#'artist lovingly draws wife without her skin on' is IN

[mixelation]

modern au sasosaku is just sasori living off his rich surgeon wife’s salary while making absolutely BIZARRE sculptures he refuses to sell. also he refuses to take commissions. sakura has just accepted their house is going to be filled with weird nightmare fuel art

#'artist draws lover like on of his french girls' is OUT #'artist lovingly draws wife without her skin on' is IN #sakura like 'you got my hand wrong. :( here's an xray from when i broke a finger boxing :(' #sasosaku #haruno sakura #sasori

[ericsonclan]

Everything Shimmers With You

Summary: Tenn takes Mariana on a walk so he can ask her an important question.

Word Count: 2081

Read on A03:

The snow crunching underneath Tenn’s boots was a comforting sound as he made his way to the library. Another semester had passed and with it he was one step closer to graduation. He could hear Sophie’s voice in his head, knowing exactly what she would say when he visited her and Minnie for Christmas. “How in the world have you gotten even taller? It’s not fair – 20 years old and still growing!” then she’d pinch his cheek lovingly and sit him down to a Christmas feast with enough calories to make him grow a couple more inches. He was excited to come home for the holidays, but there was something he needed to do first before he left.

Turning the corner, Tenn saw the library, its lights still welcoming and warm even though it was closed for the evening. No one was around anymore, everyone having returned to their dorms likely to keep studying for that last exam or two they had the coming day. Tenn had been lucky in that his exams were stacked on the first few days of this week. Perhaps it was unlucky before when he had to cram for hours on end but now he was done early and he could spend his time doing other things, first and foremost of those things: meeting up with the pretty Cuban girl who sat waiting for him on the library steps.

“Hey, Mari,” Tenn’s voice was soft as always as he smiled down at his girlfriend and offered her a hand up. “Aren’t you cold sitting on the steps like that?”

“Tenn!” Mariana’s face brightened at the sight of him. She immediately took Tenn’s hand, standing up and pulling him into a long, warm hug. “Nah, I’m fine. I only locked up the library about five minutes ago so I haven’t been sitting long,” She stepped down the stairs with her boyfriend, smiling as she squeezed his hand. “So… how did exams go? Do you think you aced them?”

“Well, I don’t know about ‘aced’,” Tenn murmured, looking down at the ground shyly, “But I know I did well on all of them and that’s thanks to you. I would never have passed trigonometry without your help,”

“What good is having a girlfriend with an in at the library if she can’t help you cram for exams?” Mari replied with a wink. “Thank goodness that part of my life is over, at least for now. I still have exam burnout from my college days!”

Tenn smiled at Mariana as she continued, reminiscing about her own time in college as they walked along the frozen pathway together. He still couldn’t believe he was lucky enough to date her. To think that asking for help tracking down a book of Van Gogh’s illustrations would lead to a relationship that had been going strong for almost an entire semester now… he was so lucky. He knew he’d get a lot of teasing from his sisters and sister-in law when he got home about dating an older woman, but he was certain that as soon as they met Mariana they’d love her as much as he did.

That was what he was planning to ask this night: for Mari to come home with him for the holidays. Perhaps it was moving a bit fast and he certainly wasn’t giving her much time to decide or pack for the trip, but over the past week as Tenn had thought of leaving campus and not seeing Mariana for the entire winter break, the more that idea had become completely unbearable to him. Then the perfect solution had come to him: take her home. He wanted Mariana to meet his family and for them to see how much she meant to him. Now he just had to hope that she would say yes.

It was a few minutes of walking before they reached one of the campus coffee shops. Popping inside, the two of them walked to the counter hand-in-hand. Mariana placed their orders, already knowing Tenn’s by heart: earl grey tea with a splash of cream and a drizzle of honey. With Tenn’s tea and Mari’s cinnamon latte in hand, the pair left the café and headed toward their true destination.

Mariana took a sip of her drink, letting out a tiny sigh of happiness at the taste. She caught Tenn smiling at her and paused in her second sip. “What?”

“Nothing, just… I love when you do that,”

“Do what?”

“That little sound you make right after taking your first sip. It’s cute,”

“Huh. I never noticed before,” Mariana looked at her drink in curiosity before sipping it again. “You pick up on details so well. I guess it comes with being an artist,”

“Maybe,” Tenn shrugged. “It’s not really anything special,”

“Ah ah ah,” Mariana scolded, gently nudging Tenn’s shoulder. “There you go again underselling yourself. That’s another compliment you owe the compliment jar!”

Tenn nodded good-naturedly, smiling at the thought. Mariana had started the practice of the compliment jar a few months ago. Every time Tenn said anything self-deprecating or effacing, she would make him write a compliment about himself to put in the compliment jar. Then whenever Mari caught him feeling down, she would bring out the compliment jar and read compliments he had written to himself until Tenn was smiling again. It was one of the things Tenn loved about Mariana best: her ability to always bring joy.

Finally, they had reached their destination. Along the walkway that led from Cook Hall all the way down to the Egret dorms, lights had wrapped around the trunks of the trees that lined the path and interspersed amongst their branches. The effect was magical: the air itself seemed to glow with an almost ethereal quality and in the calm of night with the smallest wisps of snow floating down from above, it felt as though they had the entire world to themselves. It was a walk they had gotten into the habit of taking together at least a few times each week, wanting to enjoy the magical atmosphere for as long as it would last.

Hand in hand, the pair walked along in silence, taking in the beauty that surrounded them. Tenn felt a sort of nervous excitement thrumming within him alongside the usual calm that the walk inspired. Mariana was completely enraptured by their surroundings, taking it all in with wide eyes. Most of the campus was asleep or indoors at this hour and the sprinkling of snow that had come down earlier in the evening had left the path fresh and unmarked, their footsteps the only trace of life along the trail.

“It gets me every time,” Mariana murmured, a smile on her lips as she took in the beauty around them.

“Me too,” Tenn readjusted his hold on Mari’s hand, his woolen gloves not quite enough to keep out the cold of the night.

Mari smiled up at her boyfriend. “I bet it snows even more than this in West Virginia, huh?”

“Yeah, it snows quite a bit. One winter we got such a heavy snow that the power lines in our district came down and school got cancelled for the next three days. Power was out at the place my sisters worked too, so we all got to stay at home together and binge movies while we drank tons of hot cocoa. That was the exception though, not a regular winter,”

“I bet you watched Into the Spiderverse about a hundred times during your days off,” Mariana said with a grin.

She knew him well. Tenn smiled shyly and nodded. “Yeah. I bet my sisters were sick of it, but Sophie was mostly focused on her drawing and Minnie was working on a special song for my sister-in-law Renata so neither seemed to mind,”

“Your sisters always sound so cool. I hope I get to meet them sometime, maybe if they drive up here for a visit,”

“Actually…” Tenn stopped in his tracks, causing Mariana to come to a halt too, “I was thinking you could meet them sooner than that. Like next week,” Clearing his throat, Tenn mustered all of his courage for the next part. “Mari, would you like to come home for the holidays with me? I know it’s a lot to ask and I should have thought of it earlier and maybe it’s too soon, but, but I really want you to meet my family. My sisters and parents and niece and nephews, everybody. So… do you want to?”

Mariana looked up at Tenn with large eyes, silently taking everything in. As he kept talking though, her smile grew and grew so when he finished his question she was already sure of her answer. “Yes!”

“R-really?”

“Yes really! I would love to come home with you!” Bouncing onto her tiptoes, Mariana captured her boyfriend’s lips in a quick kiss. “I’ll have to let my uncles and brother know that I won’t be around as much as we’d originally planned, but I know they’ll be happy that I’m going too. You know how much they love you!”

Javi and Santiago were exceedingly fond of Tenn. And they teased the couple practically every time they saw them, so Tenn had developed a thick enough skin to handle the upcoming teasing at home. Gabe might be a little peeved that Mari was being whisked away on such short notice, but his wife Nurgul was sure to calm him down and get him to forgive Tenn. If things went as Tenn anticipated, perhaps next year it wouldn’t be just Mari but her entire family visiting his come Christmas time.

Taking both of Mariana’s hands in his, Tenn squeezed them gladly, looking upon her with adoration. “I can’t tell you how much it means to me that you said yes,”

“It means as much as it means to me that you asked,” Mariana lightly swung their hands back and forth, still giddy with joy. “Crap, I gotta go home and pack! You’re leaving tomorrow, right?”

