#johnny can have a little humbling as a treat | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

jaehyunfirstlove · 3 years

Text

Highway to Heaven - Ch. 7

Your best friend Johnny wants to go on a road trip. The only catch? He wants to bring his roommate, Jeong Jaehyun, someone you just couldn’t stand.

Genre: e2l, fluff, angst, smut (18+ only)

Warnings: unprotected sex, dirty talk, swearing

Taglist: @jaehyunnie77 @sehunniepot @jaejoongiewifey-blog @glxwingstar @sleep-is-all-i-seek @vgirlfrixnd @nicolai28 (send me a message if you want to be tagged)

Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3 | Ch. 4 | Ch. 5 | Ch. 6

A/N: So here it is, the smut chapter :)

The next morning you were the last to wake up again, Johnny and Jaehyun running the suitcases back to the car. You were alone in the room, so you sat up in the bed to take stock of yourself. Were you really willing to go there? Were you really willing to do it? Were you really willing to open up your heart again? The pain of your breakup came back again, but you noticed it wasn’t as strong as it had been. Instead of a stabbing feeling in your chest, it was more of a dull throb, like a bout of indigestion that didn’t linger. You heard Johnny and Jaehyun talking and laughing outside, and you were filled with an overwhelming sense of happiness. Your best friend who could always lift your mood and loved you like family, and his roommate, someone who knew how (wrongly) you felt about him but still treated you kindly and respectfully. They certainly weren’t the solution to everything, but they helped you see that there was more to life than heartache.

“You better get out here before we leave without you!” Johnny yelled from outside, and you smiled. You got out of bed, dressed hurriedly and walked out the door.

---

You drove the first shift, with the window down so the wind could blow through your hair. It was a beautiful late summer day, the sun warm on your face from the open sunroof. Johnny sat in the passenger seat, drumming on the dash with his fingers and singing along loudly to the song playing. Jaehyun sat behind you, the wind fluttering his bangs into his face but he didn’t seem to mind. He sang along with Johnny, and even though they were exaggerating and playing around, their voices blended beautifully.

“You guys sing so well,” you exclaimed, “I’m jealous.”

Jaehyun laughed, “No way, we were terrible!”

“No I’m serious! I know you guys were just joking around but your voices are beautiful.”

Johnny started to rib you again, but Jaehyun was quiet. You snuck a look in the rearview to see him smiling to himself, staring out the window, the tips of his ears a bright red.

---

You spent that afternoon at the beach, the two of them managing to convince you to add an extra day to your trip. You could’ve been home in your bed that night, but the weather was too nice to spend it cooped up in the car.

“Just one more day,” Johnny pleaded, “We’ll camp tonight so we don’t have to agonize over motel rooms again. Please?”

He didn’t have to work so hard, you were already convinced, but you made him work for it anyway just to amuse yourself. When you made a big show of giving in, he yelled in triumph, picking you up for a bear hug and kissing you on the cheek, before he ran off towards the beach, stripping his clothes off as he went.

“Are you sure you’re okay with this?” Jaehyun didn’t know you as well as Johnny and took your reluctance seriously. “I’m sure I can convince him to just head home.”

“Oh I wanted to stay,” you giggled conspiratorially, “I just did that to make him suffer.”

Jaehyun laughed, before looking over at you and smiling. His cheeks puffed out, dimples deep, the bright afternoon sun making his eyes sparkle. You smiled back, something in your chest shifting. He swept out his arm, motioning for you to walk on ahead of him, and together you made your way towards the ocean.

This time, you joined them in the water, and even though the water was cold you couldn’t help but have a great time. You tried not to go deeper than your waist, or even get your hair wet, but Johnny had different plans for you, dunking you or splashing water whenever you got too close. You eventually gave up and dove in, swimming towards the crashing waves. Jaehyun was already there, the waves cresting over his shoulders, his wet skin glistening in the afternoon sun. His arms were outspread, his face turned towards the sky, eyes closed. The water crashed over him, running in rivulets down his chest, but he was immovable. It was a sight you couldn’t take your eyes off of.

“Isn’t he hot?” Johnny teased, coming to stand beside you in the water.

You rolled your eyes at Johnny, but it was definitely something you couldn’t deny. “Yeah, he is.” You sighed.

“So? What are you waiting for? Go get him!” He nudged you with his broad shoulder, almost making you lose your balance and fall into the water.

“I don’t know, Johnny,” you hesitated, “What if it doesn’t work out?”

“Well then it doesn’t work out? Then you eat two tubs of rocky road with me and call me at three o’clock with your drunken rants.” He shrugged.

“I don’t think my waistline can handle that anymore,” you joked.

“Listen, Y/N,” he took on a rare serious tone which made you perk up, “I know both of you really well, and I happen to think you two would be amazing together. Not that I think you ‘need a man’ or anything like that, but your personalities just fit, you know? Besides, I need you to get over that asshole of an ex you had, so even if you just use Jaehyun for sex I wouldn’t mind.”

You elbowed him in the ribs and he laughed.

“But seriously, Y/N, let yourself be happy. You deserve it.” He patted you on the shoulder, and then dove into the water and swam to where Jaehyun was standing.

You watched them again, your heart swelling in your chest. Overcome by emotion you let the tears fall, thankful that your face was already wet so it wouldn’t be so evident that you were crying.

---

The campfire that night took a little longer to light, probably because your hand shook like a leaf and you had trouble calming yourself down. You didn’t know why you were so nervous, until Jaehyun sat down beside you and your heart rate skyrocketed.

“Need some help?” he asked, sweeping his damp hair away from his face. You were aware that he was handsome, you weren’t blind, but you had never really looked at his face before, like really looked at it. He had eyes that could hold the depths of the universe but were still kind, a perfectly shaped nose, and cheeks that looked like soft bread that you wanted to squish. He was the weird, perfect blend of hot, sexy, cute, and goofy. To look like that, and then be sweet, humble, and thoughtful too, it had to be illegal.

“Uh, yeah, thanks,” you handed him the matches, and when your hands touched you felt a jolt of electricity run through your body, “I don’t know what’s wrong with me tonight,” you laughed nervously, rubbing your hand where his hand had touched.

He lit the fire with ease, before he handed you back the matches and regarded you with concern. “Do you feel sick or anything?” He lifted up his arm and made to touch your forehead with the back of his hand but before he did, he asked you for permission. You nodded, and the warmth of his hand against your head did wonders to soothe you.

“You don’t feel hot, that’s good,” he determined.

“You don’t think I’m hot?” you couldn’t resist the joke, but he just smiled.

“Oh I know you’re hot,” he leaned close to you and whispered, because Johnny was walking into earshot. You choked on air.

“Tents are up, hot dogs are here, and no beer for Y/N tonight!” Johnny exclaimed as he plopped himself down and divvied out the hot dogs.

“I don’t want any beer tonight anyway,” you scoffed, as much as you wanted to defy his self-righteous ass you wanted your head to be clear.

“Good, because we only had two left!” Johnny laughed, passing the other beer to Jaehyun.

“You sure, Y/N? I’m sure one beer would be fine.” Jaehyun held out his beer to you.

“No really, I’m good,” you smiled at Jaehyun, “Thanks for offering though.” You gave Johnny a pointed look but he just scoffed.

“Ignore Jaehyun, he just wants to get you drunk so he can get into your pants.”

Both you and Jaehyun started coughing, before exchanging guilty looks. Johnny stared between the two of you.

“Is there something I should know?” he narrowed his eyes at both of you, “have you guys been screwing around behind my back? Please don’t tell me, I actually don’t want to know.” He took a swig of his beer and stuck his hot dog into the fire.

---

The three of you stayed up late into the night, talking about anything and everything, laughing till your sides hurt at Johnny’s jokes and stories, and sometimes had quiet bouts where the crackling of the fire was all that was heard. It was during one of these quiet times that Johnny finally stood up.

“Well, that’s it for me. I have first shift tomorrow so I’m going to bed,” he mock-saluted you and Jaehyun, “Good night, losers.”

You watched him walking away, shaking your head, as Jaehyun laughed and wished him a good night.

“What about you, Y/N, you tired?” he asked.

“Not really,” you poked at the fire with your stick, the embers were dying and you tried to get them going again. You shivered at the lack of heat, and Jaehyun came over and draped a blanket around your shoulders.

“I guess I’ll go to bed,” he said, turning towards the tents.

“Actually, do you mind staying?” you didn’t look at him as you asked, but you were glad when you noticed him turn back and take his place beside you.

“I don’t mind,” he said, helping you restart the fire again. The two of you were quiet for some time before you finally spoke up.

“Can I ask you a question?” you started.

“You already did, but I’ll let you ask another one,” he replied cheekily. You nudged him playfully with your shoulder and he smiled. “Of course. What is it?”

“Do you think I would make a good girlfriend?” your question took him off guard, because he looked at you for a long time before answering.

“Do you think you would make a good girlfriend?” he countered.

“You’re not supposed to answer a question with a question,” you grumbled.

“Okay fine, since you’re asking my opinion, I’ll say yes.” He stated firmly.

“Why, though? I thought I was good enough, I thought we were happy, I thought he was happy, but it still didn’t work out. So was I really a good girlfriend then, in the end?”

“I can’t speak for him,” Jaehyun said quietly, “I can only speak for myself. And all I can say is that you may not have been good enough for him, but you are more than good enough for me, leagues more, galaxies more.” He made figure-eights with his stick in the sand so he wouldn’t have to look at you. “Theoretically speaking, of course.”

You couldn’t help it, you couldn’t believe you were that easy, but in your defense he had been breaking down your walls for the entire trip. You turned to him, took his face in your hands and looked deeply into his eyes. He started at the sudden contact, his eyes swimming with apprehension and wonderment.

“I want to kiss you,” you said resolutely, “is that okay?”

He broke into a wide grin and nodded, so you jumped off the proverbial cliff and pressed your lips to his. His lips felt exactly the way you thought they would feel, all those times you permitted yourself to wonder. He moved softly against you, his lips gentle, and except for your hands on his face you weren’t touching each other anywhere else. Yet it ignited something in you. You pulled away, knowing yourself and how you could get carried away. He was breathing heavily, his eyes closed, lips kiss-stung. He was so beautiful in that moment you wanted to cry.

“Do you want to be my boyfriend?” you asked, feeling like a middle-schooler asking out her crush. He still hadn’t opened his eyes but he smiled widely and nodded.

“Yes I do, I really, really do.”

Your heart soared at that moment, and he finally opened his eyes. He looked at you with so much admiration that you thought you would melt on the spot. He took your hands in his, bringing them down to your lap before he leaned in and kissed you again. He started out gentle again, but when you tentatively swiped your tongue into his mouth his movements became more urgent. He slipped his arms around your waist and your hands went up to clasp around his neck. He deepened the kiss, his tongue in your mouth heating up your body more than any campfire ever could. He moved to lay you on the blanket but you stopped him.

