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phoenixyfriend · 3 years

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The Family Tree is... a Disaster

Takes place in the TCW Leverage AU. It does contain a few deviations, namely that the narrative ended up shifting Plo's role in Ahsoka's life, and Ventress's role overall.

This is mostly just dialogue where I outline the fuckery that is the disaster lineage family tree, not actual fic. It stemmed from my incessant need to justify "25yo Obi-Wan somehow got custody of 9yo Anakin without Shmi dying."

Warnings for: canon character death (modernized), canon violence (modernized), and references to Nazis and white supremacists (Palpatine collects WWII weaponry as a parallel to his canon display of Sith artifacts in his office as chancellor, and Ahsoka thinks it's sketchy)

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"Okay," Cody says, setting down a glass of whiskey as he drops into the seat across the table. "What the hell is your family tree like?"

Obi-Wan raises an eyebrow, and continues cleaning off the definitely-not-stolen crystal komodo dragon he'd won in today's job. "I beg your pardon?"

"You and Skywalker," Cody says, gesturing between Obi-Wan, who is just sitting there minding his own business, and Anakin, who is across the closed-for-tonight bar and doing something inadvisable on the pool table. "You've said he was your brother, and mentioned raising him, which, sure, I'm over twenty years older than my youngest brother, people take over parenting roles all the time. But you have different last names, have mentioned stepfamilies that the other doesn't have, reference things as 'your aunt, not mine,' and I am just getting... very confused. I figured it was personal and I could leave well enough alone, but considering your older brother almost shot us today--"

"Okay, Xanatos is not my brother," Obi-Wan immediately says. "Just. I just have to stop you right there. Xanatos was a student of my father's for a time, but I promise he's not family. Nobody except maybe Komari would consider him even close, and she doesn't count since she's in prison for life and the farthest thing from stable."

Cody gestures. "That, Obi-Wan. That's what I'm talking about. I don't even know who Komari is."

Obi-Wan purses his lips in a failed attempt to not smile. "Do you actually want the explanation? It's long and unnecessarily complicated."

"So's mine," Cody snorts. Obi-Wan waits, patient and pleasant, and is rewarded when Cody sighs. "Please."

"Of course, my dear. To answer your first question, though, Anakin is my half-brother." With a smile, Obi-Wan digs a piece of paper and a pen from his briefcase. "So, center of the chain: me, my father Qui-Gon, my grandfather Yan, and my great-grandfather Yoda. With me so far?"

"Easy enough. Do you have to go back that far?"

"Great-grandfather Yoda is still alive and regularly escaping the old folks' home to terrorize younger relatives, so yes," Obi-Wan says. "Given that you may just meet a tiny, meddling relative of mine when he's bored, we do in fact have to go back that far."

"...how old is he?"

"We don't know for sure. A hundred and eight-ish is the best guess." Obi-Wan shrugs. "It's not a huge deal, mostly he likes bothering Anakin these days. Anyway, grandfather. Yan Dooku. Inherited a minory duchy from his maternal grandfather decades back. Mostly hangs around there because he's on terrorist watchlists in the States."

"Oh, lovely."

Obi-Wan grins. "Trust me, it gets worse. Anyway, grandfather never actually married, but spent most of his time with his 'best friend' Sifo Dyas, who died about a decade back."

"Gay?"

"Well, we know that now, but they got together in the seventies, and this was back when they were both working government jobs, so, you know. It happens."

"Good to know," Cody says. "So, Yoda's kid is Yan, who inherited a title and land from a maternal relative, and had a life partner but never married. With you so far."

"All of Yan's kids were adopted," Obi-Wan continues, sketching out the first branch away from the Yan/Sifo partnership. "Rael was actually grandfather's cousin, maternally, and ended up in his custody after getting orphaned at five. These days, he does most of the stewardship duties at the Serenno Duchy. His daughter Nim is teaching military history at a university in Germany."

Cody nods. "Uncle number one is named Rael, technically your dad's cousin, has a daughter. Got it."

"About a decade after Rael, they adopted my father, Qui-Gon. He and grandfather fought, frequently, but they did care for each other. My father was a botanist, did bio-engineering. We'll get back to him later, because he's where things get complicated." Obi-Wan made sure to leave room around the name. "Just a few years older than me was--is--Komari Vosa. She is... serving a life sentence. I think she fought Jango once."

"She fought my father?"

"To the best of my knowledge, they both almost died, yes," Obi-Wan says. "She's in maximum security these days. She was an assassin. I'll get a call if she breaks out, and I'll let you know along with everyone else."

"Bad news auntie, got it."

"Last adoption, sort of, is Ventress," Obi-Wan finishes off. "A few years younger than me, is technically grandfather's personal assistant and does secretarial work and the like, but we all know he's planning to leave as much of the inheritance to her as he is to the rest of us. She's aggressive and unpleasant, but she takes care of him and hasn't actually threatened to kill any of us yet, so that's fine."

"How'd she join?" Cody asks.

"Ky Narec was a friend of Qui-Gon's; Ventress was his daughter. Ky died a few years after Qui-Gon did, and Ventress was a mess, after." Obi-Wan shrugs and scratches that connection into the little sketch of a family tree as well. "Grandfather offered her a job until she got herself back together, and then she just kind of... stuck around."

"Youngest aunt, more of a cousin." Cody summarizes. "Now we go back to your father?"

"Qui-Gon Jinn was a man of many skills," Obi-Wan says drily. "Adequate birth control was not one of them."

It's almost a pity that Cody wasn't drinking anything, because going by the way he chokes, Obi-Wan's pretty sure the spit take would have been spectacular.

"I'm sorry," Cody says. "Can you repeat that?"

"I was an accident," Obi-Wan says, not even bothering to hide his smile. "So was Anakin."

"So that sounds like... a story."

"It is," Obi-Wan confirms. "My biological mother has never been in the picture. They had a fling, she wasn't sure if she'd want to abort or give me up, just that she wasn't ready to be a parent, and Qui-Gon volunteered to take full custody so she could go back to her life after the birth. I've never met her, but I kept her family name. You can consider her irrelevant beyond that."

Cody nods.

"So, when I was about a year old, Qui-Gon reconnects with an old flame, they get married two years later. Step-mother number one is Tahl. Lovely woman, I absolutely adored her, and she had a daughter, my stepsister, Bant Eerin."

"I met her, right?" Cody asks.

"Yes, she was the doctor who patched up my bullet wound a few months ago," Obi-Wan says. "With the giant glasses that make her look a little fish-eyed."

"She was nice."

"She is," Obi-Wan agrees. "At any rate, that was our family for a while, and then Tahl died when I was fourteen. Bant wanted to go to a magnet school for medical studies, and Qui-Gon's grief was... not optimal for taking care of multiple teenagers, shall we say, so Bant moved in with her paternal uncle, Kit Fisto, and Kit's son Nahdar. He's a marine biologist, incredibly friendly, and has no idea of any of the rest of my side of the family's questionable activities. If you ever meet him, you will pretend that we are a legal firm with a team of security consultants."

Cody raises a brow. Obi-Wan despairs. "Best you could do?"

"We're not that likely to run into him." Obi-Wan draws out a new line. "So, Qui-Gon deals poorly with grief. This is also around the time that Xanatos came around to ruin our lives a little. He was a very rich and unpleasant man, but he's dead as of four hours ago, so you don't have to worry about him. Or his son."

"His son?"

"Anakin handled that," Obi-Wan says. "Thoroughly. Granta Omega is no longer an issue. He's not dead, but... well. Anakin has his ways. Er--I should probably mention Feemor; he was my father's assistant at the university for a long time. Anakin and I still call him our uncle."

"Also a person to avoid mentioning criminal activity to?" Cody prompts.

"Well... no, but only because I don't think he'd care. The man is, forgive me, more of a 'walking sweatervest' than I am. He's a very bland and unassuming man. He once described himself as the background character of the soap opera that is my family's existence."

"Sounds like a charmer."

"Oh, he's very kind and clever, and witty as well. I adore him, and he really is family. He's just also very, very normal. Not boring, but..." Obi-Wan trails off and shrugs helplessly. "He's an editor for an agricultural research journal. Also not someone I anticipate us running into."

"Noted."

"Right, so, Qui-Gon dealing poorly with his grief didn't involve much drinking, but there were a few months of him trying to... lose himself in the pleasures of the flesh?" Obi-Wan tries, and then deflates at the look on Cody's face. "He was slagging around. Shmi got pregnant with Anakin, who was born when I was sixteen. Shared custody at first, Qui-Gon got him weekends and every other holiday, that sort of thing, and then they got married because they actually did like each other well enough, and it was easier on the taxes."

"So Shmi is stepmother number two."

"Shmi is stepmother number two, yes." Obi-Wan sketches in Anakin and Shmi. "About nine and a half years after Anakin was born, Shmi and Qui-Gon were in a car accident with... well, it later turned out it wasn't an accident, there was a hitman called Maul involved, he's actually Ventress's second cousin or something, I don't know. Grandfather handled most of that problem. Qui-Gon died, Shmi was in intensive care, and I got custody of Anakin as his nearest adult relative. We weren't very close before that, because I was off at university by the time he was old enough to form memories, but that changed once he started living with me. I more or less raised him as a single parent from that point."

"This is why he jokes that you're like a father to him."

"Precisely," Obi-Wan says. "Shmi took about a year to recover enough to move again, and grandfather covered the costs. She still had to live with a dedicated carer and attend daily physical therapy. At that physical therapy, she met Cliegg Lars, whose son Owen was also a patient there. They hit it off, and three years later, they married. When Anakin refers to his stepfamily he's talking about the Lars out in Nevada."

"Nevada?"

"They have a farm. A very, very normal one. We don't drag them into our activities, unless we have an at-risk person who needs a safe house." Obi-Wan pauses, and then decides this really needs to be stressed. "This is important to me and Anakin, that we don't get them involved unless there's absolutely no other choice. Shmi's been through a lot, and the Lars are busy enough running the farm."

"Works for me," Cody says. "We've got enough safe houses that it shouldn't be an issue. I'm guessing this story doesn't end there, though."

Obi-Wan grimaces. "My own love life has been... a bit of a mess."

"I already know about Kryze, at least."

There's that. "I was temporarily engaged to a friend, Siri Tachi, shortly after high school. We were in a relationship, but this was mostly something done to appease a relative of hers that was getting overbearing to the point of absurdity, and she couldn't just cut them off. We broke off the engagement after the relative passed, and we're still friends."

He notes that down, then adds the other embarrassment of his early years. "First marriage was actually a drunken joke between myself and my best friend when we were in college. We got it annulled a few months later because we just didn't have time to drop by the courthouse before then, and he's actually engaged to Asajj now."

"Asajj?" Cody asks, watching in fascination as Obi-Wan tries to mark in both his own short marriage and the newer, long-term engagement without crossing any lines. He settles for just writing the name twice and including an asterisk with 'this is the same person.'

"Ventress," Obi-Wan clarifies. "Yeah, Quinlan's a fun guy. His little sister, Aayla, treats Anakin like a beloved younger cousin."

"Are they also off-limits for criminal activity?"

"No, Aayla's the one that taught Ahsoka how to vent-crawl," Obi-Wan says. "And I'm pretty sure Quinlan has contacts in every major government branch, criminal organization, and Fortune 500 company on the planet. I reach out to them regularly."

"Resources, then."

Obi-Wan nods. "Some time later, I married Satine. We had a son; you've met Korkie. We split due to incompatibility a year and change before Qui-Gon's death. Satine doesn't engage in criminal activity, but Bo-Katan is..."

"I've met Bo-Katan. I know what she's like, Obi. You don't have to explain."

"She works with Maul sometimes."

"...the man who killed your father?"

"Yes. It's all very stupid and convoluted." Obi-Wan still writes her in. "So, that's them. Korkie goes to boarding school, and I try not to involve him in anything. Anakin and Ahsoka like to teach him self-defense and the like, but Satine is adamant that he stay unaware of my less legal dealings until he's an adult."

Cody shrugs. "Makes sense. Is that every--wait, no, Skywalker's married."

Obi-Wan grins. "Yes, and Padme's got twins on the way."

"I was there when he told us," Cody says drily. "He was very loud about it. Okay, how does Ahsoka fit in?"

"Hold on, I forgot Beru," Obi-Wan mutters. "Owen's fiancee. Same rules as the Lars. Okay, you asked about Ahsoka. Right. So. Um."

He dithers. Cody waits for him, and then Obi-Wan just gives up. "Ahsoka, dear, would you like to explain how you joined the family, so to speak?"

Ahsoka looks up from whatever she and the boys are doing--there are multiple beer glasses and straws and duct tape involved, and Obi-Wan doesn't really want to know--and then flips off the table and over to Obi-Wan and Cody. She looks over the family tree chart, and then says, "Oooh, did you tell him about the cult?"

"You were in a cult?" Cody demands.

"No, Komari was. She was head priestess or something. I dunno, it's why she's in prison and stuff."

"I did not tell him about the cult," Obi-Wan mutters, already regretting this. "The Bando Gora aren't a problem anymore. I've already gotten to explaining how you and Anakin know each other."

Ahsoka rolls her eyes, steals his pen, and starts sketching in around Quinlan's name, over by Asajj since Obi-Wan's section is too crowded. "Okay, so, Quinlan's adopted. His dad is Tholme, and Tholme's dad is Plo Koon. Plo Koon is good friends with my Auntie, Shaak Ti, who raised me. They live next door to each other, out in the country, and I'd play in his yard a lot, because he had puppies, and he took me to visit his bees. Whenever Auntie needed a babysitter, she asked Quinlan or Aayla to do it since she knew and trusted them, and Aayla needed pocket money."

"This is so unnecessarily complicated," Cody mutters.

"It is!" Ahsoka chirps. Her grin is far too sharp. "So, this one time, Aayla was watching me when I was fourteen, and she was just helping me with my physics homework. BAM, the door slams open, and in stumbled Skyguy with his arm missing. I've never met him before, and my first introduction is him shortly after he's gotten an unplanned amputation."

Anakin, on the other side of the room, giggles. Obi-Wan just sighs. The Fett brothers appear to be in the land of 'horrified fascination.'

Ahsoka revels in it. "There's blood everywhere, I'm screaming, Aayla's panicking, Anakin's halfway to unconscious and insisting we can't call the hospital, and nobody can get Obi-Wan on the phone. Quinlan's in another country, and Auntie Shaak and Uncle Plo are at a movie, so they've both got their cellphones off. Tholme was faking his death at that point to get away from an incident with the Irish Mob, so we didn't even try him."

"What the actual fuck," Rex breathes.

Ahsoka continues with relish. "We get Bant to pick up, and she's there an hour later with Padme, because Padme knows how to drive the way Skyguy does, and the entire drive there is just Auntie Bant on speakerphone telling Aayla how to stop the bleeding and get him stabilized while Padme's screaming at traffic at the top of her lungs."

"I owe Aayla a fruit basket," Anakin muses aloud. "The anniversary of her saving my life is coming up, it's warranted."

"Five years, baby!" Ahsoka crows. She fist-pumps.

Obi-Wan just drops his head into his hands. "You're killing me, children."

Anakin shrugs, grinning. "You know, I think Fett Senior might have been involved in that fight."

"My shitty dad cut off your arm?" Rex demands.

"No, I think he was busy fighting the Interpol guy," Anakin says. "But he was definitely there. I think. Blood loss kinda got to me after a bit, but I'm pretty sure Jango Fett was there, and also Boba might've been hiding in the getaway car?"

"I need another glass," Cody mutters. He doesn't stand up, though.

"Wait," Rex says. "So who cut off your arm?"

Anakin shrugs with an unsure noise. "Someone tried to convince me it was Grandpa Yan, but he was in the middle of a court case in Italy for some kind of parole violation when it happened, so he had an alibi."

"...did he actually violate parole?" Cody asks, and Obi-Wan thinks he looks like he doesn't know if he actually wants an answer.

Ahsoka shrugs. So does Anakin. Obi-Wan carefully looks at a spot behind Cody, and doesn't explain anything about wine tastings used as covers for illicit arms deals.

"The arm?" Rex prompts, sounding a little desperate to get back to the question he likely thinks is the most important.

"I still say it was Skeevy Sheev," Ahsoka chimes in.

"It wasn't Palpatine," Anakin snaps.

"Your creepy older friend who took you to operas and gives you fancy gifts and knows way too much about swords who was conveniently there to talk to the police and cover for you so you didn't get arrested for getting in the middle of a gang war in the first place, yes," Ahsoka says, dropping into a chair and sighing dramatically. "The guy who definitely hasn't been trying to convince you for a year and change that your wife is cheating on you with your older brother."

"Ahsoka!"

"What? He is."

"Anakin," Rex says, "your life sounds like a trainwreck."

"I'm not going to assume a frail, elderly man cut my arm off!" Anakin protests. "Even if he wanted to, he doesn't exactly have the muscle for it!"

"Grandfather's older," Obi-Wan points out, even though he knows it won't help. "And he definitely still could."

"Ha!" Ahsoka shouts.

"He could have hired someone?" Cody suggests. "Doesn't need to do it himself, if he has enough money."

Obi-Wan has a sneaking suspicion that Cody is deliberately stirring the pot as revenge for Anakin sending him eighty-seven cat memes inside an hour during last night's dinner.

"You all suck," Anakin declares. "Also, what the hell do you mean 'knows way too much about swords,' Ahsoka? You know way too much about swords!"

"Yeah, but I'm like ninety-percent sure that his antiques are Prussian and mid-century German military officer dress uniform relics, and pairing that with the Nazi pistols he's got on display--"

"He's just a history buff! And his family's German, of course he prioritizes that region, it's not like he doesn't have Russian or French or English antiques in there too, it's all sides of the war and--"

"I'm just saying he's almost definitely sending me sketchy glances like he thinks I'm planning to steal the silver on the three occasions you've had me with you when you stop by, and I'm pretty sure it's got less to do with my criminal record and more to do with me being, you know, not white."

Anakin looks ready to blow, so Obi-Wan interrupts. "Ahsoka, you were explaining how Anakin passing out on Aayla and scaring us all half to death led to your friendship?"

Ahsoka blinks at him, and then sticks her tongue out at Anakin and turns back to the chart. "So basically, Skyguy had to recuperate in Uncle Plo's living room for a week or two, and I kept showing up to bother him because he was bored and nobody would give him a laptop for 'security reasons,' because he had to lay low and stuff. He made me help him sketch out designs for a prosthesis and do all the writing for the math he had to do for the 3D printer, and we got to chatting."

Ahsoka hops up and back onto a table, legs swinging below her. "I decided he was cool and started following him around while he was getting used to only having one hand, mostly because I was bored. He showed me how to hotwire a car, and explained the best places to put a bug if you were looking to make it sneaky, and he picked my pocket to show off so many times when he was walking around Uncle Plo's house that I made him teach me that, too. And, uh, then Aayla found out and they got into a shouting match about it and decided they both needed to teach me parkour so I could get out of any mess I got myself into, since I was obviously going to follow them into a life of crime."

"And you did," Anakin says, far too proudly. "You're the best thief in this half of the country."

"Only because Aayla moved out east."

Anakin rolls his eyes and pulls Ahsoka into his side, digging his knuckles into her skull. "Best thief! You are the best thief! Be proud of yourself!"

"Let go!"

"Never!"

Obi-Wan sighed heavily and rubbed at his forehead. "Children, please."

"You're not my dad," Ahsoka growls out at him. "Skyguy, I'm going to bite you!"

"Good luck, the only arm you can access is the one that's going to break your teeth."

Ahsoka shrieks in outrage and stomps on Anakin's instep.

It's almost funny, for all that Obi-Wan's seen it play out a million times before, but the really interesting part is seeing Rex's look of fond dismay.

Obi-Wan thinks he might be adding a branch out to the Fetts soon. He's not actually sure if Rex is interested in Anakin or Ahsoka, and he's smack dab between them in age, so that's not a help either, but... well. The expression is familiar enough.

"Please tell me you don't match-make," Cody mutters to him.

"No, I plan to let the pieces fall where they will," Obi-Wan responds, just as low, and far more amused. "I'm simply trying to predict where those landings are to be."

Cody looks at him, and then back at the roughhousing trio, and sighs heavily. "You know, I really didn't think that you technically being minor royalty was going to be the least convoluted thing in your story, Obi-Wan."

He laughs, because it's true. "I'm first in line to inherit the title, since Rael denounced his claim. Nim isn't interested, and Qui-Gon's dead, so... I'm next."

Cody makes a face. "Delightful. I'm guessing that's not a connection we can safely make use of."

"No more than the Kryze or Naberries, I'm afraid." Obi-Wan claps him on the shoulder. "Chin up, I've plenty others in the metaphorical rolodex, all far less legitimate and far more amenable to work with our little outfit."

"Rolodex, really?" Cody snorts. "You're not that old."

Obi-Wan smiles winningly. "You don't know how old I am, Cody. All my IDs are fake."

"Anakin's twenty-four, and you're sixteen years older than him, going by the story you just told me," Cody points out. "I do know how to do basic math, Obi-Wan."

"I had to try," Obi-Wan admits. "I threw a lot of information at you all at once; I'd hoped you missed some of the ages in there."

"I have eight brothers," Cody scoffs. "And literally dozens of cousins, plus niblings, uncles, aunts, and so on. I have experience on this."

"If I asked you to list of the age of every single relative you have, you'd be able to do it?"

"Do you want me to draw a chart? I can draw a chart."

Obi-Wan can't help but laugh. "I'd be delighted, my dear."

Cody rolls his eyes, but Obi-Wan thinks--it's hard to tell in the dimmed lights of the closed bar--that there's a hint of a blush on the man's face. Obi-Wan lets himself slouch to the side, drops his head to rest on one fist, indolent debauchery in every line of his body. Cody does his best to ignore him, but Obi-Wan knows how to smile lazily and blink slowly and draw a man in.

(The whole 'indolent debauchery in every line of his body' phrasing is Anakin's, from back when he was a teenager trying to read highbrow literature to impress a cute girl... and to come up with new insults for his older brother.)

"So," Cody says, with a cough meant to somehow distract Obi-Wan from whatever's showing on the man's face. "Why, uh, why is your grandfather on terrorist watchlists?"

"Well, he didn't initially do anything," Obi-Wan says. "He was just a gay man who didn't hide it quite well enough, and had too much money and too white a face for someone to just call the cops on a faulty report. The Red Scare was technically over by that point, I think, but if a few people made suggestions that he was more loyal to the country that gave him a noble title than to the United States... he received a few warnings, of course, and it could have all blown over..."

"But?"

"But my grandfather is not a man to do things by halves, and instead decided that if the government was to list him as a threat, then he would oblige and make himself a threat," Obi-Wan finishes. "Living up to their labels, rolling with the assumptions, whatever you'd like to call it. It all irked him, and so he made some incredibly questionable decisions to make the government's lives harder. Some weren't bad, like donating to anti-war foundations that were protesting the Gulf War and the interventions in Yugoslavia, that sort of thing, and some were... nobody really looks well on gunrunning, you know."

"For fuck's sake..."

"Indeed," Obi-Wan chuckles. "Ironically, he has minimal opinion on the optimal form of economics, for all that virulent xenophobia and the remnants of anti-communism were involved in the whole mess. He just wanted to create problems for the people that were causing him problems."

Cody shakes his head. "I want to judge that, but you've met my father."

"Jango Fett is, indeed, also not a man to do things by halves," Obi-Wan agrees, attempting to nod gravely but breaking into a smile at the end. "That man is absurd."

"At least he's not dragging Boba into it anymore," Cody mutters. He drags over the fresh sheet of paper and pen that Obi-Wan offers him. "Okay, right, let's start with Jaster..."

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uvobreakmylegs · 3 years

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The Sixth Floor Game

heavy inspiration from the Elevator Game, as well as the Three Kings Game and a little bit of Silent Hill 3

demon!Shalnark

Warnings: blood, death, kidnapping

The Sixth Floor Game is a ritual that will put you into contact with otherworldly forces and, if done correctly, can take you to a world that exists outside of our own. To play this game, you must follow all of the instructions that have been written below. Take care to remember all of them, as one mistake could result in death.

First you must enter a dark and empty building that has an elevator and only five floors in between the times of 3 and 4 AM. The only items you can bring with you are a fully charged cellphone, an item of sentimental value to you and an offering for the demon.

