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gojoed · 1 year

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I SEE THE SAME. | vash x reader. | 1.9k words.

“Did you really think letting them shoot you was a good idea.”

A wince was let loose in the otherwise quiet room. The only noise was the bustle from the town outside, even if it was night, and the static voices of the small radio that Vash always carried. Dim lights made it a little hard but not impossible to see his fresh wound.

Thankfully the bullet only grazed his waist, not getting lodged or going straight through him like other unfortunate instances. But it was still bleeding and if it were up to Vash, he’d let it continue so. But thankfully you were here, so that wasn’t happening tonight.

Sighing, you set down the first aid supplies down on the desk that was positioned near the bed and set yourself down on the chair, wheeling your way over to where Vash was. Seated on the bed, with his head held low and eyes that were shielded by his sunset tinted glasses. His blood seemed to seep through his black turtleneck more, he wasn’t applying any pressure to the wound whatsoever.

Being a plant yourself, you understood that you both healed quicker than a human, but still it seemed unwise to just leave it like that.

Waving your hand in an upwards motion, you silently told Vash to lift his shirt. He obeyed, lifting it on the side that the wound presided. Vash leaned himself back slightly against the heel of his mechanical hand, while his flesh one held onto the fabric.

Unscrewing the cap from its bottle, you tilted it against a clean rag, letting the water soak it slightly before moving the bottle upright and setting it down on the desk. You moved your hand with the rag over to his exposed waist, but let it hover as you looked up at Vash, asking for permission.

The glare of the desk light reflected against his glasses in a way that blocked his eyes from view. But he offered a smile, one that felt empty, as if saying “yes.”

You didn’t need his glasses to be off to know that his eyes would give him away. Guilt. It was one of the most frequent emotions you always could see swimming within him. They say the eyes are the window to the soul, and by God, Vash’s was drowning.

Brushing those thoughts away, you bent forward, slouching a bit to dab at the bullet wound. The bleeding had stopped on its own, that’s good. Vash twitched a little when your free hand placed itself on the skin of his stomach, moving his shirt up. He lifted his arm a bit more.

There he goes again, helping others before himself.

“You know, you didn’t answer my question.”

He stiffened up a bit, but then relaxed as a small chuckle escaped his lips.

“Well.. it seemed like a good idea at the time.”

Your brows furrowed. Vash has had that “good idea” plenty of times during these hundred years or so. The evidence being the canvas of scars that was his body. Just how many more times would he allow himself to be hurt like this, you wondered. Knowing him, he wouldn’t stop, not with the insane amount of guilt that he always seemed to have.

Once you were satisfied with your work, you tossed the rag onto the bed beside him and grabbed the bandages that were on the table. Ripping the package open with your fingers you placed a bit of medical tape to the free end. Leaving that on the bed for a moment, you placed a piece of gauze on the bullet wound before reaching for the bandages again when you saw that Vash had already gotten it.

You whispered a small “thank you” for which you got a soft “anytime” from him as you placed the tape on his skin, beginning to wrap the bandages around him.

Straightening your back you leaned closer to fit the bandages snuggly around his waist; which Vash then prompted to open his legs wider, moving the chair with one of them to move you along with it. Placing you directly in front of him in between his legs.

Thankfully the wound wasn’t too severe, so you didn’t have to worry about using too much bandage. You had just bought it too, having restocked in town an hour prior to crashing in a pretty decent hotel. The townsfolk didn’t seem to recognize Vash from the wanted paper floating around, so you considered Lady Luck to be on your side.

Finished with the bandages you cut it off, placing another piece of tape on it to then press it down lightly. You blew out a bit of air through your nose, looking at your handiwork.

“Ok, all done Vash.”

“Thank you.”

Looking up you saw him staring at you, glasses gone. He must have taken them off while you were fixated on wrapping him up.

“Anytime.” You parroted his words back to him.

Light blue eyes made contact with yours before they didn’t, his eyes closing to give you another smile. It seemed a little empty this time. But he still must be thinking about the events that happened in the town before this one. Quite a bit of collateral damage was done to the town, as a result of bounty hunters having spotted you both and decided to see if they could get that sixty billion double dollar prize on their dirty hands.

There weren’t any casualties to add to the mountain of guilt and shame Vash carried, but there were still injuries. Not to mention that the town’s plant was almost damaged thanks to the recklessness of those bounty hunters. And one of the townspeople who did harbor resentment towards Vash, caused him to have yet another scar. One that you had just cleaned up.

Did Vash really think letting people take their anger out on him would solve anything?

Leaning back onto the chair, it squeaked under the weight of your back. You crossed your arms and sat there, patiently.

“You’re still thinking about them, huh?”

Vash makes a little noise akin to a squeak. He knows you caught him, and he doesn’t deny it. Opening his eyes you could tell they were a little watery, tears threatening to spill. But he just sniffled and laughed softly. Running a hand through his mop of hair he looked at you.

“Yeah, I am.”

You were waiting for it.

“But.. I don’t deserve to cry.”

Ah, there it is.

Those same words that you’ve heard countless times as well as the countless times you’ve seen him worry over others than himself. He wanted to cry, but he felt like he didn’t deserve to. To him, it was his inability to act that denied him of such rights. Funny, how he also thinks the actions of his brother are also his fault.

Uncrossing your arms, you reached for both his hands. You would think that his prosthetic arm would be cold to the touch, being made of Lost Technology. But no, it was warm, just like his hand made of flesh.

Your actions were unexpected for Vash, and it made him even more confused (but curious) as to why you not only grabbed his hands, but when you followed that with holding yours against his. Palm to palm, each of your hands held in the middle of you both. You lined your fingers up with his, his being a little larger than yours but you didn’t mind. In fact it was one of his traits that you loved about him. The same hands that could hold a gun and pull a trigger were the same ones that held onto your own when traveling in the dunes of the desert.

“What do you see?”

Vash blinked. Once, then again. His tears had subsided slightly so he could see clearer. Looking down at where you two were making contact, he said:

“Well, I see our hands.”

The tone in which his voice was laced with made you laugh, almost snorting.

“Okay, that’s a little obvious. So, what do you notice about them?”

He cocked an eyebrow upwards slightly, biting his bottom lip a little bit. Vash’s hair bounced a bit, as he also moved his head a bit to the side.

“They’re.. They’re like mine.”

“Bingo! If I had some, I might have given you a golden star, y’know.”

That made Vash laugh, his usual cheerful self peeking out a bit now.

“Okay, what else do you notice about them?” You swayed your hands together, as if doing so would make the answer come easier to him.

“We each have the same amount of fingers?”

“Right on, we both have ten to be exact!”

It was your turn to give him a smile, looking him right in the eyes. But he didn’t meet them, he knew if he looked at them he would break down in an instant. So he kept his eyes on his hands that were connected to yours, he liked the way it felt.

“What else do we have that are the same?”

The comfort he felt was disturbed just a pinch when you intertwined your fingers with his and swayed them side to side, moving both your arms in the process.

“We have two arms!” Vash straightened his back a bit more, your zeal seeming to be infectious and he was your victim.

It only wavered a little bit when your hands left him too soon, now pointing a finger rather delicately at his face.

“What do we have here that’s the same?”

Vash continued to list off whatever he found that he shared with you. If he said eyes, your fingers would touch right under them. When he said a nose, he chuckled when you booped him, letting your finger stay on the tip. He mirrors your actions, touching wherever you touch him except on you. He let his hands cup your cheeks like you did to him, he let his fingers gently graze your lips just as you did to his.

Vash felt his shoulders relax, the tension slowly releasing. But he felt them quiver when you leaned your forehead against his and closed your eyes.

“See, we’re not so different from everyone else right? So if they can cry, if I can cry, then that means you can too.”

Biting his lip he resisted the urge to let the tears fall, but he broke when your hands returned to his and squeezed. Only then did he let a broken sound come out of his equally broken soul. His eyebrows scrunched while he sobbed, the pain in his ribs came and went as his own cries racked within them. Vash wished he could stop, but how could he? When you were the one who pried him open and let the damn fall.

You switched positions, pulling him into a hug so he could bury his face into the crook of your neck. It was a little awkward on your end thanks to the chair but you didn’t mind, didn’t care. All that mattered to you was that Vash let the pain leak out just like the tears did.

It took him a few minutes to stop, his chest jumping thanks to the surprising force his sobs contained. He sniffled as he wiped his nose with the back of his hand. Vash broke the hug first, but returned to placing his forehead against yours and having your hands hold his.

“So.. I’m thinking pizza and donuts, what do ya say?”

Vash’s laugh broke the nonexistent tension, it sounded a little broken but he smiled. Really smiled.

“I like the way you think.”

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bloodplague · 2 months

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Hi💕💕💕 Could you please make some general hc about toby like his habits and his routine please?

Send hugs ad kisses!

I also wanted to say that i love your content :)

Ticci Toby - Headcanons

AHH THANK YOU SO MUCH!! And Ilysm for requesting that, seriously!! <333 and OF COURSE!

I'm trying to be as realistic & canon as possible with those headcanons, there's a lot to say about Toby anyway! :]

Headcanons:

Toby does not remember his past canonically, due to his amnesia. So, he is not a grumpy or constantly depressed person. He can be very talktive around people he likes due to his ADHD and mania episodes which both cause hyperactivity. (Bipolar contains mania)

Toby doesn't really care about people that aren't his fond ones. At all. He will only care about someone or at least show a tiny bit of interest if the person looks beautiful or seems interesting in any way. I think that because he once wanted to keep a woman alive who, in his words, looked beautiful. Of course he changed his mind after she pissed him off, but yes, he wanted to see if she deserved to live and gave her a chance.

He loves playing Mario Cart with BEN, as he finds a strange comfort in it. That is because he used to play Video games in his childhood with either his sister or the neighbor kid.

If he smokes, he starts violently coughing like an seizing camel.

He loves wearing sweatpants and turtlenecks when he's in the mansion. He doesn't usually change his clothes when he's going to bed and just sleeps in what he is wearing. For missions, he simply throws a hoodie over the turtleneck and puts on some jeans with a belt for his hatchets. Nothing super special. -- ((My AU has the Creepypasta mansion thing, yes. I at least have my own logical explanation for why and hhh so yeah,))

Toby forgets his things basically everywhere, no matter if it are his goggles, his mouthguard, his hatchets, etc... Mainly due to his amnesia, but also because of his schizophrenia. Schizophrenia causes disorganized speech and thoughts at times, so he might jump from topic to topic.

He doesn't really listen when people talk to him or at leasts struggles with it. It's hard to talk about something he cares about. If he doesn't care, he will simply not listen. IF he cares and tries to listen, he will get distracted super easily. After he asked a question, his attention might be gone already once you start speaking.

Toby is not rude but sassy. He's not praticularly mean to people but will get sassy when given the chance since he's a jerk.

His favorite animals are raccoons, owls, cheetahs and moths.

He has a weird obsession with fire. He loves committing arson.

Toby has a lot of damage in his room because he throws his hatchets at the figures he sees due to his schizophrenia.

Toby constantly wears his gloves or bandages to cover up the wounds on his hands. He only lets specific people like EJ check on his hands or Nurse Ann, so they can just roughly patch him up. Otherwhise, he keeps them hidden to not seem vulnerable.

This man has an EXTREME fear of abandonment. Once he gets close to someone, he will be clingy af, orrr suddenly cold af.

Toby doesn't get along with most people, usually sticking around Cody(X-Virus), Eyeless Jack and Kate. Those are his best friends.

His favorite artists are: Mother Mother, Get Scared, Insane Clown Posse, My Chemical Romance, Nirvana, Three Days Grace, Radiohead, Salvia Palth, Linkin Park, Panic! At The Disco, Alex G, Crystal Castles, Mitski, The Neighbourhood, Coldplay, Mindless Self Indulgence, Melanie Martinez, Pastle Ghost and Billie Eilish.

When he finds dead animals like raccoons, he will pick them up and pet them, all fascinated. He might even hug and squeeze it to somehow get comfort from it. The comfort he didn't recieve and needs.

Toby can go from super confident to super insecure very fast.

Toby loves touching things to feel real. If he's feeling surreal, he will start touching things or taste things to feel real.

He struggles with sleeping, but once he actually is asleep, he usually has disturbing nightmares. As soon as Toby wakes up, he either remembers them and has a panic attack OR he will feel uncomfortable for a reason he can't recall and will avoid sleeping as much as possible.

He's emotionally detached, but tbh, he's a real INFP (Personality type).

Habits:

Honestly, he sometimes tries watching porn to feel something. Due to his mania episodes, he tends to be hypersexual. (Again, he's bipolar which causes mania, and mania can cause hypersexuality.)

Tobias keeps chewing the flesh around his fingers, biting the skin on hips lips and pulling on his hair.

When he's nervous, he will fidget with his hands or clothes a LOT, or keep something like a leaf in his hand so he can just play with it instead of harming himself.

If he's pissed, he starts grinding his teeth to focus on the noise and the feeling instead of the anger he's feeling.

Toby sometimes drinks alcohol to just go completely numb, even emotionally. He uses it to escape the pain he's feeling mentally, as soon as he gets his flashbacks.

Routine: His routine might be a little difficult to explain? But I'll try for sure! I hope I'm not getting the commission wrong, if I do, let me know and I will redo this!

When Toby wakes up, the first thing he does is check where he is. He usually skips breakfast or forgets it, but IF he doesn't forget it, he will just devour a toast or something simple like that. When he doesn't have a mission to do, he will just do the most random stuff like go for a walk, play video games, listen to music, etc. Toby doesn't have a specific routine, he just does what he feels like doing. One thing is sure tho: Toby listens to music every day. No matter how many songs, no matter what song. He must listen to at least one song to feel comfortable and connected to reality. Music gives him comfort and he enjoys listening to it, so he listens to music every day. Sometimes he even plays e-guitar! :] He won't do anything special other than killing, listening to music or talking to himself the whole day. As soon as the stars become visible, Toby goes outside to observe them, spending his time by thinking and having conversations with himself. He doesn't usually sleep anyway, so he spends a lot of time caught in his thoughts. Toby usually drinks a lot of energy drinks to not collapse, even tho his hyperactivity usually keeps him awake.

When this insomnaic finally decides to sleep, he places his hatchets somewhere where he can find them again. After making sure his weapons are on their place, he will just straight up jump into bed to pass out. Changing clothes, brushing his teeth or anything related to that isn't a thing Toby likes. I feel like sometimes Toby would plan on meeting people like Kate or Cody behind the mansion to drink a little and smoke, but bro would just straight up forget about it and go to bed like nothing is bothering his life, completely forgetting about the things he planned. Maybe he at least gets a peaceful sleep... or something.

Sorry if it's not THAT much, after finishing the habits and headcanons my brain just stopped working and had no clue what to continue with when it comes to routines. Probably gonna edit this when I'm sober and able to think straight again, but this is what I got so far! Again, thank you SOO much for requesting this, and that you enjoy my content qenuinely makes me happy <3

#ticci toby creepypasta #creepypasta #slenderman #headcanon #ticci toby #tobias erin rogers #creepypasta headcanons #creepypasta fandom #ticci toby headcanon #crp

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starbiesluv · 9 months

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☆ - Open Wound - ☆

--- Darksun Microfic ---

(words: 902)

tw: mentioned child abuse

“You think people have noticed?” He asks. James laughs, like it's some kind of joke. Barty just looks at him blankly.

“Sorry, It's just. You're the type of guy who’s always doing shit in the spotlight, never thought you’d not want people to notice something.” James comments. The two of them are sitting on a window sill, in the Slytherin Common Room. Rarely anyone comes down here at night anymore, especially since Snape became a prefect, but Barty sneaks out here still, to smoke…to breathe. He has to be sure not to wake anyone, but he’s fairly quiet when alone.

James started joining him when Barty went on late night walks and found him, so Barty invited him to sit. Their friendship is a new thing, and odd, definitely. But Barty has started to become quite fond of it. He sighs.

“You have no idea what I’m talking about, do you?” Barty asks a bit gently. Which, as James has noted before, is weird to see. Barty, has noted that he's become comfortable with James, and that's most likely the reason why Barty has let his guard down. He's softer than he’ll ever let people know, well except for James Potter apparently.

“Nope.” James answers, exaggerating the ‘p’ in the word. He's looking out the window, to the water thats lit up by the candles in the room, and the moonlight shining from above. A small fish swims by and James waves at it, the dork.

“Well, I assumed you would if anyone had.” Barty says. He looks away, realising that while James was staring at the water out the window, Barty had been staring at him. “Noticed, I mean.”

“Do you have some spooky dark secret that you don't want to get out?” James teases, looking to Barty, who looks back. James adjusts his glasses. “Are you a vampire?” Barty chokes, laughing immediately.

“A vampire? What?” He hisses, a hand near his mouth to stop himself from laughing too loudly.

“Rumor going around, apparently your dark nature and apparent hatred for sunlight is shocking the Hogwarts community.” James winks at Barty, who flushes almost immediately, much to his own dismay.

“I just burn easily and it hurts my eyes. Also my dark nature has nothing to do with being a vampire I’m just insane.” Barty shrugs a bit and James laughs, smiling. Barty loves to see his smile, the way his face glows, his eyes scrunch and you can see his dimples. He grins openly, the small gap in his two front teeth visible, which Barty finds adorable. James smiles often, but Barty rarely sees this smile when they aren't together in the night.

“Evan and Pandora call you Bat?” James cocks up an eyebrow. Barty scoffs.

“Thats because Bart sounds horrendous and they're smart people with taste.” Barty informs, a playful tone in his voice. He tilts his head a bit. “And they're also insane.” James snorts, and Barty’s eyes glow in amusement, almost infatuation.

“In all seriousness, what is it that you don't want people to notice?” James questions, his head tilted to the side like an animal. Barty hardens a bit at the question. He sighs, because he knows that if there is anyone in this school that he can trust, it's James. For some odd reason. He tugs on the collar of the turtleneck jumper he’s wearing. James’ expression grows tense and he leans closer to Barty. “What happened?” He whispers, his voice airy. Barty digs his fingernails into his palm.

