#under the milkyway

[underzemilkyway]

Photo by Aldebaran S on Unsplash

#night sky #under the milky way #milky way #nightscape #celestial enrichment #astrophotography #celestial ceiling #under starry skies #under the starry skies #constellations #under the stars #under the milkyway #nebula #cosmic enrichment #cosmic dance #the cosmos #stellar enrichment #stellar odyssey #the stellar odyssey #the cosmic dance

[landscapesscenerypeopleplaces]

The Swiss Alps - by Hassan Raza

Wengen - Switzerland

#landscape & scenery #switzerland #under starry skies #under the starry skies #under the milkyway #under the milky way #the celestial odyssey #celestial odyssey #celestial enrichment #the celestial ceiling #under the celestial ceiling #celestial ceiling #alps #swiss alps

[sammyslabbinck]

" Under the milkyway “

© Sammy Slabbinck 2023

#collage #collageart

[pissditching]

having a defcon 1 autism event

i gave them horse names too but it's under the cut

sun session, milkyway, graveyard, and sugar pill

#mcr #ray toro #gerard way #mikey way #frank iero #i'm working on drawing 2023 designs too wahoo #the intersection of mcr and mlp autisms #mcr art #mlp #my art

[keroppimelon0]

๑ -- ‘ʜᴇ ʟᴏᴏᴋꜱ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴀ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍ’

ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʀᴇᴛᴛɪᴇꜱᴛ ʙᴏʏ ɪ’ᴠᴇ ᴇᴠᴇʀ ꜱᴇᴇɴ <3

๑ – synopsis : you can’t help it. seeing dan heng sitting next to you so peacefully reminds you of why you’ve fallen so hard for the guard of the astral express.

๑ – notes : first time posting on tumblr + writing for dan heng!! i’m a massive simp for him so this is just a teensy bit indulgent but i can’t help it, he’s just so gorjuss i am WHIPPED for this man

๑ – relationship : dan heng x reader

๑ – w/c : 1526

DAN HENG was not a confrontational man.

that’s why, when you just so happened to stumble across the faint light peeking out from under the archive room door, he didn’t mind when you let yourself inside. nor did he mind when you sat yourself down beside him after plucking a random book off the ground - a fairytale, one you weren’t really interested in.

instead, your eyes scan the frame of the man sitting beside you, his soft breathing mixed with yours the only noise in the room, minus the gentle rumble of machinery as the astral express moved through the galaxy. you’re so lost in thought, your voice bubbles past your lips before you have the chance to even think about what you’re going to, and have just said.

"you're gorgeous."

the words tumble past your lips before you can properly comprehend them. he didn't even seem to notice, if not for the gentle dust of pink across his cheeks and tips of his ears. dan heng was quietly reading beside you before you decided to suddenly compliment him.

"hm?" was his nonchalant response, misty blue-green eyes flickering to your face for a second. the moment your eyes meet, there's a quick jolt of electricity that sparks between you both, dispelled as quickly as it came as his eyes return to the words across the script he quietly read.

"i'm what?" His clear crisp voice rings out in your head. you half acknowledged his sound of curiosity beforehand, still reeling from the embarrassment of admitting that dan heng was gorgeous in your eyes.

you couldn't help it - who could, really. just looking at dan heng, the way his onyx hair fell across his forehead as his head tilted down towards his book, the silken strands framing his gentle jawline. within the bathe of the milkyway shining down upon his skin from the window of the archives room, dan heng looks like he was taken out of the fairytale book that's nestled comfortably in your lap. a prince charming of his own design.

"..will you not elaborate? hm, very well." and just like that, he's dropped the topic. you don't know whether to sigh in relief or be a little disappointed that he didn't push it further, but you know that dan heng wasn't usually one for confrontation. at least, that's what he made it seem to you.

for now, though, all it seems you can do is continue to read the story you had lost interest in a long time ago. it was easy to lose interest in anything when the most gorgeous man you've ever laid eyes upon is sitting right beside you, reading as if he's unaware of this fact. probably because he is.

you wonder if dan heng is actually aware of all the times he's caught your eye, if he's aware of how he makes your heart seize so violently in your chest when he casts a soft glance in your direction. half the time, you're praying you don't die of a heart attack because that's just what he does to your heart - he has his hand wrapped around it and he doesn't even realize.

the soft sigh that leaves your lips afterwards makes you realize, finally come to terms with it. 'dan heng will never be yours,' because how can a man of such intelligence and grace ever like you?

just before your self-deprecating thoughts can swallow you whole, the gentlest brush of fingers against your own cheek makes you jump. you snap out of your reverie with little fanfare, lips slightly parted as you make eye contact with dan heng. this time, neither of you look away.

"you seem troubled tonight," his warm breath gently fans your face, and you're now acutely aware of how close he is to you. "is everything alright?"

you pause before you give your answer, wondering what you can say to him. you're distracted, because with his face so up close, you can see every inch of his stoic yet gentle expression. "y-yeah." you curse yourself for stuttering - can you really not control yourself around him?

but dan heng finds it amusing, as the corner of his lip quirks upwards before it settles back into a line. "very well," he pauses, his eyes scanning your face a little more intently, "if there is anything bothering you.."

"no, no! really, i'm fine." you manage to force out, giving him a half-hearted smile to go along with it. "i'm just.. thinking." that should do it, you think to yourself. he wouldn't pry, because dan heng is not a confrontational man. at least, that's what you would think...

"thinking.. and that requires you to stare holes into my face whenever i'm not looking?"

"ghK-" the noise that you make sounds like you've just choked on a bone, eyes widening to the size of planets as your face flushes crimson in seconds. "of course not! what makes you think.. w-what makes you.."

the words you were crafting meticulously in your head dies on your tongue as dan heng inches closer. he's no longer holding his book. rather, his arm has made its way over your lap, effectively trapping you in place.

"what makes me think..?" your jaw clicks shut as you dry gulp hard, bottom lip trembling as his face inches closer once again, close enough to smell his scent, the faintest hint of maple and newly opened books. a strange combination, but one that makes your heart practically leap out of your chest.

"i think.. that you have something to confess to me." your breath hitches in your throat as his nose touches yours. his lips, they're right there. inches away from yours. you let out a soft exhale, squeezing your eyes shut as you carefully lean in.

just as the gap barely shortens between you both, the sound of the archive room door slamming open makes you both jolt. in the midst of your panic, dan heng's head moves backwards, but yours moves forwards with the momentum, and your lips collide with his nose instead.

a familiar pink haired girl stands at the doorway, her blue eyes sparkling as she excitedly calls out for the male that had you held in his arms at that exact moment. "dan heng, have you seen-"

march's grin drops a little at the sight of the both of you. dan heng is clutching his nose, propped up against one arm as you frantically apologize over and over, hands flailing as you basically landed on top of him in the struggle.

"uhh.. you guys just.. finish up in here, okay?" march smiles, her hand flying to her mouth to suppress her giggles as she slowly slides the door shut.

"i'm so sorry- oh my god!" you feel tears pricking your eyes out of embarrassment as dan heng hisses, slowly moving his hand away from his nose, where a small, almost minuscule bruise has begun to form.

"it's fine.. leave it to march to never knock before entering.." dan heng grumbles, his cheeks tinted a soft pink as you bury your head into your hands. "i'm so sorry.." you apologize again, feeling the heat radiating off of you as a gentle gloved hand touches your shoulder.

"really, it's okay.." you peek through the cracks of your fingers, and you see his eyebrows are scrunched in concern. the guilt weighs on you along with the embarrassment, and you sigh miserably at the failed chance to kiss the man of your dreams.

rather, you feel a warmth brush your cheek, like a maple leaf falling against your skin. you barely have time to react before dan heng has leaned in, pressing the warmest of kisses against your soft skin. "there. now we're even."

your mouth opens and closes like a fish gasping for breath, and you can see his almost teasing smile before a dumb grin spreads across your own face. his position shifting slightly, enough to give you space to properly sit on his lap, was all the invitation you needed.

your lips collided with each other again and again until you both could hear nothing but the mechanical whirring of the archive room fading into nothingness around you.

⋆ 𓏲 𓂅 ๑ 𓍼 𓏲 ⋆

bonus:

the next morning, march peeked into the archives room to check on you both. your room was empty, so she definitely knew you never returned for the night. but seeing you and dan heng peacefully curled up together on his (honestly, uncomfortable looking) makeshift bed, she couldn't help but grin widely as she fumbled with her camera to snap a quick picture for later on.

"march, why are you spying on dan heng?" himeko raised a brow behind the girl who quickly made a shushing motion, sliding the door open a little wider so she could peek at the spectacle of the two of you happily cuddled up with each other. "ah, i see." himeko smiled mirthfully, shaking her head as she waved her hand. "just don't embarrass them too much, march."

march 7th snickered as she snapped another picture, knowing once you both woke up, the teasing you would get from her would be unimaginable.

hope you enjoyed!! i'm actually so scared to post this haha,, but i love dan heng he's my fav he's so babygirl

#dan heng x reader #honkai star rail #hsr x reader #honkai star rail x reader #danheng x reader #๑ -- kerokero's works #honkai dan heng #hsr dan heng

[the-hikers-eye-photography]

Alien Worlds

I had the opportunity to go out and spend some time under the stars out in the California desert this past weekend, and other than losing $300 worth of tripod and the fact it was still 100° at 10 o'clock at night I had a great time.

Here I've captured the northern dusty end of one of the arms of our very own Milkyway galaxy arching over some pretty cool foreground intrest. This was the last of a few hundred long exposure frames I captured during the night over the course of 7 or 8 different compositions I had found. The ambient temperature and the large numbers of long exposures meant that this frame was LOADED with noise and hot pixels.

To counter noise and hot pixels I typically take between 10 to 15 frames of any given scene and then take two or three dark frames so my post processing software can identify the hot pixels and remove them for me. In this case because this was the last shot of the night I took this as a single frame I didn't have the usual set of exposures needed to properly complete an image. As such I used Adobe's new de-noise software in the CameraRAW application. It works pretty well, but because the noise and hot pixels were so bad I really had to crank it up for the foreground and it overly softened much of the detail to be found there.

Still though, I'd rather have the shot than not.

===============

Nikon D750

Rokinon 14mm @ f/2.8

20 seconds

ISO 3200

===============

Let's go exploring.

#opt outside #nature #outdoors #no people #the hikers eye #landscape #go outside and play #landscape photography #nature photography #original photography #original photographer #astro #astrophotography #milkyway #starry night #starry sky #milkyway photography

[perpetuelledaydreaming]

18 | chapter four

summary: you met a strange girl and her gang, although you honestly couldn't focus on anything with billy on your mind. Oh, and billy wants to rip jason's head off.

warnings: a softy chapter

listen to: Breakfast - Dove Cameron | Uptown girl - Billy Joel |  These boots are made for walking - Nancy Sinatra (playlist here)

word count: 2.2k

series masterlist + read the next chapter early on my ko-fi!!

“You seem like you’re having a bad day,” the blonde girl with wavy hair that had sat down next to you in the last couple of classes muttered as you pulled your bag into your shoulder. 

You hadn’t really talked to anyone since meeting (for the second time) the infamous Billy Hargrove. You weren’t sure what annoyed you so much about him, maybe it was his bright smile or his eyes, those damn blue electric eyes. 

Sure, you understood the appeal, he might be handsome and look hot and drive a really fucking nice Camaro but it wasn’t about that. It was about his actions, the ones that you knew by heart already, make a girl fall in love with him, deeply, take advantage of her and take her to bed, use her as many times as he wanted to, and then discard her. 

Discard you, you thought. 

“Really bad first day?” the blonde girl asked again and you finally turned to see her. She had an amazing set of freckles that seemed like a Milkyway under her eyes, through her cheeks and nose. She had pretty soft blue eyes and a goofy smile. 

“It wasn’t as bad as I thought,” you shrugged as you both walked out of the class. 

