#'not assassinated you're not that famous just shot'

[edenesth]

In Pursuit of Serendipity

Pairing: best friend!Hyunjin x fem!reader

AU: high school au

Word Count: 14.8k

Summary: Your friendship is tested when Hyunjin starts crushing on his new classmate. What you didn't expect was that your own emotions would come into play. Denying your feelings, you decide to be the ultimate wingwoman, helping him while battling your own heartache in silence. Will the pursuit of love lead to happiness or heartbreak?

A/N: Lowkey inspired by the Mixtape: On Track music video, still one of my favourite MVs from SKZ.

MAIN MASTERLIST

The busy hallways of your high school were alive with the energy of students rushing to their next classes.

Amidst the sea of students, you made your way through the crowded corridors with an excitement that bubbled within you. The reason for your enthusiasm swung in your hand—a gaming magazine had just revealed the release date of the highly anticipated video game you'd been eagerly awaiting.

Hyunjin and Felix, your partners in crime since kindergarten, were waiting for you.

As you neared your usual meeting spot, a sudden obstacle appeared in the form of an unnoticed puddle. Before you could react, your foot lost its grip, sending you careening toward an embarrassing collision with the cold, tiled floor. In a split second, strong arms wrapped around you, breaking your fall.

"Whoa there! Quick reflexes, Hyunjin style." Hyunjin exclaimed, his grin showcasing his pride at the successful save.

Felix laughed heartily, "Nice dive! You should consider joining the school's gymnastics team, though I hear their routine doesn't involve slipping in the hallways."

You shot him a playful glare as he approached to make sure you were unharmed, "Thanks, Jinnie. And you," You said, turning to Felix, "Can save your sarcasm for someone else."

Felix chuckled, brushing off imaginary dirt from your shoulder, "Just making sure you're in one piece. You know, you should work on your gracefulness. It's not very lady-like to trip and fall."

Rolling your eyes, you retorted, "Oh, please. Who needs grace when you've got Hyunjin's superhero reflexes? And besides, I'm not planning to win any 'Miss Graceful' contests."

Hyunjin grinned, leaning against the row of lockers, "True that. But you might want to consider it. You'll never find a boyfriend if you keep stumbling around like a bull in a china shop."

You scoffed, the idea of conforming to societal expectations not even registering on your radar, "Who said I'm looking for a boyfriend anyway? I'm perfectly content with my PS5 and the upcoming release of Assassin's Creed. Relationships can wait."

Felix raised an eyebrow, exchanging a knowing look with Hyunjin, "Famous last words. We'll see how long that sentiment lasts."

You brushed off their teasing with a nonchalant wave, determined to keep your priorities in check. As the three of you continued down the hallway, you couldn't help smiling at the thought of the virtual adventures awaiting you in the upcoming game—an escape from the typical high school drama and the perfect reminder that, for now, you were content marching to the beat of your own, unapologetically clumsy, drum.

After grabbing a light breakfast together from the school cafeteria, you, Hyunjin, and Felix made your way through the bustling hallways, weaving through the student traffic. Despite being part of different classes, your morning ritual of meeting up for breakfast had become a comforting constant.

As you reached the fork in the hallway leading to your respective classrooms, Felix grinned, "See you guys at lunch. Don't trip over your own feet without me around to catch you!"

You playfully nudged him, "I'll try my best, Captain Obvious."

Felix waved, disappearing into his classroom, leaving you and Hyunjin to continue down the corridor. Although your class was situated at the far end of the school, you were used to the daily trek. Hyunjin, however, insisted on walking you there, despite the inconvenience it posed for him.

"Why do you bother walking me all the way to my class, Jinnie?" You asked, your voice tinged with amusement as you walked side by side.

He shot you a teasing grin, "Well, for one, I don't trust your coordination skills without Felix or me around. And secondly, what if there's a stampede, or a meteor falls from the sky? I need to be sure you make it to class in one piece."

You scoffed, "A stampede? Really?"

Hyunjin raised an eyebrow, adopting a mock-serious tone, "You never know. High school can be a dangerous place."

You rolled your eyes, but a smile lingered on your lips. It was moments like these that reminded you of the unique bond you shared with your friends. Despite the exaggeration, there was a genuine concern in his eyes that touched your heart.

Nearing the entrance of your classroom, you stopped, "You really don't have to do this every day, you know. I can handle walking to class without tripping."

Hyunjin leaned against the wall, his expression softening, "I know you can, but I want to. Call it my daily act of heroism."

You chuckled, shaking your head, "Fine, you overprotective hero. Thanks for the escort to class."

He grinned, walking you right up to the door, "Anytime, damsel in distress. I'll see you at lunch, okay?"

You nodded, feeling a warmth in your chest at the genuine care your friends showered upon you, "Okay. Don't save too many people on your way to class."

With a playful salute, Hyunjin turned to make his way to his own classroom. You watched him go, appreciating the small gestures that defined your friendship. As the classroom door closes behind you, you feel a sense of gratitude for the protective duo that made your high school journey more adventurous and, most importantly, full of genuine companionship.

Later that day, the cafeteria buzzed with the usual lunchtime chaos as you approached your designated spot between Hyunjin and Felix, your tray already waiting for you. Your heart warmed at the sight, and you skipped over with an infectious beam.

Felix, always quick with banter, smirked at you, "Look who decided to grace us with her presence. You missed the riveting conversation about Hyunjin's newfound muse."

Your eyes flickered to Hyunjin, whose cheeks sported a subtle shade of pink. Felix couldn't resist the opportunity to tease, "He wouldn't shut up about her just before you arrived."

You slid into your seat, the playful glint in Felix's eyes not escaping you, "Oh, really? What did I miss?"

Felix leaned in, lowering his voice conspiratorially, "Our dear friend Hyunjin here has developed a massive crush on the new girl in his class. Couldn't stop talking about her smile, her laugh, you know, the works."

Hyunjin shot Felix a mock glare, but his eyes twinkled with an undeniable excitement, "Felix is exaggerating, as usual. I just mentioned her once or twice."

The three of you were engrossed in the conversation when, like clockwork, the cafeteria doors swung open. Hyunjin's head snapped up, his gaze fixating on a girl who entered with an effortless grace. She was undeniably beautiful—Lia, the new girl who had captured your friend's attention.

"There she is." Hyunjin whispered, as if afraid the mere mention of her name would make her disappear. Lia glided through the cafeteria, a radiant presence that drew the attention of many. You couldn't deny the allure; she had an undeniable charm that seemed to captivate everyone in her vicinity.

While Felix seemed excited for Hyunjin, you couldn't shake off the inexplicable discomfort settling in the pit of your stomach. You smiled, or at least you tried to, but it felt forced.

As Lia joined a group of students at a nearby table, laughter and animated conversations surrounding her, you couldn't help but wonder why the idea of Hyunjin being enamoured by her left you feeling strangely uneasy.

Oblivious to the atmosphere shift, Felix continued to prod Hyunjin about Lia. But as your eyes met Hyunjin's, you sensed a vulnerability beneath his excitement—a vulnerability you hadn't seen before. The unspoken truth lingered in the air, and you couldn't escape the realisation that your heart seemed to protest against the prospect of him falling for someone else for reasons you couldn't quite comprehend.

In the following days, you found yourself caught in a web of conflicting emotions. You tried to rationalise the unease that had settled within you, convincing yourself that it was merely a consequence of your friends growing up. After all, it was only natural for them to develop romantic interests outside your tight-knit trio.

You repeated the logic like a mantra, assuring yourself that this discomfort was nothing more than an adjustment period.

"It's just new," You told yourself, stirring your food absentmindedly during lunch. Felix continued his good-natured teasing about Hyunjin's infatuation with Lia, blissfully unaware of the internal struggle you were facing, "They're growing up, finding other people. It's normal. You'll get used to it."

Yet, as days turned into weeks, the knot in your stomach refused to loosen. You grappled with the notion that the dynamics of your friendship were shifting, and it wasn't centred solely around the three of you anymore. The idea of someone else occupying Hyunjin's thoughts in a way you hadn't witnessed before tugged at a thread of discomfort deep within you.

"It's just silly jealousy," You scolded yourself in the quiet moments of introspection, "He's my friend, and I should be happy for him."

Deep down, you couldn't ignore the hope that Hyunjin's crush was just a passing phase—a temporary diversion that would fade with time. You yearned for the days when your trio's world revolved around shared laughter and inside jokes, not about some new girl that caught your friend's attention.

One day, as you all gathered for lunch as usual, Felix couldn't resist poking at Hyunjin once again, "Come on, Jinnie, just admit it. You're head over heels for Lia."

Hyunjin sighed, his cheeks tinged with a mixture of embarrassment and genuine affection, "Fine. I like her, okay? Happy now?"

Felix's victorious grin was matched only by the subtle tightening of your chest. You forced a smile, attempting to mask the twinge of disappointment.

As the conversation continued, Hyunjin's genuine excitement about Lia became increasingly evident. Felix's teasing took on a more playful tone, but every word seemed to emphasise the growing reality that your friend was genuinely interested in someone beyond the confines of your trio.

Each day that passed, Hyunjin's interest in Lia became a constant presence in your lives. While he physically joined you and Felix for breakfast and lunch, his mind seemed to linger elsewhere. Conversations that were once filled with silly jokes now revolved around Lia—her interests, her quirks, and every mundane detail that seemed to captivate Hyunjin's attention.

The unintentional distance you felt from Hyunjin left you perplexed and, admittedly, frustrated. Despite your attempts to rationalise these emotions, a growing sense of unease settled within you. It was as if the equilibrium of your friendship had been disrupted, leaving you feeling somewhat adrift.

One day, after Hyunjin had passionately detailed yet another encounter with Lia during lunch, you found yourself unable to contain the frustration any longer.

In the quiet corner of the school courtyard, away from prying eyes and curious ears, you decided to confide in Felix. As you sat on the familiar park bench, the one where countless secrets had been shared among the three of you, you hesitated before finally breaking the silence.

"Lix, I don't know what's going on. I mean, I should be happy for Hyunjin, right? But every time he talks about Lia, it's like... I don't know, something's off. It's like he's here with us physically, but his mind is somewhere else."

Felix regarded you with a knowing gaze, the crinkles in his eyes softened with understanding, "Feelings are complicated. It's okay to feel the way you do. Maybe it's just an adjustment period. Things will settle down."

You sighed, grateful for his calm demeanour, "I've tried telling myself that, but it doesn't seem to be getting any better. It's just frustrating. I miss the way things used to be."

Felix leaned in, his tone gentle, "Change is hard, especially when it comes to friendships. But maybe Hyunjin needs this. Maybe it's his time to explore something beyond our trio. And who knows, it might just be a phase. People get caught up in new crushes, but that doesn't mean they forget their old friends."

You nodded, appreciating his perspective, "I just wish I could understand why I feel this way. It's like... I'm happy for him, but there's this nagging discomfort that won't go away."

Felix placed a reassuring hand on your shoulder, "Give it time. Sometimes, feelings need time to catch up with logic. And in the meantime, know that I'm here for you, no matter what."

In the days that followed, you made a conscious effort to follow Felix's advice. You reminded yourself that Hyunjin's sudden obsession with Lia was his first experience with romantic feelings, and it was only natural for him to be caught up in the excitement of it all.

Trying to be understanding, you even forced a smile when he recounted every interaction with Lia, assuring yourself that this phase would pass.

But just as you began to convince yourself that you had your emotions in check, things took an unexpected turn. Hyunjin, who had always insisted on walking you to class, suddenly approached you with an apologetic expression.

"Hey, listen, I'm sorry, but I can't walk you to class anymore." He admitted, avoiding eye contact.

The unexpected blow left you momentarily speechless, "What? Why?"

Hyunjin sighed, looking genuinely conflicted, "It's just... I don't want Lia to misunderstand our relationship. I mean, she might think there's something more between us, you know?"

Your initial shock gave way to a slow-burning frustration. While you wanted to be supportive of his budding romance, the abrupt change felt like a direct hit to the heart. The walks to class, once a cherished routine, now seemed like a relic of a time when your friendship hadn't been overshadowed by romantic entanglements.

Forcing a tight smile, you responded, "Sure, Hyunjin. Do whatever makes you comfortable."

As he walked away, leaving you standing alone in the hallway, you felt a sense of abandonment. The once-predictable rhythms of your friendship were now distorted, and the realisation that you were no longer a priority stung more than you cared to admit.

Felix, perceptive as ever, noticed the change in your demeanour. As he joined you in the hallway, he raised an eyebrow, "What's up with Hyunjin? I thought he was going to walk you to class."

You sighed, the weight of unspoken emotions heavy on your shoulders, "He said he can't anymore. Doesn't want Lia to get the wrong idea about us."

Felix's expression shifted from curiosity to a mixture of understanding and concern, "I know this is tough, but maybe he's just caught up in the excitement of his first crush. It doesn't mean he values your friendship any less."

You nodded, acknowledging his attempt to console you, "I get that, but it still hurts, you know? It's like our friendship is being redefined, and I don't know where I fit in anymore."

Felix offered a sympathetic smile, placing a reassuring hand on your shoulder, "Give it time. I'm sure things will settle down eventually. And in the meantime, you've got me. We'll figure it out together."

As Hyunjin's infatuation with Lia intensified, you found yourself grappling with the remnants of the once-familiar routine that now seemed like a distant memory.

One afternoon, as the final school bell echoed through the hallways, you made your way to the usual meeting spot where you and Hyunjin would walk home together. However, your anticipation gave way to disappointment as you saw him engrossed in conversation with Lia, the two of them making plans to spend time together after school.

Felix, who had been watching your expression closely, slung an arm around your shoulder, "Hey, don't let it get to you. You know, it's okay to feel upset."

"I'm not upset." You retorted, but the hurt in your eyes betrayed your attempt at nonchalance.

Felix raised an eyebrow, a knowing smile playing on his lips, "You can't fool me, idiot. It's written all over your face. You miss your walks home with him, don't you?"

You sighed, giving in to the acknowledgement of your feelings, "Yeah, I guess I do. It's stupid, though. Friends hang out with other people. It's not a big deal."

Felix squeezed your shoulder gently, "It's okay to feel this way, you know. And there's nothing 'stupid' about it. You're allowed to miss your friend."

As you walked home with Felix that day, the silence between you spoke volumes. The absence of Hyunjin, once a comforting presence by your side, left a void that seemed to echo with the uncertainty of changing friendships.

The following days only deepened the ache.

Your attempts to be the supportive friend, cheering Hyunjin on as he pursued Lia, felt increasingly like a façade. The more you tried to suppress your feelings, the more they seemed to claw at the edges of your consciousness.

It was during one of your late-night conversations with Felix, the dim glow of streetlights casting shadows on your faces, that he broached the subject with a keen intuition that caught you off guard.

"You know," Felix said, his gaze fixed on the stars above, "It's possible you're jealous because you have feelings for Hyunjin."

Your immediate reaction was a vehement denial. How could you harbour romantic feelings for your childhood friend, especially when you had always prided yourself on being the voice of reason within the trio?

Oh hell nah, ain't no freaking way.

But as Felix turned to look at you, his eyes filled with understanding, you felt a sudden vulnerability. Despite your initial resistance, you couldn't escape the possibility that he was right. Your feelings for Hyunjin might indeed transcend the boundaries of friendship.

"What? Are you hearing yourself, Lix? That's insane!" You laughed incredulously, dismissing his implication with a wave of your hand. The idea of having romantic feelings for Hyunjin seemed preposterous to you, and you were determined to push aside any inkling of such emotions.

Felix, however, frowned at your attempt to brush off the subject. He could sense the unease beneath your laughter, the subtle deflection in your words, "I know you better than you think. You can't deny what you're feeling."

You scoffed, refusing to let his words penetrate your resolve, "Me? Having feelings for Hwang Hyunjin? Did you hit your head or something?" You chuckled, playing off the notion as absurd.

But as you met Felix's serious expression, you recognised the gravity of the situation. He was about to talk some sense into you, to unravel the emotions you had been desperately trying to suppress. But before he could utter a word, you beat him to it.

"Just watch me, Lix. I'll prove you wrong." Your tone carried a determined edge, a promise to yourself that you could navigate these confusing emotions without succumbing to what seemed like an inconvenient truth.

Felix sighed heavily, realising that there was little he could do if you were determined to turn a blind eye to your own feelings. He knew that sometimes, facing the truth required a vulnerability that not everyone was ready to embrace.

As you gathered for your breakfast routine one morning, Hyunjin began his usual recounting of Lia's latest escapades, and you found yourself unable to bear it any longer.

"Hyunjin," You interrupted, the words escaping before you could reconsider, "I'm sick of seeing you pine after Lia. It's distracting, and I can't focus on anything else. So, I've decided to help you win her heart."

Ecstasy washed over his face, "Really? You'd help me?"

You nodded, forcing a smile that didn't quite reach your eyes, "Yeah, I mean, why not? You deserve to be happy, right?"

Hyunjin's eyes lit up, and he immediately pulled you into a tight hug, "Thank you! You're the best! I'll buy you the next Assassin's Creed game when Lia agrees to be my girlfriend!"

As he cheered, Felix observed the scene with a mixture of disbelief and realisation. It dawned on him that your seemingly selfless act of playing matchmaker wasn't entirely altruistic. A smirk played on his lips as he shook his head, understanding the true motive behind your plan.

"So, this was your way of proving me wrong, huh?" Felix remarked, his voice carrying a note of amusement.

You avoided his gaze, the charade now exposed, "I just want him to be happy. That's all."

Felix chuckled, seeing through the act, "Sure. Just remember, you can't run from your feelings forever."

Later that evening, you walked home with Hyunjin for the first time in what felt like ages. But the reason behind his company left a bitter taste in your mouth. It wasn't because he missed your walks or longed for the friendship you once shared. No, the only reason was to strategise about his mission to win Lia's heart.

As you strolled down the sidewalk, Hyunjin excitedly started talking about his plan, "So, I was thinking maybe I should join some clubs or events that she's interested in. What do you think?"

You pushed all unnecessary thoughts aside and focused on the task at hand, "Sure, that sounds like a good idea. We need to figure out what she likes and find a way for you to connect with her."

The mention of 'we' felt strangely out of place, a reminder of the changed dynamics between you and Hyunjin. Nevertheless, you pushed those feelings aside, determined to help your friend succeed in his pursuit of happiness.

Felix, who had been watching the interaction with an amused smirk, couldn't resist commenting, "Look at you two, planning Hyunjin's love story. Who would've thought?"

You shot him a glare, not appreciating the smugness in his tone, "This is for Hyunjin, Lix, not for your amusement."

Felix raised his hands defensively, "Alright, alright. I'm just enjoying the show."

As you neared your doorstep, you took a deep breath, ready to lay out a rough plan for Hyunjin, "Okay, here's what we're going to do. First, we need to find out more about Lia's hobbies and interests. Once we have that information, we can create opportunities for you to interact with her in a more meaningful way."

Hyunjin nodded eagerly, trusting you with the details of his mission, "Leave it all to you. You're the best."

As you arrived at your doorstep, Hyunjin gave you a thankful hug before skipping off to his home just a few blocks away. Sighing deeply, you feel a twinge of emptiness. The hug felt different, less like a shared moment between friends and more like a transaction—gratitude for a service rendered.

With renewed determination, you wasted no time. The moment you stepped inside your room, you pulled out your phone and began stalking all of Lia's social media accounts. Your mission was clear: decipher her likes, dislikes, and everything in between.

Little did you know that this quest, seemingly straightforward, would lead you down a path of self-discovery and unexpected twists, challenging the boundaries of friendship and forcing you to confront emotions you had long been trying to ignore.

As the days unfolded, you immersed yourself in the role of the ultimate wingman. Your efforts to assist Hyunjin in winning Lia's heart were meticulous, each action carefully calculated to showcase his best qualities. Despite the outward display of support, a quiet turmoil brewed within you, a storm of conflicting emotions that threatened to break through the carefully constructed façade.

In your quest to prove Felix wrong, you inadvertently delved deeper into the complexities of your own heart. The more you tried to suppress the whispers of your own feelings, the more they seemed to echo in the quiet moments of self-reflection.

As Felix watched you navigate this internal struggle, he wished you would just confront the truth instead of burying it beneath the guise of friendship.

With your careful planning and Hyunjin's sincere efforts, you watched as he began to get things right. He made it a point to learn about Lia's favourite snacks and beverages, surprising her with thoughtful treats that garnered appreciative smiles. Conversations shifted from superficial exchanges to discussions about her favourite pastime activities, creating a connection that seemed to grow with every shared moment.

You watched from afar as he transformed himself, aligning with the qualities he knew she admired. He became more attentive, more considerate, and tailored his actions to better appeal to the type of guys she was attracted to.

While the genuine nature of his intentions was evident, each successful move felt like another layer of separation between the Hyunjin you knew and the person he was becoming for Lia.

Then came the pivotal moment.

Fueled by newfound confidence, he approached Lia and managed to ask her out on a date. From the way he pumped his fists in the air in victory, it was clear that she said yes. As he turned around to look for you, a beaming smile on his face, he spotted you observing the scene. With a thumbs up and eyes filled with excitement, he acknowledged your silent support.

Despite the clenching in your heart, you smiled back and clapped, showing him that you were genuinely happy for his success. The internal conflict between your desire to see your friend happy and the undeniable twinge of discomfort lingered in the background.

It was a bittersweet moment, a celebration of his triumph in love, overshadowed by the realisation that the dynamics of your friendship had undergone a significant shift.

During lunch, the three of you gathered as usual, but the atmosphere was tinged with an unspoken tension. As you sat with your tray, Felix shot you a look, his expression a mix of disapproval and concern. You avoided his eyes, focusing on your food and pretending not to notice his silent judgment.

The news of Hyunjin and Lia's upcoming first date buzzed around the table, and despite the apparent excitement, Felix's gaze lingered on you. He wished you knew that he was only trying to protect you, a silent plea echoing in his eyes. Deep down, he feared that all this effort might lead to you getting hurt in the end.

As the conversation flowed, Felix couldn't contain his disapproval any longer, "So, playing matchmaker seems to be working well for you and Hyunjin." He remarked, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

You glanced up, meeting his eyes for a brief moment before averting your gaze, "Yeah, I guess it is."

Felix sighed, the concern etched on his face, "I hope you know what you're doing. Playing with emotions is a risky game."

You could sense the genuine worry in his words, but a stubborn determination held you captive. You knew there was a risk involved, but you've already come this far. It was as if a self-imposed obligation drove you to see this through until the end, no matter the consequences.

As the lunch bell rang, signalling the end of the break, Felix shot you one last look—a mix of caution and understanding. The unspoken conversation between you two lingered in the air, a silent acknowledgement of the uncertainties that lay ahead.

With a deep breath, you steeled yourself for what was to come. The journey you embarked upon had no clear destination, but one thing was certain: you're committed to helping Hyunjin until the end.

As the final bell rang, signalling the end of the school day, you gathered your belongings, preparing to head home. Just as you were about to make your way through the crowded hallway, Hyunjin rushed up to you, grabbing your wrist in his haste. Startled, he twisted you around, and for a brief moment, your eyes rounded at the close proximity between your faces.

His eyes widened in realisation, and he immediately stepped back, stammering, "S-sorry, I was just—"

You shook your head, feigning nonchalance despite the racing of your heart, "It's fine, what is it?"

Hyunjin beamed at your question, his initial awkwardness dissipating, "I need your help in picking an outfit for my date this weekend."

You ignored the sharp stab you felt in your heart at the cruel reminder. Suppressing your emotions, you nodded, "Of course, I'll send you some ideas tonight."