“Not here,” you breathed, and he looked at you questioningly. Standing up, you took his hand and led him towards your tent.

You went in first, lying down on top of the sleeping bag, and he followed you in, carefully lowering his body on top of yours. He propped himself up on his elbows, mindful of not resting his entire weight on you.

“Is this okay?” he asked, his eyes roaming over your face, “I know it’s not the most comfortable place.”

You didn’t care at that point, you’d lie down with him in a canoe if this was how it felt. You just nodded, pulling him more towards you, wanting to feel more of him because you knew he was holding back.

“Careful,” he laughed, “I don’t want to squish you.”

“Squish me, I don’t care, you feel too good,” you answered, wrapping your arms around him and squeezing. He nuzzled into your neck, the tip of his nose ghosting lightly on your skin.

“Mm, you smell so good,” he whispered, and soon his lips were on your neck. You shuddered as his lips painted a trail on your skin. When he swiped his tongue goosebumps erupted and you inhaled sharply. “Taste good, too.”

You involuntarily bucked your hips, and felt him hard against your core. He groaned at the contact, sucking harshly at the skin on the base of your neck. The sound of him groaning and the feeling of the mark he was probably leaving on you turned your brain to hazy mush. The only thing you knew was that you needed more.

“Take this off,” you ordered, tugging at the hem of his t-shirt. He reached back with one hand and pulled it off with one go, and you would never get over how sexy he looked doing it. You put your palms on his chest, wanting to feel the firm muscle there, moving down to his abs, down his stomach, past his belly button to the trail that led down. You gripped the waistband of his jeans and he groaned again. “These too.”

He leaned away from you to pull his jeans off, leaving him in only his boxers, his eyes never leaving you the entire time. You took that opportunity to flip him onto his back on the sleeping bag, thankful for the years of martial arts training that gave you the ability to do it. He yelped in surprise before breaking out into a wide grin.

“Shit, that was hot,” he admitted, and you straddled him, pulling your own shirt off in the process. You reached back to unclasp your bra, but he suddenly sat up and stopped you.

“Can I?” he asked, and you nodded. He started kissing your neck again, making you throw your head back at the feeling, while he reached behind you and unclasped your bra, throwing it to a corner of the tent. His hands moved over your bare breasts, cupping them in his hands. Your breathing picked up as he held them, chest heaving when he rubbed the pads of his thumbs over your nipples.

“Jaehyun,” you breathed, grabbing his shoulders to keep yourself steady. You wrapped your legs around his back, grinding your hips against him and he groaned loudly in your ear. He tugged at the waistband of your jeans.

“Your turn to take these off,” he growled, and you sat back, taking your jeans and panties off in one go. He took that opportunity to pull off his boxers, and even in the dim light you could see the tip of his cock glistening with precum. He looked at you with hooded eyes but didn’t make a move, as if to say you could still stop this if you wanted to. But you knew in that moment there was nothing else in the world you wanted but him. You straddled him again, your hands on his shoulders, kissing him deeply. When you pulled away you were both panting.

“I want you,” you said firmly, a different ache in your chest forming, “I want you, Jae.” He looked into your eyes with so much emotion you wanted to cry, so you just grabbed his face and kissed him again, this time rubbing your pussy against his cock. You were so wet you slid easily against his hardness, and he moaned into your mouth at the sensation. On the next pass you caught his tip against your opening, and pushed down.

You broke from the kiss to moan loudly as the tip of his cock parted you. You moved your hips slowly so you could feel every inch of him enter you, stretching you so deliciously you couldn’t stop the moans coming from your mouth. His hands were on your ass, gripping the flesh there, watching your face as you lowered yourself onto him.

“Oh Jae,” you moaned, the pleasure almost too much for you to handle. He filled you so well, you could feel the tip of his cock touching your sweet spot and you knew once you started moving it would make you crazy. You started a slow rhythm at first, his cock dragging in and out of you at a measured pace. But when he started moaning, his voice low and sexy, you lost yourself.

“Fuck, baby, you feel so good,” he groaned, his head dropping to the crook of your neck. You snapped your hips harder, grabbing his shoulders as you could feel the knot in the pit of your stomach forming. Your thighs were burning which made your hips stutter, so he grabbed a hold of your hips and decided to help out, pumping upwards into you. The combined force ramped up your pleasure, making your eyes roll to the back of your head.

“Oh Jae!” you screamed, his cock hitting your sweet spot repeatedly.

“Hey! Keep it down over there, some of us are trying to sleep!” Johnny suddenly yelled from the other tent. That made Jaehyun stop his movement completely, which made you want to kill Johnny.

“Put your airpods in and go back to sleep!” you yelled back. You heard him grumble before he was silent again, presumably asleep. You sighed in frustration, dropping your forehead onto Jaehyun’s shoulder. He laughed softly, kissing you on the side of the head.

“This isn’t over,” he whispered, holding you and flipping you onto your back. He was still hard inside you and he gave you a moment, staring at you with that look again, caressing your cheek with his hand, before he started to slam into you again.

You bit your lip to keep from screaming, wrapping your legs around him, your fingers digging into his back. It all felt so good, and along with your oncoming orgasm you felt something shifting in your chest. As he held you, his eyes on yours, it felt like your heart was being pulled from your body. A panic filled you, your eyes pooling with tears, pleasure still coursing through you at the same time, threatening to explode. You didn’t realize it but you were whimpering, from pleasure or heartache you couldn’t decipher.

He watched all of this play out on your face, before he kissed you softly. When he pulled away, he whispered low in your ear, “It’s okay, baby, let it go. I’m here. I’ve got you.”

You came with a cry then, not caring if Johnny heard you. It was the most intense orgasm you’d ever had in your life, and with it came a release of a different kind. The tears that had pooled in your eyes finally fell, your chest finally light again. Jaehyun cradled your face in his hands, kissing your tears away.

---

A/N: I know it’s not a commonly held notion that Jaehyun is a sub in any way, but I just liked the idea of Y/N just throwing him for a loop and turning his world upside down like that (literally, lol). So anyway, just suspend your disbelief for that moment :)

#jaehyun imagines #jaehyun x reader #jaehyun smut #nct imagines #nct smut

246 notes · View notes

kataraqui-archive · 3 years

Text

Johnny Silverhand Meta

Why telling Johnny Silverhand he fucked up his friendship with V was cathartic as hell, more meta that no one asked for but I’m gonna go off anyway:

Obviously, spoilers ahead.

At the Pistis Sophia V and Johnny have arguably one of the deepest heart to hearts so far. Johnny reveals some of his history in the military, how a friend died to save him, how being used as a corporate tool radicalized him, and then gives V his friend’s dog tags as a symbol of his promise to sacrifice himself so V can live. It’s pretty emotional and made me feel like V and Johnny’s relationship had really grown over the course of the game.

Then Johnny asks for a favour, his last wish so to speak. To speak to Rogue and get revenge on Adam Smasher. He asks for control of V’s body so he can speak to Rogue and reiterates, multiple times, that this is ALL he’s going to do while in the driver’s seat.

Instead, immediately and without hesitation, Johnny goes joyriding. He gets completely wasted, gets a tattoo, drinks some more, makes out with a stripper, gets into a brawl with the bouncers, then fingers the stripper in the car, crashes said car, and THEN goes to talk to Rogue after getting what information he could from the stripper. All of this he does with V’s body. He hands V back control, leaving V sick as a dog, beat up, tattooed, and with little memory of how they got in that state.

Here’s where I get into my feelings as a player. I felt DEEPLY violated by this sequence of events and my inability to do anything about it. V’s getting piloted through sexual situations with a woman they don’t know. They’re getting tattooed. Yeah, in the world of Cyberpunk, that doesn’t have to be permanent, but it’s still all an enormous violation of V’s autonomy and what he consented to. It’s THEIR body. Beyond that, I thought V and Johnny were getting along, trusting each other, and the first moment V gave Johnny their unequivocal trust, Johnny lied. I felt betrayed. I was honestly so pissed I cried, in particular because Johnny brushed aside V’s (valid) arguments that this wasn’t what they’d agreed to and they could have done all that other stuff themselves without Johnny driving. The reality is: Johnny never intended to just speak to Rogue, he deliberately misled V so he could have one last hurrah with zero appreciation for how those actions would affect V. V who is already sick and dying because of the relic. No matter how you slice it, this is deeply fucked up behaviour.

It’s even more deeply fucked when you consider Johnny’s take on dolls. He’s openly disgusted by the way dolls are used as toys, the behavioural chip robbing them of autonomy/identity, and then their memories wiped so they don’t have to live with whatever depraved crap clients want to do with them. Then he goes and treats V exactly the way those behavioural chips treat dolls, and at first is completely unrepentant about it.

All throughout the story, Johnny reiterates how much he hates Arasaka for rewriting people’s identities. Even acknowledges that this is why he can’t stand the fact that, through the relic, he’s being made to do the same thing to V. What he does in Chippin’ In is hypocritical as fuck, but not the first time Johnny’s done something contrary to his general ethos. Though it’s not acknowledged in his memories because, as Alt points out, they were tinged with Johnny’s bias, the entire bombing of Arasaka tower was funded and backed by Militech; he hates corpos more than anything, but Johnny still accepted their backing when it served his interests.

When you follow that quest line to the point where you visit Johnny’s grave, we get to see a totally different side to Johnny. He seems humbled and distressed that, despite all he did in his lifetime, his body lies in an unmarked grave, an oil field where no one remembers it’s even there. I felt really bad for him in that moment, but I was still pissed. My V acknowledged that he would write ‘The Man Who Saved My Life’ on Johnny’s grave because, despite their falling out, Johnny is still trying to save him. There’s still a bond forged by sharing the same body and what they’ve been through. But when Johnny tries to sidestep by saying that, while he fucked up his relationships with everyone else, he’s glad he didn’t fuck up what he has with V, I wasn’t standing for that. I wasn’t going to let him play for sympathy over the unmarked grave to sweep his betrayal of V’s trust under the rug. I chose the ‘Nope, you fucked that up too,’ option.

Honestly? One of the most cathartic moments in any game for me. Johnny doesn’t deny he fucked up either. He asks for a second chance, which my V agreed to give him, because even with all that fuckery they’re still close friends.

I didn’t know this dialogue was what unlocked the secret ending, it just made sense given what had happened and how I felt V would respond. My partner played it differently though, which is how I came to realize that the dialogue you get with Kerry and Johnny is an indicator of your relationship. When Kerry asks ‘do you get along?’ my partner got the response, ‘Not lately, no.’ Whereas I got, ‘The kid loves me.’ That seems almost contradictory, given I’m the one who chose to go off on Johnny for his betrayal, and my partner let it lie, but looking at Johnny’s other close relationships and his general ethos in life, it painted a bigger picture. (Note: I don’t know for SURE that the ‘you fucked up’ line is required to get this, but from various playthroughs between my partner and I, and what I’ve found online since, it seems that this dialogue is the key.)

