disliked it, and it felt disturbing to him. In his eyes, it was like some sort of shallow game of pretend, ill humor that he can never bring himself to appreciate.

That’s why Raegyn purposely ignored the adults even when they demanded his attention, because why on earth would he respond to their silly games? That would just be positive reinforcement and they’d force that shit on him even more. But being the extremely smart kid he is, he is aware of his own gains and losses. He knew he didn’t want to pretend to be a normal kid, he didn’t want to copy their mannerisms just so he could fit in, because that just isn’t him. Blegh. Gross. Reducing himself to their level…nuh uh. But he also figured out that pretending to be one gets him what he wants. To be precise, when Raegyn is his usual self, the adults feel uncanny and have mixed reactions. On the contrary… when he pretends to be normal, they react very positively. Isn’t that weird. Turns out adults like cute kids that act like kids instead of kids that make them uncomfortable by acting way beyond their age.

So Raegyn adapts. Inquire about their day, be enthusiastic and beg to be allowed to tag along, maybe even cry some fake tears when they say no until they say yes. Smile at them and watch them sign boring paperwork all day. Fake interest in their tedious gardening tasks, patrol duty, anything the adults were up to. And when that’s done, ask for new toys and clothes. That shiny ruby brooch? Pout and say you like it very much and want to have it, and Clan Leader is the best dad in the world because he gets what Rayray wants. And with that, maybe a matching bow tie. And a matching silk shirt. And a matching fur coat. You get it. It didn’t take long for Raegyn to master the art of acting and now he’s got everyone wrapped around his little finger. That’s where the fake smiling and enthusiasm began, and he never stopped ever since. Regis and Rael were happy for their little boy, because he finally acted more like a normal child. But deep down they knew he is an outlier, as they had been dealing with his true self until now. They didn’t understand why Raegyn seemingly became normal overnight, but to question that would be useless. Well… at least Raegyn looked like he’s finally enjoying himself now, and that’s a good thing, right? Deep down, they knew something was up. Obviously there was a reason for Raegyn’s sudden behavioral change, but to investigate it would break Raegyn’s trust so ultimately they did nothing and hoped for the best. For Raegyn’s future, and their future together as a family.

Raegyn’s always constantly evolving depending on who he’s dealing with. By the time he was around the equivalent of a 10 year old human, his false persona is such an integral part of his life, he never goes outside without this metaphorical mask. Despite Raegyn’s success at adapting himself into society in the present day, his childhood was a difficult one, at least in the very beginning. It did get better as he got older, but fundamentally, he is still the same on the inside. Raegyn hated how things were structured and the expectations he was obligated to fulfill. Raegyn didn’t understand why he was automatically expected to give his parents his unconditional love, respect, and attention just because they were the cause of his birth and entire existence. That’s the reason? Wow. He never asked to be born, not that he minds existing or anything, but more so it was just weird to him how now he’s permanently stuck with two adults who are way too obsessed with him for their own good, and he won’t be able to get away from them for centuries. His parents got sad when he didn’t respond to them, especially Rael. What did they expect anyway? To Raegyn, things like respect and love had to be earned, and no one automatically deserves it just because of “family” or whatever shallow term they use. And this applies to his own parents as well. If Regis and Rael wanted him to obey and love them, then they have to earn it, and prove themselves worthy. To Raegyn, even if they are his parents, they’re just like any other person out there. They were strangers he couldn’t separate himself from. The point is Raegyn isn’t purposely trying to distance himself from his parents specifically; that’s just how his brain works.

The good news is Raegyn eventually does develop genuine love for his family, which happens during his childhood. It’s true that Raegyn had his doubts about unconditional love and whether that even existed or not, but being the smart person he is, he did pick up on his parents’ love for him. They genuinely care about him, and he… appreciates that. So they were being serious this whole time. Raegyn, who is always right, was wrong, for the first time in his life. Raegyn was finally defeated, in a good sense. It feels good to be loved. But as much as Raegyn was impressed, he was also bothered by something. He was touched by Regis and Rael’s sincerity, and for that he is grateful, but something felt off. That’s when Raegyn realized he was feeling guilt for the very first time, for everything he had done to his parents. To this day, guilt remains the only emotion Raegyn can immediately and correctly identify, which is something I will bring up later. Every other emotion, even the positive ones, he has to think about it.