But he shook his head, a hopeful glint in his eyes, "No, I was hoping you could come over before the date and help me put together something nice...?"

You blinked, surprised by the unexpected request, "Why not get Felix to help you with that?"

Hyunjin pouted, swinging your arm around playfully, "Oh, come on, you're the one who promised to help me until the end, right?"

Sighing, you realised he was right. It was your commitment, not Felix's. Relenting, you nodded, "Alright, fine. Sheesh. I'll see you then."

Hyunjin cheered, thanking you profusely before running off, presumably heading to spend time with Lia. As he disappeared into the crowd, you couldn't shake off the lingering discomfort that settled in your chest.

Hang in there, you can do this.

Standing in front of the mirror, you scrutinised yourself for the umpteenth time before questioning your actions. Why did it matter how you looked to Hyunjin? After all, you'd literally grown up together, and he'd seen you at your best and worst. The reflection staring back at you seemed to mock the unnecessary anxiety that had settled in.

The sound of your phone's notifications going off snapped you out of your thoughts. Unlocking the device, you found texts from both Hyunjin and Felix. Hyunjin's message was playful, urging you to hurry over, 'Bestie, get your ass over here already!!!😭'

Felix's text, however, carried a different tone, one of understanding and support, 'Hyunjin told me you're going over to help him. I know nothing I say can change your mind, but I just want you to know that no matter what happens, I'll be here for you.'

Reading Felix's words nearly brought tears to your eyes. It was a reminder of the loneliness that came with keeping these feelings to yourself. In that moment, you realise the weight of the emotions you've chosen to carry alone. But there was no one else to blame; you made the choice yourself, and now it was time to finish what you started.

With a deep breath, you locked your phone and shook off the lingering self-doubt. Adjusting your outfit one final time, you muttered a quiet affirmation to yourself and headed towards Hyunjin's house.

Upon arriving, you were greeted by his infectious excitement, "Finally, you're here! I need your expert fashion advice."

Suppressing the internal turmoil, you forced a smile, "Alright, let's get this over with."

As you entered his room, surrounded by the familiar scent of his space, you felt a twinge of nostalgia. The memories of your friendship flooded back, but now, they were tainted with a layer of complexity.

The process of picking an outfit began, with you providing suggestions and Hyunjin trying on various combinations. Looking at him more closely now, you hated that you suddenly found him so attractive.

You watched as he struggled with some of the buttons on his shirt before looking up at you with a pout, "Some help would be nice?"

His request cut through the air, and you couldn't hide the inward sigh. The situation was already complicated enough, and now he was making things even more difficult. Rolling your eyes in a feigned display of annoyance, you walked up to him, determined to maintain a facade of indifference.

As you carefully worked through the buttons, your concentration remained fixed on the task at hand. Hyunjin, however, couldn't help but let his gaze remain on you. His eyes naturally drifted downward, taking in the familiar sight of you deep in focus. At that moment, he found you adorable, with your tongue poking out from the corner of your lips and a small frown between your eyes.

Huh, guess not much has changed.

Standing up close, he began to notice details he hadn't paid attention to before. Your eyelashes were surprisingly long, framing expressive eyes that held a history of shared laughter and secrets. The baby fat in your cheeks had disappeared after the braces, leaving behind a more defined and mature look. He also noticed how pink and soft your lips appeared.

The realisation hit him like a wave—have you always looked this pretty? The question lingered in his mind, surprising even himself with the depth of observation he was suddenly making. It wasn't that he hadn't considered your attractiveness before, but in this moment, with the proximity and the shared history, it became more pronounced.

Finished with the last button, you stepped back, offering a casual comment, "There. All set."

Your best friend, however, remained silent for a moment, his thoughts still lingering on the newfound awareness of your features. The atmosphere in the room had shifted, unspoken sentiments hanging between you two.

Standing at his doorstep, Hyunjin, ready to go on his date with Lia, smiled down at you, "Thank you for your time and effort," You shook your head, "No worries, good luck and have fun." But as you turned to leave, a peculiar sense of unease settled in him; it didn't feel right watching you go by yourself.

Before you could take more than a few steps, you were surprised to find him beside you, matching your pace, "What are you doing? You'll be late if you don't go now."

He shrugged, unable to fully grasp his own actions but feeling the need to do this, "It's fine, Lia can wait a bit. I'll walk you home. You came all this way to help me. It's the least I could do."

Your heart skipped a beat at that gesture. For the first time since Lia entered your lives, he was putting you first, prioritising you over her. But the conflicting emotions only intensified; it wasn't making things any easier for you.

Reaching your home, you shooed him with a teasing smile, "Alright, I'm home safe. Now, hurry and go get your dream girl."

He smiled back but didn't move from his spot. You shook your head and playfully pushed him, "Go, you idiot. What are you—"

Suddenly, he pulled you into his arms for a hug, his lips close to your ear, "She may be my dream girl right now, but you'll always be my number one."

Your breath hitched at those unexpected words. Before you could react, he pulled away and ran off, leaving you standing there, a mix of confusion and warmth swirling within.

Stop doing this to me, Hwang Hyunjin.

The restaurant was adorned with soft lights and a pleasant ambience, the perfect setting for a romantic evening.

But Hyunjin was struggling to enjoy his first date with Lia as much as he had anticipated. Despite having dreamed of dating her for so long, his mind seemed to be preoccupied with thoughts that he couldn't fully understand.

As Lia spoke, sharing stories and laughter, he felt a subtle distraction, his mind involuntarily drifting back to you. It was as if a veil had been lifted, and he found himself unknowingly comparing his date to you. Of course, Lia was undeniably beautiful, a fact that anyone with functioning eyes could see. But she just wasn't... you? He didn't know about anyone else, but to him, you were prettier.

Realising the direction of his thoughts, Hyunjin mentally slapped himself for disrespecting Lia in such a way. Determined to salvage the date, he forced himself to focus on what she was saying, pushing away the distracting comparisons.

However, as the evening unfolded, he couldn't shake off the subtle feeling that the date wasn't going as well as he'd expected. He blamed himself for the disconnect, fully aware that he was the one responsible for the disarray of his own emotions.

Attempting to be present in the moment, he engaged in conversation, trying to enjoy the company of the girl he had dreamt of for so long. But the shadow of conflicting thoughts persisted, casting a pall over what should have been a joyful and momentous occasion.

As the night progressed, Hyunjin found himself immersed in a whirlwind of conflicting thoughts. Despite his efforts to be present on his dream date with Lia, a growing sense of unease crept in. The realisation dawned on him like a quiet storm—he wasn't being entirely honest with her, and perhaps, more importantly, he wasn't being true to himself.

The version of himself that Lia had come to like was a meticulously crafted persona, tailored to fit her preferences. They engaged in activities she enjoyed, ate food she liked, and talked about subjects that captivated her. He even dressed in a way that he believed appealed to her tastes. In the process, he wondered if Lia liked him for who he truly was or merely for the version of himself he had presented to win her over.

If he were to be himself, would Lia have liked him at all? The sincerity of their interactions seemed to be overshadowed by the facade he constructed. It made him question the authenticity of their connection.

Aside from that, a more profound doubt surfaced—he questioned whether he genuinely liked Lia for who she was or if he was just infatuated with the idea of her. Was he captivated by the fantasy he created in his mind, rather than the reality of the person sitting across from him?

That night, the weight of the evening's revelations lingered as he collapsed onto his bed after sending Lia home.

Sighing heavily, he thought about the missed opportunity. He hadn't kissed her goodbye like he used to imagine. Instead, all he managed was a simple 'goodnight, see you at school next week' before leaving her doorstep. It wasn't the romantic farewell he envisioned, but the weight of his internal conflicts restrained him.

In the solitude of his room, he decided that it was time for a change. He acknowledged that the version of himself he'd presented to Lia wasn't sustainable, nor was it fair to either of them. With a newfound resolve, he made a decision—he would give her another chance, but this time, he wanted to be genuine, to be himself.

Perhaps, if he allowed Lia to see the real him, and if he took the time to genuinely understand her, there might be a chance for something more authentic to blossom between them.

With this resolve in mind, Hyunjin closed his eyes, attempting to push all thoughts of you out of his mind. You were his best friend, and he had to remind himself of that fact. As sleep claimed him, he envisioned a future where the real him and the real Lia could find common ground, unburdened by the illusions that initially clouded their connection.

The following week at school, you and Felix were surprised by Hyunjin's demeanour. He didn't exhibit the expected excitement that typically followed a successful first date. Instead, he seemed to have reverted to his previous self, the Hyunjin you knew before the Lia obsession took centre stage.

Your surprise was evident when, out of the blue, Hyunjin began walking you to class again. His laughter rang out as he snickered at the puzzled expression on your face, and without warning, he playfully ruffled your hair, "Stop looking at me like that." He teased.

In response, you whined and swatted his hand away, "Not the hair, you jerk!"

His laughter continued, a sound you've missed, and he couldn't hide his happiness at seeing this side of you again. Deep down, he knew he pushed you away with his previous behaviour. Slipping an arm around your shoulder, he spoke, "Look, I'm sorry for the way I behaved previously. I know you must've been hurt. I promise to make it up to you."

Before you could inquire about the details of his date with Lia and the sudden change in his attitude, you arrived at your class. He squeezed your shoulder reassuringly before leaving, "See you at lunch."

You nodded, still slightly confused but undeniably happy. Maybe the date didn't go as well as he'd hoped? The possibility filled you with hope, and you couldn't shake the optimism that bubbled within. You found yourself looking forward to lunchtime, eager to uncover the mysteries behind his change of heart.

The lunchtime rendezvous brought an air of anticipation as the three of you gathered at your usual spot. Despite Hyunjin's seemingly improved attitude, a sense of unease lingered in the air.

As you exchanged casual banter, he finally broached the subject, "Guys, there's something I want to talk to you about." His tone carried a weight that immediately caught your attention.

"I've been thinking," Hyunjin continued, his gaze shifting between you and Felix, "About Lia. I want to take a different approach with her. I've decided to be myself, the real me, around her. I want her to like me for who I truly am."

Your heart sank at his words, a sinking feeling of déjà vu washing over you. The hope that had briefly ignited was swiftly extinguished. It became clear that Hyunjin's newfound determination was geared toward pursuing a more genuine connection with Lia. While on the surface, it seemed like a positive step, the implications were disheartening.

Felix, however, expressed his support, "That's a great decision, Jinnie. Be yourself, and if she likes you for who you are, that's even better."

While Felix's words were encouraging, his eyes betrayed a different sentiment. They shifted to you, a subtle expression of concern. He understood the implications of Hyunjin's decision, knowing how you probably felt at that moment.

Another week passed, and Hyunjin, beaming with pride, announced to you and Felix that he was going on a second date with Lia. While you feigned happiness for him, Felix saw through the facade. The strain of suppressing your true feelings became apparent, and Felix, unable to watch you suffer in silence, decided it was time to intervene.

On the night of Hyunjin's second date, Felix took it upon himself to keep you company and distract you from your thoughts. Together, you baked brownies and indulged in a fun movie night. As the credits rolled on the screen and the room dimmed, he turned to see you staring numbly ahead, clearly lost in your own thoughts.

Sighing, he reached across and placed his hands over yours, "Talk to me, please. I want to be there for you. Why do you keep doing this to yourself? What are you trying so hard to prove, hm?"

The concerned look in your best friend's eyes finally broke through the walls you'd built around your emotions. With a heavy exhale, you crumbled, unable to hold back the feelings that had been festering within.

"It's just... I don't understand why I'm doing this to myself," You admitted, "I keep pretending to be okay, to be happy for him, but every time he talks about Lia, it just hurts. I don't know why I'm trying so hard to prove something. Maybe I'm just scared of losing him, of things changing between us."

Felix listened attentively, his grip on your hands offering both support and reassurance, "You don't have to go through this alone, you know?" He said softly, "It's okay to feel the way you do, and it's okay to talk about it."

With those words, the floodgates opened, and you poured out the conflicting emotions that had been plaguing you, "You were right... I guess I do have feelings for him."

Felix listened with a soft, understanding smile, his eyes reflecting a sense of calm assurance. He wasn't at all surprised by the revelation, having sensed the undercurrents of your emotions for some time.

"I don't even know when it started or why I feel this way," You confessed, your voice tinged with a mixture of confusion and vulnerability, "Hyunjin has been my best friend for as long as I can remember, and suddenly everything feels so complicated."

Felix squeezed your hand, "It's okay, you know. Feelings can be messy, and they don't always follow a logical timeline. What matters is that you're opening up about it now. You don't have to do this alone, and I'm here for you, no matter what."

He smiled softly, a reassuring warmth in his gaze. Felix didn't have all the answers, and he knew that unravelling the complexities of emotions wasn't a straightforward task. But he was determined to be the support you needed, offering a listening ear, a shoulder to lean on, and a friend who understood.

Meanwhile, on his date with Lia, Hyunjin couldn't shake the nagging feeling that something was off.

Lia was a nice girl, but as the evening went on, he began to realise that she might not be exactly his type at all. It wasn't something he consciously thought about before, but as he spent time with her, he couldn't help comparing her to you again.

You, with your unladylike antics that he always teased you about but secretly cherished. Lia, in contrast, seemed different, and the more he pondered on it, the more he realised that different wasn't necessarily what he was looking for. He missed the easy banter and shared interests he had with you and Felix.

During their conversation, he noticed how Lia appeared bored or uninterested whenever he brought up stories about you and Felix. It struck him that, unlike your friendship, their discussions seemed one-sided, revolving mostly around Lia and her interests.

As she excused herself to the bathroom, he took the opportunity to check his phone.

Scrolling through Instagram, he stumbled upon Felix's story. The images and captions painted a vivid picture of a cosy evening filled with laughter—something he found himself envious of. At that moment, he realised that he wanted to be there with you.

As Lia returned from the bathroom, he felt that something was missing, and for the first time, he questioned whether pursuing a relationship with her was the right path for him.

Determined to move on from your feelings for Hyunjin, you decided to refocus on the things that once brought you joy – your love for gaming. Despite Hyunjin's announcement of giving up on Lia, a part of you understood that he was and would always be nothing more than your best friend.

Regardless of how things worked out with Lia, your feelings for Hyunjin would remain unrequited.

Returning to the library's gaming section, you immersed yourself in the digital worlds that always provided comfort. It was there that you met Seungmin, a fellow gamer who shared your passion for virtual adventures. The two of you quickly bonded over your favourite games, strategies, and the thrill of defeating virtual foes together.

Felix noticed the positive change in your demeanour and was relieved to see you returning to your usual self again. The laughter and excitement you shared with Seungmin during gaming sessions became a refreshing break from the emotional complexities that had weighed on you.

However, Hyunjin struggled to come to terms with the shift. Every mention of Seungmin stirred an unsettling feeling within him. He found it hard to reconcile the fact that you were forming a connection with someone else, and it left him grappling with emotions he hadn't anticipated.

Despite the internal turmoil, he understood that your happiness was most important. He tried to be supportive, but the subtle twinge of discomfort lingered whenever Seungmin's name came up.

After school, you excitedly ran up to Hyunjin and Felix, who were waiting for you by the school gates, "Hey, losers, sorry I can't walk home with you guys today. Go on without me; I'll see y'all tomorrow!"

Before you could dash off, Hyunjin's brows furrowed, and he reached for your wrist. Twisting you around, the moment felt like déjà vu from the day you helped him with his outfit. Both your eyes widened at the sudden proximity, and Felix cleared his throat awkwardly, looking away.

Hyunjin blinked rapidly before sputtering, "Wh-where do you think you're going, young lady? Your parents will be worried if you don't go home now."

You pulled away from him, rolling your eyes to feign nonchalance, "Jinnie, please. Do you think I'm you? My parents already know I'll be out after school today," Felix chortled to help lighten the atmosphere, "Hate to admit it, but she's right, bro."

Hyunjin scoffed, "Well, I'm just worried. You know how clumsy you can get," Before you could respond, Seungmin called your name from behind, and you beamed, "Don't worry, Seungmin will take care of me." He didn't like the sound of that one bit.

Just as he tried to stop you from going to Seungmin, Felix grabbed his arm and shook his head.

"Let her go."

Hyunjin didn't understand why it felt like those three words held a deeper meaning. He watched as you joined Seungmin, the two of you walking away, laughter floating back towards them. Felix turned to Hyunjin, his expression unreadable.

Oh, how the tables have turned.

Hyunjin couldn't shake the unease that settled within him as he continued to watch your retreating figures. It was a feeling he couldn't quite define, and for the first time, he wondered if his worry for you went beyond the bounds of friendship.

As the two boys walked home, Hyunjin couldn't shake the lingering discomfort. The unease prompted him to turn to Felix, needing some clarity on the matter.

"Hey, what do you think about Seungmin?" Hyunjin asked, his voice carrying a mix of curiosity and apprehension.

Felix smiled knowingly, understanding the source of the inquiry, "Seungmin? He's a good guy. He's not just a gamer; he's dedicated to his studies too. I've noticed he's had a positive influence on our bestie, encouraging her to study harder as well."

Hyunjin nodded, absorbing Felix's words. He tried to accept his friend's reasoning and rationalise the situation for himself. Why was he feeling so unhappy about this anyway? Felix seemed just fine with your new friendship and even supportive of it.

Perhaps he should learn to be the same.

"Yeah, you're right," Hyunjin replied, forcing a smile, "I guess it's good that she's found someone who gets her interest."

Felix clapped him on the back, "Exactly! Seungmin seems like a genuine guy. Let's just be happy for her."

Hyunjin nodded again, attempting to bury the unease and be supportive like Felix. But deep down, a part of him couldn't shake the feeling that he was losing something, something intangible yet significant, and the journey to fully understand those emotions had just begun.

Meanwhile, you made a conscious effort to push aside the thoughts and emotions stirred up by the encounter with Hyunjin.

As you walked alongside Seungmin, chatting about the latest game releases, you couldn't escape the replay of the moment when Hyunjin grabbed your wrist. Your heart still raced as you wondered about the desperation in his eyes.

Could he be... jealous?

Did he feel the same way about you, or was it just a reaction to your attention being diverted from him and Felix? Rationalising, you convinced yourself that it was probably the latter. After all, Hwang Hyunjin, the charismatic and charming friend, couldn't possibly reciprocate your feelings. It was safer to assume that he wasn't used to your attention being on someone other than him and Felix.

You couldn't shake off the feeling that you needed to save yourself from further misery. The idea of Hyunjin shifting his focus to another girl loomed in your mind. Sure, the Lia phase was over, but he could very well set his eyes on someone new at any time.

Perhaps it was time to guard your heart, to protect yourself from potential heartache. Resolute in your decision, you pushed aside the uncertainty and focused on Seungmin, someone who seemed genuinely interested in you for who you were.

Despite your best efforts, you found your mind involuntarily comparing Seungmin to Hyunjin, and you mentally scolded yourself for these incessant thoughts.

Urging yourself to stop these comparisons, you recognised that if your feelings for Hyunjin weren't clouding your judgment, you might have fallen for Seungmin instantly. He was everything you could want in a guy – your dream guy, to be precise.

Seungmin shared the same interests, hobbies, and principles as you did. He was attentive, considerate, and almost perfect for you. Although he might not have been conventionally the ideal type for most, he fits your ideal perfectly. So close to perfection, if only he was... Hwang Hyunjin.

You snapped out of your thoughts when Seungmin called your name, informing you that he would be back in a bit as he went to collect your food order. You softened at his gentlemanly gesture, realising that you were being unfair to him by comparing him to Hyunjin. Seungmin was his own person, and you were determined to appreciate and like him for who he truly was.

The realisation hit you hard, and you resolved to give Seungmin the attention and consideration he deserved. After all, he had done nothing but show kindness and genuine interest in you.

Seungmin walked you home that evening after a day filled with fun and laughter. Arriving at your doorstep, you turned to him in gratitude, "Thank you so much for walking me home. Gosh, you really didn't have to. It'll be late by the time you get home."

He grinned, teasing, "Aww, are you worrying about me?"

You scoffed, "What if I am? It can be dangerous to be out late alone."

Unable to resist, he wrapped you in a hug. You stilled for a moment before lifting your hands to hold onto him, "You have no idea how happy I am that you care this much about me." He admitted, and you couldn't suppress your smile at his words.

"Of course, I care about you, Kim Seungmin. What kind of friend would I be not to?" You replied as he pulled away, a genuine warmth in your words.

He seemed to contemplate something before gathering the courage to ask, "H-hey, I was wondering... are you free this Saturday?"

Just as you were about to answer, a new voice interrupted you both, "No, she's not. She has plans with me, sorry." said Hyunjin, standing nearby and staring coldly at Seungmin. The unexpected interruption caught you off guard.

You glared at Hyunjin, annoyed by his sudden intrusion, "What? No, I don't." You retorted, not appreciating his assumption.

Hyunjin seemed hurt by your swift rejection, but trying to save his pride, he added, "Yes, you do. Felix got us tickets to see the latest Marvel superhero movie."

Furrowing your brows, you couldn't recall Felix mentioning any of these plans, "He did?" You questioned, feeling a bit perplexed.

Seungmin, aware that Hyunjin was your close friend, decided to be the bigger person, "That's alright, perhaps another time. I have to get home anyway. I'll see you at school." He said diplomatically, not wanting to leave a bad impression.

You nodded quickly, feeling bad about Hyunjin's borderline rude behaviour, "Text me when you get home, yeah?"

"I will." He beamed and patted your head affectionately before walking away. Hyunjin fumed from his corner, observing you watching Seungmin leave until he was out of sight. The tension lingered, leaving you with a mix of frustration and confusion as you turned your attention back to Hyunjin.

"Dude, what the hell was that?!"

Hyunjin rolled his eyes in annoyance, "What? Are you so upset that you don't get to go out with your little boyfriend again?" He retorted with a dismissive tone.

You narrowed your eyes at his sudden attitude, "Seungmin's not my—" You paused and took a deep breath, not wanting to entertain his childish behaviour, "What are you even doing here in the first place, Hyunjin? Did Felix really get us movie tickets this weekend?"

He gulped and looked away, unable to meet your eyes. That answered your question; he lied about the tickets. You sighed, growing tired of the drama, "I don't have time for this. If you won't talk, then I'm leaving."

Turning to enter your house, he quickly grabbed your wrist.

No, not again.

You distanced yourself before he could pull you close to him, determined to protect your heart.

But he couldn't hold back any longer. Frowning at the distance you deliberately put between you two, he exploded, "I've had it, alright? What's gotten into you all of a sudden? Seungmin this, Seungmin that! I'm sick of hearing about him! Do you even care about me and Felix anymore?"

You laughed humourlessly at those words, tears welling up in your eyes, "So, now you know how it feels, huh?"

He froze at that, realising the hypocrisy of his actions.

Wiping your tears harshly with your sleeves, you continued, "How selfish can you be, Hwang Hyunjin? I kept quiet and supported you while you obsessed over Lia, even when you pushed me aside. And now that I've found someone I like, you can't accept it?"

He gulped and lowered his head in shame.

"So it's alright if you do it, but when I do it, it's outrageous and unacceptable, huh? I see how it is."

Not wanting to hear another word from him, you stalked into your home and slammed the door shut, leaving him outside, confronted by the consequences of his actions.

The following day at school, you refused to speak to Hyunjin. When he attempted to chase after you and confront you, Felix stopped him with a serious expression that revealed he knew more than he let on. Stepping aside, the two of them finally decided to address the elephant in the room.

Felix began with a sigh, "She told me what happened last night."