The only people Johnny considered close friends are all people we’ve seen in his memories, and in every single one he is butting heads with them in some way. Johnny knows he’s damaged the people closest to him. Acknowledges it not just over his own grave, but in various endings as well. I think it’s telling that the memories V experiences, the ones that stick out most in Johnny’s subconscious, all involve some kind of argument between he and Alt, Rogue or Kerry. I think the fact that they stood up to him mattered to him more than anything because they weren’t giving up on him. They weren’t going ‘Johnny’s beyond help.’ Johnny even asks why Denny never tried to fix him. He’s also disparaging of being a ‘yes, man’ in most quest lines, rebellious to a fault. I think V standing up to him in kind garners Johnny’s love and respect more than if V just accepts what Johnny did. Maybe Johnny sees that as disingenuous or even cowardly, but I think on a deeper level he sees it as a sign that V has given up on him too. That V can’t be bothered because he doesn’t believe Johnny can change. There’s also just something really moving to me when two people can express their anger or hurt to one another and still be friends after.

Anyway, those are my thoughts on Johnny’s relationships and why the ‘you fucked up’ line was so important for both V and Johnny. I really love the way these characters are written, and this relationship in particular just felt really genuine in all it’s complicated glory.

Fin.

#Johnny Silverhand #cyberpunk 2077 #cp2077 #cyberpunk 2077 spoilers #cp2077 spoilers

92 notes · View notes

miss-noo-na · 3 years

Text

Strange Love (Part 1)

Title: Strange Love

Featuring: Johnny (NCT) x Reader

Rating: Mature. Future updates to include BDSM themes

Summary: Your job is finally recognizing all the hard work you’ve been putting in, and assigns you to a special project that includes travel. The only downside is that you have to team up with your cocky co-worker. In the process you learn about his predilections and what he does to relieve stress in his downtime, and how they might come to benefit you, too.

The copier spluttered and buzzed as it spit out page after page of the same report. Sometimes it jammed and you had to tap it just right for it to start up again, you knew it like clockwork now, not even having to shift your stance or your gaze to do it. You had made friends with the piece of equipment ages ago, this thing was older than some of the new hires in the office.

You had been there for 3 years now, but it felt much longer. You found the job out of college because of its promised upward mobility and company culture, and after a while neither one of those things mattered anymore. You had only had one partial raise and “company culture” really just meant there was cake in the break room once a month.

You didn’t know why you stayed. Actually, you did, but didn’t want to admit it to yourself. You were afraid.

You had always been timid, knowing what you wanted but too anxious to go after it. You could be stubborn and even stand up for yourself, but often you fell by the wayside, worried about making too much of a fuss. You developed a fine-tuned talent for painting on a smile, seeming agreeable, then grumbling under your breath and to your friends over drinks. You would convince yourself things would change, but they never did.

When the copier stopped with its signature grinding halt you snapped out of your reverie, piling the papers in arm to hand them out around the office. Busy-work, per usual.

When you stepped out of the room you immediately looked across the hall to the windowed room of your manager, able to hear his muffled laughter, head tossed back as he slapped his hand on another mans back. Your eyes set into a narrow glare at the other person.

John Suh had only shown up 9 months ago and he was already 2 positions ahead of you, with his fancy degree and family connections. They liked to pretend they didn’t play favorites but it was obvious from the moment he stepped in the door that he had something the rest of you didn’t, connections and his daddy’s money.

Plus, there was just this air of overconfidence he carried that enraged you. Not only did he have an advantage, he liked to act like it was his savvy business sense and charm that got him there.

The most annoying part of all is that no one else felt the way you did.

He was clearly attractive, the only person in the office who didn’t get shit from the boss for growing his hair out or not buttoning up his jacket. Every girl in the office from the 19 year old receptionist to the 67 year old accountant practically swooned when he talked to them. This, of course, made you look like the asshole to your colleagues. They called you distrustful and told you to be a little more open-minded, but you didn’t have patience for nepotism and unearned praise.

If you thought about it too long, the frustration built up and where did that leave you? You went about your business for the afternoon, intent on ignoring his presence like you usually did.

As you neared the manager’s door, he suddenly poked his head out and smiled at you.

“Hey there, can I grab you for a second?”

And then he disappeared inside, through the glass you could see him speak to your nemesis once more. Your stomach dropped, what could he possibly need? You set the stack down on your desk and returned to the office, clearing your throat as you entered since they were chatting and laughing like you didn’t exist.

“There you are, have a seat.” He said as he went to his desk, gesturing to the chairs in front of it. You were surprised when John took the seat next to yours, but chose to pretend he wasn’t there.

“I’ve had this project brewing for a few months now, and whilst going over potential candidates your name came up.”

Project? Your name?

“You’ve been loyal to the company for years, your workflow looks great, and I’ve never heard a fuss out of you. You’re honestly a prime worker for this position.”

“What position would that be, sir?” You asked gently, knowing he had a habit of going on tangents if you let him. Plus, all of this was lip service you’d heard since you started. They were always quick to praise, but never do anything that actually showed that it mattered in a way that helped you. Empty compliments.

“This is our main office, and the system we have here is the best in the business, but unfortunately that’s not the case in some of our smaller offices. They’re falling behind and their technology and practices aren’t getting updated in a timely fashion. Basically, they need help, and that’s where you two come in.”

Two? You peered over at the man next to you from the corner of your eye, and quickly back again.

“I’m not sure I follow. Aren’t these offices spread out all over the country?” You asked.

“Precisely. We’ve opened up a position for trainers, someone who is free to travel and can help these places get set up. You would spend about a week or less in each place, we would make sure you have proper accommodations and a stipend, of course.”

It dawned on you what he meant and you felt a mix of emotions. It was about time someone realized your potential and the hard work you had been putting in, even if you were still confused on how your name got brought up. You didn’t have any problem traveling, there was no relationship or particular thing that kept you tied down in one spot.

“Oh, and the 30% raise.”

You perked up at that, then quickly tried to make yourself appear neutral again.

“That does sound enticing.”

“What do you say? I think you both would be great at it.”

You fully looked over now, and made brief eye contact with the man who offered you an encouraging smile.

“We would be working...together?”

“It’s a two-man, excuse me, two-person job. I can tell you now I think you would make an excellent team.”

You didn’t even know him like that, and everything you did know you weren’t particularly fond of. You had maybe spoken a handful of words to each other, in passing. Things like “excuse me” and “here’s that report you needed.” The idea of having to spend so much time around him didn’t sit well with you, but how could you pass up such an opportunity? it was strictly business, it’s not like you had to be best friends.

“Okay, then.” You nodded and forced an uneasy smile.

“Fantastic! I’ll draw up the paperwork tonight and get you on your schedule within the week. In the meantime, I encourage you two to get to know each other.”

You left the office, intent on going straight back to your desk, but your new partner stopped you.

“I don’t think we’ve ever been formally introduced, I’m John, but everyone just calls me Johnny.”

He stuck his hand out and you had to fight the urge to cringe, there was no way in hell you were going to call him that.

You were cordial, shook his hand and told him your name, avoided eye contact. Being this close to him you didn’t realize until now how tall he was.

“You want to grab some lunch with me? My treat, we can hammer out some details.”

“I’m a little busy this aftern-”

“It’ll be fine, the boss insists we form a game plan and I know a spot around the corner.” He cut you off and started to walk away as if you already agreed. You wanted to fight him on it, but that wasn’t the best way to start out a brand new position. You sighed and followed.

The “spot” was basically a sports bar, that was practically dead, save for a few people at the bar watching a baseball game. You sat at a table near the back and wished you could get a beer, but you still had a whole work day ahead of you.

“So it’s like, part trainer, part teacher, part IT. Do you have any experience in IT? I actually started out in computer science before I switched to business, my dad thought it was the best for my career path. I mean, I guess he was right because here I am.”

He was….different, than you thought he would be. You only saw him in the office, turning on his charm and worming his way into things. Here, he was talkative and friendly, and it was throwing you off-guard. The casual humble-brag about his background wasn’t making him anymore likable, though.

“No, I majored in English.”

I swear to God if he says-

“English? Aren’t you already fluent?”

You closed your eyes for a second while his stupid laugh rang in your ears.

“Anyway, I think this is going to be an awesome opportunity for us. I mean, how lucky are we to get picked for this?”

“I wouldn’t call it luck.” You grumbled before taking a drink, not really intending him to hear it.

“What’s that?”

“It’s not luck.” You said as you met his eyes fully for the first time. “Not for me. I’ve worked my ass off for this company for years, it’s only luck for people who got a head start.”

You sank your teeth into your tongue just as the words left you, and you could see the smile fade from his face. You suddenly felt flush and thought about apologizing, but he spoke up.

“Ah, so you think I had a leg up?”

“I didn’t mean-”

He waved a hand and laughed. “It’s fine, I know everyone thinks that, you’re just the first person to say it to my face.”

You couldn’t tell if he was offended and playing it off, or if he was really this nonchalant about it.

“Look, no offense, but I don’t think we need to be buddies for this to work. I would rather just get in the field and work things out from there.” You explained as directly as you could.

“That’s fair.” He nodded, to your surprise.

The small-talk ended and when he tried to pay for lunch, you insisted on giving your share. The rest of the day was uneventful, except for the twinge of guilt you had when you thought back on how you spoke to him.

When you got home, you collapsed on the couch next to your roommate, a graphic designer who worked from home and was always in her PJs. You envied her.

“Another rough day at the office, sweetie?” She asked, patting you on the head, condescending but still sincere.

“Remember that douchebag at work I told you about?”

“Oh, the cute one?” She asked with a smile, having seen him when coming to drop off some lunch for you once.

“Whatever, anyway.” You sat up to face her. “The good news is that I got a promotion to a position that lets me travel.”

“Hey, that’s great!” She beamed.

“The bad news is that we have to do it together.”

She looked to consider it for a moment before her lips curled into a devious smile. “On the road for work? Hotel stays? Working in close proximity? Ohh, this is like a spicy romance novel!”

“Ew, stop.” You scowled.

“Only if you stop pretending he’s not hot.”

“Someone can be objectively hot and I can still not like them or be attracted to them. He’s arrogant and he seems to think we’re on the same page somehow. He’s oblivious to his own privilege.”

“Okay, I get that, sorry for teasing you. But hey, this is the break you were looking for, right? Focus on the positive.”

“Thank you.”

She opened up her arms and you hugged for a long moment.

“Maybe while you’re traveling you’ll finally get laid.” She said suddenly into your ear, and you pulled back and glared at her.

“Sorry, sorry! I just know that lately you haven’t really been-”

You stood up from the couch as she spoke. “I’m going to my room now.”

“Let me know if you need help packing!”

You closed your bedroom door and sighed. She meant well, but she had a way of saying things so bluntly that it didn’t quite help. She was right about that, though. Your career wasn’t the only stagnant thing in your life.