For the most part, Raegyn is neutral. Even when his little sister Arya was born, he didn’t feel anything. She was just another being he had to live with from now on, just because they share the same parents. Not only was he expected to tolerate her, he was supposed to take care of her. Ick. Luckily Raegyn does develop a genuine bond with Arya, even if it took a long time. They are close as siblings, and Regis and Rael? They were super relieved that Raegyn seemed to accept his little sister immediately, and even more relieved that Arya was a normal child with normal development. To be honest, Regis and Rael were nervous about having their second child aka Regis’ heir because they were afraid that Raegyn would react negatively. Surprise surprise, he didn’t. That is character development right there, from resisting his own parents to welcoming a new sibling with open arms. The truth is Raegyn simply made an effort to prevent his true apathetic self from seeping out because he didn’t want to ruin the moment for his parents. If he were to be honest, well… he couldn’t care less if Arya vanished into thin air on the spot. Raegyn only did it because he didn’t want that feeling called “guilt” to bother him for years to come, so he might as well be nice. Even if Raegyn’s goodwill didn’t stem from true consideration, it was still a massive improvement. He is still learning, but he is getting there… right? Only he knows.

To say that Raegyn doesn’t doubt his relationship with his family anymore, and that he trusts them unconditionally, would be a lie. His parents would die for him, and his sister adores him. He’s sure of that. But on second thought… do they really? This is how Raegyn falls into the perpetual cycle of questioning himself. That’s why he is so conflicted. He feels guilty because he is doubting those he should trust the most, and then he decides to give them his complete trust in order to get rid of that sense of guilt he got from doubting them in the first place, and finally ending it by rescinding that trust because he realizes he was foolish enough to trust anyone but himself. Rinse and repeat. Then again he overthinks it because he just can’t help it. This entire ordeal bothers him, and he would never admit it. In the long run, Raegyn overthinking things would go on to hurt his own ability to make meaningful relationships with people, and that is something I will bring up later.

Now onto the last bits of Raegyn’s childhood before I move to the time skip. I want to mention Raegyn’s relationship with his peers too. Ever since Raegyn’s birth, he has been silently watching and judging everything and everyone. He could be minding his own business, but his eyes were always looking at something. Even if he didn’t want to be a part of whatever the other kids were doing, he wanted to know what’s up, so he observes them from a distance. And he was always disappointed, of course. I mean, this is Raegyn, why wouldn’t he?

They weren’t bright enough to hold an interesting conversation with Raegyn. They got bored, whined, fidgeted, or fell asleep when he wanted to talk about a very long and obscure piece of ancient Lukedonian history that he recently taught himself. Or that time when all the kids just got up and left, when he promised them he was bringing “something super valuable” to their next “playdate”, and everyone expected a treasure map or something and instead Raegyn rolled out a five meter long checklist on how Lukedonian laws can be improved. Raegyn is, of course, very offended. This is his ideal vision of a playdate, after all, because playing means having fun. And this really is what Raegyn thinks is FUN. And his peers? Raegan’s giving up on them. They’re all under-qualified. Every single one of them. Too slow, too dim. Too hyper, too lazy. Too impulsive, too cowardly, etc. They weren’t worth his time, and to spend an extra minute with them was a waste of his energy. Thus Raegyn was a lonely child. He was surrounded by people, yet he didn’t like their company. He didn’t enjoy what they had to offer, yet he couldn’t fit in as himself either.

Raegyn wanted something else. Something more grand, more controversial; something that shakes the very foundation of noble society. History, philosophy, ethics, anything really. The deeper it is, the better. Sometimes even the more taboo, the better, as he likes a good challenge. He wants to hang out with someone who has the capacity to prove him wrong, and reaaaaally force him to get those brain cells working. A good, long debate is more thrilling than the best spar. He needed someone to share that joy of thinking with, someone who truly resonates with his passions. An intellectual soulmate basically. Just a reminder that Raegyn is still the human equivalent of an elementary school kid at this point. He already knew what he wanted in a friend, which is someone who can really match his wavelength, yet this person simply didn’t exist. Raegyn was frustrated. And the thing is Raegyn is an extrovert by nature so he does need a decent amount of socializing to stay healthy emotionally, except there’s no one at his caliber to keep him in company where he genuinely feels fulfilled. This is where things get complicated, and Raegyn is conflicted. He needed that company, but he couldn’t find the right people despite his best efforts. Raegyn was lonely, and his fathers noticed how their son would just slouch and sigh all day.

This would lead to Regis and Rael insisting on Raegyn hanging out with the other kids, because there must be something they can bond over, right…? What they weren’t aware of was how Raegyn was simply at the top, and his loneliness couldn’t be solved with a simple solution, if at all. What about Raegyn? Well, he knew that obeying his parents would cause him less trouble than resisting them, so he obliged. If it makes his fathers happy to see him happy then… he’s willing to pretend to get along with the others for as long as his sanity remains.

So what happened was Raegyn put aside his desire to talk about great subjects and deep matters, and simply went with the flow. He pretended to enjoy their tea parties, tree climbing, fishing, wrestling, etc. It was all so boring and tedious. And then it hit him. Hey… they didn’t whine and run away this time. They reacted quite positively when he pretended to be interested in their shallow activities. They even invited him back. Now that was easy, wasn’t it? Raegyn remembered the tactics he used on his parents and the adults. If he could manipulate them, maybe he could do it to his peers. He did crave that social interaction, and even if what was available to him wasn’t nearly enough to satisfy him, it was still better than nothing.