“It…over the holidays.” Barty gets out. “You know how my father can be—”

“What?!” James almost yells. Barty gives him a look and he grits his teeth. “You never said—” He says quieter. “You never said he hurt you.” Barty touches the bandages around his neck himself. Ever since he came back to Hogwarts two days ago, he's been hiding the bandages with turtle neck jumpers and shirts. Having something like that under your uniform is allowed during the winter, so he abused that.

“I thought that... was a given.” Barty mumbles. James looks at him with sparkly eyes, a frown on his face. “Don't look at me like that, I didn't mean to upset you—”

“No, no.” James interrupts firmly. “I'm not upset with you, Bea. I'm upset with your father.” James says. “I never get why people hurt such good souls like you.” Barty stares at James. He feels like an open wound when he's with him sometimes. Open to see and to be watched, bleeding and hurting, but James is a bandage, and he holds Barty together.

“Good is far from the truth.” Barty sighs, bringing his knees closer to his chest.

“True. Because you're better than good. You're lovely.” James speaks, he smiles gently, not enough to see his teeth, but his eyes scrunch a little and the kindness in his eyes is spilling all over Barty, like a warmness he can't explain. Barty goes red and hides his face a little. “Come here.” James whispers, he scoots over, getting on his knees, and leans so he's holding Barty in his arms.

Barty loves the warmth of him, and the feeling of being patched up and cared for. Barty…loves James.

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powpowpunchout · 2 years

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Trying to Ruin the Morning.

Glass Joe made his way through the stadium’s hall, a little bounce in his step as he hummed to himself. There was a wonderful sort of happiness inside him that he couldn’t contain, that couldn’t help but show itself through a big grin on his face. The usual frigidness that took over the hall in the early morning didn’t bother Joe in the slightest, nor did the intense smell of cleaning chemicals, he was too wrapped up in his plans for today.

Joe’s fingers ran along the thick, black strap of his red gym bag; its little zippers jingled while his brown, wing tipped shoes clicked against the floor. He pressed his lips together as he recalled what he had packed for the day. He had his usual boxing attire, a few bandage wraps since he was running low, and his extra set of clothes he’ll change into after his first match. His ‘nicer’ clothes. The clothes that won’t get doused in sweat and blood–well–hopefully not blood. Hopefully they won’t get too wrinkled either.

The sound of heavy feet being dragged across the floor snapped Joe out of his thoughts. He looked ahead and saw a familiar, friendly giant trudging through on the other end. He watched as the bearded boxer stretched and yawned dramatically, only to perk up and give Glass Joe a big wave.

In the seconds it took Joe to let go of his bag to wave back, Bear Hugger had already ran over and pulled him into a quick hug.

“Joe! How are ya!”

“Oh, I’m doing fine!” Joe slipped out of Bear’s grasp to fix his black turtleneck, “And you?”

“Exhausted!” Bear Hugger beamed, “We’re up earlier than th’sun, I almost fell asleep behind th’wheel several times.”

Joe decided to ignore that concerning comment, “I didn’t know you had an early match as well?”

“Oh, I don’t! Hondo does, and I promised t’help him train today before th’match. But between you ‘n me,'' Bear Hugger leaned in and spoke to a whisper, “Piston didn’t want my li’l buddies helpin’ this time, so I dunno if our trainin’ will be that good.”

Joe rolled his eyes, “I’m sure the two of you will be fine. Besides, I’m certain Piston doesn’t want to be covered in fur during his match.”

“What? Psh, please! That adds character. Style!” Bear Hugger brushed off some squirrel fur on his overalls. “Anyways, anyways, I best get on m’way. Don’t wanna keep Hondo waitin’. Take care!”

The two boxers waved goodbye and went their separate ways. Joe double checked to make sure there wasn’t any fur on his wine-colored pants before proceeding.

When Joe finally reached the locker room’s door, another wave of excitement hit him.

He couldn’t wait to lose today’s fight. He just couldn’t wait.

Sure, he was always determined to push himself. To keep trying and trying until he earned a victory, but today he just didn’t care.

At long last, he and a good friend will finally be having lunch together. Maybe that doesn’t sound too insane, but their schedules were so different from one another’s, and it certainly didn’t help that they hardly had any time during the weekends! This was one of the rare instances where the both of them could actually get together.

The sooner he loses that fight, the sooner the two of them can go to that wonderful little cafe that Joe loves.

As Joe walked past the lockers, he couldn’t help but take a peek into the rows. The locker room itself was, frankly, extremely dull. Gray lockers, gray walls, gray floor, every inch of this place was a shade of gray, but what Joe always enjoyed was seeing the traces of personality left behind by the other boxers. Don Flamenco’s locker was adorned with heart stickers and love letters that Carmen would send him, Von Kaiser’s shoe shine rag was left sitting on one of the benches, Joe could even see acorns scattered around under Bear Hugger’s locker, which got a chuckle out of him.

Joe’s hums bounced off the walls. Maybe he’ll just go down in the first round in this morning’s match. Heck, he could go down on the first hit if he wanted to. Who would question it? He’s lost well over ninety rounds, he’s certain if he acted a little extra dramatic, he could truly sell how oh-so-powerful his opponent was.

Perhaps Joe would say something like: ‘Oh dear! You’ve knocked the life right out of me! The world is growing dark, is this another tragic loss for Glass Joe?!’, then he’d fall to the ground, the referee would count to ten, then Joe would pop back up and go about his day.

Alright, he doesn’t have to be that dramatic, but it’s fun to think about–

A loud bang scared Joe.

His eyes darted around the room.

When he didn’t catch anything–anyone–he kept going.

‘Something must’ve fallen.’ Joe thought to himself. He got to his locker and adjusted the strap of his bag as he began spinning his combination.

He opened his locker and started shifting his belongings around, trying to make space. He could take out his boxing gloves, he’ll be needing those soon–oh, his red boots! Joe sharply inhaled when he looked at those filthy things. He told himself yesterday he’d bring them home and get them cleaned, but here they were. Laces filthy and grime all around.

He grabbed the boots’ by their collars and set them aside. This weekend.

He’ll clean them this weekend.

Joe unzipped his bag and placed his clean set of clothes inside. His hand drummed against the locker’s door as he peered inside trying to find his hairbrush.

Another loud bang shot through the room.

Joe raised a brow. He was about ready to inspect, but the moment he straightened himself, his locker was slammed shut.

Joe’s mouth curled to a frown when he saw the man standing over him. Octave Overload.

“Would it kill ya to shaddup for more than five minutes?”

“I just got here–”

“Yeah, and congrats, you managed to become the most annoyin’ thing in this room.” Octave grit his teeth as he pushed the black hair out of his face. He was already in his boxing attire. Long black pants paired with his black boots with white laces. Joe will say, the distasteful quality of Octave’s clothes matched his personality wonderfully.

Joe simply stuck his nose up, “My apologies, I had no idea my happiness was so loud to you. Now if you’ll excuse me–”

Joe tried to push past the Major Circuit boxer, but Octave shoved him back. Belongings spilled from Joe’s bag.

“Ya know, it’s bad enough I gotta be here at 6 in the mornin’ for some match.” Octave took a step forward, Joe took a step back. “The last thing I need is some bottom of the barrel French fighter givin’ me a headache.”

And why was Overload complaining about this? Shouldn’t he be used to waking up so early? Shouldn’t he be expecting it? It’s what he signed up for. Or was this an attempt to make Joe back off because Octave was ‘tired’? If anyone glanced at Octave, they wouldn’t be able to tell he was tired. He always looked like this. The same heavy bags under his eyes–which paired with his purple pupils, made him look even more exhausted–the same long, unkempt stubbles that ran down his face. Honestly, if Joe hadn’t overheard Octave saying he liked his beard all those months ago, he’d firmly believe Octave kept forgetting to shave that thing off.

“Just shaddup. That’s all ya need t’do.” Octave kept getting closer, stepping on Joe’s stuff, “Shut. Up.”

Joe felt his back hit the lockers.

Octave was face to face with him, but Joe bit his tongue. He didn’t want to say anything. He didn’t even look at him.

The last thing he wanted to do right now was deal with Octave. The moment Joe tries to talk back, that’ll just give Octave ammo to work with. Maybe if he ignores him long enough, he’ll get fed up and leave. That’s what Disco kid does, and it usually works.

Usually.

Joe didn’t realize it, but his hands had curled into fists, which got a dry laugh out of Octave.

“We’re tryna be tough now? Is that it? Whaddaya gonna do?” Octave’s scowl grew, “Gonna break ya arm with that punch?”

Octave got closer, his big, hooked nose mere inches away from poking Joe’s eye out.

Octave grit his teeth, “I swear, one of these days I’m gonna knock ya lights out.”

“Oh, I’d love to see that happen.” A deep, raspy voice rumbled.

Octave whipped his head around. Joe peeked over his shoulder.

Towering before the two was the one, the only Mr. Sandman. He was practically casting a shadow over them.

“Go on then.” Sandman lowered himself to Octave’s level, a grin on his face, “Knock his lights out.”

Even when dressed in something as simple as a gray hoodie and black shorts, the intimidation of Sandman was as strong as ever.

Octave’s eyes darted to Joe then back to Sandman.

“Tch. Whatev’ah.” Octave shoved past the World Circuit Champion, “Have fun bein’ a bodyguard to that no good, lousy…” Octave kept muttering insult after insult to himself. He wrapped his thumbs around his white belt as he stormed away. Sandman kept his eye on Octave until he watched the locker room door open and shut.

It was silent for a moment before Sandman spoke again, “We still doin’ lunch today?”

Joe perked up, “Oh, of course!”

Joe combed his fingers through his hair before hopping over to pick up his belongings.

Sandman lent a hand, “Sorry he was botherin’ you again.”

“Pah!” Joe swat the air, “You know how he is.”

“Still.”

“I assure you, his words mean nothing to me.” Joe said as he spun the combination to his locker again, “Trust me, throughout all my years of boxing, I know for a fact people like Overload will get nowhere in their sad, miserable little lives.”

Every insult Octave’s thrown at Joe? Every threat? Every vile, cruel word to leave his lips? Joe’s heard it all before. Over 90 matches worth of opponents toughens you up, and Joe wore that fact with pride. Octave couldn’t dent Joe even if he wanted to.

The second Joe opened his locker, more of his things came spilling out. He rolled his eyes and started grabbing them. Sandman held his hands out; Joe placed a pair of shoes and an empty water bottle for him to hold.

“I swear, I look away for one moment and clutter fills this thing. It’s like it has a mind of its own.” Joe said as he organized his locker, “Regardless, I do appreciate your help, truly, but–but–” Joe stopped and turned to his friend.

“Don’t you have a match this morning?”

Sandman awkwardly looked at Joe's things then back to Joe, “Yeah? Don’t–”

“What are you doing standing around helping me?! You need to get dressed! Go!” Joe snatched his things back. Sandman stared at him before a little smirk grew on his face.

“Wow.” Sandman said, folding his arms, “I’m tryin’ to be a good friend and you want me to leave.”

“You know what I–!” Joe slapped his hand to his head, “Oh, don’t you do this to me now! You have a match to prepare for! You have some poor soul to beat!”

“I dunno, Joe. Your words really took the energy outta me.” Sandman turned his back to Joe, but even then, Joe could hear the growing smile on his face.

“You…!” Joe was trying so hard not to grin, “Stop messing around and get ready.” “Make me.”

Joe gave Sandman a pathetic shove. Naturally, he didn’t move an inch. Joe pressed his entire side against the champion to push him. All it did was make the two of them chuckle.

Joe gave him another push, “If you take too long, you’ll be late for our lunch!”

“Hm, that is a good point.” Sandman finally took a step forward, “Guess I’ll have to get ready.”

Joe let out a little huff as he watched his friend walk away, only for him to stop and give Joe another smile.

“Good luck out there.” Sandman said.

“You as well!”

Joe turned back to his locker and finished rearranging; that little smile still on his face. As he started getting dressed, that hum of his couldn’t help but come back as his mind was filled with thoughts of what was to come today.

#punch out #punch out!!#punch out wii #punch out glass joe #punch out oc #punch out octave overload #glass joe #art #fic #octave overload canon

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bosspigeon · 3 years

Text

a permanent solution to a temporary insanity

Pairing: Mason/m!Detective, with a side of Adam/Nate (implied)

Words: 5257

Summary: Unit Bravo discover the detective has... a lot more tattoos than they would have guessed. Felix is delighted. Mason is intrigued. Nate and Adam are just worried this is going to cause issues with Rebecca, somehow. Tina and Verda become chaotic disasters when they’ve had some alcohol in them.

Takes place at the beginning of Book 2. Title taken from a quote my granddad likes to use whenever he wants me to know he disapproves of my tattoos.

AO3 Link | Ko-Fi <3

"Get your foot off the table, you fucking barbarian!"

Mason can hear the voice of the detective's coworkers from across the bar, but even if he couldn't, Chase's scent is easy enough to track. The muted bite of coffee, the sharpness of pine tempered with clary sage. The cooled sweat of a long day, and, just barely perceptible, the intoxicating undercurrent of his blood.

Mason's awareness narrows down to that stimulus, and he weaves his way through the meager crowd. He is only vaguely cognizant of his unit following behind him, so focused on finding--

He hears a laugh, low and husky, a bit of a scuffle, and he finds the detective sitting at a table with the pathologist, Verda, and the Bobblehe-- Officer Poname.

Chase's back is to him, and he’s sitting in a chair at the end of a table squished into a corner. Verda and Poname are opposite him in a booth against the wall, laughing, while Poname tries in vain to wrestle Chase's scuffed combat boot off the edge of the table. The smell of alcohol is strong between the three of them, but that is not what makes Mason stop dead.

Chase's leather jacket is draped over the back of his chair, and underneath, what Mason always thought was a full turtleneck sweater is actually completely sleeveless. The detective's arms are bare, save for intricate swirls and clusters of ink, mostly black, but with some pops of color here and there. Some of it is flowers, some words, a few bones and animal skulls. Abstract shapes and lines, a few sharp little designs, from shoulder to knuckles on both arms-- and Mason suddenly realizes Chase always seemed to be wearing supple leather palm gloves that matched his jacket, or, when it was colder, cozy wool fingerless gloves so he could still use his phone without trouble. Not tonight, though. Tonight his hands are bare, his arms are bare, and the ribbed shirt he’s wearing is clinging to him and really showing off the stout strength of his torso.

Mason grunts as Felix runs into his back, and time seems to pick back up to normal speed while his companion loudly complains.

Chase's head turns upon hearing the familiar voice, and Mason gathers his wits and offers a smirk and a carefully relaxed wave, sauntering up alongside the man, who raises a glass full of some dark mixed drink to him.

"There’s nothing we can do until we’ve got more information about our case, so I'm off tomorrow-- ask Rebecca," he informs Adam, who is looking disapprovingly between the detective's lax, sprawled posture and the half-empty glass held loosely in one hand, "so I don't want to hear you bitching about what I'm doing."

Adam's mouth pinches, Nate chuckles and tries to stifle it, and Mason coughs out a ragged laugh. But all that is lost to Felix shoving his way bodily around Mason to grab Chase's wrist (thankfully the one without the drink) and shout, "You've got so many tattoos!"

Chase gives Felix a lazy once-over, his brow quirked. "Yeah? And?" He looks a little bemused, as if he can’t quite figure out how this came as such as a surprise to any of them, much less a busybody like Felix. He obviously can’t say it in front of his coworkers, but Mason remembers Chase’s time with Murphy. The hospital gown and the needles and bandages. But even though they could all see in the dark just fine, there was a bit too much going on to really notice more than some smudges of dark ink on his neck and arms.

He thinks their minds might be going to the same place, for a moment, because Chase’s mouth twists from a lazy smile to a grim frown, dark, serious brows scrunching. It’s a slight gesture, barely noticeable, but he jerks his head once, as if to shake off the memories.

They’re both, thankfully, distracted by Felix whirling around to point accusingly at Mason. "Did you know he had this many?"

"If I did, would I tell you?" he sneers. Felix pouts mightily, but then pauses, and smiles. A slow, creeping smile, his eyes narrowed smugly.

"If you did know, you'd have been telling everyone you saw what the detective's got under his clothes any chance you got," he taunts. "So you must not have!"

Nate can't quite stifle his laugh this time, and Mason shoots him a dirty look.

Chase chuckles, low and smoky, and brings the glass to his lips again. “Yeah, I’ve got a lot of tattoos. Almost more than bare skin by this point, I think?” He looks to Verda and Poname as if to confirm, though with an odd little smirk that makes Poname giggle helplessly and Verda roll his eyes.

“Verda would know best,” Poname teases. “How much of Chase have you seen?”

“Enough to know that, yes, the un-inked real estate is scant at best.” He takes a demure sip of his drink while Poname cackles.

“My boss fucking hates it,” Chase snorts into his glass, gesturing vaguely with the free hand he’s rescued from Felix for Unit Bravo to sit. He finally removes his boot from the edge of the table (which makes Poname throw her hands in the air) and uses it to push the chair next to him out, dark eyes flickering up to meet Mason’s for a fraction of a second, stoking a low sort of heat in his belly. He takes the offered seat before Felix can (to some very vocal complaining) and lounges back, angling the chair so he’s able to watch the detective without making it too obvious.

Nate slides into the booth next to Poname, who immediately turns her gaze almost reverently to him, and Adam sits stiffly alongside him, giving the both of them an unreadable look. Felix posts up alongside Verda, smiling with annoying cheerfulness across the table at Chase and Mason.

“If your boss hates them so much, how’d you get the job?” he chirps, still marvelling at all the inked skin on shameless display. It makes Mason feel a bit twitchy, and he swallows down the urge to bare his teeth at his teammate with two very ignorant human witnesses in front of him. He distracts himself by subtly eyeing a splash of color on Chase’s solid shoulder in the form of a wrought-iron lantern with a single guttering candle inside, wreathed in wilted and dying flowers that trails shed petals and leaves down his bicep to mingle with other patterns.