You hadn’t had a steady boyfriend in 2 years, and in that time had only experienced a sprinkling of dates that never went anywhere and the 2-3 times you randomly hooked up with someone to great disappointment. Frustrated was an understatement, and you knew part of it was bleeding over into your professional life.

You didn’t expect to have any sort of passionate tryst while out for work, but maybe simply getting into a new scenery would make you feel better?

To Be Continued

#johnny suh #nct #nct scenarios #johnny scenarios #nct johnny #nct 127

44 notes · View notes

tank-grunt · 3 years

Note

Hi I just wanted to say you're one of my fav blogs.... I love reading your posts and they fuel my love for this game!! Anyway--I'm actually here to ask if you have any favorite headcanon about Tank or tank/Johnny because I'm always interested in that 😳

awww thanks! as for favorite headcanons, uhh... hmmm. i have different headcanons based on the different games they appear in together so i’ll uh, categorize those i guess (also warning: long. i am very dramatic and thus am prone to waxing poetic about how i perceive a relationship)

sims 2 pc - tank is just a repressed gay with no idea how to cope with it because of ... you know... everything. he can’t recognize his feelings, he doesn’t know how to cope with them, and he’s so frustrated by everything all of the time because of the kind of home he’s grown up in that all the wires are being crossed, and he’s kind of an asshole to people who don’t deserve it because of that. in theory he really, really likes johnny... johnny’s nice, he’s handsome, and likable... but that’s also why he really, really dislikes him and is supremely jealous... he isn’t in a place where he can realize anything positive he feels. tank doesn’t get why his pulse speeds up or his face flushes when johnny’s around, he doesn’t know why he craves his attention - for anyone else it should be obvious, but for him there’s just too much going on. but he knows when he sees johnny surrounded by people who like him, he wishes that he were johnny, and he knows he’s an alien ... tank knows what to do with that.

in theory johnny could have really, really liked tank too - he’s fit, athletic, he can be witty and goofy and creative - but... johnny doesn’t get to see the part of tank worth liking. the parts that he would like, that he likes in others already. tank won’t show him. tank can’t afford to be vulnerable! so because of tank’s issues, he causes issues for johnny and johnny only sees the tank who is kind of a jealous repressed loner. and he’s already friends with ripp through ophelia so he’d already be aware of how tank isn’t exactly brother of the year as golden child to ripps scapegoat. and with no way of figuring out that the way tank’s treated isnt actually any better, johnny’s a bit biased. but johnny’s bio says he dreams of being a hero on a white horse, so i always kind of interpreted that as something of a hero complex - so i imagine he’d soften quickly if he had any idea the full extent of whats going on.

oh, weirdly, that segues into -

sims 2 psp - not a very romantic headcanon - more about coping with circumstance - but theyre both victims of abuse from buzz and johnny knows it.

but so is ripp. so they’re not close, because johnny can see how the brothers are pitted against each other and he doesn’t like it... but johnny understands tank now, he understands why he’s like that, and he can’t really bring himself to be angry with him or blame him, even when tank is preventing his escape. he still has a hero complex. he sees the way tank has been hurt. he sees the way ripp is hurt, too. but he just can’t be mad. the fact he’s held captive by buzz isn’t the only reason why he hates him so vehemently, so passionately. he hates that he can see a father treat his sons so callously, so cruelly, and can’t do anything about it.

not that he’d put up with tank’s bs... but just sometimes trying to reach out, trying to talk sense into him. and maybe, because the nicest guy he knows is making some good points, maybe tank has doubts. maybe he questions buzz. johnny is very convincing. it’s not his fault!

basically im a sucker for the hurt/comfort of johnny’s kindness and his bluntness and courage helping tank realize that none of whats going on is right, or good.

sims 2 ds/gba - i believe in ds/gba era tank/johnny supremacy, first and foremost - it’s always good! but there’s just something so nice and comforting about it in ds/gba... from their perspective, things are so different and yet also so similar... and there’s a certain kind of comfort with each other in seeing how different they’ve become, but how familiar they are. how they’ve grown and improved, and forged a healthy friendship and connection... and they know each other better than anyone else in town at that point - everyone is either dead, or left town.

and the idea that tank just regularly comes into the pawn shop just to see johnny because he’s grown up and he knows how to follow his heart now... and johnny really is all he wants. maybe all he’s ever wanted, really. and johnny likes that. happiness is a good look on tank, and he likes seeing tank. you ever notice how johnny sells lotto tickets with tank’s face on them? i like to think he designed them himself, because he ... you know, likes tank. likes to see him.

when johnny’s not busy at the pawn shop, when tank’s not busy running the medical center he lives in... i imagine theyre supremely cheesy together. i mean, tank totally goes out of his way to help johnny around the pawnshop. i’ve always personally viewed johnny as supernaturally strong without trying, but i mean... us legbets just loooove to watch objects of our affection lifting things, and i can totally imagine tank just casually lifting things to impress johnny. he’s a bit humble but he likes attention from johnny, always has. and yeah, johnny can outbench him, but he enjoys the view.

and i KNOWwww that tank primarily lives in his dumb little medical center bunker he’s running, but i like to imagine that johnny has an apartment above the pawn shop (um, in the ds version anyways, it doesnt seem like the gba version has one but ... you know tank does spend a lot of time with a telescope up there sooo) and they live together, with a cat. its a very nice, domestic life that they’ve worked hard to manage with each other, and they’ve earned it

sims 4 - they’re gallery sims with no relationship or connection with each other but it’s an alternate timeline so i like to take advantage of the fact :)

you know everything i wrote about tank having a crush on johnny he had no idea how to deal with? i love the idea that it’s the reverse in sims 4 timeline. tank in every other appearance he’s had has been so... insecure, reserved. but tank in sims 4 is confident! outgoing! athletic! ... johnny doesn’t stand a chance. he’s just a useless bisexual and he thinks tank is really cute and doesn’t know what to do about it... but how convenient for him, tank doesn’t have the same problems that really stood in the way of a relationship that he had in sims 2.

lyla’s ghost being around to shape the household post-mortem has definitely had positive effects on the family - the grunt siblings have better relationships with each other, they have their mother to guide them and intervene if buzz is ever unfair to them, and to question his authority...

tank knows johnny likes him, in this timeline, and he’s a bit smug about it. but its ok! he kind of likes the scrawny green kid too. so what if he shows off a little more lately to get his attention? so what if he gets a little close in the hallways at school? whats a little kissing between homies?

#bulletin board #this is so long i am so sorry.#simpuke

21 notes · View notes

2ndaryreactsandscenarios · 4 years

Text

NCT 2020 Reaction: Love Letters on a Monday

Taeil (The Manly Man, Yet Power Vocal, Sheesh~)

Would a hundred percent not do a thing about it. I feel like he would appreciate the thought that was behind the letter and he would appreciate the person’s feelings. But he had his eyes set on somebody already (slang for you) and since he didn’t know who it was he wasn’t really gonna make it a bigger deal than it was. Now, if he had gotten more letters in the weeks to follow, then he may do something about it and try to give the person leaving them the message he wasn’t interested.

Taeyong (Artistic, Passionate Rapper and Caring Leader)

Would feel bad about it. While he really thought it was flattering for someone to do something like this, he would hate the idea of leaving them in the dark and not being able to respond. For a few days after receiving the letter he would probably want to find out who it is. Once he resigned himself to never finding out the person’s identity, he would then get another letter. Taeyong really wouldn’t want to lead the person on and he would want to respond to their feelings face to face, and receiving more letters made him more determined to find out who it is.

Johnny (The Mood Making, Yet Calm Sir)

Would keep it to himself. While Johnny liked the letter and everything, he would treat it as something between him and the other person. So he definitely isn’t out and about flaunting the letter around like a prized possession, rather it’s something he cherished and found to be pretty sweet to receive. If he got more letters from the same person, he would start to try and figure out who it is, and MAYBE vent to only his most trusted friends about it.

Yuta (The Takoyaki Master, and Politely Keepin It Real, Osaka Man)

Honestly probably suspected that somebody had a crush on him, and so the letter came as no surprise to him. One of the few members whom I believe wouldn’t take that long to figure this whole ordeal out to begin with. Once he got the first letter, he would act very low profile about it and act like it wasn’t a big deal. But on the inside he is on high alert. Analyzing the heck out of everyone who so much as blinks too much around him to figure out who had left him the letter. And this only became more apparent when the second letter was released upon his locker.

Kun (The King of Magic and of Food)

Wouldn’t believe it and would think it was a little too good to be true. He would think this is something that only happens on TV and no way in the world would it happen to somebody like him. Kun would be the few to appreciate the thought but be in complete denial that this was a real thing happening to him. When he got another letter he wouldn’t so much as bat an eye and would pretty much continue on with life.

Doyoung (Vroom Vroom; The MC Vocal)

A hundred percent would think this is some sort of prank on him. Turns into a detective and suspects everyone to be the culprit. There was no way someone was out there who was so sweet and considerate to take the time out of their day to leave a letter if they didn’t have some other plan on their agenda. AKA, to humiliate him. He wouldn’t even allow himself to get swept up in the idea of it, and would rather spend every break interrogating his friends and using their weaknesses against them.

“MARK, I’M LOOKING AT YOU. You sneezed three times in a row, are you lying to my face???”

Ten (Dancing Devil and Whimsically Cute)

Would get more caught up in the why behind the letter rather than the actual content. Now this sounds insane, but bear with me here. So Ten would like the letter and the intent and all that jazz behind it, but he would wonder why someone would like him that much? Was he that scary and unapproachable? Why couldn’t the person tell him in person? He would eventually shrug such thoughts away as he figured the situation was over. Until he got another letter of course and then he would start to get a bit worried. He had someone he was interested in and he didn’t want this person to get the wrong idea. So he was in quite the bind.

Jaehyun (Sensitive, Springtime Lover, Mr. Valentine)

Isn’t surprised that a love letter arrived. What is surprising is the content of the letter. He can feel the thoughts and feelings behind it and that makes him curious enough to want to figure out the person behind the pen. Would have his friends keep a look out for any odd behavior from those around him and he would hope to find the culprit by the end of the week. However he failed and received another letter. Thus this became war.

Winwin (The Dancer of Grace, The Tough Cutey)

Would go through the trouble of hiding the love letter from everyone and making himself look super suspicious to everyone. The last thing he wanted was for his friends to find out about the letter and tease him, so he decided to get to the bottom of this himself. He thought for sure it must be someone messing with him and trying to make a fool of him, so not to be mean but Winwin would probably avoid reading the letter. He would bank on the assumption that it was a love letter and try to act all tough by not reading the letter. So when he got another one he would start to panic and then he’d buckle down on his tough guy act.