And even if he honestly wasn’t interested in his peers and what they were doing, the principle of making and having friends wasn’t bad at all. Raegyn already knew that if he made an effort to someone, they would reciprocate it. Take that, and times one thousand, maybe even more. If he shall pretend to be friendly to one person, might as well do it to everyone, because the amount of effort he has to make is the same anyway. And you never know when having a bunch of friends is useful. Who knows. He could get some of them to run errands for him. Give him their things. Tell him useful secrets and information that they shouldn’t be spilling. Maybe one of them will even be willing to die for him. Neat. And this is when Raegyn decided to go all out, and there he established his signature false persona of a friendly, enthusiastic, altruistic, diplomatic, insightful and responsible Kertia heir. He calculated his potential gains, and his conclusion was that the pros outnumbered the cons and this was the way to go. Not only could he impress his parents, but he could also get himself an empire of friends that might become useful to him. Surely this is a better alternative to wandering around aimlessly trying to find his own match. Now he could aim to climb to the top AND find his own match at the same time, sweet! Kiddie Raegyn is tapping into his ambitious side, how wonderful.

(FYI Izar does come up later on but that dude is only interested in math and astronomy, which isn’t enough for Raegyn. And there is an age gap between the two of them: Raegyn is roughly 200-400 years older than the traitor clan kids group so Raegyn was already an adult by the time Izar came into existence. And I say “roughly” because nothing with the ages are set in stone and I’d like it to be flexible so that’s just approximations for context. Anyways)

Yayyyy. Fast forward to Raegyn in the present day as a young adult.

Raegyn’s reputation is perfect. He is perfect. His ambitious childhood goal was to make everyone love him, aaaaand he 100% succeeded. People knew his name, and you could bet that at any given moment, someone in Lukedonia is talking about him, praising him for everything he has done. He’s the big shot. No one would ever guess that behind the glorious, radiating light of his persona hides a cold and apathetic true self. He worked hard to get to where he is today, and he isn’t going to admit to everyone he’s been lying this whole time because that would be throwing his merits away. He has his empire of friends, why would he give up on that? They love him for his false persona, then so be it. He’ll keep it up until he dies.

Part of him legitimately believes that his gains are worth it, and part of him feels like he has gone too far to go back. As much as Raegyn would hate to admit it, he isn’t quite sure who he would be without his false persona. As in, he is afraid to know what will become of him, what will remain of him if he is left alone with his true self. Which is funny because for a person whose hobby is thinking, he doesn’t want to think about that. In a way he is running way from himself, and he knows he feels slightly uncomfortable because fundamentally, that isn’t what he wants. But all these years he couldn’t find his match, nor did Lukedonia have anything else to offer to satisfy someone of his intellectual level. He was losing his patience, but there was nothing he could do. Raegyn never forgot his true self, and he never abandoned it either; he is just suppressing it… to the best of his ability. His vision of a fulfilling life wasn’t realistic, at least from his perspective, so he turned to what he is doing now. He has many, many friends, but no one whom he truly bonds with. He owns many things and people also keep giving him things, yet he has no use for them and isn’t interested in them either. Raegyn started to feel restless. Despite that, he made sure that side of him never showed, to not worry his family, and because he is also too prideful to admit that he’s sick of it too.

That’s when Raegyn discovers a new method of entertainment. He is a nice guy, right? Everyone loves him, that’s a fact. They didn’t know that he had been silently judging them, being nice on the surface and saying mean things about them in his head at the same time. Raegyn needed a new rush of fun. Something fresh to make him feel excited again.

And then… yeah. Raegyn sets his next goal as “seeing how far he can discreetly push people’s buttons without getting into real trouble”. Only a few individuals have his complete respect therefore excluded from his list of “people I can smartass” list… and for the rest of them? They’re all there for his amusement. Even Lord Raskreia.

Oh yeah, her. Remember how I mentioned that Raegyn only believes in authority that is earned? Well, he’s one of the nobles who believe that Raskreia is incompetent. In his eyes she is not qualified to sit on the throne. Too dependent on her feelings, too stubborn, too impulsive… he could go on forever. If it weren’t for the Previous Lord, she wouldn’t even be sitting there on the throne. Raegyn thinks he’s a better candidate for the position of Lord than her. Maybe even the best candidate. Too bad Raegyn isn’t interested in becoming Lord, even if he is curious about the idea of what it is like for him to become Lord. Real life Lord? No thank you. Too many responsibilities, bleh. He wanted to have fun without responsibility, and being Lord would mean having all sources of his entertainment cut off. And his own clan, the Kertia, and Grandia, are pretty cool so… you’re welcome. Meanwhile he can just judge her from the side and keep testing her discreetly to see how smart she is. Which is even funnier because Raegyn should fear Raskreia, as she is his Lord. But just as much as he believes authority should be earned, the fear that comes with authority should also be earned. And Raskreia doesn’t even qualify for that from Raegyn’s perspective. She doesn’t deserve his loyalty. (His cousin Reiner does, which I will explain in a future post where I highlight the cousins’ relationship with one another)