Hyunjin avoided his friend's eye contact, feeling a deep sense of shame. This was a repeat of what happened with you before, but now it was Hyunjin's turn to feel the weight of his actions. Felix deduced that Hyunjin must have returned your feelings, seeing his reaction to Seungmin's appearance in your life.

"You know, it hurt her more than anyone for you to say those things to her," Felix explained, his tone serious, "It's extremely unfair to her. How you felt seeing her with Seungmin, was what she went through when you had Lia. But she kept it all in and suffered alone. She didn't even confide in me. I had to beg her to lean on me, seeing how much it affected her."

Hyunjin felt an overwhelming wave of guilt with this revelation. He had guessed that you'd be hurt, but he didn't fully understand the extent of it until he experienced it himself. He neglected you even more than he realised.

Goddamnit, I'm a horrible friend.

Felix, tired of all the charades, wanted his best friend to wake up to his own feelings. Firmly, he began, "Hyunjin, I want you to think carefully about this."

Hyunjin looked up at Felix's determined gaze, anticipating what he was about to say.

"Do you think that perhaps the reason you're this upset is because you have feelings for her?" Felix asked pointedly.

Hyunjin froze. The thought constantly lingered in the back of his mind, but he always refused to acknowledge it, let alone voice it out loud. It felt like it wasn't supposed to happen. After all, he had known you since you were all in diapers; you'd grown up side by side. How could it be possible that all of a sudden, he would be seeing you in a different light?

With Felix asking this question, Hyunjin knew the feelings must have been there for his friend to see through in the first place.

That would explain why he had been so unhappy to see you with Seungmin, especially when Felix seemed less than bothered by it. The realisation hit him like a ton of bricks, and he felt a mixture of confusion, denial, and a hint of something he couldn't quite put his finger on.

Felix placed a hand on Hyunjin's shoulder, "I know it sounds crazy, but deep down, I trust you know the answer better than anyone else. Just... take your time and figure it out before deciding how you want to approach her. Whatever happens, I'm here for you, alright buddy?"

Hyunjin nodded gratefully, "Thank you, Felix." The weight of the realisation hung heavy in the air, and he couldn't deny that he needed to confront his feelings, as confusing and unexpected as they were.

As Felix walked away, Hyunjin took a deep breath, grappling with the newfound awareness that his emotions for you might be more complicated than he ever imagined.

During lunch, you decided to be the bigger person and chose not to ignore Hyunjin any longer. Instead, you opted to act like nothing had happened. You didn't want any confrontation and wished only to move on from the drama. Thankfully, Hyunjin didn't pester you, especially with Felix sending him warning looks.

As you sat down, you engaged in casual conversation with both of them, discussing topics that steered clear of any emotional tension.

Hyunjin found relief in the momentary peace.

He realised that this was for the best, a chance for him to figure out his own feelings for you without the weight of recent events clouding his judgment. The lunch table, which had once been a source of joy and comfort, now felt like a battleground of unspoken emotions. He couldn't shake off the guilt, but he was determined to navigate through the complexities of his feelings.

Little did he know, you were also fighting with your emotions, doing your best to maintain a facade of normalcy for the sake of the friendship you cherished.

That weekend, Felix decided to make a genuine effort to lighten the atmosphere within your friend group. He went and bought movie tickets for real this time, hoping that this outing could serve as a reset button for all of you, despite the underlying emotional tension between you and Hyunjin.

As you approached the two of them, your usual cheerful self, Hyunjin fought to keep his heart still. You weren't necessarily dressed up for the occasion, but in his heightened awareness of his feelings for you, he couldn't deny that you looked beautiful to him no matter what you wore. He tried to pull himself together as you threw your arms over both their necks in a group hug.

He instinctively reached his hand over your back, holding you against him. At that moment, he closed his eyes, savouring the feeling of having you close. The warmth of your embrace and the subtle scent of your familiar perfume made it difficult for him to ignore the growing realisation that his feelings for you were deeper than he had ever acknowledged.

The movie outing, intended to bring back the carefree dynamic of your friendship, unknowingly became a pivotal moment in Hyunjin's self-discovery.

Felix observed you two knowingly, shaking his head at how oblivious you were to each other's feelings. While you attempted to maintain a distance, Hyunjin made every effort to close the gap, taking a step closer every chance he got. Despite your attempts to push him away, Felix could tell that it was becoming increasingly difficult for you to deny your own heart's desires.

Throughout the entire day, Hyunjin took care of you in every possible way. He offered to buy you whatever you wanted, handed you his jacket when the cinema hall got too cold, and even accompanied you to the washroom during the long movie.

You stared at him incredulously when he followed after you, whispering, "Jinnie, what are you doing? I'm fine going alone; I know where the washroom is."

He shushed you and gently pushed you out of the hall, saying, "I won't forgive myself if anything happens to you. Just let me do this."

Despite the flutter in your heart, you rolled your eyes and relented, "Ugh, fine. Don't blame me when you miss what happens in the movie later."

One of the cleaner ladies witnessing your banter chuckled, "Young lady, you have a wonderful boyfriend. You should let him take care of you if he wants to, not all men are like that nowadays."

Choking on your spit, you waved your hands at her, "N-no! You've got it all wrong, he's not my—"

Squishing your cheeks to disrupt your attempt to clarify, Hyunjin smiled politely at her before grinning mischievously down at you, "Listen to the kind lady, my love. She's right."

Once the lady was out of sight, you slapped his hand away with a glare, "You do that again, Hwang Hyunjin, and I'll kick you where the sun doesn't shine."

He burst out laughing at the threat, and you struggled to suppress the smile forming on your face as you entered the washroom.

The outing continued, and Felix marvelled at how Hyunjin's actions were a silent testament to his growing feelings for you. It was as if he had unconsciously shifted into a more protective and caring mode. Felix exchanged glances with Hyunjin when you weren't looking, silently urging him to confront his emotions.

Hyunjin's attempts to get closer to you were evident. He lingered beside you during breaks, shared his snacks, and even stole a glance or two when he thought you weren't looking. Felix hoped that this could be the turning point for both of you.

By the end of the day, as you bid farewell, Hyunjin's eyes held a certain warmth that hadn't been there before. Felix smiled knowingly, hopeful that the walls both of you had built around your hearts might finally start to crumble.

The two boys walked you home that evening. Upon arriving at your doorstep, you turned to bid them goodbye, "Thanks, Lix, for the movie, and thanks, Jinnie, for the snacks. I had a good time with you losers." You said with a playful smile.

Felix laughed, giving you a warm hug, "You're welcome, idiot."

Hyunjin, not one to be outdone, waited for his turn. As his arms enveloped you, your face pressed against his shoulder, you hoped he couldn't hear the frantic beating of your heart. Little did you know, his own heart was racing just as fast. Squeezing you in his arms, he pressed a subtle kiss onto your head and whispered, "Anytime, cutie."

You blinked rapidly, feeling a sudden warmth spread through you. Felix cleared his throat, and Hyunjin reluctantly let you go. You smiled and waved at the two of them, "Alrighty then, I'll see you both at school."

Waving back, they turned to leave. Unbeknownst to Hyunjin, Felix caught him muttering a quiet, "Can't wait."

A week had passed and Hyunjin was just glad you no longer brought up Seungmin again, perhaps you've drifted apart from the boy? Whatever it was, he was just happy to not hear that name again.

Ah yes, things are finally returning to normal.

Or so he thought.

The cafeteria bustled with students, the usual hum of conversation filling the air as the three of you settled into your regular lunch spot. Hyunjin's eyes sparkled with excitement as he leaned forward, suggesting an idea for the upcoming weekend.

"Hey, let's do something fun this Saturday! I heard there's this new arcade opened—"

Before he could finish, your sheepish smile and the gentle rub on your neck halted him, "Sorry, I won't be able to make it. You guys can go ahead without me though."

Hyunjin furrowed his brows, "What? Why not?"

You sighed, conflicted about sharing the information but recognising the necessity, "I'm... going on my first date with Seungmin."

His cheerful expression faltered, his eyes reflecting a mix of surprise and disappointment, "Seungmin? You're still seeing him?"

You nodded hesitantly, your gaze shifting away, "Yeah, we've been hanging out quite a bit lately, and he finally asked me out. I didn't want to bring it up, but since you asked..."

The atmosphere grew tense, and Felix, who was listening to the conversation, threw a concerned look at his friend. Hyunjin tried to put on a brave face, forcing a smile, "Oh, that's... that's great. I hope you have fun."

Felix intervened, sensing the underlying tension, "Well, we can reschedule our plans. No big deal."

You offered an apologetic smile, "Thanks, Lix. I really appreciate it."

Hyunjin forced a smile, trying to mask the discomfort he felt, "Yeah, go have a good time."

His gaze lingered longingly on your retreating figure as you left lunch early that day. The once-clear path of friendship now seemed muddled, and the excitement for the weekend plans felt overshadowed by heartache.

The streetlights cast elongated shadows on the sidewalk as Hyunjin walked home, his steps heavy with self-pity. His gaze was fixed on his phone screen, flipping through your Instagram stories with Seungmin. Felix, catching up to his despondent friend, slung an arm over Hyunjin's shoulder.

"Dude, why didn't you wait for me?" Felix asked, noticing Hyunjin's distraction.

Hyunjin didn't respond, lost in his thoughts. Felix glanced over and sighed when he saw your stories playing on Hyunjin's phone. Swiftly, he snatched the device out of his friend's hands.

"That's enough. Will you keep wasting away while the girl you like is out there with another guy? Aren't you going to do something about your feelings?" Felix's words were firm, a mix of concern and frustration.

Hyunjin, taking his phone back, continued trudging home, "What can I do, Lix? All she sees is Seungmin. It doesn't matter how I feel."

Without warning, Felix smacked him on the back of the head. Hyunjin froze, rubbing the back of his head as Felix continued walking.

"Is that what you think? So you're upset with her seeing Seungmin because you have feelings for her. You do realise she felt the same way seeing you with Lia, right? So, what does that tell you?" With those words hanging in the air, Felix left Hyunjin standing there, the pieces slowly falling into place in his mind.

Wait, does that mean she feels the same?

The soft chime of incoming messages interrupted your preparations for the date with Seungmin. You checked your phone to find a series of texts from Hyunjin, desperation evident in his words. He insisted that he needed to meet you urgently, that there was something important he needed to discuss.

Sighing, you considered ignoring him, determined to focus on your evening with Seungmin. But the messages continued to flood in, Hyunjin's pleas echoing through your phone. You were tired of the emotional rollercoaster, the constant back and forth.

Just as you were about to throw your phone aside, a few more texts flashed across the screen. Hyunjin persisted, wanting to talk to you, to meet with you, 'Please don't go to him.' Frustration welled up in you, but you maintained your resolve.

With a firmness that surprised even yourself, you replied, 'Enough, Hyunjin. I'm going on this date with Seungmin whether or not you like it. You're not stopping me this time.'

As you hit send, a text from Seungmin arrived, informing you that he had arrived.

Fixing your hair one last time, you took a deep breath and made a conscious decision to put thoughts of Hyunjin aside for the night. Tonight was about you and Seungmin, and you were determined to enjoy the evening without the interference of unresolved feelings.

Except it was harder than you think.

The cityscape sparkled with lights as you walked beside Seungmin. Despite the vibrant atmosphere and your date's engaging company, every corner of the city seemed to whisper memories of Hyunjin. You couldn't escape the nostalgia that flooded your mind, remembering the countless times you and your childhood friend had roamed these familiar streets together throughout the years.

It became a bitter realisation that, no matter how much you tried to focus on Seungmin, your mind wandered back to your best friend. The restaurants you passed, the park you strolled through, every place held echoes of shared moments with Hyunjin.

To make matters worse, your phone vibrated incessantly with continuous messages from him. Despite your decision to ignore him, his texts continued to flood in, each one a reminder of his persistence. It tugged at your heartstrings, making it harder to immerse yourself in the date.

As the night progressed, you found yourself in a constant battle between the present and the past, between Seungmin and Hyunjin.

Just why are you doing this to me?

Letting out a tired sigh, you pushed your phone back into your pocket after seeing yet another text from you-know-who. You managed a convincing smile for your date, trying to push away the distraction of Hyunjin's persistent texts. But Seungmin's concern was evident as he placed a reassuring hand on your arm.

"Hey, everything alright?" He asked, his eyes reflecting genuine care. Your heart twinged with guilt for letting your emotions surface so easily. Nodding your head, you quickly regained your composure.

"Yep, all good. Ooh, let's go see that over there!" You pointed towards an intriguing stall, its shelves filled with peculiar items. You hoped the novelty would distract Seungmin—and, in turn, yourself—from the underlying tension of the night.

As you both explored the colourful array of trinkets and curiosities, you did your best to be present, banishing the persistent thoughts of a certain someone. Little did you know, Seungmin observed your efforts with concern, hoping to make the evening memorable for you.

Fingers intertwined with yours, he gently tugged you away from the crowd to a quieter corner by the beautiful Hangang River. The distant city lights reflected on the water's surface, casting a serene glow on both of you.

There, you stumbled upon a talented busker passionately pouring their heart into a soulful melody. Seungmin's eyes sparkled with delight as he guided you to a spot where you could enjoy the performance undisturbed.

In that moment, surrounded by the soothing music and the gentle night breeze, you smiled shyly. His presence felt warm and comforting, and for an instant, all you could see was him. He truly was a great guy, someone who could be the perfect boyfriend.

You could see it, see yourself being happy with him.

Until you couldn't.

The busker's next song struck a chord deep within you, a familiar melody that wrapped around your heart like a haunting echo from the past. It was your song, the one you and Hyunjin had dedicated to each other; it signified how much you meant to one another.

As the singer's voice carried the tune, memories of late-night talks, stolen glances, and the warmth of Hyunjin's presence flooded your mind. It was a bittersweet reminder of a connection that ran far deeper than you'd allowed yourself to acknowledge.

You knew you were hopeless when a voice you knew too well from behind you called out your name.

Hwang Hyunjin stood there, his eyes fixed on you with a mixture of emotions that mirrored your own inner turmoil. The shattered fragments of the future you envisioned with Seungmin lay scattered like a broken mirror, and there was no escaping the truth that had resurfaced with the haunting melody.

Turning to face him, you knew you were a lost cause the moment you laid your eyes on him. You had no control over how your heart instantly reacted to merely seeing him.

Seungmin's smile faltered, his grip on your hand loosening. The sudden shift didn't escape your notice, and when you looked up at him with tearful eyes, you found a bittersweet understanding in his gaze. His hand gently patted your head, a comforting gesture that carried an unspoken message.

"It's okay. Follow your heart, go to him," He said, his voice soft and understanding. His reassuring smile attempted to dispel any guilt you might feel, "Don't apologise, please. From the beginning, it was clear that your heart belonged to someone else. I knew that, and I just wanted to try my luck winning it over. But it's alright; I can tell this whole time, it's still with him."

His words lingered in the air, carrying both acceptance and a touch of melancholy. Hyunjin, who had been silently observing, began to view your date in a different light. Felix's insight had been right; Seungmin was a great guy.

Giving your hand a final, supportive squeeze, Seungmin nodded encouragingly at Hyunjin before walking off into the night.

The atmosphere around you seemed to shift, the distant sounds of the city melting away as Seungmin left you alone with Hyunjin and the weight of his words hanging in the air.

"Great, he's gone now. Are you happy?! What is it that's so freaking urgent that you had to ruin my date—"

Before you could process the mix of emotions, Hyunjin closed the distance between you. Your anger bubbled up at his apparent interruption, but he cut through your words with a revelation that shook you to your core.

"I'm in love with you, okay?!"

The confession hung in the air, and for a moment, the world stopped. You looked at him, your heart pounding, thoughts racing.

The truth that lingered beneath the surface had finally surfaced, leaving you both vulnerable and exposed. As the weight of his words settled in, you found yourself at a loss for how to respond.

Time seemed to come to a standstill.

You stood there, eyes wide, trembling, as the weight of his words sank in, "Wh-what?" You croaked, almost disbelieving. You feared your mind might be playing tricks on you.

Hyunjin softened, reaching gently for your hands, "I said, I'm in love with you. Always have been. It's... it's always been you. I should've known when I couldn't stop thinking about you even when I was with Lia. I'm sorry it took me this long to realise."

Your eyes rounded at the sincerity in his voice as he continued, "And I know that you feel exactly the same way I do."

You scoffed lightly at his confidence, "And how would you know that?"

He smiled, his gaze unwavering, "Tell me I'm wrong then. Tell me I've never once crossed your mind while you were with Seungmin."

You huffed in defeat, and he brought a hand up to cup your face, making you meet his gaze, "It has been painful watching you be with him, but I deserved it after making you watch and help me chase after Lia. I'm an idiot. I don't know how I've been so blind to my own feelings all this while."

You chuckled, placing your hand over his affectionately, "Believe it or not, I'm not much better. I didn't realise I loved you until Lia came around too."

His heart skipped a beat at your words, and he rested his forehead against yours, "Say that again."

You frowned, "Say what? That I'm no better than you?"

He laughed, "Not that. What you said after that."

You blinked slowly, "That I... love you?"

He nodded, biting his lip, "Again."

You blushed, murmuring, "I love you, you idiot."

His heart soared at that, "I love you too." Before you knew it, you were both leaning in, and your breath was taken away when you finally felt his lips pressed against yours. The world seemed to vanish, leaving only the two of you and the shared realisation of a love that had been there all along.

Hyunjin took you home, and the journey was a blur of stolen kisses, laughter, and the promise of a future that was now crystal clear. He kissed you dizzy at your doorstep, a sweet and lingering moment that left you breathless.

As you unlocked your front door, still feeling the warmth of his touch on your lips, you couldn't shake the need to address things with Seungmin. Despite the confusion of your emotions, you felt responsible for any unintentional hurt you might have caused.

Pulling out your phone, you composed a long text to Seungmin, expressing your sincerest apologies for leading him on, even when that wasn't your intention.

His reply came not long after, and you felt relief as you read his understanding words. Seungmin reassured you that he cherished the friendship you both had and was genuinely happy for you. You sighed, grateful that he handled it with such grace, and responded with a heartfelt thank you.

The weight on your shoulders lifted, knowing that at least one aspect of the situation was resolved amicably.

As the night settled in, you found yourself sitting by your window, a gentle breeze carrying the promise of a fresh start. Texts from Hyunjin lit up your screen, each message carrying a piece of the happiness that now coloured your world.

You smiled, realising that sometimes, the best things in life were the ones that took time to unfold.

The following week, you and Hyunjin walked into school hand in hand, a couple at last. The shift in your relationship wasn't much of a surprise to anyone. It has always been clear to most people that there was something slightly more between you; Hyunjin's protective nature and constant presence by your side made it obvious, that the love he had for you was different from Felix's platonic one.

The subtle hints that hung between you two over the years were now out in the open, and the school could finally witness the natural progression from best friends to something more.

Felix, stationed by his locker with an amused smirk, "Finally! I was this close to losing my patience waiting for you fools to realise you belonged together." His words carried a teasing tone, but there was genuine happiness in his eyes as he looked at the two of you.

Hyunjin chuckled, "Thanks, Lix. I won't lie, we probably wouldn't have been together yet if it weren't for you."

You nodded in agreement, "For real, you're the best," Grateful for the support and nudges from Felix, you jumped into his open arms, embracing him with genuine warmth. He grinned teasingly at your boyfriend as he hugged you back tightly, "I sure am."

Hyunjin, feigning jealousy, cleared his throat, "Alright, alright, that's enough! Hands off my girlfriend." He pulled you back into his arms, giving you a playful glare. You giggled, basking in the joy of finally being able to show your affection openly. The three of you shared a moment, knowing that this new chapter in your lives had been a long time coming.

The laughter-filled atmosphere at the lunch table spoke volumes about the comfort and happiness that had settled into your lives. With your boyfriend sitting by your side and your best friend across from you, the three of you enjoyed the moment.

Felix, ever the playful instigator, decided to bring up a memory, "Hey, remember when you said you had no interest in dating? Funny how things turned out, now look at you."

You scoffed, playfully rolling your eyes at his persistent teasing. Just as you were about to feed Hyunjin some of your kimchi fried rice, you paused midway, giving Felix a mock glare, "How many times have we been over this? Give it a rest, will you?"

Hyunjin whined at the interruption, and you turned to feed him with a coo, making him smile. Felix burst into laughter, thoroughly entertained, "Nope, I'll never let you live this down."

Your boyfriend swallowed the food in his mouth before throwing a tangerine at Felix, "Leave her alone and pick on someone your own size, Lee Yongbok."

Felix shook his head amusingly, catching the fruit in his hand, "Okay, okay, sheesh."

Amid the laughter and light banter, Felix suddenly shifted the mood, his expression turning serious, "Hey, on a serious note, you two. I just want you to know how genuinely happy I am for both of you. I wish you nothing but the best, and I hope you'll be together for a really long time. You both mean the world to me and your happiness is what matters most."

Hyunjin wrapped an arm around you and nodded, "I promise, Lix, I'll take care of her for as long as I'm capable of doing so."

Your eyes grew a bit wet at the sincerity of their words. Just as the moment was turning emotional, Felix, in his typical fashion, couldn't resist adding a touch of humour, "Oh, and by the way, if you have a kid, name them after me. Felix has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?"

You and Hyunjin stared at him, unamused, for a brief moment before bursting into laughter. Without missing a beat, you both reached over to give him a playful smack, "Dream on, Lix."

Deciding to go on a date after school, the two of you waved your best friend goodbye before skipping off in the opposite direction.

Swinging your intertwined hands, Hyunjin couldn't help but pout at the thought of your gaming plans with Seungmin over the weekend, "Can't you hang out with me instead of gaming with Seungmin, hm?" He asked, a playful whine in his voice.

You rolled your eyes, a teasing smile playing on your lips, "Jinnie, please, you're the one who told me the importance of maintaining our own lives outside of our relationship, right?"

He sputtered for a moment, caught off guard, "W-well, I mean, yeah, I did but—"

You shook your head, cutting off his protest with a gentle finger pressed against his lips, "No 'buts.' I'm playing with Seungmin, and you can't stop me."

Turning to continue walking, he tugged on your wrist and pulled you against him. With a gasp, you placed your hands on his chest to steady yourself, "Really? You'd rather play games with some other guy than do this with your own boyfriend?" He murmured, his tone a mix of playfulness and a hint of something more.

Before you could respond, he leaned in, kissing you with an intensity that caught you by surprise. Your knees buckled, and you would have fallen if it hadn't been for his strong hold on you. Your eyes fluttered closed almost instantly as you melted into the kiss, all thoughts of gaming and Seungmin fading away.

When he pulled away, a satisfied smirk playing on his lips, he gazed at your dazed state, "Tell me, is gaming better than this, hm?" He teased, his voice carrying a playful tone.

Lost in the trance of the moment, you shook your head, feeling his lips brush against yours before he kissed you again. The sensation was electrifying, but if Hyunjin thought he had won you over with that, he was severely mistaken.

Because when the weekend came around, and you were immersed in your gaming session with Seungmin, no amount of kisses from Hyunjin could distract you from the digital world you were exploring. As much as you loved the moments with your boyfriend, your passion for gaming was a part of who you were, and it was a promise you intended to keep.

But you did let him come over while you game.

Hyunjin pouted as he watched you talk excitedly into the mic on your headset, your enthusiasm evident in every word you spoke to Seungmin. Despite his initial playful complaints about being abandoned for games, he couldn't fight the smile that grew on his face.

As you laughed and strategised with Seungmin, Hyunjin appreciated how genuinely happy you were in these moments. He understood that your passion for gaming was a significant part of who you were, and he respected that.