It is not recommended that you give an offering that bares any resemblance to that of a clown or magician.

When you enter the elevator, you need to ride it up to the 5th floor and leave the offering just outside the elevator doors and then head back down to the 3rd floor. When you reach the 3rd floor, you then need to exit the elevator and use your phone to call the last person in your call history. The game begins when you call that number.

When the line is picked up, you must say “I want to visit the 6th floor”.

Be warned that at this point you may hear strange noises on the other end, as calling the number at this time and place has put you in contact with a demon. It is possible to gauge whether the demon is happy with your offering or not based off the things he may say, if anything at all. Do not hang up on the demon; you will go back up the elevator when he hangs up on you.

There are three possibilities awaiting you when you go back to the 5th floor to see what has happened to your offering.

If the demon doesn't care for your offering but hasn't been upset by it, you will find it in the same place as you left it outside the elevator. You must then collect the offering, go back down to the first floor and leave the building.

If the demon has been offended by your offering, you will find the offering destroyed in some way. Leave the building immediately if you find this, as it means that the demon is angry with you and will try to kill you if you stay too long.

But if the demon likes your offering, there will be no trace of it when you get back up to the 5th floor. If this has happened, you must close the elevator doors and then hit the button for the 5th floor again. This time, instead of the doors opening again, the elevator will begin to move up, taking you to a 6th floor that shouldn't exist.

The amount of time it will take to reach the 6th floor varies from person to person, but it should not take longer than two minutes.

When you reach the 6th floor, you will find yourself in another world. Accounts of what this other world looks like also varies from person to person. Some have said that the floor they entered was run down and wrecked to pieces in some parts. Others have said that the floor didn't look any different from the other floors. Regardless of the state of the floor, the one thing that is consistent is a giant glowing red cross that can be seen if you look outside. You will see nothing else outside aside from the cross.

It is not recommended that you to try to open any windows or try to climb down the building.

You are free to explore this other world until you are ready to leave. It does not matter how long you stay in the other world. When you want to leave you must simply walk back to the elevator and hit the button for the first floor. It is possible that you may come across the offering that you left for the demon earlier while you explore.

Do not take the offering back; it now belongs to the demon.

Reality on the 6th floor can be distorted and you may find yourself becoming confused. If you find yourself entering into such a state, take out the sentimental item you brought and focus on it. It will keep you from losing yourself and allow you to continue as you explore the other world.

Above all else, while exploring the other world, you must never look behind you. Even though the demon may have liked your offering, he also likes trickery and will try to make you turn around to look at him by making noise or by speaking to you. If you look at the demon you will be unable to leave the 6th floor and he will keep you there forever as he has claimed you as his.

It is not recommended that you speak to the demon even if you don't look at him.

Regardless of the outcome of your offering, when you have returned to the 1st floor you must exit the building and you cannot enter the building again for any reason until the time is 6 AM.

If you have upset the demon with your offering, it is not recommended that you try the game again.

There is no reward for playing this game. There is only the experience of leaving this world and venturing to one beyond our own.

This game is dangerous and could result in the death of the player, so please consider the possible outcomes of playing before you decide to do so.

You finished reading aloud the instructions displayed on the sketchy-looking site and looked to your friend Farah, who had her hands clasped together as she looked hopefully at you and the rest of your group who had gathered in her apartment.

“Well?” she asked after a moment, “what do you think?”

“.... Why does a demon have a phone?” you asked.

“Yeah and what phone company does he use?” Cliff asked after you, “or do demons have their own phone companies.”

“You're missing the point!” Farah exclaimed.

“And the point is....?”

“We need to try this!”

There was a collective groan throughout the apartment. The other one in the group, Carmen, rubbed their forehead as they told Farah “you're our friend and we love you, but I don't think any of us want to repeat that time we tried summoning ghosts in a public bathroom.”

“This is nothing like that!” Farah insisted, “it said that we need a building with five floors and an elevator! I promise, there won't be anything gross!”

“Where do we get a building like that?” Carmen asked.

Farah pointed to Cliff.

“You work security overnight at that one office building, right?”

“Do you seriously think I'm going to risk my job for this?” he asked.

“We won't do anything bad! We'll just play a game and leave some stuff on the top floor. If the demon doesn't like it we'll take it with us. It's literally in the rules that we need to clean up after ourselves.”

Farah stopped herself, but you could tell she wanted to continue about getting a chance to visit another world. She loved the supernatural and those kinds of urban legends, but she never wanted to try these things on her own.

Carmen sighed.

“Is anyone else even remotely interested in trying this?” they asked.

Neither you or Cliff said anything at first, and Farah's face began to fall as no one volunteered. Then, when it looked like Carmen was about to speak again, you tentatively raised your hand.

“It might be fun,” you said. At least in terms of memories of 'dumb shit you did when you were younger'.

Farah beamed while Carmen gave you a look that screamed 'I hate you'.

With you willing to give the game a chance, the other two ended up conceding to do the same, and Cliff had been convinced by Farah to let you all in a week from that day when he worked at that particular building. With his shift being 11 PM to 7 the next morning, there would be plenty of time for you to play the game and then let him get back to work. As long as nothing was messed up by the end of it, there would be no harm.

At first you were rather stumped on what to give the demon as an offering. Farah was the same, but she ended up deciding on a horror anthology book from the 1920s. Carmen just got a shirt they had been wanting since they were certain that this ritual wasn't going to work and they wanted to spend the money on something that was useful to them. Cliff went out of his way to get a particularly creepy clown doll. He claimed that he wasn't annoyed by all of this, but you found yourself questioning that statement when he sent a picture of it through the group text. You had no clue where the fuck he had found something that unsettling.

The night you all had settled on was approaching and you still didn't have an offering. It shouldn't have been that hard, and yet you felt like if there was the chance that you were going to run into some otherworldly creature, you didn't want to half-ass it and make it upset. If the supernatural was real it seemed better to try and keep it on your side.

You found yourself browsing a few online forums where people were discussing the game. Unsurprisingly, most said that the ritual didn't work, and the few that claimed that it did had written some uninspired stories about how the demon had told them how they were going to die or when the world was going to end, with at least one mentioning the coming of the Antichrist. When you scrolled down to the end of the page you were pretty bored of all of the comments you read and you were about to exit the page when one particular comment caught your eye:

the demon likes bats

It was buried beneath the comments of others, and nobody had interacted with it. Common sense would tell you that this was just more bullshit, but it just seemed like such a random thing to make up. Nowhere in the instructions had it mentioned bats, and no one else on the forums had said anything about it either. The user who had posted it hadn't interacted with anything else and seemingly just came on to put out that little tidbit. For that reason, you found yourself wondering if their ritual had been successful.

You leaned back in your chair while you considered the information.

Bats, huh?

And then by complete chance the next day, when you were in the mall trying to find something because it the date you'd set for the game was only hours away and you still had nothing, you spotted something through the window of a toy store: a pink stuffed bat plush.

It was rather overpriced, but if that comment was correct, then it should be worth it. If not, at least you got something cute out of it.

Surprisingly it was Carmen and Farah that had been less than impressed by what you had brought.

“I didn't realize you wanted to offend the demon too,” Farah commented bitterly.

“Maybe the demon likes pink,” you responded as you shrugged.

Nothing more was said about it as Cliff opened the front door of the building. In exchange for doing this, he made the rest of you go about the building to turn off all any lights that had been left on which you all grumbled about but agreed was fair enough. By the time you were finished scouring the building, it was 3:13 in the morning.

It had been agreed that Farah would go first, and the rest of you waited in a darker spot of the parking lot while she went in, watching the building to see if you could spot her movements through the windows. You had pulled out your phone, as you were the last person she had called. It would probably be proven pretty fast if this was real or not if she called you and it went through to you, though Carmen had said that they felt it was likely that Farah would probably not call and just say that she had.

You checked to make sure the sentimental object you had brought was in your pocket: a small, stuffed bear keychain that you had gotten as a present from a childhood friend. It was special to you, but you didn't feel like you'd be absolutely devastated if anything happened to it.

Farah came out a few minutes later, carrying her book and looking disappointed.

“It didn't work,” she said as she sighed.

“Did you call?” you asked.

“Yes,” she answered, somewhat indignant. To prove that she had, she pulled out her phone and opened up her call history. It listed her last call as being made to you only a few minutes ago. When you opened up your own call history, it showed that she had called you over an hour ago.

….. Okay. That was weird.

Carmen went next, and it was the same story with them, as they came out a little bit later still holding their shirt. Unlike Farah, they didn't seem too upset.

Cliff went after, holding that creepy clown doll and waving it around a bit as he walked to the elevator.

It was quiet again after that. You, Carmen and Farah waited patiently in the parking lot while the electric lampposts around you hummed. Cliff had been talking earlier so you hadn't noticed it, but it seemed eerily quiet outside. Usually there were bugs or other forms of wildlife at night that would keep things from being silent, but right now there was nothing; only the humming electricity of the lot and the occasional comment from Carmen.

Farah seemed anxious as she looked at the building, her hands playing with the charm on her phone while she waited for any sign of Cliff. The thing with the phone history seemed to convince her this was for real and she seemed nervous about Cliff's offering. Carmen didn't appear to be the same way and seemed more impatient, who'd begun to tap their foot as they waited.

“Did you hear anything when you called?” you asked the both of them. They looked at you, and both shook their heads.

“It was quiet when I called,” Farah said.

“Same here,” said Carmen. Farah smiled at that.

“That means that it's real, right?” she asked.

“Sure.”

Carmen wasn't the best person to be around when they were tired and cranky, and you could see that Farah wasn't trying to take it personally. But looking back to Carmen, you noticed a slight furrow to their brow, and the impatient tapping seemed to have increased. At first glance you would have assumed that they were just really done with this whole thing, but as you kept looking, it seemed less like they were annoyed and more more like they were apprehensive.

“Cliff's taking a while,” they commented.

It was taking Cliff longer than the two of them, you realized, and you were about to try and crack a joke about him making it to the sixth floor when you saw the elevator doors in the lobby slide open, followed by Cliff walking out.

More like storming out, actually.

“What the hell?!” he exclaimed as he shoved open the main doors.

“Don't shout!” Carmen responded, “this is your job that we're not supposed to be doing this at, remember? What're you going to do if someone calls the police on us?”

Cliff ignored them, looking to Farah as he continued “are you serious? You want this stupid thing to be real that badly?!”

He was holding something that he then thrust in front of Farah's face. It was the clown doll that he'd brought.

Or at least, what was left of it.

It looked like it had been stepped on repeatedly, the body broken and the head having been caved in. One of the legs were also missing, you noted.

“You.... You think I did that?” Farah asked.

“Who else!” Cliff yelled.

“I've been here the whole time!” she shrieked back.

“She has,” you added as you felt the need to jump in, “none of us have moved from this spot.”

“Oh fuck off,” he answered, “I needed to return this. What the hell am I supposed to do?”

“Maybe you shouldn't have gone out of your way to be an asshole,” Farah spat back.

It quickly devolved into an argument between the two, with Carmen pulling you back when you tried to jump in again. It made sense why Cliff was upset, but Farah hadn't done anything.

“.... Should I not go?” you whispered to Carmen after a bit.

“No!” Cliff exclaimed, this time at you, “you should go! Do this stupid thing, and then let me get back to my work!”

“You're not allowed to go back in for the rest of the night,” Farah pointed out.

By that point Cliff was done, and he stormed off to another area in the lot. Carmen motioned for you to go while Farah quietly steamed. It wasn't the first time those two had fought, but the arguments seemed to be getting nastier every time they happened. Best to get this over with so they could be separated and have the time to cool down.

You walked through the darkened lobby of the empty office building, your path illuminated only by the streetlights outside. There was something about darkness and artificial light that somehow made it feel more foreboding, more dangerous. Even though you were an adult there were still thoughts that ran about in your head of creatures that you couldn't see awaiting you in the dark, and those thoughts made you tense a bit. It was such an irrational fear, but one your brain wouldn't let go of. The argument between your friends had only put you more on edge as well.

The elevator doors slid open, the bright blinding lights hurting your eyes for a second before they adjusted to them, and you stepped in the car, pushing the button for the fifth floor.

Fifth floor, leave the offering, then down to third.

There were some bits of Cliff's creepy clown doll that were in front of the elevator when you reached the top floor. It vaguely occurred to you that the instructions said to leave immediately if the offering had been destroyed, but it seemed like Cliff had tried to clean up some. Though that made sense, since he didn't want to leave a mess behind after his shift.

You pushed away some of the leftover bits with your shoe, and carefully placed the bat plush laying on its back in front of the doors.

Down to the third floor, then.

You checked again to make sure that the bear keychain was still in your pocket during the ride down, stepping out when the doors opened after you confirmed that it was.

Now to make the call....

There hadn't been anything saying you needed to wait until the doors closed to begin, but you waited anyway. When the double doors slid shut behind you, you hit the button on your screen to call Farah, the last person on your call history.

It rang twice before the call was picked up. Just as Farah and Carmen had said, it was silent on the other side. You cleared your throat before saying the words that had been instructed.

“I want to visit the sixth floor. Please.”

There was nothing that said you needed to be polite, but you figured it couldn't hurt.

You still didn't hear anything from the other end, and that silence continued for several more seconds. You held the phone close to your ear, straining to hear anything, any sort of indication that someone was on the other line. The “demon” was supposed to hang up first, you remembered, so you were stuck until something happened.

“.... That's actually cute.”

The male voice you heard on the other end was unexpected, but you didn't get a chance to say anything back before the phone call ended.

You stood very still for a few moments.

That.... That hadn't been any of the others who were still outside. Unless they had gone so far as to hide someone out there and have them answer the phone when you called Farah and all of this was just an elaborate prank. But none of them were really the kind of people to do things like that.

Remembering the instructions from the site, you turned back to the elevator and got on when the doors opened, pushing the button for fifth floor once again.

If the demon likes your offering, there will be no trace of it when you get back up to the 5th floor

The ding of the elevator signaled that you were once again at the top floor of the building, and when the doors slid back open and you looked to the spot where you'd left the bat, you found.... Nothing.

That space you had cleared from the broken bits of that doll was empty, the white tiled floor shining in the light that came from the elevator.

….. If this was all just a prank by your friends, you weren't sure if you'd be able to trust them after this.

The doors closed once again, and you took a deep breath before you pushed the fifth floor button.

The elevator began to move up.

There wasn't a sixth floor; you'd double checked that the building only went as high as five.

You told yourself to wait until the doors opened before you jumped to conclusions. You'd need to see this “other world” before you could say for certain that all of this was real.

The website said that it could take up to two minutes, but mere seconds later did the doors slide back open.

Everything looked normal. Just another floor of an office building.

Or it would have looked normal, had it not been for the fact that everything was bathed in a red glow that came from the outside.

Clutching your phone in one hand and the keychain in the other, you took a small, tentative step out of the car, looking to either side of you.

The hallways were empty. Nothing jumped out at you.

Slowly, you walked over to a window.

In the distance stood a glowing red cross.

…. This was real.

This was actually real.

It was almost too much to process for your shock-addled brain, and you had to wonder if anyone else who had been successful had the same reaction as you, to just stare dumbly at the scene before you.

It then occurred to you to get proof for when you went back.

You pulled up the camera on your phone. Or you tried to at least. Of all the times for your phone to act up, it needed to be when you needed to get a picture so people would believe you. The app kept taking forever to pull up before it would close and you repeatedly tapped on the screen as you tried to make it work. Somehow you managed to snap a few pictures of the cross before the camera closed again and you weren't able to open it back up. The lighting and your uncooperative phone made the pictures appear quite blurry, but one would be able to tell what they were looking at. No doubt some people would claim that it was fake, but it was enough to satisfy you.

You checked the time, finding it to be 3:30, if the phone was to be trusted. You wished you had checked before you came up here, but it was a bit too late for that now.

You stepped away from the window and went down one of the halls, looking all around before you remembered that the site said that you shouldn't look behind you. Or was that only when you heard the demon? Regardless, you kept glances behind yourself to a minimum as you made your way through the floor.

Aside from the red light that covered everything, it looked like a normal office floor, filled with different offices and supply closets and nothing that was particularly interesting to you. The one strange thing was that the red cross outside seemed to move along with you, as when you would move to a different room you would still be able to see it clearly outside. You went back to the windows a few times and tried to see if there was anything else outside, but all you found was an endless darkness with no signs of any kind of life or structure. Unsurprisingly there was also no sign of your friends down below, though it would have been hard to see where they were standing outside anyway given the angle.

The red light made you slightly sick after a while, and you tried opening up the flashlight option on your phone. But it refused to turn on. In fact, nothing on your phone was working now, and when you looked at the clock, the time was still 3:30.

Either time was being distorted or your phone wasn't able to function properly. Given how your phone was acting earlier the latter would seem to be the most likely option, but you also weren't sure what the rules of this place were. There was nothing that said that this world was bound to time in the way yours was.

The website had said that you could stay up here for as long as you wanted, right?

You began to see things out of the corner of your eye, little bits of movement in the darkness that dared you to look at them. You did a few times, mentally slapping yourself as you remembered what the instructions had said as you were now desperately trying to remember everything that had been written so you knew what you could and couldn't do. It was amazing and terrifying at the same time as you recalled what the site had said about possibly dying to this game, and at one point you felt so overwhelmed that you thought you were going to throw up. You managed to keep it down, but after that you decided that it was time to leave.

When you started to head back to the elevator was when you felt a headache coming on. It was mild at first, but when you went further along your route to the exit it started to hurt more, turning into a stabbing pain that jammed into your skull.

Had the website mentioned this? You couldn't be sure. Where were you even going again?

You stopped at an open door, leaning against the open door frame to rest. There was movement from inside the room, and without thinking you looked over to it.

The bat you had left on the fifth floor sat in the room in front of a whiteboard. A whiteboard that had been absolutely covered in drawn on hearts and your name repeated over and over.

…. The website hadn't mentioned that.

“Do you think it's a good place for him?”

The voice you heard came from a few feet behind you. The same voice you had heard over the phone.

You needed to get out. Now.

You brushed your hand against your pocket as you tried to stand up straight again, still fighting the pain of the headache when you remembered the little bear keychain.

It will keep you from losing yourself

With that thought in mind you pulled it out and focused on it, and the pain seemed to lessen by a good amount.

“You've got a thing for cute stuff, don't you?”

The voice came from directly behind you this time, like whoever was speaking was staring down over your shoulder as they were practically on top of you.

Don't look don't look don't look

You pushed off of the door frame, the keychain still in hand as you power-walked back down the hall. The headache was still there a little bit but it was nowhere near as debilitating as it had been before.

The voice whined from behind you.

“You're leaving already? You just got here.”

Don't speak. Don't look.

It was following you. You could hear the footsteps that trailed after yours, keeping up with your pace and almost being purposefully loud. Sudden noises accompanied the footsteps, making you jump and urging you to turn around. It was a natural thing to react to sudden sounds like that and you needed to catch yourself a few times from looking behind.

It was trying to keep you here and you didn't want to stay to find out why that was.

You turned several corners and walked down many halls, and the elevator wasn't anywhere in sight. That wasn't right. You had made a mental note of where the location of the elevator approximately was. As much as the headache was still messing with you, you should still be able to make it back. You knew where it was, goddammit.

…. Was it just you, or were these hallways getting longer?

A chuckle came from behind you.

“You didn't think I'd let you go that easy, did you?”

You started to run.

You weren't sure how long you continued like that – time didn't seem to be a thing up here. Around you the halls extended, stretching out and prolonging your time in this hell as you turned corner after corner and you still couldn't find the fucking elevator. The temptation was there to look behind and see how long the halls had become, but the laughter that followed you kept your eyes straight ahead.

Turning another corner, the doors to the elevator came in sight, and you let out a gasp of relief as you ran faster. Just a little bit more and then you'd be free.

…. The elevator seemed to be was moving away from you, messing with you just as the halls had done before.

You could hear him breathing directly in your ear as you ran. Still trying to freak you out, still trying to make you turn around. He hadn't touched you at all, though, and you wondered if there were rules for him that prevented him from doing so.

The attempts to get you to look back at him seemed to be getting desperate. If this thing was getting to a point where even he was desperate, you didn't want to know what the hell he'd do to you if you made the mistake of turning around.

Despite it all the elevator was getting closer. Escape was literally in your grasp-

And then something in the floor shifted that caused your knee to buckle and you were sent flying face down on the flat white tile.

The phone and keychain went flying out of your hands and there was blood in your mouth as you bit your lip. Your head ached again, though you weren't sure if it was because of him or because you'd just landed on the solid floor.

You lay there for a few moments, catching your breath as you tried to compose yourself.

You then became aware of the presence that was standing over you. He was quiet now, but you could feel his eyes burning holes into your back, as if trying to will you to look at him.

Pushing yourself up on shaky arms, you began to crawl forward, your hands searching for the phone and keychain that had gone flying and had vanished into the darkness, the light from outside now much duller than it had been when you'd first arrived.

Don't look don't look don't look

He can't touch you

He can't force you to look back at him

Just keep facing forward and-

A horrifically loud shrieking noise sounded through the hall. It was the loudest thing you had ever heard in your life, the noise so great that you felt the floor vibrating, and your hands immediately went to cover your ears to protect your hearing as best you could.

Don't you dare fucking look back

With your hands still over your ears, you crawled forward on your knees. It was slow and it had gotten so dark that you couldn't see the elevator anymore, but it was still progress. When your knee brushed against your phone you ignored it. Who gave a fuck about proof anymore? You just wanted to get out.

But you were still trying to keep a lookout for the keychain. It had helped before; if you could find it, it would probably make getting out easier.

You put out one hand on the floor as you blindly searched for your sentimental item, your eyes scrunching up in pain as the horrible sound continued.

For a split second your fingers brushed up against something soft.

You grabbed it.

Immediately after the shrieking noise stopped.

For just a moment, there was relief, even though you still had that noise ringing in your ears. But it took only another moment for you to realize that something was wrong.

You hadn't grabbed that bear keychain. It was larger and heavier.

Opening your eyes, you found that you were holding that fucking bat plush.

“Ah. You messed up.”

A hand reached from behind you and grabbed the plush out of your grip. A different hand was placed on your shoulder and you were spun around on the floor.

A fair-skinned man with what looked to be blonde hair stared down at you, one hand still on your shoulder as he waved the bat in front of you.

“You're not supposed to take this back, remember?” he asked as he smiled at you.

“No.... I didn't...” you trailed off.

“But you did, though! You grabbed and picked it up,” he said.

That wasn't possible. You had left that thing behind in that room that felt so far away now. But as you glanced to the side you saw that, to your horror, you were sitting next to that room again, the hearts still visible on the whiteboard. You were barely able to note that it had gotten brighter and that somehow the red lighting seemed less harsh before he was talking to you again.

“So you lost and now you don't get to go back,” he told you.

“No.... You cheated.”

It felt so juvenile to say that out loud, but it was all that could come out of you in your current state.

Strangely though, he didn't deny it.

“Can you blame me?” he asked, “I've never gotten a visitor as charming as yourself. When I heard you on the phone and saw what you left me, I just needed to keep you.”

He looked at the bat plush again and smiled at it as he sat down in front of you.

“Did you just pick this at random, or was it something else?”

You struggled to comprehend the question, and it took you a bit before you were able to blurt out “someone else said you liked bats.”

“So you mean you went to the trouble of looking up what things I liked? That's adorable. I love it!” he exclaimed.

You tried to subtly scoot away from him as he sat in front of you but you were noticed instantly.

“Where do you think you're going?” he asked. The look he gave you was so innocent.

“I-I need to go home. I want to go home,” you insisted.

“That's not an option, remember?” he asked, waving the bat around again.

You shook your head.

“You cheated. I should be allowed to leave because you did that.”

He laughed.

“There's no rule against cheating. As long as I didn't touch you it was fine. Don't be a sore loser.”

“Fuck you.”

You spat out those words in a bout of frustration, trying your best to sound strong, but it probably just made you seem more pathetic.

He only hummed at that, just staring at you for a moment.

It had been getting steadily brighter, the red going away with every passing second and you were able to make out different colors. The purple and teal on his clothes, the shade of blonde his hair was and the blue of his eyes were visible to you for a few moments.

He set the bat plush to the side, and the world began to darken again as red and black took over.