Anyways. Despite Raegyn’s false friendliness and hidden apathy, he does encounter people who genuinely want to connect with him in the midst of him fooling around with his celebrity persona. He is aware that most people love him for the show he puts on, and he’s fine with that. But every now and then there would be someone who wants to know more about him. Someone who doesn’t just want to know Raegyn the great and glorious, but also the mundane Raegyn. The everyday Raegyn. The kind of music he enjoys, what flowers he finds pretty, even the kind of weather he finds the most soothing. The smaller details of his life that people usually don’t associate with him, because he’s known for his great accomplishments. And Raegyn is capable of detecting genuine effort and… this is exactly what makes him uncomfortable. He is confused, surprised, and doesn’t know what to do.

This is where my previous point comes in. Remember when I said Raegyn is struggling in a perpetual cycle of guilt and doubt? Well, this is because Raegyn believes that all relationships are fundamentally transactional. Let it be parent and child, friends, lovers, ruler and subject. People only stuck together for some sort of gain, for their own benefit. It took him a long time to accept his own parents and develop what he would call love for them, and even then, he’d occasionally find himself questioning their relationship. It’s even harder for outsiders, whom he basically categorizes as anyone who is not direct family. The thing is Raegyn is incapable of forming meaningful relationships with anyone. He has a massive following, but no one good friend to share his life with. Not because they didn’t make an effort, but because he kept pushing them away. Raegyn was the one who drove them away when they got too close, even if that meaningful connection was what he yearned for. You can say that Raegyn is projecting himself onto others. Raegyn is almost entirely unable to treat someone genuinely, as he is used to a life full of manipulation and lies where he is the one doing all the manipulating. This is the problem because he’s been doing this for so long, he doesn’t know how to treat someone genuinely. In fact, he can’t really recall when was the last time he treated someone with honesty. By his logic and projection, he believes that those who are trying to take a further step to connect to him are trying to manipulate him, and they’re being dishonest. Do you see where I am getting at. He mistakes all of that for deception from the other side. Karma, reaping what you sow… whatever it is, is coming to kick him in the ass. Now he’s stuck in the loop of pushing people away and complaining about why he just can’t find people to bond with.

If Raegyn could just set aside his need for finding his so-called intellectual rival, he could’ve found a best friend already. Someone who doesn’t necessarily share his capabilities, but truly cares for him. His unrealistic standards and need to maintain his pride is hindering him, yet he can’t quite let it go. Raegyn the glorious is truly pathetic. What a shitshow.

Good news is, eventually he does find a best friend! Like an actual best friend. No bullshitting, no lies. Someone whom he is comfortable enough with to completely drop his act and just be himself, and that person is… Jia! Wait, isn’t she the dumb one? Aren’t they the complete opposites? Yep! They’re healthy best friends, which is nothing less than a miracle. They bring out the best in each other. I’ll be talking about that in a future post!

More on his general personality. Raegyn is a bit snarky and arrogant at times, but people can’t ever get mad at him. He always gets away with being a lil’ shit, because… well, he’s never wrong. No matter how much you want to slap him in the face for something he said, even if you are dead sure that he definitely had no good intentions, when you think about it again… hey, he’s actually right. It makes sense, even if it hurts to hear. He’s totally right. Damn, how did you even get mad at him in the first place? That was dumb, wasn’t it. Now you should slap yourself in the face. You are wrong, because he is right. This is Raegyn, after all. He can present an insult as a compliment. He can turn something totally unfriendly and malicious into a piece of enlightenment, and all of a sudden you actually owe him because he gave you precious insight.

Now you’re curious and decide to stick around to see what other interesting things he has yet to show you. You discover that he’s very friendly and outgoing, and he’s actually considerate and always has solutions to your problems, and makes an effort to make your day. He’s witty, humorous, and a joy to be around, even if he throws a dark joke every now and then, but again you can’t help but let it slide. You start to really appreciate him and don’t even realize this is exactly what he wants to trick you into thinking. One more follower to add to his already super massive following; another shiny chess piece that he has successfully collected for his observation platform of… whatever they truly are to him. He makes it so that you feel like he’s there to entertain you and keep you company, but in reality, it’s the opposite. You’re there to entertain him, for as long as his shallow interest in you remains, which likely won’t last for much longer either. And when he gets bored and very discreetly kicks you out of his life, you’ll feel like it was your fault and now you’re jealous of his other friends and yearn to hang out with him again, even if it means doing whatever it takes to get him back. Raegyn is 100% aware of this, and he definitely enjoys it. He didn’t ask for an encore, yet it came by its own accord. Nice, even more drama for him sip on to ward off some of that boredom before he finds a new source of short-term entertainment.