“The day after tomorrow. Again, sorry for the short notice-”

“Enough of that,” Mariana tutted. “That’s plenty of time to pack. I’ll just do a quick run to the corner store for essentials tomorrow and I’ll be all set. I should get home though!  I have laundry to do, gotta dig my suitcase out of storage, ask Gabe to feed the guinea pigs…” As she listed off things Mariana began to walk, heading faster towards her car where their walk always ended. Tenn followed along in silence, listening happily to the list and adding in his own additions to what she should pack.

By the time they reached her car, Mariana had a pretty good idea of everything she would need before she headed out with Tenn. Opening the car door, Mariana turned around to give Tenn one last kiss. It was a slow, sweet one, both of them lingering in the moment. Mariana pulled away softly, her eyes fluttering back open as she smiled up at her boyfriend. “I guess I’ll see you soon then. I’ll probably text you before I see you again for more packing details,”

“Sounds good to me,” Tenn agreed, nodding softly.

Mariana bit her lip as if unsure if she should say what she wanted to next. “I’m so glad you asked me. Not only cause it’s a step forward and all that, but… I would have missed you like crazy over winter break. It’s all I’ve been thinking of this past week,”

A small chuckle escaped Tenn’s lips. “I was thinking the same thing,”

“Really?”

Yes, really,”

Going up on her tiptoes once more, Mariana gave Tenn a quick kiss on the cheek, leaning in to whisper in his ear. “I love you, Tennessee,”

A shiver ran down Tenn’s spine at her words. “I love you too, Mariana,”

“I’ll see you soon,” Giving Tenn’s hand one final squeeze, Mariana got into her car and slowly drove off, waving back at him until her car rolled out of sight.

Tenn waved back as long as he could, only lowering his arm when he was sure she was out of sight. A bright warmth filled the entirety of his being; she had said yes. He was taking Mari home for the holidays. Heading back toward his dorm, Tenn found himself unable to hold back the grin upon his face. It was going to be a truly magical Christmas.

#twdg tenn #twdg mariana #fanfic #twdg #ericson's diner au #twdg christmas #ericsonclanchristmaschallenge #twdg tenniana

[alstanfordart]

Come Into My Lights

A Robert Gray origin story I wrote  a few months back. Has some fairly disturbing content in it, so read with caution.

At the start of Autumn, in the chilly, foggy early hours of the morning, the circus arrived to sleepy Derry. The colorful painted wooden wagons and elephants parading along Witcham Street drew the children of the town out of their homes to smile, gawk and laugh while still in their pajamas.

The performers clamored about the town, exploring, or posing for photographers as set-up began, including the biggest draw of all; the big top tent being erected by young laborers. Decked out in overalls with smudged cheeks, they traveled with the circus and during performances often did humdrum chores, such as tending to the animals and the handling of props the various performers used during their acts. The laborers, while not paid well, certainly ate well, with three hearty meals a day. The opportunity for travel was also desirable for many young men and women.

The wagons were sitting in a circle around Bailey Park, in the center is one emblazoned with 'Pennywise The Dancing Clown.'

Otherwise known as Robert Gray, formerly Gustafsson. He'd picked up his stage name while performing in London with an English clown George Rowley, known as 'Sad Jacques,' who uttered the saying, "Penny wise and pound foolish" in response to the lavish spending he'd witnessed while in the city. Robert found the saying delightful and adopted it as a stage name. Before, he simply was known as 'The Dancing Clown.'

Robert was born in Södermalm, the only son of Anna and Sven, both from familes of dancers, musicians and actors. His father had been known sinply as "The Sångare," and had moved the family to England upon landing work at King's Theater. His actress mother made regular appearances on the Royal Theatre stage.

The family's home life was often filled with drama that matched that depicted in his mother's plays; his father had at least three different mistresses, each having bore him a child. Robert had never acknowledged or spoke with any of them. His father was also a strict disciplinarian, often beating Robert mercilessly for something as trivial as not finishing all of his vegetables.

His father, who had a taste for the macabre, also spent a fair amount of time consuming magazines and books filled with horrifying tales of people being buried alive. As a result, this caused him to request that his teenage son promise to behead him upon death for fear of premature burial. When the time came, Robert did as asked and upon the death of his mother a few years later, set out on his own, mostly finding work in Italy, Denmark and Sweden.

It was in London where Robert met his charismatic wife Agnes, also known by her stage name Elvira, who was a trapeze artist famed throughout Europe as the "Daughter Of The Air." Her performances often took her up fifty to sixty feet from the ground, without using any net or other safety measures. The audiences adored her and she was often the subject of magazine news articles.

Born in Stockholm, she was of Danish ancestry and had come from a family of trapeze artists, 'The Flying Jensens' and had been performing since she was a toddler, with her father balancing her on his hand during his opening act.

Robert had been taken with her hourglass figure, and long light brown hair which was well past her waist. She'd been drawn to his height and striking eyes, the blue-green color reminding her of the sea. Even finding his slight buck teeth appealing. They had eloped when they were touring with the French circus director Didier Gautier in Cirque Du Nord

Their seven year old daughter Emma was a dark-haired morose child who was born in Austria while the couple were touring with Circus Renz.

When America came calling, they landed on Ellis Island and they promptly changed the family name from Gustafsson to the more easily pronounced Gray and eventually were hired by P.T Barnum upon hearing of the couple's fame throughout Europe.

America, however, wasn't all it was advertised to be, and Agnes and Robert were becoming increasingly weary with life on the road. Overworked and exhausted, at this point their young daughter was their priority and settling down was maybe what was best for her. A stable home. School. And, most of all, friends. The girl was isolated, and apart from a stuffed lion she called 'Fred' given to her by the lion tamer Isaac Van Der Berg, she had no real companions. She often spent long hours sitting in Agnes' wagon printed with 'The Legendary Elvira,' reading or playing marbles while the couple did their shows.

Derry seemed like the perfect place to settle down permanently. They had acquired enough savings to live comfortably.

Upon their exploration of the town, Robert, Agnes and Emma happened upon 29 Neibolt Street and a lovely two-story mansion, somewhat rundown-looking, encircled by patches of half-dead grass and sunflowers that looked like tiny suns sprouting around the yard. Upon talking with the locals they discover that the home is for sale and was owned by one of the wealthiest families in Derry, the Muellers.

In fact, according to the local residents, the place hadn't been lived in for many years. The last known occupants, the Vance family, had moved out around thirty years prior. There were whispers that the place was haunted-rumors both Robert and Agnes immediately dismissed.

But not so much Emma. Standing outside the wrought iron gates, she gawks up at the circular attic window at the very top, goosebumps breaking out along her skin. The window almost resembles the eye of a cyclops, watching her closely. She takes a step backwards.

"No, I don't want to go in here." she mumbles, dropping her head down, holding Fred tight to her plaid dress, prying her fingers from her mother's. The house had a strange atmosphere, like it would come alive and gobble her up if she set one foot inside.

Like some kind of monster from a fairytale.

"It's just a house, my love. Nothing to harm you," Agnes lovingly reassures. "Nothing to be afraid of."

Robert gives his daughter a gentle rub along her shoulders, removing his cigar from his lips to give her a comforting smile. "We're just going to have a look around, okay? Nothing to fear."

She's never lived in a house before. It's all a little foreign to her. She'll adjust.

But there's something about this house. Something drawing Robert to it. It certainly wasn't the most attractive and the work going into it would be time-consuming. But there was a charm about it. It had potential to be their dream home.

Robert leads his family in, with Emma returning her hand to her mother's protective grip. Once inside, they stand gazing about the living room, admiring the woodwork; the staircase and wooden beams, evidence of fine craftsmanship. The furniture was still here, as if the former owners had left in a hurry. The fireplace inlaid with 'Good Cheer, Good Friends,' and a piano sits beneath the window, sunrays coating along its white and black keys, the dust particles floating through the air twinkle in the warm light.

"The price they're asking for this place is a bargain, given how it includes the furniture and everything," Robert says as he approaches the stairwell. "Seems too good to be true."

"The furniture will have to be replaced. Look at it," Agnes runs a white gloved hand along the blanket of dust along the wooden frame of a parlor chair. "It's filthy! We can't possibly use it."