“Mum’s got connections,” Chase drawls, swirling his glass and impressively feigning nonchalance. The ice cubes inside clink softly. “As you all know.”

The quiet that follows is damning, and Chase breaks it by tossing back another gulp of his drink. This close, with his senses full of the detective’s overwhelming… everything, Mason can tell it’s rum and Coke-- rather heavy on the rum.

Nate is the first to speak, offering a politely neutral, “You told us you were given a choice between the police academy or prison.” His tone lacks any judgement, but his brows are furrowed just a bit. Beside him, Adam’s expression is carefully blank. Good for both of them, because even clearly, comfortably tipsy and oddly candid, Chase’s gaze is sharp and analytical, his shoulders just this side of too tight.

“Yeah, well,” he goes on, staring past Nate more than at him, “Rebecca’s influence goes a long way, I learned. So after I graduated from uni-- top of my fuckin’ class, thank you-- I went off on a bit of a wild tear, you know, acquiring cars under mysterious circumstances,” Poname sputters into her drink and laughs, and Chase just gives her a dry look before she regains herself enough for him to continue, “and selling them for scrap, I miraculously didn’t wind up going to straight to prison, thanks to Rebecca pulling some strings and dragging me back here by my ear.” His lip curls faintly, and there’s a flash of something in his expression that seems to drop the temperature in the bar by a few degrees. Felix meets Mason’s eye and visibly shudders.

“That doesn’t really explain the tattoos,” Mason says, offering an easy segue to something… else.

“Sort of does,” Chase says with a shrug, eyes heavy-lidded. “I had a pretty wild childhood up to that point. Got my first stick-and-poke when I was, what? Thirteen? I think the kid who gave it to me is working at the bank now.” He snorts. “My point is, it was the one thing about my life I ever got to control. I had to be perfect, but so long as I did well in my academic pursuits and set myself on exactly the path my mother wanted for me, in my free time I could do whatever the fuck I wanted.” He rolls his shoulders again and knocks back the last of his drink, setting the glass down just a little too hard on the sticky tabletop.

“I drank, I partied, I fucked around. What else do you do when you’re a kid with no parental influence in your life save for a picture on the mantel of an empty house? You go off the fucking wall is what you fuckin’ do. Anything for even a shred of attention. And I still managed to graduate with honors, right? First in my class in secondary school, and in uni. Didn’t matter, did it?” His face goes hard, brows furrowing. “She didn’t bother to congratulate me in person. I got a card on her office stationery that I doubt she even wrote herself. My graduation from uni she didn’t even respond to the invite I sent, but I still stupidly hoped she’d show. She didn’t care until I snapped and she actually had to step in. Take a break from her job and come collect her errant brat.” He scoffs, and it sounds like a gunshot in the sudden silence that follows.

Nate looks like he wants to say something, mouth opening, but Adam touches his wrist and it snaps closed. Even Felix is stunned silent. Verda and Poname just exchange twin looks of familiar distress, but before anyone can say anything, Chase stands up so suddenly his chair shrieks across the floor. Mason, Nate, Adam, and Felix all wince at the sound.

“I’m going to get another drink,” the detective mutters, stalking off into the crowd. Mason looks over his companions, eyebrows raised, decides he doesn’t owe anyone an explanation, and gets up to follow.

Chase is leaning against the bar, asking the bartender for “something stronger than a rum and Coke, holy fuck,” and doesn’t even look up when Mason moves to stand beside him.

“I get moody when I get drunk,” he says by way of greeting.

“So you’re always drunk, then?" Mason drawls. "Not very professional of you, Detective."

Chase snorts and turns to look at him, but he doesn’t say anything-- just closes his eyes and rubs his hand over the rough fuzz of his shaved head. Mason’s gaze is drawn to his hand, and he spots a ouija planchette inked into one knuckle, a pentacle on the next, then an eye, and a crescent moon. They look old, faded and a bit blown out. When Chase opens his eyes again, the bartender has given him another drink, and from the smell, it’s a highball with a hefty pour of whiskey. He takes his first sip almost gratefully.

“Those the stick-and-pokes you mentioned?” Mason asks.

Chase holds up his hand. “Hm? Oh, yeah, a couple of ‘em. Not the first ones.” He turns his hand palm-up, and gestures with the glass. “There on the wrist.” Along the inside of his forearm is an intricate dagger with thorns twisted along the blade, but a few centimeters below the point, there is a tiny, blurry skull with a black forked tongue. “Toby Doherty, year 8. We put together a tattoo gun in his dad’s garage by pulling apart his little brother’s RC car. Think we got into more trouble for that than the tattoo.” He huffs out a rough little laugh. “I just think his mum was too nervous to actually shout at me, but I was never allowed back to their house afterwards because I was a bad influence.”

Mason reaches out and takes his hand, pulling it a bit closer so he can study the skull more closely. That’s what he tells himself, anyway, though he doesn’t think he’s fooled, and he doesn’t think the detective would be either. Especially when he rubs his thumb over the raised lines. He can feel Chase’s pulse through his thin skin, blood pumping hot and steady. This close, his pine-and-sage scent is stronger, and it fills Mason’s chest. "It's cute," he says, little more than a breath between them. He leans in, pulls the detective's wrist close to his mouth. He can feel the heat of his skin, almost taste the warmth just beneath, and Chase's breath is soft and quick and deafening in his ears.

“Chase!”

He drops the hand as if burned, and looks away from the detective before he can see how he reacts. Poname is toddling up to them, swaying a bit, and she wiggles her way between them to toss her arms around Chase's middle. He raises his highball in the air to keep her from spilling it, and she giggles.

"Chase, come back, you've got to show them!"

He groans. "Show them what?"

She only giggles louder and starts pulling him back towards the group, using the much steadier detective as a bit of a crutch to keep from stumbling through the milling crowd. When they arrive back at the table, things aren't really more comfortable than when they'd left, but they're not less so either, which Mason supposes is more than they could ask for. He takes up his seat again, but when Chase moves to do the same, Poname keeps hold of his arm.

"Wait, wait, you should be standing up for this," she giggles. Verda doesn't say anything, but he does snicker quietly into his tall glass of something that smells cloyingly of fruit syrup and sweetened vodka.

"Tina, what are you on about?" he sighs indulgently.

"You have to show them King Kitty!"

Mason’s interest is immediately piqued. Felix’s is too, clearly. He sits bolt upright and leans forward with that bright-eyed little imp grin he likes to give his teammates whenever he’s teasing them about… well, anything, really. “King Kitty?” he asks with eyes sparkling.

Chase groans, sets his drink on the table, and pushes Poname away, sending her stumbling into the table while she laughs brightly. “Don’t call it that, Tina. Christ.”

“You have to show them! He’s so good!” she insists, swaying towards him again. He dodges, and damn near skitters around the table to press into Verda’s space, which would have given Poname the means to corner him if she could figure out how to move around Chase’s abandoned chair as well as Mason (side-eyeing her cautiously) without getting tangled or falling over entirely. Verda continues to laugh at their antics, pushing Chase’s hip as it crowds into his space and threatens to make him spill his drink.

“Come on, now, what could it hurt?” he chides playfully, slipping his finger into the belt loop of the detective’s cargo pants and tugging playfully.

“Hey!” Chase barks, shifting away. All that manages to accomplish is tugging down his waistband the slightest bit, exposing the edge of his black underwear and a thin sliver of skin-- inked with designs Mason can’t properly parse, though he can’t help but lean forward a bit for a closer look. “I’ll have both of your asses for harassment, don’t test me!”

“Chase, our precinct is tiny,” Verda hiccups, finally making the decision (though it clearly pains him) to set his drink aside, since it seems Chase is perfectly willing to clamber over him to escape Poname’s grabbing hands, “I’m the HR department. You haven’t got a case here.”

“Show theeeeem,” Poname whines, putting one hand on Mason’s shoulder to steady herself. A low growl rumbles in his chest, but one sharp look from Nate (who is trying very hard not to smile at the scene, while Felix is outright giggling, and Adam simply looks confused and uncomfortable) quiets him. She smells strongly like some sort of bubblegum perfume that tickles the back of his tongue and leaves it feeling itchy and thick.

“I still have to work with them,” Chase protests, but his resolve is visibly wavering, especially with the lack of options to escape.

“We won’t tell anyone!” Felix blurts, leaning across the table. “Promise!”

Mason doesn’t chime in, but it’s a near thing. The last few weeks he’s tested the limits of both Adam and Nate’s patience with his innuendos about the detective, and he even thinks Agent Kingston might be one lewd joke from stabbing him with a fountain pen.

But Chase is weakening, he can tell. Mostly because he can’t seem to figure out how to climb over Verda, and Poname’s hands have found his belt. “Fine! Fuck, fine, you menace!” he exclaims, pushing her off with a surprising amount of gentleness, considering his tone. “Just get off me!”

Poname backs off obediently, but she’s still giggling up a storm, flushed with the effort, her hair a bit mussed. Verda looks entirely unbothered, and he takes up his drink again with a smug smile. Chase returns to his chair but doesn’t sit, and Poname returns to cozying up to Nate and being entirely oblivious to Adam trying very hard not to look annoyed.

Chase takes a deep, bolstering breath, snatches up his drink, and downs about half in one swig. “You’ve all got to swear you won’t breathe a word to Rebecca about this,” he says with grave, if faintly slurred, severity.

“Oh, absolutely,” Mason agrees, quickly enough that Felix shoots him another infuriating smirk.

“Scout’s honor!” Felix blurts, nearly bouncing in his seat.

Nate smiles and nods, looking for all the world like he’s simply indulging the shenanigans, but he’s clearly curious himself. Chase isn’t terribly secretive about most things-- he’s actually pretty fucking blunt-- so this has to be… interesting, for him to put up such a fight. Adam looks like he’s bolstering himself to look away as quickly as possible so he can have some plausible deniability should Agent Kingston find out regardless.

Chase’s hands go to his belt, and Mason’s stomach clenches, heat rushing under his skin. The detective unbuckles with practiced ease, flicks the snap open, and tugs the edge of his cargo trousers and briefs (are they briefs? Mason would certainly like to find out) down just a bit. His other hand goes to his fitted shirt, tugging it up.

The hair beneath his navel is thick and dark, and the trail leading down into his trousers is very, very inviting, but Mason’s attention is drawn inexorably to the design inked into the soft, brown skin. He supposes he should have expected the name “King Kitty” to give it away, but he couldn’t have predicted what he was in for.

It’s a snarling black cat, cartoonishly stylized, wearing a jauntily cocked royal crown. Underneath, spanning from hipbone to hipbone, are the words “BOW DOWN” written in bold, jagged script.

“Everyone, meet King Kitty,” Poname proclaims with a sloppy, grand gesture to Chase’s pelvis.

“Yeah, yeah, are you happy now?” Chase groans, hiking his waistband back up and buckling his belt. He tugs his shirt down and flops into the chair, taking another slog of his drink. It’s almost gone already, and he’s sure to be feeling it soon.

“Absolutely tickled,” Verda says primly.

“Oh, completely,” Poname chimes in.

“Wouldn’t mind seeing him again,” Mason rumbles, and Chase’s eyes flick to him for a split second, dark and sparking, brows quirked. Nate sighs audibly.

“Well, are you going to tell the story too?” Verda presses. “Share with the class?”

Chase drops into his chair and kicks his feet up again, and Poname makes a vague sound of protest. This time, at least, a sharp glare shuts her up. “Might as fuckin’ well, right?” he snorts. “So, I had this ex in college--”

Both Verda and Poname make strange noises, and when Mason spares them a glance (still a bit caught up in eyeballing the detective’s lounging about like a lazy cat-- which is oddly appropriate, all things considered) they are both looking somewhere between annoyed and downright angry. Chase actually looks… guilty, for a split second, before he waves it away and continues.

“Anyway. He wasn’t, uh… Very good in bed. But I loved him or some nonsense,” he scoffs and gestures vaguely with his glass, “so I put up with it. Because I couldn’t tell him he hadn’t gotten me off to his face, right? He was a sex god, according to him, always hit the marks,” he takes a sip and snorts a bit into his drink. Verda barks out a sharp, sudden laugh that seems to startle even him.

“He did not say that! Chase, please tell me he didn’t say that to you!” he squeaks out between ragged, uncontrollable laughter.

Poname is collapsing against Nate’s side, consumed by a fit of wheezing giggles.

Chase rubs a hand down his face and huffs out a laugh of his own. “He fucking did and I have to live with the fact that I continued to sleep with him after that, every day for the rest of my life. Point is, after a lot of general university stress, I got tired of faking orgasms to save his ego, and I finally told him he hadn’t gotten me off once since we’d started dating. Crushed him, of course, and we did break up for a bit because of it. And in the interim, I thought it’d be a good idea, to, ah, ensure that the next one wouldn’t be so… lost. I had a bit of liquid courage, lied admirably to my favorite tattoo artist when she asked if I was sober, and King Kitty was born. Then when I inevitably made the bad decision to get back with my ex, the next time we tumbled into bed, I just pointed at the instructions and told him to get to work.”

He finishes off his drink, puts his foot back on the ground with a heavy clunk, and leans his elbows on the table. “Turns out, he worked best when I was a bit mean to him. Apparently it’s a thing he wasn’t aware of. Go figure.”

“Christ, no wonder he only bothers you more when you’re a prick to him,” Verda scoffs with a hearty roll of his eyes. “You’ve trained it into him!”

"That is… quite the tale," Nate offers magnanimously, eyebrows threatening to make a break for his hairline. He looks to Adam, who is looking away and trying very hard to pretend he wasn't listening at all. Mason gets the idea he knows well enough that if he opens his mouth, what comes out is likely to piss off their dear detective.

Felix about falls over cackling, which is a fine distraction for Mason to lean in close, snagging Chase's attention and murmuring, "Wouldn't mind you bossing me around a bit," with a sly little smirk.

The look Chase gives him is dry as a fucking desert, but his eyes are crinkled at the corners. "You have proved on multiple occasions that you absolutely do mind," he fires back.

And that's what delights him about the detective, he thinks. He's sharp-tongued, and he doesn't try to dull it. Prickly, but clever, unafraid to say what's on his mind. And he's never once rebuffed Mason's advances outright, just… Spiked them back with sly smirks and raised eyebrows. Challenging, a sort of unspoken, "Oh, so you think you can handle me?"

Mason would very, very much like to handle him.

"Well, I think I'd be a lot more willing to follow orders if less clothes were involved," he slyly remarks, and Chase's dark eyes brighten just a bit.

“You have to earn that privilege, pretty boy," he murmurs, lips curling on one side.

Mason is a breath away from leaning closer, when Verda's phone goes off and he stands up, startled, and bumps the table. Mason has to snap one hand out to grab Chase's empty glass before it goes careening to the floor. Poname looks a bit astounded by his (far too fast) reflexes, but she's also more than a bit foggy with liquor and likely to forget quickly.

"Shit, sorry," Verda offers sluggishly, blinking a bit behind his smart browline spectacles. "That's Eric," he explains, grabbing his coat. He's steadier than Poname, but not by much, and he leans heavily on Chase's chair when he bends to press a kiss to his bristly scalp. "Come on, you reprobate. Time to get you home." Chase grumbles and halfheartedly swats at him, a bit of red creeping up to his ears from beneath his high collar. “You too, Tina!” Verda calls, “Leave the poor man alone, would you?"

Poname, who was beginning to list against a somewhat bemused Nate's shoulder, sits bolt upright and blinks, then pouts a bit. "Hm? Oh… okay." She pushes unsteadily to her feet, helped in no small part by a few gentle nudges from Nate, and she turns to give him a giggle and a wiggly-fingered wave before Verda’s put-upon sigh spurs her to totter towards him. Adam watches her go, making a face he likely thinks is impassive, but Mason knows well enough the tense pucker between his eyebrows and the grim tightness around his mouth.

“Remember what I said,” Chase offers, heaving to his feet with a low groan that immediately drags Mason’s attention from Adam’s silent simmering, grabbing his jacket from the chair and slinging it over his shoulders. “Not a word to Rebecca about any of this.” He gives Adam a long look in particular. “My options are limited in terms of retaliation, but I can be pretty damned creative. Don’t test me.” His eyes flicker almost instinctively to Mason, and his lips twitch, but he says nothing more before he swaggers with surprising steadiness after his coworkers.

“Bye, Detective!” Felix hollers, waving enthusiastically. Mason winces, but comforts himself with staring unabashedly at the detective’s retreating backside. The second he’s out the door, Felix rounds on Adam with a bright laugh. “Look at you! You managed to be in the same room as the Detective and you didn’t get into a fight!”

“Because he kept his mouth shut the entire time,” Mason snickers. “Looked like it was killing you not to talk shit.”

“I don’t talk shit,” Adam snaps, and Nate helpfully slides out of the booth so he can escape as well. “I just point out when the Detective is being…”

Mason raises his eyebrows, waiting for him to come up with a word that’s not an insult.

“Difficult,” is what Adam settles on, giving Nate a sidelong look.

“Oh, yeah, you wouldn’t know anything about being difficult,” Felix chimes in helpfully. Adam scowls at him and adjusts his jacket. Nate is clearly trying not to laugh and make Adam even more annoyed.

“You’re the one who felt the need to hassle the detective on his off time,” Mason hums not-so-helpfully. “Can’t blame him for being annoyed.”

“And you can’t say anything either,” Felix chirps, “Since you just went right along with it.” He’s grinning, wide and wicked, and he sways into Mason's space and gets shoved for his trouble. He totters dramatically for a second, then pops back up and snickers. "You're not as smooth as you think," he taunts. "I saw your eyes almost pop out of your skull when you saw those tattoos!"

Mason shoves him again, and Nate chuckles. "There were a lot more than I would have guessed."