(BTW just for clarification Raegyn never does anything illegal or anything that can potentially get him in trouble if he gets caught. He’s probably smart enough to get away with it anyway if he really wanted to commit crime for fun but then he doesn’t need to do that. His smartassing, bullshitting, manipulation etc is just on a personal level and never goes beyond that. Even if he’s borderline desperate for entertainment, he won’t do anything that has actual consequences. That’s why he’s not dangerous, he’s just petty and at most a pain in the ass. Can’t throw him in jail or anything, even grounding him would be excessive. He eventually does join Gloria and her search party for Reiner for a certain reason and that’s for another post too)

Just don’t delve any deeper or try to look behind Raegyn’s mask, because you will find something you don’t want to see, and something he doesn’t want to see, and it’s going to be a hot mess.

When he’s not being serious, he is pretty funny. If you can refrain from questioning his personality, he’s actually quite the humor depository. It manifests in the way that when he tries to be funny, it’s like he’s insulting you and when he is actually insulting you, you think he’s just being funny. If you’re in for a short-term, superficial friendship or just need to waste some time, he’s the perfect person to hang out with. He’s not going to be serious anyway, so if you’re interested, meet up and chat away. Just don’t actually develop an attachment to him and you’re good, because it’s no good for either of you. If it’s just for fun and nothing serious, totally go for it. He’ll keep you entertained and (hopefully) you’ll keep him entertained, and if you can handle some occasional arrogance and cheekiness from him, you’ll have a blast, and he’ll make you laugh. Win-win!

(I wanted to get to the details of Raegyn’s crush on Umbra + who he actually eventually settles down with in this post but it was already too long so I’ll do it separately in another post in the future)

And that’s it! Maybe I’ll do another one of these long character posts in a few months. Idk. When I feel like it. Feel free to let me know if there is any particular one you want to see next (did Kaekae last time, Raegyn this time, so 13 out of 15 left) but I will get to all of them eventually. Maybe will take years to complete but I want to get it done lol.

Again, thank you for reading, and stay tuned for future posts!

#noblesse #manhwa #myart #oc #original character #raegyn kertia #millennium au

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therantsofawriterrr · 2 months

Text

The Umbrella Academy Final Season: My Version

Part Two: The Keepers

Overview: Lila and Five probe into a mysterious group called the Keepers, while someone at the CIA gets orders to stop Five.

TW: Mature language, mentions of PTSD and trauma, also, if you don't want spoilers to s4, read it after watching ig, tell me if i missed anything!! Pairings in the chapter: Five×OC, a little bit of Diego×Lila (I'm just gonna give these two so much love, bruh), also, Lila and Five being sibling-coded besties. A/N: hellu, hellu, here's the second chapter. so i realised i dunno what Derek's pronouns are in the show, so like, if i got it wrong pls tell me i'll rectify it immediately. Also, we have the Diego and Lila pairing THAT DESERVED TO SEE LESGOOOO

Masterlist

Since Five started working in the CIA three years prior, he had solved many cases. Many that had been a threat to national security and all that. When he'd heard of the cult called The Keepers, he'd decided to check them out, solely because he thought it was worthwhile.

It was the tenth meeting he was attending, being consistent and playing the part as perfectly as he could, listening to people rant in a support group. He was starting to think it was a waste of time.

"My name is Gus," the man who'd raised his hand spoke, making Five blink once to get himself back into task at hand.

"Hi, Gus," Five said with the others who were sitting around in the circle.

"I've been searching for the truth my whole life. Then I found this group. And it was like, a lightbulb went off. For the first time, I heard people talking about what I was going through," Gus ranted emphatically. Five held a yawn in his mouth, letting out a slow breath to let the air out.

"I realised, there's nothing wrong with me. It's this timeline, man. It's screwed up!"

If he'd been any younger, Five would have asked, "Are you sure it's not you who's screwed up, Gus?"

But he only took part in the murmurs of "Yeah!" and "Exactly!"

"I know I can come here and say anything. I could say that Sir Reginald Hargreeves is actually an alien who's secretly grooming a cabal of teenage super soldiers, and all you guys actually know what I'm talking about."

Shit. Bullseye.

That wasn't known to anybody but him and his family. His eyebrows bowed in a tiny furrow before he went back to his poker face.

Gus took a small breath, putting out his hands for the person on either side of him to hold.

"And now, I have hope. 'Cause I know a cleanse is coming."