Jungwoo (Stomach=Abyss, The Pure Vocal)

Would look around when he found the letter and wonder who could have left it for him. He found the letter cute and was surprised that somebody noticed him and thought of him that way. So best believe while he didn’t run off to tell all his friends, his eyes would be looking around in the classroom. He’d secretly be hoping to make eye contact with the dear soul that wrote that special letter to him. So when he received another letter, honestly it made him a little happy inside.

Lucas (That Low Low Rap, The Charming Wit)

Gonna sound bad… But Lucas would boast a hundred percent about it. He would tell all his friends and act like he was the bee's knees for receiving this letter. Now he wouldn’t flaunt the contents of it, but he would definitely tell everyone he had gotten a love letter. This didn’t change the fact that he came up to you, smug grin and all, telling you all about the love letter he had gotten. You would nod and pay him no mind and that would irk him a little bit. He had a crush on you and was certain you did too. He was hoping for a bit more of a reaction out of you. Thus, Lucas became determined to find the person who sent it so he could prove to you how popular he was. After all, the amazing person who sent him the letter liked him. So why didn’t you? (So many problems here, but we are just going to let this play out how it’ll play out).

Mark (The Hardworking Rapper, With An Adorable Sneeze)

One he was shook, and two he was honoured. It wasn’t everyday he got a love letter from someone. At first he was apprehensive and was wondering if it was a joke from the members, but once he read it it felt a bit too sincere for a prank. While he would be curious since the person didn’t leave a name on the letter, he would respect they didn’t want to be known and carry on with his day. When another letter came he would be a bit more motivated to give this person an answer someway or another.

Xiao Jun ( Humble Songwriter Agent Eight )

Would get giddy like a kid about it. He wouldn’t so much sweat the details about whether it was authentic or not, rather he would spend a bit more time imagining who it COULD be. He had had a crush on you for some time now, and it would be a pretty cool thing if you somehow were the person to leave the letter. He wondered how he could figure out who it was and thus would mention it to a couple of his trusted friends.

Hendery ( Music On The Go, Cucumber Inventor )

Hendery wouldn’t do much when he got the letter. Even if he found the contents endearing and wanted to respond, he couldn’t really do that since the person who wrote it didn’t leave their name in the note. So he would carry on with his life and would keep the entire ordeal to himself. Now when he got the second letter he would begin to wonder who it could be leaving the letter. So he would make a mental note to pay more attention to his surroundings and would wonder what he should do in this situation.

Renjun (The Loving and Smart Artist, The Virtuous Vocal )

While the gesture would be nice and all, Renjun wouldn’t really form an opinion about the person because in truth? He didn’t know who this person was or could be. They didn’t leave a name, so for all he knew it could be meant for someone else or worse it could be some sort of prank. So Renjun wouldn’t act on it unless the letters got weird or something. But Renjun is in this for the long haul. He isn’t going to play into this basically because he thinks it’s some big prank. So why get invested in a trick or lie?

Jeno (The Mature, Car Loving Violinist)

Jeno wouldn’t make this into something big and would be pretty quiet about the whole thing. More than the other person, he would think about how this letter made him feel. He was happy to receive it, but it didn’t change that he already had feelings for somebody else. May even feel guilty about getting the letter and would feel inclined to tell you his true feelings and about the letter. Whatever happened from there he was willing to see through.

Haechan (Sarcastic and Soft, The Lover and The Vocal)

Haechan would discover the letter around his friends and would act like the letter wasn’t all that he thought it was. He wouldn’t make fun of it but he would act way more indifferent than he actually felt about it. But when he actually read the letter in private? He would be smiling ear to ear. He would treasure the little letter and would wonder who wrote it. He would carry on like normal, but every time he passed his locker he was secretly hoping for another letter; except this time it would have a name at the end of it.

Jaemin (Affectionate Nana, Dancing Pianist)

Would not hide the fact that he got the letter, but he wouldn’t be announcing it in the halls or anything. He really liked the letter and what the person had to say and so if he was given the option and chance to find out who the person was and have a conversation with them, he was more than willing to take it. Jaemin wouldn’t be searching for your identity though and rather he would just go with the flow. If the secret admirer decided to show themselves, they would do so in their own time.

Yang Yang ( Little Sheep Racer, Mysterious Rose Zero )

Did you know that Yang Yang got a love letter? Because he pretty much told everyone that he got a love letter. Now this isn’t fully out of blind excitement as much as it was a strategy. He wanted to make sure everybody knew he got one so if anyone approached his locker, in theory, it would spread like a rumor and like wildfire. He didn’t want whomever wrote the letter to remain in the dark and to hide behind a piece of paper. He would only believe it if they said it to his face. Deep down he hoped that they really felt the way they said they did in the letter. Yes his method is a bit underhanded, but all is fair in potential crushes and love letters (and fiction please don’t do this in reality! How wicked!)~!

Chenle (Sweet and Soft, High Vocal)

Honestly? Would be a bit scared to read the letter. He may have even thought the letter had accidentally been left in his locker but when he found his name in the letter contents he would chicken out again. It didn’t so much matter to him what the letter said at first, but rather he didn’t know how he would even go about responding to this person without sounding like a jerk. He decided to ignore it and try to move on with his life in silence, until the second letter came. Chenle would realize the problem wasn’t going to just go away and that he needed to face this person and tell them that he was sorry but he had feelings for somebody else.

Jisung (Killer Dancer, The Shy Temporary Maknae)

Jisung would be a bit concerned about the letter. The person they were describing didn’t sound at all and he felt like he wasn’t nearly as good as the person thought he was. So he ultimately opted to move on and ignore the letter. He felt like the person was living in a fantasy that he could never live up to. When the second letter arrived, he was determined to find the person and turn them down! It didn’t matter whether they cried or were upset, he needed to hand them that dose of reality and get back to his own unrequited feelings for you.

Disclaimer: An important thing to note in regards to these reactions/scenarios is that none of them are based on how the members are in real life and are merely a depiction that fits the fiction (as I don’t know the members personally). These are meant to be lighthearted (aside from the angst that continues to rise on this blog) and I hope they are not being taken as pure fact or reality.

If you took the time to read this reaction, thank you so much for your time. Stay happy and healthy! Make yourself a magnificent morning/afternoon/evening/night whenever in time or whenever in the world you may be and I hope to see you all again soon. Bye bye~

65 notes · View notes

soyouareandrewdobson · 4 years

Text

Alex ze Pirate “Mini Review” 1: About Male Abuse

Alex ze Pirate is in my opinion the WORST “comic” series Dobson has ever written up until this point (date for archives: June 2020). Sure, I agree with people that his “hot take” comics on Star Wars Fans, political issues and virtue signaling for the sake of making brownie points are worse overall cause they are uneducated propaganda that give insight in how much of a loathsome human being driven by spite he genuinely is, but Alex “offends” me as someone who enjoys fiction. It may not be the worst thing ever written, but it just does so many things wrong in terms of storywriting, storytelling, presentation and creating fictional characters, I can’t help but wonder what went wrong that Dobson even remotely thought this thing would be a “successful” comic series to establish him as a creator. Cause I can tell you, having read the likes of Don Rosa’s work on Disney, Hilda, Cleopatra in Space, Spirou, Asterix, One Piece (of which I will talk a lot in my next few posts) and many more, I can confirm by comparison that Dobson’s pirates as a published comic would have only one use on the public shelves: alternative for toilet paper during the COVID-19 epidemic

Believe me, I would love to write an in depth analysis of everything wrong with Alex ze Pirate, from the lazy artwork up to even the publication history of this trainwrack. But doing so would take a lot of time and there is one individual part of this I think deserve at least extra attention. Something that in my opinion embodies quite well a lot of things I consider wrong with this comic. So before I am going over Alex in its entirety (and believe me, the day will come) let me just talk within the next few posts about one certain aspect and story of the comic, that genuinely got me to loath this comic to the core: Sam the Cabin Boy and “his” own individual story Dobson drew in three parts around 2010.

For starters, lets talk who Sam is: Sam is one of the main characters in the comic and actually the first person who joined Alex and Peggy in the initial pages of Legends, the “original” form of Alex ze Pirate.

See, back in 2004, Dobson released Alex ze Pirate in form of a single comic volume called “Legends” which features Alex trying to recruit a crew. The thing is around 78 pages thick and based on what I saw pretty terribly paced. For comparison: When Luffy in One Piece got his crew together, he spend multiple volumes and at least three minor story arcs to get Zoro, Nami, Sanji and Usopp to join him. All while also giving us good insight into the kind of people his new crewmates were (especially Sanji’s and Nami’s backstory got to me), defeating the likes of Buggy and Captain Black, meeting Dracula Mihawk and defeating one of the biggest bastards Eichiro Oda ever created in form of Arlong. What is the story how Sam joins the crew? An orphanage organizes an auction and sells kids off. Which I assume was even illegal in pirate times, so kudos for already showing us how despicable the world of Alex ze Pirate is to begin with and how much it deserves to be nuked in some sort of alien invasion.

Sam also doesn’t really get anything to do when he is introduced, just helping Alex escape on a small boat. Which is weird because he does not know her at all, she is just some stranger who bought him off and has no means to keep him in check, so why even bother following her and not let the mob get rid of Alex?

Anyway, I wish I could tell more about Sam’s involvement in Legends, but I don’t have really more than some scans of it in the beginning and near the end. So I don’t know his involvement in the rest of the volume. I also can’t say how he plays out in volume two, because that does not exist at all. Cause for reasons I will never understand, Dobson just abandoned the idea of telling a “coherent” and ongoing story with Alex ze Pirate and instead went to his colored one page comics/strips with it, turning it into what some people called “Garfield with Pirates” (which I consider a genuine insult towards any newspaper comic out there, even something as Boondocks). And the first thing we see of Sam in “classic” Alex ze Pirate?

The perverted dwarf of the crew showing of his shota underwear so that Alex and Sam stop bickering who is the cutest, leaving him embarrassed and humiliated.

Which kinda sums up his role in the comic to a t. Cause this is what Sam is: He is the buttmonkey of the crew. And honestly, I would not have a total problem with Sam being a buttmonkey, if a) he wasn’t it all the time, b) he would actually do something to deserve any form of humiliation and c) if the other characters in this comic itself would not be some of the biggest assholes I have ever seen, who get away with abusing the poor lad.

See, here is the problem: In a crew featuring a choleric homophobic soulless ginger

A black rat person who wants to fuck the ginger even without her consent

A furry abomination that has the same brain wavelengths as Chris Chan

And a perverted dwarf who tries to impersonate Happosai from Ranma 1/2

Sam is the only decent person in the entire crew. He works hard, he even questions the morality of his friends at times, he is honest, he is not perverted, almost good to the point of childish innocence and he has a very humble “goal” which is he wants to own his own piece of gold. Not even a big pile of treasure, just one single coin would be enough for him.