"No, just a little dirty. Just needs some sprucing up a bit. Just a little bit of love." Robert grins like a kid, his round cheeks turning up as he bounds up the stairwell.

Agnes follows, with Emma at her heels, clinging to her, her large brown irises searching along the walls, waiting to see if something emerges, or moves out of anywhere. A pair of massive hands with hairy fingers reaching out for her, like a troll from the Scandinavian folk tales the children back home told around a camp fire. The eerie sensation that this house was somehow alive was rustling within her. Every nook and cranny was just seeping with this discomfort.

Robert opens a door to a bedroom where two of the windows have been shattered.

No matter. Easily replaced.

Agnes enters behind him, leaving Emma out in the hall. As she stands, a whispered voice touches her eardrums.

Emma.

Startled, the girl spins around. That voice was neither male no female. That was not either of her parents calling her name. Although it seems like it was speaking to her through her mind. A cursory glance into the bedroom shows her parents are preoccupied with discussions of renovations.

Emma.

She stares down the hall towards the kitchen as the door opens ajar and just inside there's a miniature ball of light, doing a little dance mid-air. It looked no bigger than one of her marbles. It reminded her of the fairy stories her mother told her. Describing the little sprites as having an otherworldy glow.

It couldn't be though, could it?

Without hesitation she runs to the kitchen as it disappears behind the doorway. She stands watching, holding Fred tighter to her as the little glowing ball skips through the air to the open door of the basement, casting its luster along the darkness. As she steps closer, she feels a pull, a force, beckoning her further in. Like a pair of large invisible hands guiding her along by her shoulders.

She had to go down there.

As she enters, standing atop the steps leading down into the murkiness, she is met with a bone-chilling cold, the clammy decayed odor of the basement air meets her nostrils, causing her to cough. She charily begins to descend the stairwell, in direction of the light ball as it highlights each step, creaking loudly under her tiny feet as she reaches the bottom.

There, just a few feet from her, in a weak beam of sunlight from a nearby window, is an ancient stone well. The little ball of light hovering just above it, circling the opening. The well is partly destroyed, a rusted pulley dangles just above. With Fred still tight in her arms, she stares at it, almost mesmerized. Gradually, she starts to come closer. As she does, something moves just along the broken stones.

A pair of luminescent yellow-orange hands rise from within and cup the tiny light ball, followed by the head of a woman with her hair pinned back, her entire face illumined in that same bright color that resembled an amber gemstone. She rises up out of the well, still holding the tiny bead of light, wings sprouting out from her back. She lands on her feet with a dainty ballet-dancer like movement, wearing the same style of lace-up slippers and dress her mother wore when she performed.

Emma stares, her mouth agape.

A real fairy. An actual real-life fairy.

The fairy gestures for her to draw near. "Come." she says in a delicate feminine voice that sounds like an angel, or the most delicate porcelain bell chiming.

Emma heeds, inching closer, in utter awe of what she was seeing. The fairy sticks her hand out, wiggling her slender fingers. "Come with me, child."

Emma swallows, still feeling the embers of fear smoldering, although much of it had dampened. But a fluttery anxious feeling was still present. "Come where?" she inquires.

"Come and you'll float. I promise. Don't you want to have wings?" the fairy replies, turning her shoulders slightly to display hers. "Come and you will float too."

Emma is about to take her hand, when she sees the fairy's features up close. Her eyes are two empty black sockets. At this, Emma pulls back, an unnerving feeling starting to shiver through her.

"Um, that's okay. I-I think I need to go upstairs now," she says as she starts to back away, gaze not wavering from the strange sight. "I need to leave now."

The beaming visage the fairy was displaying now falters, her tiny mouth curling downwards into an exaggerated pout. "Now Emma, that's not very polite. Come and let me take you into my lights. You won't grow old there. You'll remain the same forever." she says grinning. Although friendly, there's enough hint of malice beneath it to cause Emma's fear to skyrocket, coupling it with a burst of panic.

No, this isn't normal. Fairies aren't real.

Then, out of the corner of her vision, she spots something moving beside the fairy, something black. Possibly a rat or a mouse

A closer inspection shows it is neither, but some sort of...thing.The closest she could describe it as is a shadow, only solid. It danced along the edge until another appeared. And another. And another. Until what looked like a writhing bundle of obsidian tentacles begin to rise up from the well. Followed by veins of orange light creeping up along the grooves of the stones, pulsing and flickering.

"Come Emma. Come into my lights." the fairy intones as ebony webs begins to snake out of her eyes, cocooning around her head and neck, slithering down her thin frame.

The pulley above the well begins to swing as the monstrosity starts to lift out and towards Emma, now taking on the appearance of thick inky tar, the fairy vanishing within. The powerful scent of raw sewage fills the musty air as the orange light brightens the well as if there were a fiery lava pit deep below, painting its smoldering gleam along the stones.

The hairy phantom tentacles start to crawl towards Emma, the fear now escalating, almost making her numb with fright. A scream is wedged in her throat, she works her jaw, trying to utter a sound of alarm, her nails digging into Fred's soft fur.

"Emma!"

Agnes' voice jolts the little girl out of her stupor and she shrieks, whirling around to dash up the stairs, the slimy tentacles nipping at her ankles. As she reaches the top, her mother appears in the doorway. Emma almost knocks her down as she wraps her arms around her waist.

"My goodness, what-" Agnes begins, patting her daughter's trembling back.

"Down there! There's something there!" she stammers, turning and jabbing her finger downwards.

Only there's nothing there. Nothing at all. No sign of the strange yellow-orange light, that menacing fairy, or the black tentacles. The pulley now immobile. The horrid smell of sewage replaced with the mildewy scent of the basement.

As if nothing had even been there at all.

"There was something there..." Emma breathes, tightening her small arms around her mother. Agnes glances in the direction of the well. The whole basement was going to take some serious work, something she may not be up for. But Robert's enthusiasm was contagious.

"There was something coming out...and I thought I saw-"

No I did see. There was a fairy, but you wouldn't believe that.

"It's alright dear. That young man was only joking, I'm sure. Those ghost stories are just make-believe. Not anything real."

They'd spoken to a local youth who had informed them it was "the haunted house" in earshot of Emma, and it clearly had influenced her into 'seeing' something.

"What's the matter?" Robert appears beside Agnes, gazing down at his shaken daughter. "What is it?"

"That." Agnes, still holding Emma to her arms, gestures at the well. Robert smirks.

"That won't be a problem," he says. "We can take care of that."

"Mhm." Agnes arches her brows as she peers down at the unsightly area. It seems like more trouble than it's worth. But if he is convinced they could do it...

"Come on, I want to go see the owners, see if we can get this going." he announces as he gently maneuvers his wife and daughter away from the basement door. He takes one last glimpse as he shuts it.

Inside, just above the opening of the well, three tiny orange lights appear, hovering in a circular motion.

After the trip to the Muellers, and despite the fact that the snooty family looked down on circus performers, the house on Neibolt was now officially the new Gray residence.

Robert, inspired by the architecture of the churches they'd seen throughout Europe, went out and immediately bought a pair of stained glass windows from a local artist, painted with bright scenes of the circus. Once installed, they filled the room with rays of yellow, orange, blue and turquoise.

This was to be Emma's room, but the perceptive child was still frightened. Frightened and perplexed. Why did nobody live here? Why did the Mueller family not reside here? What of the family that did live here before? Cleaned up, it made for a lovely home. So, why was it just sitting here unattended to? Her young mind could not make sense of the questions her parents seemed unconcerned with.

No doubt, it was connected to whatever that was in the basement.

Snuggling Fred, she stares at the newly-installed windows, the design almost resembling a pair of wicked eyes grinning at her. The image of that fairy comes on. She shudders as the sound of the fairy's voice still plays in her mind.

Come into my lights.

In their new bedroom, Agnes was laying out her mother's large old quilt along the bed, featuring a scene of men herding cattle, women fetching water from a stark blue river and boys building haystacks. At the foot of the bed sat a large cedar chest, inset with the initials R.G, where Robert kept his clown costume, made of fine off-white silk from Lyon, and his make-up supplies.

As he and Agnes prepare to perform, Robert, or rather Pennywise, stands looking at the full-length mirror. Adjusting the thick ruffle around his neck, he grins, his trademark red stripes thick along his cheeks, his lazy left eye slightly askew. As he stares, something rather curious happens. The kerosene lamp just behind him on the nightstand flickers, the tiny flame within breaking apart into three smaller flames, forming circles.