Everyone started clapping, the soft noise echoing in the walls to ring in his ears. His brain started acting up once again as some gruesome memories of the past went through his head.

"Thank you, Gus," the guy sitting beside him said. "Thank you."

The bald man turned to Five next, looking at him encouragingly as he asked, "How about you? Got anything you wanna share?"

"Yeah, sure," Five replied, trying to cook up a lie in a second. But then he had a second thought.

Fuck that.

"Hi, my name's Jerome," he said, lifting a hand in hello, waiting for the others to say it back. "I'm still new to all this, but I can tell you folks, what you're talking about is real," he heaved a big sigh, getting lost in his mind, back in the apocalypse, the first time. "You're not crazy. I know because I've been to other timelines. I don't look it, but I'm 63. I spent 45 years lost in a future apocalypse. And I was involved in the Kennedy assassination. All that's unraveling now. I don't know what's real and what's not anymore. I feel like I can't trust anybody. All I know is I'm glad to have found all of you," he finished, letting out another quick sigh. "That's it. That's all I got."

The room erupted into claps again and his shoulders bunched up in response as he almost got under his chair for protection.

"You wanna hear some real shit, kid?" The guy beside him asked, not really waiting for an answer. "I'll take you to a real meeting."

Five resisted the urge to smirk victoriously, knowing he was getting closer to whatever the truth was.

When he entered the CIA building, he was walking briskly.

"You're late," an agent friend of his, Derek, announced.

"I know," Five answered sheepishly.

"Mustache."

His hand automatically went up, peeling the mustache off his upper lip and handing it to them, taking the file in return and going to the bathroom to change into his suit.

After changing, he pretty much jogged to the boss's room, knocking and entering when he heard a, "Yeah, come in."

"The Keepers function mainly as a support group," he droned as he handed in his mission report. "But, with strong cult-like tendencies. Membership is rapidly growing across all metro areas in the US, as well as in Europe. It's all there in my report, sir."

The deputy director of the CIA, Lance Ribbons, looked through the report and asked, "What's the organizing principle?"

Five took in a quick breath, hesitating before replying, "They believe we're all somehow stuck in the wrong timeline."

"Well," Lance said as his lips curved to one side in an amused smirk. "Just a bunch of loony tunes if you ask me."

He wove his fingers together on the table and turned serious. "Drop this Keeper nonsense. Move on. I think it's time you got back to your other cases. Ladybug, Panama, Chicken Wing."

Five felt a prickle of irritation but didn't show it on his face. "Sir, I am making progress with this."

"Now, you listen to me," Lance interrupted firmly, raising a hand. "You have the makings of a fantastic spook. A suspicious mind, a love of complexity and detail. A certain maturity, that most of my young agents lack. Play your cards right, you'll be running this place someday. "

Five stared at the man and took in a deep breath. He knew that the underlying statement beneath all that unnecessary flattery was just to say, "Do as I say, I mean well."

But something still didn't seem right. It might not be a national security level threat, but it surely was a mystery as to how these guys believe they remember the events of another, or, more accurately, the previous timelines.

"Thank you for saying that, sir."

Elsewhere in her home, Lila was getting ready for book club, wearing a pink strapless dress and styling her hair and makeup. She went out to the living room, showing her outfit to Diego with a spin.

"How do I look?" she asked. "Does this dress make me look weird?"

"Nah, you look great as always," Diego complimented in a soft voice, looking at her with stars in his eyes and a sweet, encouraging smile. "Do you feel like it?"

Lila's lips curved into a confident smile as she leaned down and gave him a peck on the lips. "Well, see you after book club, my love."

"See ya," he said, watching her exit the house. Immediately after, he opened the friend tracker app on his phone. He hoped she'd keep her location on, just so that he'd know she was safe. Grace came running to him with the twins, telling him about a cartoon they wanted to watch, so he happily set them on his lap, holding them close with a content smile, and watched the show with them, glancing at his phone at regular intervals.

At the meeting place, the bald guy, whose name Five had gotten to know was Larry, climbed up the stairs excitedly as he adjusted his suit.

"All right, just be cool, Jerome," Larry told him, even though he sounded just a tad bit nervous. "Anybody asks, you're with me."

Five followed Larry into the meeting room, opening the door and letting it close behind them. Five looked around the room curiously and suspiciously, as if he was trying to get the secrets out just by staring at the walls and the people.

His eyes went back to Larry's and he returned his smile with a fake excited one.

"These are the real Keepers. Best of the best," Larry stated, before greeting another member.

Five's eyes did another search of the room and he almost missed it. Almost.

Was it his imagination, or was Lila in this room? His eyebrows furrowed as he blinked once and confirmed what he saw was true. She was vociferously talking to an older woman in a different accent, asking for her opinion on something.