Seated beside you, he immersed himself in his own world of sketches and drawings. The atmosphere was filled with the sound of your laughter and the clicking of his pencil against the paper. He was content, knowing that you were both doing things you loved, even if they were very different. Being by your side was all that mattered to him. And as he glanced at you with a soft smile, he thought, maybe, opposites do attract after all.

He couldn't resist leaning over to plant a kiss on your head as you played. You winked at him in response, making him laugh.

When the long match finally ended in your favour, you jumped up, arms thrown around his neck in triumph, "We won, Jinnie!" You exclaimed, and he cheered alongside you, savouring the victory.

As you celebrated, Hyunjin sneakily wrapped his arms around you and whispered, "Should I reward you for doing such a good job?" A mischievous glint sparkled in his eyes.

You gasped, slapping a hand over his mouth when you heard a loud groan through your headset. Seungmin's voice echoed, and you realised he could still hear you with the mic unmuted, "Ew, I really didn't need to hear that. My day's completely ruined now, thanks."

"Shut up, Seungmin. You've been hogging my girlfriend all day. Can I have her back already?" Hyunjin scolded, and your face turned a shade of red.

Seungmin laughed good-naturedly, "Fine, she's all yours."

Hyunjin grinned in victory as you ended the call with Seungmin, and he wasted no time pulling you back into his arms as soon as you logged out of the game.

"Damn right, she is. All mine."

I'll be honest, this slightly strayed from the initial direction that I was gonna go for, but I'm happy with how it ended.

Thank you for reading and let me know your thoughts! <3

All Rights Reserved © edenesth // DO NOT REPOST, TRANSLATE, PLAGIARISE OR REPURPOSE.

#edenesth #stray kids #stray kids fanfic #stray kids fanfiction #stray kids hyunjin #non idol au #high school au #best friends to lovers #hyunjin x reader #hyunjin x you #hwang hyunjin #stray kids fic #stray kids oneshot

[lost-technology]

Something I would like to see even ONCE in Trigun fanfiction*: Someone gets shot, but there is NO frantic trying to get the bullet out, instead, it just gets left in. Healing-factor and bullets being pushed out of bodies on their own as stuff heals due to supernatural Plant-stuff or super-assassin-alteration stuff aside, in fics that go the '98 or Stampede route, which seem to have the more normal "if you're shot, you're shot" aspect, or which try to make gunshot wounds more realistic in general... I'd love to see one where "The bullet isn't near anything major, it is just a flesh wound and best to just patch up the wound and leave it in there." Because... that's what actually happens most of the time? I've heard that in most cases, trying to get a bullet out actually causes more damage than the gunshot. I forget which President of the United States it was who survived an asassination-attempt but died later because his doctors screwed up trying to get the bullet out and ripped up his innards and caused him infections, but there is a famous case of that. It's why some war veterans set off metal detectors - doctors choosing to leave bullets or shrapnel in them because it was more dangerous to try to get it out than to leave it in. *That is not my own work. I think I mentioned old bullets left in Vash once in a short story, precisely because I was so tired of the "we gotta get the bullet out!" trope absolutely everywhere.

#trigun #trigun maximum #trigun stampede #trigun fanfiction #please give me something other than the old trope #startle me with realism! #let vash rattle like a maraca!

[five-miles-over]

Yandere!Arthur Fleck Headcanons

TW: Stalking, intrusion/breaking in, obsessive/controlling behavior, possible violence

A/N: Thank you to the anon who requested this. I hope you like it!

Arthur Fleck is definitely a jealous, obsessive type of yandere.

Due to his job(s), Arthur wouldn't be able to keep a constant eye on each and every move of yours.

Still he would find a way to let you know that he was always watching you.

After following you to your workplace/school once, he would make a habit of leaving you small notes there. The notes would be things such as "I'm watching you <3" or "You our so pretty" or "Can't wate to marry you :) "

How did it all begin, you ask? Well, it all started when you showed up at his doorstep on a plain Thursday night. An envelope - perhaps a bill - addressed to one "Arthur Fleck" was delivered to you by accident. So, you took it to the address listed on the bill, and found yourself face-to-face with the tall, green-eyed, thin man.

You gently told him what had happened, handed him the bill, and politely bid him goodnight.

Taken aback by your willingness to do the right thing, Arthur became intrigued with you. After you left, he wanted nothing more than to see you again.

The next day, you met Arthur by accident at Pogo's, a comedy club within Gotham. Drinking a bottle of inexpensive liquor or beer, you sat at a table alone...when all of a sudden, you saw Arthur take the stage.

His jokes were...fair. You liked some of the things he said about his schooling. So out of support, you laughed along with him with the best grin that you could muster.

You thought it was just harmless encouragement. But to Arthur, that was the confirmation to solidify what he already believed: you were made for him, that you were an angel sent from heaven to bring him joy in this dreary life of his. And that he could never let you be hurt by anyone, including himself.

Much of what Arthur did was...rather tame. In addition to leaving you notes, he would surprise you while you were on the way back from work/school. He'd give you a spontaneous song-and-dance routine, something inspired from an old film or one of his jobs as Carnival.

When he had a little extra money, he would leave a cheap, small box of chocolates or candies at your workplace. Along with a crude drawing of you and him as stick figures, holding hands surrounded by hearts.

It was easier not to take it personally, even though something in your gut felt very, very wrong about Arthur. He needed help, he needed a professional intervention from a therapist far better than the shoddy ones in the city. Still, a part of you thought that maybe he was just having a little crush, and that it would pass.

But everything changed one Saturday night. It was after the famous talk show host Murray Franklin was assassinated on live television by a comedian known as the "Joker" wearing a colorful costume and clown makeup.

Coincidentally, Arthur was mysteriously gone from you life. He was nowhere near you, much to your surprise. Relieved a little, you relaxed in your apartment with your favorite comfort food and a feel-good television show.

Just then, there was a knock. A familiar voice, calling your name.

Annoyed, you opened the door with a huff. "Arthur, how the hell did you- " At your door stood the same man who killed Murray Franklin, clown makeup dripping in all of its maniacal glory.

"There's no one to stop me now, doll," the Joker sweetly spoke, entering your apartment with a confident stride. "We can finally be together."

You trembled, trying to think of an escape route, any way to get out of this situation. "Arthur, please..."

The Joker slammed your door shut, and turned the lock. "I'm not him anymore, doll. I'm your world now. And don't even bother calling the police..." He pulled out a gun from his pocket and fired two shots at the door, causing you to scream.

"Now, now..." the Joker knelt, stroking your cheek with his thumb. "I'm not going to hurt you. You're mine, remember?"

#arthur fleck headcanons #joaquin phoenix #arthur fleck x reader #arthur fleck #arthur x reader #yandere male #yandere x reader #yandere imagines #yandere scenarios #joker arthur fleck #joker 2019 #yandere arthur fleck #yandere joker

[halfagone]

Hi Halfa! What's 3 DC fics you'd think would be interesting to include DP characters/tropes into?

And what's 3 DP fics do you think'd be interesting to include DC characters/tropes into?

(This isn't a ploy to fish fic recs, psshhhhhhh, noooooooooo)

Hello Anon! :D Don't take this the wrong way but I am giddy with excitement right now because I've been talking about this with friends and I am just squealing now that I get to ramble about it.

Now just to clarify, I'll probably use tropes more so than specific fics, because for one, I don't want to step on any author's toes. And two, I like those fics as they are and do not want to dirty them with my grubby hands. However! I can still give fic recs so you can get an idea of the kind of AU I'm talking about here. lol Not that you're fishing for them ofc, no not at all

(Added a Read More because apparently I have a lot of fic recs. :D Total: 17 (if I mathed right, that is))

DC Fics, Now With a Splash of ectoplasm DP

Stray Tim AU

He's technically also known as Catlad, but like- I prefer Stray (as if that isn't obvious by my Stray!Danny AU XD), but that's neither here nor there. In this AU, if the name didn't explain enough, he apprentices underneath Selina as her apprentice. Depending on the author's choice, it's either as a young child or after he leaves the Batfamily for one reason or another.

An example of this AU: timcat by drakefeathers. This fic actually got recommended to me earlier today (you know who you are) and it is so cute. He is so baby and I love him.

2. Reverse Robins AU

Now this is an AU I've talked about frequently, but for good reason. There are so many ways you can write this idea- Hell, can you imagine a Demon Twins AU with Reverse Robins- Hold on a sec, let me add a WIP to my spreadsheet...

Okay, back. Anyways, where was I? Oh right, REVERSE ROBINS! In this AU, Damian is actually the oldest Batkid, and Dick is the youngest. Depending on the AU, Dick can even be an ex-Talon, so just keep that in mind~ Almost unanimously, Tim is the Batkid that died instead of Jason, and becomes the Red Hood (sometimes he was Joker Junior in this AU as well which is... uh. If you look into those fics, make sure you read the tags religiously.)

An example for this AU: and oh, my heart (how can i face you now?) by weareallstardustfallen. And this fic is *chef's kiss* It's in Damian's POV, it's a gloriously long one-shot. I cannot recommend this enough.

3. Jason Todd Goes Home

There are multiple interpretations you can do with this AU. Sometimes he doesn't become Red Hood, sometimes he doesn't get dipped in the Lazarus Pit, it all really depends on what you want to do with it. I've technically written a fic with this idea, where Danny actually finds Jason and helps him claw out of his grave, subsequently returning him home. That fic is what was lost, found again. Five chapters, completed.

There are fics where Tim actually finds Jason first! Here's one called best laid plans by Valkirin. Highly recommend. Tim finds Jason first but then the League of Assassins find them too. >:3

On a different, yet similar note, we have a fic where Talia is actually a decent person and brings Jason back??? After dunking him in a Pit??? You love to see it. This one is Verdant by Cerusee.

DP Fics Now With DC Packing

Field Trip to the Ghost Zone

There are a decent number of these fics out there if you know where to find them. I feel like this one is self-explanatory, but basically- Danny's class takes either a planned or impromptu trip to the Ghost Zone. Very rarely does his secret identity survive the fallout. Now imagine if we put Damian's class on the school bus.

Some Gothamite kid, probably: "I don't remember The Magic School Bus going like this."

Marsalias' (in)famous Mortified is definitely one of them up there. They actually wrote a second field trip fic not long after completing Mortified, which is called School Bus in the Ghost Zone. So if you're in the process of reading Mortified, or maybe you can't commit to a long-form fic right now, this one might be for you.

Deathcomes4u also has two field trip fics you can read. One of them was for this year's Phic Phight called The Gloves Are Off. He-larious fic, cannot get enough of it. Also includes some very fun DP headcanons! The second is called The Trip. You're gonna want to read the tags before you explore this one, but what's up so far a very thrilling read.

There is also Stranded With My Class, but this one is on FF.net so you might want to turn on ALL your adblockers before you venture into that site.

2. Death Day :3

I've written a chapter about this in lex luthor's ascent but it's part of a larger plot so I hope no one feels pressured to read it. But in general this fic idea can be very heavy, BE CAREFUL if you explore it. You can have DC characters react to Danny's death day, you can give Jason or Damian or Cass- or pretty much any resurrected DC character you like- a death day. Spread the whump and angst, that's how we show our love.

Here is an example, also from Deathcomes4u: Anniversary. I really enjoy how this author writes the background characters as well. It's got a splash of humor and the Everlasting Trio makes me all soft. :')

Death Day Evolution by gamma_radio has some great worldbuilding and lore added to the concept. I love how they tied Danny gets new powers in this fic, and you gotta love the Cryptid Danny Fenton energy. XD

3. Partial Identity Reveals

Now this one is more self-indulgent for me, but I'm allowed to do that. XD I would've put simply Cryptid Danny, but it encompasses a little more than that in most cases, which is why I kept this title for it instead.

These are fics where Danny is revealed or shown to be Off™ somewhat, but in most cases they don't know the full extent of his secret identity. Most of the time it's just his powers or that he's not fully human, what have you. I love a good bombastic identity reveal, you know, but something about the subtler ones are more inspirational, if you will. lol

I think this is the type of AU that would suit a Batman detective story much more, and allows the DC characters more time and interaction into this new world- if you will- rather than throwing them straight in it. Does that make sense? I hope that makes sense.

Shots Fired by RedGhost1010 is an exceptional fic (I believe this author is also the person who writes Stranded with My Class, mentioned earlier, just uses a different pen name on Ao3). However, please read the tags for it before you do. This fic can be triggering for some people. They also write what is probably my favorite Bad Parent Jack and Maddie fic, which is called Humans and Ghosts. Another one you probably should read the tags for. But please check out their other fics; I enjoy so many of them, but unfortunately not all of them fit this fic rec description. :\

Finally we have It's Like Time Stops by anthrop. I cannot tell you how many times I reread this fic way back when. It's a very tasty Outsider POV fic that gives a view into how things changed after the Accident, and it's a good study into how his classmates would have perceived it.

Whooo... that's a lot of fic recs. I hope you got some new things to read out of it at least! Have some fun, but make sure to take care of yourself and avoid the fics that just aren't for you. No one will blame you for it. <3

#halfagone replies #fic recs #SO MANY holy cow #when did i read all these things? #the world may never know

[writingintheshadowsforever]

The Shenanigans of the New Avengers: Food Fight

"Yelena why did you wake me up if you aren't going to cook breakfast for us?" Kate whined plopping in the chair at the kitchen table.

Yelena made her way over to fridge to pull out the jug of orange juice, and poured herself a glass. Before going over to join Kate at the kitchen table. "I woke you up to train if you and I are going to be partners. Then you're going to have too step up your game Kate Bishop."

"Hey I held my own against you, those Tracksuits guys, and Wilson Fisk." Kate reminded her offended that the blonde was still underestimating her.

"I held back, the Tracksuit Mafia are low level criminals that any idiot with half of your training could take down, and I'm pretty sure Wilson Fisk was trying not to hurt you." Yelena countered counting down with her fingers.

"Just because I haven't been training my entire life, and just became an Avenger doesn't mean I'm any less skilled. We can go spar right after you cook us some breakfast." Kate proposed hoping Yelena would agree to the last part. Her stomach started growling indicating just how hungry she was.

"Nice try Kate Bishop but no if you want food then cook it yourself. You're more than capable and unlike your apartment. There are plenty of kitchen utensils for you to use."

Kate opened her mouth to argue again, but Yelena held a finger up to her mouth shushing the archer. At the sound of two more voices chattering and laughing. The voices were familiar and both were approaching the kitchen.

"I got a better idea why don't we get the newbies to do it" Yelena said with a grin.

Kate frowned "how are we going to do that?"

"Easy we'll trick them by saying it's initiation or something."

"Yel for one that's wrong and they might not fall for it, and for two wouldn't that mean we should be cooking for them. Both of them joined the Avengers long before we came along."

"Oh come on it's just a little fun and it doesn't matter both of us are older than them. We can use that against them plus I'm pretty sure both of them fear me. This can work as long as you play along."

Kate opened her mouth to argue against the plan, but closed it when Yelena snapped at her. "Do you want breakfast or not?"

"Fine but we're only doing it this one time" Kate warned her. Not wanting this to become a regular habit for the blonde assassin.

Seconds later you and Peter walked into the kitchen side by side still dressed in your pjs. Unlike Yelena who woke Kate up at the crack of dawn to get an early head start on training. The two of you tended to sleep in whenever you guys could, and train later on. Most of the time you and Peter used the common criminals as training targets on morning patrols of the city.

"Good morning Kate and Yelena how are you guys? You greeted them with a cheerful smile taking a seat at the island. Peter headed straight for the fridge, and started pulling out various items.

Yelena shot Kate a look over his actions. It looked like Peter was about to start cooking anyway. Where was the harm in making a small request.

"We're good still a little tired from the early morning training session though." Kate answered sitting up in her chair a bit more.

"Yeah but you know what would make us feel better y/n?"

You looked up from scrolling on your phone. "What?"

"Some of your world famous pancakes, and Spidey's delicious scrambled eggs."

Her answer made you and Peter shot a quick glance at each other. Before turning back to look at Yelena. "You want us to whip up some breakfast for you two." It was a statement not a question.

"Yeah why not I mean it looks like you were about to cook anyway Peter."

"Yes for me and my partner. The two of you are always going out and getting food without us. Why should I cook for you?

"Yeah Peter was about to cook not me why should we?" You agreed folding your arms together on the counter.

Yelena answered before Kate could. "Because it's the right of passage when Kate first met Clint, she cooked for him for the entire mission. Plus I use to cook for Natasha all the time, and for a Kate when we first met. Kate and I didn't mean to leave you two out all the time, but we weren't properly introduced to you guys till a week ago. You know when you two finally started living here at the compound."

"Okay I still don't see how it's rite of passage we cook for you." You pointed out with a frown.

Kate shot Yelena a look indicating they should let the plan go, but the blonde was determined. "Because you're the newbies and we've been here longer. Just think of as initiation to the new Avengers."

"I guess that makes a little sense" Peter said with a shrug. You looked as if you wanted to continue to protest, but when he placed a hand on your shoulder, and nodded for you to join him. You caved getting up to join at the stove where the ingredients for the pancakes were already out.

Kate and Yelena waited until your guy's backs were too them before fist bumping each other. A few minutes passed by with you and Peter cooking in silence. Other than the occasional whisper to each other. At some point Kate got up and started setting the table up despite Yelena's silent protest. She figured it was the least she could do if you two were going to cook, and while Yelena didn't know it yet. She had every intention on making the blonde do the dishes. There was no way they were going to treat their teammates like servants. Even if they could getaway with it.

Yelena was scrolling through her phone watching funny dog videos. When you paused and turned around with mischievous look in your eyes. She didn't like it all.

Peter noticed it too and paused with a pan in his hand. "Is something wrong y/n."

"Yeah Pete we've been duped by these two."

Peter frowned.

"If this is initiation shouldn't they be cooking for us. After all weren't we brought onto the team long before them. If anyone is the newbies it's them not us" You explained.

Peter's eyes widened once he realized you were right, he placed the pan back on the stove, and turned around with the same look of mischief.

Kate halted in putting the plates on the table when she realized. You had caught on to their antics just as she feared. Yelena was slowly getting up out of her chair. Not sure of what you two were planning but knew that neither of you could be trusted. Kate turned around holding her hands up. "Easy guys come on the two of you have already cooked a good portion of food. How about Yel and I cook some bacon and sausage. We'll call it even and let bygones be bygones."

You and Peter both placed your chins in your hands, and looked up at the ceiling as if you were thinking about. Yelena was out of her chair unsure of what to do but wait. Ten agonizing long seconds went by before you and Peter shot each other a look. Then shook your heads and said "nahhhhhh."

The next thing Kate and Yelena knew pancake batter, flour, and egg yolks were flying towards them. Before they could really react some of it hit them in the face and upper body. That was all it took for them to snap out of the trance. Kate held up a plate to her face to protect it. While Yelena dove under the table to dodge incoming food fire. She moved the other chairs out of the way, so her hand could reach out, and snag Kate by the shirt. She tugged so hard the archer dropped to the floor with a yelp. The blonde wasted no time pulling her under the table, and out of the line of fire.

"I told you this would backfire on us" Kate shouted as the food onslaught continued. You and Peter were advancing on the two armed with food filled hands.

"Now is not the time can't you see we're at war" Yelena argued getting ready to arm her widow bites.

Kate's has widened in fear and she reached out to grab the blonde's wrist to make her stop. "We're not actually at war Yelena this isn't a real battle, and those two are our new teammates not enemies. You're not allowed to use real weapons against them. Its just a food fight our mission should be to get to the fridge. We would have unlimited ammo, and the advantage."

Yelena considered her plan for a few seconds before nodding. "Look at you Kate Bishop taking charge maybe you're not so bad."

Kate rolled her eyes and motioned for the blonde to follow her. Both of them kicked a chair out in your and Peter's direction making the two of you stumble to dodge it. Giving them enough time to move from underneath the table to head for the fridge.

"Peter they're going for the fridge" You alerted him because he was closer. Peter started launching globs of pancake batter to stop them, but they stayed low making him miss. You followed up throwing a egg yolk mixed with flour. By that time they had made it to the fridge where Yelena swung open the fridge door. The batter and egg flour mixture slammed into the door. Where the two were taking cover behind Kate rummaged through the fridge searching for something messy but not harmful. She stumbled upon some leftover mashed potatoes and pulled it out. Her and Yelena had to counterattack.

Neither you or Peter anticipated the retaliation coming, so when the blob of mashed potatoes smacked you in the face. You were absolutes stunned and paused your attacks giving Yelena and Kate the upper hand for the moment. Peter's spider senses alerted him so he ducked down as the food soared over his head. He moved tackling you to the floor behind the island. The mashed potatoes kept coming as Yelena started cackling like a evil villain.

Both you and Peter pulled yourselves up into a sitting position. Backs to the island y'all stayed low while trying to devise a new plan. "Maybe we didn't think this through."

"Since when do we think anything through Pete" You chuckled wiping your face with a discarded towel.

"Yeah well we need a plan."

"Simple one of us will draw fire while the other one gets more ammo." You told him nodding in the direction of the food sitting on the stovetop. Just a few feet away from you two, and far enough for the fridge that. Neither Kate or Yelena could get to without entering enemy territory.

"Okay I'll draw the fire you get the food." Peter agreed knowing with his spidey sense he would get hit less.

You nodded and held up a hand to count down silently when you got down to one. Peter jumped up catching a blob of mashed potatoes and throwing it back towards them. Now y'all were right across from each other with the kitchen island being the only thing standing between y'all. Kate saw you make a dash for the food on the stovetop, and turned back to the fridge for more food. While Yelena and Peter traded fire back and forth with each other.

Once the food was in your arms you made a dash for cover with. Peter following in your footsteps dropping low again behind the island. Kate threw food out of the fridge to the floor before pulling Yelena down behind the island. All of y'all were out of breath taking deep breaths. It was Peter who spoke up first "why don't we just call a truce before we ruin the kitchen."

"I think its a little too late for that" Kate called out. As if on cue a portion of pancake batter fell on Yelena's head from out of nowhere. "You two are dead." she yelled.

"Come on you two started this by tricking us" Peter argued.

"So you start a food war" Kate shot back.

"There's no way we're giving up" You announced.

"Fine then till the last team stands" Yelena agreed.

And before Kate or Peter could try and further reason. You and Yelena leapt up from the safety of the island to start launching food at each other. Neither of you were concerned with dodging anymore just focused on hitting the other. Peter grinned and with a battle cry joined you making it two against one. Until Kate realized that she couldn't leave Yelena alone to fight against you two. Even though she kinda of did deserve it after starting this whole mess. She backed her plan so it was only fair for her to see it to the end since they were partners.

For a while y'all were evenly matched with neither team gaining the upper hand. But ultimately Kate and Yelena held the overall advantage with having the fridge on their side. Which basically gave them unlimited ammo at some point you and Peter were starting to get low on ammo. At the point you realized that soon there would nothing left, and that would the two of you scrapping together stuff off the floor. You decided it was time to stop playing fair. "Peter don't you find it a little ridiculous that the two powered people are losing."

He groaned as some smushed banana hit him in the face and got in his eye. Courtesy of Yelena who was too busy celebrating that her and Kate were seemingly going to win, to realize what you were hinting at. "Yeah I think its time we turn the tables" Peter said rubbing his eye. You nodded and ducked down but not before Kate nailed you in the chest. Focusing on his webslingers you closed your eyes and opened your hand calling to the weapons. A second later the pair of webslingers appeared in your hand. "Peter come down here and suit up. I got this" You told him tugging on his pants. He dropped down to take the webslingers from you.