Seeing this odd movement in the reflection, Robert turns to look as the flame returns to normal. He approaches, taking the lamp in his large gloved hands, staring intently at the light as a small, barely-audible voice arises from its warmth.

Robert.

Dazed, he watches as the flame begins to break apart again, separating into the three tiny balls of orange-yellow as they begin to rotate. Robert's corneas begin to mirror their glow, the voice still speaking to him, whispering, before-

"Robert?"

Agnes is now beside him, her thin fingers caressing the puffy material of his shoulder.

"You okay?" she whispers, bringing her pink lips to his and planting a quick kiss.

"Fine," he replies as he places the kerosene lamp back down. "I'm fine."

Over the next few days, they perform a show in the afternoon and again at night, with Agnes doing her signature one-arm plange act, enthralling the audience who marveled at her grace and elegance. When the time came for Robert to do his dancing clown act, the children all squealed with delight as he did his gags, slapstick comedy and dance moves where he engaged the children in the front rows. Adopting a slight lisp as part of his performance, he coaxed one little girl from the front to stand before him as he presented her with a large silver dollar from behind her ear. The girl looks positively enchanted.

The show concludes with the two African elephants, Sylvia and Thump performing and the lions Ivan and Maurice, jumping through hoops of fire.

Afterwards, the children all gathered around Pennywise to ask for an autograph or a special trick just for them, usually with him presenting them with candy or a small toy. One girl in particular, a redheaded child with a round freckled face hangs behind the other children, waiting for them to clear away, before she approaches the clown.

"Those kids do love you. They just flock right to you, don't they mister?" she says, smiling, displaying a minor gap between her two front teeth. Robert gazes down and chuckles.

"Kids love clowns. They bring happiness and joy. As P.T says; 'clowns and elephants are the pegs on which the circus is hung.' Did you like the elephants?"

"Oh, I did, but the you were the best part. The children all loved you." the little girl replies, fingering one of her braids.

"Well thank you. Now if you excuse me, I got to get going. My little girl is waiting." Robert gives a little wave as he walks towards his wagon where Agnes is waiting with Emma, smiling back at the girl, who returns the wave enthusiastically.

Agnes wraps her arms around his neck as he reaches her. "You were fantastic as always...um... who were you talking to just now?" she queries as Emma steps out the door of the wagon, looking relieved to see her father.

Of course this meant they'd be going back to that house.

To Neibolt.

"That little redheaded girl, she really loved my performance. She just thought the elephants were okay," he grins proudly as he pulls Agnes in for an affectionate hug. "You know, I'm gonna miss this. The crowds."

Agnes simply smiles weakly as she peers over his shoulder, her brows knotting together as she studies the area where she'd seen him engaged in a conversation outside the tent exit all by himself with nobody there but a wooden barrel.

Over the next few days, Robert starts to undergo a drastic personality change. His normally cheery upbeat demeanor became more somber, his words curt. He was short with both Agnes and Emma. His eyes underlined by dark half crescents. While he performed, he still saw that little redheaded girl in the bleachers, smiling and cheering. But it was on the second to last night that the circus would be in town that he saw something that made his blood run like ice rivers through his veins, his heart palpitate.

Tucked away in the back of the bleachers, standing with the girl,was Sven. Looking as he did the last Robert saw him. The shock sends Robert tumbling from a large ball on which he was balancing. The crowd responds with a chorus of gasps as Robert stands and shouts a phrase in Swedish that was incomprehensible to the spectator's ears.

Later that night, Agnes is woken up by the sound of the piano, the same sharp note over and over again. Groggily running her hand along Robert's side of the bed, feeling nothing but the cold sheets. Heading downstairs, she sees him sitting at the piano, hunched over, his right index stabbing at one single key repeatedly. He flinches as her fingers come up to brush along his back.

"Another nightmare?" she quietly asks, moving to sit alongside him on the small bench, tucking her blue silk nightgown around her knees.

"I keep thinking of him. Since we've been here. He's been on my mind. I don't know why." he replies, still poking at the key. Agnes reaches and grabs his hand in hers. He keeps his face down, obscured from the light of the kerosene lamp that sits atop the piano.

"Your father's gone. He's not here-"

"But he is. I saw him. Saw him in the bleachers tonight."

"What? How could-"

"He was here, Aggy, I saw him. And when I woke up just now. He was standing in the corner of the room staring at me," Robert pauses, before continuing under his breath. "I know it was him. He didn't have a head."

A much more ghastly image of Sven had appeared in the far corner of the bedroom, gripping his head by the scalp, blood dripping from the bloody stump of his neck, grinning maniacally.

Agnes rests her forehead upon Robert's shoulder, wrapping her arm around to massage his shoulder blades. She'd grown accustomed to his past occasionally showing its ugly head, as disturbing as it was, but this was merely a phase.

He then violently shakes her arm off.

"Get your ass back to bed. Stop bothering me." he sneers.

She pauses and stumbles up, her visage mixed with both surprise and hurt, even though this attitude has been present since they'd arrived.

"Robert, please just let me-"

"Just leave me alone!" he shouts as he smashes his fists against the piano keys. Agnes continues to back away as Emma, woken by her parents voices, appears at the bottom of the stairs with Fred in her arms, nuzzling him against her cheek.

"Mommy?" she says as Agnes rushes to her, guiding her back up the stairs.

"Come on, get back to bed." Agnes orders as Emma glances over her shoulder at her father, who has resumed his one-note playing as the flame of the lamp takes on the form of three rotating spheres.

Near him, a thick black mass hovers along the wall.

The last night of the circus was their largest crowd yet, with it nearly doubled from the last few days, most likely people from out of town or drifters who'd received the free tickets they'd given out. Both the crew and the performers were relieved, as things had not been right the moment they'd come to this town. Technical difficulties, the people getting into arguments in the bleachers. The animals, especially the lions, seemed agitated, pacing back and forth in their cages. Isaac was doing everything her could to keep the beasts calm and collected. Not an easy task with the roaring sounds of a raucous crowd.

Agnes stood on her platform, nearing the roof of the tent, the last night she would do so. Then the house on Neibolt would be their permanent home. The circus life left behind. Certainly a positive thing given the bad turn Robert was taking. She gazes down at Robert as Pennywise. He put on his clown face and performed his act with the gags and humor, but privately, he was different. Some shadow had overtaken him. Something she knew wasn't quite right.

Something to do with this town. That she felt. The people, the atmosphere. It was...unsettling. For reasons she couldn't comprehend. Perhaps settling down here wasn't the right decision.

Inhaling a deep breath, Agnes swings down from the platform, about to perform her final act when a loud 'snap' echos throughout the tent as the swivel that was holding the rope shatters. The audience gasps and screams in alarm as Agnes plummets to the ground.

Robert runs to her lifeless body laying in the center of the ring, cradling her in his arms, touching her cheek, feeling her heartbeat slowing.

"No, no...why?" he whimpers, before he turns his head up at the ceiling. "Why did you do this?!" he cries as the Ringmaster Norman Claude and the laborers watching from the sidelines dash over to aid.

Just outside, Ivan and Maurice are pacing impatiently in their metal cages. An invisible force opens the latch of each, the two lions pouncing out as Isaac shouts, taken by surprise by their sudden escape. The two large cats attack him, tearing out his throat before turning their sights to the circus entrance, the chaotic sounds of the people drawing them in.

Nearby, a kerosene lamp atop a crate that a few laborers had been using tips over, the flame crawling towards the flap of the entrance.

Inside, the lions attack. Anyone and anything in their path. Tearing at clothing and flesh alike, the people screaming in confusion only fuels their bloodthirsty rampage. Outside in Agnes' wagon, Emma sits, hugging Fred to her as she sees through the small window the tent becoming engulfed in flames. The frantic spectators all knock each other down as they try to excape both the blaze and the lions.

Inside, Robert remains holding Agnes in his arms as the top of the tent starts to collapse as the fire engulfs it.

Emma stays sitting in the wagon, weeping as she hears the ensuing chaos, too frightened to move. Just as she decides to move to open the door, it bursts open, with her father standing before her.

Oddly calm.

"Daddy!" Emma runs into his arms, noting for one brief moment how cold his torso felt as she snakes her arms around him.