He sighed, as indignation and disappointment trickled down his spine. She was lying to his brother. Plus, she could blow his cover.

He placed a hand on his companion's back and excused himself, walking to where she was standing and muttering, "So, this is book club, is it?"

He heard her breath catch in her throat as she tittered and excused herself. She turned to keep her wine glass on a table as he fished up a name tag.

"You blow my cover, I'll rip your balls off," she warned, her accent immediately going back to normal.

"You're gonna blow my cover," Five argued. He decided not to talk about the fact that she was lying to his brother, who already had a shitload of trust issues. He'd keep in mind to address it, though.

"Nice mustache, by the way," Lila teased in a typical sister-in-law fashion. "What are you supposed to be? A Greek serial killer?"

Five chuckled as he wrote down his fake name on the tag. "I'll have you know this is top-of-the-line horse hair. The real question is, what are you doing here, 'Nancy' ?"

"Let's just say the transition from full-time assassin to full-time caregiver to 3 small children and a husband is no picnic," she explained in a dry tone. "I thought I'd be fine with it. And I am happy, don't get me wrong. But I can't help feel as if something's... missing."

Five could understand that to some extent. As much as he'd thought he'd finally get the retirement he'd been craving for in the past apocalypse, he'd been used to the stress and everything that he'd been going through in life. And if he was honest, he was happy to not have an apocalypse hanging over his head like a sword.

But then, did he know how to do anything else? Nope. So the CIA it was.

"But, y'know, these losers might be onto something," she whispered, as she stuck the name tag on his shoulder.

"If everyone can take their seats, the presentation's about to begin," someone announced.

Lila smiled excitedly like a kid in a candy store, and gestured to Five with a, "Come on."

Everyone started to sit down as two more people entered the room. Lila gasped when she spotted them, prompting Five to ask, "Who are they?"

"You never heard of Gene and Jean?" Lila asked, mild surprise and sarcasm lacing her tone. "Sure you're part of the right CIA?"

"Oh, just spit it out," Five demanded exasperatedly.

"Gene and Jean started the very first chapter in Clovis, New Mexico. Since then, the movement has been everywhere."

The lights dimmed as a white screen rolled down at the very front as Lila gave out a small excited giggle.

Jean took to the podium, tapping on the mic once and then saying, "Wow. Wowie! I mean, holy shit!"

Five observed her typical Southern drawl and noted it down mentally for later.

"Pardon my French, but look at all these beautiful shining faces. It is too much. Thank you for being here. We have a big night planned, because tonight, we will be discussing..." She paused for dramatic effect as a projector lit up the screen.

"The Umbrella Effect."

Five's eyebrows furrowed, and he could quite literally hear the gears turning in Lila's mind.

"And how I believe, we can return to a restored... and correct timeline," Jean finished with a relieved and triumphant smile.

"Now, what do we mean, when we talk about the Umbrella Effect?" She asked. Five couldn't help but notice Gene just standing behind her, smiling like an idiot. He almost snorted, but kept it inside, focussing on the speech instead. "Well, some people refer to it as 'timeline sickness'."

Five and Lila exchanged a look, trying not to laugh out loud at the sheer absurdity of the statement.

"These artifacts, from other timelines," she explained as the picture changed to the old Umbrella Academy toys that had been made for kids' entertainment. Five had never liked those things.

"Like the shared memories, so many of us have experienced, huh? Yup. Memories, the powers that be would have you believe are just figments of our imagination."

"A dapper dandy holding an umbrella, standing on the grassy knoll," Gene announced as the picture changed again, this time to the old picture of Reginald Hargreeves holding an umbrella on the grassy knoll, just before Kennedy was assassinated.

"An obscure sex cult called 'Destiny's Children'," he pointed out as the slideshow changed to a brochure and pamphlets about Klaus's cult, which included a picture of Klaus, looking like the saint the family knew he wasn't. Lila and Five exchanged disappointed looks this time. That idiot just had to do that, didn't he?

"A litter of child superheroes in short pants, from which we derive the name of this phenomenon, the Umbrella Effect."

The pictures of The Umbrella Academy made Five want to die of cringe. And that uniform freaked him out for some reason.

"Question is," Jean started saying. "Who benefits from covering this up?"

Five could hear everyone holding their breaths as he sighed with boredom. At this point, he preferred the nightmares that his mind provided at night than the one that he was living in at that moment. He found his eyes fluttering with sleep. Right, he hadn't slept the previous night, had he?

"The elites, of course," Gene answered, his noise booming in the silent room and driving away the sleep. The room was immediately filled with people murmuring in agreement, as the pictures changed to show various photos of Reginald and his wife Abigail Hargreeves. Five had the distinct hankering to ask what paparazzi reporter they'd hired to take these photos. "The ruling class has always been threatened by the truth. But they cannot stop the truth, now, can they? No, I didn't think so."