"And I bet there's a lot more where we couldn't see," Felix adds, sticking his tongue between his teeth and waggling his eyebrows. Mason glances around the bar, the crowd having thinned in the last half hour or so, and decides he can get away with putting the little brat in a headlock.

Nate sighs at them. Adam rolls his eyes skyward, but they let Felix flail and squawk for a bit before Adam barks out, “Enough!” and Mason obediently releases him so he can tug his fancy scarf forcefully back into place and adjust his beanie. “Let’s just go.”

“This was nice, wasn’t it?” Nate offers with a bit of genuine cheer as they file out the door and leave the bar behind. “Getting out? Talking to people?” He nudges Adam when he doesn’t respond, and gets a faint grunt for his trouble. “Seeing the sights?”

Mason lights up the second they’re outside, inhales, and exhales a long plume of smoke, and smirks a bit around the filter. “I enjoyed the sights, at least.”

“I had fun!” Felix chirps, having already moved on from Mason’s rough treatment. “We should spend more time with the detective outside work stuff. He’s cool when he’s not all--” He makes a face, stiff and frowning with a crinkled brow, that looks pretty damned similar to the face he makes when he’s mocking their illustrious leader. Mason almost bites down on the filter of his cigarette to stifle a laugh.

“It was nice to see him unwind a bit,” Nate chuckles. “His friends seem… fun,” his mouth quirks a bit, somewhat uncomfortably, “Friendly.”

Adam makes a disgruntled noise. “Too friendly,” he mutters. Mason is about to lose the fight with himself and start snickering.

Ah, hell, he can’t resist. “I dunno, I think Natey might have a chance with the Bobblehead.” The look Adam gives him could kill a lesser man, but he just gives a lopsided grin in return. Felix, however, loses it to the point he almost falls over in the street.

Nate, ever the diplomat, just chuckles a bit and says, “Officer Poname is lovely, but she’s a bit… young for me, I think.”

Yeah, about eight-hundred-something years too young, Mason thinks, rolling his eyes. But, unlike Felix, he’s made it a point not to get involved in the love lives of people he’s got to work with. He’s already got his hands full trying to figure out the detective. Though, he supposes, he’s got to work with the detective, too. On a more permanent basis, now, it seems. But Chase is a lot of things-- stubborn, headstrong, blunt and honest-- but he’s not the type to let a bit of fun get in the way of his job, and neither is Mason. The second they stop dancing around each other, Mason will lay it out plain for him, and if he’s not on board with a bit of fun between co-workers, then that’s it. No problems.

He takes another puff of his smoke and lets the others get ahead of him, Felix still chattering happily and Nate fielding it with his usual calm enthusiasm while Adam manages to both sulk and stalk admirably alongside them both. Their voices fade into the background, and he allows himself a private little smirk, thinking about those fierce dark eyes, that stout, compactly muscled body with its bold ink, and privately wonders how much more is hidden under the detective’s clothes, and the best way to see them all.

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2bdammed · 2 years

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madcom 2nd gen kids

this is so cringe so its going under a cut

family moment. separating each of them into families bc i have A Lot to talk abt

Hank/2BDamned

Colt Python Wimbleton - 20 years old, named after the gun of the same name, also uses said gun when he's not using his sniper, which is a Barrett M95. 6'5", takes after Hank, usually pretty quiet compared to his little sister. Wears chunky, circular black goggles and a really tight sleeveless turtleneck for some reason? Advanced healing factor that everyone assumes comes from Hank. Highly durable, can take a lot of shit without faltering. He has a sick mohawk that 2B cuts for him.

Dallas "Domino" Wimbleton - 18 years old, named Dallas because 2B thought it sounded cool. Usually called Domino because that's the codename she uses on missions and is also shorthand for her online handle, DominoDamnation. 5'4", takes after 2B very much so, knows a lot about injuries, wears a pair of red-tinted goggles and a metal mask that covers the bottom half of her face, decorated with stickers. Super rebellious and doesn't listen to Hank.

Sanford/Deimos

Artemis - 19 years old, named Artemis because it sounds kickass, also because she's a twin and Deimos is a slut for Greek mythology. She uses a combination of melee and firearms to fight, a fan of throwing knives and finishing off her opponents with a Glock 19. 5'10", takes after Sanford, is a tad bit quiet, but when she talks, she can deliver life-ending roasts. Has a great singing voice but won't admit it. Shirts are overrated, bandages instead.

Apollo - 19 years old, named Apollo because it sounds kickass, and for the same reason as Artemis, because he's a twin and Deimos is a slut for Greek mythology. Melee only, likes going in with a weapon in each hand, listens to music as he fights. He will literally never fight without his earbuds in. 5'1", takes after Deimos, cracks a lot of jokes, primarily "deez nuts" jokes. Wears one of Sanford's old pairs of shades, which are too big on him. Also has unexplained pyrokinesis.

Sanford Jr. - 12 years old, named himself Sanford because of how much he loves Sanford Sr., is just a little man. During a raid on an A.A.H.W. facility, Sanford and Deimos found a kid grunt hiding away and realized they couldn't kill him, so they took him home and adopted him. He's very small and squishy. 4'6", takes after Sanford, makes flower crowns with any flowers he can find and wears oversized sweaters so he can make sweater paws.

Auditor ????

The Administrator - 19 years old, called Administrator because it's a kickass title, but primarily goes by Addie because it's easier. Addie exists because... Auditor accidentally created her. Auditor committed mitosis and was surprised to find a tiny version of herself following her along. It's a side effect of the Keystone Fragment, kinda like how Tricky spawned multiple smaller Trickys when he got the fragment, except only one of them. 5'8" but it changes frequently, is just a tiny version of the Auditor. She also has a cute lil tail.

Tricky/Jesus

Dove Christoff - 25 years old, named Dove because of the wings he was born with, and occasionally jokingly called Soapie because of the soap brand of the same name. 6'2", takes after Jeb, has a savior complex as a result of the state of Nevada and also being the eldest sibling, plus general exposure to Jeb. Was born with two white wings because of Madness Combat fuckshit reasons. Primarily uses a Desert Eagle and a crossbow because why the fuck not? Speaks in Bible verses and ominous puzzles.

Lucille "Lucy" Christoff - 23 years old, named Lucille after Lucifer, yes, Tricky named her to poke fun at Jeb. 6'4", takes after Tricky, fucking insane to be honest. She has Tricky's little shaky-shaky thing going on. Primarily fights with melee, but also goes with hand-to-hand combat for fun. She fights with anything she can get her hands on, whether it be a crowbar, screwdriver, metal pipe, or someone's head. Feral and undomesticated. Has sharp teeth and wears blue boxers with little yellow stars all over them.

Gabriel "Gabe" Christoff - 21 years old, named Gabriel after the archangel, seriously named by Jeb. 5'5", takes after both his parents, can go from trying to negotiate peaceful terms to tearing you apart limb from limb in the same breath. Primarily uses SMGs and keeps an Uzi in his coat at all times, as well as copious amounts of knives.

#madness combat #madcom #madness combat oc #madcom oc #madness oc #ramble tag #a rock and a hard place #colt python wimbleton #dallas wimbleton #artemis #apollo #the administrator #dove christoff #lucille christoff #gabriel christoff

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danadeservesadrink · 4 years

Text

Wine and Whiskey Chapter 2

Read on AO3 here

Chapter 2: Scully’s POV

We’re just going to pretend that I didn’t wait an entire year to post the second chapter for this fic. Oops?

Scully had never been the deviant one. She made her bed with military precision, she only dated nice and respectable boys, she was a straight A student all on her own good merit. Her mother insisted that she was the golden child, the one you brag about to family friends at bridge parties. Truthfully, Scully was just as rebellious as her siblings. She just happened to be better at getting away with it. She was convinced her mother simply ignored her misdoings as she already had her hands full with Melissa, and as long as she kept her grades up she could do whatever she wanted in her own bedroom. If that wasn’t true then her mother must have been blind not to notice the extra tee shirts that kept popping up in the wash, or the times she arrived home late from the library with tousled hair smelling like new car leather and cigarettes.

Either way, Scully adopted the persona of the reliable daughter. The responsible one. The golden child. So when her brother had the audacity to call her on a Friday evening and scream her ear off about responsibility and safety and all his other god damn concerns about her choices in career, she was simply pissed.

Pissed that the golden child could become the fallen angle overnight for making her own decisions for once.

She ignored his little comments about her partner on the phone call, choosing to keep the conversation focused on her, but his voice rang in the back of her mind all the same.

He’s crazy, Dana. He has you going out on these cases putting yourself in danger for some insane crusade that already took one of my sisters. I’m not letting it take another one.

Bill would never understand. He could never comprehend how responsible little Dana could choose to follow one man to the ends of the Earth on her own free will.

But she would.

She was feeling deviant. It was dangerous. Dangerous enough to make her toss on a knit sweater top over her bare chest, foregoing the bra as it poked her bandages. Or at least, that's what she told herself. Dangerous enough to grab the bottle of white she was keeping in her fridge and her car keys.

She knew he would be home, and she was even more certain he would let her in. What she didn’t expect was him flirting back at her. It went against every dynamic they had. Until now, one of them would flirt and the other would silently admonish them, playing coy and superior until the joking ceased and work began, and they could fall back on the safe partnership that they'd created.

But she was given three days leave due to the stitches in her side, and he couldn’t come up with a conspiracy more interesting than why she had shown up on his doorstep at 9:04 on a Friday night. There was no safety net to fall back on. It was just them, in his apartment, splitting a bottle of wine.

She noticed him watching her. How could she not, with his gaze practically burning marks in her skin? It made her take bigger sips.

His eyes were hot on hers, trailing fire into her cheek, her lips, her neck. She watched him too, watched as he turned the bottle ever so slightly so the edge of her imaginary mouth barely overlapped his on the rim where he drank from. She found it oddly respectful.

Her mother called just to tell her off. Of course she apologized for Bill's words, but “why did you have to call him a bastard , Dana?”

Mulder laughed at her answer and she couldn’t help but smile at him. He teased her with alcohol and disappointing her mother and she had never been one to deny a challenge. It was so easy just to joke with him. She saw his eyes widen as she drank with her mother listening, and even though she was well passed the legal age, she felt a rush of deviance.

Her mother told her to really think about what he meant to her. Ask herself if he was really worth risking her life for. If it was, she needed to tell him.

She was scared by how quickly she knew the answer.

She knew he knew that “hi” wasn’t what her mother wanted her to tell him, and she silently thanked him when he didn’t press the issue.

If she was going to do this she needed more alcohol. She already felt it dulling her senses, making her lips tingle and her filter weaken. She knew she was tipsy when she actually giggled in front of him. She was almost embarrassed.

Her mouth went dry as she felt him staring, and the sudden memory of whiskey on a high shelf in his kitchen flashed through her brain. He had offered it to her before, usually with a waggle of his eyebrows and a look not unlike the one he was giving her now, after any particularly troubling case or really any time they had to do a lot of paperwork. Of course she had always denied, but then again she had always been wearing all of her undergarments at the time.

Alcohol was fuzzing her brain and her balance but the physical effort of maintaining her responsible appearance was making her desperate for any excuse to let go.

With the last remaining brain cells not tinged by white wine, she made her choice.

She heard him call after her as she sauntered into the kitchen with the energy of a free woman but she didn’t quite care. She had the obstinance of a child as she stood on her tiptoes to try to reach the bottle. She was about 5 seconds from climbing on top of the counter when she felt him behind her, and she leaned back into his presence.

She giggled as he fumbled and made a swipe at the whiskey, which was easily blocked by him. She liked how strong he looked, framing her tiny body against the counter with his big arms.

“And why should I give you some of my emergency whiskey” and the look he gave her made her melt. He was playing along now, both of them knowing how the night would end, but Scully didn’t mind speeding the process along.

“Because I’ve had a terrible day, and now I’m out of wine”, and she pushed her lip out further to emphasize the point. He stared at her, eyes twinkling.

“What's the magic word?”

Her brain tried to think of flirty comeback, maybe even just a smart one, but moscato wasn’t doing her any favors so she opted for tilting her head back and sticking out her tongue. She saw his pupils dilate with a hunger before she shut her eyes tight, waiting.

The whiskey hit her tongue with a burn and she tried her very hardest to remain cool and collected as the fire hit the back of her throat. She swallowed and coughed before smiling up at him, her look probably reflecting the one she was receiving from him. Hot. Thirsty. Desperate .

“Your turn.”

She pulls him down to his knees, and he lets her. She’s not kidding herself, she barely matched in strength with him on a good day when she’s sober. He let her.

She poured into his mouth the best she could, more focused on his lips then she was on the actual task at hand. His mouth shut quickly and he sputtered, forcing her to rapidly pull up on the bottle.

The whiskey dripped over his lips and chin and she simply couldn’t resist. She pressed her tongue to his cheek, lapping up the extra droplets, feeling the scratch of his stubble against her soft taste buds. She felt him shake.

Her face stayed close to his, their breath intermingling, and she found herself intoxicated on more than just alcohol. Mulder, tonight, was her drug of choice. She allowed herself a fleeting thought about how her brother admonishing her choice in partner just made her want to run to him more, like when her father banned her from smoking so she shoved cigarettes in every purse, pocket, or wallet of hers she could find. It was, of course, a rebellion. But it was a rebellion she very much wanted to lead.

He was questioning her with his eyes and she felt obligated to answer him.

“It’s your emergency whiskey, I didn’t want to waste it.” And to accentuate the point, she trailed her tongue across his chin. It didn’t matter that the alcohol had already melded with his skin, leaving only a bitter and sticky substance for her to lick up. He gasped and the sound of her making him squirm made her laugh. It felt good to be in control. He whispered her name, but she silenced him with a finger, moving it over his lips to rest on his cheek.

She held his face in the palm of her hands and realized she was holding her world. This man, this frustrating, incorrigible, beautiful man was her everything. How could she have ever thought otherwise.

So she kissed him.

She kissed him and the dam broke, and years of tension and trust came pouring out in a clashing of lips, hot and heavy. He stood to his full height, wrapping his hands around her waist, a tantalizing mix of desperate and delicate. She could kiss him for years, losing herself in the taste of his lips, his tongue, as he opened his mouth to her in what she could only describe as worship. He was worshiping her and she loved every second of it.

His mouth leaves her lips and she almost whimpers until it finds the underside of her jaw, her neck, and she feels what is what like to be marked by him. A curse escapes her lips in a strangled moan and she feels him growl against her throat.

“Mine” he whispers into her neck, and she might as well be putty in his hands because she is his, his, all his. She feels herself growing wetter by the second, knowing she’ll have to wear turtlenecks for the next week but not really caring. Or maybe she’ll wear a nice scoop neck, just to let the world know that Fox Mulder had finally claimed his territory.

“Yours” she whispers back, and he stares into her eyes with so much need it makes her choke. His hands drag up her sides, lingering on the bandage and she sees him hesitate. Leave it to Mulder to feel guilty as she’s about to take her clothes off in his kitchen. She pushes his hands higher, leading him to the underside of her breasts, and his eyes widen before he dives back into her collar bone.

“Were you planning…” he starts, interrupting himself by sucking on her clavicle. “On telling me… that you weren’t wearing a bra?” His assault on her chest made her struggle to think of an answer, but if he was allowed to tease then so was she.

“I was more hoping that-” he tickled a particular spot on her neck with his tongue and another string of curses leapt from her lips, “you would find out for yourself”.

It was true, of course, though she hadn’t admitted that to herself until just now. But he seemed satisfied with the answer as he moaned and pushed the sweater over her head. She aided him by lifting her arms, not wanting to hurt herself any further in the process, and when she dropped her arms he was just staring at her. He was slack-jawed, eyes wide, looking at her like a little kid looks at the biggest prize in the claw machine, nose pressed to the glass, full of ambition. The silence rang defining off the empty walls of the kitchen and she could feel every neuron firing in her body at once. She swayed back and forth, the dizzying feeling of Mulder’s eyes on her distracting her from everything else.

“Well?” she asked, tentatively breaking the silence. If the world continued on without his lips on her for one more second she felt as if she might break.

Thank God he knew how to read her mind. He was back on her in an instant, mouth and hand moving in synchronicity over her whole body, pushing and pulling her in exactly the right way, so wonderful she threw her head back in ecstasy. He touched her then, suckling on her nipples and her body seized. Words tumbled out of her lips, curses, moans, his name, those were about the only sounds she could produce at the moment. She fights off the numb feeling of intoxication and forces her desires out into the open. She needs him to know, needs him to hear her.

“Mulder I want you.” He looks up at her to meet her gaze, breathless and hungry.

“Now.”

He always has had a flair for the dramatics, as well as a propensity for overachieving. He lifts her off the counter with her legs wrapped around his torso, with the ease that you pluck a petal off a flower, and carries her towards his room like you would see in a romance movie. She wraps her arms around his neck and kisses him deeply, throwing him off his balance, and he kisses her back while he stumbles in the direction of the nearest bed. He nearly trips, he'll blame the whisky later, sending the pair crashing into a wall instead. She lets out a grunt of pain, her side protesting the harsh contact, and he instantly returns her feet to the floor. He’s so reckless with himself, her Mulder, he’ll run headfirst into the lair of a madman in pursuit of the truth, but when most men would pass off a grunt as a sign to continue, he puts her down and starts checking on her.

She smirks as his eyebrow furrows in concern.

“Scully I’m so sorry…”

“Mulder it's fine”, and she's smiling now, placing her hands on his shoulders to steady him from his worrying. She feels the cold wall pressed against her bare back and remembers she is topless.

It is an absurd situation. The two of them in the hallway outside his bedroom, intoxicated, breathing heavy, her side in a bandage, all of it. Maybe it was just the fact that it took them so many years to find themselves like this.

She laughed, and he joined her, letting the sound fill the hallway and banish any awkwardness that was still stuck between them. He leaned forward and pressed his lips to her forehead. Her eyes fluttered shut as he pressed another one to her cheek, and then a final kiss to her lips that made them tingle.