"Where's mommy?" Emma queries, tears cutting down her pink cheeks as she gazes up at her stone-faced father as he leads her away from the inferno, the lions now outside the burning tent, still attacking those that managed to escape from inside.

"Daddy, we can't leave mommy."

Robert halts, turning his head slowly to look down at his daughter. Emma stares back, eyes damp and red. There is a strange emptiness within his irises. She feels a chill travel along her spine as her heart drops to her stomach as they continue to stare at each other.

"Where's my daddy?" she asks in such a low intone that the words are barely even a whisper. She works her hand loose from his, still maintaining eye contact.

Robert only smiles calmly, derisively, his pupils taking on an orange glow that matches the fire burning against the night sky. His mouth then opens, revealing three tiny balls of orange light.

"Come into my lights, Emma."

Emma's eyes cloud over as her stuffed lion drops from her fingers.

It's only a few weeks later that the horror of the fire is forgotten. The death toll is said to be in the hundreds, however, the exact number is unknown.

Decades later, while reading about the great circus fire of 1881, Mike Hanlon comes across a black and white photo of a tall clown, standing before a wagon, painted along its sides is 'Pennywise The Dancing Clown.'

Beside him is a little brunette girl, holding a stuffed lion, a bright smile across her face.

#pennywise #fanfiction #Robert Gray #no smut #might get creeped out though

[thecomicsnexus]

SWAMP THING #41-42 OCTOBER - NOVEMBER 1985 BY ALAN MOORE, STEVE BISSETTE, JOHN TOTLEBENM ALFREDO ALCALA AND TATJANA WOOD

SYNOPSIS (FROM DC DATABASE)

After being informed by John Constantine that something evil and dark will be happening in Louisiana soon, Swamp Thing asks his girlfriend Abby Holland whether she has seen anything strange. Abby responds that all seems well, and most people in town are excited because there is a television soap opera set in the Old South being filmed at the remains of a real plantation. Most of the black people in town have been cast as extras, playing slaves.

Tensions on the set of the soap opera, where actors Richard Deal, Angela Lamb, and Billy Carlton struggle to restrain their own feelings regarding race and slavery. Angela is something of a bigot, while Billy has been cast as the slave despite his over-sensitivity to racism. Billy also has a cocaine addiction which made his last film a commercial failure. During rehearsals, arguments break out between the actors. Suddenly, Billy seems to be possessed by the spirit of a slave that used to work at the old plantation known as Robertaland. He refers to Angela as Charlotte, the white mistress of the Robertaland plantation. The director and other actors believe that Billy is improvising, and praise him. After Billy's 'performance', Angela seems to warm to him.

As time passes, Abby gets a part-time job working on the set of the soap opera, and senses the tension there. She warns Swamp Thing about it, and he investigates. He discovers some symbols drawn in salt on the ground around the plantation property, and wonders what they portend.

During another rehearsal, Richard Deal, despite his somewhat confused and hesitant approach to playing a racist, becomes possessed by the cruel and highly prejudiced spirit of Wesley Jackson, Charlotte's husband and the owner of Robertaland. He vividly pictures himself whipping Billy, but when he snaps out of it and tries to apologize, Billy has no idea what he's talking about. The director, once again, assumes that he is improvising. Later, Angela catches Billy doing cocaine, and he begs her to promise not to tell his manager about it. She promises she won't, and heavily suggests that the two of them should begin a sexual relationship, despite her apparent relationship with Richard.

Outside, Abby encounters a woman named Alice who works at the same school that she does, and finds her drawing what appears to be the same salt patterns the Swamp Thing had previously discovered. Alice seems confused, and perhaps even possessed by the spirit of one of the Robertaland slaves. She reports back to Swamp Thing that tensions at the set are growing higher, and begs him to look into it tonight, believing it to be the darkness Constantine warned of. Together, they decide to check things out.

As night falls, the extras have all become possessed by the ghosts of dead slaves, and are performing exotic and violent fireside rituals on the lawn. All of the primary cast members have become fully possessed by the ghosts of the original residents of the plantation, analogously with their characters on the soap. Richard, possessed by Wesley Jackson discovers Angela and Billy kissing, and a scene unfolds which mirrors what actually happened there, years ago. At that time, Wesley Jackson became disgusted with his wife Charlotte's consorting with a mere slave, and decided to drag William down to the basement, tie him to a pole, and have him flayed alive, in order to see whether blacks and whites really are the same underneath the skin. He forced Charlotte to watch as her lover was killed.

Unfortunately, those events are now being carried out in the present, and Billy Carlton is soon to fall victim to history repeating itself.

As the night goes on, and the voodoo ritual continues, the dead slaves buried in the graveyard next to the old Robertaland plantation in Louisiana begin rising from the dead, and walking the earth. Swamp Thing senses that whatever terrible thing happened in Robertaland has produced a psychic pattern that is forcing the living people on the premises to replay the original incident.

Abby Holland, sensing the darkness and evil in the place, goes inside the mansion looking for the actors who have hidden inside. Unbeknownst to her, the actors have become possessed by the strong and tortured spirits of the people who were involved in the incident that has brought about this evil in the first place. Possessed by the cruel and prejudiced slaver Wesley Jackson, actor Richard Deal has flayed alive actor Billy Carlton - who is himself possessed by the spirit of a slave named William. When Abby arrives, she is confused by their behavior, and the way that the house seems to change around them. When she tells them that none of it is real, Wesley stabs her with the knife he had used to skin William.

Outside, Swamp Thing watches as Alice, an acquaintance of Abby's from work, encounters the walking corpse of her own father, and leads them to the mansion where all of the dead slaves will demand their freedom. None of them seem to notice him there.

As Abby lies bleeding, she repeats to herself that none of it is real, and that she isn't actually bleeding. Surprisingly, she pulls the knife out, and discovers that the knife Deal was wielding was a prop-knife for the soap opera being filmed there.

Elsewhere, Wesley encounters the voodoo practitioners and the zombies outside the mansion, and begins to realize that all of this happened once before; he had shot a woman, and been beaten to death by the angry slaves. The zombies explain that they are there to demand their freedom from the psychic pattern of the evil deeds done there, otherwise it will repeat eternally. Swamp Thing tries to intervene, but Wesley shoots him through the chest, and he falls into the fire. Taking this as a sign that the evil will continue, the zombies begin to attack. Angrily, Swamp Thing rises in flames, and rushes into the mansion, shouting that he will not allow the evil to continue. As he runs through the house, it catches fire, and he and it burn to ashes together. Fortunately, he retreats into The Green, and grows a new body up from the ashes.

With the mansion burned to the ground, the movie extras wake without any recollection of what happened the previous night. Actress Angela Lamb has been changed by the experience, and she desperately tries to snap Billy Carlton out of his nightmare, as he still believes that he was skinned alive that night. She lovingly vows to stay by his side and help him recover from the trauma he had suffered. The director, Dennis Linder, is in shock, and Richard Deal is dead, having run back into the burning building before the spirit left him. The Swamp Thing tells Abby that he has not seen Constantine in weeks, and the two contemplate the possibility that he is through with them.

Elsewhere, it appears that some of the zombies didn't return to the earth. After having stolen a truck they later crashed into a tree, they were able to walk away from the incident unharmed. Alice's father now has a job as a ticket-booth attendant at a movie theater.

REVIEW

Reading Alan Moore’s Swamp Thing is an experience on itself. Not all comics can be like this, but I really wished they were. There is just so much sophistication. So many ironies, so much poetry, so much meaning in every panel. It’s easy to get lost in this comic-book, be completely isolated from reality for 24 pages. I am not sure something like this could work in another medium this well.

It’s not just Moore’s way with words or his suggested imagery. Bissette’s art would be a mistake in another mainstream book. Yet here, you cannot imagine this story told graphically by another artist. This world envelopes you and takes you on a journey, like a very deep dream.

That last page with the former zombie slave, taking any slavish job he can, that’s genius. And a bit sad.

I give this story a score of 10

#steve bissette #dc comics #comics #review #1985 #modern age #swamp thing #horror

[bibimbureizu]

Weight in Gold

ft. Kim Taehyung, Min Yoongi

wcount. ~6000

warnings. Hints at drug use, sex, etc. May have some strong language.

comments. an older one. Might continue (because I have some extras written down but nothing substantial) depending on popularity. I don’t expect to blow up real quick though lol. Also I suggest listening to this song, just because its really good and was also part of my inspiration for writing this: link

Your name: submit What is this?