The screen changed to show an umbrella and sparrow baby stroller as Jean continued, "These artifacts are proof, that we're living in the wrong timelines. And they're the key, to bringing about, the Cleanse."

The way she said the last word sent a distinct feeling of nostalgia through his bones, even though he didn't know why.

"What the hell is the Cleanse?" Five whispered to Lila.

"No idea, but shut your mouth," Lila whispered back.

"Your whisper is very high-pitched," Five said in an attentive tone.

"Don't blow our covers."

Before Five could retort back, Gene asked, "Is there a problem back there?"

Five tensed as he felt the dread pool in his belly as Lila gave him a glare.

"Could you little Chatty Cathys stand up, please?" Jean asked, a tinge of offense and suspicion in her voice.

Lila and Five stood up, and he saw their faces change instantly. Gene chuckled as Jean said, "Oh, Papa, it's Nancy!"

"Hi everyone," Lila waved.

"And who's your little friend? I don't believe we've met," Jean asked, all hostility seemingly gone.

"This is my handsome fella-"

"Jerome," Five interrupted, shrugging off Lila's hand that just landed on his shoulder. "From the Orlando branch."

"Looks like your suntan could use a little work there, Jerome," Gene said, humor in his voice, but daggers in his eyes.

"Ahh yeah, I just go there because it's the nearest one I could find to my workplace," Five made up on the spot coolly. "Dang nine-to-fives can be tiring as hell, y'know. And the commute is just a bitch, pardon my swearing," he finished, pasting on a sweet smile. The people in the room chuckled and agreed, as Lila gave him an appreciative look.

Their expressions changed again, to a little trusting. They'd bought his lie.

"Well, maybe there's something we could help clarify," Jean asked encouragingly.

"We were hoping maybe you could elaborate on the concept of the Cleanse," he stated curiously.

"Some believe it's the end. Others believe it's but a great restoration," Gene explained.

"We don't know much about it ourselves right now, I mean, we gotta research and stuff too, y'know," Jean bragged, earning a few chuckles from the crowd. "But rest assured, because we are preparing a very special lecture on just this topic."

"Oh, well, that's lucky," Five stated. "Thank you, both."

They both sat down, even as Lila looked a bit worried.

Back in the CIA building, Clementine Rosewood, the deputy director's assistant was walking down a corridor to get to his office, her kitten heels clacking against the floor. She was still looking through a file as she just reached his door when she stopped.

"Yes, sir," Lance said in the office, his voice crystal clear because of her powers. "Yes, sir, I'm trying to make sure Five doesn't investigate it anymore. You know how he can be."

She strained to hear the person on the other end of the phone and it took a bit, but she succeeded.

"What's the plan if he doesn't?" the person asked. She guessed it was the director.

"Well, I suppose we can't help it, then," was the direct answer, making her suck in a breath in surprise as her head lifted to look at the door in surprise.

She gulped before knocking on the door, entering after his affirmation.

"I have proofread the reports, they just need your sign," she said with a polite smile.

"Ahh, thank you, Miss Rosewood."

"You're welcome, sir. Is there anything else you need?"

"Well, I do need a favor. Are you friends with Mr. Five?"

Her jaw clenched as her smile threatened to falter, but she replied normally, "Oh, I wouldn't go as far as to say friends. Work acquaintances would be a better way to describe it, I think."

He nodded in understanding. "Do you know he's been investigating a support group lately?"

"Yes. I read some of his reports. The Keepers," she answered.

"What do you think about it?"

"I think it could be worth our resources, sir," she stated, putting her hands behind her back and holding her left wrist with her right tightly. She didn't have too many pointers on this. "Developing cults like this one have proven to pose a threat in the past after developing to their full potential. Mr. Five might only be trying to prune the danger before it comes."

"All that is understandable," Lance reasoned, his eyes turning tired suddenly. "But I'm the one catching fire from the boss. So, I need you to talk to him and make him focus on his more important cases."

"I'll try my best, sir," she said, leaving when he nodded wearily.

When she exited the office, she whipped out her phone, pulling up Five's contact. He didn't pick up, to no one's surprise, which made her groan through her teeth. She went straight to Derek, knocking at the table to get his attention.

"Where is he?" she asked, making Derek sigh, eyes returning to the computer and a few mouse clicks later, he recited the location to her.

After thanking him, she headed out to get in her car.

If she didn't have a serious conversation about this, Five and her both were going to land in trouble.

It wasn't just that the bosses didn't want him to investigate The Keepers, it was that they were ready to do anything to stop him from doing it.

And, well. Even if they didn't see eye to eye most of the time, he didn't deserve that.

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#the umbrella academy s4 #the umbrella academy #the umbrella academy season 4 #tua #tua spoilers #fix it fic #fix it fanfiction #the hargreeves

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