So he is likeable and relatable. In fact, if anything goes by, he may have been one of the most popular ones in the comic. And yet he is the one who gets constantly abused by “fate” and his friends, because as Dobson would say it, he is supposed to be the buttmonkey. There is just one problem: People do not necessarily like buttmonkeys.

I can primarily speak only for myself here, but I hope what I have to say resonates with others too. See, I get it: A character who is the butt of a joke can be fun. Like Daffy in Duck Amuck. But there is a fine line where a character being humiliated for the sake of a joke is fun (and perhaps even deserved because of his own shortcomings or deeds/actions that make the humiliation sort of kharmic, like lets say Johnny Bravo) and a character being humiliated to the point it feels disproportional, unfunny and mean spirited if not outright sadistic, can be crossed. Take Meg Griffin from Family Guy for example whose only “purpose” for existing within the last 12+ years is to get shat on by her family and the writers. People have no idea for a plot with her, so what do they do? Have her father physically and emotionally abuse her, fart in her face for what is supposed to count as a joke and then add additional insult to it by acknowledging that they are only doing this, because they have no other idea for her and think abuse is fun. Let me just tell you from experience, it is not.

And that is essentially what Sam is: He is the Meg Griffin of Alex ze Pirate, used by his creator as the butt of very unfunny jokes, even if he does not deserve any of the things said or done to him. Want to see some examples?

How about the description Dobson gives Sam within the introduction of one of his volumes, showing how little Dobson as the creator even cares for him.

Why is he called an unworthy “slob” if he is the only one who actually works? Shouldn’t a slob be someone like Dobson, who can’t even take care of himself anymore? Also the confirmation that he was kidnapped at the age of 16. And as we have no clarification how much time passed between Legends Vol. 1 and anything afterwards, that means that in a way Alex is a child abuser.

And now, here some examples by the rest of the cast. Like Uncle Peggy framing him for all sorts of his perverted actions and even trying to kill him for no apparent reason?

Alex trying to kill him with chicken pox…

…Destroying all his worldly posessions which is hilarious because he is a poor orphan…

…Essentially describing him as worthless because he was born with an Y-chromosome…

… doing the kind of thing Dobson claims women would never do to man, using their sex appeal to hurt them…

…forcing him to do some unnecessary and rather petty work for her in a physics defying manner (seriously, the way he holds the axe does not compute with how he swings it. Try it out yourself)

… stealing his food and just being a cruel sadistic cunt to him just because it is fun.

Which is “funny” in so far as that there are a few comics indicating she would jump his dick and ride it like a little pony if she could.

By the way, Talus and Atea are not better. None of them calls Alex out on her bullshit on average, Atea uses Sam to trigger traps in one story arc…

And Talus, the closest to a “friend” he is supposed to have, once for no apparent reason made him dig through his litterbox

And don’t get me even started when the characters decide to gang up on Sam, to the point he gets sexually harassedor is called to be less worth as a human being than the dirt you find in your belly button

Fuck’s sake, even in fanart everyone gangs up on him, even the freaking big bad of the story everyone is supposed to hate or be afraid of

Bottom line, Sam is an abuse victim played for laughs in this comics. And just to clarify, I do not think this was Dobson’s intention. But if the character is undeservingly the butt of jokes for the majority of over 120 strips, it turns nasty. The way Sam is treated, I just find disgusting and indictive of just how unlikable any other character in this comic is to the point I do not want to see this being turned into a proper “franchise”. And I assume others were disgusted by it too, cause Dobson eventually decided to make a story more or less addressing the treatment Sam receives, while also attempting to prove that deep down the assholes with starring roles in this trainwrack care for him. How did this play out? Well, I am going to talk about it, so likely not well. If you want to see the details, grab yourself some popcorn and take a toilet break before we tackle part 2 of this thing.

#andrew dobson #so you are a cartoonist #sjw #comics #comic #webcomic #alex ze pirate #sam the cabin boy #legends #tom preston #disgusting #male abuse #unfunny

103 notes · View notes

jean----ralphio · 3 years

Text

IT’S BoB LIVEBLOG TIME

Episode 1 is under the cut!

Warning, I swear a lot... and am very in love with RSJ so a lot of this was just me pointing at the screen and screaming RICH and then remembering you can’t see me so writing it down...

Episode 1: Curahee! Curaahhee? Curraahhee? I can’t spell so I’m renaming it Ross is a punk bitch

Buckle up my babies, this will be a carcrash!

00:01 Here we fucking go aw yis

00:11 Aw who’s this? I wish they named the gentlemen at the start of the episodes, I wanna know who is who :s

00:25 Shifty, is that you my angel son?

00:41 OMG you guys… these men are breaking my heart </3

01:06 Lord, men were committing suicide because they couldn’t go to fight? That mentality… man. Oh my God, you angels. Babies.

01:36 No jokes allowed, every man is <3

01:40 Now that I’m humbled and we’re all well and truly miserable…the credits, ugh, my heart. The score is amaziiiing. Some of the footage is actual war-time footage, I read, which is a brilliant touch.

02:01 DICK <3

02:13 DICK’S HUSBAND <3

02:18 RSJ’S NAAAAAME

02:27 JFC this music makes me so emotional. Look there’s Matthew Settle’s face. That makes me emotional too

02:48 Ah it’s Roe <3

03:48 I’m trying to pick them all out in the line-up but I can’t tell who is who. Are we supposed to be able to? There’s a short one in the middle, is that Harry?

03:49 I’m not drunk enough to handle this

04:10 Upottery? Ah it’s so English I love it. That’s not a name! Wtf is up with English place-names, you guys have the weirdest names. Upottery? Seriously? Is it only potters that live there? I’m so confused

04:22 Close up of Roe! Perfect. I approve.

04:32 Is that the guy from Line of Duty? I think it is

04:39 Lip <3

04:44 Ew. GTFO Cobb. He doesn’t even go here

04:47 IS THAT RICH? RICH. ILY. ILY RICH. Please note that 94% of this will be a Rich-watch

04:53 Lieb stop. I am sure you are not a certified hairdresser

04:56 RICH. SMOKING. SMOKING RICH. More like smoking hot do you see what I did there?

05:20 I can categorically say that I love Joe Toye. I do. I love him. But every time I see Kirk Acevedo, all I think of is Charlie my baby from Fringe (awesome show, please watch it). And I just. Charlieee <3

05:39 Aw. They’re so sad

05:55 They’re so despondent. Guys. It’s fine

06:05 Fassy?? FASSY!!

06:18 God Damien is pretty

06:25 Nix that’s not how you flirt

06:57 Lol at Dick noting its happy hour. Thinking about taking Nix on a date, are we? I bet you are. Now THAT is how you flirt!

07:24 OMG the fucking flirting! GUYS. “And give up all this?” NIX SAYS AS HE CHECKS HIM OUT

07:37 Yeah, Nix, you’ll take him ‘to Chicago’ huh? Is that what they call it nowadays.

07:44 Do you want to be that cigarette? ‘Cos there is nothing heterosexual about that lingering look, Dick

08:18 ‘Murica time

08:25 Ross, fuck off. Nice jacket though. “You PEOPLE are at the position of attention” ugh GTFO. Dick’s sideye tho lol

08:52 NGL Ross does a great job at being super unlikeable

09:05 Noooo you don’t want it with Johnny Martin. You wont win. Yeah, walk away Ross

09:15 Careful around Lip too, or Speirs will materialize out of thin air and snap your neck

09:33 RICH. Don’t be scared of that douchebag, baby

09:43 What kind of question is that, there is nothing Lieb wants more!

09:50 It’s weird hearing Ross swear tho

10:26 Don’t argue with Johnny, baby. Also Roe OMG <3 Shane is freaking fit

10:43 Wow Lip is ripped

10:48 Oh no, poor baby. Lip leave him be ☹ </3

11:10 LOL I just noticed the drum by the door. It says ‘butts’ and it took me a seconds to realise it was for cigarettes. I am an adult (31-year-old married woman). I’ll laugh at the word butts if I want.

11:11 RICH

11:18 Lieb omg lol

11:39 RICH BABY NO! FUCK OFF ROSS! LEAVE HIM ALONE OR I WILL HAVE SPEIRS CUT YOU

11:52 I can’t take Ross seriously in those shorts. Hi-ho GTFO

12:07 Ew fuck off running up that, I’d just nope out like nah babe imma go chill with that sweet baby back in the butts cabin

12:18 Aw Dick <3 The juxtaposition of Dick as a leader compared to Sobel who sure he might be honing them into something formidable and skilled but he’s an asshole. He’s not a leader. He’s a bullying, abusive scumbag. Dick is an actual leader who protects them and supports them and encourages them and IHAVEALOTOFFEELINGSOK

12:43 You don’t deserve that sick jacket, Ross. Seriously. That is a boss jacket, I want it

13:04 Have they not stopped fucking working out all this time? Ugh

13:23 Oh good, Dick gets a boss jacket too. He deserves it.

13:30 I wish people had to ask me for permission to speak.

13:53 I just. He. I can’t with Dick Winters, you guys. I cannot. I have lost the ability to can. Like they’re so upset and tired and low and just with that little joke he boosts their morale back up from where Sobel fucking beat it down into the mud and makes everything lighter and they laugh and are less tense and I just. Fucking love you, Dick.

14:00 Is that my angel son? I see you Shifty, love you baby

14:03 RICH. DON’T TOUCH MY RICH.

14:07 Oh my God, address them yourself you weirdo, Ross. They’re right there, you’re right there! I had a colleague that used to do the same, would get me to speak to my employees for her when they were right there in front of her like… ‘can you tell x to do y for me pls…’ … I was like wtf you know you CAN talk to them… you won’t catch poor just by speaking to people lower down the pecking order

14:22 Fassy! Wtf they’re not supposed to drink? Dehydration is legit one of the most dangerous things, how tf can you turn them into high-key supersoldiers if they’re dehydrated? How is this man so dumb? The guy in front of Fassy tho omg. I bet Fassy’s boss wife Alicia Vikander won’t like her husband being treated that way… she’s so badass tho right?

14:26 He’s so dramatic! Ugh

15:11 Piss off omg

15:24 oh my DVD flipped its shit here, only picked back up at 16:30 don’t @ me

16:52 RICH WHAT ARE THEY DOING TO YOU RICH

17:21 Shifty my angel son

17:46 so sweet

18:04 Sink, babe, no he is the worst, stop

18:20 LOL no, he’s jel as fuck babe

18:32 NO FUN ALLOWED. Im sorry, that tie is so ugly

18:44 Simon Pegg??!!

18:51 Ross is so dramatic God shut up. it’s not a conspiracy, weirdo

19:10 “It’s a can of peaces, sir.” Iconic.

19:11 Dick’s tiny smile is equally iconic.

19:17 SHUT UP ROSS

19:44 He wants to be punched, I think, like he’s goading them. The sick fuck.

20:47 DON’T TRUST HIM, DICK!