Late night jazz and chatter blared through the walls of the next room– a lounge of sorts for people to do whatever it was they did. It was a kind of culture you didn't understand merely because it didn't interest you but, these days, what did?You tried to drown out the noise with your thoughts but all you could think about was how the man underneath you had changed so drastically since the two of you had first met – and you wondered if you had changed too. You watched as he pulled a small bag from his pocket, opened it to reveal a folded up foil before spilling its contents onto the glass vanity before the two of you. A soft white powder seemed to flood the surface of the table, but it hardly took up a fraction of the surface before you. “(Y/N),” he called, although you were right there sitting on his knee. “Give me the time.” He looked down as he pulled a short straw from his jacket pocket. He looked at you, waiting for a response and kissed below your ear as you spoke.“Eleven Thirty-four.” You said, blinking slowly as you looked back to the powder on the table. You reached into your coat pocket to pull out an old business card – one that you hardly saw but often thought about nostalgically – and held it to him. He nodded gratefully using the thin cardboard to fix his mess into a neat line. “Taehyung…” You said, just above a whisper. He didn’t respond right away, and you averted your gaze as he leaned in, taking all of the powder into his nose through the straw – mere specks being left behind. What was left he swiped with his finger, examined it, then rubbed it down onto his gums. He sniffled a few times after wards blocking the other nostril, then rubbed his eyes. Semi-erotic sounds escaped him as he let the drugs move through his system quickly. “Yes, love?” He finally answered you, but by then you had nothing to say to him anymore. You merely shook your head and looked at him in the mirror. He was fixing the wrinkles in his jacket – the one you had bought for him when the two of you had finally achieved your goals. It was the first time either of you had felt wealthy in your lives or, at the time, it was bliss. Now it felt like a special kind of hell.He was still as beautiful as when you had first met though, a boyish outward charm that never ceased to draw you in, but as you grew to know each other he was so different from how you had first imagined him. “(Y/N).” He whispered in your ear, one arm wrapped around your waist and the other toying with strands of your hair as his knee moved underneath you to cause friction, though you weren’t in the mood. “Tell me you’re going to wear those sexy little thigh chains I got for you last week.” His low voice, hot and rough behind your ear. You often wondered if he was like this to you to keep you wrapped around his finger – he didn’t need to go this far for that – or if he was sincere. It was beginning to bother you a lot lately. “Yes, Taehyung.” You said, doing your best to feign a sweet voice but it betrayed you nonetheless. He looked at you in the mirror with an eyebrow raised, but didn’t question you any further. He sighed briefly and ushered you to get off of his lap so he could move. “Don’t go falling asleep on me now. You should’ve had some.” He said, pushing the chair in as the two of you stood up. He moved back over to you, lacing his fingers in yours although you didn’t react. He leaned in close to you, your foreheads would have been touching if it weren’t for the distance in height – you stared back at him with your head down as if you’d gotten in trouble. “I’ll be watching you. If you start getting tired, I’ll give you something to wake you up.” His tone was almost sinister, so you knew that it wouldn’t be any drugs, but punishment rather. You’d be lying if you said you didn’t love him like this. You’d be lying if you said you didn’t love him – but at this point it seemed like he didn’t reciprocate your feelings anymore. That was only a phase though.You’d seen him act this way with other women before but in those cases it was business related. You had to tell yourself that it was just acting, that he didn’t mean it but somehow you couldn’t help but wonder if he’d slept with some of them despite what the two of you had always talked about. Of course, you had to do some similar things, but you’d never gone to bed with these men. And you told yourself you never would but the thought often hung at the back of your mind. “You’ve got a little…” You stated, removing your hand from his grasp and wiping your nose to signal to him. He looked towards the mirror, tilting his head up to make sure he was clean – you both had reputations to keep. You reached over and wiped the specks of white off for him, and he nodded in your direction. “Thank you, baby.” He straightened the wrinkles in his jacket again and snapped to one of the makeup artists nearby. “Bring me the carnation will you? No, to your left. Other left.” He sighed and practically snatched the flower from the girl’s hand without another word. He then turned to you and gently put the flower behind your ear using your hair to keep it in place. He stepped back to look at you, as though he was an artist – he used to be – making sure it looked right. He clicked his tongue and opened a drawer on the vanity next to you – the one you’d previously been sitting on with him – and grabbed a bobby pin. “It won’t stay like that.” He said, half to himself as he fixed the pin to the flower and strands of your hair to keep it in place.  He was so odd. He could literally have anyone he wanted – and while you hoped he didn’t, it was possible that he had them all already. So you wondered why he kept you around. Your relationship with him was such a weird one – you loved him and respected him but it went back and forth between a romantic relationship and a business-like partnership. He always kept you wondering, always thinking. “You look beautiful, as always.” He whispered, the back of his fingers sliding down your cheek lovingly. “Thank you.” You whispered back, this time smiling at him more sincerely. “You’re ready, right? If you’re not feeling well, we don’t have to do it tonight.”“No, I’m fine.” You shook your head – that special client’s face popping into your head. What was his name again? He wasn’t as tall as Taehyung, nor what he as handsome, but he had this aura about him. He was so difficult to describe, and while you’d only escorted him once, you noticed that he was only around on the nights you would be working. At least that’s what you assumed.“They’re ready for you.” Said one of the other hostesses, bringing you back from your thoughts. Taehyung waved her off, informing her that the he would be out soon. “Keep the escorts busy. (Y/N) isn’t ready yet.” He moved swiftly to kiss your forehead then checked himself in the vanity mirror one last time before leaving the dressing room. You listened to him as he set the stage for you, thinking about when he suggested the idea to you. You wondered why you had agreed to run this business with him if you’d be demoted to an escort like everyone else, but at least this way you didn’t have to work full time, and you could stay with Taehyung. You remember suspecting that you wouldn’t have fallen in love, thinking you’d walk away filthy rich and alone when it was all over but now you wondered when it would be over. And if you would still love him or not. Maybe it was time to move on. After all, your relationship with him was never about love to begin with. You looked towards the door of the dressing room again, the same hostess waving you over. It was your shift now. Taehyung would be working with the women of this joint, while you would be with the men. The gold thigh chains he’d bought you were hanging off the edge of one of the other vanities. “Sorry!” You said to her, rushing to grab at least one and clip it to your under garments, the gold accenting your skin color beautifully. You moved as quickly as possible towards the door, checking your hair and makeup as you passed each mirror, and feeling your earrings for some form of comfort. It had been a while since you had to work like this. As soon as you walked through the doorframe, you stood straight with your chest puffed out just a bit – trying your best to keep a warm yet sexy aura. Almost immediately, you spotted that same face past the velvet curtains. You flung your hair over your shoulder, and pranced with your hips swaying about. Whistles and cheers flooded the room as you moved, and many of the men waved your over to them. You scanned their faces, but the only one that stood out was him. He watched you so intently – it was the most intimidating and enticing gaze you’d ever seen. But you had work to do. One man called you by your name and you looked at him, smiling sweetly before taking two glasses of a deep red wine from a nearby waitress’ tray and moving towards him. He was an older man, likely married and bored with his wife. You decided to humor him until he was drunk enough to go home, something that didn’t take too long. 45 minutes at most. There were others interested in your time, and you would give it to them, but none of them had such a gravity as the one boring holes into your soul with his gaze alone. The night went on slowly, and soon any man still wanting you had left besides him. You wondered If Taehyung was still seeing to any women on his side of the lounge, but you were still working a shift and there was one last customer.You sauntered back to his table, your fingers tracing the curved edge of the glass as you moved to sit yourself down. He said nothing, but watched the swaying of your hips and the curvature of your lips as you grinned at him easily. He leaned back in his seat and watched your face. Most men would have been going crazy, some way or another, but this one… You didn’t even know his name. Typically you wouldn’t be the one asking the questions unless it would get you a tip, but you were dying to know who he was and why he was here. You hadn’t attended to him the whole time but neither had anyone else.“Do you know who I am?” You asked, leaning into the table with your elbows. This position showed off just enough of your cleavage to make most men drool, but this one was impenetrable. He laughed dryly and looked to a piano sitting in the corner and collecting dust. You followed his gaze for a moment, remembering that the last pianist had quit after finding a better job, and now that corner had been empty for about 3 months. Taehyung told you, then, that he needed to install a sound system anyway.He looked back at you. “What kind of question is that?” His voice was quiet but strong, raspy but full. And he was right – you had no clue where you were going to go with that question and you could feel your ears grow hot at the mention of it. Keeping your composure, you laughed through your teeth and shrugged. Stale silence sat between the two of you as the music died down slightly. It was roughly 3 in the morning by now. It was like an unintentional staring contest had started between you two and you couldn’t bare it anymore. You lost.“What’s your name, stranger?” You asked finally. He waited a moment before replying, raising his hands and fidgeting with his cufflinks for but a moment. It’s as though he wanted to remain an enigma.“Min Yoongi.” He stated simply, looking back up at you. You gazed back at him, making some effort to try and memorize his features. It was enticing, the way his black hair hung over his eyes, darkening his gaze but not in a scary way. His lips, though thin, looked soft and lightly bitten.“Can I ask why you’re here, Min Yoongi?” You said softly, one corner of your mouth curling into a crooked grin. You let his name roll off your tongue easily, admiring that it was rather unique. He breathed in sharply through his teeth, a similar sound one would make when they were in pain, but this sounded more like mild discomfort. He hesitated to reply, looking towards the piano again but not directly at it. “Just Yoongi is fine. I don’t have any particular reason to be here. But,” He paused, looking down shortly and then raising his head again to meet your gaze. “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t find you interesting.”You smirked at this response. You were curious of him as well, but decided to change the subject anyway. Being interested in people wasn’t part of your job, humoring them was. “Do you play?” You asked, tilting your head towards the piano. He nodded. “We’ve been looking for a new pianist.” Of course, anything business related was allowed at these tables. As long as nothing interfered with your true emotions while you were working your shift. He hummed in thought, seeming like he was about to decline your offer. “He pays well. I know the owner personally.” Yoongi raised his lip in response, looking away and rubbing the back of his neck while his other hand rested on the table. You wondered what he had to lose.“How much are you making now? You wouldn’t even have to play every night and I’m sure he could double your income.” You pushed on. Internally, you asked yourself why you were pushing so hard for this but decisively told yourself it wasn’t for personal reasons. If that were the case, you would have clocked out and gave him your number before leaving. At least that way it wouldn’t be on business hours. “I’ll consider it, but I’d like to speak to the owner directly before deciding.” He finally said.  He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, checking the time on the bright little screen in his hand. “Isn’t it closing time?” He asked, looking at you with an unreadable expression.“What’s the time?”“Three Thirty.  Most joints close at, what, two?”“Ah, yeah. I guess it is.”“What a shame.” He said, looking somber as he rose from his seat. You followed, pushing your seat in and fixing the creases in your dress. He began moving towards the exit, fidgeting with the same cufflink as before again. It just didn’t seem to stay in place.“Have a nice night!” You called out to Yoongi one last time. He just snorted in response without saying anything else as he walked back through the entrance and left. You wondered why you were so drawn to this man, his only distinguishing features so far were that he was young and could play the piano. You found yourself wondering about his income again, the suit he was wearing tonight didn’t look like it was cheap.“(Y/N)!” You heard, turning towards the door you had initially come out of. Taehyung was half running half walking towards you, jumping over the entire three steps that lined the center of this lounge. “Had a busy night?” He asked, cheerfully. “The ladies were all over me tonight, I made so many tips.” The man laughed boyishly. He gave you constant reminders of why you had fallen for him so hard. The thought crossed your mind again, maybe it was time you moved on – but you wanted to talk to him before making any final decisions.You laughed before responding to his first question. “Nah, it was a pretty easy night tonight for me.” You began moving towards the dressing room again, expecting him to follow but not watching if he did or not. “Actually,” You started again. “I met someone who’s willing to work here. He says he plays piano and I told him we’ve been looking for a new pianist.” You turned to look at him as you approached the dressing room door. He was pushing in any stray chairs that lined the tables, making sure everything was decently put away so the janitor that was to come that morning didn’t have so much work to do. And though you had experienced it firsthand, you still wondered how the two of you had become so successful together. He looked at you again, jogging to catch up. “Yeah? How much does he want?”“I don’t know,” You shrugged. “He says he wants to talk to you personally before making any final choices.” Taehyung hummed in response, his eyes wandering in thought. You held the door for him and he thanked you on his way into the dressing room, immediately removing his dress jacket. You admired the way his black button up fell on his back, not showing everything, but just enough to know he was muscular and well built. He was godly attractive, but you knew all too well his flaws. And he knew yours. Maybe that was why you two worked so well together in a partnership – but you doubted you could stay together romantically. He wasn’t necessarily a womanizer or anything, but the way women just flocked to him like moths to flame, it made you a little jealous. That was the main reason you two had never officially been together in the first place. That didn’t mean that the two of you didn’t have other types of relations – besides your business-like partnership.You began to remove any jewelry you wore that night and placed it down onto the vanity table, lazily, rather than into your jewelry box where it belonged. You could feel Taehyungs eyes watching you so intently and you wondered what it was he wanted from you. As you removed your necklace, you lifted your head to look at him and grinned slightly. “What?”He shook his head in response and sat down at a different desk, dropping his cufflinks into one of the drawers. It didn’t take long before you felt the same gaze crawling up your neck again, and you turned your head to look at him again. You smiled at him this time, asking playfully “What?” again.“Nothing!” He grinned and looked away again. This time your gaze never left him. It was in times like these when you really wondered if there was a connection or not. He seemed so oblivious but there were brief moments in which your eyes would catch and it felt different. You wondered whether you should give him time or if you really should just move on. “You’re staring.” His voice snatched you from your thoughts. You hadn’t realized but the small grin plastering your face had never left either. “So were you.” You say, removing your heels and placing one foot atop a chair to remove the golden chain that graced your thigh. Silence staled the air for a few moments before he spoke up again, muttering “You look beautiful in that dress.”You knew exactly what he said, but it made your heart beat. Playfully, you said “I’m sorry?”“You heard me.” He said, unable to help but grin.“No, sorry, I didn’t.” You crossed your arms and looked at him after resting the thigh chain on the desk next to you.“You look beautiful in that dress.” He articulated, looking up at you finally with a toothy grin and slight laugh. You could swear you lived to see him smile. “I know.” You crowed, laughing.“You shitter.” He laughed as well, standing up as he began to unbutton his shirt. You had to force yourself to look away, though he quickly put a casual tee back on. It wasn’t until just then that you realized that you two were alone in there. Maybe it was time to go. You made quickly to grab your purse and leave as quickly as possible before you caught anymore feelings. “You’re leaving already?” Taehyung said, watching as you made your way to the door again. “Yeah,” You said, coming up with an excuse as you turned to face him again. “I’m pretty tired. I’m surprised I even lasted this long.”“Oh,” He said, looking around briefly and rubbing the back of his neck. It seemed like he wanted to say something but you shook that thought off, believing yourself to read too much into things some times. “Well, have a nice night,” He checked the time on his watch. “Morning?” He chuckled, but you could tell it was forced.“Thanks,” You smiled back, bowing to him slightly before getting ready to make you way out again.“Oh! Wait!” He called out to you again. “Let me take you home.” He said rather boldly before noticing your reaction. “Or at least get you a taxi.”  You raised your eyebrows, surprised that he would offer something like that so suddenly - he'd never done it before. Sure, he may have been acting a little weird lately, but this was just out of character.You stared at him for a moment. “I can just take the subway when it opens again.” You said simply, pulling your over-the-shoulder purse closer to your body.“Please?” He asked with a new sense of sincerity you’d never seen before. “Besides, a girl like you shouldn’t be by yourself so late at night – something could happen.”“Aren’t the taxis really expensive though?”“Just let me take you home, (Y/N).” He said softly. This was new to you – he often showed that he cared, but never like this. He never worried about your well-being or anything, this was new to you. “I’m a good driver, if that’s what you’re worried about. Well – I have a good driver.” He chuckled before finishing what he was going to say. “Stars don’t drive, after all.” This made you laugh. He was good at that, and it was one of the reason you were so attracted to him. Finally, you sighed. “Fine. But just this once, I don’t think it would be good for business.” You weren’t sure what you meant by that, but it was convincing enough for him to nod in agreement. //The ride to your house was long, quiet and awkward but at least it was peaceful. You only exchanged a few words along the way, both of you unsure of what to say to one another – it wasn’t like old times when you used to talk about everything together. You used to be best friends but it seemed that you had been demoted to “business partner” after the whole transition into wealth. It was a sad thought, and you wondered if he felt the same nostalgia you did when you thought about the past. “Can I walk you in?” He asked, breaking the silence as the driver turned into your community – pulling into the lot of your apartment building. It was a humble home, but you would rather live in a small house and have many luxuries, than live in a luxurious house and have few, decent material things. You looked at him with an eyebrow raised. “I… Guess so.” You said, opening the door and stepping out of the car. He followed out his door and turned to you, waiting for you to lead the way. “Are you sure? I live on the 9thfloor.”