“Really? Because Hawkins honestly sucks,” she admitted and you laughed in return. God, how many people hated their own town, you thought. You’d never hated Chicago, not even after what happened with your parents or everything else. It was your home, it would always be your home. 

“So, everyone hates Hawkins here?” you asked her, but she squinted her eyes a bit as she examined you. 

Suddenly, realization setting on her face. 

“Oh, so you’ve never lived in a small town,” she replied as if it all made sense now and you nodded. “Where did you come from?”

You frowned at how she phrased the question. “Chicago, it’s the best place to live truly, I-” you replied and she snapped her head towards you before grabbing your wrist and pulling you through the green and yellow hallways of Hawkins as people turned to watch. 

“Look what I just found!” she screamed as she waved at a group of people that were huddling in their lockers. You suddenly felt the small urge to run away but you knew it was better to have a couple of friends than none in a new place, especially now that you didn’t know if Hargrove had ruined your chances of getting into the cheerleading team. “A city girl with an open mind!” she babbled as she placed you in front of them. 

“And you’re scaring her, Robin!” one of the guys muttered as he rolled his eyes. He was handsome, a fact, he had a nice smile and the hair, it wasn’t neat but it felt like it was styled to perfection. “I’m Steve,” he said as he shook your hand with both of his big hands. 

You nodded and then turned to the others who followed suit. 

“Nancy,” A small girl said with a small smile, she was holding the hand of the other guy that was next to Steve.

“Jonathan,” he muttered, clearly a lot more shy than Steve and the last one next to him. 

That guy was clearly not shy, he didn’t give you his hand or a smile. He instead moved his long hair to the side and made a rock sign with his hand as he took out his tongue like Gene Simmons from Kiss, “Eddie,” he mentioned casually. 

You nodded and they stared at you for a little longer than what you’d like, until you got that it was your turn and you cursed mentally. 

“I’m y/n y/l/n,” you replied fast before passing a hand through your hair. “Just moved here,” you explained as you twiddled with your fingers. 

“Yeah, we figured,” Jonathan muttered. 

“Sorry, that was stupid,” you replied before pinching the bridge of your nose in exasperation before giving a step back as if it was a reflex. 

You weren’t usually one to get nervous, there were few moments when people actually figured your emotional state. But it honestly hadn’t been your day, it hadn’t been your week or your month even; you’d come to wonder if your life would be like this forever but you refused to believe it. 

You had a plan in mind. 

“No it wasn’t!” Steve intervened, a little bit to excited as you raised your head with a frown, was he trying to be nice? you thought. “I think I saw you before. You live at Oakland, right?”

You blinked a bit, surprised that someone had actually been paying attention to you. Someone other than Billy Hargorve. “Yes, just moved in,”

“Oh so you are neighbors!” Robin exclaimed. 

“Really?”

“Yeah,” Steve replied and you simply smiled. “I can give you a ride, if you want,” he muttered but you shook your head. 

“I already have one, it’s fine but thank you,” you replied politely with a smile before turning to Robin. “And thank you for introducing me to your friends even though you didn’t even ask me my name,” you said with a smile as you took her hand and gave it a squeeze. 

“I’m sorry I tend to miss social cues all the time,” she muttered as her cheeks blushed a bit. 

“It’s okay,” you replied sweetly. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” She said and you nodded with a smile before you made your way to the entrance of the school and into the school parking lot.

As the warmth air of the summer hit you, you smiled. It was the first time in all day that you felt like you were actually able to breathe. Not even in class you had been able to push your anxiety and Billy Hargrove to the side, you felt like you had been stuck alone with your thoughts, unable to even use class as a means to escape those blue electric eyes and what had happened at lunch. You had tried to follow the exercises, especially on algebra, but you found yourself unable to concentrate on the equations on the page. It wasn’t until Robin had talked to you that you finally had thought about anything else.

You almost wished that you had actually spoken to her before, you’d rather busy yourself with trying to make new friends than have to cope with the reality that you were stuck in a town and the fucking King of the high school had put a target on your back.

As if you didn’t have enough trouble already.  

You felt eyes on you in that second and you turned to where you felt them, snapping you from your thoughts. You were immediately met by Billy’s blue electric eyes. He was surrounded by a group of people, some hadn’t even noticed you but others had turned to where Billy was looking and some even frowned. You scoffed automatically and although usually, you would turn away from his gaze, not even giving him an ounce of your attention, you didn’t. You instead stopped walking and maintained eye contact, challenging him. The wicked smile that appeared on his face made goosebumps appear on your skin while you still stared at him as you puffed your chest a bit and raised your eyebrows. 

You couldn’t imagine what was going through his mind but he didn’t falter either, he kept looking back at you and he raised his eyebrows back at you while sticking his tongue out a bit. You tried your best to stay level-headed because you knew what he wanted, you knew he wanted a reaction out of you but you weren’t going to give in. 

Not at least on purpose and although you would’ve kept staring at him as long as he insisted on maintaining eye contact, a voice made you back down from the challenge. 

“New girl?” the voice said and you turned around to see a tall blonde guy with a bright smile and dull blue eyes staring at you, he was wearing a uniform you’d seen during the day on most of what you assumed was the basketball team except for Billy Hargrove. He was unashamedly looking at you and for a moment you were particularly startled by his presence.

He looked like every guy next door. Pale, blonde, strong, all-American white guy. You wanted to roll your eyes to the back of your skull but you digressed. You didn’t particularly like the type of people, you were a cheerleader and you knew the two-face nature of those jock types. 

“y/n, actually,” you replied uninterested as you kept walking to where you’d parked. He didn’t take the clue though, he insisted on following you while Billy glared from afar. 

“Well, it’s nice to meet you,” he said and you turned to see him once more. “Chrissy told me about you,” he commented again as if you knew who he was. 

You didn’t even want to know but then again, if you were stuck you would take every little opportunity if it meant something going right. 

“Yeah, and you are?”

He blinked at you and then shook his head, he seemed genuinely distraught that you weren’t aware of his existence.

“Oh, Jason Craver,” he said as he extended his hand to you, you took it but made the handshake faster than what he apparently hoped for. “First mate of Hawkins basketball team,” he continued with his chest puff. 

“Cool,” you replied before spinning on your heels and turning towards your joy ride. 

And yet, he persisted. 

You sighed in frustration once you heard his voice again. How could you expect guys like this to take a clue? 

“Uhm, I know you move into Oakland street,” he continued and you stopped. 

“Does everyone here lives there too?” you asked. 

You remembered that you knew some stereotypes of small towns, everyone gossiped and everyone knew everything about everyone. There wasn’t privacy in small towns like that, not the privacy that you’d always used to have. In a big city, nobody even noticed you and you were hoping nobody noticed you either here. 

You were so wrong. 

“No, no but close,” he said and you nodded curtly. “I was wondering if you’d like a ride home?”

You shook your head quickly while thinking to yourself that you’d rather chew off your right arm than have him take you home. 

“I have a ride,” you replied as you shrugged your shoulders and tsked with your tongue. 

He stared at you with a frown. 

“Really?”

“Yeah,” 

“So, I see someone shot-gun you first,” he said as he passed a hand through his long and perfectly combed blonde hair. 

You didn’t understand the connotation and first. Even though you probably understood the thing he said, you hoped that it was a joke. You wondered if people still talked about owning women like that in small cities, but your hope died down as you stared at Jason’s blue dull eyes, you knew he was being serious. 

“Yeah, a pretty girl like you was obviously flagged down the first day,” he sighed with a shrug. 

“I wasn’t flagged down by anyone,” you snapped at him with a bitter and angry tone. 

“Not even Hargrove?” he asked before walking closer to you. 

The mention of the name made you want to run and hide, yet, you turned around towards where Billy was. He was still staring at you but the mischievous gaze was gone and replaced by a glare. You scoffed mentally, was he jealous? Your gazes linked for a moment, he watched you carefully but you tried to refocus. 

“No,” you lied, before walking to your final stop. 

“So, how are you getting,” Jason continued but stopped mid-track and you smirked to yourself as you took your helmet from your bike and quickly placed it on your head. “Oh,” he muttered. 

“Yeah,”

He stayed quiet for a few beats of silence as you got on the bike and turn it on. The roar of the engine caused goosebumps to appear over your skin and a satisfied smile to appear on your lips. You glanced at Jason who now had his hands on the pockets of his white jacket, he seemed a little bit awe-struck. 

“I’m impressed, there are no girls like…”

You stopped him. 

“Like me? Yeah heard that a bunch of times and it’s not that good of a line,” you grumbled as the bike started and you glanced at Jason with disdain. “Bye,” you muttered before you were driving off into the road.

Billy took a shaky breath as he watched you leave, he jerked his sunglasses out of his back pocket and flicked the cigarette to the floor. He straightened his blue shirt and pulled on his Aviators before walking to the driver seat of the Camaro, muttering a small bye to the group that was huddling around him. In all honesty, he wanted to run Jason over with the Camaro when he saw him talking to you, the charming smile he gave you made him want to rip his head off. He knew it was stupid, he shouldn’t be angry that he was talking to you Billy was never angry when other guys talked to the girls he was interested in.

But it was you. 

And there was something about you that he couldn’t seem to shake off.

***

author's note: once more I'm flabergasted by all the support I've received over this new series, LIKE REALLY THANK YOU FOR TAKING YOUR TIME TOREAD IT. I really can't believe it and although I know these chapters are a bit short like I CAN'T WAIT to let you see what will come next it's going to be a wild ride. THANK YOU SO MUCH and as always lmk what you think of the chapter!!!

***

Taglist: @happypopcornprincess @hannahnikohl @thescarlettvvitch @nymphadora000 @phishyie @amethystx3 @jaziscool @vixionix @gloryekaterina @alicetweven @frogtits1 @meg11 @pillowjj @fan1237 @bucky-daddy-barnes @starloriha @make-me-imagine @piper570 @dedicated2viktor @zanmorgan @queenofshinigamis @literally-a-ferret @slutformaddyperez @milkiane @mysterygirl-14 @oli-leo-ska @tsukibaby1 @samwilsonlove @theshinyrock @belledawnidk @the-mysterious-miss-s @rio-mx @nobody-000 @rlvslouis @linkpk88 @daygirl26 @steveharringtonswifey09 @alwaysbeenfamous @kazbrekkersangel @ilovewomen711 @allazay101 @dacresgff @nymphadora000 @that-levi-kenma-kinnie @riffcrusader @useless-snail @patheticreative @emmettcullenswife @milenadixon @whiskeypowder @ponyboys-sunsets @yunho-leeknow @kaillou66 @randomeddieblog @gifcottage @storeybook @nikt-wazny-y @kneelforloki @niviiera @pumpkin-kings @anitatvd @fanatics30

please let me know if there's a problem with the tags or if I forgot someone.

***

feedback is always welcomed!!

buy me a coffee or help me with my laptop? thank youu

#Billy Hargrove #billy hargrove smut #billy hargrove x female reader #billy hargrove fic #billy hargrove aesthetic #billy hargrove x reader #billy hargrove fanart #billy hargrove imagine #billy hargrove headcanons #billy hargrove au #billy hargrove angst #billy hargrove fanfiction #billy hargrove fan fiction #billy hargrove fluff #billy hargrove masterlist #billy hargrove x y/n #dacre montgomery #dacre montgomery x reader #stranger things x reader #stranger things fanfiction #stranger things fic #stranger things 4 #billy hargrove series

[zillyeh]

hiii i finished off some spacey themed adopts! These guys are $25 a pop<3 payed pal only, dm me here or on discord if you wanna snag one of these guys :>

Also it's in my TOS but future commissions on these guys from me are also discounted!

Dark Matter: OPEN Neutron Star: OPEN Milkyway: OPEN Sky Full of Stars: OPEN

TOS Under the cut:

-Credit me somewhere for the design, does not have to be every post with the character, just somewhere findable! If you upload them to Toyhou.se my username on there is zillyeh!

-All future commissions of an adopt I've made will come with a 15% discount!

-Do not sell them for more than you bought them for, unless they have additional art to go with them. Send anyone they trade hands to a link to this TOS sheet so they also know my rules.