21:02 ROE <3

21:31 Hoobler, aw <3

21:37 I warned you not to trust him, boys

21:54 Ah boys, oh no

22:04 RICH. Kick him, baby

22:17 Bull, punch him, seriously

22:24 Oh Luz <3

22:26 Yeah GTFO, suck it, bitch

23:06 Who is this? Fella’s hot

23:40 RICH. FASSY. WEB. TAB.

24:19 Suck it, Ross

24:30 Real footage?

24:41 Lol you suck Ross

25:23 RICH. SMOKING RICH.

25:26 Bill omg

25:45 Perco, baby, no. don’t talk to Johnny Martin. Don’t look at Johnny Martin. Don’t so much as think about Johnny Martin. He will fuck you up with his gaze alone, baby

25:56 Ah Luz

26:06 OK. That’s hot. Joe/Charlie don’t be hot. It confuses me

26:42 Winnix being husbands in the corner

27:42 YOU’RE in the wrong position, dumbass, it’s no one else’s fault

27:46 Dick’s come to save the day

27:56 Ross knows nothing omg

28:05 RICH. Even my Rich is confused, Ross, you dweeb

28:20 Lol at Dick dropping down ready for a fight

28:36 Fassy isn’t happy. That means Alicia Vikander is coming for you. Joe/Charlie is definitely not happy. Lip is upset. Think about your life, Ross, think about your choices. You know you’ve failed when Roe is judging you

28:57 Nix is like lol where tf is the alcohol tho

28:59 Harry! Harry is here! But yes, baby, you’re interrupting the husband’s foreplay, leave immediately

30:00 Lol at the Nix vs Ross staredown. Nix won

30:17 RICH. GUYS IT’S RICH

30:33 Do it, Lieb. Drop the grenade. Just don’t upset my angel son Shifty

30:40 He is a literal angel. Don’t corrupt him Lieb

30:59 Nix is having another crack at flirting. “Going my way” so suave omg. Omg stop. No wait don’t

31:09 “I’m not the intelligence officer.” Neither is Nix half the time babe let’s be fair

31:14 “If I told you I’d have to kill you.” Nix is getting better at flirting! He’s been attending flirting 101 classes it seems

31:40 They’re legit such husbands prove me wrong

32:00 He’s not joking, Dick

32:06 Harry’s like oh yay yes please

32:11 Lol Nix

33:03 Ugh. Men. I feel like that hold smells so bad.

33:09 RICH. Naw, Rich is sad he’s missing out on the flamingos.

33:32 Joe/Charlie you deserve a day to commemorate you tbh. I love you.

33:46 “My brother’s in North Africa, he says it’s hot.” Bill is iconic.

34:34 Lieb, honey, don’t, please

34:49 I feel you, random hot guy. Tipper?

35:05 Eyyy this place is nice, let’s all move there.

35:17 Shifty, my angel son, my baby <3

35:26 Yay, Harry gets a boss jacket too!

36:22 Mum and Dad of Easy. I’m low-key living for Lip’s little worried faces.

36:33 THAT JACKET IS SICK AS FUCK I WANT 20

36:38 The fence is there, Ross, because you’re so fucking dumb

36:51 Guys, look, cows

37:06 He’s fucking useless. Hi Simon Pegg.

37:22 RICH

37:25 This whole scene gives me life and waters my crop

37:31 RICH <3. YOU GUYS. I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH. RICH RICH RICCCCHHHH

37:42 Poor Tip is so done

37:58 Simon Pegg is so confused

38:04 Good job, Tipper, I’m proud of you and your pretty face

38:10 Iconic

38:15 Keep it together Tip

38:54 The hand signals, no, I’d be like BABY. WHAT. I CAN’T UNDERSTAND YOU WTF. I’d last like a millisecond in the military lmao. Does my country even have one? Tbh probably not. Us Kiwis are too chill, cbf’ed with anything. Too busy watching rugby, drinking, and sulking that we can’t afford houses cos our housing market is fucked. But at least we beat Covid *shrugs*

39:06 ILY, old guy. You are the best thing in this episode, aside from Rich

39:22 But wait, there’s more weird Americans hopping out yo’ bushes

39:26 “Bloody hell!” Mood

39:47 “You’ve done it now, yanks, you’ve captured me!” He is such a mood. I love him.

39:54 FUCK OFF ROSS. “Would that be the enemy?” “As a matter of fact, yes.” DICK IS SO VALID I LOVE HIM THIS IS ICONIC.

40:25 Be free, moo-cows

40:40 LAMO GET WRECKED

41:00 Guys imma be straight with you. I’m on my third whiskey lmao.

41:10 Simon Pegg, please refrain from being a douchebag. Leave Dick and his husband to flirt in peace.

41:23 I love how Nix is like instantly suspicious. He knows.

41:39 Worried husband

41:45 “Misspelled court-marital.” Iconic

42:14 Ross, why you lying? So threatened and jel that you gotta lie omg.

42:50 God Damien is freaking hot. Guys.

42:57 Punk bitch Ross.

43:22 Dick is so BDE. It’s fucking hot.

43:30 Ross is shooketh tbh. Punk bitch.

43:36 AH! IT IS HIM! THE GUY FROM LINE OF DUTY S5!

43:50 That underbite must have hurt FJH a lot omg so committed.

44:02 Hey Lip <3

44:09 Johnny Martin has absolute BDE

44:22 God they’re willing to be killed just to not follow Ross. Same tbh.

44:57 This whole scene is BDE.

46:00 But Sink has the most BDE let’s be honest

46:44 The respect for Dick. Even after what they just went through. I AM EMOTIONAL.

46:58 He’s so worried like omg what have my troublesome sons done now

47:09 ROSS WHY YOU ALWAYS LYING??

48:09 Weak

48:24 Yeah, fuck off back to ‘Murica

48:34 Legit, can we acknowledge Ross did a great job (the actor). Really really well done, one of the best performances on the series tbh.

49:48 LMAO GET WRECKED PUNK BITCH

50:06 Dick just wanders about a lot on his own, huh?

50:50 What? What? I understand nothing of what the cockney guy is saying.

50:55 Me too, Hoob, the fuck.

51:00 RICH I SAW YOU

52:19 “Never put yourself in a position where you can take from these men.” Don’t omg I can’t, Dick, I’m weak, I can’t deal with these fucking feelings.

52:36 DAFUQ

52:40 OHHHH I get it. Right. Dick, you’re so smart. It’s a little sad they have to do all that just to get some answers and guidance but tbh it’s probably fair? Gotta be top secret so punk bitches like Ross can’t screw things up.

53:30 Hey Nix. Speak French to me any day.

53:48 Unf.

54:08 LMAO Lieb, how many cigarettes do you need!

54:10 NGL I paused here for a little while.

55:05 We could ALL use some brass knuckles, Joe/Charlie. Mood.

55:25 LOL Lieb is so nosy.

56:15 Oh no

57:00 Luz LMAO

57:10 Oh babies

57:13 Bill LMAO that’s not ice cream, yuck it looks like soup

57:28 God. All that effort. Not just logistically but emotionally, mentally, psychologically, to prepare, just to have it put off. Fuck.

57:38 That movie again. Poor boys.

57:47 That’s actually a really smart move, Johnny.

58:41 Oh no. I would lose it completely. Oh Bill </3

59:11 Naw, Dick dawdling around again

59:49 RICH I SEE YOU

1:00:08 AAAHHHH IT’S TOO CONFRONTING DON’T

1:00:48 NOOO I CAN’T aw Bill

1:01:09 Naww

1:01:16 RIIIIICH

1:01:20 It’s like they’re kiddies on a field trip and Dick is the teacher wrangling them lol

1:01:47 Lol their crap is so heavy Dick has to help pull them up. That’s actually really sweet.

1:01:51 I wish I could hold Rich’s hand

1:02:08 Oh God. I can’t. Like he’s helping them up BUT IT’S ALSO HIS WAY OF SAYING GOOD LUCK AND GOODBYE AND HAVING LIKE A MOMENT TO CONNECT WITH EACH OF THEM I CAN’T LIKE THE EYE CONTACT NO DICK STOP

1:02:19 LMAO at them having to shove each other into the plane

1:02:23 That look between him and Roe. Ugh. Like. You two gotta take care of your boys together. Brotp

1:03:22 Can someone explain the block on that guy’s helmet to me?

1:03:55 I’m sad. And scared. This series is so confronting. I’ve watched in annually since I was like 16 and I’m still so nervous for them.

1:05:37 Rich, I see you! I recognized his chin lmao

1:06:16 God, Dick be careful

1:10:00 This show. The feels. Every time.

#band of brothers #liveblog #episode 1 #Currahee #sp?#rsj #richard speight jr

16 notes · View notes

celestialmark · 4 years

Text

Solitude - Part Two

Characters: Mark Lee x reader, members of nct

Genre: sniper!mark, mafia au

Word count: 10.4k

Warnings: mentions of death, cursing, hint of panic attack

Author’s note: after a gazillion years, part 2 is finally here. apologies for the wait! but I hope you enjoy! love you guys!!

“Donghyuck?”

Johnny is peeking out the door only to be greeted by Donghyuck who doesn’t greet him a usual mischievous grin. His eyes are hard, lines forming on his forehead and lips pursed together. “What brings you here?”

Johnny opens the door wider and Donghyuck takes this opportunity to push past him, barging into his place without a proper invitation. “Is Mark here?”

“Well hello to you too,” Johnny mumbles to himself as he closes the door behind him, disappearing inside to wherever Donghyuck was headed. “And no Mark isn’t here. Shouldn’t he be with you?”

Donghyuck stops in his tracks when he reaches the room you and Mark had just been in two minutes ago. Johnny scans the room with his eyes behind Donghyuck, looking to see if there are traces of your presence left behind.

“He’s not answering my calls,” Donghyuck turns to Johnny. “I haven’t seen him since yesterday’s shoot.”

Johnny raises a brow, ready to play innocent. “Oh? Y/n? It’s all over the news.”

Donghyuck nods but narrows his eyes at the older right after. “I’m almost sure he’d be here,” his tone is accusing and Johnny has to hold himself back not to lose his temper when he’s reminded that Donghyuck has every right to be that way and that everything he’s accusing him of was true. Donghyuck is pacing around the room, to find anything, to prove Johnny was lying.

Johnny only forces a low chuckle, eyeing your blood-stained clothed tossed away in a corner. “Why would you think that? I haven’t seen Mark since.”

“Since you left?” Donghyuck asks, pausing in his steps, his voice low and somber. He turns to Johnny again, a sad hint flashing across his eyes when he remembers what had happened a little over two years ago.

Johnny falls silent, his gaze darting to the ground, memories still fresh in his head. “Y-yeah. Since that.”

Silence clouds over the atmosphere and for a moment, Johnny becomes distracted, getting lost in his own thoughts. It isn’t until Donghyuck is reaching for him and tapping his shoulder with his palm that he looks up. Donghyuck is giving him a smile, a sad one, “Sorry for barging in here. I’ll- I’ll get going now.”