Yelena assumed both of you had retreated and therefore had given up. "Alright since you two lost now you have to clean the kitchen, and make us lunch." By the time the kitchen got cleaned up it would be well past time for breakfast.

"Yel careful it might not be over" Kate cautioned her partner.

"Oh what else could those two possibly do- her words were cut off when the bag of flour floated over, and dumped itself onto her head. Covering her entire body in flour you stood up with a smirk on your face. "Did you forget I have the power of telekinesis and teleportation."

"Ahhhhhh no fair Kate Bishop you said we had to play fair" Yelena cried coughing a bit from the flour.

"How was I supposed to know they were going to bust out the powers." Kate yelped as Peter shot up from behind the island and shot a web at her. So fast she didn't have time to dodge the web slammed into her stomach sticking her body to the fridge. Before she attempt to try and break free. He fired off two more shots at her hands forcing them to stick to the fridge as well.

Kate was trapped.

Yelena was too busy dealing with your telekinetic food onslaught too help her. If not she surely would've used her knives to cut through the web. Knowing you could handle yourself against the blonde Peter walked over to the forgotten case of eggs, and grabbed them. Then he slowly made his way over to Kate who eyes widened when she saw the near full carton of eggs. Her struggles increased but did no good.

"What the hell is this stuff made of?" she grunted frustrated.

Peter stopped right in front of her and shrugged. "Science" was his only answered before he cracked open a egg right over her head. The egg yolk fell into her hair and stayed put. He reached for another prompting her to plead.

"No come on Peter don't okay you win there's no need to open all of them. Please we're the reasonable ones out of those two right?"

"Yeah I guess you're right" Peter said with a nod making Kate sigh with relief. She glanced over where Yelena was somehow still putting up a fight despite you throwing as much food as you could with your telekinesis. Unlike Peter you let your opponent keep her mobility for a better challenge.

"But still you wanted breakfast and I can't think of anything better than a Hawkeye omelette" Peter said capturing her attention.

No no no I'm sor- Kate tried but it was too late another egg was cracked open. This time it slid down covering her forehead in the yolk. Peter burst into laughter and took out another egg at the same time. You let out a yelp as Yelena had finally given up on throwing food and tackled you to the floor. Where she pinned you and thrust her fingers into your stomach. You burst into giggles as your concentration was tickled away. And that was how the battle went on for a while. Peter made a mess of Kate's hair, and clothes with the eggs, because no matter how hard she struggled. She stayed stuck and Yelena wrecked you with tickles refusing to let up even when your slammed onto the floor. Indicating you were tapping out and had given up. The blonde assassin refused to take any chances with your powers.

It was Peter's senses started going off like alarm bells in his head. Alerting him to the approaching adults and the egg carton fell from his hand. As he took one good look around the kitchen realizing just how much damaged y'all did. The mess was everywhere with every part of the kitchen covered in messy food substance, and the chairs overturned. Peter started tearing through his webs that kept Kate pinned to the fridge. "I think Natasha and Clint are coming, we don't have much time to clean." He told her his movements becoming more frantic.

"What how are we suppose to clean this up in time?" Kate exclaimed. All of her anger replaced with fear of what their mentors would do to them. Ironically you and Peter would likely get off until Wanda and Steve returned from their missions. The only thing the two of you would have to suffer through till then was extra training if anything. Not to mention both of you could play the college card to get out of that. It truly wasn't fair.

"Yelena enough your sister is on her way" Kate whisper-shouted.

You let out a sigh of relief as Yelena's fingers finally stilled giving you freedom from the tickling. She looked down at you waiting for something.

"Fine you win I'll cook you breakfast" You gasped sitting up on your elbows.

Yelena nodded and finally stood up to walk over to Kate. "Alright what's the plan? How long do we have?"

"Maybe ten more seconds" Peter groaned reaching down to help you to your feet. "Y/N we're so dead."

Even though you were still getting your breath back. You were able to muster up a smirk that had him confused. "Are we?" were your last words right as Natasha and Clint appeared in the doorway of the kitchen. You and Peter disappeared in a blink of an eye before anyone could notice. They must have forgot you could teleport.

You teleported yourself and Peter to the locker rooms connected to the training gyms. "Let's get cleaned up before Nat and Clint come looking for us. There's no way those two don't blame us."

"Y/N you sneaky little devil this is so wrong and evil" Peter chuckled, already rummaging through a locker for a change of clothes.

"Round one goes to us."

Indeed Kate and Yelena tried to defend themselves as Nat and Clint stared them down. They insisted the two of you started it and teleported away to pin on them. Nat shook her head saying they would look into it meanwhile. Kate and Yelena were ordered to clean the entire kitchen by themselves then report to the meeting room for further punishment. Clint found you and Peter in the gym practicing some tag team moves. Both of you played dumb when he asked questions about the mess in the kitchen, and when Clint went to search the security footage. Somehow it was just gone he figured the kitchen surveillance was down. But in reality Peter used his gift from Tony to erase the footage.

You and Peter were on top for now.

Tag List: @wandanatvoid @yelenabelovasgf @romanoffomixam @xxromanoffxx @xxxtwilightaxelxxx @catswag22 @musicinourlips @natashasilverfox @jokertgkk @mellowladyangel @be-missed @lizlil @simpforflorencepugh1

#marvel imagine #mcu imagine #avengers x reader #peter parker x reader #kate bishop x reader #yelena belova x reader #natasha romanoff #clint barton #yelena belova imagine #kate bishop imagine #peter parker imagine #avengers imagine

[ironwoman18]

As long as you love me - One Shot

Disclaimer: Spy x Family and their characters as well as the song As long as you love me, belongs to Endo-Sama and The Backstreet Boys.

This will be narrative in first person and from Loid and Yor’s POV. 

Enjoy this One- Shot.

OOooOOooOO

Loid POV

Although loneliness has always been a friend of mine

I'm leaving my life in your hands

People say I'm crazy and that I am blind

Risking it all in a glance

And how you got me blind is still a mystery

I can't get you out of my head

Don't care what is written in your history

As long as you're here with me

Discovering that the woman you choose to be the fake mother of your fake daughter was a famous hitman and part of the legendary group of assassins known as “Garden” was shocking, could be taken as an overstatement. But for me it was.

My coworkers were also in shock and they talked about me behind my back about how the most powerful, intelligent and famous spy in WISE couldn't have noticed that his wife was the Thorn Princess?

Alas! I didn’t even consider Garden as a real thing until THAT day.

I was on a mission, trying to gather information on some Donovan Desmont when I saw her... A beautiful woman wearing a long, black dress, black heels and her hair tied in the base of her skull and other parts of her hair was falling on her hair, just like... YOR?!

My wife was in front of me, her red eyes as shocked as mine “L...Loid?” she said then she shook her head, cursing under her breath “No... It 's not true... You can’t be him...” she looked at him again “you can’t be Twilight”

She seemed surprised but her body moved on its own and started to fight me, that was the moment everything started to make sense in my head. She was so strong, she could fight like a pro, she had amazing athletic abilities and an amazing ability with the knives.

“So... You are the famous Thorn Princess?” He asked to block her attacks as fast as he could but she was faster and stronger, he didn't have a chance against her.

“Yes, I am!” she said with some tears as she was fighting with me. She seemed frustrated and angry. I could tell she had no idea who I really was before this day but I couldn’t tell for sure if that was correct, not until I had a chat with her.

“Yor... Can we talk?” I asked, using her name, I wasn’t to prevent her from killing me and to prevent my fellow spies from shooting her before I got my answer. Using her name seemed to distract her enough to allow me to stop her attacks and she accepted to be taken to the headquarters of WISE.

“Twilight, I can’t believe you were married to an enemy” said Nightfall in a really disappointed tone, then she sighed feeling I wasn’t in a good mood for her accusations “I guess that’s explain how she was able to hit that ball with such strength”

Yeah, I thought, that made sense but... Somehow I was blind around her, she looked so innocent and I was so comfortable around her that I couldn’t sense her true self. 

I don't care who you are

Where you're from, what you did

As long as you love me

Who you are, where you're from

Don't care what you did

As long as you love me

“Yor...” I said, sitting in front of her, I stopped the recordings and kicked out everyone on the other side of the room, not even the Handler could be there “Did you know prior tonight who I was?”

“No Lo... Twilight” she said, her eyes looked softer when she started to say my fake name, but that lasted less than a second before her eyes turned back to stone as she said my codename.

I believed her, I could tell she was telling the truth and I also knew The Handler knew that too because she was the one letting me run this interrogation alone.

“How did you know I would be there?”

“The Shopkeeper, my boss, told me to be there because some Westalis spies would be there, and one in particular... you... Of course back them I didn't know it was my husband”

I sighed looking at her and rubbed my hair gently “We both were aware that this marriage wasn't real”

“I know, but... I... I thought... Your feelings were getting real because I can tell... My feelings are...” She had tears in her eyes and my stomach flipped and I started to feel butterflies again.

“My feelings are true, that kiss at midnight on New Year's Eve... That wasn't an act, I was glad I did because I really wanted to kiss you” I confessed and I felt suddenly vulnerable, like every Friday movie night cuddling with her while our daughter was in bed, or when I fell asleep after a tough mission with my head on her lap. 

“Loid... I will be completely honest... I love you...” She said blushing hard and she was avoiding my eyes “and no... I'm not using this to manipulate you or because I have those cuffs on... I don't do that kind of things... I hope you know me by now... After all we have been living together for almost three years”

Three years... 

Operation Strix was a long- timed mission but I never expected it to last more than a year. However I managed to get close to Desmont thanks to her and Anya.

Anya became closer to Damian after that party in first grade and she managed to not get expelled and they finally were on friendly terms. However Yor was a key player since she became friends with Melissa, Donovan’s wife.

But it took time to build up a good friendship between the two women but the bastard wasn't around when we visited them the first time and it didn't happen until New Year's Eve, the night of our first kiss...

“Yes, I know you wouldn't” I had to be honest, she was the purest woman I ever met.

“So tell me Twilight...” Everytime she uses my code name, it feels wrong, like she's talking to a different person. And in scents it was the truth, Loid wasn't the same as Twilight but, Loid was way closer to that boy in Westalia, before the war. I looked at her “what was your plan when you finished your mission?”

“When I began the Forger, the plan was leaving both of you and I would change into one of my alter ego, returning Anya to an orphanage and divorce you” now that plan was like a punch in the guts for me and I can tell Yor felt the same because she had tears in her eyes.

“And now?” She asked, looking at me.

“I wouldn't do any of it. Because I don't really care anymore if the mission is complete or not or if I was sleeping in the same apartment as the famous Thorn Princess. I want to continue living with you both” Yor still had tears but she smiled softly at that. And even though I knew she could break those cuffs a long time ago and killed me in a heartbeat, because I saw her speed, strength and power, she remained there, calm and with bloodlust.

Yor POV

Every little thing that you have said and done

Feels like it's deep within me

Doesn't really matter if you're on the run

It seems like we're meant to be

I was sitting in front of the same man I fell in love with since the first day I met him, but his eyes seemed colder and more dangerous. However, when we were alone and talking, that cold melted and I could see MY Loid again.

I used his code name, Twilight, and his reaction was a sad or hurt face, which tells me he didn't like me to call him like that, but it was different when I called him Loid, his eyes softened and he seemed to relax.

“Ever since I got on the cruise ship I had doubts about whether or not to continue this job” he looked shocked, he didn't know I was there on a mission for “Garden”.

“Were you on the cruise ship to kill someone?”

“No... My client was a woman with her baby boy. I had to protect them from over five hundred hitmen, sent to kill them. I was their bodyguard”

He seemed to relax and I could see how the realization of some stuff he saw back made sense now.

“So your cheek was slightly swollen and red when we saw you at the port and that's why the ship was full of shady people and microphones” I didn't know that back to them, I was quite impressed by how he noticed stuff I've never thought of. I just nodded “and I guess that ended up well...”

“I told you that day that the couple left happy. That part was true”

He seemed to analyze my words and nodded “I see. Well at least you saved those two people”

“Three actually because there was a male with them as part of their cover” he looked at me and nodded, understanding what I said “look I know I lied and you lied but I don't care... Because I know some things you said we're real and I also knew back then that above all people in this world you would be the only one who will accept me as who I am”

He opened his eyes in shock just like everytime Anya said he was a good dad and she wouldn't ask for a better one “I never opened up or trusted anyone as I did with you, Yor. I never felt in danger around you. That's why I decided to bring you here and the Handler, my boss, accepted”

I don't care who you are (who you are)

Where you're from (where you're from)

What you did, as long as you love me (I know)

Who you are (who you are)

Where you're from (where you're from)

Don't care what you did

As long as you love me

Never thought that I could fall in love with someone from Westalia until I met him, I was taught at school and by the Shopkeeper I should hate them and I should be merciless with them but Loid... Er... Twilight wasn't the monster they told me and I said to him, I was sure he would love me even with my past.

And I can tell he does, because I'm still alive even when I'm here at WISE HQ, with a lot of spies ready to execute me at will.

“Mrs. Forger” said a beautiful woman with a big hat, red hair and glasses “I'm the Handler but for name sake, you can call me Sylvia” I nodded “I know you are strong enough to destroy those cuffs and kill all my agents in a heartbeat but you decided not to”

“He asked me to come willingly and I did,” I said with honesty.

“And I appreciate it. Now... Operation Strix, the name of Twilight's mission, could be in danger if you left him. We still needs the Forger because Donovan Desmond had been elusive to our best agent but with your help we can still find the information we need to stop a potential war”

“I also want peace. That's the reason I continued to be Thorn Princess, especially because of Anya”

“I know and that's why I'm asking you to not leave the Forger's without a mother. You are her mother and Loid is her father and I know you love them both” 

I took a deep breath and nodded after a second “I will do it but I don't want more lies” I said that not looking at her but to Loid, who, for sure, was at the other side, I just could feel it and Sylvia’s smirk told me I was right.

“Very well, Mrs. Forger. I just have a little request, can you accept work as a double agent? I would love to know more about Garden. I know that organization is quite powerful here and I would love some Intel about them”

“That could be dangerous and I'm not a trained spy”

“It's ok. You can tell Twilight as something you could tell your husband and he will tell me in private and coded” I nodded agreeing with her but happy, my boss gave me a chance all those years ago and I don't want to betrayed him but also I'm afraid of losing my family “then you might go”

I stood up after Sylvia freed me and walked to the door. Before I opened it I heard an angry scream, when I opened it there was Fiona being held back by my two men.

“HANDLER!! How could you dare to free that woman??!! She will kill Twilight in his sleep!!!” She said screaming, I closed tightly my fist, taking deep breaths to calm myself down.

“Nightfall...” Said the woman next to me, irradiating an intimated aura, she stopped fighting and looked at her boss “stop embarrassing yourself. She IS Mrs. Forger and will continued to be you won't bother her or Twilight about this mission” Nightfall nodded still in complete silence “Come with me to assign you a new mission” she walked away and Nightfall started to walk behind her like Bond when Loid scolded him for some bad behavior “oh by the way, Mrs. Forger and Twilight, keep going with your good job raising Anya, she's the MVP of that family” she said with a longing smile, like she remembered something happy.

I nodded and looked as she left with Nightfall and I heard whispers saying “that's why she's called the Fullmetal Lady” or “I wouldn't be Nightfall right now” then they left and Loid came over to me.

“Let's go, Yor” he held his arm for me to hold and after I did we left. Thankfully, Franky was there to watch over Anya.

Loid POV

I've tried to hide it so that no one knows

But I guess it shows

When you look into my eyes

What you did and where you're coming from

I don't care

As long as you love me, baby

I promised myself and always thought I was immune to falling in love but she changed that, with her kindness and her dedication to be the best mother for Anya.

I tried to hide it but I guess, as the time passed everyone but me noticed, I can read all the people around me but not myself. 

While I was watching the Handler talking to her I noticed how Nightfall looked at me, did she notice how I was watching her like an idiot? How her features changed when the Handler mentioned Loid or Twilight, the former made her eyes softened while the later turned her eyes into ice.

When we arrived at my car, hidden in a parking lot, I turned to her and made a bold move... I kissed her, the mere action could mean a death sentence but she seemed really open to it because she didn't hit me but kissed me back.

It was refreshing after everything that happened between us. 

The kiss felt like it lasted a second but when we pulled away we were out of breath and our lips swollen.

Her arms wrapped around my neck “hello Dr. Forger” she said with a little smile.

“Hello Mrs. Forger” I smiled back.

In the end we don't care who we were, as long as we love each other and our little girl and big dog. And more importantly... No more secrets.

OOooOOooOO

Yesterday I was listening to this son and thought about those two and about their secret identities being revealed.

#loid forger #yor forger #spy x family #loid x yor #anya forger

[grand-theft-carbohydrates]

man this movie was SO intense. absolutely love it. here are some thoughts.

so obsessed with the way violence is portrayed in the film, the camera always flinches and averts its gaze at the killing blow, it reacts like a person would. it makes everything MORE intense and hard-hitting. much like gao jianli who is blinded later, your other senses take over in the absence of sight. the sound of the axe hitting the chopping block. the choked-off scream. not only is it incredibly immersive, it's almost a small act of mercy. the viewer is not forced to watch. the victim's final moments are private, hidden from the audience, it's the smallest possible measure of grace. and the film is all about small mercies.

i just really like the camera work ok. there are shots that are totally still and linger on one subject while important things happen out of frame. it's so intriguing. its one of those cool things that ONLY works in film and i just think it's great use of the medium. i was like "damn i should try that--no wait im an artist i can't replicate that with paper."

the only thing i like about MORE than "sweet father-child relationship where they make each other better" is where they make each other WORSE. ok im being facetious but HOLY SHIT. yueyang's actor portrays the daughter of a tyrant to well. she is effortlessly regal. the sweetness. the childish cruelty. the cold-blooded intelligence.

i don't even know how to explain this. ok. so you know what scene where yueyang tells her father she refuses to marry her suitor, and ying zheng replies it treason for a subject to disobey their king, to which she replies tearfully "I am not your subject, I am your daughter." and then he hugs her and says fondly: "you stupid child..." like. this is a VERY specific phrase that parents use. when he said it, i heard my own father's voice. this is immediately followed by "don't you know you are my property too?" the intensely familiar followed by the utterly alien. the way love, politics, power and control are all woven together. the king is the father. the father is the king.

the pacing of the second half is feverish and borders on melodrama. things are thrown at the wall, and not all of them stick. you're sitting there thinking to yourself "what the fuck just happened?" and then SOMETHING ELSE fucking happens on top of it.

ying zheng is portrayed as almost too perceptive and intelligent, like he's peeked at the script. it's an interesting direction to take, especially the part where he sees through the mystics' bullshit. but he seems too modern at times. i would have liked to see the beginnings of the despot slowly taking root, the paranoia, the delusions of grandeur, the phobia of death, growing stronger with each successive assassination attempt.

my biggest critique is the characterisation of gao jianli. theres some ODD choices being made here. for me, the inconsistencies do not read as "conflicted character" it's more like "conflicted director." for a famous musician, Gao Jianli is remarkably one-note at times and his personality seems to yo-yo madly between catatonic, cowardly and suicidal. this could have been very candid and realistic, but the weird pacing just throws everything off. Compared to hua tuo and cao cao, hua tuo's characterisation is clear from the start and his flaws e.g. arrogance and capriciousness--are consistent and well-telegraphed.

#The Emperor's Shadow (1996)

[speciallysapphic]

The Swan and The Widow

(Artwork not completely mine, credit to creators for the symbol & wings)

Pairing: Natasha Romanoff x Fem!Reader

Summary: What was supposed to be a night off for Natasha and your big night at the ballet takes a turn for the worst. The question is, why would someone be after you?

Warnings: Slow burn, slight angst, guns, tension

Chapter One

 It was a cold night for Spring. But this was New York and that wasn't unusual. Natasha had the night off from her Avenging and SHIELD duties. She had decided to spend it going to see a production of Swan Lake. Although she never chose ballet for herself, she did love the art form. The theater was packed, this was the last performance of this season for the company. A new dancer was making their debut as the lead in the ballet, the audience was buzzing. As the show went on Natasha was content, but could never shake the feeling of being on edge. That's how it was for her all the time. She could never fully let her guard down, always on edge. 

She finds herself entranced by the lead dancer on the stage, her eyes glued to her performance. You were that lead dancer. Though to the audience you appear as confident as ever, selling the performance with every step, you were so nervous. The lead role in a ballet as a new company member is daunting enough, but the lead in Swan Lake? The pressure was on. It's the third act of the ballet, you take a deep breath as you start to mentally prepare for the most challenging part of the performance; the 32 consecutive turns. As you begin the sequence that leads up to the turns, a small red light catches your eye. You ignore it, you have to focus. A lot is riding on how this performance goes. 

Natasha, still glued to your performance, notices the red dot on the stage. She immediately recognizes it as a sniper sight line. She snaps her head back to follow the line but her view isn't great from where she is in the theater. She looks back at you, as you're on the fourth turn of the sequence, the red light has lined up with your chest. Thinking quickly, Natasha pulls the small pistol that's concealed in her garter and fires a shot straight up into the air. The sound sends a panic into the audience and orchestra. Screaming has now replaced the sounds of the symphony. People start running out of the theater, the dancers on stage flee. You panic and run straight to your dressing room and lock it. You press yourself into the corner and begin to cry.

Natasha makes her way backstage swiftly. She finds your dressing room with your last name posted next to the door. She rips down the paper with your name on it and knocks. "Hello y/n? Could you open the door? It's not safe to stay here" Through your sobs you manage to get a few choppy words out - "How… do I.. know I can.. trust you?" you sob. Natasha sighs and picks the lock in seconds "You're just going to have to try." You slowly come out of the corner to see who the stranger was. Your curiosity turns into shock when you realize the famous Avenger was standing in your dressing room. Her red hair tied in an elegant updo, donning a long black dress with a slit on her left leg that ran clean up to her hip. You always thought she was beautiful in her combat gear but seeing her like this was better than anything you could have possibly imagined.

As you try to straighten yourself out to appear as though you weren't in shock she smiles softly. "Sorry to intrude, but someone in that audience was targeting you specifically. I don't know why yet, but we don't have time right now to figure it out. We need to get you out of here. I have a safe house not too far, I can take you there"

You can tell by her tone that she's serious. "That red light was from a sniper!? I saw the red light but I was so focused that I didn't think about it. I -" your speech is fast and frantic. Natasha has already started grabbing your things quickly. 

Your head is spinning, you stand there in shock watching the assassin make quick work of the messy dressing room. You look up at her - "Wait, why are you picking up all of my stuff? Do we really need all of this?" Without hesitating she replies "We can't leave anything that might help someone trace you. That includes things with easy to sample DNA like hair brushes, your lipstick, and clothes. Fingerprints aren't so concerning, this dressing room probably has thousands." She throws your sweatpants and tank top at you "You need to change, whoever it is will spot you if you leave here in your costume or ballet attire." You look up at her and nod, but you hesitate. Both of you stare at each other for a second, Natasha raises an eyebrow at you. "Uhm, could I get a little privacy?" You sheepishly ask. Natasha stands up straighter and tells you "Well I can't leave the room, seconds are crucial in a safety situation." You look down at the clothes, then back up at her. Too shy to say anything at this point, thrown off by her confidence, you make a turning gesture with your finger. Nat sighs and turns her back to you. 