“That's okay,” he said, more to himself than to you, “you're scared and that kind of reaction is normal, so I'm not too mad.”

It was getting harder to see him, but you could see movement about him, things about his body changing. Horns that slowly curled out from his forehead. The tips of his fingers that darkened around long claws that took the place of his fingernails. Large, bat-like wings that unfolded from behind him and spread themselves.

You caught a glimpse of his teeth in the low light, and they looked sharper than they had before.

Panic shot through you as you began to scramble away from him, but your escape attempt was short-lived as something wrapped itself around your legs and pulled you back towards him.

A tail? Oh God that was a tail.

He was on top of you, and he caged you in his arms as he leaned down to whisper in your ear “don't worry, I'll go easy on you this time.”

You tried to push him away, but he ignored it.

“Oh! Before I forget, I should introduce myself shouldn't I? I'm Shalnark. Nice to meet you.”

With that, his lips claimed yours in a searing kiss.

Your friends had been waiting a while.

Farah and Carmen stayed where they had been directly next to the building while Cliff hadn't moved from where he had stormed off to. Farah had been getting upset as she had become convinced that you were being an ass to her as well with how long you were taking. It was all Carmen could do to try and keep her calm.

Because of his distance away and how distracted they were, neither of them noticed the state Cliff was in.

They only noticed when he began to violently cough.

With Farah still slightly bitter from their earlier argument, Carmen was the one to check on him, asking if he was alright as they walked up to him.

Cliff gave no answer as he had begun to cough up blood.

Carmen's hands fumbled when they pulled out their phone to call emergency services, and they yelled at Farah to go inside and get you. The sight of the blood Cliff was coughing up had Farah sprinting towards the building, throwing the front doors open as she made a beeline for the elevator.

Carmen didn't notice it at first when Farah fell to the floor. Only when the ambulance had been confirmed and they looked back to the building to see if the two of you were coming out did they see her body lying limply on the floor.

Ambulances and cop cars arrived eventually, and both Cliff and Farah were declared dead at the scene. The autopsy reports later would declare that they had been poisoned. A thorough search of the building would find no source of where the poison had come from.

Nor did they find anything from you.

Carmen had told them that you were in there, but when they searched they found no trace of you. No personal belongings and nothing to even indicate that you had entered the building. When the search for you grew beyond the confines of the office building, there was still no trace of you. You simply vanished into thin air.

The case would puzzle investigators before they would ultimately put it aside for other cases that needed their attention. It would only gain some traction online when the files were released to the public and certain parties saw that you and your friends had been playing the Sixth Floor Game. For some people it added weight to their beliefs that the game was real and needed to be avoided. For others it was just a coincidence.

Regardless of what they thought, you remained a missing person that would never be seen again, forever immortalized by your unexplained disappearance and an urban legend.

#reader insert #Shalnark #shalnark x reader #yandere shalnark #yandere #yandere x reader #yandere hxh #yandere hunter x hunter

1K notes · View notes

raycatz · 2 years

Note

Do you have any line art tips?

Not in particular because I don't really do line art. Like, idk,, if this counts??? Also I haven't taken an art class in my life so please take anything I say as simply just another person figuring things out alongside you.

ANYWAYS. If you don't want to do line art then don't! I personally find the process of doing clean line art or tracing to be really boring (also icky because when it doesn't look as good as the sketch it makes me feel bad,,) so my finished lines are really just a cleaned up sketch drawn over a very rough outline. (it's important for me that the outline establishes where the characters are, their movement, where they're looking, and how big they are relative to each other and the environment.) It's fun from there because whatever I end up with is a surprise!

I try and keep the start and end of my lines within one quick fluid motion. You can see it above in Wind's hair or in the examples below. If I try to be careful I tend to introduce wobbly lines so I find looser strokes to be better. These are tips for motion more than they are for line art. I find lines of action to be really helpful! I'll put a line through from the base of the skull to the heel or from the fingertips of one hand through to the other and let them guide my "line art." I simplify shapes and try to reduce the number of lines used, too. Four and Legend's hats are a few lines, shoulder to toe is all one line, sword to fingertips on the opposing hand. I try to be conscious of parallel and perpendicular lines (Wind's arms when he's taking the beetle above, shoulders, belt, and the bottom of the tunic are all related, ear tip is at the same angle as hat tip) and repeating shapes (OoT Link's bangs, collar, and boots are all a 'V') as well.

It's more a stylistic thing, but I find that pushing how lines relate to each other makes the drawing more readable and fluid (even if the lines themselves are sketchy.)

#asks #long post #wip #my art #I don't know what I'm doing and am learning as I go #the lines I draw through characters also lead the entire illustration sometimes #like Four on the mushroom here - you can follow the curve of the red line to what would be the focus of the scene (Legend's ocarina)#the blue lines on Mask here follow where he's looking (it's a guide to that whatever's in his pocket is important)#I tend to always draw characters doing something so having these action lines helps a lot #in getting that action across #IDK IF ANY OF THIS IS HELPFUL FOR LINE ART #line weight and clean line art and whatever all that is is something I need to work on myself

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hpalways · 3 years

Text

Commissions || Childe

UNPREDICTABLE people were like magnets to you, somehow always managing to show up. Usually, you would avoid them at any given chance, preventing further interactions from occurring. As an adventurer, you didn't work for the thrill, but rather for the money. That meant that deep inside, you longed for a peaceful life, which was the main reason why there were certain beings that shouldn't exist in your reality. So how did it go oh-so-terrible with Tartaglia?

You first met Tartaglia -- also known as Childe -- in Liyue Harbor when you were at a stall to buy food. You had a few commissions in tail, waiting to be resolved for the day. But first, food was on your mind. It wouldn't do any good to fight hilichurls and whatnot with an empty stomach. As you were about to dig into your trouser's pockets to find any mora, a man stepped up in front of you, blocking the way. Assuming that he was budging you in line, you opened your mouth to protest, but the words faltered to come out when the male whirled around to face you.

Deep, blue eyes stared into your soul, twinkling mischievously... and somehow, you couldn't read into them. Fiery, orange hair accompanied his features, going unexpectedly well with the blue. Smiling at you crookedly, he saluted you with a gloved hand. A red mask was adorned on the side of his head, matching the red details on his overall gray outfit. He was very tall and attractive -- taking you momentarily off guard.

"I'll pay for your meal. My treat," he easily told you, making a show of flashing the lump of mora in his hands. He even went as far as to swing his arm around your shoulders like the two of you were friends. The warm, close contact nearly caused you to freeze in place, getting flustered all over. What the hell was happening?

"Oh... sure," you uttered, staring blankly at him. Well, there was no use turning him down. The word treat was enough to hook and wheel you in.

"What's your name?" he inquired in a friendly manner, lugging you along as if you were a ragged doll through the waiting line.

Hesitating to answer for a second, you were beginning to look stupid under his expecting gaze. There was a reason though: you were wary of strangers, having learned that the hard way when you encountered Treasure Hoarders one time. But seeing how amused this man was by your internal debate, you pushed the doubts away and decided to go for it. "I'm [Y/N]. You?"

"Lovely name befitting for a lovely person," he mused, leaving you embarrassed. "I'm Childe."

It was then your turn to order. Letting his arm around you go, he straightened up and nudged you ahead. The warmth evaporated from you and you suddenly wished for his touch again. Horrified by your thoughts, you brushed them away and stepped up to the front, telling the chef your order.

Once that was done with and the food was received, you sat down at a table outside. Three whole dishes filled of food, you wasted no time to dive into them, the steamy aroma wafting into the air. Mouthful of food, you almost choked when you found the so-called Childe sitting down in front of you. Coughing for a good minute or two, you suffered as he watched you in enjoyment. When you could catch your breath, you averted your gaze to the table. Oh god, you wished you could bury yourself before you could humiliate yourself any further. He shouldn't have followed you here.

"I'm surprised you bought three whole dishes for yourself," he pointed out, taking delight in teasing you.

You scowled and looked at him, the shameful emotion fading away. "Are you insinuating something?" you asked, squinting at him. He rose his brows in surprise, quickly shaking his head to explain he meant no harm. Sighing, you decided to go all out then. If he already knew your name, what difference would it make to share a few more things about yourself? Besides, this was Liyue Harbor we're talking about; no one was that desperate to seek out trouble so publicly. "I'm an adventurer and I also do commissions. Fighting takes up a lot of my energy, so only one meal wouldn't suffice."

Something swirled in his eyes -- unknown and still just as unreadable. However, you paid no mind to it, too absorbed by the food and the conversation to notice. Maybe this was where it went wrong. "An adventurer?" he echoed, his voice breathless. His ears seemingly perked up and he leaned forward in his seat, anxious to hear more. "What would you say if I tagged along with you today?"

It was shocking to hear that, but eventually, you accepted his self-invitation and brought him along to the locations. Setting off by foot, the two of continued onward with full bellies and enough energy to last several hours. The land stretched for miles and miles, scaping the grounds of hills, mountains, rivers, and meadows. Hogs ran through the trees and birds soared in the skies. Monsters rolled around in the dust, waiting to ambush anybody in the way. The sun beating down upon your backs and the weather a little too warm for liking, it was a difficult trek, but nothing close to impossible for an adventurer.

The fighting began when the destination to a pack of hilichurls appeared on sight. Unsheathing your blade, you immediately attacked them, continuously slashing away until they were entirely cleaned up. Breathing heavily with sweat beading your forehead, you did all the dirty work as Childe inspected from the side, his eye following your every move.

It wasn't easy though. You struggled at some areas, sometimes missing them or getting slightly injured by their own weapons. It was sloppy and flawed, for you were not a skilled swordsman, born without the talent and money. Anyway, it didn't matter much; as long as you did the job, that was what mattered.

The next one took place near the mountains. Insuring that a wagon would be delivered somewhere safely, you had to fend off more monsters, circling around the large transport tirelessly to prevent any damage. While you were doing so, the orange haired male lounged on top of the-said wagon, relaxed and watching the battle beneath him.

Afterwards, it was of simple commissions, with no sword involved. On the last one and feeding ducks for a little kid you accidentally offended, you let out a yawn, ready to go home and sleep everything off. Your partner for the day was also there, crouching down beside the lake's bank, tossing the wheat to the little creatures. Turning his head to the side, he gave you a small smile. Unlike you, he was widely awake and full of energy -- you expected that much, considering he didn't do anything to help you.

"I enjoyed traveling around with you today, [Y/N]," he said, straightening himself up until he returned to being taller than you.

Minus the part where he was completely useless to you, you couldn't help but admit that it was enjoyable to have him him around. His cheery persona helped to distract you from your dislike with the job, filling the silence with easy discussion about basically anything. "It was fun... I suppose," you responded, letting out yet another yawn.

"You know, you could've asked me help. It would've been less straining for you," he pointed out.

You swerved your head at the mention of this, flabbergasted with your mouth hung open like a gaping fish. "You can fight?!" You shot up from where you sat, stepping up to a half-laughing, half-scared Childe. He nodded slowly and you rubbed your eyes harshly, curses running through your head. "And you didn't think to tell me that until now?"

He shrugged, drinking in your angered expression. No ounce of remorse shown in his features, he was pleased to get a rise out of you. Goddammit, this guy was going to be the death of you. "You never asked."

Not replying to him, you faced the other way and crossed your arms, brooding like a kid after a tantrum.

"Aw, don't be mad at me," he cooed, petting your [h/c] head endearingly. "Hey, are you thinking of improving your swordsmanship?"

Originally planning to give him the silent treatment, you could barely even hold on to the promise for a minute. His question intrigued you and you began to wonder why he was asking you something like that. "No, not really," you answered.

"Why not?"

"It's not necessary. My level is adequate for the commissions I take on. It's not like I'm striving to be anything legendary... that's just asking for a death sentence."

His forehead furrowed and a darkened gaze was aimed at you. He seemed to want to say a lot of things, yet couldn't find the words to them. Was he... mad at you for some unknown reason? Almost expecting a big lecture from him, you were shocked to hear what he said instead. "You have potential though."

That was where you parted from Tartaglia that young evening, but by no means was that the last time you were to see him.

You would run into him at Liyue Harbor, in Mondstadt, or sometimes in your travels as an adventurer. Each time you would welcome him warmly, always glad to have his company. He was seriously growing on you, become a friend that distracted you from the hardships of the cold reality. He brightened the atmosphere wherever he went, always the charismatic type, wooing anyone with a tip of a smile.

Of course, you knew he was a Harbringer; he never made a show of hiding it, so you were acknowledged of this pretty much immediately. Hearing the gossip and rumors of the Fatui, you understood that the organization was hella sketchy, but it didn't shine a bad light on Childe at all. You wanted to put your hopes in him, to give him the benefit of doubt. He was helpful so far and your life was peaceful with him around -- which was the one thing you wished for.

Or maybe it was because you had fallen for him already.

At least for the first month or so, everything passed through wonderfully. The two of you were like partners in crime, back to back and supportive of the other. The amount times you would stroll through the meadows and just talk to the man was becoming countless. It began to be something you were looking forward to: to have the time to get to know him even better, from his family to the simplest of facts about him.

It was too good to be true. As the saying goes, nothing lasts forever.

You should have never lowered your guard down. Not when you were found laying on the grimy grounds of a domain, beaten and bloodied. Not when the man you supposedly loved was towering in front of you, his deep blue eyes glowering in lust for violence. Not when your peaceful life was shattered to pieces. Childe couldn't control it any longer that day. He wanted to battle you out, to cause chaos and havoc. Why? You didn't understand... he was your friend. This wasn't what friends do. Nonetheless, he was serious about this declaration.

He spat at the ground, annoyed you didn't put up a greater fight. Not at all worried about your wounds, he paced around the chamber, pulling at his messy locks. "Didn't I say you had potential?! You should've tried harder."

You soon lost consciousness, too exhausted and pained to do anything else. The next time you awoken, you were in Mondstadt, getting healed by Barbara. Tartaglia was no where to be seen, as he ran off earlier without telling anyone of his whereabouts. That was the last time you saw him for a while...

Everything that happened was the past, occurring a few months ago. And here you were, in the present, back to the same life you had before meeting Childe. You still disliked the same things, whether that'd be fighting, unpredictable people, or your job. Day after day, you worked to gain money for a living, hating every moment of it. It was so normal that sometimes you wondered if you may have imagined the certain Fatui man up.

Walking through the mountainous parts of Liyue, you were on a hunt for resources. Hoping to stumble upon a mine and get done with the work as soon as possible, it was unfortunate that the weather hated you.

Droplets fell from the sky and the clouds darkened the world. Rain thrummed against the earth, soaking your clothes within a few minutes. They stuck to your skin, turning uncomfortable and cold. Wrapping your arms around yourself, you quickened your pace, desperate to find shelter for the time being. Shit, shit, shit. You hated the life of an adventurer so much--

Too blurry to watch where you were going, you hit a hard surface in front of you. Rather than a hard surface, it was actually a person. Squinting and wiping the droplets from your eyes, you cringed when you saw who it was. It was the one and only Childe, looking the same as always.

Wet orange locks somehow making him more attractive than he already was, he was as soaked as you were. The clothes defined his body and you frantically stopped yourself staring at it any further.

"[Y/N]," he breathed out, looking unsure. The sound of his voice snapped you back to life and fury filled the pits of your stomach. Seething in spot, the hands at your sides clenched tightly. He had taken your trust and ruined it -- he was nothing but a fucking bastard.

He took a few steps forward, growing nearer, his blue beautiful hues full of regret. You hated that he dared show himself up, wearing that damn look as if you would ever forgive him. Pulling your hand back without thinking, you laid it across his cheek, harsh at the contact. He touched his red cheek in awe, lowering his head in shame.

"I deserved that," he whispered, smiling at you sadly.

"You do," you muttered.

Despite how angry you were at him, there was this twisted desire to kiss him. Feelings were confusing, always making a situation more complicated than it should be.

Leaning forward, you locked lips with his. His body had stiffened in bewilderment, but he soon returned the kiss, wrapping his steady arms around yourself. Digging your fingers into his hair, you sighed in between breaths and listened to your racing heart. He tasted like salt and the soil beneath you. He was the definition of unpredictable, but you couldn't get enough of him. He brought destruction in the paths he walked on and had the continuous yearning for war. He was everything you were not and you hated him for it.

His lips trailed away from your own, peppering kisses on your jawline, causing you to gulp. He was swallowing you whole, taking in everything about you to memorize. His touch was intoxicating, the finger tips leaving a mark on your tender skin. "Let's never see each other again after this," you told him. He didn't respond as he continued to bruise your neck. "I hate you, Childe. I fucking hate you, you bastard."

Tears welled out of your eyes, mixing together with the tears from the gods, unable to be distinguished.

He lifted his head and gave you one last long kiss. Your insides were this close to bursting, butterflies fluttering horrendously like a beast within you. Soft lashes flitted and he stared at you with understanding. He was going to listen to your wish; he would never show himself up again.

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etherealino · 4 years

Text

too early, but not enough — l. minho

synopsis: after a year of his services, minho receives the name of his last client when usually a grim reaper’s service takes for five centuries. also, why the hell are you early?

genre: grim reaper!au, fluff and angst, a bit of incarnation

warning(s): foul language, mentions of death and flinching. let me know if i missed something

word count: 11.6k (be proud, thanks)

note: from one of my blurbs. also, happy minho day everybody !! 3rd repost bcs its not showing in the tags. :)) i love it here

one. — october five.

“I’m sorry?” Minho pardons as he looks at Chan with confusion in his eyes. When getting the list of names that grim reapers would fetch, it’s always mailed. Minho would just go inside his office and ta-da, the envelopes are there neatly placed on his desk.

Minho has gone through his series of weird events during his service of being a grim reaper. And he like it being weird, otherwise it wouldn’t be fun. But this is yet the weirdest and one that he doesn’t like. It’s too... early.

“Final client?” Minho repeats Chan’s words.

A chuckle falls off of Chan’s lips as he goes around his desk, leaning in front as as he looks at Minho. “Are you not happy about it?” Chan asks as he crosses his arms on his chest.

Happy? Should he be? This is honestly too... sketchy? Hm, I guess. Minho is just so confused. It’s only been a year since he started his service why is he already going up? It should take at least five centuries before he goes up, so why so sudden?

Minho clearly remembers when he started his service, he didn’t want it. So, he should be happy. Even though it’s bit suspiscious as to why is that. He even honestly thought he was called in Chan’s office because of the rules he has broken. Out of 50 rules, Minho thinks he has broken 49 of them.

“I am!” Minho says, looking at the ground then back at Chan. “It’s just that... it’s only been a year and I kind of broke... um—”

“You broke most of the rules, we know that.” Chan cuts him off and Minho sheepishly smiles at the boy in front of him. “You’ll find out soon why you’re early.” Chan smiles at him, turning lightly to his desk to get the envelope then back at Minho, extending his hand to give it to him. “You’re lucky you’re going up already. I still have a century left.”

Minho gets the envelope with both hands, bowing as he takes it. “Who would take your place then?” Minho asks and Chan shrugs.

“Changbin most likely. Or maybe Hyunjin. It is yet to be decided, and for now, don’t think about it too much. Just enjoy your remaining weeks here on Earth. You’ll go upstairs with your last client.” Chan says and Minho bows once again as he smiles at Chan.

“Thank you, Chan. I’ll be going now.” MInho says and Chan nods.

“Take care.” Chan says. “Even though you’re not gonna die again.” Minho chuckles at Chan’s witty remark as he leaves the higher’s office. He closes the door, stuffing the envelope inside the pocket of his trench coat.

“Congratulations.” The taller boy who Minho is friends with ever since his term has started greeted him as he takes the seat across Minho. Minho looks up at Hyunjin, a bit taken back that he knows.

Ah, everyone must’ve known already.

“Thanks,” Minho says. “But don’t you think it’s a bit too early?”

Hyunjin lets out a chuckle, sipping his coffee. “You should be happy. I’d kill just to be you right now.” Hyunjin says and it was Minho’s turn to chuckle. But Hyunjin is right—of course, he is. He’s been here longer—Minho should be happy at the fact that he’s finally going up after serving as a grim reaper. But it’s too weird that it’s only been a year since he started his term.

“I am.” Minho nods and Hyunjin pulls a boyish grin that every girl dies to see. “But others go upstairs after five centuries. How come it’s only been a year and I’m finally going up? You’ve been serving for three centuries and you’re still stuck for another two centuries.”

Hyunjin knows why. Everyone knows why, except for Minho himself.

As far as Minho knows, he has broken most of the rules and he should have been punished because of it. But why is he going up already? Is this his punishment? It couldn’t be, right?

“You finally got your last envelope?” Hyunjin asks and Minho nods, fishing it out of his trench coat’s pocket. He opens the envelope to see the details. “Can I know?”

“Uh, (full name), October 25, 8:37 pm.” Minho says, voice trailing off as he looks at the side to think—the name was so familiar—and Hyunjin nods. “Do you know them?” Minho asks and Hyunjin shakes his head ‘no’, shooting his friend a smile. “You want to go now?”

Hyunjin nods, standing up from his seat as he fixes himself. Minho does the same thing while sitting. When Minho stands up, he sharply turns around with his coffee, the early ‘graduation’ still in his mind when another figure bumps into him.

Minho’s eyes widen as the person gasps, mouth gaping open as they look down at their clothes with spilled coffee all over them. Minho looks at the person, finding himself being shocked at who he is facing.

What day is it today? Minho looks at his phone, as it lights up. October 5.

“You’re early.” is what Minho says which leaves you very confused despite your whole body burning (and Hyunjin being the dramatic friend, rolling his eyes wanting to slap Minho upside down).

“I’m... what?” You ask and Hyunjin nudges Minho again, this time with more force. Minho panics, palming his pockets to look for his handkerchief, but none. He turns around to face Hyunjin, taking his friend’s handkerchief.

“Hey!” Hyunjin exclaims, but Minho is already turning around to lightly dab the handkerchief on your chest. Minho sighs, frowning deeply as he keeps on working. Minho takes the cup from you, taking your wrist, drying them as there were tiny droplets that spilled there. But especially on your other hand. Minho lets go of your hand, flipping the handkerchief to another side that is still clean, then getting your other wrist and cleaning it.

Oi, Minho. What are you doing?

Minho freezes, his hand still on your wrist. He slowly looks up at you as you stare back at him. Your eyes screamed for softness as you stared at him. No confusion, just admiration. Minho clears his throat, softly dropping your wrist. “I’m sorry.” Minho mumbles as he holds the handkerchief out to you.

You take it, nodding once as you continue to clean your hand. “It’s okay.” You softly said. You zip your jacket close and bow to the two of them. You were about to take a step when Minho suddenly speaks up.

“Wait,” Minho says and you turn to him. “Let me give you a spare shirt, at least.”

“Oh, no,” you gently declined as you tried to find the right words. “I was just about to—”

“Please, I feel bad.” Minho cuts you off. You took a deep breath, pulling your lips into a thin line as you nod at him. You look at Hyunjin who just smiles at you and Minho starts to walk with you and Hyunjin following him suit.

When Minho is finally in front of his office—holy shit, wait. Minho just brought a stranger whose soul is his final client to his office because he spilled coffee all over her. Is he sure about this? Minho holds the door knob, looking at it as he just realized how much he fucked up.

If this was in the list of rules, the higher officials above would probably have second thoughts about his early ‘graduation’ here on Earth because this is probably the 50th one.

“Minho,” Hyunjin calls and Minho blinks, snapping out of his thoughts as he looks at Hyunjin. Minho shakes his head, turning the knob and stepping aside to let you in first. You step inside, the small office giving you a homey vintage vibe as you look around. There was even an old telephone on the side.

“Does this work or is it just for the theme of the place?” You asked as you pointed at the telephone, but your eyes roamed around the place. Minho smiles as he rumages through the small cabinet at the corner.

Oh, it does work. But he’s not gonna tell you that. “It doesn’t. Just for the aesthetic.” Minho says. “Oh, and where are you going today, by the way? Somewhere formal or—”

“Oh, please, just give me one of your old shirts. I’m just going to a friend’s house.” You said as you looked around a bit more. You like this place.

“Here you go, Y/N.” Minho says as he walks closer to you, giving you his shirt. Hyunjin who was behind you, gestures dramatically at Minho as he palms his face. Minho squints his eyes in confusion and Hyunjin rolls his eyes as he turns around.