-Design tweaks are fine, but please make sure they are recognizable as the original adopt!

-My adopts are NOT for commercial use unless otherwise discussed. They are not for NFT use period.

-Do not put my art through any AI filter type sites.

#art tag or st #fantroll adopts #adopts #what else do i tag this as. who knows #fly be free #i got. unexpected bill a bit ago which i wouldnt mind some relief from. tee hee that turns to crying

[kaepop-trash]

Notorious: Act IV

Rated: 18+ ONLY, Smut, Neo-Noir, Femme Fatale, Undercover Agent, Criminal, Exes to "Lovers", Mutual Pining, Cat and Mouse dynamics but make it hurt.

Pairing: JaehyunxReaderxJohnny

Summary: Inspired by Notorious (1946), Ever since your father went to jail for an illegal arms trade, a lot had changed in your life. Your present was about living with a tarnished reputation, the only redemption being a strange man who you agreed to help get to the root of the same trade that ruined your family. Still, just as you were adjusting to that very man, your past came back to haunt you. The only part of your past that had ever been happy till it wasn't, a part you could leave behind but never forget. But if Johnny was your past and Jaehyun your present, what would your future be?

Chapter Summary: Johnny asks (Y/N) for a precious favour. Jaehyun is against it and she isn't too keen on it either. What do you do when your worst fears come true?

Warnings: Smut; Fingering, Penetration, unprotected sex; Strong themes of alchoholism, emotional abuse, emotional manipulation, gaslighting. THIS IS NOT MEANT TO BE ASPIRATIONAL.

Word Count: 9.7k

(A/N): This took me a very long time because it was very heavy to write. Without getting too much into it, I just hope everyone can forgive me for being so inconsistent.

Act I | Act II | Act III

Taglist: @commentgirl @sadgirlroo @nak4m8to @babyksworld @milkyway-vxm @hwangfulok-blog

Johnny took her hand in his under the table, an old habit that she had just learned to live with by now. The immobility the gesture gave, made it hard to open the menu so she just leaned over to the side to peer into his.

(Y/N) could see his lips tug from the corner of her eye at the gesture as he brushed a kiss against her temple. When she turned, he gave her a pursed smile, eyes glimmering with the light that had slowly started returning in the past month. The same glimmer that made her fall in love with him once upon a time.

“You should get the shrimp pasta, they make it really well here.” His voice was soft. She had to look away to ignore the thumping in her chest, giving him a nod. He was happier lately, more than perhaps she could recall. The only time she could remember him being happier was the day he got on one knee in front of her.

(Y/N) pulled herself out of her thoughts with a harsh tug, “Sure, that sounds good.” She shrugged. “I’ll have that and a glass of rosé.”

“You’re not drinking.” He stated with a brisk finality.

“Why not?” She turned to give him a frown. “I want a glass of rosé.”

“You don’t need it though, sweetheart.” He lifted her hand, giving it a kiss. “It’s just a glass of wine.”

“Exactly.” She pulled her hand out of his, “It’s just a glass of wine that I want to pair my food with.

Johnny sighed, “I’m just looking out for you.”

“I appreciate it.” She spoke, clearly not meaning it. “I’m still getting myself what I want.

“(Y/N).” His voice was an impatient warning that he tried to soften with a sigh.

“Stop speaking.” She didn’t soften the warning in her tone. “You can’t make decisions for me.”

“Why are you being like this?” Johnny frowned, “I’ve noticed that you drink too much and I’m just concerned. Why are you making me sound like a villain?” He sounded hurt, brows furrowing.

She stared at him for a moment, feeling whiplash from how rapidly he made her feel nineteen years old again. She had to look away to curb her anger. She reminded herself that she wasn’t nineteen anymore and took a deep breath instead of just spitting her anger out at him. She was not going to make it easier for him.

“I’m not trying to make you sound like a villain. That was not my intention, I apologise if it sounded like that.” She surrendered, looking away and catching a waiter’s eye.

Johnny looked extremely confused from her admittance, forehead creasing for a second before he sighed and gave her a tight lip smile. Johnny had been ready for a fight. One where he could emerge as the martyr, as was his habit. And she was not going to make it easy.

“I just want what’s best for you.” He reasoned.

“I know. I’m sorry.” She hummed, looking up just as the waiter approached. When it looked like Johnny was going to reach for her hand, she busied it by reaching for her glass of water. Johnny didn’t say anything, neither did he make any further attempt to touch her. When the waiter asked if they wanted something to drink with their food, she said no.

“They have a raspberry pudding on the menu.” Johnny spoke for the first time once their plates were empty. "Should we order some?" He asked, speaking like he was walking on eggshells.

"Sure." She spoke, giving him a compliant nod. Johnny flexed his jaw, turning away from her to call a waiter. His forehead creased with clear markings of irritation. The audacity of it offended her, but she willed herself to keep her mouth shut and they finished their dinner in silence.

They made it back to his house like that, Johnny following behind her as they ascended the stairs that led to the living room.

"Why are you angry at me when I was just looking out for you?" He spoke just as she turned to go upstairs to the bedroom.

"Who said I'm angry?" She resisted the urge to frown.

"You are angry." He huffed.

She turned to him with eyes void of any emotion at all. "No I'm not.” She lied. “You just want me to be angry because then you can tell me how you were looking out for me and how I'm not justified in my anger."

Johnny looked a little caught off guard by the assessment, yet recovering in a beat. "I was looking out for you."

Sharp anger rose to her head from the repeated sentence. Like if he said it enough times, she'd somehow believe him. Or he’d believe himself.

"I know. And I am not angry. I said I'm sorry to you then. So why are we having this conversation?” She furrowed her brows, feigning confusion.

“I know you. I especially know your anger.” He injected.

“Was deciding what I'll consume not enough? Now you want to decide how I'm feeling?" The words slipped off her lips with increasing hostility, realising too late when Johnny's frown unfurled. He had trapped her.

"I thought you weren't angry." He took a step closer towards her.

"I'm not." She turned away from him, feeling like a child caught in a lie.

"I wasn't trying to control you.” He took a step on the stairs, coming around her to meet her gaze— and to tower over her. “I was just doing what someone who cares would." He tried to reason, tone still infuriatingly chastising.

"I didn't say you were controlling me." She said without bite, not looking up at him, adamant to not give him anything to use against her again. She knew how he fought, always ready to make himself the victim so she was left to be the perpetrator.

"In only so many words." He came closer, putting a hand over the one she had on the railing. "I just don't see why you drink all the time. You almost finished the whiskey I keep in the office." His tone changed and she tried to move away from the concern.

"I'll buy you more." She tried to go around him, stopping when he squeezed her hand to curb her ascend.

"You know that's not what this is about." His voice edged on a sense of betrayal. "I know things haven't been easy for you. Nobody knows that more than me. But this isn't the answer. Sometimes we need to face things instead of hiding behind temporary solutions."

She gripped her own jaw this time, tight me enough that her cheekbones ached.

"You're assuming too much." Her voice was low, a dangerous line where any louder would make the rolling fury in her erupt. "I'm not hiding." She turned to look at him, "I'm sorry my drinking concerns you. But I don't do it as a crutch." She defended herself, neither of them believing her words entirely.

Johnny looked like he was going to say something but he let go, leaning closer to kiss her brow instead.

"Let's not be like this. I don't want us to fight over every little thing like we used to." He mumbled against her, pulling away to give her a smile and pulling her hand away from the railing into his.

She didn't protest, giving him a nod that they both knew was half hearted.

That night (Y/N) went home. Johnny didn't say anything when she asked to be dropped to the apartment, he knew why. She always took time to be by herself when she was angry. He always told himself that it wasn't to be away from him, but to see the arguments with a much needed distance. He always told himself that she did exactly what he did. And he accepted it because out of all the times she left, it was only once when she didn't come back. He knew this time wouldn’t be the second.

A few days later he asked to meet her at a cafe on Copacabana. Without considering it a choice, she went.

"I'm getting an award." Johnny spoke first, taking the time to drink his coffee before doing so.

Her lips parted to silence, unsure about how to react. "For what?" She asked, swallowing after.

Johnny failed to bite down the smile at the corner of his lips, "Some business award. The company made good profits last year."

"That's great, Johnny. I’m so proud of you." She gave him a smile, weak despite her conscious effort.

"I want you to come with me." He added, stumbling over the words.

"Where would we go?" She questioned with a lighter tone. Johnny didn't respond immediately, instead avoiding her gaze and fidgeting with the handle of his small espresso cup. Realisation dawned on her, squeezing her lungs painfully. "No. I can't." She wanted to sound firm but her words came out a plea.

"It'll just be for three days. It'll be over before you know it. Just an evening of meeting a few strangers." He added with a soft look in his eyes.

"Johnny, I–" she tried to reason, to explain to him how he was asking the impossible of her. "Everybody will talk. Home is–" her words failed her again.

"I know." He reached across the table, grabbing her hand. "But I'll be right there with you. It's an important day for me, (Y/N). It's an important day for the business. So many of my father's family fought tooth and nail to break the company apart. They said I could never take on my father's mantle." His fingers squeezed her palm. Unintentionally, she noted.

"This award." His jaw flexed, "It's a product of every effort I put, everything I've sacrificed. It's proof that all of it was worth something in the end." His eyes clouded with some far away storm, mirroring the encroaching clouds above them. “For them, at least.”

He snapped out of it at the moment, looking at her with a soft smile, "Everybody else there will be an enemy or a stranger. I want you to be there. You're all I have."

His words made the pressure on her lungs shift to the cavity of her heart, pressing down with a punishing weight. There was nothing to say to such a heartfelt plea. It didn't matter that going back home was something that would bring her nothing good, not when the alternate was so heartbreaking.

She could picture Johnny standing there, receiving some mass produced trophy while apathetic and vindictive people all watched and clapped. 

It also seemed to make her see how lonely he must have been all these years. All his achievements, small and big, as well as his failures passing by without a person to pat his back or lend their shoulder. 

"Alright. I'll come." The way the simple gesture made his entire face light up did not make her feel good. These days she was found guilt becoming a chronic pain— one that bothered constantly but had bouts of intensity.

The Two Faces of Concern

“You can’t go.” He got off the sofa in a fury. “We don’t know what kind of people he associates with. We don’t know what could go wrong.” His brows fluffed up in fury, knitting together impossibly tight.

“I don’t have a choice.” She looked to the floor, confused and angered by his demeanor. “What am I supposed to say when he asks me to go with him for something so important?”

“You say you’ll think about it.” He added with an incredulous fury. “Then you come to me! And I we come up with an excuse for you.” His voice rose higher.

“That’s not going to work.” She needed to pause. After so many years, such constant bouts of anger felt unsettling to her. “You don’t know him. That’s why I’m here. Your boss gave me a task. To keep him close and to keep an ear out. I am doing exactly what I was told to do.”

“You can’t do anything if you’re dead!” He pointed his hand at her, his gesture and tone bordering on accusatory. He paused, taking a step back and swallowing. Jaehyun cursed under his breath, a hand coming to his waist while the other rubbed his face.

He walked a few steps around the room, trying to calm down it seemed, before coming back to her. This time he kneeled in front of her, taking her hands in his. “Listen to me.” He urged. “Look at me, (Y/N).” He practically pleaded. The desperation in his tone was the only reason she turned to face him. “I know that you think you’re safe. I know you believe you know this man because you knew him once. But you don’t know what he’s capable of. What he’s already done.” He sighed, no doubt understanding the stubborn refusal in her.

Jaehyun’s head dropped, looking defeated. “If something happened to you. I would never forgive myself.” He put a hand on her thigh. The way she turned to glare at it made him recoil. “You’re my responsibility.” He spoke after swallowing the hurt from her gesture. “I’m the sole reason you agreed to do this.”

“Don’t flatter yourself.” She interjected. She thought the blow would make her feel good about herself. But seeing his face drop only tugged at her now sore chest.