“Why’d you come here tonight, Scully?” She opened her eyes to see him smiling down on her, trying to conceal all the thoughts that must be running through his head. She smoothed his hair as if that would soothe them.

“I knew you would be here”, she said simply. He laughed and brought her hand to his lips, kissing her fingers.

“So all the seduction was impromptu?”

She shook her head, suddenly shy again. Silence fell like a veil over them again.

“I just… I just like being with you.” She stared down at the ground after her answer, head hanging until a strong hand on her cheek turned it up again. He was beaming at her, and she couldn’t help but smile back at him.

“I like being with you too, Scully” he whispered, and he pressed his lips to hers once more. She felt her body release all tension, melting into his grip, falling fast. She knew he would catch her.

The kiss turned hungry as she opened her mouth into him, and he pulled her lower lip into his mouth, releasing it with a pop. How they could go from giggling in each other's arms to devouring each other so quickly was testament to their bond.

“Mulder?”

“Mmhmm?”

She paused, and he pulled back from her. She took the moment to look at him, remember his face the way it was right now, fresh and breathless, lips raw from contact, even more luscious than they typically were. It was a face she certainly wanted to become well acquainted with.

“Take me to bed.”

#oops?#sam writes #msr fanfiction #msr #txf fanfic #dana scully #fox mulder #txf #the x files

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todorokiprotectionsquad · 6 years

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i need help!! i love todoroki as much as u do and i also love your posts, but for some reason i feel kinda bitter when i see todomomo, i appreciate the ship as a brotp and i respect it as a romantic one, but i want to get rid of my bitterness towards the ship :(( can you help me? (i'm a tododeku shipper tbh and for some reason i am fine with izuocha, but not tdmm)

ahh sure! i hope this helps, cute non~

(more under the cut!)

first, i want to say that i’m grateful that you still appreciate and respect tdmm!!!! that part is so important since there are a lot of people who don’t accept other people’s preferences..! that being said, i think an important part of being.. unaffected/not bitter (?) towards ships that you don’t particularly prefer is respecting each character individually. like, maybe do spend some time in the yaomomo tag? she and todoroki are individually great characters!

momo is:

kind and cares about her classmates

part of the bakugou rescue squad despite not really interacting with him much previously

committed to heroics and doing whats right! she has a strong sense of justice

really cool quirk. she’s so smart

has to understand the foundation of everything she creates.. her quirk itself has so much potential, but so much of it depends on a insane brain capacity. the fact that she can make any nonliving thing, from clothing to fullsized canons?? that’s incredible……

is doing her best!!!

absolute cutie

on todoroki’s end of this, i just.. love him so much. i like to see him happy and healthy, and so i don’t mind any relationship that supports his well being. i think that’s why i can accept so many todoships… even if i don’t really like them or actively think about them. for example!!!! i really like.. don’t ship tddk at all. but i understand that the basis for the ship is solid and they have a good relationship so!!! since it’s healthy and cute, i show support for it (:

so that leads into thiiiiis, the basis for tdmm! i’ll just list a few common reasons people seem to like tdmm. when you think about it, it’s actually similar to tddk. oh and i threw some headcanons in there because.. why not lol

trope type perks: rich kid couple. oblivious couple. aesthetic and fashion couple. iconic babies wearing each other’s turtlenecks. red n blue. pure

i like to imagine that momo knew todo before they started at yuuei. (iida too for that matter). with both their families in the sort of elitist class, i imagine little momo seeing little todo at parties and stuff. noticing when his mood changed. being scared to death for him when she sees that big bandage over half his body, and shocked when she sees the size of his scar. baby momo trying to befriend and comfort little todo after she hears his mama was taken away..

the end of term arc. that’s a turning point for a lot of people!!!

todoroki turns around and throws his confidence and support to momo, similar to how deku did to him (on a smaller scale)

momo is smart. she’s so smart, but she lacks confidence. todoroki is similar, incredibly powerful and tactic, but lacked trust in himself. it took a friend for todoroki to start reaching his full potential, and it’s the same for momo.. todoroki was that friend

she knew how to win, what to do when they fought aizawa. but she was so unsure of herself. it took todoroki telling her, hey, sorry for not hearing you out, your idea is great and you should go for it!!! it took a friend to push her forward, and that companionship was found with todoroki

todo gets so flustered and blushy when she actually plays out her plan!!!! like really!!!!! shy boy

TODOROKI VOTED FOR MOMO FOR CLASS PRESIDENT

and then u get the cute comfort scene, with him offering momo a massage and being totally oblivious to her blush

they seem to hang around each other a lot, and it’s comfortable. they seem to be natural friends

sit together in class

subunit for the bakugou rescue squad

similar fashion sense

they live on the same floor at the dorm!!! fifth floor friends who can walk to the cafeteria and to classes and whatnot together uwu

thEY HAD THAT WHOLE AUDIO SHORT WHERE THEY GO TO THE FESTIVAL TOGETHER

i think todo even mentioned something about momo in her yukata.. cuties

they sneak each other a lot of little… looks

there’s another few of momo shooting todo some looks but i can’t find the screencaps rn

momo seems to worry for todoroki a lot, and likewise? after initially breaking the ice during the final exam arc, he seems to pick up on when momo’s gears are turning

momo is very observant and admires todoroki a lot!!! she respects his opinions and struggles and is always saying how impressive he is. they just seem close!!!! she is so sweet and shy and todo is so oblivious but kind towards her ajdfioajdf LOTS of potential for fluff here

edit: i forgot to mention, but sometimes it’s fun to look through ship tags and you see that one piece of art, or read that one fic that really gets you. so i’ll recommend some todomomo content creators real quick: kitanoko (url used to be todomomo!!!! they’ve got a ton of tdmm and they write)!, altruisticshouto - they have a sideblog dedicated to tdmm too i think it’s antitodomomo or something, there’s also i-am-the-altman (writing), uhhhh selephi (artist), panchi-disco (artist), hazel0217 (artist), a lot of really talented friends!! also i have more tdmm on my main, (yaomomochi) and sometimes i write!!!! key word sometimes

anyway tdmm is my bnha otp so of course i’m like, over here overflowing with love and support for them both!!!!!!!!! there’s really nothing *bad* or questionable about this ship. it’s very straightforward and healthy imo, without any obvious critiques or controversy or potential strain on either characters. i like it a lot~ i hope this helped, a little?! i’m happy you’re trying to reach out to tdmm a bit!!!! ♡

#todomomo #long post #im in the process of adding mangacaps hold on a sec LOL #i love tdmm so much ajifodfjj ahhhhhhhhhhhh #bnha #liv answers

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cryptidofthekeys · 2 years

Text

Rob

And here is Robin! or Robbie, or anything BUT Robert lmao- uhh i, I legit- they just fucking appeared to me? I like made a Red Army theme in animal crossing in my home’s basement and it inspired me, its weird t h i s thing came from that but uh here it is! yet another keep reading bc all these things are long

| Name: His real name is Robert but it prefers to be called Robin or Robbie though, whenever someone and it was usual Red Leader called him by Robert, it was always serious and usually meant he was in trouble

| Nicknames: Rob, Robster, Bin, or Bee

| Gender: He/They/It (not strictly in that order, it doesn’t care which ya call em, just don’t stick to o n e)

| Age: N/A

| Height: 7ft

| Hair Color: Yellow with Black streaks (their hair is EXTREMELY messy and curly, kinda neck length but it doesn’t get close to touching their shoulders if that makes sense)

| Eye Color: Slimy Green

| Species/Race: Human

| Occupation: Mad Scientist for the Red Army obviously

| Skin Color/Body Type: Pale and Lanky as all hell

| Appearance: As per the Red Leader’s request he did wear a red and blue outfit BUT… It was custom made so it’d quit its bitching about the fucking itchy uniform, he legit just got a half assed blue labcoat with a nametag on it (fuckin doctor’s handwriting, cant read that shit at ALL), they’ve placed a few pins on the labcoat here and there (one being the symbol, another being a typical ‘trust me, I’m a doctor’ and the final one is just ‘God created me and I’m making that everyone’s problem’) underneath it is a red turtleneck that says ‘Affront to God’ on it, wears red and blue pajama pants bc he literally just cannot be bothered with fashion, he does have on combat boots though! (he also wears a black Pleather Mask)

He has no beard, doesn’t have claws, or gauges, or pointed ears- now he DOES have fangs though! I can’t think of any scars that stand out, just a lotta burns here and there probs from chemicals they mess with, it has some cuts n shit like that, usually he just slaps some cutesy looking bandaids over them til they heal- He’ll slap a LOT of cutesy bandages over wounds p much-

| Personality: Rob is a VERY unhinged individual, they are sadistic, cruel, and absolutely merciless when it comes to being given a test subject or to enemies in general, its not stupid in the slightest, they are just literally fucking insane and socially awkward too-

Robbie doesn’t know how to deal with anyone, the most contact they’ve had in a very long time has been Paul, Pat, or Tord and they aren’t… Necessarily the best, it’s always business and never pleasantries or anything fun or good! While Robbie is definitely chaotic and violent and has caused mass destruction on their own base and to their own ‘’teammates’’ Rob does fear Tord to an extent, bc even tho Bee is insane and unhinged, like I said, its not stupid- Robin KNOWS when to stop what their doing and listen, even though they are considered very useful, he knows the boundaries… Rob has been in trouble MANY M A N Y times before, they got in pretty severe trouble on one particular day …but oh never you mind~! What good is bringing up the past, hmmm~?

Ahem- Rob has a thirst for blood, violence, and pure chaos for sure- When working on an experiment or inventing something new for the army, Bee is very methodical, this is the most careful and calculating you can see them be- in fact Bee looks calm and actually s a n e when working on stuff, Robin takes extremely great pride in their work, experiments, gadgets and all- And this is where its intelligence REALLY shines, you won’t hear a lot of coherent or sentences that make sense BUT when Bee is in his work, you’ll hear a string of coherent sentences that make sense and might even make your head hurt if your not scientific. Bin seems a lot calmer when working as well, not as erratic and moving around every which way, very careful and paying full attention to his work.

It’s unknown if Bee actually likes Tord or not (again, even if Bin DOES like Tord, it’d definitely be to a certain extent) or if he’s doing this SOLELY bc of his lust for blood, violence, and danger and figures this would be the best way possible!

| Side Facts: I don’t wanna put too much in personality- so uh, Bin has an entire HUGE ass basement to himself essentially, it’s the underground Laboratory for the Red Army, only people who TRULY know of the basement’s existence is Paul, Pat, and Tord- to the rest of the army it is nothing more than a rumor, a rumor that some do discuss amongst themselves, their curious about it but figures if they tried to investigate, their leader would not be happy at all…

Tord tries his damnedest to keep the basement just a rumor, to keep it all under wraps essentially, will literally make Bin make the most ridiculous things JUST to keep them down there in the basement- Bee figured that trick out though and while they WILL follow orders bc they kinda have to… After it’s finished it has tried several times to break outta the basement, Tord even went as far as to get a maze built that connects to the lab, which seems to have worked somewhat, but eventually Robbie tried once more to break out, and that resulted in the final straw… They basically have a futuristic-esque door, it has a special access code that needs to be said in order to unlock the door (Tord probs has it written down in his office somewhere)

Tord, Paul, and Pat DO still go down there for business purposes and to give Bin any new blueprints for devices (Paul and Pat fucking hate the maze but say nothing, Tord do be regretting it now but it is what it is…Too late to go back and reverse it now so yeah)

Also they give Bee test subjects to experiment on as well but other than that, they don’t stay long, like I said when Tord and Bee interact it is STRICTLY business, no friendship is detected on Tord, Paul, or Pat’s side at the very least if anything Tord seems hella annoyed by Bin’s p r e s e n c e …I do wonder, just w h a t would happen if Bin just wasn’t t h a t useful anymore … :) but that’s a completely different story to tell~

One interesting thing I could answer would be… Was Robin always insane or after being essentially forced to stay in this Laboratory did they just snap? Honestly? It’s genuinely a mixture of both, Bee always had insanity, it's part of the mad scientist package! It always had a lil- okay a LOT of insanity inside I feel as edgy as that sounds, I mean Bin was already as unethical as it got so would it REALLY be that surprising?

I think if Bee could get the materials it wanted, it would excel at making little puppets! …They would probs try to make a puppet with real human skin or some shit though, they be a freaky bitch like that- That would be Robin’s hobby essentially, making puppets in their spare time if they could!

Bee loves bugs IMMENSELY! Insects have always fascinated Robbie, occasionally some bugs will get into the Lab and he’ll capture them, put them in lil containment units, keep them safe and feed them (like, Robin DOES still get food, I know I said strictly business n shit but goddamn Tord is NOT gonna let them fucking starve to death or dehydrate ya know) Rob will share its food with the bugs, specifically beetles and spiders are his favorites- Bee loves rats as well! Hasn’t seen any yet but if they did they’d totally keep them …s-separate from the bugs of course-

This is mostly for when I post Robbie’s document (”if I do” yeah uh well me of yesterday? Ya did it, congrats or whatever lmao) not part of Reider’s story at all, Reider doesn’t even fucking know this basement exists (he might know the base like the back of his hand essentially but he doesn’t TRULY know e v e r y t h i n g…~) …But I can safely say Robin and Reider would never get along, Reider would think Bee’s annoying and just TOO MUCH, wouldn’t wanna be around him and Bin would think Reider’s boring, just like Tord is- Bin could tell though Reider is an important member of the army p much just like Paul and Pat so it wouldn’t dare try to experiment on him or ya know tear him apart.

#eddsworld oc #ew red army oc #Robin/Robbie #again dunno why im so nervous bout postin ocs- even if their fandom related- i needed to just relax lmao

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americannoona · 3 years

Text

A Slide Starts to Look like a Hill

There was my big scary teddy bear, sitting up in bed looking at me with open eyes. He had changed so much. He looked frail and his eyes looked weak. They didn’t twinkle like they once did. His will was as strong as ever though! That’s right, Marco! You showed them! They wanted to give up on you, but I knew you were coming back! They don’t know you like I do.

I sat with him, holding his hand, until they came and kicked me out. They said he needed to rest. I knew he did, but I felt selfish, and I didn’t want to leave him. I had been there for hours and it wasn’t enough. Kissing his cheek, I told him I would be back the next day, and I left. It was so tempting to ask him a million questions, but I didn’t. It wouldn’t have mattered anyway because he said he couldn’t remember anything. He didn’t remember what happened to him or who had done it. The doctor told him that his memory may come back to him, but it was very likely that he would never remember the things that happened just before his coma. His body had healed, and he was ready to begin physical therapy after the weekend. They would give him fluids and vitamins until then, and start strengthening him. He would be back to mountain status in no time. It was a different story for me, however. I felt like a pane of fractured glass. The next little thing that happened was going to shatter me. I felt completely out of control. I was like a chess pawn, being pushed to whichever square these boys thought I should be in next. I guess that would make Alicia the Queen, and now Zico was her King. My emotions didn’t know which way to run. I was experiencing pain and joy and confusion and clarity all at once. It made me feel numb. The next stop I made was Ji-Yong’s room. I painted a big fake smile on my face just like I was an expert makeup artist. He was also all smiles. “I see that you are feeling much better,’ I said. “I am now! Come over here and hug me,” he said. I did as I was told. Like I always did. I’ve really got to quit doing that, I thought. I leaned over to hug him, and he put his arms around me and pulled me up into his lap. “Well! Someone is feeling way too good,” I said. “What kind of pain killers do they have you on and can I have some?” He laughed. “I have no idea, but they are miracle workers he said. He kissed me. And kissed me. And kissed me… I can’t lie. I kissed him back. It felt wrong and right. It felt rebellious and vengeful. It felt strange and comfortable. It felt like a salve on my open wounds. “Ji-Yong! Someone is going to come in here,” I said. He grinned. “You are blushing,” he said. “You just wait until they release me. I’m going to try to keep you blushing for days.” That really did make me blush. “Ji-Yong!” “I’m going to take you back to my place, strip you down and hide your clothes. Then I’m going to have my way with you in every room, and on every surface of my house,” he said. Now he’s just saying things to embarrass me. “You know? I’ve never thought about you having a house. You have a house?” “Of course I have a house,” he said. “Well, it’s an apartment. Where did you think I went when I went home?” “I never thought about it,” I said. “Why have we never gone to your apartment?” “Reporters sit outside my place waiting for photo opportunities. I didn’t want to expose you like that,” he said. I stuck my bottom lip out in a pout. “You’re ashamed of me,” I said. “I am NOT!” he said with a guilty laugh. “Yes you are! You are ashamed of me. You don’t want anyone to know about me,” I said. “Elizabeth! Everyone knows about me and you! I’m extremely proud to call you mine! I was doing you a favor. I didn’t want anyone to say something bad about you,” he said. “You don’t really think that do you?” I ran my thumb over his bottom lip and said, “I guess you will have to convince me.” “Oh really?” he said. “So that was a fake blush.” He scooted over and pulled me down to lay beside him in the bed. We stayed that way, talking and kissing, until we were interrupted by someone clearing their throat loudly. Seung-hyun was standing at the end of the bed with a raised eyebrow. “Now, Elizabeth! This boy is sick and on drugs, and you are taking advantage of him. You should be ashamed,” he said. “I tried to fight her off, Hyung. She overpowered me. She kept trying to molest me, and I was too weak to fight her off. You came just in time,” said Ji-Yong. “If only you could have done the same for me last night,” said Seung-hyung. “I wasn’t as lucky as you. I fought hard, but she’s a tigress. Did you show him your wounds, Elizabeth?” I gave him a look that said, Shuuush! And shook my head. Then I looked over at Ji-Yong and smiled. “What wounds? You got wounds? How did she get wounds?” he asked and looked up at Seung-hyun. “It was my fault,” he said. Ji-Yong sat up, leaning back on his hands. “You wounded her? What did you do? I put her in your care, Hyung,” he said. I got out of the bed. “It was an accident,” I said. I mumbled to Seung-hyun as I walked behind him, “I wasn’t going to say anything!” “You thought he wouldn’t see it eventually?” asked Seung-hyun. “I started sleep walking again.” Ji-Yong got out of bed at that, pulling his I.V. “Come over here, Elizabeth,” he said. “What did you do to her?” “I bit her,” he said. “You BIT HER?” asked Ji-Yong. “It’s okay, Ji-Yong,” I said. “Let me see.” I pulled the collar down on my turtleneck and showed him the bandage. He gently pulled on the edge until he could see the bite. “What the hell, Seung-hyun? Why did that crap start up again? What’s been going on?” “I don’t know,” he said. “Well, she can’t stay there anymore,” said Ji-Yong. “She most certainly can,” said Seung-hyun. “She knows what to do now.” Ji-Yong climbed back into the bed. “But what if she’s asleep? What if you kill her before she wakes up?” “That’s not how it works, and you know it,” said Seung-hyun. “I feel guilty enough already. Now you’re going to say she can’t stay?” I was just looking from one to the other, wondering when they were going to include me in the conversation. They all automatically assume that I have no say in where I go or stay or anything for that matter! “I just worry. At least give her a weapon,” said Ji-Yong. “HEY!” I said. They both looked at me like they had forgotten I was in the room. “I hate to break it to you two, but I’m a person with a brain and a will of her own. I can make my own decisions. You all act like you are fighting over custody of a child. Even Zico!” “We just want to make sure you are safe,” said Ji-Yong. “We don’t mean to make decisions for you.” “Yes we do!” said Seung-hyun. “We are well versed in this business, and we know what is safe and what isn’t. We know Seoul. We know where you can go and where you can’t and we also have security everywhere. You don’t see them, because you aren’t supposed to. Our homes are secure, and most of the functions that we attend are secure. This city is dangerous enough for a regular woman, but you have people actively seeking you out to harm you. We get death threats every day, and we even get them against you. A lot of these fans are insane. They think they own us, and they see you as a threat. They have crazy ideas that one day they will come to a fan meet or a concert, and we will fall in love with them. If you get in the way of that, they have to get you out of the way. That’s why you can’t walk around by yourself. That’s why Woo Jiho has guards around you all of the time. You know about the one visible body guard that he lets walk around with you. You don’t know about the other three that follow you everywhere” “What? What other three?” I asked. “They are in this hospital right now,” he said. “He knows what kind of danger you are in all of the time. Why do you think he panics so much when you don’t answer your phone?” “That’s how he always knows where I am!” I said. “Yes, that’s how he knows everything,” he said. “I understand,” I said. “I didn’t realize all of that.” “I know you didn’t. Now you do so you will be a good girl, and stop getting yourself into so much trouble. You are making all of us crazy!” he said. It was quiet for a minute and then we all laughed. We talked for another hour before Seung-hyun and I left. I didn’t know I was staying another night with him, but that was decided for me too.