“Ah, that’s nothing. I own the penthouse of my building.” He said, waving a hand as he followed you to the elevator. You just looked at him, as you waited for the shaft to arrive. “Sorry – I wasn’t trying to brag.” He said again, noticing the way you looked at him. The ride up the elevator was similar to the car ride, but not as bad. He asked again about the pianist you’d met earlier, but you didn’t have any more information to give him. It struck you again that, he looked like there was something else he wanted to tell you. As you saw him off in front of your suite, after having a glass of wine with him at your dining table, he gave you that typical boyish smile of his. You were tempted to ask if he wanted to say something to you, but you decided against it. You exchanged goodbyes, and, after shutting the door, immediately wondered why he did all the things he did tonight. You were used to sitting in his lap, and him complimenting you in crass ways like he did way earlier in the night, but never expected something as sincere as taking you home and walking you to the door. You wrote it off as a long goodbye since you wouldn’t be the hostess again at work for a while, but in the back of your mind you still wondered if it meant something more.Maybe you shouldn’t get your hopes up, though. You were just finishing getting changed into a large t shirt and tiny pajama shorts – hadn’t even taken your earrings out yet – when you heard a knock at the door. You opened it a crack and peeked through, finding Taehyung standing at your door again.You opened the door fully and grinned slightly at him, an eyebrow raised sassily. “What did you forget?” He laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck before responding.“My phone…” you sighed before moving out of the doorway to let him in. “Go ahead.”He thanked you as he walked in, towards the kitchen. You closed the door behind him and followed to find him looking all around the table, seeming slightly frantic. “Can’t find it?” You asked, watching as he pulled out the chairs to look on and underneath them.“No, I don't know where I left it.”“Well it couldn't have gone far.” You chuckled, moving towards the counter to look as well. He grunted in frustration, giving up in the pursuit of his cell phone. “Thanks anyway, but if you find it just bring it in to work.”Look turned and looked at him, a little offended that he was telling you to come into work for his little cellphone instead of just finding it now. He recognized your expression and apologized.“Sorry I'm just frustrated and tired…”“You're always like that when it wears off…” you muttered without thinking. “What? He asked, after a moment of silence. He looked like he couldn't process what you said.You sighed and looked away before repeating yourself. “I said you're always tired and frustrated whenever the snow wears off. And you just keep taking more and – do you even sleep, Taehyung? It's probably killing you, and it kills me when I have to see you like this. I know right now, this isn't that bad but I've seen you on days where you just don't stop taking more and more and at the end it seems like you're in so much pain. You need to stop. I hate that about you. You're always complaining about headaches at the end of the day – when you finally stop taking more, I mean – and you can't seem to think straight. Like, you're forgetful and scatterbrained.”He gazed at you, wide eyed and bewildered.  He blinked a couple of times obviously not sure how to respond. “(y/n)… I just – I work better on it and… I don't know it just feels good and it keeps me going throughout the day-““I don't think it does, Taehyung. If you have to keep taking it at the rate that you are, I don't think it actually ‘keeps you going’. Just… I don't know, never mind.” You weren't going to tell him to stop, because it was unlikely that he would follow through. Judging by past experiences with him, you knew how stubborn he could be. That could be why he was so successful now.There was a long bit of silence as he looked down at you, probably a meter away. Finally he spoke, softly and slowly – like he was hesitant.“I'll stop.”You looked at him again, now leaning on the counter behind you. “If you want me to. I just… it feels like it helps me do the things I need to, and it helps me keep escorting and everything I just… I didn't know you felt this way. Am I why you stopped? Is that why you... Nevermind.”You gaze hardened for a moment, you were curious as to what he was about to say next, but you wouldn't press on if it made him uncomfortable. “it's your choice. I won't stop you from doing the things you want.” You responded coldly. He moved towards you.“That's what you said before we started Gold.” He grinned slightly. Your heart melted, and you almost resented him for being so charming and messing with your emotions like this. “I don't remember that.” You smirked, finally looking at him again.“I'm not the only forgetful one, then. See? I remember important things.”“Sure, if you consider that important – but I think bills and escorts are a little bit higher on the significance list.”He laughed. “Whatever.”You were at a cross roads. The conversation had ended by this point, nothing was resolved but you were on relatively good terms still. You could see him off or keep talking. It was quiet and you were unsure of what the right approach would be at this moment, but, as usual Taehyung would take charge.“Do you have a speaker or sound system or something?”