“Why did you agree to go?” He asked, his eyes turning into frigid slits.

“I didn’t think I had a choice.” She repeated herself, each word uttered with a pause to emphasize.

“You always have a choice.” He threw his reciprocating blow with a featherlight tone. Her lips parted from offense, ready to defend herself. But he clarified, “I’ve been watching you. I’ve seen how you change around him.” His accusations cut through her like knives.

“And what change is that, pray tell?” She questioned.

“Your edges soften around him. You let him sway you with his words. You believe his lies despite yourself.” He assessed clinically, like a man whose job it is to read people.

“I feel sorry for him!” Hot tears pricked at the corner of her eyes, “Surely you can at least try to understand how it must feel. And I'm always tiptoeing around him because your boss wants me to keep him happy!" She deflected the accusation, distantly wondering why she was getting so defensive.

“He’s devoted to you.” Jaehyun simply stated, looking away from her with a grimace.

"I know." She spoke around the lump forming in her throat at her own confession. "Which is why your caution is out of line."

"The more the devotion, the more betrayal he will feel eventually, (Y/N). Remember that when you're in a different country with him, out of my reach. When I can't save you if something happens." He cautioned still.

Maybe his words made her feel like a child, something she hated feeling, because her next words were self-admittedly out of line.

"I'm out of your reach every time I'm in his bed too, Jaehyun." The words were no louder than a pin dropping. “He could choked me to death while inside me and you wouldn’t know.”

Jaehyun got up in a huff that left a gust of air in it's wake. He turned away from her swiftly as she tried to push down the part of her that wanted to take the words back.

"When are you leaving?" He questioned, adjusting his clothes and distracting himself.

"Day after." She answered dispassionately.

"The least you can do is keep me updated on your whereabouts. The captain will need a report on it." He was already ready to walk away.

"Sure." Her response was the final task he had, taking long strides and shutting his bedroom door with a loud thud.

She sighed, the solitude allowing her to finally drop each pretense she had to keep up just to survive each day. 

Tears were almost commonplace on her lashes now. Angry tears, frustrated tears, heartbroken tears and tears of defeat. But each fresh bout always left her feeling betrayed by her own body.

Home

Coming home was odd. Even from the moment she landed, the airport was very familiar to her. Johnny didn't point out how silent she was ever since they landed. In fact, he seemed deep in his own thoughts while both of them watched the familiar streets pass by.

(Y/N) was so engrossed in her thoughts that it took her a while to realise that that the streets they passed were a little too familiar. When they stopped in front of a building she would recognise anywhere, her heart dropped into her stomach. When she turned to look at Johnny, his smile was a small one. The gleam in his eyes though was unmistakable.

“How?” She questioned, voice barely above a whisper.

“Let’s go home first, I’ll tell you upstairs.” He told her, reaching over to take her hand in his. To go Home.

Walking into her old apartment was like being transported back in time. Everything was as she remembered, including the little trinkets of decoration scattered around the space. The teal vase on the table in front of the foyer, the dark green couch, even the white curtains were all things she had bought herself once upon a time. (Y/N) was speechless.

“When I heard they were auctioning your father’s estate after the trial, I tried not to give it mind.” Johnny spoke after closing the door behind him. “But I ended up looking up the catalogue.” She could hear him come closer, her eyes still busy scanning her old apartment. “When I saw that this apartment was on the list. I couldn’t help myself.” He stopped a few steps behind her.

“How?” Her voice gave away her surprise, “How did you pay for it? Your father was still–” She stopped, unsure of whether that was a line she could tow.

“He didn’t even know about it.” He stated with a razor thin edge to his voice. “I broke my trust fund and managed to buy the place with everything intact.” He continued, sounding so utterly dismissive about it.

“Johnny.” She finally turned to face him, all the building emotions bubbling up her throat. 

“This was my home too.” His hands remained in his pocket, eyes on the floor. “In my entire life, this was the place I was the happiest. I wasn’t ready to let that go. Especially when it was one of the rare things I had the power to keep.”

She could understand his feelings even if the gesture overwhelmed her. She remained silent for a moment longer, just looking him over till Johnny shifted under the prolonged scrutiny.

“You’re making me nervous.” His forehead creased. The chuckle that left him was dry.

Good. She thought, now he knew how she felt around him all those years ago.

“Say something.” He added with a smaller voice. "Please."

She took two steps till he was in arm’s reach, clutching at his t-shirt to pull him the rest of the way. Their lips met in a clumsy crash, teeth clashing into teeth. Johnny’s arms snaked around her waist to control the pace.

There was no haste in their movements anymore. Johnny had nothing to prove this time, and she had nowhere to hide. It was a slow kiss that only existed to exist. Like walking around your house in the dark because you know every turn like the back of your hand.

When his hips pressed against hers, she stumbled back with confidence. Letting instinct take over, they moved towards the destination known to them instinctually. She didn’t even realise where she was stumbling to till her back pressed against the piano.

His hands dragged down her back, and she leapt without being told, arms resting on his neck. Gingerly, he sat her down on the polished black surface.

“This is still my favourite place to fuck you.” He whispered against her mouth, peppering kisses over her face as he stroked her dress higher up her thighs.

“Me too.” She answered, tugging his belt off with a quick tug.

“I have waited.” He spoke between his increasingly heavy kisses, “I’ve laboured.” He nipped against her shoulders, “I even prayed.” His tongue swirled over the vein on her neck, bringing short gasps from her. “And I would have done more.” He dragged his teeth over her skin, making the hairs on the back of her neck rise. “I would drag down heaven to earth, if it meant I could have you back here. That’s why I couldn’t let this place go. Because I will never let you go.” 

His words left her light-headed, unable to breathe. After tugging his pants below his waist, she sighed with relief when he pulled it off the rest of the way himself. Her hands reached the hem of his shirt just as his index tapped her thigh, a silent request to lift her hips off the piano. The remainder of their clothes hit the floor together, lips crashing together shortly after the interruption.

“Sometimes I think I’ve finally gone crazy. That I wished for you so bad that I created an illusion just to survive.” His laboured breath fanned her neck.

“I told you.” The strain of her breath matched his, “If this was a dream it would be easier.” His fingers brushed over her naked heat, slipping into her slowly.

“No.” He said as her eyes fluttered shut, “I wouldn’t be, (Y/N). I love all of you. Even my illusions would be of who you are, not who you can be.”

“Including the difficult parts?” Her jaw dropped when he began scissoring his fingers.

“Especially those. But you already know that.” He kept up his ministrations till Johnny was satisfied that he’s stretched her out well. "I know you feel the same." There was a fragile hope in his voice.

“I can’t love what I don’t know.” Her heart began hammering, and it had nothing to do with how he brushed over her G-spot. She willed her eyes to look into his, “Tell me your worst.” She requested, eyes meek but voice resolute. Her form faltered when he began to enter her without warning, easing himself in a few inches at a time. “You already know all of mine.” She lied.

“I will. One of these days.” He promised, both of them groaning when he filled her up completely.

She knew his words were a lie. Johnny would never tell her the truth. It wasn't because he didn’t want to, she knew that he craved understanding more than anything else. His claims of seeing her so absolutely came with the desire to want to be seen with the same transparency. But he’d hold the secret to himself because he knew her. 

He knew that she would struggle to accept the reality of who he was. Two months ago, he would have been right. These days she felt like this charade was marking itself on her skin.

“Johnny.” She moaned when she felt her gut tie into a knot. “Don’t stop.” She pawed at his chest, unsure whether she wanted to pull him closer or push him away.

“Never.” He promised again, leaving a trail of gentle kisses all over her face as he increased his pace. He watched her intently as her face scrunched up, her jaw going slack as she came crashing down.

She wasn’t sure when he came, but when he pulled out, she felt the warmth ooze out of her. Exhausted from the long trip and everything that followed, her thoughts lost the ability to linger, and she simply leaned over to rest her head on his shoulder, surrendering her weight soon after. He picked her up with ease, lifted her legs to wrap around his waist and guided them to the bedroom that was once hers— that they once shared during a time when the future felt a lot more certain. 

She fell asleep in his arms and, for the first time in years, it felt right. She blamed her old apartment and her sleep-addled brain for it. With your eyes closed, it was hard to remember when in time she was.

The next two days were spent locked away. The days were passed between the sheets, caught between the memories of a once-perfect life. 

Johnny was lighter here. His eyes were brighter and he was less burdened by his own notions. It felt closest to the Johnny she was once crazy about from afar. It was the Johnny she went to watch at basketball matches in school and then at his University when he graduated before her. She didn't even like basketball.

He even resorted to his old sense of humour. One she had almost not noticed the lack of. Despite all signs pointing to otherwise, (Y/N) always knew Johnny for his intensity. To see him like that all the time now had begun to feel natural to her.

So it surprised her when she seemed to easily match his quips with her own. He was surprised too, she could tell with a dizzying sense of glee. For the first time, their relationship seemed to be on equal footing. Even if the relationship itself was a sham.

"Have you decided what you want to wear to the ceremony?" Johnny questioned over breakfast on the third day. 

She shook her head at her omlette, "I figured you'll pick." She shrugged.

Johnny looked pleased when she met his eyes, trying to hide it like he was caught. "I wasn't sure if you wanted me to." He stated as he reached for his juice.

"Why not?" She frowned, "You always pick outfits for these things."

"That's exactly why I wasn't sure."

She felt ambushed by the remark, not sure why he sounded so aggrieved. Not wanting to ruin a good week they had been having, she acted like she didn't notice.

"One less thing to worry about." She tried to keep her her tone light, brushing it off with a shrug.

She ended up joining him on a quick errand run in the afternoon. He promised to quickly drop something off at the office before taking her to buy something. Having nothing better to do, she agreed.

When she walked into Johnny's office, she was aware that people watched as they walked by. Despite only coming into the building a handful of times her entire life, it was understandable that they knew who she was. The lingering whispers told her that they probably knew what she had once done too, or what her father did. It was like the moment she left the safety of seclusion, she was reminded once again how stifling this world could be.

(Y/N) stood in the changing room, running her hands over the fitted bust of the dress on her. She tried to picture herself, standing beside Johnny on an occasion where he was the guest of honour. All eyes on him, and as a consequence on her. Her hand turned over, knuckles digging into the beading on the corset. Did she look like she deserved to stand beside a man like that?

The last thought soured in her mind the very next second, a burdensome idea that pulled out the rotting creature inside her— the creature of habit. She walked out to look for the attendant to unzip her, only to find that Johnny had returned from browsing the shop. He looked up when he heard the curtains draw open, his attention seizing immediately.

"You look beautiful." He told her, eyes dragging over her entire form before coming back to her eyes and making her cheeks heat up.

"I don't like it too much." She looked away from him, busying herself with scanning the rack of clothes she had picked for fun. All in an attempt to avoid second guessing herself in the face of his compliment.

"I picked something for you." She didn't know when he had moved so close, gasping when his breath hit the back of her neck.

Her fingers stilled on a dress she thought would flatter her, a dress she could actually like. "Show me." She asked softly.

She ended up picking the dress Johnny picked. Looking in the mirror, it felt like the dress that most suited the intention she was going for. Most importantly, Johnny looked happy when they left the boutique.

He was still grinning when they got into the car. He turned to her with the kind of sparkle in his eyes that still never failed to make her heart skip a small beat. She blamed this on the fact that those sparkles were now rare.

“I just have one last thing to do and then we can go home. Do you want to get dinner before that or do you want to eat at home?” He reached over to take her hand in his.

“Let’s just eat out. I don’t want you to go back and cook, that’s too exhausting.”

“I don’t mind.” He shrugged.

“Yeah but I do.” She laughed, “I want you to myself after we get home.” She looked away from him with a coy smile. Laughing when Johnny leaned closer as she predicted.

“You know how to convince a man, (Y/N).” He teased her.

“I know how to convince you.” Her eyes rolled back as his lips pressed against her neck, lips parting when he hummed.

“Of course you do. I am a lucky man, after all." He placed a kiss on her neck, lingering long enough to elicit a reaction from her.