Zico was not happy when he found out that I was staying with Seung-hyun. I was talking to him while Seung-hyun walked around the kitchen making dinner and listening in to our conversation. “Why don’t you stay in your new apartment?” he asked. “It hurts my heart. It’s lonely there, Zico.” “Are you falling for Seung-hyun?” he asked. I laughed. “No! As a matter of fact, I may rethink my plan to return to America after all. At least until after the fashion show in November. I’ve been talking to Ji-Yong, and he offered to let me live with him if I stay. I could still work for you and finish getting ready for the show. I wouldn’t have to worry about rent or anything else.” “You don’t have to worry about that at our apartment!” he said. It didn’t escape my notice that it went from being ‘your apartment’ to being ‘our apartment’. Zico knew that he could come and go as he pleased in that apartment, and I couldn’t let that happen. I would keep getting my heart broken over and over. “I love that place, Jiho. I really do. But like I said, it’s so lonely there. Why don’t you reconsider and take Alicia there?” “Because it belongs to you. I can’t stand the thought of her in that place.” “Well, dinner is almost done. I just wanted you to know that I’m okay,” I said. “I don’t want you to go,” he said. “I was also thinking about something else,” I said quietly. “I think we are going to have to start treating our relationship as a work relationship. This is the last time I’m going to call you to tell you where I am. I’m very well taken care of. It wouldn’t be fair to Ji-Yong for me to keep this going.” He was quiet. “Zico? Are you still there?” “I don’t know if I can live with this,” he said. “You can. You are Zico! You can do anything! I have to go,” I said. “I love you,” he said. I hung up. My heart was breaking.

I’m the one who had the nightmares that night. Zico had tried calling back and sending texts all evening. I had to turn my phone off. I tried not to think about him. That made it harder not to think about him. That night when I went to bed, I prayed for relief or death. Whichever, would make this constant ache in my chest stop. I didn’t get to sleep until early in the morning so Seung-hyun let me sleep late. When I woke up it was after noon. I found a fresh set of clothes waiting for me. Seung-hyun had chosen a bright red dress for me to wear today. He came up to check on me when I was mostly dressed. I was fastening the strappy red shoes over the sheer shiny tights he had selected. They had the tiniest ruby gemstones throughout the fabric that only sparkled when the light hit them just right. “Come over here, and let me do your hair,” he said. “I have a surprise waiting for you downstairs for lunch.” “I feel like it’s my birthday,” I said. “I keep getting all kinds of surprises from everyone.” “Everyone loves you,” he said. I sat down in front of the mirror. “That’s definitely not true,” I said. “Everyone feels sorry for me.” “No. You feel sorry for yourself enough that we don’t have to,” he said. He pulled the sides of my hair up into tiny pigtails on top of my head that he tied with bright green ribbons. He let the long tails of the ribbon flow down through the back of my hair. “Seung-hyun! That was mean,” I said. He looked at me in the mirror. “I wasn’t trying to be mean. I’ve been broken hearted before. Being dead would hurt less, but the pain doesn’t last forever. The best cure is a new love, and you already have one waiting for you. So, you get one week.” “One week?” I asked. “For?…” “To pout and mope around. Then you have to get to work on your new relationship. It’s not fair to make him wait longer than that,” he said. I put on makeup as we talked, and when I was done, I had to ask, “Am I an apple today or a cherry?” “You are a cherry of course. Cherries are the candy of the fruit world. You are the candy of Ji-Yong’s world.” “Oh, Seung-hyun. That was weak,” I said. “It made you smile,” he said. “Besides, red is his favorite color, and you look amazing in bright colors.” It did make me smile. “I look like a little girl,” I said. “You are adorable,” he said. “Are we going to see Ji-Yong?” I asked. “We are,” he said and pulled me up from the chair. “I have to go see Kim Marco too,” I said. “Of course. But first, lunch. Eat a lot. You have a long day coming,” he said. I’m not even going to ask. I feel faded today, as if I’m a thin sheet of tissue paper. I’m just going to let him move me around the chessboard, however he likes.

“We might as well eat outside since we don’t have many more nice days to do so,” he said. I followed him out to the side garden. I saw my surprise before we even got to the table. He stood up, all smiles and excitement, and obviously dressed by Seung-hyun as well. When I reached the table, he lifted me off the ground in a tight hug and swung me around. “Ji-Yong! You are going to hurt yourself!” I said. He kissed my nose. “I’m fine. But not as fine as you!” he said and held me at arms length to look me over. “You are going to make me blush again,” I said. “So I found something else that makes you blush,” he said with a big teasing grin. “Shh…” I said and looked at Seung-hyun. “Don’t bother being secretive, Elizabeth,” said Seung-hyun. “You are one of the most modest people I’ve ever met. Big bananas make you blush.” I hid my face behind my hand, “Oh my gosh, Seung-hyun!” “See!” he said. “Can we just eat?” I said and sat in the seat that Ji-Yong held for me. When I was seated, Seung-hyun handed me a banana. Ji-Yong laughed. I wasn’t about to give them the satisfaction of my embarrassment. I very slowly peeled that banana, ran my tongue up the length of it, and nibbled the tip. Then, inch by inch I ate that banana. They both silently watched me, squirming a little in their seats, and there was no more laughing. When I was done, I handed the peel back to Seung-hyun and said, “Thank you. I was starving.” He took the peel and said, “Would you like another?” “Now that she’s had her potassium, I think she needs some other nutrients,” said Ji-Yong. “Just serve the damn omelets, Hyung.” “You’re no fun,” said Seung-hyun and served the breakfast around the table. I really was starving. “Seung-hyun said that we have a long day ahead. What are we going to do?” I asked Ji-Yong. “Well, I thought I would take you shopping. Then, Hyung has a party planned for tonight,” said Ji-Yong. “What are we shopping for?” I asked. Ji-Yong looked at me like he thought it was cute that I was clueless. Like I was a puppy with my ears pricked up. “For whatever you would like. I want you to buy whatever your heart desires. Clothes, jewelry, shoes, anything.” “But why?” I asked. “Because I want to,” said Ji-Yong. “I do have a slight ulterior motive though.” I waited for him to elaborate, but he didn’t. “Which is what? “Our shopping excursion is going to be a bit of PR. You could say that we are going to show off for the paparazzi,” he said. “But why? I thought we wanted to keep a low profile,” I said. He took a bite of bread. “Ji-Yong has a solo project that he’s been working on,” said Seung-hyun. “He needs to be seen and talked about and most of all, photographed.” That made sense. “Isn’t it bad for you to be seen with me though?” I asked Ji-Yong. “Normally, yes, but sometimes it’s good to be seen dating. Since there was so much press before about my fight with Jiho over you, it will actually help me to be seen with you,” he said. I thought about that for a second. “Won’t that make Zico look bad though?” I could tell that it bothered him that I was protecting Zico. “No. Alicia leaked her pregnancy and engagement. So everyone knows that he’s with her.” The word engagement made my stomach sink. I couldn’t eat another bite. “I can’t let you buy me things,” I said. “Just imagine how jealous Alicia Wright will be when she sees the press,” said Seung-hyun. I did like the sound of that. “It will be fun,” said Ji-Yong. “You need to get used to it. I plan to spoil the hell out of you.” I fought a smile, but it won. “That’s better,” said Ji-Yong. “You aren’t doing this because I said you are ashamed of me are you?” I asked. “That did bother me,” he admitted. “Because it’s not true. I have been thinking about this for a few days though. So not really.” I turned to Seung-hyun. “You didn’t say anything about a party!” “I did so!” “You most certainly did not! I would have remembered that,” I said. “I told you about it the second day that you were at my house.,” he said. “How was I supposed to remember that? Much less know that was for tonight?” I said. Ji-Yong started laughing. “I have to stop letting you stay here,” he said. “You two fight like a married couple.” I looked at Seung-hyun who looked very amused and we both laughed. He looked at his watch. “If you two are finished, you had better get going,” he said. “Are we on a schedule?” I asked as Ji-Yong held my chair for me. “Well, it may have also been leaked anonymously that I was going to be in a certain part of town at a certain time today,” he said. I got up and stretched. “You guys are sneaky,” I said. “That’s the business,” said Seung-hyun.

I had never been in this part of town before. That’s because I could never afford anything in this section. Not even coffee. I went into shops that didn’t look like shops. They were more like art museums. If I wanted to see what an outfit looked like on someone, they had a model put it on and come out to show me. He was right. I felt like royalty, but guilty royalty. I kept wanting to apologize for being a bother. “You aren’t bothering them,” said Ji-Yong. “They get paid very well to be bothered.” “It just feels like too much,” I said. “That dress is still not going to look as good on me as it does her.” He kissed my cheek. “It’s going to look better.” Then he whispered, “One of my favorite things about you is your curves. All of them. I love that you don’t starve yourself into a stick figure. I love taking you to dinner and watching you actually eat.” Then he licked my earlobe. It was a quick flicker, but it made my whole body shiver. “I’ll take that dress,” I told the shop girl. We went to so many different shops that my head was spinning. He bought me clothes and shoes and lingerie. We went into a jewelry store and that was where I was going to put my foot down, but Ji-Yong managed to talk me into getting a tiny charm to go on my bracelet with the butterfly. I didn’t tell him that Zico had given it to me. He added a tiny pink pearl. “A pink pearl symbolizes success, fame, and good fortune,” he said. “Does everything have a meaning in Korea?” I asked. “Many things do,” he said. “Oh! I meant to ask you, what is your power animal?” He gave me a strange look. “What do you think?” “Um… a dragon?” I asked. “What else?” He smiled that beautiful smile of his. “What do you know about power animals?” Then he put his index finger in front of his mouth and said, “Wait! Seung-hyun took you to see Dong-Hyun didn’t he!?” “Yep!” I said. “Never take or drink anything that those two hand you. It never turns out well,” he said. “Well, I did find out my power animal is a butterfly,” I said. “Naturally,” he said and put his fingers through mine. “Then I had a wonderful nap and I was able to finish my all of the drawings for my collection,” I said. “I didn’t see any bad effects.” “You were lucky. I had nightmares for a week,” he said. I noticed that we didn’t actually stay around and pay for anything. He would tell the shop person that he would take it, and we would leave. “Ji-Yong?” “Yeah?” “Why aren’t we actually paying or taking anything that we pick? Is this all just for show?” I asked. He smiled without looking at me. “The company takes care of it, and everything will be sent back to my place.” “Oh,” I said. I felt like a dumb country bumpkin. Rich people really do have advantages that the rest of us don’t share. “Ji-Yong?” “Yes?” “Can we go into one more store? I want to get something for Marco,” I said. “Of course we can. Where do you want to go?” he asked. I pointed at a store and he gave me a skeptical look. “You want to get him something from in there?” I nodded. “Elizabeth, Kim Marco is a big hardened assassin. Why do you insist on treating him like a child?” he asked. “I don’t!” I said. “We have a special relationship. Marco has two sides, and he lets me see the other one.” “Oh alright,” he said. “Lead the way.” I took him into Build-a-Bear. I searched around until I found the perfect set of bears for him. One was a big brown bear. I had them put it in a black suit with a white shirt and black tie. They put a little gun on it’s side for me and a teddy bear piercing in it’s ear. Then I paired it with a smaller white bear. She wore a blue dress with tiny daisies on it and she had a crown. I tied their hands together with a red ribbon. While I was shopping, I lost Ji-Yong. When I had finished, I saw him talking to one of the shop girls. I went over to him and she smiled at me, bowed, and walked away. “Are you flirting with other women right in front of me, Ji-Yong?” I teased him. “I would never! I was just settling the bill,” he said. “I’m guessing that bear isn’t me.” “You can pretend that it is,” I said and smiled over at him. He shook his head, laughed, and put his hand on the small of my back to lead me out of the store. He waited for me to get into the car before getting in himself. “About the party tonight, if you aren’t up for it, you and I can stay upstairs. Seung-hyun won’t care.” I rubbed the tattoos on his fingers. “Is it going to be like the last party?” He shook his head. “No, that’s his big party. This is a shisha party with only a few of his art world friends.” “Do you want to go?” I asked. “I’ve only been to one. It’s like hookah except Seung-hyun has a special formula made for his parties. It’s up to you. If you go I’m definitely going to be there. I don’t want you waking up with naked people that you don’t remember like he does.” We both laughed. “Ji-Yong.” I said. “Yeah?” “Dragons aren’t real,” I said. “Wanna make a bet?” he asked and winked. Putting his fingers under my chin, he lifted up my head and kissed me. It was a slow sweet kiss. “This one is.” I wouldn’t tell him, but Zico was much more of a dragon than he was. Ji-Yong seemed more like a big cat. Sensual, beautiful, and powerful. He had a quiet power. His presence commanded attention when he was in the room. People were drawn to him. I was drawn to him. He was magnetic.