“How did you know my name?” You ask and Minho shifts his eyes on you, widening once again. Minho looks over at Hyunjin who just rolls his eyes, but still walks towards you.

“Hey,” Hyunjin says as he places a hand on your shoulder. “You’re probably burned lightly underneath your shirt. Follow me, the bathroom’s this way and here’s another towel to clean yourself, okay?” Hyunjin instructs as he takes the shirt from Minho and leads you to the bathroom.

Now, a reason. Think, Minho, think!

When Minho hears the door close, he turns around to see Hyunjin walking back to him with a frown on his face. “First, you tell her she’s early. Second, you bring your last client here where she will be on her last day. Third, you stupidly say her name? Minho, what’s happening? You’re never this distracted.” Hyunjin says with a quick chuckle on the end.

Hyunjin’s right, Minho’s never this distracted. But why does his client make him go all over the place? Not to mention, he even went as far as cleaning you up as if he’s known you for so long. Does he? Why are you so familiar?

“She’s so familiar.” Minho says and Hyunjin scratches the back of his neck.

“Don’t mind it.” Hyunjin says, shrugging. “She’ll probably forget it.”

Minho sighs, nodding as they wait for you to come out. Seriously though, he swore he heard your name around town and has at least seen you once. That’s quite impossible, though. Minho would forget a face he only saw once and he never had a friend this close except for Hyunjin.

Minho hears the door open and close gently. He looks up seeing you in his shirt that was oversized to you. But you managed to pull it off, tucking it in your high waisted jeans. Minho feels his heart flutter, breath knocking out of his lungs.

You just took the grim reaper’s breath away.

“Um, thank you for letting me, uh, change and clean up.” You say and Minho nods, smiling lightly. You look so beautiful in his shirt—Minho, focus!

“Sure.” Minho smiles and you smile back.

“I’ll be going now. Thanks, again. Um, what’s your name again?” You asked and MInho smiles, standing up straight as he composes himself.

“Minho,” Minho says as he holds his hand out. You smile brightly, reaching a han—

“Minho!” Hyunjin exclaims and Minho drops his hand, turning around to Hyunjin, confused. Minho looks at him with questioning eyes and Hyunjin just looks back at him. Huh? Oh. Oh.

You clear your throat awkwardly and Minho turns back around. “I’m gonna get going. Thanks, again. M-Minho.” You say and Minho nods, smiling at you. You turn around, walking to the door as you finally exit the office.

“Take care, Y/N.” Minho softly says and you smile, closing the door of his office.

Minho was so distracted. He almost broke the 50th rule that he’s always been careful and the easiest for him not to break. He almost touched a person’s hand when he wasn’t supposed to. He almost broke into her privacy—into her memories.

Minho’s just thankful the last time he would see you again is when you die.

two. — october six.

Minho, you can do this. You can do this without Hyunjin. You can do this without messing up. Just focus.

“What brings you here?” Minho asks as he opens the door wider for you, yet you stay in your position. You shook your head politely.

“I’m just here to bring your shirt back and your friend’s handkerchief. I washed them already.” You said with a sweet smile on your face. Minho nods, taking them from you.

“You sure you don’t wanna go inside?” Minho asks and you shake your head ‘no’ with a kind smile. Minho doesn’t want to admit it, but he would like to spend time with you. But, to save himself from another series of embarrassment, he holds himself back from asking you.

“Thank you for your kindness yesterday. I really appreciate it.” You say and Minho chuckles, nodding.

To be fair to the reaper (which you’re not aware of), your heart flutters just as much as his does. You aren’t this shy, but you just grow conscious around Minho even though you only met him yesterday.

“I’m gonna go now.” You say and Minho’s smile lightly falters, but he holds it. This is better, at least he’s sure he wouldn’t make a fool out of himself.

“Wait, do you wanna go somewhere for coffee or something?” Minho asks. What? Minho, you’re so smitten! Minho facepalms himself inwardly as he lets the words roll out of his mouth. Sigh, Minho. Sigh.

You look at him, pulling your lips into a thin line. “I... I can’t. I got this thing—”

“Ah, no worries.” Minho says with a smile as he lightly waves his hand. You smile up at him. “No pressure. Sorry.” Minho says and you nod, turning to your heel as you start to walk away from him. Minho watches you, a soft sigh escaping his lips. Why does he keep on gravitating towards you?

“You know what, my thing isn’t even due until next week.” You said as you turned around to face Minho. You took a deep breath as you looked at him. Are you sure about this? Hm, after all, the moment you got home yesterday, you immediately washed Minho’s shirt just so it would be dry and you could come back here.

Smitten.

Minho smiles widely. The first ear to ear smile he broke into the moment he became a grim reaper. Why didn’t you come into his life—grim reaper term, rather, earlier? Chan said to enjoy his remaining weeks on Earth. Why not spend it with his final client? Minho, how would you tell her that you’re the one who is assigned to take her to her last destination? Minho shrugs his thoughts off, Chan’s words are the only thing in his mind... and you.

“Let me just put these away.” Minho gestures at the fabric in his hand and you smile ever so brightly at him. The brightest smile he ever saw even if the others smile from ear-to-ear and you don’t.

You nod and gently, you say, “Okay.”

“Minho!” You coo, a small pout on your lips forming as you gentlycup the cat’s head, nuzzling your nose against his. “He looks like you.” With this, Minho lightly laughs. “Seriously, you have cat-like features.”

Minho smiles, patting the cat’s body. You smile at him as you look at his sharp but very beautiful features. How the hell did he manage to create a soft spot in your heart?

A kitten suddenly jumps at your lap, sitting as he made himself comfortable, mewling lightly as he snuggles. You smile, bringing your hand up to scratch his head lightly as he started to close his eyes. You put your hand beside you on the ground, supporting yourself.

And Minho.. gosh, if someone was to judge at the two of you, they would think Minho and you are in a relationship by the way he would stare at you with a gentle smile on his lip. It was like looking at someone who just found a treasure that barely anyone knows about which makes it very special.

Minho then suddenly just reaches a hand out but a cat suddenly put his head underneath his palm. Minho snaps out of his daydream-y smile and looks at the cat. He was just about to hold your hand. Tahnk God, the cat suddenly became clingy.

“Minho?” You called as you turned to him. “Wanna go grab lunch?”

Minho stares at you and you smile at him to which he returns. He nods and you stand up, his eyes still on you as you fix yourself. He couldn’t help but feel like it was ethereal being with you.

Yesterday, Minho was wondering how come you were so early. Today, Minho wondered why you never came earlier. Right, Minho never really socialized, even with his fellow grim reapers. Minho has been around the town, and he wished he knew you way earlier. Sucks.

Minho has honestly expected that you and him would just spend time together for at least an hour or two, not the whole day. But here he is, in the playground siting by the swings as he listened to your stories about college at 8 in the evening. Minho finds himself staring at you fondly, smiling to himself as he watched you push yourself back and forth lightly with your foot on the ground. You stared at the ground, sighing.

“And then, that’s it.” You said with a soft sigh. “And that was not the last time I went to an early class with a hangover.” Minho laughs, boyish giggles rings through the empty playground as he looks up above the skies, the stars littering, some making constelations, some were just being a beautiful sparkly mess. You shift your eyes to him, smiling as you watch him admire the skyline. It is beautiful, just like him.

“Do you ever regret that you were such a rebel?” Minho asks and you chuckle lightly as you shake your head ‘no’.

“I don’t.” You answer and Minho looks at you with such soft smile. “Ashamed, after the second I did them, but suddenly I don’t know. I’m happy I did them. We only get to live life once—I mean, of course, we get to have another life, but what I mean is, at least I got to do it at this life. Who knows? Maybe I’d be a boring up-tight girl in my next life. It’s better that we do everything even if we’re reluctant. At least, we won’t have any regrets.”

Minho looks down, finding interest at the ground.

“So, you,” you said as you looked at him. Minho looks at you, humming as a response. “You should smile more often.”

Minho chuckles, “What’s the connection?”

“No correlation or anything.” You said. “You look good. But you shine when you smile.”

But you didn’t know, you were the reason behind it.

Minho chuckles, a soft smile invading his lips as he stands up, walking towards you. “Come on, let’s take you home.” Minho offers and you stand up, shooting him a smile. You both walk at a slow pace, not wanting the night to end. It’s a bit too fast, Minho admits. And he doesn’t know what’s making him do these things. It felt as if you two have been together for the longest time already.

“You should go,” you said to Minho as you stopped at a convenience store. Minho frowns as he looks at the road ahead. It was too dark for Minho’s own liking for you to walk through it alone.

“No, it’s too dark—”

“I’m meeting up with a friend.” You cut him off with a smile. “He’s already inside. We need to talk about work.” You said, jabbing a thumb behind you to point at the convenience store. Minho frowns and you chuckle.

“Okay,” Minho says in defeat and you sigh.

“Text me when you get home.” You say as you wave at him. “Bye, take care.”

“Take care, text me when you get home, too.” Minho says and you nod, waving at him. Minho crosses the road to to his office as you watch his back. Should he go back? Minho! You’ve only met her yesterday. Stop obsessing. Minho shakes his head as he made his journey to his office.

You sigh as Minho went out of sight. You pull your lips into a thin line, breathing deeply as you turn around, pushing the door of the convenience store and stepping inside. You immediately spot your friend at one of the seats provided and sat down with a huff. You covered your face with your hands as you thought of Minho.

“This is too hard, remind me why am I even doing this? I should’ve just declined his offer yesterday. Why didn’t you stop me?” You asked as you looked up at him. “I should’ve just waited.”

He chuckles, sipping at his coffee as he smiles at you. “Do you ever stop drinking coffee?” You asked the boy in front of you as you snatched his americano and sipped on it.

“Honey, am I even Hwang Hyunjin if I don’t drink coffee?” The said boy asks with a chuckle escaping his lips. “Before, I knew Minho was in love with you, I really do know that. But yesterday? Stumbling all over the place? That was the first time I ever saw him like that for five years that we’ve been friends.”

You released a sigh, looking down as you returned his americano to him. “Why did I have to remember?” You mumble and Hyunjin’s eyes soften at your question. He remembers how miserable you were at Minho’s death. He remembers how much you cried because Minho can’t remember you. He remembers how much you love Minho. He remembers how much you’ve resisted for a whole damn year just to not get near him. But all failed when the happenings yesterday occured. “Why didn’t you stop me yesterday?”

“You’ve suffered enough for the whole year, Y/N.” Hyunjin softly says. “Those sleepless nights you went to me just to cry over Minho over and over again, it was really saddening as your friend. But seeing you with him after holding back? It was nice because you were genuinely happy once again. You were such a jolly person, but when you started to remember what actually happened, that was tough for you.” Hyunjin sees how your eyes got glassy due to the tears pooling in your eyes. “Besides, I needed a break from you.”

You pout and Hyunjin breaks in a laugh, you joined along soon anyway. Hyunjin was a great friend and you love how he always watched out for Minho. Hyunjin had his own share of problems with you as well and just like him, your shoulder was there for him.

“But you know what sucks?” Hyunjin asks as you both calm down. Hyunjin never told you, but you know it and he knows that you do.

“When Minho remembers and he realizes his sacrifice was for nothing.” You looked down as you said, chewing on your lower lip. And that’s what you have to do. Do everything to not let Minho remember even if it sucks. “And this was actually his punishment.”

“Can you?” Hyunjin softly asks and you look up, smiling at him as you nod. For him, you would. You sigh, shaking your head as you cover your face with your hands as you took in a deep breath and releasing it.

“Anyway,” you said as you dropped your hands to the table. You smile widely at Hyunjin. “Tell me how your day went.”

“Oh, no, no.” Hyunjin shakes his head as he smiles. “You tell me. How was the day?” Hyunjin asked with a grin like a best friend that was supportive of his friend like she got her first date... more like a mother, actually. “Tell me everything.”

You sigh, smiling as you thought about Minho, elbow resting on the table as you placed your jaw on your hand. “It was just exactly like our first date, Jinnie.”

three. — october ten.

Stubborn. Lee Minho is stubborn. You insisted for him to not to come with you shopping flowers for your grandmother, but Minho insisted more. So here you are, in the flower shop with Minho following around. Minho stops by the small white flowers on the side as you go to the counter. The flowers are really pretty, it reminded Minho of you for some reason. Minho looks at you as you as you talked to the florist on the counter.

Minho sees you nodding, smiling at the florist and then you turn around to look at the flowers, admiring all as you looked at their names. Minho looks back at the white flowers, wanting to give you. Minho looks at the name of it, baby’s breath, “I wanna stay with you forever.”. Does he feel that way? All he knows is that he just wishes you arrived earlier and not 20 days before—

“Minho?”

Minho lightly jumps, turning around to look at you. “Yes, flower?”

You stop, looking at him. “What did you say?”

Flower. He always called you that. Does he remember?

Minho looks nervous, shrugging as he tries to look cool. “I just.. I was thinking—”

“Right, right.” You said, shaking your head as you walked past him. Minho looks at you, watching you as the sun rays cover your skin and you protectively hold the flower arrangement on your hands. It feels so right to call you that. Minho smiles lightly and taking a small stem of baby’s breath with three branches that blooms tiny flowers, looking at the florist who was just smiling at him.

“Take it for free. It’s just a stem.” He says and Minho bows with a big smile, saying thank you. Minho turns around chasing you.

“Hey, flower, wait up.” Minho calls and you stop, turning around to him. He gives you the stem of baby’s breath and only did he realizes that it was a bit... lame. “I-I was going to give you a whole boquet but you.. you’re, um—”

“Do you know what the flower means?” You gently ask and Minho nods.

“I wanna stay with you forever, flower.” Minho says and you bite your lip, fighting off the smile that threatened to take over your face. You take in a deep breath, calming yourself from the giddiness you’re feeling. “This was stupid, I’m sorry—”

You take the stem, tiptoeing as you kiss his cheek. “Thank you, I appreciate it.” You turn around continuing to walk as you let the smile out that you can’t get rid of. Minho smiles gently, a chuckle escaping his lips as he tries to ignore the fast beating of his heart.

“Flower, you really got to stop making me chase you!”

four. — october fifteen.

Minho frowns as he watches you from afar. You pinch Hyunjin on his arm as Hyunjin squeals and laughs. What? When were the two of you friends? From what Minho remembers, it’s just you and him who became friends after that incident in the café. Hwang Hyunjin, back off! She’s mine. Minho looks at the side. Is he actually jealous? Minho, she’s not your girlfriend. Calm the fuck down. Minho shakes his head, a pout evident on his face as he makes his way towards you two.

“M-Minho!” Hyunjin calls, surprised—lowkey, nervous—as Minho looks at him with a pout. You turn around seeing the other reaper as he just looks at Hyunjin.

“W-When did the two of you become... friends?” Minho, what the fuck? You sound like you’re her fucking jealous possessive boyfriend. Minho was about to open his mouth, ready to take his words back when you spoke up.

“He was passing by and he thought he knew me. And I’m like, ‘Hey, you’re the dude with Minho in the café.’ and then that’s it.” You explained, lying through your teeth. “Turns out, he was talkative as I was.”

Hyunjin awkwardly smiles. Hyunjin was just thankful that grim reapers don’t have the power to read minds. Or else, you and him were doomed.

“Anyway, I gotta get going.” Hyunjin says and you nod, turning to him. “Min, see you later.” Hyunjin looks at you one last time as you look back at him and turns around as he makes his way to... wherever because frankly, he doesn’t know either.

You closed your eyes, breathing out the breath you held when you were lying. That was so fucking close. You opened your eyes, turning around to Minho with a wide smile on your face. “How are you?” You asked him.

“Fine.” Minho mumbles and you chew on your lower lip. But a smile comes up on your face as you watch him. Typical Minho. He was just the same as he was before when he gets jealous. The pout on his face was still evident. The pedestrian light turns green and you both start to walk. You walk closely beside by Minho as he started ahead of you, but your eyes were shifting on him, the ground, the road in front of you and... his hand.

As your hand was on the air around Minho’s you immediately halt your action as you remember that you shouldn’t. Minho would always forget it, tempted to hold your hand but thankfully, you have your own dumb excuses that he managed to believe.

When you reached the other side, you both turned to left to walk to your destination. God, you were so tempted to hold his hand. Wait... the rule was holding hands, palm to palm contact, right? So... it wouldn’t hurt if—

Minho stops (which makes you stop as well) as he looks down at his hand, your pinky curled with his. Minho looks at you as you nervously look at him, teeth chewing on your lower lip. How did Minho not think of this before?

Too nervous at his staring which was really hard to decipher up until now even though you’ve known him for half of your life, you uncurl your pinky from his to pull away—

Minho locks his pinky with yours quickly before you could even pull away and looks down as he starts to walk, leading the way as he left you a few steps behind. A grin takes over your face and you follow him. Minho, himself couldn’t hold the large grin that took over his face.

“Hey, good day?” Changbin who was ahead of Minho’s way says as his fellow reaper notices how unusually big his smile is. If Changbin recalls, Lee Minho never smiles. Minho only gives a nod and a soft expression of respect.

“A great one.” Minho answers as Changbin gives him a friendly pat on his shoulder. “Hope yours is, too.” Changbin smiles as Minho passes by him, his eyes following him and then he sees you, blushing madly which makes Changbin’s smile falter. Changbin looks at yours and Minho’s hand, pinkies linked and Changbin chuckles as he sees his intuitions were wrong.

“Why didn’t I think of that?” Changbin mumbles to himself and he continues on his way.

Yeah, this is way better than hand holding.

five. — october seventeen.

You folded your arms on the table, chin resting on your arm as you frown. It’s raining hard today and that’s okay that Minho was held back because of it but it’s been an hour and half, and Minho would text you. You’ve shoot him texts but he hasn’t answered even once.

“Hey, Y/N,” the kind waiter, Felix who was also your friend greeted. “You okay?” He asks as he places a hand on your shoulder. You sat up straight, smiling at your friend.

“Yeah, don’t worry about me, Lix. I’m fine.” You say and Felix nods, not wanting to pry anymore. “Would it be okay if I stay a bit longer?” You ask and Felix chuckles, nodding.

“Until I close down, if you want.” Felix says and you grin at him.

“Thank you.” You smile and Felix nods as he walks off to entertain the customers. You turn around, looking at the door, praying that Minho would finally come. The bell above the door rings once again, but no, it still wasn’t Minho. Where is he? Not holding back anymore, you grabbed your phone and dialed his number, chewing on your lower lip in anticipation as you pressed your phone against your ear.

Minho turns around to the table as he hears his phone ring. He looks at Hyunjin who was sitting across him with a worried expression on his face. “Minho, just answer her.” Hyunjin gently urges, but Minho shakes his head as he grabs his phone and flips it over. “What did Chan tell you?”

Minho looks at his friend who quite distressed over the situation. “Enjoy the remaining days I have here.” Minho mumbles his answer as he looks at the ground.

“Everyone sees you’re enjoying. Changbin even mentioned to me how you were grinning so wide the other day when he ran into you.” Hyunjin says and Minho sighs, placing his hands on the table as he hangs his head low. “And why is that you’re enjoying?”

“Y/N,” Minho whispers.

“So what’s stopping you?” Hyunjin asks.

“Fucking dammnit, Hyunjin!” Minho snaps, pushing the chair in front of him to the side. The reaper in front Minho freezes, surprised at how he reacted. Minho really does love you, huh. Hyunjin remembers, this was not the first time Minho has snapped at him. But Minho doesn’t remember. “Don’t you fucking get it? At first, I feel bad for her because she’s so young and she has to die. I’m the one who is assigned to fetch her so we can go up together.” Hyunjin only watches Minho, not able to say anything. “But now, I want to do something. I don’t want to go up yet. I don’t want her to, either. I want to spend more time with her. I’m not ready to let her go. Too fast, I know, but—” Minho cuts himself as he looks at Hyunjin with a pained look on his face.

If only Minho knows, it’s not too fast. It is too early. Hyunjin felt sad for his two friends, he couldn’t do anything for them.

“What do I do, Jinnie?” Minho asks. “It’s not like I can take her place and die again.”

Hyunjin sighs, smiling up at him. “Exactly, Minho.” He says. “You can’t do anything about it and you have to accept that.” Hyunjin says and breathes out. “Go to her, spend the reamaining time you have together.”

Minho licks his lips. Hyunjin’s right, what the hell is Minho doing? Minho shouldn’t have dwell about the short time that was given to them. At least, they were given time. This was better than just a few hours. This was better than nothing.

Minho takes his phone, stuffing it inside his pocket and walking to the coat rack to get his coat and umbrella. Without a word, Minho opens the door and his umbrella. He starts to walk to the café where you both first met. Minho finally arrives and he closes his umbrella as soon as he got under the roof. He pushes the door open with a smile and steps inside. But that smile quickly falters when he sees you at a corner with someone else, laughing like you were the happiest at the very moment.

Minho pulls his lips into a thin line, turning around to leave the café with a heavy heart. Hyunjin was right. You should spend your time with someone important to you. Minho was just someone who you met two weeks ago who spilled your coffee to you because he was being a ditz. You deserve someone who you’ve known your whole life.

“So, why were you here all alone?” Jisung asks.

Jisung has been your best friend ever since you entered college. He was the reason why you met Minho and Jisung was the one who you’d go to whenever you feel like talking about Minho.

“Uh,” you trailed off, chuckling. “I got stood up.”

“Oh?” Jisung asks. “Like... date?” You nod and Jisung’s expression remains surprised. “I... I’m proud of you, Y/N. After what happened with Minho, you’ve been miserable and—is it alright to talk about him?”

“Of course!” You said, shaking your head. “Continue where you left off.”

“Are you sure?” Jisung asks and you nod. “How have you been since Minho’s accident?” How have you been? Miserable, as fuck. Especially now since you’ve made the mistake of being close to him again. Oh, yeah, and, uh, dying on the 25th of October.

“Good.” You answered. Minho’s back to your life, except he doesn’t remember you at all. “It’s been hard without him, but great.” You trailed off, feeling your voice waver. Jisung notices, of course.

“Let’s not talk about it.” Jisung says as he looks down. You took a deep breath, smiling at your best friend.

“I love that you caught me here, but I have to go, Ji.” You say and Jisung nods, fully understanding you. But no, he doesn’t understand what’s been happening lately, and you don’t plan on telling him. “Bye, Ji. Take care. Let’s do it again some time.”

“Take care, Y/N.” Jisung says and you stand up, taking your umbrella with you as you finally go home.

It’s been a bad day today. But you wish, Minho just told you why he stood you up.

six. — october twenty-four.

Minho hears muffled giggles as he stands in front of your apartment. “Jeongin, stop! I will fucking throw you out of the window, I swear.” Your giggles were loud, making Minho’s heart swell. It hurt. You’re so happy today, not knowing tomorrow you won’t be here anymore.

“Do it, I dare you!” A boy answered with laughter. “Is that what aunty and uncle taught you how to treat your younger cousin?” You only answered with laughter. “Hey, it’s almost seven. I should be going.”

“Right,” you said as you walked through the apartment. “Do you want me to walk you to the lobby?”

Then, the door opens. Minho’s eyes widen as he came face-to-face with your younger cousin. Jeongin was about to smirk when he realized the man in front of him was oddly familiar. Minho bows in respect and Jeongin does the same but with little reluctance. He was so familiar.

“Hey, uh, you don’t need to.” Jeongin calls as he turns away from Minho. “You got a visitor, by the way.”

“Oh? Who is it?” You ask from your room and Jeongin faces Minho again, gesturing for his name.

“Minho.” The said boy says and Jeongin smiles.

“Jeongin.” The younger says as he holds his hand out to him. Minho almost grabs Jeongin’s hand when he remembers. Sigh, Minho. To the hundredth power. Minho lowers his hand as he tries to look for a stupid excuse.

“My hand isn’t really clean right now since I... uh, played with a stray cat along the way.” Well, Minho wasn’t really lying. Jeongin chuckles, nodding as he lowers his hand.

“It’s Minho, Y/N.” Jeongin calls and a thud erupts, Jeongin laughing immediately as he shakes his head. “Come in, sit by the couch.” Jeongin instructs for Minho and he follows. Jeongin walks inside your room, ready to tease you on how excited you are until his eye catches your Minho’s picture at your desk. Jeongin frowns and he looks at you as you got the picture frame and hid it in one of your drawers. “Y/N.”