The driver stopped, silently signalling their arrival. (Y/N) looked out the window, confused about what she saw. 

“A jewellery store? Should I be worried?” She only partially joked, swallowing her folly when he gave her a half-hearted smile in response.

"Rin is getting married next month. I wanted to get her something nice." 

“Oh,” was all she could manage in response. "But she's so young." She mumbled, picturing the small girl that followed Johnny around.

He laughed, his cheeks stretching into the whiskers she hadn’t seen in years till that moment. "She's younger than us for sure." He reached out, taking her hands into hers. "But old enough to start her own family, I guess." He squeezed her knuckles once before giving a tug. "Let's go?"

"Oh, I-" She looked out of the window beside her, "What will I do?" She said awkwardly.

"Give your fashionable opinion on what to get." He shrugged avoiding her gaze, opening the door on his side to the curb.

(Y/N) felt confused by the change in his demeanour but nodded with a smile, following him out of the vehicle. Johnny took her hand in his, squeezing it once again.

“You look so beautiful today.” He gave her a tight lipped smile, not really looking at her before saying it. 

Her brows knit together, wondering why he was acting strange. The question was bubbling up to her lips as they walked into the store. And then a sound made her turn to look.

“Johnny!” Rin squealed with a wide grin. The next moment her eyes fell on (Y/N). Her smile flipped instantly, gaze steeling over. Johnny squeezed her hand again.

“Have you picked anything yet?” He asked back, trying to hide the strain in his voice with a breezy laugh.

Rin didn’t speak, she didn’t move. All she did was stare at (Y/N), eyes full of suspicion and disgust. (Y/N) pictured the Rin she remembered, with the wide and kind smile that both her and Johnny got from their mothers.

(Y/N) wished the ground would swallow her, or a strong wind would sweep her away.

“What is she doing here?” Another voice chimed in, Rin’s mother. (Y/N) squeezed Johnny’s hand, he didn’t reciprocate.

Rin’s eyes caught the moment, falling to their joined palms. “They’re back together.” She said in tandem with her realisation, turning back to face her mother. A silent conversation passed between them where (Y/N) only caught the look on the mother’s face. More distrust, even more disgust. 

Johnny’s aunt never liked (Y/N). Her family was a newcomer in their circle, moving into town after her grandfather sold their ancestral property to his government. (Y/N)’s family was older than theirs, and they were richer than Rin’s father. 

(Y/N) and her father were born in this city. But to Rin’s mother and those like her, (Y/N) was always going to be just one thing. A foreigner.

“Yes we are.” Johnny spoke up after several moments, his voice small. He tugged at her hand lightly, making her realise that (Y/N) had shifted to hide behind him. “You know how much Rin loved to dress up in (Y/N)’s clothes. That’s why she wanted to help pick my gift.”

(Y/N)’s ears rang so loud that she didn’t hear their response or what Johnny said in return. She slipped out of the present moment, wrapping herself in her mind and hiding in its comfort. Rin used to love dressing up in (Y/N)’s clothes because she was a teenager whose parents dressed her like a toddler. Rin used to look upto (Y/N) because she was her favourite cousin’s favourite person. And now she was the one who ruined her favourite cousin’s soul.

A hot shiver racked up her chest that felt like a sob and (Y/N) crushed it between her newly manicured nails. Johnny tugged her forward and she followed without resistance, not even thinking of the action. Unlike them, she would not be allowed to show her own betrayal so blatantly.

“What do you think about this?” Johnny’s voice snapped her back to reality, bringing her focus to his hands. He held a necklace littered with diamonds, sparkling so hard that she had to squint.

“Feels too much.” She spoke before she could think. When Rin’s mother shot her a look, (Y/N) bit her tongue.

“I think we should get something smaller.” Rin chimed in, tone clipped.

“No that isn’t what I meant.” (Y/N) tried to say, but Johnny frowned and she realised that her thoughtless words had done something to offend them all. So she just exhaled, “I think Rin’s opinion is what should matter, Johnny. She should pick.” She squeezed Johnny’s arm and gave the women the best smile she could manage.

(Y/N) took a step back, deciding that was the best course of action. This wasn’t her world anymore, she tried to remind herself. What these people thought about her didn’t matter anymore.

That is what she repeated to herself over and over as she found a chair to sit on, trying her best to stay out of anybody’s way. Away was where she had intended to stay till Johnny was done. After the rush of immediate injustice subsided, she wondered if she was being unfair. Rin was Johnny's cousin in name. In practice, she was the closest thing he had to a little sister. They grew up side by side and he had always adored her. When his mother died, Rin lost her aunt as well. They shared that loss.

Rin was family and she loved her brother. (Y/N) just wished that Johnny didn’t bring her here. No matter his intention, he must have known that this would be uncomfortable for everyone. (Y/N) took a deep breath, tearing her gaze away from the happy smiles the three shared. She reminded herself again that this wasn’t her world anymore.

In an effort to distract herself, (Y/N) scanned through the pieces of jewellery in the glass cases around her. She got up to look around, browsing to picture what the owner of each piece would be like. 

She saw a blue sapphire tiara that would belong to an oil heiress, a 25 carat topaz cocktail ring that looked like it was bought by a widow who inherited a barony, and a macau brooch that looked like it belonged to the mistress of a dictator. Each piece stood out with an inherent personality and she was almost lost in their worlds during her brief lingering study.

She stopped in front of a bracelet of ruby. The individual stoned were laid in so seamlessly that it looked like one dazzling sheet of the vibrant stone. Only on close inspection could you see the hexagon cut stones with an occasional deep green emerald and clear diamond tucked in between the sea of red. The bracelet looked like it was seeped in blood because of the deep hue of the rubies. (Y/N) concluded that this would belong to someone who had blood on their hands, the sparkling diamonds distracting from the ocean of red.

“Do you like it?” Johnny spoke and she jumped. She had been so lost in her thoughts that she had been sneaked up upon. Jaehyun would be pissed if he saw how badly she had let her guard down today.

“Not at all.” She said, turning away from the display to turn to him.

“It’s exactly your taste.” Johnny countered, brows furrowing in that signature confusing way. Where one couldn’t tell if he was concerned or furious.

“I wasn’t aware that you knew my tastes better than me.” She dismissed his words, walking away to find more temporary lives to live between shiny stones.

“Of course I do. It is the buyers burden to pick the right gift.” He smirked.

“You don’t need to buy anything so don’t burden yourself.” She shrugged.

“It would look beautiful on you. It looks like it was made for you.” He insisted, “Let me get it. I want to see you wear it.” He raised his hand to call for an attendant. She grabbed his wrist immediately but the action did exactly what she feared. Along with the attendant, Rin and her mother turned to them.

“Could you please show me this set?” Johnny asked.

“Set? Johnny wh-” She tugged at his sleeve but he clicked his tongue. “Please, you’re here to buy your sister a wedding present. Don’t do this, it looks bad. What will they think, Johnny? They already hate me.” She whispered and hissed but he was undeterred.

“They don’t hate you. They just think they still have to pick sides.” He said with excruciating naivety. “Besides, it’s my money. I will do what I want with it.”

The attendant walked up to the case and she had no choice but to let it go.

“A beautiful choice, Sir. They say a high quality ruby is rarer than a diamond. Each stone is individually sourced from around the world to have the same pigeon’s blood hue.” He spoke to them while being loud enough to be heard by Rin, assuming she was the one he had to convince.

“Rubies don’t really suit Rin.” Her mother laughed from across the room. “Plus I don’t think red would be appropriate for the wedding.”

“It’s for (Y/N). Johnny said without turning to them. But (Y/N) was looking and she saw the women’s face. If she believed that Ruby wasn’t an appropriate choice before, she now wanted it nonetheless.

“Look.” Johnny whispered close to her ear, “It’s perfect.” He was loud enough for just them.

(Y/N) turned at his words, failing to catch her gasp in her throat. It truly was a beautiful set. The bracelet, as beautiful as it was, seemed to be a puzzle piece of a larger masterpiece. The necklace was a mofit of ruby flowers with only a few of them having equally splendid emerald leaves. The earrings too were beautifully set scarlet rubies with joints of diamonds. The whole set that diamonds on the joints but it did truly fill like an afterthought, a blank canvas to highlight the rubies the same way the emeralds conntrasted them. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen and she hated the fact. She hated that she wanted it despite herself.

“I love it.” Her voice wavered. It was the truth but she wanted him to think it was a lie. She wanted him to think she didn’t want it, but also hoped that he knew how much she appreciated it. Her head hurt.

“Wear it for me when we go home. Just this.” He had the gall to ask.

She decided it best to respond to him in fear of what she’d let slip. Hopefully, Johnny would get the hint.

She stayed by Johnny’s side till Rin had successfully picked her choice. They didn’t acknowledge each other but Johnny slipped his arm around her waist. If Johnny thought that a few stones would make her forget what he did today, he truly must have started believing that she was a figment of his imagination.

The necklace Rin had picked for herself was beautiful, a string of dazzling transparent diamonds with the occasional pink stone that made it look whimsical. But (Y/N) couldn’t help but notice how Rin’s mother kept eyeing the closed lid on the ruby set.

“If the box is that beautiful, the thing itself must be a treat.” She commented.

“It is.” Johnny grinned, opening the box to show it. 

Both of their lips pursed on seeing the set. (Y/N) bit her lip harshly, only feeling the storm inside her growing. Rin looked away with a shake of her head, turning back to her own gift with a gentle smile.

“Johnny you should come for my party! It’s in an hour anyway.” Rin beamed, clearly happy.

“Sure.” Johnny shrugged, “We would love to come.” 

All three women turned to Johnny but he looked like he did not notice. (Y/N) bit her tongue, hoping that his aunt would chime in again. But she did not.

“Sure.” Rin spoke after the excruciating silence, “See you there.”

“She doesn’t even want me there!” (Y/N) tried to explain, struggling to keep her voice levelled lest he accuse her of overreacting.

“If she didn’t, why would she ask you to come, (Y/N)?” Johnny spoke to his laptop, having it on his lap since they got back into the car with the excuse of pending work. In truth he was doing his best to avoid her justified fury.

“She didn’t! You made us a package deal.” She huffed, fist clenching in her lap, creasing her dress.

“We are a package deal.” Johnny looked up at her, frowning. “That’s what it means to be in a relationship, does it not?”

Her first clenched tighter, “That isn’t the point, but you don’t care so why bother?” She was so livid that a defeated laugh slipped past her lips. “Just go without me. No one will want me there, this is unnecessary.”

“They will suck it up then. You are my girlfriend, if someone has a problem with that then they will have to tell us both to leave.”

“I don’t want to go either, Johnny.” She took both his hands into hers, trying to make him look at her. She pleaded with him now, desperate to be released from this. “You will make this uncomfortable for everyone, including Rin.” She tried to use his precious cousin to make her point.

To her relief, it looked like he was considering it for a moment, grinding his teeth together as his eyes remained still on her.

“I’ve already said we’re going. We can’t cancel.” He stated plainly, taking his hands out of hers.

She laughed again, the same furious laugh of utter disbelief and even more betrayal. She was the fool to believe his claims of having changed.

Sins of the Past

The party was worse than she imagined. (Y/N) told herself she had tried. She had tried to smile and she had tried to ignore the looks and whispers. She even tried to ignore that her cousin, Isabella was there; ignore when she brought up specific moments that were an attempt to embarrass her.

She ignored it all because these people were Johnny’s family and friends and she owed him this much. So she tried to keep herself scarce and waited for the moment it would be appropriate to ask him to leave. She had also decided to just not bring today up after it was over. There was no point anyway.

This is how she had lulled herself in her own mind, monitoring the windows for the sunset.

“(Y/N) you haven’t said a word all evening.” A voice chimed up, one of Johnny’s friends from university.

(Y/N) turned, ready with her excuse of being tired.

“That’s her seventh glass, after all.” Her cousin chimed in, biting her lip like she somehow hadn’t been waiting all evening to bring it up.