After you're changed she tells you to stay close as you exit the theater. She leads you to a back parking lot, where she walks up to a black motorcycle. You stop and start to protest "I've never been on a motorcycle before… Can't we just take my car?" She chuckles as she throws your bag into the side saddlebag "I told you that we couldn't leave a hairbrush behind and you think it's a good idea to drive your car?" She grins, amused by your innocence "I'm a safe driver, you just need to hold on tight" Natasha hands you a helmet and straddles the bike, pulling up her long dress as she does so. You take a deep breath and get on the back of the bike. You hesitate and gently rest your hand on her waist. She grabs your arms and makes you wrap them around her waist. "Tightly, I said. Remember?" You're thankful she can't see your face because you're sure your cheeks are as bright as her hair. 

The motorcycle roars in the empty parking lot echoing off the concrete walls around you. Natasha tears down the streets. You can tell by the way she's driving she's making sure no one is following you. A left, another left, and another left. Going down streets more than once. She's smart, so you know she's not lost. After she's sure no one is following the both of you, she makes her way to a small apartment in Lower Manhattan. You both go inside. The apartment is a very small studio, typical for NYC. Your head is still spinning. You sit down on the couch and stare blankly at the floor. Natasha is taking off her earrings and catches a glimpse of you in the mirror. She frowns. Sometimes she forgets that this kind of life isn't typical for everyone else. 

As she takes down her hair she walks to the sink to get you a glass of water. She sits on the coffee table directly in front of you. Her presence takes you out of your trance. You open your mouth to apologize but Natasha speaks before you get the words out. "I know it's a lot" she hands you the glass of water "I promise I'll find out who wants to hurt you. I won't let anything happen to you. We'll figure out who they are and why you're a target" she places her hand on your knee. You stare up at her and ask "Why do you want to protect me? Why did you want to bring me here instead of letting the theater empty and me go home?" The redhead smiles a somber smile and says "The way you dance reminds me of how I used to dance. I can tell it's an escape for you, the way it was my only escape so long ago. The world is a dark enough place, I'd like to keep people who bring light into it around if I can." You look down to hide the blush forming on your cheeks. 

Natasha gets up and goes to change. You take this time to drink your water and check the bag she threw together for you. Damn, no pajamas. Nat walks out of the restroom to see you rummaging around the duffle. She realizes you're looking for something to sleep in by the way you're tossing everything else to the side. She walks to the dresser and brings you a pair of shorts and a t shirt. "Thank you" you say, taking the clothes from her and walking to get changed. 

When you walk out you see her fluffing the pillows on the bed. You pause, you were sure you would sleep on the couch. She notices your hesitation as she pulls back the covers. "Sorry, I don't have another blanket and the heater in here isn't great. I hope that's okay?" You walk towards the bed and meet her gaze "That's perfectly okay with me. But I do have to warn you, my feet are freezing." The Avenger laughs "I don't mind, it's probably better than sleeping next to Barton in an air vent haha" You both climb into the bed.

You drift off to sleep easier than you thought you would. Even though you barely knew Natasha, you felt safe with her. In your sleep you toss and turn. Images of the theater, the 32 turns, the small red light, and the bright stage lights flash in your mind. Only this time it feels like it's happening in slow motion. You hear the gunshot, the dance stops. You look down and see your costume covered in blood. The bullet reached you this time and the room starts to spin. You jolt awake startled from the nightmare. 

Instinctually, you grabbed onto Natasha for safety. As you wake up and realize it was just a dream you let go of the very confused and tired woman. You start to stammer out an apology, Natasha shushes you. She reassures you quickly "It was just a dream, you're safe, it's okay." She puts her hand on your shoulder. You can't help it, you begin to cry. She doesn't really understand why she feels so empathetic towards someone she doesn't really know, but she pulls you in close to her and holds you. 

You don't fight it, it feels nice. Natasha lays both of you down gently on the bed, you curl into her, still crying. She strokes your hair and holds you close to her. "Shhhh detka, it's okay, I got you, you're safe." Your crying slowly stops as you fall back asleep in her arms. 

#mcu #natasha x reader #fanfic #nat romanoff #romanoff x reader #marvel fan fic #this is my first fic #pls tell me if its good

[tilbageidanmark]

Movies I watched this week (Last week of Year 3!)

4 Fascinating documentaries:

🍿 The Love Of Movies- The Story Of American Film Criticism, a light 2009 documentary about the first 100 years of (mostly print) criticism, from the silent era to the Internet. Narrated in somehow outdated intonation, still it provided interesting background and details to a story I know well, but not completely. 8/10.

🍿 “The only valid censorship of ideas is the right of people not to listen.”

I've never seen the show, so the quality documentary Smothered: The Censorship Struggles of the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour was all new to me. How a folksy charming comedy show got too edgy for network television at the end of the 60's. Actual victims of cancel culture.

RIP, Tom Smothers, Musician and Scourge of CBS Censors!

🍿 "We had a blast out in the desert. Everybody was getting loaded, and grass was 30 bucks a kilo...”

Let's get lost, a jazzy, impressionistic 1988 riff about my favorite smoky balladeer, trumpeter Chet Baker, made just before he fell to his death from a second story balcony in an Amsterdam hotel. The tortured "Prince of Cool", speedball-addict, James Dean lookalike player whose feminine singing style was one of a kind.

I'd much rather listen to Chet Baker & Bill Evans's 'Legendary Sessions', or any of his other recordings, than this hero-worshiped, free-wheeling Cinéma vérité footage.

But now I want to see 'All the Fine Young Cannibals' which was inspired by Baker's life.

🍿 Agnès Varda's 1968 piece of agitprop, Black Panthers, shot in Oakland during the 'Free Huey' campaign. Worth watching.

🍿

Werner Herzog's stunning masterpiece, Aguirre, the Wrath of God, an unforgiving descent into folly and madness. The plundering conquistadors lost in the jungle and barely navigating rickety rafts on the wild rapids. Heart of Darkness epic at the end of the world.

(Photo Above).

🍿

My masterpiece, a smart Argentinian drama about a lifelong friendship between two older gentlemen, a grumpy painter who doesn't give a shit and his worldly art dealer/manager, who carries him through. 7/10.

🍿

"you're gonna do great"

My 4th of Nicole Holofcener's works, You hurt my feelings. A small, intelligent story about always trying to make people feel better. A writer overhears her husband confessing to her brother-in-law that he hates her new book, even though he always assures her how much he loves it. Pleasant enough, NYC based drama, but eventually only a mild take. With David Gross. 6/10

🍿

The Philadelphia Story, a famous screwball 'Comedy of remarriage', a genre popular in the 1930s and 1940s. It circumvented The Production Code of the day which found stories about divorce too "scandalous". Katharine Hepburn was a socialite named Tracy Lord (No connection...), and she had to choose between three suitors the day before her second wedding. She also has a smart-ass little sister who sings "Lydia, the Tattooed Lady".

More Jimmy Stewart in a new Nerdwriter essay, comparing a scene from 'A shop around the corner' with the same scene at 'You've got mail'.

🍿

Re-watch: Children of Men, a chilling, retro-futuristic dystopian thriller set in totalitarian 2027, which is frighteningly similar to our own late-capitalist, repressive nightmare. Bleak saga of the youngest baby in the world, a world full of hatred, hopelessness, and Abu Ghraib. Only 4 years away... 10/10.

[I was going to follow this up with Shoot ’Em Up, another gritty action movie from same year 2007 and which also starred Clive Owen as a drifter who rescues a newborn from being killed by assassins. But it was so shoddily-made, I lasted exactly 2 minutes...]

🍿

The very first avant-garde film from 1921, Lichtspiel Opus I, made by German experimental filmmaker Walther Ruttmann.

🍿

"Find the seed... Shape the soil... Speed the harvest..."

I'm always looking for an excuse to watch Michael Clayton again. Too bad that this time is because Arthur Edens died (in real life).

The laconic "janitor", after an all night poker game, stops his Benz to look at horses.

One of my all-time favorite thrillers, with a perfect script and tight dialogue. His use of euphemisms, so understated, so deep in the weeds.

If anybody knows a more compact thriller, please let me know.

RIP, Tom Wilkinson, Shiva, the God of Death!

🍿

I didn't get the Chilean magical realist fable The Cow Who Sang a Song Into the Future, by first time director Francisca Alegría. It opens like a dreamy 'Man who fell to earth' symbolism, with a drowned woman emerging from the depths of the river, where she may or may not had committed suicide decades ago. Dead fish float, flock of birds form murmurations, and an estranged family behave strangely in the milk farm of their childhood. There's also a transgender grandchild who bonds with his maybe-dead grandmother, environmental disaster looming, family secrets that remain unexplained, and cows, who may sing into the future. But I didn't understand their song at all.

🍿

Slalom is another debut feature by a new French female director. A young downhill skier adores her trainer who comes to takes advantage of her innocence. It holds 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, but I hated it. I've been developing a low tolerance for stories of mistreatment, exploitation and abuse, or to watch another determined coach being tough with his young trainees. 3/10.

🍿

Alexander Skarsgård [Stellan's son] X 2:

🍿 Skarsgård wrote and directed a short film in 2003, To kill a child, a simple drama about an ordinary man who accidentally kills a child, while driving to the beach.

🍿 2 re-watch: On the Rolling Stone Magazine's list of '10 Best TV Episodes of 2023', the No. 1 was “Connor’s Wedding”, Succession Season 4, Episode 3. And indeed, Roy Logan's off-camera all-too-soon death, and his children's grief and devastation, was incredibly mesmerizing.

Also, “With Open eyes”, the tragic series finale, which encapsulated all the threads from 4 seasons of intrigues and disappointments. From the dinner scene where Skarsgård reeled Tom by “letting him sing for his supper”, to Tom's final coronation in the the SUV, together with Shiv his defeated wife.

🍿

The Newly Remastered Pee-wee’s Playhouse Christmas Special from 1988. A kitschy piece of subversive 'Camp' aimed at 4 year olds as well as closeted gay teenagers. With dozens of celebrity cameos, including Grace Jone, Magic Johnson, Cher & Larry Fishburne, and running gags about fruitcakes. Absurd and mildly fetishistic.

🍿

The Bear is a universally-acclaimed new series about a working class sandwich restaurant in Chicago. As an ex-chef who worked in similarly chaotic environments for nearly a decade, this story was unrealistic in the extreme. There was too much manufactured drama and way too many cooks to accommodate a simple hot dog stand. And the attempts to turn it into an experimental, hi-end Nathan Myhrvold spot were laughable. Lots of name droppings: Noma, Alinea, CIA, and lots of food-porn shots and plate-sets. They even brought Oliver Platt from the 10 times better film 'Chef'. It was written by somebody who obviously never worked as a cook. I somehow watched all of  Season 1, but didn't stay for seconds. 3/10.

🍿

Platonic, a new sitcom (without the laugh tracks), taking the 'When Harry met sally' concept, and replacing it with Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne. I could only stay for the Pilot episode. 2/10.

🍿  

Throw-back to the "Art project”:  

Adora loves to cook.

🍿  

(My complete movie list is here)

#movies

[noro-noro-noro]

god ok I wanted to remember my dream so I repeated it to myself in my head any time I half woke up, which actually just led like 6 or 7 different dreams with various similarities. this kind of shit makes it really hard to write down you know

and to make matters worse thetr was so much of it I only remember a little. whatever that always happens

this one was the first dream I'm p sure. sort of a medieval-ish area. me & my friend hunkering down in an abandoned town trying to hide from this evil bandit leader. she found us obviously & my friend was hurt, so rather than wait for her to decide to kill us, I went to help her out. she liked that I did that. and she was chill enough when she liked you. unfortunately we were put through some kind of trigun wolfeood style grow up fast serum so we were now late 20's when we should have been 16/17. to be fair when she picked us up we were like 10? so real time also did pass. and working for the bandit queen was fun at times! she has.some.morals! we got famous !though she had a nasty little grubby spoiled son who was just gross but he got anything he wanted. also we did get some kind of power from the make us older thing. my forearms & hands were both replaced with metal gauntlets but I still had my fingers. and the gauntlets while really complicated were designed in such a way that in case of a hideous malfunction I'd still be able to use them as normal hands. anyway after a while of living the good life as the left & right arms of the bandit queen, we got to some familiar looking school. the son pointed at a pretty girl maybe 15 named Priscilla & said he wanted her to keep & to play with, so the queen sent us in. my friend froze up. I knew why - he'd had a crush on her when we were both kids going to this school. & we'd both seen the result of girls the son had played with. so I went. i knelt down by Priscilla & said "do you know who I am?" & she said "you're the right hand of the bandit queen" & I said "yes I am & you know I'm not gonna let anything bad happen to you, ok?" & she was like "are you sure?" & I laughed & said "you've heard the rumors - don't I draw the line at kids? now hold on" & picked her up & immediately turned to the nasty son & shot something out of my hand gauntlet that pinned him to the wall through his arm. the bandit queen flew into a rage instantly but I was already on the way to being gone. we probably would have to eventually kill her though, she didn't easjly forgive traitors & she'd probably kill Priscilla too out of spite if left alone. she knew me because I talked a lot - she didn't know my friend bc he was more the silent assassination in the shadows type . people knew of him but not anything else.

anyway. the next dream started as like a weirs mobile card game ad. it started out being like .. spades or something. except when the queen of spades claimed the queen of diamonds it cut to her dragging the red queen into her chambers by her hair & then like what looked like gearing up for some hentai style sex ad. the next cutscene was the red queen somehow pregnant & experiencing rather extreme boob growimf bc she was just a little cow that needed to be milked. awesome. do not show this to me. and the game actually downloaded immediately when I went to hit the microscopic X button in the corner. anyway the game was called Tower Of Ruin or something, very generic, & it couldn't be uninstalled until you completed the first act. great. another good sign is that there was like a bratty child princess that you could fully undress, which I did on accident because I got new clothes from a daily log in bonus & I wanted to swap them out bc the starter dress looked really bad, but itwas unnecessarily complicated to do that.

bit of a scene shift and now because I was one of the first 1,000 people to complete ch1 (to uninstall the game) the company mailed me various sexual anime figurines of the characters, which I really, really did not want. I thought about trying to sell them second-hand on Reddit as I was opening the package since they did seem somewhat quality even though the clothes was alsl Velcro and scratchy fabric like old barbie clothes.

after this there was a lot of other dream content. what was it? fuck if I know

something about being on the run thru like..hong Kong. highspeed nighttime car chase. I think it was something like a modern au f the first dream.

there was a high rise hotel with big windows during the day.

from the hotel dream I think the green one ce - I wanted to get home..there was something about some.peolple being turned into large green tinted animals due to overexposure to the green (?) . like a big pond turtle. a rhino was actually the same.size. and there were also mutated freaks of nature like the ??? it looked like a plant almost except with a horrible dripping red mouth. the turtle bit onto the hairs on the rhino as they were running away, but a turn too sharp and the tuetle flew into the bushes and the thing that used to be a person ate the rhino that also used to be a person very disgusting. but didn't see the turtle.

something to do with perler beads also idk there was a lot more of that too

#dreams

[zooterchet]

Famous Assassin Recipes

Tanacharison: The filterless cigarette, a Lucky Strike, enjoyed with a gin martini. Two shots of gin, fill with seltzer, and enjoy a Lucky Strike on a brass lighter, a zippo. For VC nai poon. That's the lady. He always knew where the next war would be.

John Wilkes Booth: Take the Snake, a prison rapist, and the Loser, a bisexual informant, and switch them, with a peanut butter sandwich, Skippy, no jelly, bleached bread, Wonderbread, in high sun, with a Marlboro Red at the same time; remark, "flavor country", to the Snake, your mind's eye of the Loser. The club goes all the way back home, and there's a witch trial, on slavery.

Albert Whisker: Use a three pointer, a 3.5 shot glass, the Cantonese shot, to take a half shotter of vodka, cheap stuff, and a half shotter of orange juice, expensive, campus variety, and hammer a shot, before you snort amphetamines. That's the stuff, to get you going, to understand Chinese history. It doesn't go away, unless you've seen Disturbed in concert. Back in that day, we called him Bojangles; or maybe Scott Joplin, or Sammy Davis Junior.

Lee Harvey Oswald: Get a Marlboro Red, some nitrate car battery stomped coca (cocaine powder on cut, "pure", a CIA blend, nitrate phosphate, for the erection, or the transgender juices, if you prefer the ladies, for the ladies), and take a Bazooka Joe pellet. Demonstrate the technique, to the target, "the head crab", someone stealing a drug dealer's job to lay you, as a Freemasonic Ring (Mister President), to dab the powder from the gum, on the cigarette, then smoke it backwards, on the filter (I'm just a paddy, a poor Irish sailor). They'll need crack rock to get out, but only if they trust Jack "Hardy" Ruby, Charlie Manson (old Mister Lincoln, "he stinks", then you're shut down, the entire campus; you wrote 'nigger' in the bathroom, Lincoln was a drug dealer this time, 'again').

Martin Luther King Jr.: Order a beef tarte, the cheeseburger empanada, from anything labeled 'King', and if they have the tres luches, you've alerted them that "James Earl Ray", is in the area. A personal delivery, will be made to a black Senator's house, to see if you've received a coin, from the Nordic Lodge, the rival to the Lounge, the old athlete's singing joint. If it's Joe Frazier's Lounge, you win; you've just caught the last show to Delaware, Joe Biden is President. Like the King family wanted, a French President, since 1935 (improved traffic resistance, the last place besides the bus they can't get you; the King family, is the cops, they run the restaurant).

Sirhan Sirhan: If you have a charcoal grill, strike up a conversation, with a man with your feet. If he's a propane man, that doesn't know how to cook, he'll have your exact stumble, having studied you, to build a healthy intestine. Your mother, will retain cooking recipes, for his family's secrets, on cartoon anti-Semitism, a fat man, for the proper distribution of diet on a budget; for all involved, including you, the stock of frozen foods non-necessary to eat, to get you "off the bucket", and into proper ordering, fifteen dollars on a two dollar "squib", the fees and tip, on a twenty dollar meal, with an extra meal left over, for a three day "spree".

George Jung: "Boston" George Jung, wants you to know, that it is inappropriate, to drink whiskey, without Worcestershire sauce, hiding the steak's sauce, with a Bloody Mary. To beat AA protocols, mix the Worcestershire, in your home "furnace", the cabinet, with Jim Beam, the preferred whiskey of the CIA range division, the overweight cop. If you know a cop, who has ever been overweight, and he doesn't know he's a cop, give him a flask of Jim Beam (not a "fifth", the jeopardy round, you've just qualified as airman, you get free LSD). He'll figure everything out. But he's watching you, very closely, because your girlfriend, likes them big; you're listening to Boston George.

OJ Simpson: The bowels can be purged, through a heart seizure, a rare term of logic, invented by Jake Charlebois, at Minnesota State University, on the professional college team. The posture as Hitler, as an American quarterback aside, a bowl of whole milk, a full box of Cheerios, and a Friendly's Sundae, in the tin (now a plastic or paper cup, since the advance by OJ), can be used; eating the entire box and all the milk, then the peanut butter Friendly's Sundae, to seize the heart clamps, before the pain and agony passes, and a Marlboro Red is enjoyed, OJ's choice to retire from football to get his Wheaties Box (the first of its kind). The bowel chlonic, will unblock the hemorrhages in the liver, unless you die; you were eating too much mayonnaise (you worked food services, and are in danger of colon surgery; sorry, kid, not for the big leagues, bagging groceries).

David Charlebois: A Chinese sausage, can be enjoyed on a George Foreman grill; normally lethal, "red sausage", unless on charcoal, an easy cause of trichinosis, unless rigid cooking times are observed; impossible for the mentally ill. The press grill, however, guarantees a succulent taste, and a slow purge of the insides, the sweatest black meat you can afford. Any sausage, is delicious on a Foreman, but not like red sausage, the Chinese sausage; a boneless spare rib, lethal to Jews out of paranoia, but just delicate enough to please a Hebrew man's stomach if char broiled in a press machine. Be aware, if your room mate has the Foreman, and won't eat it, he's a traitor. Take his story of his background, and recommend it to a writer claiming Lutheran, as marked '88', Millard Fillmore; a history teacher, in politics.

[battymommastuff]

Lazarus

Batmom x Batfamily

Prompt: Batmom is dying, and the members of the batfamily are scrambling to find a cure for her illness while two others are trying to get her to the most simplest and easiest solution.

The clock was ticking, and you were running out of time. It'd been almost a year since you'd come down with a sickness that was never seen before. It started out as a simple cold, but morphed into something even more deadlier. Your family was there every step of the way to help you only to see you get worse and worse by the day.

You went from being full and lively to pale, sickly and frail. Your cheeks were sunken in and your eyes had dark bags under them. Bruce spent nights in the cave analyzing blood samples from you trying to fins a way to cure you. Dick, and Tim went to every doctor they could find for help. Alfred was at your side making sure that you had everything you needed to be comfortable. Stephanie, Cass, and Barbra were in charge of the media. Rumors were starting to spread about reasons why the famous Y/N Wayne hasn't been seen in public.

They kept all the rumors at bay simply saying that you were dealing with some important business in California, and you would be returning to Gotham soon.

Jason and Damian? Well they were on a mission. Trying to convince everyone else to take you to the one place that could help you. The Lazarus Pit. Bruce was hell bent on keeping you away from that place, and the rest of the family followed. At first they listened but now they weren't going to ask. They were taking you.

Damian opened the door to the room you were being kept in. You hooked up to machines and the sound of your weak heartbeat along with your ragged breaths were the only sounds in the room. Damian gestured for Jason to follow once he made sure the room was empty. Jason made his way in and started unhooking you from the machines.

"Jason? What?" You whisper feeling him lift you up from the bed into his arms. Damian grabbed bags that he'd packed the night before from the closet in the room and started carrying them out to the batcave where they were planning to swipe the batwing.

"Just relax Ma. We're going to get you help." Jason whispers then carefully carries you down to the batcave where Bruce was typing away on the computer. Luckily it was only him there. He turned around once he heard footsteps. He quickly stood up when he saw you in Jason's arms.

"Take her back Jason." He warned blocking the path to the batwing. Jason's glared hardened as he set you down onto your feet letting you lean against him while he held his gun up towards Bruce.

"We are taking her to the only thing that will help her Bruce. Why can't you see that? She's dying and you're just sitting there on your dumbass computer trying to find a miracle. Get out of the way or get shot."

You opened your eyes and tug weakly on your son's shirt trying to get him to lower the gun, "N-No.." you rasp still trying to play peacemaker in your condition.

Bruce made a move to grab you but Damian came flying down from the rafters and injected something into his father's neck causing him to fall to the floor unconscious, "We're wasting time Todd. Let's go." He growls as Jason picks you back up.

The flight was bumpy and your sons made sure you were as comfortable as possible. Eventually the home of the League of Assassin's came into view along with Tala and Ra's. They watched as the batwing landed on the ground in front of them and Damian jumps out.

"Mother, Grandfather. We need your help." He says as Jason walks around with you in his arms. Ra's raises a brow seeing your frail condition while Talia had a smug look on her face. Serves you right for stealing her beloved and her son.

Ra's on the other hand admired you. You weren't a hero like your family and yet you were willing to fight him when he threatened your family.

"Come..." He gestures ignoring his daughter's protests and led the group down to the pit. A green hue filled the room as they entered the small cave. Ra's and Talia stood back while Jason and Damian walked closer to the pit. Jason held you in his arms as he walked into the pit with you and Damian stayed on the edge. Slowly you were lowered into the pit. He let you go and your body sank to the bottom. It was only seconds before your body shot out of the water and you gasped loudly trying to get oxygen into your lungs.