“Yeah, Innie?” You said, not facing him as you fixed the mess that you made on your desk in a way that looks like you’re panicking. Jeongin sees your hands visibly shaking as you paused for a moment, looking at your desk thinking of what to do.

“M-Minho.” Jeongin says. “That Minho looks like your Minho and they have the same name. H-How did you even know him?”

“Long story,” you said and you breathed in as you turned around with a smile. “A bit insane, huh?”

“Creepy, yeah.” Jeongin answers and you laugh lightly. “Does he know about your Minho?”

You shake your head, laughing lightly. “Come on, Innie. He... He doesn’t have to know everything. He’s just a friend.” You say and Jeongin nods. He shakes his head and you smile. “Take care. Tell your mom and dad I said hi, okay?”

“Yeah.” Jeongin says and you walk him out to your door. “Bye, Y/N.”

“Sure you don’t want me to—”

“Y/N! I’m not a baby.” Jeongin laughs in an exasperated way. You laugh, opening the door for him. Jeongin then turns to Minho, bowing at him lightly and he finally goes out of your apartment. “Have fun, Y/N. But not too much!”

“Shut up!” You laugh and Jeongin kisses your forehead. Your cousin finally leaves and you close your door. You take a deep breath, facing Minho who was already walking towards you. “What brings you here?” You ask him as you lean back at the door.

Minho stops at a distance, looking everywhere but at you. “I... I’m sorry I stood you up the other day. I was feeling—”

“It’s okay.” You said, nodding. You know what’s really up. Hyunjin told you everything and you forgive him. But something in you right now doesn’t want to be around him. “Is that all?”

“Remember what you told me in the playground?” Minho asks, his voice small as he feels so nervous right in front of you just like the first day you both met. “That we should do everything even though we’re reluctant of it?”

“What about it?” You ask and Minho takes in a deep breath.

“I love you, flower.”

Your head snaps up, looking at him. Did he just..?

“I know, too fast, but...” Minho trails off as he tries to look for the right words. “Something just keeps on gravitating me towards you, flower. I... It never felt like I was getting to know you. It felt like I was remembering you. It sounds insane and I just—”

“I love you, too.” You answered which left Minho speechless. Minho felt he was insane—you two are insane, but Minho doesn’t care. You do crazy things when you’re in love (Hercules and Meg were right). “Always have, always will.”

Minho marched up to you, cupping your cheeks and pressing his lips against yours. You were taken aback, but oh, it felt so good to taste his lips again. You kissed back, holding on to his wrists as you felt your knees weaken. Minho pulls away, looking into your eyes as you opened them.

“There’s something I need to tell you.” Minho mumbles and you shake your head. “Flower, listen, I’m—”

“Minho,” you cut him off, thumbs running circles against his wrists. “You don’t have to tell me anything. Don’t tell me anything right now. Please, just... whatever you have to tell me, don’t.”

“But, flower, you don’t understand.” Minho says. “You’d hate me once you find out.”

“I won’t.” You whispered, assuring him. How could you? You close his wrists together, hands wrapping around his closed ones. “I could never hate you. I love you, too much. More than anything.”

“Y/N, flower,”

"Trust me, my love. Never.” You whisper and Minho pulls his hands away from your, wrapping his arms around your waist as he pulls you impossibly closer, resting his chin on your shoulder.

Minho’s heart remembers you and that’s more than enough for you.

seven. — october twenty-five.

Minho has his hands shoved inside his pocket as he waits for the bus with you. You were to visit your parents tonight and even though Minho knows what is bound to happen, he still couldn’t help but grow anxious.

“You okay?” You ask as you lightly nudge him by the arm. Minho nods, forcing a smile to you. You know it, it was a fake one. Should you just tell him? No, telling him would make things even worse. “Promise?” You ask and Minho just nods, pulling his hands out of his pockets and pulling you into an embrace. You giggle, wrapping your arms around him.

“I love you, flower.” Minho mumbles and you pat his back, mumbling those three words back to him. Then you see the empty bus, coming your way. Your heart grows heavy and you move, pulling away from Minho. You hold him at arm length, smiling widely at him.

“Whatever happens is not your fault, okay?” You say and Minho grows confused. But Minho nods, anyway. The bus finally reaches you, stoppping in front of you. You breathe in, smiling at Minho. “Bye, Min. I’ll see you.”

Literally and figuratively.

Minho pulls you back by your wrist, cupping your cheeks as he presses his lips against your lips. You kiss back, lips dancing together as you wrap your arms around his torso. Minho pulls away, pursing his lips as he forces a smile again. “I love you.” Minho mumbles.

“I love you, too.” You answered. “So much. And I’m so thankful you came back.” You pull away, walking off to climb the bus. Minho was even more confused at your words as he watches your back.

The bus starts to move and you turn your back to him, instead of looking. Minho looks at the ground, frowning as he waits for the sound of the crash. He has to accept it, he has to accept that it was the only time given for you two. Minho clenches his fists as if trying to hold back.

But this is you. He doesn’t hold back when it comes to you.

So, Minho breaks into a run, chasing your bus. He wasn’t a fast runner, everyone knows that. But how the hell did he managed to catch up with the bus? Simple, you. Minho slams his fist thrice at the side of the bus, signalling the driver to stop. Minho slows down as the bus does, running inside and face you as he grabs your wrist to pull you out of the bus.

“Minho, what are you doing?” You say, but Minho stays silent, dragging you out of the bus. Minho drops your wrist as he manages to drag you away form the bus. You look around and slowly, time stopped.

Minho, not aware that you were able to move, pulls you into his arms hugging you and not wanting to let go. Minho takes in a deep breath, tightening his grip. You pull away, looking at Minho and sighing. Minho’s eyes widen.

“H-How could you..?”

“Minho, stop it!” You raised your voice as you glared at him. “Don’t you understand that we can’t do anything about it anymore?” Your tears started to stream down your face as you kept on speaking. “Please, I’m going back to the bus. Don’t stop it. This was meant to happen.”

You sigh, wiping your tears off and turning around to go back to the bus. But Minho was stubborn. He looks at your hand and grabs it, making sure to have a palm to palm contact, pulling you again and everything finally comes to him.

Minho shoves the envelope against Hyunjin’s chest as he read the details. “Not a good joke, Hyunjin.” Minho says and he shoves past Hyunjin as he looks at the envelope.

“Minho, I... you’ve been a great friend to me.” Hyunjin says as he turns around to look at Minho who only had his back turned to him. “I just thought... you deserve to know.”

Minho turns around, shaking his head. “What can we do?” He asks, tears welling up in his eyes as he looks at Hyunjin with hopeful eyes.

“Nothing, Minho. There’s nothing—”

“Well, we have to do something!” Minho raises his voice and Hyunjin winces at it. Minho never does that. He’s a happy person who never gets mad. “Hyunjin, that’s my fucking girlfriend. Dying on my fucking birthday.”

Hyunjin sighs, feeling bad for he can’t do anything. “Minho, time will freeze if you try to stop her from riding that bus. We can’t do anything. I’m so sorry.” Hyunjin says but Minho is stubborn. He will do everything just for you.

(Full Name), October 25, 8:37 pm. Cause of death: truck ran into her bus.

Minho looks at his watch. He still has exactly an hour to do something. Minho passes by Hyunjin, runnning his way to the station where you would be. Hyunjin could do nothing but sigh at his friend, following slowly.

Panting, Minho arrives at the bus stop. He sees you with a paper bag on your hand, earphones plugged in your ears as you wait for the bus. Suddenly, a bus stops in front of you and Minho runs to you, and before you could step on the steps of the bus, Minho grabs your wrist, pulling you back.

“Minho!” You exclaimed when you see him. “I was just about to go to your apartment, what are you doing here?”

Minho looks at you, panting and you look at him. “Baby, what’s wrong?” You ask as you grab his hands. “Baby, what happened?”

“N-Nothing, can we just walk the way to my apartment?” Minho asks and you frown, looking at the bus. “Please, flower, for me?”

“Okay, but when we get to your apartment, you tell me everything?” You asked and Minho nods. “Promise—” You stopped moving, offering him your pinky halfway in between your bodies. Minho looks around, seeing everyone has stopped moving just like what Hyunjin said. Minho grabs your other wirst to look at your watch, looking at the time but it has stopped. He looks around, tears pooling in his eyes. He lets out a quiet sob, hugging you tightly as he places a gentle kiss on your forehead.

You have so many things you want to do, especially with Minho. He only wanted for you to reach those dreams because it would make you happy. But how would you if you’re gonna ride this bus? An idea pops in Minho’s mind and it makes him hug you even tighter. Minho sighs, peppering kisses all over your face. MInho slowly lets go, looking at you.

“I love you, flower.” Minho mumbles, kissing your lips one last time. Minho looks at the bus, walking towards the entrance as he stands by the entrance, looking at you. Minho closes his eyes, repeating “Please, work.” phrase over and over again. Minho suddenly feels the bus moving and he opens his eyes, looking at you.

You blinked twice, looking around for Minho. Then you see him on the bus, he smiles at you, waving and you grow confused.

Hyunjin, who followed Minho was on the corner, watching the scene unfold right in front of his eyes. Hyunjin immediately fishes his pocket, pulling the letter out. It was still your name on it, but you were at the side watching. Hyunjin hears a crash and suddenly your name was changed to Lee Minho.

Hyunjin looks up, the bus laid on its side as the truck collided with it. Hyunjin turns his gaze to you, hands covering your mouth as you were unable to move. And that was when Minho’s punishment started.

You pull your hand away, looking at Minho. “No, no, no, no.” Minho mumbles, looking at you. “This isn’t...” Minho trails off, you come forward cupping his cheeks and you shake your head, closing your eyes. Minho rests his forehead against yours and you draw circles on his cheeks with your thumb.

“Flower, I..” Minho mumbles and you shake your head, bringing his lips forward to yours. Minho kisses back, pulling you impossibly closer by your waist. You pull away, Minho hugging you by your waist as he rests his chin on your shoulder. You let out a shaky breath, pressing your lips against his cheek. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t know. I couldn’t do anything to stop this.”

“It’s not your fault. It’s supposed to happen.” You mumble gently as you try to soothe Minho which was quite successful as he closes his eyes. “You did everything you could, alright?”

“But you had your dreams, you have a lot going on, wanted to do things you never did.” Minho says and you sigh, pulling away. You smile at him, wiping Minho’s tears off.

“And so did you.” You said and you sighed. “But, baby, this is what’s suppose to happen last year. Next life, we still have each other, right?”

Minho’s hands come up to your wrists, mumbling, “I don’t want to forget you again, flower.” And you sighed, smiling up at him.

“Minho, you didn’t.” You said. “You forgot your memories, but you kept on gravitating towards me. We’ll find each other again, I know it.” Minho sighs, bringing his hands down, arms cricling around your waist as he buries his face in your neck.

“I love you.” Minho mumbles and you wraps your arms around his shoulders, leaning your cheek against his head.

“I love you more.” You mumble and Minho pulls away, grabbing your hands and lifting them up to press his lips against your knuckles. You slowly pull away, cupping his cheeks, tilting his head to kiss the top of his head.

Then, you pull away from his touch as you walk towards the bus, climbed up and everything started to move.

a little ways down the road (or maybe longer).

Seungmin grumbled as he looked at you who was walking towards him in the office. “Just because you’re the boss’ favorite, doesn’t mean you can come in late.” Seungmin glared at you as you kept walking towards your desk which was beside his. Clumsily enough, you pulled your swivel chair out and placed your bag down on it. Seungmin started to grumble things out about being always late and having to cover your ass out from the snotty assistant of your boss. Having enough of it, you hand a cup of coffee out to Seungmin who brightly grins as he takes it. “You’re the best.”

You chuckle lightly, sitting on your chair as you begin to work on the paperworks that has been dumped on your desk way before you arrived.

“By the way, Y/N,” Seungmin calls and you look at him. “Boss gave us the half day, he’s going out later to spend the rest of the day with his mother who arrived from.. somewhere.”

“Oh, nice.” You mumbled. “That reminds me as well, I have to pick up flowers for my dad.”

Seungmin looks at his phone then back to you. “Happy anniversary to your parents.” Seungmin says and you mumble a small thank you as you look at your papers but your mind somewhere else. What flowers should you get this time? When your mother and father were on their boyfriend and girlfriend stage, your father would always plan something for the anniversaries until it became a tradition for them. And when you were born and would always admire flowers, your dad suddenly asked you if you could always be in charge of the flower boquet that he would give to your mother since he quite sucks at that part.

“Seung?” You call and Seungmin looks at you with a smile. “What flowers should I get this time?”

Seungmin turns to you, smiling. “What’d you get them last year?”

“Daisies.” You said and Seungmin nodded, thinking of what you should get.

“Roses?”

“Too common.”

“Sunflowers?”

“Got those last two years ago.”

“Tulips?”

“Um, no, I’m not feeling it.”

“Baby’s breath?”

Your head snaps up at the mention of the said flower, looking at Seungmin. Why.. did your heart suddenly felt.. heavy? You breathe in, lightly patting your chest, above your heart as you sit up straight. “What does it mean again? The flower.” You ask as you start working again, ignoring the heaviness that suddenly settled in your heart.

“I wanna stay with you forever, I think.” Seungmin says and you nod.

“Thanks.” You say.

“Sure.” Seungmin says as he goes back to his own work. You eye Seungmin who pokes his tongue out to you playfully, making you laugh lightly. And just like that, time passed by like a blink of an eye and here you are, fixing your things to finally go. When you’re done, you and Seungmin walk side by side until the exit of the building.

“Hey, Y/N, I have to go now. I have something to take care of.” Seungmin says and you nod with a smile.

“Take care, Seung.” You lightly smile and he gives you a grin as he takes the other way. You walk to the opposite direction, the bus stop to wait for a bus that would take you to the flower shop.

You sigh, looking around as you didn’t see that much people around. It was probably like this around this time, people being busy with either school or work. And you honestly kinda like it since it’s not crowded, but it feels like a ghost town.

Finally, a bus stops. Two or three people climbs down and you climb up, walking down the aisle as you want to be seated by the center. On the process of walking down to your designated seat, you lock eyes with a stranger and there it was again—the heaviness in your heart. You ignore it, continuing down the aisle as you finally get to your seat, getting comfortable on it.

Unlike any other day that you would ride a bus, you sa by the aisle looking at the stranger whom you locked eyes with. He was a stranger, but he felt familiar. And your heart never grew heavy like this. It would always get heavy at randome things, baby’s breath—just like Seungmin mentioned earlier—, cats, coffee, random people that you woul catch linking pinkies together, name it. But this one felt the heaviest.

You immediately moved to the window seat as you see his head turning around, but you were positive he caught you. Whatever. It’s ot like you two would see each other again anyway. You sigh, your eyes looking at the other side’s window and you see a long-haired man sitting on the side of your seat with a gentle smile who had a cup of coffee on his hand. He shakes his head, smiling as he clears his throat. “Is that your handkerchief?” He says as he points by your foot.

“No, not mine.” You awkwardly say, the shyness in your voice could not be hidden as your cheeks started to go light red. God, you were not good with interacting with strangers.

The man nods, standing up as he feels the bus stop. “Bye, Y/N. Take care.” He says with a smile as he walks down the aisle, not waiting or your reply. You watch him as he climbs out of the bus, meeting with a friend who was slightly shorter than him who has the same black trench coat as him.

“You, too.” You mumble and the bus finally moves. Soon, the man who knows your name gets off of your mind and you sit there at the bus with your earphones plugged in your ears as you watched the buildings that you pass by and soon, your stop comes. You stand up, keeping your phone and earphones in side your bag as you feel the bus stop. When it fully stops, you walk down the aisle and slow down as a lot was coming off.

Slowly, your head turns around to where the stranger you locked eyes with was seated but he wasn’t there anymore. You sigh, turning your head in front of you as you climb out of the bus and walk straight to the corner of the flower shop.

“Hi, Y/N,” the owner of the shop, Felix greets with a sunshine-like smile. “As expected, every year. So, what flower do you have in mind?”

Felix was your friend from college whom you met through Seungmin since they had another mutual friend. Felix was the boy who was an absolute sunshine to everyone, smiling at you even if he doesn’t know you. And you just absolutely love him.

“Um, baby’s breath. What do you think?” You ask.

Felix hums in approval. “I’ve been waiting for that name to get out of your lips for years.” Felix says as he gets ready to arrange your flowers.

“Why didn’t you just suggest it to me?” You ask with a laugh.

“Because that would be cheating, Y/N.” Jisung, Felix’s co-owner and his best friend says as he walks out of the room at the back with a watering can on his hand, walking past you to go around and water the plants. “We had a bet about it and I lost.”

Felix grins as he keeps working on the boquet. “We always have a bet on what flower are you gonna get every year.” Felix informs you and you chuckle, shaking your head. These two dorks, I swear.

“And he always, always bets on baby’s breath.” Jisung says as he looks at you with a shrug. You chuckle, looking at Felix.

“Why baby’s breath?” You asked and Felix shrugged.

“Don’t you remember your dreams, Y/N?” Felix asks and you raise an eyebrow at him. “Remember when we were together at the library and you fell asleep when you were supposed to help me?”

“You’re never gonna let that go, are you?” You laugh.

Felix laughs as well, shaking his head. “Not the point, Y/N.” Felix smiles as he holds the flower up, fixing some fallen flowers or branch or something. “I heard you mumbling in your sleep ‘I wanna stay with you forver, too.’ and then when you woke up you told me that you were holding a stem that had small white flowers on them but you couldn’t remember why.”

You tilted your head, trying to remember. But that’s weird. Why would you dream about it? You’d always forget that flower exists until Seungmin mentioned it today. What was it with that flower? Why did your heart grow heavy at the mention of the flower earlier?

“Here you go.” Felix says with a smile and you take the small boquet in your hands. You pay Felix and when you hear the sound of the cashier, you wave at Felix.

“Thank you, always.” You say. “Bye, Lix. Bye, Hanji.”

“Bye.” They both said with a smile and you turned around to exit the shop. Felix watches you through the glass panel and when you came out of sight, he turns to Jisung with a smirk.

“Where’s my 20, loser?”

It was beautiful. The tiny white flowers that bloomed made you smile as you just watch the whole time you were riding the bus and it honestly made you almost miss your stop. You went to your parent’s house, giving your dad the boquet he asked you for. With a kiss on his cheek and and I love you that was said by both, you went off to go back to go to your apartment, wanting to sleep the day away since you don’t have to wake up early tomorrow morning since it’s your day off.

You came home to your cat sleeping at the top of your bookshelf and you couldn’t help but chuckle. He would always pick the most uncomfortable places to sleep on. But hey, who were you to judge? You’re not a cat.

Yes, even though cats made your heart heavy, it didn’t stop you from getting one. You just love them so much and you always wanted one ever since you were a kid.

If one was to see what you would always do with your cat, they would assume that you probably planned your life living it alone already. I mean, come on, you’d always cuddle your cat, tell him about your problems and worries and especially about your heart growing heavy at most random times, and if you were being completely honest, you’d dance with him sometimes—but that’s a secret—but honestly, you just treat your cat as if it was your child.

So, here you are again.

“Hey,” you said as you move around to fix yourself. “I saw this stranger at the bus and we stared at each other. It was nothing, but I can’t shake the feeling that I know him from somewhere.” You said as you collapse on your couch. “And then another guy knows my name who smiled at me but I don’t know his name.” You said. You were honestly bothered. Who the hell was he? You sigh, biting your lower lip as you look at the ground. “But the first guy, he looks like someone, he’s so familiar. I just can’t name who the hell looks like him.”

Your soulmate, most likely. He looks like your soulmate but that was the last thing in your mind.

“So, Felix and Jisung would always bet on me every year on what flower I would request.” You say as you sip on your coffee. Seungmin across you just laughed, shaking his head at your two friends. “Did you know? Is that why you suggested baby’s breath?”

Seungmin shakes his head. “You just look like a baby’s breath person. Plus, it wasn’t the first suggestion.” Seungmin said and you nodded, shrugging. “Felix told me years ago you had a dream about—”

“Yeah, he told me yesterday.” You said with a smile.

Seungmin is your best friend. Ever since college, he was your ride or die. He loves to tease you, but when others do it, they better run away.

“So what did you do yesterday?” Seungmin asks.

“Not much. Just the flowers and then I went home and go sleep.” You said and Seungmin nodded. “How about you? Where’d you go yesterday?”

“You know my friend, Jeongin, the one who was still in college?” Seungmin asks and you nod. “He called me yesterday because he said he had an emergency. And when I went there yesterday he said it was all fixed and since I was there already, I chould hang for a bit.”

You laugh lightly. “He must be missing you.”

Seungmin looks at his phone and sees the time. “I should get going, I promised him yesterday I would help him with his papers.” Seungmin says as he stands up. “How about you?”

“I’ll walk out with you. I just came here because I had nothing to do, so now, I’ll be going back to my apartment.” You say as you fix your clothes, dusting non-existent dust off and when you’re satisfied, you grabbed your coffee. You move to the edge of the seat, standing up and sharply turning, coliding with someone’s chest. The person takes a step backwards as your coffee spill all over the person. You look at him with wide eyes as his eyes were down on his clothes, a small frown on his lips.

“Shit, I’m so sorry.” You mumble.

“It’s fine.” He mumbles and you palm your pocket to see if you have a handkerchief, but no you don’t. So you look for table napkins but it looks like you ran out of. So, you looked at Seungmin who was looking at you as you looked at his hand. Bingo. You snatched his handkerchief off and turn around to the poor stranger you accidentally poured coffee all over at as you placed the empty cup on the table.

You lightly dab on his torso, frowning ligthly as you continue your work. You gently grab his hand cleaning the spilled coffee off. You let his hand go, unfolding the handkerchief as you flipped on the clean part.

And then you stopped.

Dude, what were you doing?

You sigh, feeling the redness on your cheeks spreading. Suddenly, you feel something on your back pocket being pulled out and you looked at Seungmin who just holds your handkerchief out. Oh. There it was. You grabbed it and held it out to the stranger.

“I’m sorry,” you apologized. “I was panicking and I didn’t know what to do.”

“it’s alright.” He says with a light laugh as he takes the handkerchief, mumbling a thanks. He cleans the rest and with a smile he folds the hankderchief. “I would give this back, but..” He shrugs, gesturing on the handkerchief being unclean.

“No, it’s okay!” You said. “My apartment’s just nearby, maybe I can give you some spare shirt.”

He just looks at you with an unknown look as if he was studying you. “I’m sorry, you look very familiar. Have we met before?” He asks and you shake your head, looking at him. Oh! He’s the guy in the bus yesterday.

“I think I rode a bus with you yesterday.” You said and he laughed lightly, nodding.

“Yes, but not that.” He says with a light smile. “I just think, this happened before.” He mumbles and you nod. You feel it, too. It was all too familiar. Did this happen before? Have you two met but just can’t remember? But why won’t you remember?

“it does feel like this happened already.” You said with a soft smile. But deep down inside you, you know where it happened, you just haven’t been into that much thought yet.

“I’m Y/N, by the way.” You smile, holding your hand out to him.

“Minho.” He says with a smile, placing his hands in yours as he shakes them. You don’t know if it’s just the way he holds it or maybe his hand really does fit with yours like a puzzle hugging it’s piece.

For the first time, your heart felt joy not heaviness.

584 notes · View notes

ka-writes · 3 years

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Notes: READ WARNINGS!!

Please I really want you to be safe.. anyways, this is mainly a set up for the next chapter.. it has a shit ton of angst prepare yourself.

Also am very sorry it is late!! ‘‘Twas very hard for me to start writing it, btw I started another AU please go check it out, thank you <3

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Warning: Torture I go into detail, gore, cussing manipulation, characters lose sense of reality.

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In case you missed:

Chapter 1:

Chapter 6:

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Inspired by:

Humans are Space Velociraptors

By:FreshRoses_InMyGarden_NeedTheRain

Some kids come from storks, others come from crashed spaceships

By: mmmajora

Home Again, Home Again

By: teeth_eater

All works can be found on Ao3

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Ao3 link for this work:

And my other AU:

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Change 7: This is a dream… right?

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He was back where he started this whole thing.

In a cage.

One cage over from the door and now in the middle of the room. It felt empty and bare, yet full of an uncomfortable sense of dread and fear, though he would never admit that aloud.