(Y/N) felt her resolve snap, “I’ve just never been the type to invite myself to conversations I’m not a part of.” Only as she reached halfway through her sentence did sense catch on.

“And yet you’re here.” Her cousin scoffed, ignoring the shove the person beside her gave her.

She let the words crash over her, trying her best to brush it off. Yet, despite those words, it was a silence that rang louder. Johnny’s silence.

“At least I was invited out of love and not obligation.” She shot back, letting her day’s indignation ferment into the venom that dripped from her tongue.

“Ironic because that love is also an obligation. You would know if you had the capacity for either.”

“How would you know what love is?” She asked, genuinely curious.

Her cousin laughed, “Truly, I would never understand your idea of love. At least you got a pretty necklace out of it though.” She raised her glass to (Y/N), “My mother did always say that you were as oppurtunistic as your mother.”

“Don’t talk about my mother. You don’t want me to speak.” (Y/N)’s voice came out so low that she surprised herself. Her whole body shook from the impossible weight of her anger.

More silence. This time she turned to Johnny. A part of her hoped that if he wouldn’t defend her, then he would at least walk out. But Johnny only sat in the sofa across the room, eyes on the floor and furrowed in it’s signature unreadable way.

(Y/N) turned back to the bar she was sitting against, reaching over to pull the closest bottle towards her. “Eight is my lucky number.” She said loud enough for both Johnny and her cousin to hear. Once full to her heart’s content, she picked up her glass along with the leftover pieces of her dignity and held both tightly in her fist. Before she could tilt her glass to her lips, a hand landed on hers.

“No more, (Y/N).” Johnny warned, voice wavering with anger. She couldn’t help but laugh.

“What are you angry about?” She asked, laughing again as she said the words out loud, finding the situation ridiculous. Still she realised that she said it louder than intended, probably sounding like the drunk she was painted to be.

“Just put the glass down, (Y/N).” He told her, despite having a death grip on her wrist that controlled all her movement.

“You’re causing a scene, Johnny.” She said the words that Johnny has used on her cyclically before.

“Get up.” He wasn’t asking. She listened because she didn’t want to drag on the public spectacle. As Johnny dragged her across the room, she couldn’t help glance at her cousin. Her eyes were on Johnny’s hand on her arm and (Y/N) bottled the small victory up.

“Let me go.” She said when she realised that he wasn’t walking towards the door, “I just want to go home.”

“First we need to apologise to Rin.” He spoke with his jaw set tight, like she was to be blamed. She couldn’t even tell if she was, not with everyone staring at her the way they did. She hated this place with every fibre of her being. 

Johnny stopped in front of Rin, letting out a trembling sigh that held back all of his anger. “I’m sorry for all of this.” Johnny said so sincerely that (Y/N) wanted to scream. He was apologising on her behalf and she had nothing to be apologetic for.

“I don’t understand why you try so hard with her?” Rin spoke like (Y/N) wasn’t standing right in front of her. “She ruined you from the inside out and you just fell for the same lies again. The only thing that’s changed since the last time is that she can’t fall back on her father. Or his money.” Rin hissed, the words dragging down (Y/N)’s back like nails on a chalkboard.

As calmly as she could, (Y/N) pulled her arm out of Johnny’s. She knew that leaving wasn’t going to help because Johnny would follow her and blame her for it. So instead she turned to the open balcony behind Rin, walking in and closing the door behind her.

She stood there, the wind whistling in her ear like it was wincing at her circumstance. She had given up trying to wipe her tears away because it only made her skin sting. She stood there and told herself that, if nothing else, she was at least sure she had made the right decision all those years ago.

"Come back inside." His order announced his arrival after a very long time. (Y/N) wiped her eyes, lowering her chin so her hair would hide her face. She didn't dignify the words with an answer, continuing to look out at the city below her.

"(Y/N)." He warned, "Everybody will wonder where you are."

"No they won't." Her jaw slid over the other, teeth grinding down. "They know why I am not inside. So just go back to your party, Johnny. Otherwise they'll wonder where you are."

He sighed, a sound of rustling following that was clearly him running his hands through his hair. "Look I'm sure she didn't mean to sound so–"

"Hostile?" She turned, tongue and gaze both sharp as a knife. "What else did she intend to sound like when she called me an opportunistic slut? A fucking gold digger?"

"She didn't say that." He put his hands into his pockets.

(Y/N) gave him an incredulous face, his dismissal stinging more than anything anybody inside was capable of.

"Go inside, John. I don't want to fight with you right now. They'll blame me for your bad mood."

"God damn it!" Johnny kicked something, the sound of shattering following after. She turned with wide eyes to see a flower pot lying in pieces on the floor on a pile of soil. "I just wanted one good day. Just a relaxed day where I can spend time with what remains of my family and the woman I love. Why are you doing this?"

"I am not." She looked up at him, words interrupted by a belligerent breath. "What have I done?" She asked, confused and hurt. "My cousin said so many things. I just listened. You said nothing in my defense and I still just stood there, I took it all. Even when Rin said those things. I just stood there. What else do you want me to do?"

"Just come inside."

"I don't want to! Why do I have to go back? So they can whisper as I walk by again? So they can pat themselves on the back after they confirm that I have no shame? No sense of self respect?” She took a step closer as Johnny stumbled back, “You told me to come back to this city with you. You promised me that it would just be the award. You broke that promise. Then you told me to help you buy something for your cousin I agreed. You didn't tell me they would be there too. You sabotaged me and I stayed silent. You said yes to this and I did not protest. Your cousin said whatever she wished. You did not defend me and I still did not so much as make a sound. You failed me and you didn’t bother protecting me, the women you love. What more do you want from me?” She questioned, tears blurring her vision. 

She furiously wiped at her face, the back of her hand dragging the skin till her face felt raw again.

“You’re hurting yourself.” He said gently. It grated her more than anything so far. What good was his concern now?

"Why didn't you defend me?" She cut him off. "You keep talking about what this means to you." She pointed between them. "So what? You will drag down heaven to earth for me but you can't stand up for me?" She pointed out what he said to her.

Johnny furrowed his brows, "What was I supposed to say?"

"You were supposed to tell her to shut up! You were supposed to remind her that I am the person who you claim to love. You were supposed to say that you wanted me back. The least you could have done was said you wanted me here, Johnny. You should have said something.” She groaned, turning away from him. The reiteration of the betrayal brought a fresh assault of tears. She felt so weak and vulnerable begging in front of him. And Johnny looked bemused.

"So what?” Johnny said calmly,” You don't want to be together?" 

“Don't twist my words.” She warned him.

"Twist?" Johnny's brows creased, "It's what you just said!" He shoved his hand in the space between them, raising his voice.

"You’re shouting. Don't start a fight." She stepped back from him, feeling like she was being cornered into this confrontation.

"I'm not the one trying to start a fight." He countered.

"All I did was step out of a room where I am not wanted. To let out the tears I could not inside. I didn’t leave because I know you want to meet your friends and family, so I am here and I just want to be left along."

"You left because it shows everyone inside how wrapped around your finger I am. Because you know I would follow you in here immediately." Johnny crossed his arms over his chest, looking down at her over his nose.

"Excuse me?” She said so loudly that a pigeon on the balcony across rushed to take flight. "First your cousin assumes she knows what I'm thinking, now you do the same. Does manipulation run in the family?"

"I don't understand how you can be so mad when she's right.” Johnny’s voice turned cold, his eyes cruel, “They're all justified, you know? You did do the things she said. You did ruin me from inside out."

"Then why are we here?" She screamed, her resolve slipping. She grabbed it before it disappeared completely, bringing her voice back down. "If your family are still angry about what happened, if you’re angry, then what are we doing? And before you say anything." She raised her hand to stop him from interrupting. "You are allowed to be as angry as you want. I hurt you so much and I understand that you can’t just forget that. I deserve your anger. What I don’t deserve is you treating me like this. And you don’t deserve to be with someone who makes you so miserable. If you're this angry then you simply cannot love me.”

"Now you're the one reading my mind." He spoke, immediately recoiling into his indignation.

“Don’t deflect!” She snapped. “You're lying to yourself if you think you do. Because that amount of hostility borders on disgust. You hate me so much that you will stand aside while someone insults me like that. For something you did, Johnny!" Her eyes welled up again and she had to turn away.

(Y/N) hated that after a certain threshold, her anger always gave way to tears. She hated it because, on more than one occasion, Johnny had accused her of using her tears to win arguments. She hated the accusation because she had never intended to win any arguments with him, she knew it was impossible. All she wanted was to explain her side of it.

“What did I do?” Johnny frowned, taking a step closer to invade her personal space.

“Why didn’t you tell them that you got the jewllery yourself? Did I ask you for it? Why didn’t you tell them that I told you I didn’t want it? Why didn’t you tell them what you told me?” She shoved him away, discomfitted by being this close to his overbearing presence. Johnny had the dreadful habit of towering close to her during arguments.

After a long moment of saying nothing, of just staring her down, Johnny sighed. “I just don’t want us to fight.” He came closer to her in an attempt to touch her.

His words made her see red in a way that felt dangerous. She shoved him again, harder than she expected. He must not have expected it either, because surprise filled his eyes as he lost his balance. There was an unmistakable sound of flower pots shattering, but (Y/N) was already shoving the balcony door open. She froze, turning to look back at him.

"Are you hurt?" She stepped towards him. But Johnny stood up immediately and walked around her, talking quick strides towards the door without once looking back.

She burned from head to toe, a mix of anger and mortification. He left before her, leaving her to walk out by herself. With a hesitant gait, she walked across the now crowded foyer. They all looked away, pretending they hadn’t witnessed the quarrel from the other side of the glass doors. But the side glances confirmed her suspicions. They blamed her. They saw her outburst, and saw her push him to the ground. What they didn’t hear was the actual words. But she doubted that would make a difference.

#johnny smut #johnny scenarios #johnny x reader #johnny drabbles #nct johnny #nct jaehyun #jaehyun scenarios #jaehyun smut #jaehyun drabbles #nct scenarios #kpop scenarios #nct 127 imagines #nct 127 scenarios #nct 127 drabbles #nct 127 smut #nct 127 #jaehyun x reader #nct #nct smut #jaehyun #johnny #jaehyun x y/n #johnny x y/n #noir au

[historicrad39a]

3. Frontier Rescue Rangers

Previous

Unnamed system - 135ly from Earth

Frontier Rescue Rangers Carrier Zuikaku after action report: July 13th 2538

It had been a month since the Human-Tathrax alliance had been attacked by an unknown alien civilization (henceforth known as the “Theta Aliens”). Whilst there was an initial panic about possible follow up attacks, it wasn’t until yesterday that we had any further contact. A small exploration vessel surveying systems just outside of Alliance space had been ambushed and captured by the Theta Aliens. Due to the proximity to frontier space, and the fact that this was a rescue mission, the Frontier Rescue Rangers were dispatched.

Two months ago, had you told me I would make history by being the first half-human half-Tathrax to command of one of the admiralty’s newest and largest carriers, with two brand new Kongō-class Fast Battleships (specifically modified for Frontier Defense fleet use) in tow as the head of a squadron with more firepower than the entire Frontier Defense Fleet up until that point - especially for a rescue mission of all things - I would have called you crazy. In fact, once the FDS Frontier’s captain, Zack, told me he was planning to request the admiralty’s newest toys, I called him an idiot. He had asked me if, assuming he succeeded, I would want to command one of the new ships - and if so, which type. I told him, somewhat jokingly, that I wanted to be in command of a massive voidcraft carrier. Come two weeks later and the Shōkaku-class carrier Zuikaku has been delivered to us direct from Akatsuki Shipyards, with myself named as her captain.

Unlike most people in the Frontier Defense fleet, I was here willingly. My parents were explorers, and when I was a young girl I frequently accompanied them on their journeys. On one such journey, we were in the AR Scorpii system preparing to return home when one of the relativistic beams from the system’s White Dwarf just barely skimmed by our ship. The hyperdrive went haywire and within a matter of seconds we ended up at the outer edge of the MilkyWay - having just travelled some 26,300ly in under 20 seconds. Hyperspace has a maximum speed limit of ~1 light year per second, most ships can only manage a light year per ten seconds at most. Yet somehow we managed to move at some 1,000 light years per second.