Seung-hyun dressed me in a very sweet maroon dress with tiny white flowers. It had a sheer maroon overlay that swished a little when I moved. He left my feet bare. Ji-Yong wore a black sweater and jeans, while Seung-hyun looked amazingly sexy in a white button up shirt, black vest and striped tie. His gray slacks were shiny and skin tight. I didn’t mind that one bit. He had hired a caterer, and while the boys were busy talking, I snuck down to the dining room to eat. I was really hungry after all of that shopping. Marco had loved his bears! He kept them in the bed with him, and when the nurse tried to move them, he growled at her. I didn’t know what a lot of the Korean dishes were, but there were hamburger and chicken sliders so I ate some of them. I had been hungry a lot lately. More so than normal. That’s when a scary thought came to me. Oh God! What if I’m pregnant? I tried to think back to when I knew I was definitely not pregnant, and I couldn’t remember. I didn’t have any other symptoms though. It’s probably just stress. I’m not going to panic until there is something to panic about. The doorbell rang. Seung-hyun stuck his head in the door and said, “Party time!” He wiggled his eyebrows at me which made me laugh. I smacked my hands together to get rid of the evidence, and went out to the pool. Ji-Yong seemed to be a part of the decorations. There were colorful lights and flowers floating in the pool as well as lights strung over our heads. He was laying in a lounge chair with his sunglasses on, looking perfect. He was scrolling on his phone. The shisha pipe was surrounded by big fluffy pillows. It was quite elegant, but it looked like a silver and blue octopus sitting in the middle of a colorful cloud. I went over and sat at Ji-Yong’s feet. He sat up and putting his hands on either side of my head, gave me a deep kiss. “You sure about this?” I nodded. “Look, we are big news already,” he said. He held up his phone and showed me pictures and articles of us shopping. I couldn’t read what they said, but I didn’t think I needed to. He told me they were very positive articles. A few girls were extremely upset, but overall, the comments were good. Most people were happy to see Ji-Yong happy. They also liked how well he treated his girlfriend. Seung-hyun brought his friends out to the party area and introduced me. He introduced them as friends, which wasn’t very helpful. One girl who already knew Ji-Yong took to me quickly. Her name was Yoo Ha-Joon and she was very sweet. She spoke English pretty well so I could actually talk to her. The rest of his friends didn’t and they mostly just smiled at me. I did the same. Seung-hyun opened the patio doors to the dining room and everyone began mingling. He was smart to put people together that had never met. I sat between Ji-Yong’s legs, leaned back against him, and watched everyone get to know each other. He kept putting his face into my hair and softly kissing my neck. It was driving me crazy. I was pretty sure how this evening was going to end, and I was fine with that. “Hungry?” asked Ji-Yong. “I am a little,” I said. I didn’t tell him I already had three sliders. “There is something I want you to try. It’s my absolute favorite, and I think you will love it,” he said. I wrinkled up my nose. “What is it?” “Ganjang gaejang,” he said. “Does that have intestines or octopus or something yucky in it?” I asked. He laughed and leaned down until he was right in my face. “Those things are delicious, which you would know if you would try them. And no. This is crab in soy sauce.” I frowned. “Don’t they cook crabs alive?” “Nope,” he lied and went off to make a plate. “Yes they do,” I mumbled to myself. “Who does what?” asked a gentleman who had just walked by to lean against the wall behind us. “Oh, sorry. I was talking to myself,” I said. He smiled and forked a carrot on his plate. “I do that all of the time,” he said. “And I answer myself. I always seem to know all of the right answers.” “That is a sign of insanity you know,” I said. I figured if he was going to be open then I could too. He laughed. “Really? I thought knowing everything was a sign of intelligence. Hm. That explains a lot,” he said. I didn’t know if he had misunderstood me or he was being obtuse on purpose. He came over to sit in the opposite lounge chair. Bowing his head slightly, he said, “I’m Gong Ji Cheol. You probably know me as Gong Yoo. You can call me Yoo if you would like. I know it’s easier for American’s sometimes.” “I’m Elizabeth. I’m sorry, but I’m not familiar with many pop stars here,” I said. He really laughed at that. “No,no. I’m an actor. But it’s okay. I’m actually glad.” “That’s what Ji-Yong said when I didn’t know him,” I said. He kept laughing and stuffed food in his mouth. “I bet that shocked him! Oh, you Americans! I just love you guys.” Should I be insulted? I never know here. Ji-Yong came over with our plate, and straddled the seat right behind me. “Hey,” he said to Gong Yoo. “Ji-Yong, this is…” I looked at the man because I had already forgotten his name. “I know Ji Cheol,” he said. “She doesn’t,” Yoo said. “She didn’t know me either,” said Ji-Yong. “That was the best thing about her.” Yoo stood up. Looking back as he walked away he said, “Not the best thing.” I looked back at Ji-Yong. “What did he mean by that?” I asked. He shrugged. “Try this,” he said and held out a pair of chopsticks holding crab. I looked at it with apprehension. It did look appetizing. “But they cook them alive,” I said. “They shoot cows when they are alive,” he said. “But that’s a fast death,” I said. “These crabs died fast, he said. “Besides, they are already dead. Should their sacrifice mean nothing? If we throw it out, they died for nothing when they could be nourishing our bodies.” Dammit! He has a point! “Alright. You are right,” I said and ate the food he held out for me. It was fantastic! “Crabs have tiny little brains,” he said. “They only have enough brain power to move, eat, and have sex. They don’t feel much pain.” He was making things up to make me feel better. It was very sweet. Our attention was drawn to the other side of the pool where a commotion was happening. “Oh no,” said Ji-Yong and laid his head on my back. “What’s wrong? Who is that?” I asked. A woman had just arrived who looked to be a younger than me, dressed in a glamorous black dress that was topped off with a purple and black top hat, and shiny purple stilettos that looked like something a dominatrix would wear. “It’s Savannah,” he said. “That tells me nothing,” I said. “Don’t worry,” he said against my back. “You’ll find out soon enough.” “She doesn’t look Korean,” I said. I felt him shake his head against my back. “No. She’s from Georgia. In America. Not the country. She’s an interior decorator friend of Seung-hyuns.” “Wait! Is she THAT Savannah? The famous one?” I asked. “The very same,” he said. “Oh gosh!” I said. “I’ve taken out subscriptions to decorating magazines because of her.” “Want to go inside?” he asked. “But I want to meet her,” I said. He sat up. “Then can I go inside?” I kissed his cheek. “You don’t like her?” “She’s great,” he said. “She’s just…after me.” It took a minute for his meaning to get through my dense head. “Ohhhh, okaaaay!” I said. I laughed. He laughed a little too. “It’s not funny!” he said through his cute grin. “That doesn’t bother you?” “It would,” I said. “But from your reaction, I don’t think I have much to worry about.” “You don’t,” he said. “Why don’t I?” I asked him. “She’s gorgeous!” He shook his head. “She is, but she has an idea that I can’t go along with.” “IS she a dominatrix?” I asked. “I mean her shoes…” “No,” he said. “She wants me and Seung-hyun at the same time.” The image came to me immediately, and I giggled. The thought actually did bother me a little. “Stop laughing! It’s not funny. And it’s NOT going to happen. EVER!” he said. “Elizabeth!” I heard from across the pool. It was Seung-hyun. “Come over here.” I turned to Ji-Yong. “Come with me,” I said. “Please don’t make me,” he said. “If you go, I can establish my ownership,” I told him. “Ownership? I think you have that backwards,” he said and cocked his head to the side with a crooked grin. “If you say so,” I said. “Come on. I’ll protect you.” He stood up. “Oh, alright. But you’re going to regret it.” Then I heard him mumble under his breath, “Not as much as me.” We went over to where Seung-hyun sat with Savannah. He stood when we approached and he had a giant grin on his face. “Elizabeth, I would like for you to meet my friend, Savannah,” he said. She stood to shake my hand, and in her shoes, she was about two inches taller than me. “Elizabeth! Give me a hug!” She pulled me into a bear hug. “You are just as cute in person!” “You know me?” I said. NOW I was starstruck. “Of course! I watched every episode of Gold and Diamonds. You were my favorite! It’s very exciting to meet you!” she said. “I was telling Ji-Yong how excited I was to meet you! I never imagined someone like you would know me,” I said. She grabbed Seung-hyun by the arm. “Someone like me? How should I take that, Tabi?” “That’s a compliment,” he said and smiled at me. “She thinks highly of you.” I could tell she was from Georgia by her slight southern accent. She must live there, but she wasn’t born there, I thought. “It’s very much a compliment,” I said. “I have to admit that I’m a little starstruck.” “By me?” she said and laughed. “I’m a nobody. I know how to put furniture in a room is all. But you! You make people beautiful. You give them confidence and make them feel special.” “You are both brilliant!” said Seung-hyun. It was obvious he was trying to break up the butt kissing party Savannah and I had going. “I think it’s time to get this party started, now that the party is here,” he said indicating Savannah. She leaned around me, “Hi Ji-Yong. Don’t think I didn’t see you back there.” “Hi, Savannah,” he said and wrapped his arm around my middle. I turned and wrapped both of my arms around him. “Doesn’t he look absolutely delicious tonight?” I asked her. “He always looks delicious,” she said looking him up and down. And up and down. “Yes he does,” I said. “Almost as delicious as he tastes.” Ji-Yong’s eyes were huge. He was giving me a Hush! look but I couldn’t help myself. She grabbed my free arm as we walked over to the shisha pipe and said, “Please tell me that you have nibbled those tattoos.” “Every single one,” I whispered back. “Oh we are going to talk!” she said and took a seat on the pillow next to Seung-hyun. I could tell that I was going to like her very much. Ji-Yong sat on the opposite side and pulled me down onto his pillow. “What was THAT?” he whispered loudly. “That was staking my claim,” I said. “I don’t understand women,” he said. “Don’t try,” I whispered. Seung-hyun took one of the hoses and drew in a big breath. I watched as everyone else did the same. I noticed that Gong Yoo was staring at me. When our eyes met, he smiled at me and winked. I gave him a tentative smile back. After Ji-Yong was done, he handed his to me. I had no idea what to do. He let out his breath, and said, “Just breathe it in like you would take a big breath.” I had expected the air to be hot, but it wasn’t. It was actually cold. I looked closer and could see ice in one chamber of the pipe. I drew in another breath and it made me cough. Ji-Yong took it away from me. “Go slow with this stuff. It’s not normal shisha. I don’t know what it’s going to do to you.” We took turns for about fifteen minutes. That seemed to be long enough for whatever was in Seung-hyun’s special tobacco to get into our bloodstream. All of a sudden, I really wanted to touch Ji-Yong. All over. I wanted to run my hands through his hair, and run my hands down the silky heat of his back. I NEEDED to take off his pants. His clothes were irritating me. He stood up and said, “I need water.” Then he went into the house. A hand reached down for me to take. I didn’t pay attention to who the hand belonged to. It didn’t seem to matter. I put my hand in that strange hand and let the person lift me up. I was being pulled over to the pool. I knew this person, but I couldn’t remember his name. He slipped into the water and reached his arms up to me. I sat on the side of the pool and let him pull me in. He held me up, and I wrapped my legs around him. I remembered. It was Yoo. He settled himself against the wall of the pool. “Let go and float,” he said. With my legs still wrapped around his waist, I let go of his neck and allowed the rest of my body to float on top of the water. I closed my eyes. It felt like I was half on earth and half in the atmosphere. For a moment, I saw Seung-hyun standing over us and he was talking, but I couldn’t hear him. All I heard was bubbles from the water and music that was muted. Yoo began to run his hands over my thighs, and then upwards until he was stroking my sides and my stomach under my dress. The dress was floating around me in the water. When it floated over my skin it tickled, but in a wonderful way. Everything felt good. Evey touch seemed like a new sensation as if I was a newborn baby. Nothing was off limits. The ache in my chest was gone. My brain felt foggy, and I couldn’t concentrate on anything if I tried. All of a sudden, someone new was behind me. This person pulled me away from Yoo, and swirled me around to face them. It was Ji-Yong. He was saying things, but his words weren’t connecting. They weren’t making sense. I heard Yoo or it could have been You. I also heard him say Me and Mine and Don’t. There were some other words, but they disappeared like haze on hot asphalt. He helped me onto the ladder and pushed me up and out of the pool. I felt heavy. My dress stuck to me, so I unbuttoned it and took it off. When he was finally out, I went to work taking off his sweater. It was soaked so it was hard to remove, but he helped me. When I tried to unbutton his pants, he took my hands in his, and said something else that I didn’t get. He put his arm around my wrist and pulled me behind him into the house. All the way there, hands were reaching out to me, touching my body and my hair. He took me into a room that I didn’t recognize. That didn’t mean that I hadn’t been in it before. I wasn’t recognizing anything. It didn’t even occur to me that I was walking around in my skimpy underwear in front of a bunch of strangers. It must have occurred to Ji-Yong, because he found a robe, and wrapped it around me. I loved it. It was silky and made my body feel like I was covered in butterfly wings. My foggy brain was getting worse instead of better. Everything that I was experiencing was disconnected. I was inside of a dream that didn’t hold together in any way. I saw Ji-Yong and then Seung-hyun. I was walking through a hallway. I saw Savannah who was also in her underwear. I thought that she must have been in the pool. I laid in a bed that was covered in white silk sheets. I was thinking that they were so white that they were blinding. The whiteness flew around the room. It reminded me of a storm of doves. In the whiteness I saw Yoo’s face. His beautiful dark hands surrounded my head and then he was kissing me. His tongue searched my mouth for a moment and then it was gone. The whiteness was gone and then replaced by darkness. I became afraid. I thought I had gone blind. I rubbed my eyes. In the darkness, I heard Seung-hyuns voice by my ear say, “It’s okay. You are in a safe place.” I was laying in a bed again and this time the light returned, but it was dim. I was beside Seung-hyun. We were both in our underwear. He was laying on his stomach, but facing me. He was still talking, but I didn’t hear the words. Arms came up from behind me and pulled me back against warm skin. I knew it was my Ji-Yong because I could see his tattoos. The three of us were going to sleep in the same bed and all of a sudden it was funny to me. I started laughing and I couldn’t stop. I asked Seung-hyun, “Isn’t this strange to you?” I saw his lips form the word “What?” “The three of us in bed together,” I said. “No,” he said and smiled at me. I rolled over to face Ji-Yong. His eyes were closed. It made me feel sleepy to look at him, so I closed my eyes and then I was asleep. When my eyes opened, I was still cloudy headed. Someone was shaking me awake. When I looked up, I was looking into the eyes of Zico. My body flooded with happiness. “I didn’t know you came to this party,” I said. I’m sure my words were slurred. “Come with me,” he said. I scooted down out of Ji-Yong’s arms and to the bottom of the bed. Zico put a jacket around me. I followed him until I was outside. The air was cooler than it had been. I became very interested in the feel of the soft paving stones against the bottom of my feet. That’s when Zico picked me up and carried me. I imagined I was flying. Looking up into his face, I said, “I think I became a butterfly.” “You’ve always been a butterfly,” he said. He sat me back on my feet and helped me sit down in his car. I must have fallen asleep in the car. The next thought I had was of floating because of the movement of an elevator. Then I was in bed again, but this time, the only one there was Zico. It was dark except for the moonlight flooding in the window, and I could see tattoos on skin, but these were different. These were Zico’s. I wanted nothing more than to run my finger over those dark lines. So I did. Zico flexed and stretched and rolled over to face me. His eyes opened slowly, and he said, “You shouldn’t touch me right now.” Those words meant nothing to me. I reached out to trace the letters across his chest, but he gently took my hand in his. “If you touch me, I’m going to want to touch you,” he said. I scooted over closer to him, and said, “Touch me.” “I can’t do that. Not while you are under the influence,” he said. “I’m not drunk, silly boy,” I said and put my forehead against his chest. He froze. “Please don’t do this to me, Elizabeth.” I stuck my tongue out and ran it slowly across his nipple. It tickled my tongue. He rolled me over onto my back in a rush and held my hands against the bed by my head. He growled, “Stop it! I know this isn’t your fault, so I’m not mad. I want to stay in here with you, but if you don’t go to sleep, I’m going to go sleep on the couch.” I held my head up and flicked my tongue across his lips. He jumped away from me, and got out of the bed. “That’s it! Stay here and go to sleep. I mean it!” He grabbed a pillow and left the room. I watched shadows of leaves on the ceiling for awhile, and then I was finally asleep.