This time there was only one other cage in sight. The room had changed as well. It was no longer covered in grime, or smelled of blood. Instead it was a sickly white and smelled of rubbing alcohol. Which caused his nose to burn with the overwhelming scent of the cleaning supplies, making the entirety of the room feel more and more like one of those horror stories in hospitals, the only difference being that this one was real.

The thing that replaced the other cages and humans was an operating table with vials and tools that Tommy couldn’t identify.

There were no lights currently, except for the same small door window, which was the only thing that really stayed the same.

It was cold, it felt empty. There was no description fit for the amount of dread Tommy felt. It was built up after laying in the dark for so long. It burned his gut and made his head swirl with thoughts of what would happen next.

He wouldn’t ever admit he was scared, but the situation kinda explained itself.

Without warning the door swung open. No squeaks like last time, just a smooth motion allowing the room to be basked in yellow light from the hall.

Then the lights turned on, immediately causing Tommy to shut his eyes. His head started throbbing and every fiber in his body screamed at him to run. The lights turned into blurry blinding blobs that lit everything in a white fire, making it apparent that the room was indeed scrubbed of any stains or blood. Once his eyes finally adjusted, his migraine caught up to him, making the entire thing unbearable.

“Hello there!” An alien stepped in the room. Their features were outlined in white and their skin wasn’t even recognized, simply because it looked like a shadow. They had claw-like hands and wore glasses over their white to red eyes. They had a black doctor’s coat and wore black pants with white knee high boots. They had a devilish tail along with devil horns and a floating white halo. Their fangs poked out from a blinding white mouth, which was curved into a practiced smile.

“My name is BadBoyHalo, but you will refer to me as Dr. Halo.” They finished with a sickly sweet tone and a side smile, “My pronouns are he/him, and I will be taking care of what happens while you’re here.. not that you will ever leave of course.”

His mind was racing. Everything told him this was real, but he couldn’t help but pray that it was all a sick dream.

“Now we will start off easy and move onto the harder stuff later! Please refrain from trying to run, we have a shock function attached to your translators.” This caught him off guard. Why was he using plural tenses?

He looked towards the other cage, that’s when he noticed the strange bee alien also wearing a petrified expression. His eyes didn’t wander to the other cage, only watching Dr. Halo.

“Now who do we start with?” The doctor asked, even though he clearly already knew. A twisted smile shone on his face letting the light catch the awfully amused glint in his eyes, “Let’s start with the droneling!”

——————

There was no explanation for where the two went.

They simply vanished. No traces to follow or reasons to run.

The only logical explanation was Dream catching them. Which meant Techno would have to ask around for where the ship was harboring. The only problem being, he was awful at talking to people.

“So what do you wanna know?” A tall Wollylock person asked, she was the only known person to know anything about Dream, being his mother and all.

“Er- information on the Dream Team Ship.” Techno stated rather awkwardly.

“Why?” The captain asked, impatience clearly visible with her expression.

“They took two starlings from my crew.” At that the captain practically fumed with furry.

“I will help. After all, that boy needs to learn some manners.” The captain stated, her determination was infectious. “What is your craft’s name?”

“The SBI Craft, piloted by captain Philza.” He said robotically.

“Course it has to be Phil. That man has what, four kids he claimed to his crew..”

“Technically, I am not a kid, neither is Wil- Er our scientist, so really he’s only harboring three kids, now one since two were taken..” Techno decided that was the best explanation he could come up with, though there was really no point.

The captain chuckled and brushed off the other’s attempts at defending the crew. “Just send me the ship’s cords and your captain’s contact and I will be in touch.” With that the captain slid a communicator over the table and walked out of the sketchy bar.

Techno made his way back to the ship and delivered his captain the news. He tried to ignore the gut feeling that everything was wrong…

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(The next section has graphics depictions of torture and gore, please skip this section if it could or will trigger you in any way, there is a summary at the end. Thank you <3)

The world moved unbearably slow. The cage opened ever so smoothly, making him want to throw up. It was the sign that everything was going to go to hell.

That’s what this has to be right? A hellish nightmare that wasn’t real..

No that wasn’t right..

Did it matter?

A hand yanked his wrist out of the cage and into the blinding white room, that felt like fire surrounding him as he stepped to the operating table.

Needles and scalpels were set neatly on a silver tray. The restraints were heavy and felt like they burned his wrists and ankles. He was pushed onto the table as the ‘doctor’ slapped on gloves. More restraints were clipped over his waist and thighs.

Then something pinched his leg. He felt the blood rushing it’s way down to the cut, as a scalpel carved out a rectangle. He could hear scissors cutting something, and distant screams… were they from him?

He didn’t know at this point. More agonizing cuts on his legs along with a couple of needle pin marks.. a couple snaps of an illusion disk and a bit of writing, on both his skin and paper..

He couldn’t really feel anything after the first one, only simply knowing that his body was reacting to the pain yet his brain hadn’t quite caught up with reality.

It was like he wasn’t exactly controlling his body, just simply existing in the dream-like state. Time didn’t exist there, neither did recognition of the pain. Emotions ran wild. Turning all of his thoughts sour as he attempted to remember what happened.

It wasn’t until the doctor un-clipped him and put him back into the cage that he noticed the other.

That’s who did this to him. That’s the person that pushed him through pain.

The human wore a terrified expression as the doctor took him out for his turn.

He couldn’t help but smile at the other’s pain. The other deserved it..

Right?

(If you skipped this, Tubbo got tortured and blamed Tommy for the situation.)

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“IT’S BEEN A FUCKING MONTH! And you still haven’t found your son’s damn ship?!” The man on the other line was furious, and rightfully so.

Puffy undoubtedly understood the anger the man had. I mean she had been in the situation before when her youngest was kidnapped by another crew of pirates. The only difference in this situation was she was fighting against her son, her duckling… when did her duckling turn sour?

“You’re right about that, Phil. I can assure you Niki is doing everything in her power to track them down, along with Jack.” Jack joined the team after Puffy met Niki.

She must admit that having someone working in the ISF had its perks. Though no one could fully trust him. For good reason of course.

“Ponk is ‘talking’ to Sam, he sure as hell ain’t cracking yet.” She finished bitterly, “Like I said Quakity is waiting for his monthly letter from his fiancé, which would hopefully give us a clue at where to look.”

“I am still trying to wrap my head around the fact that it’s been a month.. Wilbur said the humans barely last a full week if they aren’t treated..” The worry was lining his face and causing the bags under his eyes to look more like nasty black eyes. His face was sullen making it apparent the man hadn’t been eating properly. His wings ruffled at every noise and he seemed to be running purely on coffee. Puffy wanted nothing more than to return the man’s unofficial sons back to him.

——————

Everything was great!

The plan worked perfectly, and Sam hadn’t cracked yet.

Meaning he could easily start on the next faze. The only issue would be he’d have to gain both of the starling’s trust.

Even if the present was a bitter reality lined with things that would annoy him, the end result would be worth it.

Having a human and a nuke expert by his side would allow him to have everything he ever wanted.

Power.

Not just power, but all the things that came with it. He wouldn’t be questioned again, and everything and anything he said would be the final word.

It would be hell for those who crossed him, and even worse for those who abandoned him.

Wilbur, Sam, Ant, Quackity, Foolish, and even mother dearest, Puffy. They would all pay for their disloyalty. Once this is all over, they would never cross him again.

I mean he did give up everything to gain this life.

There was nothing to lose and everything to win, and he’d be damned if he didn’t win.

I mean he sold his soul for this!

It was all worth it.. right?

Of course it is. Stop doubting me child.

——————

28 days of torture, and now they were sitting with their captors playing house.

It was wrong. So utterly wrong.

“Eat your food Tommy.” The captain commanded.

Tommy complied not wanting to go back in the cage. Every day he woke up there, more things were shoved into him and more pain was given.

“You too Tubbo.” The command was given and the other complied, the same fear visibly shown.

“Reports.” Dream stated sternly, the rest of the crew compiled without hesitation.

It was a bunch of regular reports of how no one knew where they were, what supplies needed to be restocked, the current condition of the ship, and any developments with the news. A bunch of boring bullshit. He bit back any sarcastic remarks that threatened to spill, but refrained in fear of what they would do to him.

The crew was dismissed leaving Tubbo, Tommy, and Dream alone.

“I want both of you to listen.” Dream started his tone raising all hairs on the back of Tommy’s neck, “Phil and his crew led you to us. They didn’t comply the first time and poisoned your minds. We did the right thing, and fixed you. Now, there are some rules you have to follow. You may not wander the ship, only go anywhere with one of the crew members. You will both share a room and follow the same schedule. Anything you do that is not an order deserves a punishment, for it is proof of what the other crew poisoned you with. Now! Go to your room, it has a black door.” With that the man finished and the pair headed towards their room.

The speech sounded right, yet felt wrong. But everything was justified, therefore it was fine. Plus the worrying was just a problem for future Tommy, maybe that’s what Dream meant by the other crew poisoning him.

The other said nothing as they entered the room, only fixing Tommy with a bitter gaze which turned into something of confusion. Neither one slept, they couldn’t bring it in themselves to sleep, especially since Dream hadn’t told them to.

Instead both of them settled into a silence as they lay on their bed, only getting up when the man told them too. This was all they could really do as they faced their new reality. Slowly but surely their brains began to believe every word of the speech. Finally when the man asked to join him, a bubbly sickly joy gave them the grace to finally help their rescuer.

Six months after the initial capture, one month of torture and five months of vigorous training, consisting of fighting, weapon design, and hours of studying blueprints, they were finally able to go on their first mission with their rescuer, not questioning anything any of the crew said at this point. Sick months of training and they became living weapons ready for whatever the cruel world threw at them…

This is a dream.. right?

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Chapter 7- End

Words: 2221

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Notes:

Hahahaha I am in pain from writing this... please bare with me.. ;-;

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Dream is being a manipulative bastard... I mean the character. More specifically my take on Dream’s character in this situation... ahhhhh

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I hope you’re staying safe, don’t forget to take care of yourself!! <3 also likes are appreciated but reblogs are always better! <3

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whentheynameyoujoy · 3 years

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So the ATLA Movie Is... Good, Actually?

Just kidding, of course it’s not, it’s so bad it sucked the paint off my walls. But after ten years of people pointing out its glaring flaws, why would anyone bother talking about this garbage heap if not to go the other direction? So here’s a very brief and very superficial list of things the movie does get kinda... not atrociously wrong.

And they won’t be fake hipster pokes, like “It’s fun to laugh at”, “The Rifftrax for this is OK”, or “Kudos to the actress for managing to say we believe in our beliefs as much as they believe in theirs with a straight face”.

(though now that I mentioned it, it is fun to laugh at, the Rifftrax for this is OK, and massive props indeed.)

Rasta Iroh

Yes, I know it’s not exactly the aesthetic of the real Iroh or that it makes no cultural sense for him to sport this do when no one else in the racebended Indian “OMFG what were you thinking Shyamalan” Nation does but goddamn, long-haired dudes are my one mortal weakness and I will ogle the hell out of him.

Jesus is that a man bun I see that’s it mum I’ve been deaded

Yue’s hair

No.

Now we’re talking. Yue’s hair turned white when the Moon spirit gave her life, so it makes sense for it to go black again when she sacrifices herself to revive the koi fish. It’s a neat detail I find myself expecting whenever I rewatch the scene in the show. Yes, I realize it’d be a pointless hassle to animate since she, unlike in the movie, immediately goes on to become the Moon herself but still. I like.

The Blue Spirit’s mop

Zuko, hun, what’s with the dance-off?

First of all, I want to imagine that Zuko the Theatre Nerd was about to leave his ship with just the mask like in the show but then stuck his head into the cleaning cupboard and went, “Yeah, more coverage might be good, even though it do seem mighty fried to shit”.

Which makes me giggle. I like to giggle.

And secondly, the hair’s movement is what makes the static mess of the Blue Spirit’s solo fight scene appear at least bit more dynamic because God knows the cinematography isn’t doing it.

Any particular reason why it’s at the edge of the action, shot all boring-like?

Now, I get why circular shots would be reserved for Aang while he’s in the practice area and then used once the two join forces. What I don’t get is why Aang’s part of the action scene has a defined visual style while Zuko’s delegated to a few stationary wide shots from afar as though he’s a tertiary goon, meaning that when the time comes to combine the respective pieces of cinema language and visually convey collaboration, there’s not really much to combine.

But as long as Zuko is stuck in this static mess, it’s that awesome disaster on his head flopping about that draws the eye, helping me understand that something even is going on over there.

It also prevents me from paying much attention to how the extras are mostly just staying put and a lot of the hits don’t land, so that’s good.

The music slaps

James Newton Howard is too good for this.

youtube

Pls ignore that the word “gods” is used in the ATLA universe

I can’t be the only one who constantly uses this piece to daydream about writing specific fanfic scenes instead of, you know, actually sitting down and writing them. It’s just so good at communicating a sense of sorrow while speaking of rebirth that I find myself getting misty-eyed whenever I listen to it. Unfailingly, the soundtrack as a whole manages to break through the mile-thick crust of horrible acting, confusing writing, and uninspired cinematography and make me feel things. And considering how everything on screen is working against it, that’s no small feat.

Imagine what a powerful experience it would be if the score was used in service of an actual movie.

Dev Patel

No wonder since he’s the only one in the film occupying that crucial intersection between “is a good actor” and “was given something to work with”. It also doesn’t hurt that he breaks with the trend of actors starring in martial arts flicks despite never having done any martial art.

And all EIP-jokes about “stiff and humorless” aside, he’s a pretty decent Zuko considering how abridged this version of the character is. A while ago, I remember hearing a reviewer say that with his comedic chops, Patel should have been cast as Sokka. And on one hand, yes, god, absolutely, I need to see that asap. But on the other? He captures all layers of Book 1!Zuko, the desperate obsession, rage, and self-loathing, and at the same time gives you a peek at the soft momma’s boy dork that’s buried underneath. For Christ sakes, he exudes intensity and ambivalence even when acting against an emotionless hunk of wood that’s giving him nothing in return.

Oh, and I guess there’s a tree in the frame.

Ba dum tss

What can I say, the guy’s good.

Showing vs telling

OK, so this movie is all tell and no show, except for one single moment. And it’s the exact moment where the original goes in the other direction in terms of how information is conveyed.

See, I never liked this. The revelation is preceded by Iroh giving advice to Zuko who scolds him for nagging. Iroh then apologizes, moves in to say the line above, and is interrupted by Zuko who seems rather uncomfortable with Iroh laying his feelings out like this. And once they’re out, Zuko verbally confirms that he knew already and Iroh didn’t need to bother.

All this extraneous information and pussyfooting ends up weakening what should be a profound scene that reveals to us, the viewers, how deep the relationship between these two in fact runs.

Compare to the movie where Dadroh acts like a parent by fussing and worrying, with Sonion needing a single look to tell him and us that he understands what it’s all really about.

It’s genuinely efficient and just good.

No Cataang

Fine, a bit mean-girl bitchy from me since I only start minding the ship in Book 3. And probably unintentional on the part of the creators since there are moments where I think they’re trying to set the romance up? There’s a, well, an attempt to recreate the famous introductory shot of fateful meaningful destiny of meaningness, there’s some slight note of saving each other’s bacon going on, I’m pretty sure they’re the only ones in the film who smile, and oh, right, Katara’s shoved into her post-canon useless role where she doesn’t ever do anything, and is all about Aang right from the get go.

Yes, I will blame the “executive producers” because a) I’m incredibly petty, and b) it’s perfectly in line with their vision of the character so why the hell not.

Hilariously, none of it reads on screen because the actors are just... yeah. These poor kids are struggling so much with delivering their own lines and portraying their own characters they don’t seem to have any strength left to create something between them. To be fair, the bare-bones shot-reverse shot style of their scenes doesn’t exactly lend itself to the idea they occupy the same universe, let alone are friends or each other’s crushes.

And I enjoy this immensely because it allows me to forget the depressing horror show Katara’s life turns into post ATLA.

Yes Zutara

I need to delve into this because it’s fucking hilarious. So in a movie which fails to establish the original’s central romance so spectacularly that if Aang got lost in a crowd I don’t believe Katara would notice, SomEOnE thought it’d be a good idea to add an utterly unnecessary non-canon moment where Zuko for some reason feels the need to pause his character-defining hunt for the Avatar which otherwise has him ignore everything and snap at everyone, and explain his central conflict to an unconscious peasant he doesn’t know, complete with gently pushing the hair from the pretty girl’s the soulmate’s the Water Tribe Ambassador’s the Fire Lady’s the love of his life’s her face away, AFTER his uncle nagged him twice to find a girl and settle down.

I just wanted to make sure we’re all on the same page and this is what we really saw.

Celibate Avatars

I have no idea why the decision was made, if TPTB thought expecting viewers to understand the story through the lens of Buddhism would be too much, or if the “executive producers” already worked their retconny magic. What I do know, however, is that there’s a big shift in worldbuilding and Aang’s struggle with his role as the Avatar stops being a personal conflict defined by a) his grief for Air Nomads, b) his notion of being robbed of the loved ones in his life, and c) the selfish attachment to Katara he confuses with true love. Instead, what he has a difficulty to accept is apparently a general notion of who Avatars are supposed to be, i.e. a fantasy version of Catholic monks, no family and worldly relations, period.

I guess either someone understood the original’s portrayal of de/attachment as “hermit no freaky”, or thought the audience would so why not go there outright.

Now, do I like this on its own? No, God no, it makes the world infinitely poorer and changes the story from an exploration of ideas which aren’t all that ingrained in the West, to a cliché tropester about a Catholic priest going Protestant so that he could be with a girl.

At least I assume that’s where they were going to take this eventually.

I mean, I think the direction was “look conflicted, this isn’t the final stage of your journey”?

But consider this—the show went there, it built on the concepts of Eastern philosophy and touched upon the ideas of spiritual awakening, only to swerve in the end and strongly imply they’re bullshit and Aang should have never wasted his time with them.

So honestly, I much prefer scanty worldbuilding to an insulting retcon by a damn rock.

Multiracial Air Nomads

Probably the most substantial “no hint of irony” point on this list and a genuinely good addition to the universe’s worldbuilding.

See, the notion of the elemental nations being perfectly separate and never mingling before Sozin has always been sketchy but it’s especially ridiculous in the case of airbenders. It never made sense to me for all airbenders to be Air Nomads and for all Air Nomads to be monks and for all monks to be chilling at the temples all the time to facilitate a quick everyone-dies genocide should an imperialistic warlord ever decide to commit one.

Because committing everyone to a single way of life at a handful of places kinda goes against the central philosophy behind airbending. Like the freedom and nomadism part.

Instead, there should be more variety to the airbending culture, with some staying at the temples as monks, hermits, and teachers while others live as nomads, travelling the world and creating more airbenders, with the resulting children in turn being influenced by the non-airbending cultures they grew up in.

And thus, not only should airbenders not be modeled after a single culture to create a one-size-fits-all lifestyle, but they should have the most diverse and dynamic culture out of the four nations.

And it’d be precisely this diversity which would pave way for an eventual reveal that some of them survived, that their complete extermination is impossible.

Because they’re everywhere.

You know.

Like air.

#atla #atla movie #zutara #anti bryke #dev patel #the last airbender #anti-kataang

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anotherhellchild · 4 years

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📂 i love your headcanons!

Aaahhhh thank you so much!!

Alright so, in honour of ur username…. Imma spout a Dadzawa + Bakuson + cat headcanon

(Quick shout out to @arschemy first tho! This was originally her idea and she really helped me <3)

The sun’s going down and Katsuki is on his way back to the dorms from his run.

It’s cold out, not cold enough for a jacket but definitely cold enough for a long sleeved shirt. The sky is getting darker and Katsuki’s heavy breaths become visible after every short exhale. The boy’s maybe got another three or four kilometers left before he’s back at UA’s gates, he’ll probably be there in about ten minutes.

A small, dark gray dot appears on the light gray concrete about two meters away from Katsuki’s feet. Then another falls a little away from there. Soon, more specs materialize and before Katsuki knows it, rain starts pouring down all around him. The street is empty. His hair dampens and falls down his forehead, wet locks of blond hair cover the top of his eyes. Raindrops slide down his neck and partially soaked socks make every step uncomfortable.

He should probably pick up the pace.

There’s a loud shriek. Or more accurately, there’s a loud shriek-like sound.

The noise comes from the alleyway to Katsuki’s right and the teen halts his movement right away.

Taking a couple steps back, Katsuki peeks past the corner of the wall. He’s just in time to see a cardboard box flip over and fall to the ground. After a moment of nothing, the thing knocks itself about three centimeters to the left.

Katsuki’s pretty sure unanimous objects aren’t supposed to be able to do that.

He should probably investigate this.

Making sure to keep his footsteps light, Katsuki carefully steps closer to the box. He needs to be cautious, you never know who or what could pop out from under a box in a sketchy alleyway.

mrrreowwww!

Oh. It’s just a fucking cat.

Great.

Somewhere, deep in the teen’s heart, Katsuki’s honestly a little relieved. Everywhere else though, Katsuki feels really stupid.

Not everything is out to get you, you fucking idiot.

Maybe he’s starting to turn a little paranoid.

The side of the box lifts up slightly, just enough for a little black paw to stick out from underneath.

Katsuki stares.

A black nose nudges it’s way underneath the box too, it fits perfectly in the gap created by the small paw. Whiskers and pointy teeth poke out from under cardboard.

Soundlessly, Katsuki crouches down.

The cat's head nudges and squirms it’s way out from underneath the box, once the small, drenched face completely finds its way out of its cardboard prison, it freezes.

Katsuki doesn’t move.

Big, red eyes stare into his.

Neither of them blink.

Rain still falls around them. Fat drops of water crash to the ground and two creatures get soaked in a stare off.

The cat gives first, it carefully tilts its head before cautiously continuing the process of getting out from under the box. It’s eyes stay locked on Katsuki.

Katsuki blinks then, the movement is slow and he doesn’t dare move any other muscle.

The cat blinks back. The thing’s found its way out from the box and it takes a cautious step towards the blond. Its black, spikey fur is a little tangled and really wet. Its ears are back and flat against its head. The thing looks underfed, cold and ready to pounce.

Katsuki offers his hand.

The distance between the two is closed slowly. After a couple sniffles, the cat comes even closer, maybe it senses Katsuki’s warmth. Maybe it craves that warmth.

Fuck.

Katsuki didn’t think he’d be relating to a fucking alleycat when he left for his run an hour ago, yet here he is.

The boy carefully gives the shivering creature a pat on its head. The thing immediately demands for more.

No.

Fuck.

He can’t get attached to the fucking cat. He’s not even a cat person for fucks sake.

mew

A little black paw comes up to tap Katusuki’s hand after it paused in its movement. Big red eyes seem to glow in the dark.

Tch.

When the hell did he become so weak?

---

Katsuki prays to any deity that nobody hears him enter the dorms. He really really really does not need anybody talking to him right now.

The cat squirms around in Katsuki’s shirt. The thing’s still shivering a little bit, but it’s already much better than twenty minutes ago. It serves as a nice lil’ heater on Katsuki’s chest too.

After looking around to make sure the coast is clear, Katsuki makes a bee-line for the stairs. By some miracle, he actually manages to make it to his room undetected.

Once he’s got the cat inside, Katsuki does his best to help the little guy out.

First, he takes the thing to the showers. Luckily for them, it’s too early in the evening for anybody else to be around in the bathroom so they get all the space they need to clean/ warm up.

It doesn’t take long for Katsuki to discover the hardest part of the whole ‘cleaning process’. Even though the damn thing is already soaking wet, it absolutely refuses to touch the warm, clean water Katsuki prepared for it. Lets just say that giving the cat a much needed bath has earned the boy quite a couple scratches.

The cat’s an annoying lil’ beast.

After both of them are all cleaned up though, it’s easy for Katsuki to brush the tangles out of the cat’s fur. The animal doesn’t put up any fuss and it actually seems to lean into the touch.

Katsuki finds some dinner for the both of them after all that is said and done. The cat desperately needs some food and water and although there isn’t any cat food in the dorms, they both make due with some random things Katsuki finds in the kitchen.

It’s too late to go out to a pet store right now, that’s just going to have to be done tomorrow.

The rest of the night, Katsuki and the cat just chill together. Katsuki honestly never knew watching a cat chase a laser could be so entertaining.