We were stranded for around a week in a near functionless ship slowly starving to death before we heard the distinct roar of a large vessel approaching in hyperspace. The Rescue Rangers had successfully requisitioned the Casablanca-class carrier ship Gambier Bay and made the week-long trip out here non-stop. Needless to say I was greatly inspired by their bravery and decided I would become a Rescue Ranger when I grew up.

By the time I was of eligible age to join the Rescue Rangers, things had rapidly deteriorated. When I was a child, the hyperdrive was just barely 50 years old. But by the time I had joined it was nearing 70 years old. Consequently, random failures, mis-jumps, and fuel exhaustion due to unpredictable fuel usage were all but things of the past. The Rescue Rangers weren’t nearly as crucial anymore, and as a result in my 2nd year the Rescue Rangers were disbanded as an independent branch and the remnants were folded into the Frontier Defense Fleet. Along with our independence, almost all of our ships were taken - including the carrier Gambier Bay I so desperately wanted to serve on.

Eight years later and the Frontier Rescue Rangers did little more than refuel stranded ships that had misjudged their remaining fuel. That is, until a month ago, when the Frontier Rescue Rangers were suddenly given 30 modified Fletcher class destroyers along with the promises of several capital ships and a massive budget increase. In addition to our normal duties, we were to combat the alien threat and rescue any individuals captured by them.

My first mission in command of the FDCV Zuikaku was to lead a task force of 18 vessels to rescue some captured explorers. As it would turn out, this was overkill. In addition to the Zuikaku we had the FDBB Hiei and Haruna - two modified Kongō-class battle cruisers which had been re-designated as Fast Battleships - and fifteen Ted Fujita-class Destroyers (modified Fletcher-class). While the main armament on the Kongōs and the torpedo launchers on the Ted Fujitas were of Alliance design, the 23cm double-barreled turrets were created using borrowed technology from the Theta Aliens.

The aliens, on the other hand, had a mere five cruisers guarding the transport vessel holding the captured explorers. The 40cm guns on the Hiei and Haruna and the Samuel B. Robert’s four 720mm torpedos practically atomized the cruisers. The Hiei’s 76cm “crew incapacitation” rounds also proved to be complete overkill. Of the three rounds fired at the transport, one hit the engines, one atomized the fuel tanker behind the transport, and the third round penetrated into the reactor room before detonating. We had included extra oxidizer in the bursting charge in case the ship’s atmosphere limited the spread of fires.

This turned out not to be the case, as the third shell set almost the entire ship’s insides on fire - killing 60% of the crew instantly. Frankly, we got lucky. Via neural implants on one of the explorers we knew they were locked inside a holding cell of sorts, but it’s very likely that had the “crew incapacitation” round been any more powerful there may have been no explorers left to rescue. Needless to say I’m prohibiting the use of these rounds until they can be fixed.

The boarding action was also very successful - there was not a single Alliance casualty during the firefight. One of the commandos transferred from the Anti-piracy force was quite amused at the 600 year old M2 Browning machine guns the Frontier Defense Force had been issued, and apparently thought it would be hilarious to bring it as his primary weapon. As it turns out, despite being 600 years old at this point, the M2 Browning was extremely effective - so much so that we have received no fewer than twenty requests to make the M2 Browning part of the standard loadout.

In terms of our primary objective, we were a bit too successful. Our orders were “to rescue as many of the five captured individuals as possible from the Theta Aliens.” When all was said and done, we had achieved a 1700% success rate - having rescued 85 of the 5 individuals captured. In addition to this, we had made first contact with three additional alien species aside from those comprising the Alliance. As it had turned out, the explorers we were sent to rescue had made friends - and upon being rescued, they demanded that we take on all 80 of the other individuals onboard the vessel. Leave it to the humans to make friends wherever they go…

Naturally, I was opposed to this request - we had nowhere near the resources necessary to care for 80 additional people, let alone 80 individuals from a variety of species we knew nothing about. It wasn’t until the explorers’ captain, Hanako, threatened to refuse rescue that I finally relented. Such is the stubbornness of humans. This is the same species that, upon seeing my Mother’s (recent) ancestors in person for the first time - a species known for being an apex predator - said “Awww, they look like kitties!” Before attempting to pet their heads, followed by sulking when my mother’s ancestors refused to allow it. I suppose it’s the human blood that flows through my veins that makes it hard to be too mad at them.

In any case, one individual was of particular interest to us due to Hanako’s claims that she had communicated with them. Naturally, we were skeptical. We had barely made any progress on decoding the Theta Aliens’ language after a month, it seemed impossible that a human could communicate with a completely different alien species after less than a day. Imagine our surprise when the alien spoke (admittedly limited, and broken) English.

I quickly discovered the secret behind their supernatural ability to learn languages, it was quite literally “supernatural” in nature. They are capable of communicating telepathically, and on rare occasions they can communicate with individuals from different species. This ability is extremely limited however, as there are many complications associated with communicating with an individual who does not share a language, and most individuals are not compatible. We had the individual attempt to communicate with everyone on the Zuikaku, and of the Human and Tathrax crew, only Hanako could hear them.

Despite this limitation, this individual would likely be very useful. According to Hanako, the individual served as a diplomat for some time, and knew many languages as a result. In addition to this, they knew a lot about the Theta Aliens (who they referred to as something like K’Lagreth). This would no doubt be extremely useful, both for information gathering, and for deciphering the Theta Aliens’ language. Given how none of the 1,500 some crew on the Zuikaku were compatible with the individual’s ability, it’s nothing short of a miracle that any of the five captured explorers were compatible.

Before returning to the Frontier to refuel and rearm, we decided to ask the individual for their name, as referring to them as “the/that alien,” or “the/that individual” was quite tiresome. Unfortunately, neither human nor tathrax vocal chords could actually pronounce their name, and I’m not certain that letters exist in any alliance language that could accurately transcribe it. In addition, their name was long, very long. Assuming that any of us could even pronounce it, most would struggle to remember. However, humans will do as humans will do, and upon hearing a part of their name that sounded vaguely like “Gregg,” the humans immediately took to calling them by that name. I suppose referring to them as “Gregg” is easier than referring to them in the 3rd person all the time…

After (slowly) providing basic accommodations for the numerous species onboard, we prepared to depart on the return journey to the Frontier. Due to the limited bandwidth for FTL communications, our transmission to the Frontier was extremely limited (speeds capped out at around 12 bits per second). This meant that most of the details regarding our new guests could not be included. I’m sure that Zack will be happy to hear that he’ll need to fill his precious space station with a wide variety of flammable gases, toxic gases, and strong oxidizers in order to provide for our unexpected rescuees.

Moving forward, the admiralty will need to make a decision on how to proceed from here. Clearly, the Alliance aren’t the only ones threatened by the Theta aliens. If Gregg’s reports are to be believed, the Theta Aliens have subjected no fewer than ten different civilizations, possibly more. They also noted that the exact location of the Theta Aliens’ homeworld is unknown to most, if not all outsiders. Originally our goal was to protect Alliance interests from the Alien threat, and negotiate a ceasefire as soon as possible. However, I now feel this is unlikely to work. The Mylr’s (Gregg’s species) were supposedly able to fend off the Theta Aliens for some time, but eventually, they too fell.

I feel a military campaign is necessary. There is much we could learn from these captured civilizations, and depriving the Theta Aliens of their resources, both living and non-living, would make it very unlikely that they could continue to attack us. In addition, it would ultimately be beneficial for us to free those countless individuals who are suffering at the hands of the Theta Aliens… Y’know, from a objective standpoint of course. Definitely nothing as ambiguous or illogical as feeling moral obligation to help them just because they’re in need. Nothing like that at all.

In any case, the sooner we can get the individuals we rescued back to their homeworlds, the better. While it’s true they were no longer in what could only be described as slavery, they hadn’t exactly returned to a normal life either. It would be best for them to return to their homeworlds. But as those homeworlds were supposedly under occupation, it would be hard to just bring them back and expect things to turn out fine.

I’ll chat with Zack about this once we return. I’m unwilling to just abandon the individuals we rescued today, and I’m sure Zack will feel the same (once he’s done complaining about having to fill the Frontier with a variety of dangerous gases). I don’t care how long or what it takes, but I swear on my ancestors that we will wage total war against the Theta Aliens - and we will free those unduly oppressed by them. Even if the admiralty refuses my plan, I will not allow the Theta Aliens to exploit any civilization any longer. The Theta Aliens’ empire’s collapse begins today.

Log end

Hey y’all. So as it turns out I’m physically incapable of sticking to schedules, so here’s this entry a day or so early. The next entry will probably be from Gregg’s perspective and may end up being a bit shorter (although I’ve thought this about literally every chapter so far) as it won’t be as focused on the larger plot. It will be a little more in the spirit of “humans are fucking weird” as it deals with Gregg adapting to the *ahem* oddities of living with humans.

Depending on how long it is, the next chapter/intermission may come out as early as next week. Like I said, apparently I’m incapable of sticking to a schedule. In the meantime, thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it. See y’all in anywhere from a few days to two weeks!

~Rad

#writing #humans are space orcs #humans are deathworlders #humans are space australians #reddit refugee #writers on tumblr #sci fi writing #hfy #humanity fuck yeah #humans and aliens #humans are space capybaras

[kirbybecomesastarwarrior]

Origin of Creation:

And that is how Kirby became the Last Star Warrior...

Introducing: Sir Icarus, Trailblazer of the Milkyway! (WIP) He is the last of the four heroes of Yore. He helped the ancients create the Nova and Star Dream (which I will get to later because of spoilers) but basically, he worked closely with Haltman. And instilled the fact that organic lifeforms were lesser.

Icarus is basically the "Mad Doctor" of the GSA... and would perform experiments on lifeforms that he considered lesser beings. Sir Uther allowed these dangerous experiments: since he too was an elitist.

Celestine & Icarus despise each other for this reason. And is the main reason why the Magic & Science factions of the ancients could not get along. And this came to ahead once Icarus wanted to experiment on "the Fountain of Dreams" in the temple.

(I gotta rewrite some of the lore later, but here it goes...)

In Kirby lore, there are serval fountains of dreams... but I always felt there had to be a main one that controlled them all. In the KBASW lore, astral would come into existence depending on the wish. And the planet they spawned (and wish) would determine their element. Celestine would predict where & when the astral would be manifest. So the Main Fountain of Dreams was exclusively under her.

In short: Icarus wanted to see if he could trigger the creation of more astral beings, but she said no. Celestine knew he was going to use them as living guinea pigs. And resented her ever since...

Icarus so planned the downfall of Lady Celestine... with the help of Sir Uther. Uther agreed to help but said that he owed him a favor... Celestine was the first to get unjustly crystalized by the Ancients... (but they reported to the public that she was executed).

Icarus made them believe Lady Celestine was planning to usurp the GSA with her followers. Everything she stood for was destroyed and was rebranded as a witch to avoid scandal within the temple.

Originally his idea was to trigger the creation of an astral in the fountain which lead him nowhere.

After Meta Knight was born Icarus got the idea "If Nightmare could do it so could he," this thought consumed his every waking moment.

(Consider this his madness arc...)

Uther would help him but he needed to get rid of Galacta Knight & hand over his squadron of soldiers. By this point, Icarus has invested so much time in effort in the project he was willing to give up all his power for it to succeed. Believing he could create beings to rival Void... he did succeed but at a terrible price.

Cut to this scene: In the timeline, Meta Knight was running the volunteer army: team Halberd with Jecra & Garlude. And Galacta Knight has just sealed away, recently )

Morpho Knight appeared and took Icarus' life. ... he had flown too close to the sun... And claimed there would be no more Astrals.