The next coherent thought that I had was that my head hurt so bad that I wished it would fall off. I didn’t want to open my eyes. I laid there and concentrated on each pound of my head and how it matched my heart beat. Then, feeling like a dumb ass, I realized that the pounding was the pulse in my head so it WAS my heartbeat. My belly growled. My mouth was dry and sticky. My muscles kind of ached. I also had to pee. I opened my eyes to bright sunlight and I couldn’t see anything. I sat up very slowly and squeezed my eyes shut against the pain. When it became bearable, I opened my eyes. I looked around. I had no idea where I was. NOTHING was familiar. It has to be one of Seung-hyun’s bedrooms right? Zico was right when he said he had a lot of bedrooms. I hope all of those other people went home, I thought. I didn’t realize that I was only wearing my underwear until I stood up. Ohhh. This can only be a bad thing. I wish I could remember last night. Never again Seung-hyun. I’m done with your parties. This lifestyle isn’t for me. I wound the sheet around me and went through the door that looked like it would lead to a bathroom. It did. Something about this bathroom was familiar, but I had no idea what. I took care of things, and then went to find the hallway. If I could get to the hall then I could find my way back to Seung-hyun’s room. But what if there are a bunch of naked people in bed with him? I thought. I decided to look for the closet room. I would get dressed and then go to the kitchen. I needed to find Ji-Yong. I knew he was here somewhere. I found the hallway, and I did recognize it, but it wasn’t the hallway I had expected. Making my way into the living room, I was completely confused. How in the world did I get here? Zico was asleep on his belly on the couch. I scratched my head and tried to remember but I couldn’t. Tiptoeing into the kitchen, I hoped there was some kind of food in the refrigerator. There wasn’t. I didn’t think that Zico had been back here since the day that he showed it to me. So, once again I was in a predicament. I was stuck in a place with no food and no clothes. I was starving, and I couldn’t leave. I didn’t even have my phone so I couldn’t call Kim Hwan to come and get me. I was a little afraid of what would happen when Zico woke up. He was going to be a bear, and I had no answers. He had to have brought me here. But….how did I end up with him from Seung-hyun’s house? I was looking out the window at the river, lost in thought, when I heard, “Ay.” I jumped. I turned to see him getting off of the couch and stretching. His hair was sticking out in every direction, and his eyes were swollen. I didn’t know if he didn’t sleep well or if he had cried before he went to sleep. “Hi,” I said, but it came out broken. My mouth was still dry. He came over to where I stood. He reached out to touch my arm and I flinched. I didn’t know why. It just happened. He pulled his hand back. “Are you afraid of me?” I shook my head. “No! Of course not,” I said. He pulled me into a hug. “Please, please don’t ever be afraid of me. I would never hurt you. EVER!” “I know that,” I said against his chest. Being in his arms was making my heart hurt more than my head. He was wrong that he would never hurt me. “Are you hungry?” he asked, still holding onto me. I nodded. I could swear that I could feel my brain rattling around and it hurt! “I’m going to shower and order food,” he said. He let go and started to walk toward the hall, but then turned back. “You know what? Why waste the hot water? Come on.” He grabbed the sheet I was wearing and pulled me into the bathroom with him. I was resistant so he ended up undressing me like a child. I felt shy. I had seen him naked many times. I had touched every part of his body. I didn’t know why it felt different. I now felt like I was betraying Ji-Yong. He called and ordered the food, and then pulled me into the shower. I stood there and let him do everything. He washed my hair and my body without being sexual at all. He was finally able to see all of the damage that was done by Seung-hyun when he bit me and how far down the bites went. He looked at the marks for a long time. I helped him to wash when it was his turn. He washed his hair while I took care of his body. I missed his body like crazy. He wrapped me in a towel and then himself, and then he left the room. When he came back, he had the bag that I had packed the first night that we had come here. “Oh, thank God!” I said. “I thought I was going to have to wear a towel around.” I dug through and found something to put on. He put on the clothes that he had come here in. We did everything in silence. I thought Zico was working through what he wanted to say, and I was right. The food came, and we sat across from each other at the table. He served us both, and we continued to eat in silence. I had so many questions, but it just didn’t seem like the right time. All of a sudden, he threw his chopsticks down and got up from the table to pace around. I realized that he was crying. “Zico? Are you okay?” My voice was shaky. He came back over to the table. “Why do you still sound like you are afraid of me?” “I’m sorry. I’m not afraid of you,” I said. “Did they say something to scare you? To keep you away from me?” he asked. He was definitely crying. I shook my head. I couldn’t look at him. “I’ve been going crazy! I’ve called and left a thousand messages. Did you change phones or numbers?” he asked. I shook my head again. Quietly I said, “I haven’t charged my phone for a couple of days.” “So it’s you. You are avoiding me,” he said. “I guess you were having too much fun out shopping with your new boyfriend to take a call from your boss.” I didn’t answer. He kept pacing. “I don’t know what else to do,” he said. “I try so hard to keep you safe. I have other things to do you know! I have a job that takes a lot of time, and I have an absent designer which makes my job a lot harder!” “Zico?” “WHAT?!” He yelled and spun to face me. “How did I get here?” I asked. “You are lucky that I was paying attention to my social media accounts last night! Someone at that party took pictures and posted them. I saw you with your legs wrapped around some strange guy in the pool, among other things.” “I wonder if Seung-hyun knew that someone was taking pictures,” I said. “I don’t care! I’m glad they were. I came over there, and found you and brought you home. People were laying everywhere drugged and half dressed. I found you between Seung-hyun and Ji-Yong in the bedroom, and I don’t want to know what happened before I got there. I NEVER WANT TO KNOW! DO YOU GOT THAT?!!” he was yelling again. I could remember when that was the status quo with us. “I don’t remember what happened,” I said. “I’m sorry.” “WHY DO YOU DO THESE THINGS?” he said. Then he stopped pacing and closed his eyes. He was collecting himself because his anger was starting to flare up. “Don’t you realize what is going to happen to you? Clearly these people don’t care what happens to you.” “I don’t know why I did it,” I said. “I’ve been having a hard time dealing with losing you, and I thought maybe if I could forget for a little while, the pain would go away.” He rubbed his forehead. “I don’t know what to do anymore. So, I’m going to do the only thing I know to do. I don’t care if you don’t like it. I don’t care if they don’t like it. I’m not going to stand by and watch you become one of them.” He came over to where I sat and got down on his knees. He laid his head in my lap and wrapped his arms around my legs. “You are going to hate me, but I can’t care about that. All I care is that you don’t end up addicted to something and being used by all of those assholes. Look at what Seung-hyun did to you. I don’t care if it was a dream. He’s dangerous! He could kill you in your sleep. And all of his so called friends see you as a party favor. Do you know what they call it when Korean men fuck white girls? They call it riding the white horse. It’s something they go and brag about. They collect horses,” he said and looked up at me. “Don’t you get it? No one loves you like I do. No one is going to take care of you like I do. Not even Ji-Yong. If he cared for you, he wouldn’t have had you anywhere near that party.” Every time that Zico talked about them, I got confused. I just couldn’t see them the way that he said they were. He made sense though. He was right that he never would have let me go to parties like the ones that Seung-hyun gives, and he would definitely never give other men an opportunity to do anything to me. Why is Ji-Yong okay with that? Does he trust Seung-hyun that much or does he just not care? “I’m not letting you leave here,” said Zico. “What does that mean exactly?” I asked. “It means that you are staying here and staying safe,” he said. “You can’t just make me stay here. That’s kidnapping,” I said. “Then consider yourself kidnapped,” he said.

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d-noona · 6 years

Text

AERO

SUMMARY: In a future of political, economic and moral collapse, a genetically enhanced superhuman prototype named Y/N escapes from military confines and dwells amidst the decadent underground street life of *Seoul* to avoid government agents who want to bring her back into the fold.

WORDS: 2943

Jeon Jungkook x Reader

M.LIST | CH. 10

CHAPTER 09 - THE VISITOR

After getting extremely annoyed coming back home empty handed once again in search of Taehyung and Hoseok, Y/N enters her shared apartment. She calls out for her best friend "Choon, are you home?" But to her dismay she realizes that her best friend is working late shifts at the hospital. Y/N pulls off her leather jacket, drops it on the floor. She kicks off one boot, then the other, then peels off her black turtleneck revealing a black lacy bra underneath, she dives onto her futon and sighs. Not out of fatigue, more like the weight of the world weighing on her tonight. Reminiscing on her two lost friends. She lies there beat, then she senses something. Call it vibration, intuition. She sits up suddenly and is very still, like deer in the forest listening for a predator's approach, then she turns and look behind her and sees the Gold Statue on a milk crate bookshelf against the wall.

Y/N gets up, crosses to the statue, picks up the item and look at it a long moment trying to run the math. Then, impetuously she heads out of the room colleting her just doffed clothes as she goes.

She rides her rice-burner without any helmet, flaring through the night to a familiar alley way as she jumps up the tall building. She steps over the ledge and sees the very familiar building across. The apartment that she once attempted to rob.

The luxurious apartment, subdued lighting. Y/N drops down from the familiar skylight landing in a crouch. She sees Jungkook, standing in the dining room, just lighting a candle at the long table. There are two place settings. He looks at Y/N and blows out the match. "Have you ever noticed how cats always seem to turn up around dinner time?" he smirks at Y/N as he continues to fix the table with food and drinks for his astute guest. Y/N giving Jungkook an icy glare responds "I won't be staying"

"I'm not a half bad cook" he smiles at his guest. The tastefully arrayed table suggests this is an understatement. Wary of her surroundings Y/N paces slowly towards the living room "Like following me around and pestering the people I work with wasn't bad enough, but breaking into my apartment?" Jungkook tilts his head to the side, seemingly like a bad habit. "It was open"

"You got a lotta nerve" Y/N responds in anger. "Me? You're the one who tried to rip off this place." Jungkook continues to put the salad on the table for his guest, not paying much attention to Y/N as she glares at him. She spat in irritation "Completely different situation. I steal things in order to sell them. For money. It's called commerce, but some stranger sneaking into a girl's bedroom is bent."

"Bent?" amused Jungkook raises his eyebrow with a smirk on his face. "Bent. How am I supposed to ever sleep there again knowing some pervert probably touched everything I owned?" as Y/N paces left to right in a slow sultry manner, just like a cat would. Jungkook gave out a naughty laugh and smiled "If you're that nervous, you're welcome to stay here."

Y/N feigns complete revulsion at the thought as Ruben the security guard enters in a rush, drawing his gun menacingly, some ace wrapping on his wrist and a bandage on the bridge of his nose. "Whoa there boy, we've been through all this." As Y/N raises both hands in order for Ruben to see that she is no way going the let the man touch a single hair of hers. "It's okay Ruben, we're fine" says Jungkook as he sits at the chair nearby. Y/N raises an eyebrow at Jungkook "We are not fine"

Ruben lowers the gun but continues to watch Y/N suspiciously. "This is a tactical exposure which I go on record as not liking" says the muscle man. "Noted, Ruben do me a favor and look in on Janna and Juliette." Replied the walking hot stick with a mole right below his luscious lips.

Ruben grudgingly exits and Y/N circles the table. She idly kicks the plywood which has been fastened over the window she broke the last time she was there. Jungkook sighs at his failed plan. "Look, Y/N if I made you feel uncomfortable or creeped out. I am truly sorry. It wasn't my intention, but I had to see you."

Y/N doesn't know what came over her, perhaps the heat is coming on as she looks at the man in front of her she feels the sickening grudge pulling her from below. She attempts to stay away to avoid his eyes and his touch. She turns slightly looking at Jungkook briefly "You'd think a guy who's taken on the job of saving the world would have a few more important things to do than traipse around after some girl."

Following on the lead of flirting which Jungkook knows all too well, he rides on "I haven't been able to get you out of my mind" he says. He reaches out for Y/N's hand "Come here. I want to show you something." Putting a hand on each shoulder, he steers her over to an ornate mirror hanging above the sideboard. "Tell me what you see." As Jungkook point out to the mirror.

"Gold leaf, art nouveau, French, early nineteen hundreds. I could probably fence this for about three or four grand easy." Y/N says while observing the piece of art hanging. However Jungkook points to her reflection in the mirror. "No, I mean this" as Jungkook gently places his hand on Y/N's chin. "Probably the most singularly beautiful face I've ever seen."

Y/N was caught off guard and was embarrassed, face turned red as she looks down "Expensive gifts, surprise late night visits, over the top flattery. You really always come on this strong?" as she questions, looking up at Jungkook. He gently massages Y/n's nape, as he brushes his hair from behind "Only when I meet someone I have to know everything about." He continues to lean in giving soft kisses and licks on her ear. Y/N doesn't resist feeling a tying knot forming below her pelvic line, she heaves and inhales him drunken at the arousal building up. He brushes Y/N's hair more revealing a bar code on her neck. "And now I think I know pretty much about everything." He abruptly pulls away, leaving Y/N standing there hot, bothered and confused by the interruption.

"Suppose I can help you locate the other ones." Jungkook says as he moves towards the living room of the apartment. Y/N follows him with a confused look on her face then realizes the predicament she's in. Turning pale and wary of the man opposite of her. She plays dumb "The other ones?" she asks. "You lost me" she continues.

"Come on Y/N. first I watch you dive headfirst out the window fifteen stories up like you're Super woman. Then, I found this in your apartment." Jungkook continues as he pulls a vial of pills out his pocket. Y/N registers outrage, however this doesn't stop Jungkook "L-Triptophane. A neurotransmitter sometimes used in homeopathy to control seizures. Then the light bulb went off." He smirks at Y/N since he knows he got her good.

"You did go through my stuff" Y/N states in horror. As Jungkook turns and head into his study, Y/N follows him, Jungkook starts typing information on the computer keyboard. "I got an anonymous report years ago from a guy who was a lab technician at a covert genetics lab in Daegu Mountains." Jungkook blabbers on as he continues to pull out a file labelled Project Aero. The same file fills the computer screen.

"I don't know what you're on about but I'm out coz you're fucking insane" says Y/N as she starts to back away. However Jungkook didn't acknowledge her as he continues to speak "He said they were working on something called Project Aero, which was using recombinant DNA to produce a superior human. A warrior, an advance infantry soldier. Apparently these soldiers have special abilities. Super strength, speed, endurance, and who knows what else they might've cooked up in your genes" as he stares at Y/N.

Y/N stops at her tracks and turns in anguish "Not that I don't enjoy a good urban legend but what does any of this have to with me?" Jungkook looks up at Y/N. "The barcode on your neck Y/N. I know who you are and what you're running from." The revelation freezes Y/N in her tracks, she suddenly bolts but Jungkook rushes to her, catching her, and looks up her eyes with utmost concern. "There were two other transgenic males captured from the initial escape, and in 2020 a few months after the pulse, they escaped. There were only 3 of you left that were successful to this project Y/N. Only 3 out of hundreds genetically enhanced hybrids. The rest died during experimentation."

Y/N struggles and loses her balance. Her brain goes out of her wits when she hears this. "Taehyung and Hoseok?" The emotion is plainly evident in her eyes. "You're one of those transgenics Y/N. Now you'd be called a hybrid." Jungkook attempts to steady Y/N as she starts to fade and bend over to peer at her eyes. "Look at me. Listen, I am not your enemy. You are safe with me. Trust me." As Jungkook gently massages Y/N's arms as she looks straight into his eyes, for some reason unknown reason this man knows a part of her life, he may use her, and he just be the death of her, but no matter because she for some reason trusts him. Y/N sits on a couch relating the specifics of her history to Jungkook.

"We got separated right away. I never knew if they made it." As tears fall from Y/N's eyes. "How old are you exactly?" Jungkook's curiosity got the best of him. Y/n gave Jungkook a small smile "Well I was 33 when they took me in way back 2017, whatever they injected seems to make my aging stop, also allowing me to look younger than my normal years." Y/N shrugs off the surprise look on Jungkook's face.

"How well do you remember the lab?" He trails on question after question. "I remember fine after the lab and the plane crash. We and several other survivors were dragged into the lab. We could've been declared dead by the government, however anything prior to the crash is just a blur. None of us remembers our previous lives prior to being dragged in, when we got to the lab there were prior experiments. Hoseok and Taehyung were one of those in vitro babies, they were already living in the facility before we got dragged in, they were the younger yet earlier generations, Taehyung was 14 and Hoseok was 15. The rest were plane crash survivors. Ages ranging from 9 to atleast 50's. As far as I can recall we all had a normal life before all this, though most of our memories have already been erased. I was the only survivor left in the crash that was successful to the project. My DNA structure was changed after birth as compared to Tae and Hoseok, their DNA has been etched since birth. I just didn't understand what was going on during the time. They held the survivors for months, did experiments, we never questioned anyone. We we're all too scared. They never told us anything except what to do. I was in a cell block with Hoseok and Taehyung and the others. Then slowly as months pass by it was just down to five. There were two other girls with us from the escape but they were in such bad shape before we bolted. I'm not sure if Jondy or Max survived. They were younger than I was at least."

"How much do you know?" as Jungkook continues to question Y/N which she obliges to answer seriously. She felt good having to share such valuable information of her life with someone after many years of trying to hide what she is. "I know they made me. Got the branding on my neck to prove it. Whoever I was prior to the accident was no longer existent." She sighs.

"Yeah, the technical term for you is a Chimera." Jungkook adds. Y/N stares blankly into Jungkooks eyes. "Yep, a made-up creature. Like in mythology, head of a lion, body of a goat and a tail..." Jungkook cuts Y/N "Of a girl" he says and gave her a weak smile.

Y/n chuckles in Jungkook's attempt to stop her from describing the monster she sees her to be "Your basic freak" Y/N adds in. Jungkook stares at her in amusement "Hardly. I meant what I said earlier, you truly are beautiful" Y/N acknowledges the compliment with a brief glance, then looks out the city lights as her cheeks reddened. Then she speaks "Christmas is a snap when you've been kidnapped from your family, no parents, and no relatives. Just a bunch of gene sequences from probably twenty different people and animals." She smirks at Jungkook. He laughs "Like extra virgin olive oil, the best of the best" he says.

"You know the weird thing is Taehyung and Hoseok lived in the lab for years, prior to us being put in together. I guess the Corporation was testing out possible outcomes of having to recombinant DNA on both in vitro babies and after birth. We got the short of the stick. They saw the opportunity and took us from our families. Prior to us being joined in the barracks with these kids. They were so different. Taehyung and Hoseok, they knew nothing but training. Nothing from the outside world. It's like they have no emotions. At all. But I guess that's where Aero messed up. They mixed us over with this kids and ended up confusing the kids, confirming true emotions. I owe my life to them you know." As Y/N blabbers away, tears fall from her eyes. Jungkook leans in and wipes her tears with his thumb. Y/n snaps out of it.

Turning from the window to face the young man "You said you could help." Jungkook got up from his seat approached Y/N, "I could search for your friends, since considering the predicament you're in they're the only family you have at this point in time. I can ask for my informant to gather information about the old lab you were held in and see what side effects their studies may have for you and your peers, maybe we can also find out more about your family and get you back." Jungkook holds Y/N's hand and rubs his thumb across it, she stares at the young man "I prefer not to find them, my family I mean. While I have the corporation following my ass, I don't want to endanger them. Though I would love to see and be with Hoseok and Taehyung again." Y/N stops for a brief second and turns to Jungkook again "What's in it for you?" He stands up and looks out the window "Your help."

Y/N stands up abruptly "I already don't like the sound of this."Jungkook acknowledges the threat and danger that he is asking of the girl but he has no choice in order to survive this he needs Y/N. "The woman you met. Janna, she supervised workers removing cortodiazapine from gel caps by hand and replacing it with powdered sugar. The real drug was being shipped out of the country to be sold to the highest bidder at the black market. The placebos were distributed to County VA Hospital and six veterans' clinics in the area. Janna Reid is prepared to testify that was instructed to this by one of Sonrisa's men. You know who Edgar Sonrisa is?

Y/N turns to look at Jungkook "Yeah, I caught one of your hacks. He's Satan's spawn or something." Jungkook attempts to reach out for Y/N's hand "So you know the lengths he'll go to keep Janna from going public. I'm turning Janna over for a witness protection but if you're with her the risk of her safety goes way down."

Y/N avoids Jungkook's gaze afraid for what may happen. "I didn't make it this far by attracting a lot of attention Jungkook. I am still on the run. They want me bad, I have people on my ass either wanting to put me back in a lab to do weird experiments on me or worse have me killed." Jungkook sees the fear in her eyes. A flash of the scared innocent by stander once shown. Wondering who Y/N was prior to all this mess she's in as of the present.

"They've lost track of me and I intend to keep it that way." Y/N stands up ready to leave as Jungkook attempts to stop her "You're a soldier Y/N. That's what you were put here for. But soldiers need a mission otherwise they tear themselves up." He says in desperation.

Y/N huffs at Jungkook "That's deep. But before you lecture me about the meaning of life, maybe think about my family who's been missing me, thinking that I died along that place crash years ago. Think about how I came to be, how this special abilities were made, you want a lesson in life? Maybe you oughta start getting one. Ta ta!" Then, Y/N leaps up and grabs the combing of the skylight. She pikes sharply, like a gymnast and pulls herself up though the opening, and just like that she's gone.

#BTS #JEON JUNGKOOK X READER #JEON JUNGKOOK #KIM TAEHYUNG #JUNG HOSEOK #PARK JIMIN #MIN YOONGI #KIM SEOKJIN #KIM NAMJOON #BANGTAN SONYEANDAN #ACTION #FAN FIC

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