Your sons took note of how your appearance changed. You looked the same, but you were a tad bit fuller and your hair was longer with a long white streak like Jason's. You breathed heavily then walked out of the pit. Your aura was different as well. Gone was the mother aura that everyone loved. It was like you weren't even there.

"Come. Let's go home boys." You mumbled then started walking towards the exit. Talia who felt offended by your lack of thanks stopped you and held you back from leaving.

"Show appreciation. If it wasn't for us you'd be dead." She whispered holding a dagger to your throat. You smirked softly licking your lips before grabbing the blade with your bare hand and bending it until it snapped. Talia looked at you in shock then jumped when your hand wrapped around her throat and you tilted your head, "Would you like me to kiss you? Or pleasure you in bed like I do your former lover Talia?" You ask with a wicked grin then drop her to the ground. You stepped over her body and made your way back to the wing.

Something was very wrong with you, and your sons had no clue what was going on. What happened to you? They'd never seen you act like this before.

What happened in the Lazarus Pit?

><><><><

Part 2?

#dick grayson x batmom #batfam x reader #bruce wayne x reader #jason todd x batmom #batman #batmom imagines #batmom #damian wayne x reader #damian wayne #red hood #robin #tim drake x reader #jason todd x reader #dick grayson x reader #jason todd #dick grayson #dc comics #nightwing

[roselockwood]

Could I request a part 2 to the stripper one shot?

Wet Dream

Pairings: Mob!Boss!Natasha Romanoff x stripper!fem!reader, mentions of Carol Danvers x reader

Word count: 1358

Genre: smut

Warnings: explicit content so if you're not 16 or above please do not read, a lil bit of swearing (literally one or two words), daddy kink, degrading kink, pet names use (princess, kitten), knife kink(?), voyeurism, mentions of strap-on use, oral sex (r recieving), masturbation

Summary: After a heavenly good night with Natasha, you can't stop thinking about her. What if the same thing happens to the famous assassin?

A/N: So here is the part 2, I hope that you will like it @b4nny-l0v4r (please everyone, tell me if I made any mistakes)

°☆______________________________________☆°

After yesterday's night you were so tired that you passed out in the room you were with the mob boss. Still sore from the activities you were engaged in, you sat up holding your head, thankful for the thick blanket that was keeping your naked body warm. When you finally looked around, a wave of embarrassment washed over you as your eyes met your boss, Carol, looking at you with a wicked smirk. Blush crept up your neck as Carol watched you with immense hunger.

"How was your night princess?"

"Hi Carol- Please tell me you didn't actually bring me naked here."

"I did bring you here. And I have to say you have even better body when there is nothing covering you."

You covered yourself more with the blanket and the statement of your boss. Carol stood up from the desk she was sitting at and came closer to you to grab you by your chin.

"I guess Nat didn't go easy on you as I asked her to?"

"No, she didn't. Can I please have 2 days off? I'm really sore and I want to rest."

"Of course, take care of yourself. Evelyn will cover for you."

"Thank you boss. Do you maybe know where my clothes are?"

"Nat took them with her. I bet she will buy you new ones. For now I can borrow you some of mine. Here, take it."

Carol threw the little pile of clothes at you which you catched silently thanking her. You grabbed a blanket that you were covered in and went to the bathroom near the office.

After you changed into the clothes that your boss gave you, you quickly thanked your boss and went straight to your apartment. The way there went rather quickly and soon you were in front of your door. The soreness in your body made you unbelievably tired so you went straight to your bedroom. Without taking off your clothes, you laid on your bed. Sniffing your boss' perfume you fell asleep within a blink. 

Natasha approached you in the bed, lowering herself and kissing your thighs. Carol was sitting in front of both of you, watching carefully every detail she could take in. You squirmed in the place trying to grab Natasha's head but you couldn't. A neat knot adorned your wrists, tying you to the frame of the bed. 

"What's wrong slut? Can't move?"

"Fuck- Why did you tie me up Carol?"

"Because me and Carol know you like it rough kitten. You are so wet already and I only kissed your thighs for a bit. Your panties are ruined"

You squirmed yet again in your place as assassins' skilled fingers made patterns on your hip. The patterns stopped when the redhead reached for the pocket knife from her jeans. She opened the knife and with a swift motion your panties were cut through. Natasha grabbed the fabric and threw it to Carol who was still watching you both.

"Jesus, Nat, she ruined them."

"Oh I know. I think she is ready for you but let me get a taste first. After all, she is mine"

Shiver ran through your whole body. Anticipation making you move in the place. Nat lowered her face kissing all the places just not where you wanted her to. As she teased your pussy, her hand snaked up your body and started to knead your breast. Sinful moans left your mouth when redhead finally started to eat you out, her playing with your breast only added to the pleasure.

"Shit- Natasha please- More..."

"That's not my name slut."

"Daddy..."

Redhead let out a groan of satisfaction and dived into your soaked cunt, eating you out as if it was her last meal. You were so close to the release but Natasha stopped. Her mouth now trailed your thighs again, leaving marks on every place on your skin. Assassin gave a knowing look to your boss that was behind her and backed away to sit on the chair that was abandoned by her.

"You got so worked up honey. Are you ready for my cock?"

"Yes- Please- Give it to me..."

Carol climbed up the bed and kissed you roughly. A moan came out of you as the blonde teased the tip of the toy in you. String of pathetic whines left your mouth and...

You woke up. Your body felt hot, a droplet of sweat rolled down your temple. It was all a dream. You had a fucking wet dream with your boss and the propably most dangerous person in the word and you couldn't help being frustrated and horny. The wetness showed up between your legs and grew even more with every thought about the dream. Clock on the wall showed you that it was midnight. You slept for 10 hours. Every minute you laid on your bed made you more horny than before. The frustration soon became too much and you decided to take a shower.

Your clothes were now on the bathroom floor and your body was relaxing under the boiling water. Shower was supposed to help you calm down, but did quite the opposite. Your mind rushed with many positions that the assassin could have you in right now. Ache between your thighs became unbearable as you came out naked from the shower. You laid again on the bed, opening the nightstand drawer and pulling out a pink vibrator.

Quiet buzz could be heard as you turned on your favourite toy. When you finally put it to use a whine left your mouth at the pleasure that it gave you. Your mind replayed the images of Natasha eating you out and Carol that watched you lustfully. The edge of your orgasm was so close. With every whine, shaky breath and every quiet moan you were getting even closer.

"Oh fuck- Natasha-"

As the redhead's name fell from your lips you rolles . When you were falling into the arms of pleasure, Natasha was fucking some random girl, trying to forget about you. You were the only thing on her mind. It was not so long ago that she met you, but you already made her weak. Natasha found herself lusting over you, in the way she has never before. She wanted you for herself and herself only. The Assassin's interest in you has gone out of the way when she moaned your name and not the girl she was having her way with right now. When she realised her mistake, she immediately pushed the girl off of her and told her to get out. The bodyguards of the redhead dragged the girl out of the luxurious apartment.

After a moment of reflection, Natasha called in her people to give them orders.

"I know it might be way too soon, but I need you to follow the girl that I was with yesterday in the club. I need to know every single detail about her. As far as i remember her name is Y/N" 

The two of the men nodded in understanding, already getting ready to do the job.

"I want to have basic information about her in three days. People she is meeting, where she lives, where she usually goes and all that. If her place will be empty, go install a few cameras around it. Make sure to put one in her bedroom."

"Yes boss. We will start planning now and everything should be ready to do by tomorrow."

"Go get some rest before tomorrow. And be discreet, I don't want Y/N to know about this"

Bodyguards left the room quickly with the intention of getting ready faster, assuring their boss that everything will be ready. Your, ruined by her, clothes were laying on an armchair, reminding her of last night. Natasha was now engulfed in your charm and she knew there was no way out of it.

"One more thing boys. Book me a tailor for tomorrow. I will give Y/N some new clothes."

#black widow smut #black widow #natasha romanoff #mcu fanfiction #carol danvers #marvel cinematic universe #natasha x reader #natasha x you #carol danvers x you #captain marvel

[lolita-lollipop]

I've had this idea in my head for days. It can be an one-shot or headcannons or whatever. I feel like it could work with anything. I love your blog btw!

Deku is one of the greatest Villains, if not the greatest. That being said: many people want him dead. Another villain hires a really famous hitman (who's the reader). Nobody has ever seen them in person and lived to tell the tale though. So the hitman manages to sneak in Deku's hideout and proceeds to attack him. It turns out that the so called famous hitman is an eight year old. After a fight Deku manages to restrain them and asks them a few questions. And so the reader reveals that their parents abandoned them at a young age and they were trained to become a hitman by an organisation who took them in. After hearing all that Deku's like- "Oh my freaking god- Okay, you're my child now :D" and he babies them so freaking much- But the reader hates it with a burning passion since they've never received any kind of affection or had a childhood in general so they just try to either attack Deku or escape to go back to the organisation all the time-

(Also I feel like the reader's quirk is the reason they haven't failed once before. Maybe it's a quirk that makes them never miss a hit when it's activated? For example: if they throw a dagger at someone while their quirk is activated the dagger is guaranteed to hit the person no matter what.)

YANDERE VILLAIN DEKU X READER

Yesyesyesyesyesyes

Everyone has heard of you, the midnight assassin. Or the silent assassin, sometimes people just called you dagger, or blade, you went by many names, for no one knew your true name. People paid thousands to have you on their side, you could be found in the depths of the dark web, under heavy auctions for service, you were an assassin, people would pay you to murder people, simple as that.

Once the hero association faltered, thousands became targets, crime became more leanings, so it was all try e more easy to hire someone like you. Of course, everyone expects you to be some 6’9 man, with muscles of steel, and a strength quirk that could knock out buildings, a cruel person with no remorse, how wrong they could be.

No one has seen your face, and anyone who has hasn’t lived to tell the tale. Everyone knew one thing though, you striked in the middle of the night, and you striked swiftly and cleanly. Hundreds found with a simple cut to the back or front of the neck, or head cleanly sliced off, jut the mention of hiring you was a guaranteed win. Everyone knows you, they just don’t know who you are, not even the allmigut villain deku.

He, of course, never expected to personally learn, but oh god, he wouldn’t trade it for the world.

———

It was a simple thing, passing through his guards, thsi is one of your highest paying jobs ever. You knew it would be for a reason, but you didn’t think such a known man would have such… stupid guards. You ran down the hallway, following the red dot on the tracker you’d placed on him, you were nothing but a blur at how fast you were going. Honestly, why can’t this just be over? With the amount the blonde man with slight anger issues is paying, you’ll be able to run away, and live comfortably without having to think about killing people, or death, or the association, you just wanted to get this over with, then it will all end.

“I can hear you there, come out, before I make you” the green haired man spoke,?his hard voice not faltering once, showing no fear of another assassin sent his way, it was probably the fifth of the month, and he was sick of it. He will give it though, this one breached his security without any alert, and god knows how long you’ve been creeping behind him, usually thy fail the first second they step in the premesis, pretty impressive. But still, not impressive enough.

No answer was heard, not even a breath, it was so silent that you could hear a pin drop, even ont he carpeted floors. He turned slowly, awaiting to find some dressed in black assasin, and got ready to destroy them with a single flick of his finger, jsut to find…. Nothing. And then, pain. A dagger flew past him, scorching his cheek with the hot metal, if his reaction were any slower, he would’ve been dead.

“I see how it is then. So be it.” He took no time in finding your exact location, you were moving so fast he could barely make out a figure though, knives came flying left and right from all directions, no ones ever been able to lay harm to izuki midoria before, let alone actually worry him. Some impressive skills, of course, he’s trained for situations like this, both before and after destroying Japan, you have not, and that would be your only fault.

“I must say, I am quite impressed, I wonder what human not only has the nerve to attack me, but also the skill to manage it? I bet bakugo hired you. He always gets the good ones” the man splayed his arms out, spinning in his ankle to dodge the silvery metal shooting at him, precision was not your forte, he guessed. the almost silent putter of feet alerted him that you were right behind him, again. And before you could attack, or even get another knife out, he was ontop of you, large hands clutching yours over your head.

“Now then,let’s see that face of yours, before it gets cut off.” He reached for the mask covering your face, a flat surface of solid black, showing no sights of human, you looked more of an art piece with it on, but izuki midoria just had to know, who was the brave soul who dared to attack him? He expected a callused face, covered in scars, the face of someone trained for years, fought many battles, and lost a few. But what was he met with? The eyes of a child, wide and big, just fluttering with that look of the very innocence he’d grown to yearn for, and was immediately shocked, pulling back from his place, and settings you kn your feet.

“Well, that is sure a suprise, the midnight assasin is a child. A child almost just killed me. Now what is a small one like you doing in this line of wo-“ he started up, before you chucked another little knife at him, a pocket blade, your last one left. You were already uncomfortable with the fact that your face was showing, if it wasn’t for yo to lack of weaponry, you would’ve been out of the window by now, you were strong, not invincible.

The blade stopped in midair, and ropes looped around your arms and lags, binding them all together and forcing you into an awkward fetal position. Your eyes widened, a gasp pushed past your lips, that’s never happened before, in your 7- no- 8 years of life, not once has a blade missed, not once have you been caught, not once have you shown your face. He hooked his arm under you, pulling you up to rest angaindt his hip, muttering something about capitalism and child lavour. He was a villain, but at least he has standards.

“H-how did you do that”

“Darling, I can do much more than stop a few blades. I’m not going to hurt you, don’t worry.” He spoke, starting the trek down the hallway into some unknown room you weren’t sure what was, fear creeped through you. This was the reading the process was so high, you should’ve thought about accepting it so quickly! He waited for you to speak again, glancing to where your face was, and soon realized you would not be talking more than that.

“Now, I will ask once more, what is a little one liek you doing in my line of work, there is a reason” deku has a soft spot for kids, that’s known, of course he’s killed a few, but he’s not a fan of ending someone who’s life hasn’t been lived. It’s a much different story when it’s a 40 year old gone through a mid-life crisis, and stole money for some- substance. He held you up with you struggled with your hands to fiddle with the ties, they clearly weren’t ever loosening, and you looked exactly like what you were, a scared child.

“I- I’m with the association, they told me that if I did this they would let me go. Please sir- I don’t want to this anymore- I use wnat to be free I-“ you frantically blubbered, this was going against your training comeoletey, you knew this, but you were getting paid to kill, not to die. You stared, he stared right back, considering your answer. You just looked so… cute, which was odd, because you were trying to assasin are him just moments ago. You teminded him fo himself, before the whole villain thing, just someone trying to survive in a society lacking acceptance.

“Oh, wow. That must’ve been really scary huh? I bet you don’t really know what you’re doing, right?” He continued the mock interview, placing one of his hands on an iron doorknob, which opened the wooden threshold to an office, a few chairs scattered here and there, a desk, and a fireplace. You could tell the place was expensive just by the smell. Something about him was offputtibg, and not in the aggressive kjNeil way, it was like he was planning something, and you just couldn’t figure out what.

“Yeah, I mean I guess. I don’t really know. If you’re gonna kil me please just- just do it.” You sharoplu answered, bring at his hand whenever he came forward to push the hair out of your face l, you were just done, you’d been in this situation many times before, the people would cut all nice until it was time for you to go, then they would pull a weapon, you were over it, this was supposed to be easy.

“I did already tell ya didn’t I hon? I’m not going to hurt you, I never will. There was just something about you that he couldn’t place his finger on, you were small, and quite naive enough to talk to a stranger about your past, and fragile, and oh so sweet. You were an innocent child, you know nothing of the real world, having Ben lead by an association your entire life, he would fix you, he would help you. Just a sweet innocent child, now, you were his sweet innocent child.

“I do bet the association will be upset at losing their best, but it’ll have to do, you clearly can’t stay there any longer”he admired you for a moment, watching the glisten in your eyes, hearing your quick heartbeat, he knows you’re strong, but something in him keeps reminding that you are naive, and that the strength you have, isn’t natural, that it’s being forced into you, which will hurt you. He doesn’t want that, not once has he felt this atatached to a child. He had no oarentail figures as a kid, and look how he turned out, he won’t let that happen here, the lasts bit of good in him attached itself to you, and it was not letting go.

“Wha-“ you started up, clawing at his hands when he went to unwrap you, just to be silenced by the lack of air in your lungs, you realized that this was a doing of a quirk not long after it started, most certainly this mans, you knew he was gonna hurt you! Somehow it was t painful, just suffocating. Your vision blurred as your blood slowed its flow, the man made a noise you didn’t understand, sounded like an “aww” of some kind. Before you blacked out, and were left at the hands of your new captor, unknowing to the things he really thought.

———

It’s been a week, and boy, even though you were professionally trained as an assasin, this had been the hardest thing you’d ever had to do. You’d been thrust into a whole new environment, filled with something called a smile, and “laughter”, and physical affection, things he’d said that you desperately needed. It had all been so… foreign. Instead of waking up at five, working through the day, eating only what they said you could, he would cuddle up with you until almost 10:00, in this huge bed he’d called his, in an even higher room he said the two of you shared now.

He fed you really good food, litterally fed you with his own hands off of a golden fork, and was not very easily convinced that you were truly full, your body wasn’t accustomed to this, and it’d made you throw up the first time. You don’t have to do anything but be his, and I quote, “good little one”. And even though this life was a million upgrades above your old one, it was just so hard to adjust, you jsut weren’t use dot any of it, and for the first time in your entire life, you’d found yourself overwhelmed.

And the hardest thing? The contestant touching, it’s like your some childish stuffed animal that he thinks wants to be squeezed and held all the time, it’s i n f u r i a t i n g, you aren’t a baby! And still he insists on carrying you int ge morning, and during the day, and at night, you are perfectly good at handling yourself, yet he insists on helping you with tasks you’d learned to do when you were 2! It’s like you do no wrong in his eyes, and in turn, he “has to protect you”.

Of course, being an impulsive human being who can barely stand when he tries to hug you, you fight like it’s your last battle, these occurrences happen almost daily.

This would be one of them.

“ I’m not holding your hand” you spoke, briefly staring at his open palm as he reached out for you, you would stab it with a knife, but he’d gotton rid of most of yours, minus the few you’d managers to hide, which he would also confiscate if he knew you possessed. Plus, it isn’t like it would do any good, he is twenty times faster than you, so it would just end in your getting a “time out”, as he calls it, and you would have one less knife.

“I know I know, you’re gonna be all fussy with me because you don’t know any better, and because you don’t understand. But it’s not all that bad honey, just wrap your little hand under mine! See? Not that hard?” He demonstrated, using his own hand as a reference to show you. He had promised to take you on a walk around the large garden, you had *ahem* attempted to hurt him more than a few times, and made an almost escape out a few windows, so he made a rule, that you have to hold daddy’s hand whenever you walk around, that or he carried you, your choice. You hated it.

“I’m not doing it! I can walk on my own!” You whined like. Child, which you were, so it just makes sense. He raised a brow at the sudden emotion, and placed a hand on his hip, at least you were talking to him, that’s a plus. His hand remained outstretched, liek a warning, you still didn’t take it though, which gave him all the answers he needed, you stood fuming as he started into you mr soul, giving you one final chance to just let him hold your little hand.

“Clearly not, you fell out of a window! I’m just trying to keep you safe bub, you might hurt yourself if I’m not there to catch you.” He bent down to brush the hair out of your face, to which you tried to bite him, he smiled at your antics and pulled away. Finnaly placing his other hand on his hip so you two could have some kindof stare off. He knew you were doing those things to escape him, but he needed you to know that he wasn’t mad, he was giving you a second chance at life, and you were jsut oh so adorable, so he would happily give it.

“Alright then, it is what it is. Up you go.” He practically squeeze dog exotement at the thought of carrying you around. It was so nice to have you in his arms, he knew that no one would touch you there, and it was just so sweet how you tried to protest, as if it would do anything. You immediately reacted, litterally yeeting yourself down the hallway to get the hell away from this monster, your attempts failed miserably, as it just lead you into the arms of a guard, who brought you right back. He snatched you up in a swift movement, cupping your back and legs so you would be most comfortable. You let out a cry of frustration, and beat your hand against his chest.

“Oh don’t be sad baby, you wouldn’t hold my hand, and this is the only other option! It isn’t the end of the world.” He spoke, bopping your nose before startling the walk towards the guarded, he liked holding you because he knew it would limit your movement, so you couldn’t pull a fast one and jump out a window again, you hated it for the same reason.

“This isn’t fair, you can’t just- I don’t wanna- you suck” you hissed at him, you were trapped here, no way out, this is the exact opposite of what you were aiming for when you tried to kill this man. It was supposed to set you free, not trap you further. He cooed, pulling you up closer to him so you could see his pearly smile, ignoring your last comment about him. He was resisting the urge to start kissing you all over your face again, last time he’d done that you went all crazy satan spawn and scary he’d his face. Scary.

He continued walking as you tried to c down, practicing those breathing methods you’ve been taught form day one. He admired you quietly, looking into those beautiful eyes of yours. This is what he wanted, he was gonna give you the childhood he knew you deserved, a happy one full of smiles, without blood, without fear, with him. And only him.

You clawed at his hands, banging your head aguanst his chest, he just thought it was good you trying to get comfortable, you grew up in a weird place, so thsi wasn’t that odd right? At least that’s what his thought process was, he took a single moment to soother you, clucthcing yiu close, and grabbing your hand, smiling, he stared.

“Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it, I promise”

You’ll have to

———————————————————————————————————

Thank you for the requesting!

I have something to confess, I e Ben having issues with feeling confident about my works, this is why I post much less than I used to, every time I write something I find myself second guessing wether it’s enjoyable. Please honestly tell me if things suck, cause I’ll go back and edit them, thank you!

Have a wonderful day, this was super fun to write! Goodbye!

#platonic obsession #platonic yandere #soft yandere #yandere my hero academia #yandere platonic #yandere #yandere villain deku #yandere villain #yandere deku #yandere midoria

[mingigoo]

⇢ Before requesting, please read the rules and guidelines :) you can find it here.

⇢ Hi!! I'm happy to announce that requests are now open! please, before you request, click that link to see the format and guidelines. please note that I will not write things I am uncomfortable with, but honestly, that's pretty hard to reach.

⇢ I am now writing for both ATEEZ and ENHYPEN, so feel free to request for any member(s) of both groups.

⇢ I have updated and added new prompts/reactions, and I hope you enjoy!

content under the cut :))

Academic rivals au

Angel au

Alien au

Apocalypse au

Arranged marriage au

Assassin au

Artist au

Bakery au

Bodyguard au

Bookstore au

CEO au

College au

Contract marriage au

Convenience store au

Criminal au

Doctor au

Demon au

Dark fantasy au

Deserted island au

enemies to lovers au

Exes au

Fake relationship au

Fairytale au

Fantasy au

Florist au

Friends to lovers

Ghost au

Grocery store au

Greek mythology au

Historical au

Hospital au

High school au

Holiday au

Idol au

Ice cream shop au

Musician au

Mafia au

Neighbor au

One night stand au

Office au

Pirate au

Pet cafe au

Roommate au

Roadtrip au

Royal au

Record store au

Snowed in au

Soulmate au

Single parent/ pregnancy au

Strip club au

Slice of life au

Supernatural au

Time traveler au

Vampire au

Witch au

Reactions/Prompts:

“What are we?” 

 First kiss 

“What’s your problem?” 

“I didn't know where else to go.” 

“Touch her again and I’ll kill you.” 

“We can’t be friends.” 

Reaction to the first “I love you” 

“I’m sorry, who are you?” 

“This was a mistake.” 

“You’re comfy” 

“You know you sleep talk?” 