As punishment, he gave Nightmare, an opening to destroy the fountain of dreams... to ensure Kirby was the last one. Allowing him to take Kirby away.

Morpho is neither good nor bad... just a neutral judge. Icarus believed he could challenge... the power of an elder god and everyone in the galaxy paid for it.

Uther was the only one who knew of Kirby's existence and searched for him tirelessly( to destroy the evidence). Luckily somebody else found him first.

#kirby #morpho knight #galacta knight #hoshi no kaabii #kirby anime #kirby oc #kirby right back at ya #sir uther #lady celestine #kbasw #sir icarus #kirby fanfic #fanfic lore #I had a lot of WIP and I ended up finishing them all together surprisingly

[underzemilkyway]

Arroyo Angostura - by Federico Viegener Bariloche, Argentina

#under the milky way #night sky #milky way #celestial enrichment #under starry skies #celestial ceiling #constellations #celestial odyssey #night photography #long exposure #under the heavens #under the milkyway #under the stars #under wear #stellar enrichment

[landscapesscenerypeopleplaces]

Yukon, Canada - by Mark Adamus

The Incomparable Mountains of the Yukon with the Usual Night Skies Dancing Overhead. A long backpacking trip in the rain, snow & ice lead us to this location miles from any other people for over a week, whereupon it cleared off for a few nights and I was able to render the images needed for this shot. The image depicts a peak that I had always wanted to explore after flying near it a few times.

Hope you enjoy!

#landscape & scenery #nature #yukon #canada #under the starry skies #under the heavens #under the milkyway #under the milky way #milkyway #auroral enrichment #aurora #auroral odyssey #celestial odyssey #celestial enrichment #under the celestial ceiling #under starry skies #northern lights #the celestial ceiling #the celestial odyssey

[surik-i]

One and Only - L. Heeseung

‒ pairings :: lee heeseung x fem!oc

‒ genre :: fluff, romance

‒ warnings :: none

‒ word count :: 1.8k

‒ synopsis :: heeseung and daiyu were one of korea's famous idol couples until their life schedules drew them apart. it's now been a year since their breakup and something unexpected happens.

‒ songs recommended :: Night We Met by Lord Huron + Please Never Fall In Love Again by Ollie MN + When She Loved Me (slowed) by Sarah McLachlan

“One, Two, Three, Hello everyone! I’m Cai Daiyu and this is-” Her eyes beamed happily, turning her attention to the man beside her. “Heeseung of Enhypen!” Heeseung replied as the two waved to the camera, creating a little heart. Two idols, South Korea’s most loved couple, stood in front of  Music Bank as the MCs for the show. To the camera, they were the perfect couple, with no flaws, and for a while, they were just that. They had everything you could ever look for in a relationship, the communication skills, the love that fired, they’ve even countless times met each other's parents. Everyone in Korea did think they would get married, but even if moments seemed happy, they were not all beautiful.

  “I feel our relationship is not working out for us both. Busy schedules and you heading on your world tour, it’s become harder and harder to see each other,” Daiyu now spoke as she looked sadly up at Heeseung. Her heart was shattering every second as she knew what had to be done about their relationship. He was her whole world, but that world had now begun to split apart from one another as they drifted out of the Milkyway. She tried to keep her composure steady, not break down so quickly. It hurt, it really did. They’d been together since 2020 and now it seemed that they both rose in popularity and couldn’t keep holding one another’s hand. As much as they tried to hold it, there was a force that pushed their hands down.

“I understand,” Heeseung replied sadly, understanding what the two had to do. Those two years were the best for him and now they were only memories. He wanted to hold her close to him, one more time, one more day, one more year before she completely left him. He could not imagine a day without her, but now he had to make the decision of letting her go. With the final works of goodbye, their lips met one another in a final longing kiss, one neither wanted to pull away from, afraid of the goodbye. The feeling of one another’s warmth grew cold, and with one last admiration, they went their separate ways. 

Cai Daiyu went back to her hometown in China, handling more of her idol career under the sub-entertainment label of her one back in South Korea. Heeseung continued life in South Korea, having small interviews from time to time where he had to let the media be reminded that they broke up on good terms and that they just could not make ends meets. No matter how many times Daiyu was brought up in the conversation and how many times he pretended as he had moved on, nobody compared to her and he still found himself crying at night to missing her touch and wanting nothing more than to just hold her throughout the night. He blames himself, telling himself that he should have just told her to stay one more night, one more night for him to make things right. Heeseung missed her to death, his heart was in pain and aching for her, only her.

Daiyu sat at her desk, removing her makeup for the night as she did her final stream for the day. She was answering a few fans' questions, the sounds of soft lo-fi music in the background. She looked at one comment catching her eye almost instantly. “Post a selfie if you miss Heeseung.” She thought read it, letting out a quiet hum before clearing her throat. “Thank you all for coming to my live, I’ll talk to you all again tomorrow. Bye my lovelies!” She smiled softly, waving goodbye to the camera before ending the live stream. Once the screen showed the live ended, she slouched back in her chair, a sigh escaping her lips.

Had it really been a year since they ended everything? She missed him so much still, but she could never find herself to admit it. She missed him so much, no matter what, he was her one and only who made her feel like she was always on cloud nine. She wanted more than anything to go back to how they were. She missed him all too much. Why was she the one still crying over him? From all the interviews she’s seen of him, it looked like he seemed so happy doing what he loved. She wanted him so badly, but he was no longer hers and that was the end of the story. “Could we ever really go back to how we were before?” She questioned herself with a small snicker. The breakup seemed to shock the whole world, even her parents who yelled at her for ending it. They all knew he was the only one she needed and yet, she let him go because she got so scared of the future, the future of growth. Why did she do that to him? After everything they went through, she was so quick to run away. Was he taken again? In a secret relationship? She wasn’t so sure, all the scandals of dating seemed to be completely all false, and yet she feared one day those false ones would be true about him.

Getting up from the chair, she decided to take one more selfie for the night, laying in bed and soon snapping the picture before posting it with the caption, ‘Heading to bed now, see you all at the fan meet tomorrow!’ Once the photo she put her phone down, but with all too quickly, her phone buzzed and her heart seemed to start racing all over again. She was amazed, maybe even shocked of who was texting her at this our. It was no other than Lee Heeseung, the one man she had been missing for a whole year now, he was texting her. 

( Heeseung ) I missed you too

Daiyu quickly rose up from her bed, her eyes were widened. No way was he actually the one who commented that. This could not actually be happening, she had to be dreaming, something. There had to be some other explanation to this and not him actually missing her as much as she was. After all, he looked so happy, there could be no way that he loved her still. She decided thought o reply back, playing the dumb card on him.

( Daiyu ) When did I say I missed you?

( Heeseung ) Don’t try to act cute, I know that you miss me too

( Daiyu ) Too bad, I’m all the way back in China, don’t think it will work out

( Heeseung ) I… I can fly to China….?

( Daiyu ) You’re not busy?

( Heeseung ) My work can wait just to see you :3

( Daiyu ) You sure?

( Heeseung ) I’m sure

(Heeseung ) You know how much I missed you

( Daiyu ) Then I guess I’ll see you tomorrow <3

She turned her phone off, screaming into her pillow happily. Daiyu was kicking her feet, that fluttery feeling in her heart returning to her. She was going to see Heeseung again, the one she forever wanted to stay with. What would they even talk about? Was he maybe wanting to get back together? So many questions ran through her head as she was excited to see him again. Lee Heeseung, her one and only man, the one guy who was capable to sweep her off her feet. She couldn’t be anymore happier.

The next day arrived as Heeseung arrived in China, waiting patiently for Daiyu. He wore a black cap and black mask, alongside a black leather jacket, white t-shirt, black loose pants, and some black high-heeled boots. He seemed to fiddle with his hands nervously, wondering how this meeting would go and if the two could maybe start again. He wanted to, more than anything was to be with her. With all the countless restless nights he’s had without her, he wanted more than anything to wake up in the morning with her by his side. He didn’t want any more of the nightmares that followed without her by him.

Daiyu slowly made her way to the airport, her bodyguards by her side as she walked, scanning the area for Heeseung. She wore a black shirt with a semi-turtleneck, black high-waisted shorts, a white lapel coat, and black knee-high boots. She also wore a white mask. Lifting her head up, she finally found his standing figure, a wide grin forming behind her mask and before she knew it, she was running up to him, jumping into his arms for a loving hug. “I’ve missed you.” She finally confessed, tears falling down.

“I’ve missed you too, my one and only,” Heeseung hugged her tightly, but his eyes filled with tears. He kept blinking, he was happy to finally see her again, but at the same time, he was crying. It had been soon long and now, he had her in his arms. He could finally hug her again just like he wanted to. His head now rested on her shoulder, pulling him as close as he could, not daring to let her go. 

“I wanna give us a second chance,” She admitted, the tears continuing to flow down her cheeks as she looked up at him. She needed him more than anything in her life, she couldn’t to lose him again. This was the man she dreamed of every day and now she was hugging him again. She felt so stupid for breaking up with him and now she could finally say she wanted to be with him again. She wanted the old relationship back and she hoped that he would forgive her for ever doubting them.

“S-second chance….?” He seemed stunned by her asking him this. He wasn’t expecting her to just come right out and confess, but yet again he wanted to hear those words from her. This had to be a dream, but yet it wasn’t. He was actually hugging her and the both were just crying now. All those feelings they had for each other before, it was still there, they still loved one another even in times of not being together. Forever and always, Daiyu was waiting for him, just like he was waiting for her. 

“I don’t ever want to lose you again,” Daiyu now slid her mask down, looking him in the eyes and showing him she was ready to take that leap in coming back to him, that she was serious about this relationship with him.

“I don’t want to lose you again, let’s try again. Let’s start dating again,” And with that, Heeseung pulled his own mask down, pulling Daiyu closer to him as he pulled her into a sweet and loving kiss. He missed this, he missed her, and now he had her again, He had the love of his life. After a year apart, they could finally be together again. May the moons and stars align, for now, and ever, they were each other’s one and only….

#enhypen scenarios #enhypen fanfiction #lee heeseung #enhypen imagines #sunoo #sunghoon imagines #enhypen heeseung #heeseung #enhypen #enhypen drabbles #enhypen fic #enhypen fluff #enhypen jake #enhypen jay #enhypen jungwon #enhypen niki #enhypen sunghoon #enhypen sunoo #jake enhypen #jay enhypen #niki enhypen

[xyrthemost]

All ID’s in alt text ; if you cannot access them please let me know!

All of these are made for and with @voidcoining in mind , but zom (pronoun translation: he )has stated tick (pronoun translation : he) doesn’t mind others using said flags ! Send it some love n tell Saintress sent ya !

🌌🌃🎆EMOJIC —

[PT with emoji name ; Milkyway emoji , night with stars emoji , forewords emoji- emojic end PT]

An emoji gender that relates to the emoji combo above !

[for mobile users this divider is very thin and it’s hard to click on the alt text so here is the alt text underneath it as well.

PT ; a thin divider. The top of the divider going horizontally is a red line. Under the line going horizontally is a two square tall checkered pattern of black and white. Under the checkered pattern in the same red.End]

🪻EMOJIC —

[PT With emoji name ; hyacinth emoji - emojic end pt]

An emoji gender relating to the emoji up above!

#🎁 PRIZE CORNER #emojic #emoji gender #Mogai #xenogender #xeno coining #mogai coining #gender coining #emojigender

[the-hikers-eye-photography]

The Magnificent Milkyway

A night out under the stars as the Milkyway rose in the south-east to travel across the sky.

I love this stuff.

12 frames (plus 3 dark frames to identify and eliminate hot pixels) stacked in Sequator and processed in CameraRAW and PhotoShop.

===============

Nikon D750

Rokinon 14mm f/2.8

20 seconds

ISO 3200

===============

#astro #astrophotography #milkyway #star gazing #night sky #starry night #starry sky #opt outside #nature #outdoors #no people #the hikers eye #landscape #go outside and play #landscape photography #nature photography #original photography #original photographer