“… a small one… why?”

“Where?”

“Living room.”

He raised his hand, palm up and waiting for you to take it. You hesitated but put your hand in his and he guided you into your living room. “Let me see your phone really quick, I want to show you this song.”You sighed and handed it over. You couldn't help but internally swoon at the way he was. It felt like you had gone back in time. You missed him – This him. Not host Taehyung, not snow Taehyung – but the city boy you met 3 years ago by the bay who was feeding French fries to seagulls. The one who saved a kitten, named her Jelly, and gave her to a good home. You remembered the days before he decided that this was a good route to go, wondering how an aspiring veterinarian ended up escorting women at an old, remodeled theater. Wondering if there were alternate universes for the two of you, and how you ended up with this one. Wondering why you let this happen.He finally got music to play, bringing you back from your thoughts. “I've been wanting to show you this song for a while, but there was never a good time.” He said, moving back towards you and holding his hand out once more. “Dance with me?”You laughed, taking his hand anyway. “You're so cheesy. I'm not really much of a dancer though.”“That's fine, you can just stand on my feet.” He chuckled, and for some reason you couldn't hold back your laughter anymore – it wasn't that funny but at the same time it made you happy. Maybe the Taehyung you knew back then was still alive.

Black dust in orbit, cascades down like a parachute

Bricks on my shoulders, this gravity hurts when you know the truth

 I'm pulling my weight in gold

Call me anxious call me broke but I can't lift this on my own

 “I've missed you…” you whispered, the two of you swaying back and forth to the beat of the music. Your head rested on his chest, one hand in his and the other on his shoulder. “I've been here the whole time.” He responded, holding you close to him with his hand gently gripping yours and the other on the small of your back. He didn't understand what you meant, but you decided not to ruin the moment. 

We dreamt like martyrs, I never thought I was bold enough

You pushed me farther, and I take the blame for the both of us

 He moved your hand to his other shoulder and began running his fingers through your hair, gently twisting it around his fingers.

 Oh, universe, hold me up

You tried your best, is it ever enough

 He looked down at you, creating enough space to lift your chin with his fingers and make you return his gaze. You suddenly became shy, knowing you hadn't felt this in such a long time. He was so sincere right now – at least it felt that way. Now was different from all the little compliments he'd give you here and there – now was real and it was happening.

 When it's already dragging me down?

 It started with a small peck on your lips, and soon turned intense and feverish. His hands ran down your back and over your butt before grabbing at your thighs and lifting you up. You straddled his waist – never once breaking the kiss as he made his way onto the small love seat in the corner of your living room. Your hips ground into each other, his lips found their way to your earlobe and his hands underneath your shirt. It seemed like an eternity before clothes were taken off and either of you were fully exposed. His hands were coarse but soft against your skin, you made sweet noises as Taehyung immersed himself into you.

He left later that night, before you arose early on in the morning. Somber thoughts flooded your mind as you came to. It was going to be interesting having to see him again when the time comes.

#kim taehyung #v #bts v #bangtan #fanfic #fan fiction #writing #original post #bts yoongi #bts suga #bts taehyung #bts tae tae #tae #kpop #gallant #bias #biaswrecker #bias wrecker #Weight in Gold #p.1 #taehyung smut #smut #taehyung scenarios #scenario #kpop scenarios