“I can stay, if you want…” 

“You feel like home.” 

“Can I kiss you? I really wanna kiss you.”

“Can you walk? Do I need to carry you?” 

“Did you eat?” 

“Stop looking at me like that.” 

“That looks so much better on you than it does on me.”  

 When you say another member’s name in your sleep 

 When you kiss them first

 When you drink too much

 When you get hurt

 When they play with your hair

 “Are you wearing my shirt?”

 “I want you. Right now.” 

 Reaction to you being sick

 “Because I care about you! Don't you get it?”

 “I missed you.”

 When you lay your head in their lap

  “You're falling asleep on me…”

 “Don't let me lose you, too.”

“Close the door….”

 “Are you jealous?”

 “Just take your shirt off, dammit.”

 “We shouldn't be doing this…”

 “You look…beautiful.”

 “Let me see.”

 “You're burning up.”

 “Who did this to you?”

 “Can you come over?”

 “I want you—even if it’s wrong.”

 “A friend shouldn't know how you taste.”

 “Um, why are you in my bed?”

 “It was always you.”

 “Quick, act like you're my boyfriend. My ex is over there.”

 “Can we do that again?”

 “I love you.” “you’re drunk.”

 “Teach me.” 

 “I’ll be gentle, I promise.”

 “Do I make you nervous?”

 “Just to warn you, I’m a maniac. I’m insane.”

 “Touch yourself.”

 “I just want to feel something.”

 “Can we do it? Just once?”

 “What’s your fucking problem?”

 “It’s okay to cry.”

marble hearts || Felix (skz)

 “Bite me.”

 “Are you drunk??” “I may have had a few shots….”

 “You need to see a doctor.”

 “I need to tell you something.”

Long prompts:

A I accidentally showed up at your door thinking it was mine but your super cute and I’m drunk and I don’t want to leave

B It’s the apocalypse and aliens are supposed to be bad, but why are you the sweetest thing and you’re all hurt and I want to take care of you

C I spilled my coffee all over your pants and I went to touch them and I’m so sorry

D I accidentally hit you with my car and I could only say I’m your wife to come into the emergency room I’m so sorry

E You sent me a text thinking I was someone else but you seem really sad let me cheer you up

F We slept together one night and a few years later I’m raising your kid without telling you oops

G I’m secretly in love with you but you never seemed to give me the time of day but you all of a sudden tell me you love me and my only thought was to make out with you

H You’re a famous idol and I’m a huge fan but you seem to look at me the whole concert and did you just wink?

I You’re a doctor and I hurt myself but I can’t stop looking at how beautiful you are

J I’m a doctor and you hurt yourself but you can’t stop asking me out and it’s getting me flustered help

K You show up at my door but I have no idea who you are and you’re crying come here I’ll take care of you

L We’re roommates and I walk in on you eating cereal in your underwear damn your hot let’s move this to the bed

M I’m a famous idol and you’re my fan who runs a secret fan account that I follow and I know all the dirty things you want to do to me

N We’re best friends but I walked in on you changing and now I can’t forget how hot you are

O I noticed you writing poems and I read a few while you left and why are these about me?

P We had a one night stand thinking we’d never see each other again but you showed up as my boss okay what the hell

Q Historical au we were soulmates hundreds of years ago and now we’re reincarnated and You remember everything

R All of our friends are on a road trip and we get lost and run out of gas youre getting cold so you asked me to hold you

S I write a song about you and you think it’s about someone else but it’s really about you I love you

T We kissed while we were drunk but now that we’re sober I want to kiss you again

U We both go to the same school and I’ve had a crush on you ever since middle school and oh my god why can’t you just notice me

V We’re idols and I have a crush on you openly but you won’t acknowledge it

W You’re a famous rapper and I’m a simple human and we had a one night stand and I ended up pregnant wait what do I do now?

X My kid’s favorite singer is you and now my favorite singer is you can you please notice us?

Y You just came out of an abusive relationship and Im your best friend that just wants to hold you and call you mine and make sure you never get hurt again

Z I just came out of an abusive relationship and you’re my best friend that just wants to hold me and call me yours and to make sure I never get hurt again

#ateez #kang yeosang #ateez smut #yeosang #yeosang fic #wooyoung #jongho #ateez angst #ateez seonghwa #ateez yunho #hongjoong #choi san #ateez mingi #imagines #oneshot #request

[justalost4girl]

" If anything can go wrong, it will."

Good night!! (Here it's still night :p )

A few weeks ago I said I would do a oneshot Lorraine Broughton x F! Reader, but it got too big so I decided to follow the initial idea and turn it into a mini series. I have two chapters written and I'm going to post them here and in Ao3, I think there will be 3 or 4 chapters in total, but I'm not sure yet.

English is not my first language, so all mistakes are mine.

Enjoy!!

warnings: mention of violence, R cursing, forgery of documents (?)

Words: 4573

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1989

Berlin, East Side

You feel in your bones, when you wake up, the consequences of last night and think that the famous Murphy's Law decided to test you. On this side of the wall few things go right, but having an order in your head two days after joining STASI's wanted list proves that nothing is so bad it can't get any worse. Courtesy of a dumb customer who messed with the wrong people and thought revealing where you find your customers would be enough information to escape death. The Local Gang (or Angels, as they call themselves) loves to eliminate competition from the market.

Now he's dead and you have to deal with the STASI AND the Local Gang (you refuse to call them Angels).

The local fucking gang that sent a team of idiots to break into your favorite bar and made you run out the back door before meeting a customer who was going to pay well. The local fucking gang who must be pissed that you shot the six dumbest members you've ever had to face in your life. No really fatal shots, but of course that won't matter as they do business with the KGB.

Sometimes you want to ignore the rules you've made for yourself, especially "never kill someone unless it's in defense of yourself or someone you love", but you think killing six agents who don't have the ability to set up an ambush of success would be a great waste of bullets. Now you know you're going to have to leave town soon and you have no idea how to break the news to your brother/partner, how do you honorably abandon a war before it's over?

Damn Murphy's Law

You know you need to sort this out, but you refuse to stay in bed crying over what's already written and decide to leave the wonderful Egyptian linen sheets you got from your favorite client last month to face the world and it's impossible to face the world without a good amount of coffee. After a quick shower with a cup of Blue Mountain in hand, your newest addiction, you sit in a robe in a nice armchair, look out the window at dying Berlin and thank heaven for the comfortable life you've earned by working with one of the greatest smugglers on this side of the wall, perhaps from all over Germany. Some desperate customers offer you valuable items from them in exchange for passports and unlike your idiot “brother”, you don't have a rule about only receiving cash. Almost everything here comes from gifts, from the sofa, pictures, bags, clothes and even some books on your shelf. You don't even remember buying that cup, or the coffee set, for gods' sake.

If he saw you now he'd complain about being soft with customers and say something about how items aren't a bargaining chip in the real world, you'd get into a tiresome discussion about enjoying the finer things in life and how bills don't compare in the importance of yours. silver chain with moon pendant that was once an amulet for more than three generations for a French family.

At the end of the day, Merkel has a large information network and an office that takes up half the block, where she keeps as much money as she has secrets, and you have a house decorated by other people where each object symbolizes someone you've helped.

Four walls don't make a house

The thought takes away some of the almost peace you feel and you decide to finish your coffee before it gets cold.

After a quick glance at the calendar you remember about the march that will take place in Alexanderplatz square and decide to go scream for Germany one last time, hopefully you'll be able to hide long enough to see the fall of the damn wall that divides this country. It's not your country, not really, you don't even like to remember how you got here, but the experiences you gained wouldn't be exchanged for anything, not even for an original Van Gogh. Also, Merkel asked you to go and bring a black umbrella, the reason was not explained and you didn't feel like asking, sometimes you think Gordon Merkel is not his name, but how to judge the man who is your only family in this end of the world? You smile when you remember that he shouldn't have an umbrella with a story as cool as his and decide to piss him off for it.

Your phone rings, and you notice you've lost track of time. Merkel was helping a blonde woman named L, he didn't give you more details other than a few stories about how she was a perfect and dangerous assassin that you should keep your distance, as few people know how to deal with her. You thought he overreacted, but you had to take over some business from him while she was in town. She seemed important considering the way he told you about her and you knew better than to deny help to the person who always supported you and declared himself a brother, you trusted him because not even the best agent in the world could fake so much sincerity and affection in claiming this title for himself.

You reach out, pick up the phone, and decide to answer it. “Hey little sister, how are you out there? I called to say that everything is fine for dinner today, but there was a mishap and the wine ran out, bring the best Bordeaux you have, I'll return the courtesy as soon as possible." A code, of course.

He needs your services ASAP. Wine is a passport, Bordeaux means two elements, courtesy involves a child.

You can combine business with pleasure "Hi brother. I'm looking forward to today, I'll take the best wine I have, don't worry. I already know how you can thank me. I need to clean the house and go to the office first, but I'll be there on time. wait for me." you say in a voice that oozes normalcy, you never know when someone's listening on the phone especially now that you're a fugitive, disgraced customer. Your body sinks into the armchair noticing the oncoming cloud of worry

Merkel now knows you need his help, as cleaning the house means getting away and going to the office shows you're in a hurry.

"Alright, do you want me to send the driver?" He asks like he's not freaking out and offering the bloody job of one of his mercenaries

“No, bro, thanks, I know the way.” You say as if you really have an escape plan besides getting a fake passport, emergency backpack and all the money you can find.

“See you later, don't forget the wine. Are you sure you don't want the driver?" You wonder if he has forgotten that knowing the way literally means everything is fine

“Relax, see you later” It takes a few seconds for him to hang up and you can hear his sigh.

He will be SO pissed.

You put the phone down as you get up to gather the passport forgery materials and put them in a briefcase. Your cookbook is already there along with some banknotes from different countries. As you pick up the black backpack of standard clothes and accessories that always waited for you in the corner of the door, you decide to wear the first jacket you bought, the dark blue jeans, the combat boots you got from a skinhead, the wristwatch you bought. you got for your brother's birthday, thick leather gloves and a thin white shirt that matches the rest of your outfit. After all, if you can die when you open the door, then die well dressed. Be sure to keep the Colt 1911 around your waist and the Russian dagger around your ankle, after yesterday you never know, Your pocket watch with the coat of arms of the Brazilian imperial family indicates that 15 minutes have passed since Merkel's phone call

You take one last look at the house you've been so proud of in recent years, snap a photo with the Polaroid you've won, and, with a bittersweet smile, close the door. One day when the wall comes down, the government changes and your face is forgotten, you can come back here, until then you will have to make do with the photo album you keep in your backpack and this photo.

Putting on your sunglasses, you arrive on the street and decide to take a taxi on the other corner, make sure you look around before leaving your home, no one knows your address, but you can't be sure the local gang is so stupid to the point of not following you after last night.

Getting a taxi was relatively easy. Neil, the driver, thanks to the boots, mistook you for a revolutionary and talked for 10 minutes about how he hoped he could take down the wall with his bare hands, you thought it was cool, but as you passed the big river that was just a few blocks away from the your brother's office, you couldn't hear a word from him.

A sign signaling that the river was closed to visitors made your eyes fill with tears. You used to go there when the day was bad, spread a blanket in a corner and watch the stars, or just laugh at the distinct reflection the water made of the moon and stars. Merkel accompanied you on anniversaries, justifying them as bonding experiences. After some freaks started swimming in the river and executions increased, STASI took over and you replaced the dark water for the restaurant's bright lights. But seeing it tightly closed gave him a feeling of anguish and rancor. You would silently curse the wall builders for the rest of the trip.

Neil seemed to notice but didn't comment on it, you thanked him, wiped your tears and left a good tip as you descended a block away from your final destination. This time you didn't need to look around because even though Merkel was super busy, he made sure to leave some security close to where your landing place was.

A tall man dressed in a red T-shirt approached you and hugged you as if he hadn't seen you in a long time. You've known him since the beginning of last year, when he arrived at Merkel's office begging for a job, and from the first moment the way he turned grief over his brother's death into a thirst for revolution made you admire the young man. The two of you walked through the great gate hand in hand as you asked about his life with genuine interest, and Klaus increasingly believed in Merkel's theory about you having such a pure heart that you didn't care about motivation or the number of lives they took, your explanation of the judgment not being your responsibility, crossed the man's head before he escorted you to the main office.

You thanked him with a smile, opened the door and stood in front of the table in the windowless room, where your brother was already waiting for you.

"What the hell happened? Are you okay? I was about to send J to get you, please tell me what happened"—he said hurriedly as he got up and pointed at the couch for you to sit on. J was one of the most dangerous women in the building and you were grateful for not wasting her time.

Putting your backpack and umbrella aside, you answered:

"I'll explain later, little brother, now let me help you. You need passports urgently, don't you?" Yes, you were stalling and postponing the conversation. He'd call you an idiot for going out on the street right after you got on the wanted list, and he'd feel guilty when he found out why you didn't tell him. Merkel wasn't going to understand that her fear of failing him was no one's fault but yourself.

Your sentence seemed to give him some responsibility back, but still, as he held out a glass of water for you, his eyes met yours with a glint that warned that this conversation was far from over.

"Yeah, I really do, but don't think I'm going to forget about it. Let's talk when this is all over. Even if it's the last thing I do today."

You accepted the glass with a bit of trepidation and stood up towards the large center table while opening the briefcase with the supplies you were going to need, if Merkel noticed the bills he didn't say anything. Once at the table, you made two passports for mother and daughter in record time. According to the clock, 10 minutes passed, faster than a car, this deserves a celebration. It would have been six if Merkel hadn't been so curious to make you waste time pulling your watch out of your pocket just for him to analyze.

Everything was going well and there was only one last detail for mother and daughter to be taken by one Percival to the other side of the wall. Percival, according to Merkel, was strange and fickle. Unreliable and extremely dangerous, you should also keep your distance from him, as this man had crucial contacts on both sides of the wall.

"He must have fewer contacts than you", you would answer

If a loud noise didn't break the silence

The annoying noise of the door creaking made the hairs on the back of your neck stand up and you almost missed the last signature, it made your body vibrate with irritation and your eyes follow to the offensive source of the sound. A tall man with short hair and blue eyes was holding the doorknob with a military posture and before you could release your anger and explain something about how people shouldn't be violent inside Merkel's office you noticed he was accompanied by a woman.

AND WHAT A WOMAN!

Your eyes connected to a pair of fierce, intent green eyes, surrounded by a pale skin tone and hair so blond it looked like snow. The barely perceptible frown showed she was surprised to find someone other than Merkel there, yet she looked ready for a battle. You looked into her eyes again and nodded in acknowledgment, this must be L, the woman he was talking about.

She looked at you suspiciously, but also as if she could see into your soul, and what must have been frightening, you found endearing. A few stories of murders orchestrated by her crossed your mind, but all you could imagine is how beautiful she must be when she's mad.

They say green eyes darken when we're high on adrenaline, does that happen to her?

Her analysis of the intriguing blonde ends when she notices that the man accompanying her has raised his voice and from his furious expression, it's not the first time he's repeated the question. You interrupt him before you hear him and make sure to direct the ghost of anger before him:

"Have you lost your mind? Who walks into the office without knocking? Surely you should be here asking about passports, but if it weren't for my experience and steady hands, they would be in the trash by now. Learn to be civilized. You're under two paws not four, so act human and not animal" you say in an explosive but articulate tone to make sure he understands what you say. Sometimes when you speak fast, you are betrayed by faulty diction. Not today. Today you want this man to feel every fiber of irritation that went through his body.

Hearing Merkel holding a nervous laugh, you try to relax, but judging by the cold, almost murderous look of the man in the doorway, you've definitely gotten yourself in trouble. Looking at the organized clothes, you notice it's an old police uniform, probably taken by your brother, and unless Merkel has hired new employees, you've never seen it around here. His eyes snap back to his and something inside you warns that this must be Percival. He probably wants to kill you.

Damn Murphy's Law

A brief silence settles in the room and you shake off the fear and turn away, refusing to play the glaring game with a man who almost spoils your art. On other days you might look at him at a party, but today you want to make him swallow the ink on the stamp in his hands and invite the blonde to dinner

And it's her voice that breaks the silence.

You're flipping through the two passports for failures when she says

"Sorry, miss. My friend is an unprecedented idiot. Shall I close the door and knock again? Perhaps your highness too--"

You turn her body towards her when you hear the slightest hint of irony in her tone and interrupt her with a fake smile as you look into her eyes.

"It's not necessary, I accept your apology, Miss. I always said that Merkel should have someone armed at the door to remind everyone of the need to knock on the door. Anyone who didn't knock would lose his mind as the law of my reign says. Perhaps I should start. for him, since the top head is the last thing he wears lately" you joke look at Merkel who doesn't seem offended by the statement, shrugging you look at those blue eyes again and say "the passports are ready. Let's get out of here."

You close the passports, reach for your backpack and umbrella and start moving towards the door, both agents let you lead the way and judging by the blonde's expression, she's not used to being interrupted, nor is she used to seeing someone talking like that with Merkel, but today it was acceptable. You really think she's adorable, but you know better than to let someone make fun of you, especially in front of your brother who wouldn't let you forget about it. Either she doesn't care, or she's a great actress. Anyway, that idiot is still by her side and you refuse to be the reason for his possible laugh.

Her friend probably didn't have the same acting classes and his resemblance to the local gang members, like he's going to kill you in the blink of an eye in a cowardly way, is almost frightening. If Merkel hadn't said L is a woman, you'd be scared. It makes you shiver a little and look for Merkel, but he's not following you. Looking over his shoulder you see him putting a few more piles of dollars and euros into your briefcase. With a snap of your fingers you get his attention and before you walk out the door, you hear the briefcase click closing.

Once out of the room, you look around and realize that nothing has really changed, all faces are familiar, except for three people: a couple talking to a child. After a brief analysis you find yourself facing the passport clients, mother and daughter. The man doesn't look older than 60 and has kind eyes, almost as if he doesn't live on this side of the wall.

They don't seem to notice you

Your observation is interrupted by Merkel's loud, proud voice, right behind you. Here it comes

"This is Elizabeth Loyd and Percival, two trusted clients. Elizabeth and Percival, this is my little sister, she will be on the march today, if you need anything in the future you can talk to her."

Hearing her name, you notice that Merkel really wasn't creative at all. Who would use the initial letter of a surname as a symbol? Anyone who heard the stories about L and met a loyde who knows a Merkel would make the connection. As you turn around, you swallow your nervousness and try to put on your best smile as you say your name to them. The blonde woman who finally has a name, Elizabeth, leans closer, her eyes never leaving yours, and you wonder if she can feel the jumble of emotions that is unraveling inside you.

She smiles a smile that makes you sure she does and reaches out and greets you with a firm grip, if she noticed the sweat on your hands, she didn't let on. She also looks a little more comfortable.

Maybe because she noticed you said her real name, idiot.

You hate yourself for one second and the next you want to be without gloves because it feels soft and warm.

The man, Percival, comes next and looks at you suspiciously and the smile fades from your face, you wonder if no one else can smell the strong smell he gives off, a smell of cheap whiskey and arrogance. Still, he holds out his hand and this time you thank the gods for the gloves. Make sure you don't bow your head or fail in your posture. He still looks at you like you killed his son. Useless even to pretend, for God's sake.

Merkel watches the exchange from afar and nods to Elizabeth, she responds and Percival walks away looking uneasy. You look around uncomprehendingly, feel a little left out, and wonder which computer must have Tetris installed.

You would kill for a distraction right now.

Going out on the street in a crowded march while being chased by two groups still makes you sick.

Your brother approaches and extends his hands around you. You've missed him for the past few weeks. He still wears the perfume you gave him for his birthday and it makes you sink deeper into the hug. You know he's going to be mad when he finds out what happened so you enjoy as much affection as you can

"Little sister, in addition to our conversation I need to tell you something" his voice is low in tone and you doubt you would understand the words if you weren't so close to him "but I can't do that until the march is over. Meet me at usual table at the restaurant where we celebrate our achievements, It's very important"

His even low voice is charged with strong emotion and you are genuinely worried, Merkel has never been like this before.

"I'll do it, brother, I promise. Whatever it is, we can work it out together" you say with all the certainty you can muster in your voice, because you need him to understand that this is true.

You feel eyes on you and as you look up you notice that Elizabeth keeps an eye on your exchange with Merkel while talking to the little girl's father, from the distance she probably can't understand anything and you don't know if she celebrates or cares with so much attention received. A little further away is a Percival who pretends to be busy with the coat he's wearing. He also pays attention to your exchange, but his talent for discretion is as effective as his ability to open doors.

Your eyes return to the concentrated blue eyes that are in front of you and Merkel speaks in an almost inaudible way:

"When I whistle, I need you to raise your open umbrella and stay alert. The three people we're going to cross are very important, nothing can go wrong. But if it does, I'll be at the restaurant, whatever happens find me there."

Noticing the proximity of Percival and Elizabeth, you place your hand on your brother's shoulder and smile as you speak a little louder:

"Don't worry man, it's always a pleasure to help you. I'll leave my briefcase here, then meet you to get it. Good march."

Merkel shows that she understands his strange move and smiles, you greet some friends of his that you haven't seen in a while and as you head towards the exit, you meet a pair of deep green eyes. Elizabeth is gleaming in the cold lights that are refracted by the mosaic of the gate, she looks into your eyes, ever alert, looks at the object in your hands and nods her head with a half smile, do you think the guard's idea black rain was hers.

As you wave back, you can feel that a pair of eyes haven't left your back since the moment of your brother's embrace, as the old man is saying goodbye to the family, you know who they belong to and decide not to look for them. If the STASI, KGB or local gang find you, he doesn't own the pair of eyes you want to remember before you die.

Taking a deep breath, you walk through the gate and blend into the crowd.

..........................................................................................................................

After leaving Merkel's office block, you take a hat out of your backpack and wear your sunglasses as you look around, not that a local gang member is here but because if he sees you in disguise he will ask a series of questions and he has enough problems already, plus STASI must be monitoring this area and the last thing you want is to be arrested. You decide to tuck your coat into your backpack to change your look, and while internally debating your ability to ignore the cold, your eyes catch the almost snowy blond hair in the crowd.

This signals that they are already on the march and you decide to get a little closer to them, but make sure you do this without drawing attention to yourself since the nasty man is still there. Elizabeth is on your diagonal absorbing all the extraneous details that might be a possible threat, she seems so focused on the job of passing the owner's gentle eyes in a safe way that it makes you wonder how important he is and if she's noticed you.

A few meters later a familiar noise floats through the march and you open the umbrella almost instantly, as do other protesters.

Out of the corner of your eye you can see Percival taking the man's family across and sometime later Elizabeth does the same. You notice that her posture has changed and when she decides to stop for a better look, the crowd drags her and you can no longer locate her.

Her feet continue forward and as some signs are raised by the protesters, you try to find your brother. Unsuccessfully. You decide to trust their ability and hope that you can meet him again at the restaurant.

You also want Elizabeth to be okay.

Continuing on the march, after two or three long blocks you notice the familiar silhouette of one of the STASI bosses, he is watching the crowd as if looking for someone, but he doesn't seem to notice you. You notice observers on top of buildings and decide to leave the streets. Whether it's the Local Gang, KGB or STASI itself you don't know and decide you don't want to know.

Your brain tries to design routes to escape and your body mimics the movements of the closest protesters so as not to draw attention to you, but when some agents in black point in your direction and make space in the crowd, you run between people to seek shelter in somewhere you know and at every step you are sure that the day will be worse than you thought.

Damn Murphy's Law

#lorraine broughton x reader #lorraine broughton #atomic blonde #charlize theron