This kind of sucks, he thinks a couple hours after he found this monstrosity of a creature stuck under a fucking cardboard box in some random alleyway.

He looks down to where the bundle of black fur is curled up on his chest, the damn thing is purring and maybe maybe it's definitely already earned a special spot in Katsuki's heart.

I can’t keep you.

Katsuki knows he can’t. It would be unfair to the cat and it would be too selfish of him.

It’s not like he wants it this way, but he knows- he knows the cat deserves better.

So, there’re really only two options:

1) Take the cat to a shelter. It’d probably find a good home to live in. There’s no guarantee that would be the case though.

2) … Aizawa’s birthday is coming up. Katsuki hasn’t thought about what he wants to give his sensei yet but, everyone knows the man has a soft spot for strays.

Yeah, Katsuki’s already made up his mind.

---

It’s been a suspiciously normal birthday so far. Shota’s a little over 15 hours into the day and somehow, with his hell class, nothing drastic has happened yet. It’s almost unsettling, not that Shota’s complaining of course. He just… isn’t used to this relative normalness.

Whatever, he’s decided to just enjoy it. Perhaps the gods have finally decided to grant him a small break and the least Shota could do is accept that.

Anyway, Shota’s almost done giving his feedback speech to the kids and once it’s over, he’ll finally be free to take a much deserved nap.

“All in all, you guys did a good job today. Each of you know what you need to improve on individually so make sure you do. Dismissed.”

The class tiredly falters to the changing rooms at his words, except one stays where he is. The sight makes Shota sigh.

This is gonna be trouble, he thinks. The particular kid who's decided to stay behind is kind of notorious for- well he’s notorious for a bunch of things, but Shota will just use the word ‘danger’ for now.

Bakugou walks towards him as soon as the rest of the class is gone.

“Hey teach, I uhh gotchu somethin’.” The absolute hell child kind of awkwardly scratches the back of his head with those words. It’s obvious he’s having trouble with this, nevertheless Shota is incredibly proud of how far he’s come with his people skills. “Happy birthday I guess.”

Bakugou hands him a small, poorly wrapped package.

Honestly, Shota’s pretty surprised by the gesture. He… wasn’t expecting this. The class has already congratulated him with cake and gifts this morning, it was cheesy and sappy and sweet and it was done. The moment has already been had and it’s also already passed. Now Bakugou, of all people, is showing an extra form of affection towards him with whatever is wrapped in that paper.

Has the kid been hit with a quirk or something?

Unwrapping the package, Shota discovers... a collar.

Oh god.

It’s red with black seams on the outside and black with red seams on the inside.

Shota’s getting a very foreboding feeling about this, he’s also quite confused.

The man looks up to find Bakugou smirking.

“You can flip it around so either the black or red side shows.” The boy says.

“Bakugou, wha-?”

“I chose this colour cause it matches with his eyes.”

The kid crosses his arms over his chest. Somehow, the smirk on his face grows, an unnamed feeling in Shota’s chest grows with it.

“Also, I haven’t gotten a name tag yet cause I figured you’d want to name him yourself. Personally, I kinda liked ‘Dynamite’, but it’s obviously up to you though.”

Shota gulps. Pieces are falling together and he’s not sure he likes the picture they show.

What exactly did his devil spawn student do?

There’s no way- did he? Did he do what Shota thinks he’s done?

“Alright alright, look.” The kid says, hands up in a defensive stance. “Calm down sensei, jeez. Stop looking at me like you’re having a heart attack. I’ll explain, Okay?”

Shota takes a deep breath. He will show now sign of hope or excitement on his face.

“I was out on a run last week and I found a stray cat. I brought it back to the dorms cause it looked like shit and I- I just didn’t wanna leave it there.” Bakugou frowns at that, his gaze tears away from Shota’s and focuses on the ground instead. “Whatever. It’s really sweet and it deserves a good home. I knew you really liked cats and with your birthday coming up and all I just kinda figured you might want him? If you don’t then that’s fine of course, I just- hmph. It’s a good cat, okay?” The words are spoken clearly, Shota knows they’re used to hide insecurities though. Katsuki’s on the defensive.

There’s a lot to unpack. The main thing Shota notes is that Katsuki’s clearly gotten attached to this cat of his.

To be honest, Shota’s already made up his mind about this.

“So, you’re telling me you’ve been hiding a cat in your dorm room for a week now? You’re aware that’s against the rules right?” He keeps his voice calm and monotone.

The kid huffs. “Yeah, I have. And I do. I wanted to wait till your birthday to give him to you though, it’d kinda spoil the surprise if I told you.”

“True.” Shota stands up, thank god his capture weapon is there to hide his smile.

Katsuki looks up to him and there’s a bit of a pause. He stares at Bakugou and Bakugou stares right back.

“Well, am I going to be allowed to meet Dynamite or what?” Shota says, one brow quirked up in challenge.

Bakugou releases a breath, shoulders relaxing. “Yeah, you better take good care of him though, sensei. You won’t be forgiven if you don’t.” There’s a smirk on the boy’s lips, but his eyes are dead serious.

A fucking shovel talk.

Heh, leave it to his hell child to give such a casual yet intimidating shovel talk about a cat.

Pretty impressive.

He’ll be a fine hero, Shota thinks.

---

So, Dynamite is a fucking angel. Shota loves him and it’s no wonder Bakugou got so attached to him, the cat literally follows the boy around everywhere and Bakugou is definitely its favorite person.

It’s kind of nice, seeing the kid relax and let loose whenever he comes over to the teachers dorm for the creature. It happens quite often and Shota even brings the thing over to the dorms sometimes, just so Bakugou can hang out with it for a while.

What? It’s good to see the kid’s shoulders slump down whenever Dynamite sits on his lap. Bakugou absentmindedly strokes soft, black fur and the actions automatically makes his guard drop, albeit slightly.

Honestly, at this point Dynamite isn’t even his cat anymore. It’s his and Bakugou’s cat.

Shota doesn’t mind.

#IM SO SORRY THIS TOOK FOREVER TO ANSWER #pls forgive me ive just been so busy #and i really kinda hated my writing #but i felt so guilty for making you wait so long :((#am very very sorry #anyway #the cat and katsuki are besties :)#Dynamite chills on katsukis shoulders all the time #it very cute #bnha #bakugou katsuki #shota aizawa #a cat #BNHA Headcanons #my hero academia #Headcanon #disclaimer btw: i know nothing about cats #do like them tho #folder ask!!

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theodora3022 · 3 years

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Love You To Hell And Back(Yandere Claude)

Pairing: Yandere Claude Faustus x F!reader

Summary: Upon running away from home due to an unwanted arranged marriage, you took up a maid position in the Trancy household. You thought it would be simple, lay low for couple of months then the other family would cancel the engagement. Being a maid should be easy right? Just wash and clean the house and saying yes to their lords. You never thought you would end up in such a bizarre and dangerous household.

Notes: I am a Claude simp. If you do not know before, you do now. Do not get the wrong idea, Sebastien is handsome alright, but there is just something about those golden eyes makes me shiver in the best kind of way. (Also I love the French pronunciation of his name but whatever)

Word count:2k

Warning: Non-con touching, coercion, possessive behaviour, general Yandere content

SFW

As a lady on exile, you do not have many options. Your relatives were out of the question since they could inform your parents of your whereabouts, and so does all of your friends. Luckily, you figured out the perfect solution: disguises! And who is more unnoticeable then a maid? They blend naturally in the background of drawing rooms and parties, no one will bat an eye if there happen to be an extra one. Nobles do not care for servants, so a forged name and documents would get the job done.

Answering advertisements seems to be a good way to start. Ah, there is one right here. The Trancy Estate? To your knowledge, there is only one young lord there, and you are not acquainted with the family. Seems the ideal choice: “Only for two months, as a replacement.” You know being a servant would be unpleasant, compare to your noble lady life now, but you had chosen between this instead marrying a man you despise.

Packing some essentials, you thrown on a simple cotton dress borrowed from your maids and sneaked out. You thought you had escaped from hell, not knowing you are better off staying. Because, you had quite literally, walked into a spider’s trap.

A dark-skinned maid welcomed you, explaining how she has to leave the household for some personal business while giving you a small tour of the building. She seems nice enough, although you were curious why her right eye is covered by bandages. The manor is dead quiet and empty, giving you an illusion of how you can hear your own breathing.

“Miss Hannah, where are the other servants?” You shiver, tightening your clock just a bit. Although it is only autumn, the winds are chillier in this house, or so you felt.

“There is only five of us. Me, the triplets, and Sir Claude the butler. Our master can be...difficult, one could say.” Handing you a basket of maid attire, Hannah seem to be terrified of this master she speaks of.

I wonder why he is so difficult. You thought as you thanked her and settled down in the little servant room you were given. Better put on these maid clothes soon, getting use to them as fast as possible. Blue and white does not look so bad together.

Kitchen duties are not so bad since all you need to do is chopping up vegetables and wash the dishes while the triplets took care of the cooking. Dusting is a nuisance, but with enough efforts it was taken care off. The triplets are an odd flock, as they never speak unless necessary. All your befriend attempts had failed miserably, you felt as if they look down on you somehow? Since you only do backstage work, you had yet to meet the master and his butler. Not that you mind, you want to kept your existence covert, after all!

You were trying to dust off the chandelier in the drawing room when you first met Claude. The stairs you use are a bit unstable, which causes you to have major anxieties about falling.

“Ahh!” You squeal as your staircase finally deciding to let you fall. Closing your eyes in horror, you were certain you are going to suffer at least bruises. But the expected pain never came. Instead, you felt a strong set of arms had caught your body mid-hair.

Gazing up, what did you see?

Oh did that gorgeous face make this fall worth it. The tall man in black reminds you of those flawless Roman statues, of King David. You never thought humans can be this magnificent.(Well you are still right, as he is no human)

Gently placing you back on your feet, Claude started to examine you behind those clear glasses. You quickly smoothed the wrinkles on your skirt as you dip your head for greeting.

“Greetings, kind Sir. You must be Sir Claude. My pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am (y/n), the new maid.” Gods, he is handsome. You were not even sure words can describe how those golden eyes made you feel. Are you blushing? Ugh, get it together, self! He is only a butler here. It is beneath you to swoon over him. You put on a smile, then courtesies to the stoic man in the most elegant way possible.

The lack of callus on your fingers and your sophisticated manners informs him that you, are no ordinary maid. As a servant to his lord, Claude needs to make sure no sketchy individual can harm him. Some investigation would need to be done.

How interesting...Why would a high-born lady such as yourself ran away from your prestigious noble house, only to serve as a humble servant here? Just where did Hannah dig you up? Ah, that is no matter at present. Surely your cheerful spirts can light up the dull days of this mansion. The only thing Claude need to ensure is you do not expire as quickly as others. Alois can be such a spoiled brat; however no harm should befall to you as long as he can help it.

Your voice reminds the demon of little birds of forest mornings, chirping delightfully to a new day no matter how horrid the night before was. The way you thank him stuttering then trying to go back to your duties are just adorable, and amusing. It is clear as day:you are fascinated by Claude’s pretty face. Quite bold for a lady to do so. Claude had met a lot of people in his long life, but none of them intrigues him so as you do. He cannot grasp what exactly, but there must be something enchanting about you, that makes him want to pull you close and do unspeakable things to your good, pure body.

Tender and cautious, that is what the knocks on his office door suggests. It is late, way past Alois’s bedtime. Who could have business with him this hour, apart from his demanding lord? “Come in.” Claude’s curiosity had spiked up.

It is you, still dressed and with a plate in your hands. What a pleasant surprise. And are those pastries?

“I...baked these for you, Sir. I want to thank you for your help earlier today.” Looking away, you quickly remind yourself how you should never indulge too much. However you had already spent two hours of your free time trying to bake something decent.

Did your parents taught you it is improper to visit a man’s quarters this late at night, alone? How rebellious of you, not that Claude minds anyway. You might appear to be demure and good at first sight, but under that nice façade is a bold maiden who does not care for modesty, how complex.

Chocolate chip biscuits, but with distorted shapes. “I am not very good at this, so I totally understand if you do not wish to eat them. I jus want to properly show my gratitude, that is all.” Nervously fidgeting your apron corner, you bit your lip when he raises one of them to his lips and took a small bite.

Edible, but has lots of room for improvement. Claude can practically taste your eagerness to please from the chocolate spheres. Seeing your gaze fixated on him, expecting his comments on your work, Claude let out a quiet laugh. Which made heat rush up to your cheeks. Is that a good or a bad response? It cannot be that terrible can it?

“Come.” He signals with a hand wave, and you hesitantly walked beside his chair. How cute, the butler and the little maid. It would be a shame to just give you some half-hearted praises and send you out, wouldn’t it? It is what a gentleman would do, of course. Claude on the other hand, has never been one. He could entertain that appearance for his lord’s sake, but in this little room with just you, there is no need for charades.

You were shocked when one gloved hand pulled you swiftly onto his lap, with the other locked around your waist, pressing you against his chest. Of course, you fantasized the idea of being the lover of such a fine specimen of mankind, but only the idea of it. Even though you are nothing more then a lowly maid now, you are still a lady of nobility with conducts of propriety.

Your shrinking pupils made Claude realize he might be pushing a bit too fast. But human lives are so fragile, so short compare to demon ones. If he does not seize this opportunity, who knows when is next one going to arrive? Whether it is your intention or not, Claude is now mesmerized with you. Now that he is holding you this close, breathing in your intoxicating sweet scent, the old demon had his first epiphany of a millennium: you are lovely, and he intends to keep you this way, one way or the other.

Squirming with protests, you tried to get out of his suffocating embrace. “Sir, this is not proper, please let go of me.” Yet you achieve no results, those iron grips still hold you firmly in place, those same arms that spared you an embarrassing fall this morning.

“Little bird, finally thinking about propriety? You should know better then coming to my office this late unless you want something to happen.” Claude is close, too close, you can feel his breath fanning your ears gently. Gloved fingers trace down your jawline, making you tremble with fear. “Am I right, Lady (family name)?” You froze. What how did he-how do he know you are not a mere commoner? Had he already done a thorough investigation on you?

“Now, repeat after me, little bird.” His golden eyes shifted its color to pink, round pupils bending into a thin line. In normal circumstances, you would be terrified of how his features suddenly changed, but now you are too possessed by his intense gaze to think of anything else. Those eyes, you felt as if you could drown in those two magenta pools.

“I love Claude Faustus forever and I would do anything should he asks of me.”

“I-I love Claude Faustus f-forever...and I would do anything should....should he-e asks of me.” It is still your voice, although those words are defintely not your own. What is happening? Why do your tongue just moved on its own like man possessed?

“Perfect.” Running his bare fingers through your hair, Claude left a light kiss on your forehead, ignoring the horrid expression you are wearing. “You will behave, right little bird?”

“Of course, Sir Claude.” You did not just say that !There is no way. What has this evil man done to you? You never should have come here. Your terrible fiancée at least could not cast spells on you!

“I’ll take good care of you, my dearest little bird. After all, your fate is defined since the moment I lay my eyes on you. We are destined to be together.”

“Oh, do try to behave. It would be a shame if something should happen to your dear family. I would hate if you end up like your other human predecessors.” His lord, despite his young age, is a master at torture and inflicting suffering. There is a unfortunate reason why there is only a few servants in this manor, and the fact that they are durable demons too. Claude knows exactly where you would end up had he not intervened. Do not worry, he would never let you go. Demons mate for life, didn’t you know that? Why resist?

“I love you my dear, to the hell and back. We shall stay together until the end of time.”

#black butler #black butler imagines #black butler fanfiction #yandere claude faustus #claude faustus #yandere black butler

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angloie · 3 years

Text

Charms.

(1/?)

> Percy likes to deceive. Lie, manipulate, more lies; it was a part of his job, after all. Annabeth has been deceived. Lied to. Manipulated. She's an woman of many secrets- secrets she'd rather not let anyone know.

> Assassin! Percy x CEO! Annabeth.

> Warnings: Mostly angst + fluff, character death and some violence. Nothing too explicit. Mentions of blood/mild injuries as well as alcohol. (characters are aged up!)

pt. 2 || pt. 3 || pt. 4 || pt. 5

Percy's thumb rule was never do anything he didn't want.

To live a happy and healthy life, that was completely normal; especially for such a laid back guy like him.

Choosing this... rather wild career was something he wanted to do, willingly. Life was short, so why not make the most of it? It was getting awfully bleak with the normal civilian life. After all, no one would believe the nice young man who helped the old man carry the groceries to his car would be someone who killed for a living. A smile so bright that it could give the sun a run for its money and warm sea green eyes could hide so much more than just innocence.

The ceiling to floor windows of his penthouse showed a breathtaking view of the New York skyline, sun moving behind the tall buildings and moon replacing the orange hue. Being an assassin had its perks- despite endangering his life on multiple occasions. The pay was just out of this world. All that cash just to kill off some sleazy politician, or that one corrupt buisness man? Sign him up. Zero hesitation.

Percy frowned at the dried blood on his once pure white gloves. He was quick to peel them off. He shuddered at the unsightly view of a small stain of blood on his onyx-colored suit.

He would just buy a new one later. Small things like that didn't matter. Sure, that might've been a gift from one of his clients, but it wasn't anything he couldn't replace.

Hanging his coat on the rack beside the wide entrance, he sighed with clear tiredness. One night of forced politeness and smiles took a toll on him- Also due to the fact that he had just done his job as an assassin. It wasn't what you could call easy.

His muscles were aching and sore in all the worst places, every move throbbing with full pain. The shallow slash on his lower abdomen had soaked his shirt in a dark crimson red, most likely going to leave a bad stain. He would have to clean that later.

The penthouse was big and rather spacious. White Walls and abstract paintings lined them, reflecting off the almost pristine marble floors. It took a while for Percy to get settled in, it being a huge place and all that. But he soon made it feel like home with the help of old picture frames that held memories and the Nemo stuffed animals resting on the leather couch.

“WOOF!”

And Mrs. O'leary.

Mrs.O’leary- a huge, slobbering dog with thick black fur- bounded towards him in a frenzied greeting. She hopped up on her hind legs to lick his face, tail wagging at a unmatched speed. She barked again, this time more quieter.

“Yeah, yeah. It's nice to see you too.” Percy laughed as he tried to pull away. Once he went to the kitchen to grab a bone-shaped treat. “Who’s a good girl?” He cooed, tossing the snack in the air. Mrs.O’leary jumped up to snatch it before barking and padding away. Her tail still wagged with elation.

When Percy first moved here, it was quite nerve-racking. He'd heard that this place was an especially good spot for people like him- meaning people who did some illegal activity. Well, that was what he assumed. Percy was 99% sure that his neighbor just in the penthouse below him, (Leo was it?) had to be involved in some sketchy stuff. That creepy smile of his with a mysterious staining his shirt never meant any good. Or maybe when his other neighbor, had a odd looking duffel bag slung across his shoulder. Oddly human shaped, maybe. With a horrible smell of something rotting. Percy recalled introducing himself a Nico DiAngelo. A pretty reserved and quiet guy, usually having a frown of his face. Well, other than that time when he had his boyfriend over, a sunshiney guy with sun-kissed hair. He never got the chance to catch his name.

Wrapping a white cloth around his wound, Percy's met with a sense of familiarity. Fixing his own injuries by himself. It would bee nice to have some help once in a while, but that would mean exposing him. He's definitely not ready to risk that.

Other than his boss and a couple of really close friends, no one knows about this. Percy nearly slipped up once- when a old companion from high school came over to visit, and his small arsenal of weapons were revealed. The little compartment hidden behind a painting. Not another word wasmsaid about it. Percy made up some half-assed excuse about auditioning for a movie so they were fakes.

It didn't take much of a expert, but the were far from fakes.

His phone rang from beside Percy, making him jolt in surprise. The contact name made him smile just the tiniest bit.

"Hey, mom," Percy began. "Why'd you call?"

"Can't your mom check up on you once in a while? How are you?" Sally beamed, cheerful voice on speaker mode.

He walked over to the bathroom where he stood in the full length mirror. A hint of blood seeped through the white bandage; now full wrapped. "Good. How's Paul and Estelle doing?" He asked.

"They're doing great! Me and your step dad went out with Estelle yesterday to see the movies." Sally smiled. "Estelle is growing into such a energetic ball of energy." She joked. "Just like you."

"Is that so?" Percy laughed, splashing his face with water. It felt cool on his skin, causing tiny pricks of coldness to pop up all over.

For a while, him and Sally conversed. She told him about her day (mostly gushing about Paul and Estelle) while Percy smiled and listened. He did his best to hide the fact that he'd been fixing up his wounds in silence. He cursed silently in pain when he touched an sensitive spot on the slash.

"Percy? Are you alright?" Sally asked in concern.

"Yeah! I just... hit my elbow. Its nothing. " He hastily replied.

"Okay," Sally exclaimed in relief. "By the way, when are you going to visit your old woman? Estelle misses you, you know."

"Yeah, well tell her I miss her too." A sense of gloom over took the conversation. "Look, I'm busy now but..." Percy looked over to the mirror again. "I'll call you later. Maybe I can visit you guys over there soon." He exhaled.

"We're looking forward to it! Isn't that right, Estelle?" Sally gave the phone to the little girl who was jumping with excitement.

"Come over soon Perce!" She garbled. It sounded like she was eating something halfway.

"I will. Talk to you later, 'Kay?"

"'Kay!"

A wave of guilt overwashed Percy as soon as he ended the call. It was killing him inside, to not be honest with them about his real job. They just thought he was a simple marine biologist who got one hell of a promotion. Yeah, he wished. That seemed easier than killing for a living. He was going to tell them sooner or later. He just had to. Not today- not anytime soon, that is.

Jolting himself out of his thoughts, Percy's phone rang. He was quick to answer it. Was it Sally calling again? Percy put down the metal spoon he was holding, letting it rest in the pot of soup bubbling on the flat stove.

“Hey, Percy!” The horribly familiar voice rang from the other side of the line. Percy grimaced.

“What is it?” He groaned.

“Is that any way to talk to your boss?” He tsked. “But I have news for you!”

“Do tell,” Percy muttered and went back to his soup.

“I have a mission.” Apollo grinned widely. “You up for it?”

“Again? Didn't I just do one yesterday?” Percy rolled his eyes. He was tired; completely tired. Usually the missions weren't this close together- sometimes they could be even months apart.

“Yeah, but this one won't happen for a week or so. And it ain't just the typical mission.”

“Yeah? And what's that?”

“Its a info operation. Meaning-”

“I know what that means!” Percy interjected. “Just tell me the details already. I’m hungry.”

“Jeez, okay mr. grump. Annabeth Chase. You know her?” Apollo said, scoffing at Percy's tone.

“You mean the owner of that one architecture company? What about her?” He asked.

“She’s connected with Thalia Grace and Luke Castellan.” Appolo explained. “Apparently people have been talking about their new heist that they're planning. By what I've heard, it's going to be huge.”

Those three names- Thalia Grace, Luke Castellan, Annabeth Chase. Annabeth especially, was the most well known in the regular world. Her being the stoic founder of Athchase as well as being a crazy rich and famous person, that's a no brainer. Luke and Thalia, on the other hand, their heists were well known anywhere. Annabeth didn't have a criminal record of any sorts. That's a big reason she can keep up her reputation. It's not like the woman did anything wrong, its just that... the fact that she is connected with the two is enough to ensure suspicion. Growing rumors of her planning some of their crimes were spreading fast. Percy's heard of things like that, her being the mastermind of killing and stealing.

“Alright," He nodded. "Im interested. Go on."

“New York. That's where the three plan to meet up. Get information, maybe use your charms into getting her to trust you."

"N-new york..!?" Percy was left shocked at that.

"I've booked a flight there. 5 in the morning sharp tomorrow. I reccomend you arrive on time." Apollo chuckled.

"Yeah, whatever."

"And Percy?" He called out.

"Hm?"

"You have my full permission to kill Annabeth when you're done." Apollo darkly said, hanging up without another word. Percy rolled his eyes for the tenth time on the call.

Well, all right.

Next destination: New York.

"So, New York, huh." Annabeth swirled some of her cocktail in the glass, circling her wrist in a rotation. The blue liquid swirled together in a repetitive motion. Sapphire Martini tasted rather bitter on her tounge, but decent nonetheless. She enjoyed the slight orange twist.

"Why here of all places?" She asked.

"Its a golden opportunity, dear Annie. The Olympians only gather once in a blue moon, so we're going to make the most out of this!" Thalia sipped from her own glass, some regular red wine. She'd never had such a taste for 'Those fancy rich drinks'. Whatever that meant.

The Olympians, as Thalia said before, were a group of 12 of some of the wealthiest and prestigious people from across the world. Only a few select people could be a part- it was exclusive as to anybody who was just normal as a couple million rich. New York would be holding a auction quite soon on a famous opera house; and surprise, they would be there.

"Don't call me that." Annabeth winced at the name. "And who exactly is we?"

"Don't go all acting like you didn't agree, alright? Plus, you can gain a thing or two from all this." She grinned.

"I have a company to run, Thals, You know very well that I dropped that type of business years ago." Annabeth shook her head. "This is seriously risky."

"But you love that. Don't you?" Thalia pressed, standing up.

She truly did. The thrill, the rush of energy you couldn't get anywhere else. Thats what had driven her to join Thalia and Luke in the first place. That feeling alone made her eyes sparkle with desire.

"Yeah." Annabeth places her drinkdown back on the glass table. "I do."

Okay I'm back with some more hot garbage!!! here's my latest thing-- a assassin au. I need to do a ship other than percabeth tho 😔😔

#percabeth fanfic #percabeth oneshot #percy x annabeth #percabeth #percy jackson #percy and annabeth #pjo oneshot #annabeth pjo #pjo fluff #percabeth angst #percabeth fluff #annabeth chase #pjo thalia #thalia grace #jason grace #grover underwood #percy and grover

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little-diable · 4 years

Text

Hello stranger - Negan (smut)

Man I just love him and writing for him. Enjoy my loves. xxx

“Wrap it up, we’re leaving.”, Negan called as he intensely watched Rick, a devious smirk on the saviors lips, his green eyes were focused on the former cop. “Don’t look at me like that Rick, don’t worry, I’ll miss you too.”, he winked at him and turned towards the vans, whistling his typical tune as he swung Lucille over his shoulder.

“I didn’t really believe the stories it at first, a man called Negan, who walks around with a baseball bat, who also seems to be a true asshole? It sounded a bit sketchy, but it truly reminded me of somebody I knew, somebody from my life, before the apocalypse.”, the voice made him freeze on the spot, he slightly tilted his head to the side, eyebrows furrowed together as he slowly turned towards her, “Hello stranger.”.

A chuckle escaped him as his eyes found her (y/e/c) ones, he pressed Lucille into Simons hands, strode towards her and wrapped his arms around her. (Y/n) laughed against his skin, squealing as he picked her up, wrapping her legs around his middle, “how the fuck did you even survive?”, he murmured against her forehead, kissing her soft skin. “Oh stop that, as if you thought, that I was dead?”, her eyes were wandering across his face, the all too familiar warmth began to spread through her, it felt surreal, to finally be back in his arms.

“Come on, follow me, we’ve got some things to talk about.”, he began to walk towards the vans once again, only stopping as “now, why would I follow you?” left her lips. (Y/n) couldn’t quite pin point the expression on his face down to anything specific, “I’m not letting you stay here, (y/n).”, the icy undertone in his voice made her shudder, his expression was hard, emotionless, not giving her any space to argue.

“I can’t just leave, Negan.”, she didn’t care about the confused bystanders, her heart was still rapidly beating, hands buried in the pockets of her leatherjacket, knowing not to enrage her old friend any further. A groan left Negan, he ran a hand across his face, “I’ll bring you back tomorrow, if that’s what you want.”, a smirk made its way onto her lips, she still knew how to handle him, good.

Rick grasped her wrist, ignoring the sharp glare Negan shot him, “you shouldn’t trust him, (y/n) he-”, Negan's sarcastic laugh interrupted him, a distressed expression grazed Ricks features, slightly turning his head towards his enemy. “Don’t worry, I’ll be back tomorrow.”, she squeezed his hand, shot him one last smile and walked towards Negan, taking his hand. “Don’t.”, (y/n) pinched his skin, stopping him from embarrassing Rick any further.

The two of them were riding in one truck, he had to bite down any sarcastic comments, that were about to bubble out of him, knowing that she was in no mood to be messed with. “I missed you, doll.”, Negan smiled at her, eyes momentarily wandering across her face, truly taking her in for the first time, since he had last seen her. “Missed you too.”, she mumbled, trying to control her racing heart, biting down the gasp, that was about to leave her as he placed his hand on her thigh.

“Welcome to the sanctuary.”, he whistled, fingers interlaced with hers, Negan wasn’t planning on letting go of her anytime soon. He pulled her through the hallways, up the stairs, to his quarters, “is Lucille here?”, her question made him visibly gulp, the grip he had on her hand got tighter. “No, she died a few years ago.”, Negan whispered, fumbling with the handle of his door.

Wordlessly she pulled him in for a hug, hands grasping the fabric of his worn out leatherjacket, her insides were churning, her heart felt heavy, she had loved Lucille, it was hard to process the fact, that she was gone, truly gone. (Y/n) could still remember most of the nights, where she had crashed on Negan and Lucilles couch, head pressed against his chest as she was sleeping upstairs. Even though (y/n)s heart had always been aching for him, she had never crossed the invisible line, never found the strength in her to admit her feelings to him, knowing that she could easily lose Lucilles friendship on the way.

“It’s alright, still got her with me.”, he patted his baseball bat, the typical Negan-smirk on his lips, he pushed her down on his couch and walked towards his stack of alcohol. “Same as usual?”, his voice got raspier, he was trying to push the old memories, that were about to flood through his mind, away. An approving hum rumbled through her, (y/n) was pulling off her jacket, unlacing her boots, trying to get herself as comfortable as possible.

Negan placed the glass of whisky down on the coffee table, sat down next to her and pulled her legs onto his lap, this felt like a dream. He had terribly missed her, (y/n) had always been one of his closest friends, his shoulder to cry on, if things with Lucille were about to escalate once again, but she had also been the girl he had been crushing on for the longest time. It felt surreal to be reunited with her, years after he had last seen her, “so, how’s life?”, she casually asked, bit down on her lip, to stop the ridiculous smirk from spreading.

He told her all about the sanctuary, about their rules and his reasons for going against Rick and his community, trying to make her understand, why he was treating them like that. She intensely listened, hanging onto every word, that left his lips, keeping herself from drifting off into another daydream, where she’d think about their past experiences together. “What about you?”, he mindlessly ran his hand up and down her legs, sipping on his drink every now and then, relishing in the feeling of being that close to her.

“You know, the usual I guess, lost my parents along the way and somehow stumbled across Ricks community a few days ago, desperate for a place, where I could sleep, without having to worry about any nearby walkers.”, a yawn left her lips, followed by a drowsy smile, (y/n) took a hold of his wandering hand, “I truly missed you, Negan.”. He pulled her against his chest, inhaling her scent, trying to remind himself once again, that this was real, she was indeed sitting next to him, he had her back, finally.

The savior couldn’t keep his hands from wandering underneath her shirt, giving into the feelings, that had been taking up his mind for the longest time, coaxing a small groan out of her. She lifted her head off his chest and grasped the fabric of his red scarf, (y/n)s eyes were hooked onto his green ones, only slightly switching her focus down onto his lips, debating wether or not she should just give into her cravings and kiss him. Negan seemed to make the decision for her as he dipped his head down and lightly pressed his lips against hers, tasting her for the first time ever.

His stubble was poking her skin, intensifying the new sensation, her hands grasped the back of his neck, keeping him from moving away from her. Negan pulled her onto his lap, deepening the kiss as he pushed his tongue past her lips. She moaned into his mouth, slightly moving her hips against his, feeling the growing bulge in his pants, “shit doll, I’ve pictured this moment so many times.”, he moved his mouth down her jaw, sucked on her skin and slightly bit into the spot underneath her ears.

“Fuck, me too.”, she could feel the faint beating of her pulse between her thighs, her eyes rolled backwards, (y/n) had to remind herself to breathe, she was put under his spell, wrapped in his embrace. “Bet you’re panties are fucking soaked by now, huh?”, he whispered into her ear, shamelessly cupping her centre, her palms were sweaty, giving into the tingling feeling, that was crashing upon her in waves.

Negan rose from the sofa, with her wrapped around his body, he pinned her down on his mattress, hands finding their way back to her core. “Please, Negan, touch me.”, she pressed her head into the soft material of his bedding, "on one condition only.”, he stopped his movements, eyes finding hers.

“You’ll stay.”, (y/n) seemed to snap out of her trance, she firmly placed her hands on his chest and shoved him off her. “You fucking asshole.”, she smirked at him, he hadn’t changed at all, this felt like a big déjà-vu to her, reminding her of the day, where she had told him, that she’d only touch him, if he’d come clean to Lucille, something (y/n) knew he’d never do.

“Payback’s a bitch, doll.”, he dipped his head down and kissed her, Negan had to taste her, knowing he had her trapped, she’d give into his command in a few moments, only guessing, that she must feel the same way about him. “Fuck.”, she moaned into his mouth, hands holding onto his jacket, “okay”, she nodded her head, trying to convince herself, that this was the right thing to do. “Good choice.”, he kissed down her neck, hands wandering underneath her shirt, exploring her soft skin, up to her boobs, Negan groaned as he noticed, that she wasn’t wearing a bra.

(Y/n) lifted her head off the mattress, pulled her shirt over her head, exposing her skin to his hungry eyes, her head was spinning, he was touching her, finally, after years of teasing each other. “You’re gorgeous, doll.”, he sucked on her nipples, his beard was roughing up her skin, a burn she’d learn to love in no time. Her own hands were beginning to wander, exploring the unfamiliar territory, up his chest, where she tugged on the fabric of his white shirt, hoping that he’d get the hint.

“Patience”, he mumbled against her skin, snatching her hands off his chest and pinning them down on the bed, Negan was still showing some love to her chest, admiring her skin, the skin he had wanted to touch numerous times before. Slowly he kissed his way down to her trousers, hands placed on her thighs, crawling closer to her aching heat.

His eyes found hers as he pressed a kiss to her clothed core, she didn’t need to see his lips, to know that he was smirking at her. Negan finally began to take off some of his own clothes, first the leatherjacket and then his white shirt, (y/n)s eyes were dancing across his skin, desperate to feel his skin against hers.

Negan unbuttoned her trousers, whispered a small “up”, for her to lift her hips, helping him pull the fabric down her legs, her panties were soaked through by now, completely ruined by her wetness. “You’re dripping.”, he chuckled against her thighs, slightly biting into the skin, teasing his way up to her core, where he shifted her panties to the side and plunged one finger into her heat, without warning her. “Oh shit, Negan.”, her hands found his hair, tangling themselves in it, trying to keep herself grounded, scared that she’d slip away any time soon.

He ripped the fabric apart, ignoring the small protests, that left her lips, he added another finger into her heat as he kissed her clit. “Shh”, he whispered, trying to stop her from moving around too much, she hadn’t been touched like this in a long time, (y/n)s mind was racing, trying to stop herself from coming right there and then. Negan seemed to realize, how desperate she was to finally feel him against her, he slowly rose from the bed, tugged off his own trousers and boxers, while he was staring down on her.

(Y/n) crawled towards him, grasped his throbbing length, only to he pushed backwards by him shortly after. “Relax.”, Negan kissed up her neck, to her lips, he pushed his tongue past her lips as he ran his tip through her folds, coating himself with her slickness. A moan fell from her lips, (y/n) interlaced her fingers with Negan's, her breathing got quicker the moment he finally pushed his length into her heat.

Negan had his head buried in the crook of her neck, groaning against her skin, she felt good around him, tight, much better than he had ever imagined. She wrapped her legs round his waist, trying to pull him even closer, moaning his name, he completely stretched her, she was able to feel his every vein.

“Negan, please.”, she needed him to move, to fasten his pace and wreck her, like she had imagined so many times before. He smirked, lifted his head off her skin and began to pound into her, set on a ferocious pace, making her squirm underneath his body.

“So desperate.”, his eyes wouldn’t leave hers, Negan could tell that she was already close, she probably hadn’t been touched in a long time, thank goodness, otherwise he’d probably feel that small tingle of jealousy rise in his veins. His name fell from her lips, a fire was building up in her abdomen, pushing her closer to the edge with every thrust of his.

He kept on rolling his hips against hers, (y/n)s walls were clenching around him, “Negan I -”, her first orgasm of the night washed over her, she moaned his name, nails clawing into the skin of his biceps, not noticing the way his eyes were admiring her. Negan felt something coming over him, that he hadn’t had felt in a long time, something that had always connected him with Lucille, love.

Soon he was pushed over the edge as well, slowing his movement, “you’re perfect”, he whispered as he ran his thumb across her lower lip. (Y/n) smiled at him, ran her hand through his sweaty hair and pulled him in for another kiss. She finally felt at ease, in the arms of the man she had loved for most of her life, excited for what fate had planned for the both of them together.

#negan imagine #Negan #negan fanfiction #Negan x reader #JDM #JDM imagine #jeffrey dean morgan #Jeffrey dean morgan imagine #Jeffrey dean morgan x reader #Jeffrey dean morgen fluff #negan smut #twd #twd imagine #the walking dead #the walking dead negan #the walking dead imagine #the walking dead smut #rick grimes #negans thirst squad

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ri-ahhh · 4 years

Note

what about drunk y/n bluntly saying all the things he wants to do to gray and he’s shocked bc she’s usually really shy. ( inspired by the first lines of pu$$y fairy by jhene) “ i like to suck when i’m drunk” “i like to fuck when i’m drunk”

Loud music thuds in every corner of the West Hollywood house you and Grayson walk into for a random party he had been invited to earlier that day. Ethan had chosen to stay at home, but you and Gray both needed to get out of the house, and while parties weren’t really his scene, socializing felt like a better alternative to Netflix tonight.

Grayson daps up his friend that’s throwing the party and introduces you to him. He seems nice enough, but you barely catch his name before he’s excusing himself to greet some other people that have just walked in.

You catch Grayson’s eye and lean close to shout in his ear so he can hear you over the YG song blasting through the speakers nearby. He smells even better this up close than he had in the car, clean and masculine with that woody undertone that’s just a permanent part of him now. “Do you see anyone else you know?”

He shakes his head, switching places with you so his mouth brushes your ear now. You’re sure he can feel the shiver his warm breath and too-close proximity elicits, but you’re glad it’s potentially dark enough for him not to see the goosebumps flaring across the skin left exposed by your simple bandeau top.

“Not yet!” he says, and his huge hand places itself on the small of your back as he lifts his head to inspect your surroundings. His long fingers radiate warmth and calm your nerves a bit as you also take in the features of the house you’re in. It’s big, but not a ridiculous mansion or anything, which makes you feel a little more comfortable about being somewhere that you know literally nobody else.

Until Grayson speaks again, that is. “Are you good by yourself long enough for me to go piss? I’ve been holding it since I got in the car.”

‘No!’ screams the petrified introvert inside you.

“Of course,” smiles the rational grown woman you pretend to be most of the time.

He grins back at you gratefully. “I’ll be like, five minutes tops,” he assures, moving his hand from your back to your hand and giving it a squeeze.

You cling to his fingers until they’re forced to drop away with the distance between you, and watch his broad body thread through a crowd of fellow partygoers as he follows the handwritten sign with an arrow labelled ‘bathroom -- you puke, you clean.’ It’s pathetic how much you miss his presence already, but it’s not like this is the first party you’ve ever been to; if there’s any safe place at a house party for the single person to go, it’s the kitchen.

You’ve only made it a handful of yards away from where Grayson left you when suddenly a large someone stumbles into you, his drink sloshing precariously in his solo cup.

“Woah!” he says, holding his drink up and away as he glances down at you, clearly tipsy. To your dismay, some of whatever is in his cup has spilled onto your jeans, but you try to just chalk it up as a party foul without getting too annoyed. “Sorry about that.”

“You’re good,” you offer with a polite smile, brushing off some of the droplets that cling to the denim stubbornly. At least now you have another excuse to get to the kitchen and preoccupy yourself with something until Grayson returns.

The guy blinks and looks you up and down unashamedly, and you fight not to roll your eyes. He can only be described as a Chad, looking every bit the frat daddy with his Supreme t-shirt, snapback backwards over his too-long hair, and alcohol-induced predatory gaze.

He offers you his hand, and out of instinct you take it, but instantly cringe at how clammy it is. Being too nice to douchebags is definitely one of your character flaws. “I’m Brad.”

You can’t help but laugh at the irony, because of course he is, but he must take it as a flirtatious giggle or something, because he smiles back at you. “What’s your name? I’ve never seen you at these things before.”

You tell him against your better judgement, and Brad does that thing where he pretends not to hear. He pulls you by the hand still clasped in his and brings you closer to him, as if to hear you better. This time, you can’t stop your annoyed eye-roll, telling him again with finality and pulling away quickly. If Grayson’s closeness that way made you shudder with desire, this guy makes you do it with disgust.

Really, you just want Grayson again. You need him.

You finally rip your hand out of his grasp and give him a tight smile. He starts to speak again, but you cut him off. “Well, it was nice to meet you. I’m gonna go find something to clean myself up with.”

Whether he’s just an idiot asshole or because of the alcohol flowing through him, Brad doesn’t take the hint. “Aw, beautiful, I said I’m sorry! Let me come with, and I’ll make you a drink to make up for it.”

“Dude, I literally just told you my name,” you say, unable to help yourself as this guy’s douche-meter hits record highs with that. “Thank you, but I’m good. Please leave me alone.”

You turn on the spot, but you can feel him following close behind. Luckily, the kitchen is only one room over, and even more in your favor, Grayson is already there, shining like the beautiful angel he is under the recessed lights.

He meets your eyes when you walk in, and you give him the bug-eyed ‘save me’ look that you hope translates to boy as well as it does to girl. He cocks an amused brow, but then his eyes fall behind you and see Brad trailing you like a lost, horny dog, and he frowns immediately.

“Hey,” he greets, opening his arms to you at once as soon as you wiggle through the other minglers between you. You fall into them and sigh in relief, so happy to see him that you stand on your tiptoes and plant a warm kiss to his stubbled cheek.

“Hey,” you return, pulling back and looking up at him with a smile. His eyes are still locked on Brad, who has stopped in his tracks but not walked away. “Brad here spilled some of his drink on me by accident but doesn’t seem to think I’m capable of cleaning up myself.”

“Nah, I was just gonna make you a drink, babe, remember?” he slurs, narrowing his beady blue eyes at Grayson, like there’s even an ounce of intimidation behind them.

Grayson scoffs, and shifts so he’s squared up with Brad. He keeps his arm slung over your shoulder to hold you against him protectively, and you hold onto the hand of that arm with one of yours while you wrap your other arm around his back. Both of you glare at him. “Okay Brad, first of all, don't fucking call her that. Second, what decade are you living in? What girl nowadays is gonna take a drink from a random, sketchy guy she doesn’t know? Walk away and leave us alone, please.”

“What, is she your girlfriend, bro?”

“Yeah, she is,” he retorts without hesitation. Your heart drops, and you look up at him with surprise. His jaw is set tight and it makes his profile even sexier than usual. “Go be creepy with your own friends now. And leave the other poor girls at this party alone.”

Grayson looks down at you and cups your cheek. This whole lie has caught you completely off-gaurd, but you’re catching on to what he’s doing. You nod nearly imperceptibly in consent, and Grayson dips down to capture your lips in his for the first time ever. They're warm, soft, pliant, and perfectly insistent against yours. If Grayson is capable of anything chaste, this is it, but there’s still a heat behind it you’re all-too familiar with. This isn’t a ploy kiss; there’s something there, and neither of you are able to stop now that you’ve started.

You trace the seam of his lips with your tongue to beg entry, and he opens willingly. His hand slips from your cheek to the back of your head, clutching a handful of your hair and tipping your head back to allow himself better access to your mouth as his tongue takes dominance, just how you imagined it would so many times late at night.

“Uh, Grayson?”

Both of you are startled apart, and jerk your heads to the female voice just a couple feet away that had interrupted you. Brad is gone, but a beautiful dark-skin girl with piercing eyes the color of cinnamon stands there with her arms crossed and a perfectly done brow arched high on her forehead. Clearly, you had interrupted them first.

“Nadia!” he exclaims in surprise, clearly having forgotten she was even there before he kissed you. His chest heaves as he fights to catch his breath and you blush when he swipes his thumb across a patch of your saliva clinging to his lower lip. “Sorry. I, uh --”

“You didn’t tell me you have a girlfriend.”

It hurts your heart to do it, but you look at Grayson and step away. Who knows how long he’s been talking to this girl before tonight; who are you to come between that right now?

“I’m sorry, I’m not his girlfriend. He was just helping me get rid of that gorilla that followed me in here. You know how some guys are. They respect a man’s ‘territory’ more than the girl just telling them no.”

Nadia’s pretty features soften some, and she sighs. “Yeah, tell me about it.” She looks at Grayson, standing there still somewhat sheepishly. “I have to go. Call me when you get...this sorted out.”

“I --”

“It’s okay, Gray. Trust me.” Her eyes linger back and forth over the two of you. “Figure it out, and call me.”

She leaves the two of you with a small but friendly smile that confuses you some. You heave out a sigh. The night has definitely taken a turn for the dramatic, that’s for sure.

You long for a stiff vodka soda to settle your mind, but there are too many external factors that make that a bad idea right now. You’re suddenly aware that there’s still many people in the kitchen, but they're all impervious to two random people making out next to them.

You snatch a couple cans of ginger ale off the huge collection of mixers on one of the countertops, and hand one to Grayson. He pops it open gratefully and chugs a huge swallow of it, burping into his hand. You can’t help but giggle, and take a more dainty sip of your own can. You still wish it had alcohol in it, but it’ll do.

It’s like he can read your mind, stuffing his free hand in his pocket. “You know, you can have a drink. I really don’t mind.”

You lean back against the counter and look up at him. He’s blushing, from embarrassment or arousal, you’re not sure. You know your heartbeat is still thumping in your panties at the lingering feel of his lips on yours and his hands trailing over your body. Something has inevitably shifted between the two of you, and Nadia was right: you need to figure it out.

You’re not the most outspoken person all the time, but if there’s one thing you hate more than putting yourself out there, it’s leaving heavy things up in the air. You take a deep breath and scoot a little closer to him.

“I know. I just...don’t trust myself to be even remotely tipsy around you right now.”

He looks at you, confused. “You don’t trust me?”

You suddenly remember his complete lack of experience with how alcohol can affect more than your motor movements and decision making. It’s endearing.

“I said I don’t trust myself,” you correct with a smile, reaching up to brush his flop of hair out of his eyes. “I liked that kiss. It made me want more.”

Grayson swallows. “Yeah?” he finally says, a little dumbly.

You giggle. “Yeah. Like, a lot more.”

A smirk tugs at the corner of his lips, and he shuffles even closer so you’re pretty much trapped against the counter and his thick, muscular body. Despite the fact that you’d have a harder time escaping this than you did back in the living room with Brad, you feel more free and confident than ever.

“Like what?” he asks, setting his can down behind you, planting his hand on the edge of the counter next to your hip.

You smile and allow your hand to rest on one defined pec through his thin shirt. You can feel his heart beating strong and fast, matching your own. It gives you the courage to put it all out there.

“Like... take you to the car and suck your dick; like, have you fuck me once we get home.” You look up at him through your lashes, pleased to see him sufficiently flushed and flustered by your words. “Like, go on a date?”

Your fingers have trailed over the hard ridges of his abs and settled on the edge of his belt, tugging on it playfully. Grayson gasps and looks at you with wide eyes and a disbelieving smile as he snatches it away in his own, bringing your fingers to his lips. “Easy. Wow, I can’t decide which of those I want to do most.” He looks back a little and narrows his eyes. “Are you sure you’re not drunk.”

You laugh and shake your head, taking your hand out of his and wrapping it around the back of his neck. “Nope, that’s all you baby. But who says we can’t do all of those, tonight?”

Grayson smiles brightly, and interlaces your fingers. Your ginger ales get abandoned on the counter as he starts to drag you through the throngs of people. “Let’s fucking go.”

#not exactly the ask but this is what came out of it lol #grayson dolan #grayson dolan fic #ethan dolan #dolan twins #blurb #g blurb

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