Johnny reciprocates the smile with a nod. He follows Donghyuck out the door and just when he’s about to get into his car, he looks back at Johnny. “We can still come here, right? I don’t think we’ll ever stop getting into fights and the boys don’t know anyone who can treat them as good as you do.”

Johnny smiles, genuinely for the first time in Donghyuck’s presence, the sense of brotherhood coming back to life again. “Of course Hyuck. This place will always be open for you.”

Mark is quiet when he watches you curiously take in your new surroundings of his humble abode, a loft in the middle of somewhere you’ve never been to. There’s a staircase to your right, leading to what you can make out as the bedroom, from its lack of walls surrounding the area, and probably the only bedroom in the building. The living room is in the middle of the first floor, two sets of sofas with a coffee table situated in the middle, on an area of the floor that dips down slightly, elevating everything else little. The small kitchen’s on the left, the kitchen counter serving as the dining table accompanied with two high swivel chairs.

It’s neat and clean, quaint and cozy.

“Is this where you live?” You ask curiously, eyes studying every nook and cranny.

Mark, who’s behind you, mirrors your actions, “When I get the chance to come home, yeah.”

“Oh?” You inquire, turning to him only to find him examining his own place in the same manner you did, if not in an even more intense way. The sight makes you think it’s a foreign place to him just as it is to you. “Your job requires you to travel often?”

You realise it’s the first ever question you’ve asked about Mark and you hope you’re not crossing over the line too soon. Mark looks at you, his expression shifting from confused to understanding, “Y-yeah. Something like that.”

Before you can ask anymore questions, Mark beats you to it, “Hey, are you hungry? You haven’t eaten for over twenty four hours now.”

On the realisation, your stomach growls lowly, having forgotten about the hunger from the hectic escape earlier. You smile bashfully, suddenly growing shy at the possibility of Mark hearing your stomach. “You’re cooking?”

Mark tries to suppress a smile, his features softening, a sight you wouldn’t mind seeing a lot more. “No. I can’t cook. But I was thinking pizza? That sound okay?”

You smile a grateful one and nod. “That would be great, yeah.”

Mark can’t help but notice your lack of questions, your behaviour painfully similar to Johnny’s. Out of all people, it should be you asking a gazillion questions, after all, you were the one who had been shot. He’s expected you to ask him about the culprit to the occasional pain shooting up your chest, why he saved your life, and anything about him at all. But there’s none of that, only you munching away on pizza with a satisfied grin on your face. He doesn’t know if he should be thankful you’re not asking questions about what had happened, or worried because of the exact same reason.

“Quit staring already and eat, Mark,” you say, pausing from your bites to point out he hasn’t eaten since the pizza had arrived. “Is there something on my face?”

Mark shakes his head after blinking himself out of his trance. “N-no. There’s nothing there.” He finally reaches for a pizza slice and you resume on satisfying your crying belly. “How’s the pain?”

“Really bad when I move around,” you admit, swallowing your last bite. “But okay if I stay still.”

“I have some painkillers if you want,” Mark replies. “They’re not as strong as the ones Johnny gave you but hopefully it’ll help.”

You nod and smile again, a gesture that has Mark staring at you for a second too long. “I’ll take whatever you have,” you say.

You continue to munch on your food, the fatigue and the pain combined lulling you into exhaustion some time after you talk about random things with Mark. You ask him about his loft, the weather, the guitar tucked away in the corner of the living room but never anything about your situation, about who’s behind your shooting, about who’s out for your life, about who he is. You believe trusting Mark is enough for now and the way his lips curl into a small smile whenever you say something irrelevant and random, makes you feel content despite the lingering questions in your head.

“Tired?” Mark asks when you try hard to suppress a yawn, not wanting to be rude in front of him.

You give him a sheepish smile with a nod of your head. “What time is it?”

Mark pulls his sleeve up slightly, revealing the watch wrapped around his wrist, “A little over four in the afternoon.” He’s already getting up from his seat on the couch opposite yours and you watch him curiously, your eyes trailing on him until you find him standing in front of you in no time. A soft expression adorning his features, he holds out his hand to you, “Come, you must be exhausted.”

Your eyes fly to his hand and then back up to his face. Then you remember how he practically carried you almost all morning, desperate to get away from whoever came uninvited. You take his hand anyway, realising just why you needed assistance once he pulls you up; it still hurt to move. Mark moves his body so that he’s standing right behind you, his shoulder touching yours and his free hand landing on the small of your back to steady you. A huff leaves your mouth, inhaling deep breaths until the ache settles ever so slightly.

“I think I’m gonna need that painkiller,” you mutter, gripping his hand tight.

Mark nods behind you, letting you lead the way to somewhere you don’t even know, “Okay, I’ll get it after I send you up to bed.”

You pause in your shuffling, looking back at him, “Oh? You said there’s only one bed. Where will you sleep?”

“I can stay down here.”

“But it’s cold down here.”

“No it’s alright.”

“Mark—“

“I need to watch the door too. Staying down here will make that easier.”

You fall in silence, Mark’s jaw rigid and eyes hardening at the thought of an intruder coming for you. You blink three times, pursing your lips shut and look away, no longer pressing on the matter, realising you didn’t have a better idea anyway.

Mark is patient with your slow steps, and even slower steps as you climb the stairs. Once you’re settled on the bed, you watch him walk over to what you presume to be his wardrobe, coming back to you a second later with a fresh white shirt in his hand.

“Here, change into this,” he instructs as you retrieve it from him, noticing the way the shirt Johnny had clothed you in, sustained small stains of blood here and there. Mark doesn’t spare you a glance before he’s leaving to go downstairs again and you take his absence as an opportunity to change into his shirt.

The first thing you realise is Mark’s scent, the moment the clothing is on your body fully, its size making it cling onto your body loosely, stopping just above your knees. He smells good; of summer, of warm happy days. It’s a scent that calms your senses, especially from being on edge for so long. And for the first time, you feel at peace, your shoulders drooping at the relief, your aching muscles suddenly untying their own respective knots. All merely because of Mark’s scent.

Mark catches you standing by the edge of the bed, playing with the soft material of his shirt. He’s about to climb the last stair when he stops to revel in the sight. You’re catching him off guard for the second time today and he’s unsure how many more times he has to make himself stop and stare before he’s finally able to train himself to look away because in his eyes, you were beautiful. And that’s you not even doing anything. He regains his composure when you look up and find him, forcing his limbs to move.

“Your painkiller,” he mumbles, setting a tablet by the bedside table with a glass of water. “Have a good rest, I’ll be downstairs if you need me.”

Mark is about to leave just as fast as he came, his slight change in demeanour grabbing your attention when he doesn’t look your way.

“Mark?” You call out, his figure freezing. You see him turn his body, his eyebrows shooting upwards and a forced smile plastered on his face. You smile at him, suddenly second-guessing yourself but push through anyway.

“Thank you.”

“Where have you been!”

Jaemin is quick to almost yell when Mark enters through the door, catching everyone’s attention, heads snapping towards the door.

“Mark what the fuck!” Donghyuck shouts, getting up from his seat, immediately scowling at Mark. “Why haven’t you answered your bloody phone for the past two days?”

“Sorry,” is all Mark could say, avoiding all of their gazes while he holds his head high, walking over to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water in a manner that makes it seem he hadn’t just left his comrades in the dark.

There’s an incredulous look on Donghyuck’s face as he waits for Mark to re-emerge from the kitchen and we he appears, he crosses his arms across his chest, “Well? Where the hell have you been?”

“Sleeping,” Mark replies, unbothered, though nervous inside.

“See?” Renjun reiterates, mostly at Donghyuck, trying to prove a point.

“For two days?” Donghyuck mocks, still glaring at Mark.

“For two days,” Mark confirms.

Jaemin and Renjun exchange glances, Jeno continues to stare at Mark in silence while Donghyuck exhales a frustrated sigh. “And what about y/n’s body?” Donghyuck asks, his tone dripping with accusation.

Mark’s grip on his bottle tightens a little bit, the thought of you in his loft all alone suddenly making him anxious, “Gone.”

“See?” Renjun repeats again, his voice raising in pitch to emphasise Donghyuck’s unnecessary worry.

Donghyuck only rolls his eyes, trying to mask his defeat, his mere assumptions finally coming to rest with Mark’s presence. Renjun smirks at the sight, somehow satisfied for proving Donghyuck wrong and for justifying his adamant beliefs through Mark’s consistent laid back behaviour after every one of his shoot.

Donghyuck suddenly tosses a duffle bag towards Mark to which he catches skilfully with the help of his reflexes. “Delivery to Japan in two weeks. Taeyong wants you and Jeno to go.”

Mark glances at Jeno who’s looking up at him from the couch. Jeno nods at Mark, the gesture bringing Mark to two days ago before driving away from the scene of the shooting. Judging by the weight of the duffel bag, Mark can already pinpoint the contents he’ll be expecting to find inside.

“Nakamoto Yuta is his name,” Donghyuck says, finally tearing his eyes off of Mark and onto the laptop that’s resting in front of Jeno on the table. Jeno slides the laptop so that it faces towards Mark, a picture of a man, who Mark presumes to be the one Donghyuck has just mentioned, displayed on the screen. “Leader of Japan’s biggest mafia. Jeno’s done some research and from what Taeyong has said, this won’t be a straightforward transaction.”

Mark sets the duffel bag onto the floor, his interest peaking when he studies the man in question’s picture. Jaemin and Renjun have already huddled around Jeno, examining the screen of his laptop. “How come?” Mark asks curiously, hands resting on either sides of his hips.

“Yuta has a lot of men. And connections. And drugs. You name it. And he’s notorious for blackmailing. A lot of people he’s dealt with have lost far more than what they’ve signed up to gain,” Donghyuck explains, the atmosphere immediately shifting into a chilling one. “He doesn’t hesitate to kill either. You offend him even in the slightest, he won’t think twice of shooting you on the spot.”

Mark raises a brow, “Sounds like every single guy we come across.”

Donghyuck shakes his head as Jeno presses on a button on a keyboard, revealing another page. “No, Yuta is the worst. You’d think that with the severity of his crimes that public people actually know about, he’d be in jail. But no. Jeno reckons he has connections within the police that’s why he’s never been caught.”

“He probably has ties with politicians too,” Jaemin suggest, earning a nod from Jeno.

“He’s a drug lord,” Renjun points out, scanning the screen. “Man, this guy is filthy rich.”

“Then what does he want from us if he’s already that powerful?” Mark inquires.

“Yuta is looking to expand overseas. He has no links with Korea yet and he’s looking into building connections with us,” Donghyuck starts. “But of course, not without testing the waters first. So he’s asked Taeyong to send a couple of his men to bring what we could potentially offer.”

Jaemin tears his eyes off the laptop and gazes at Donghyuck with a confused glint, “And Taeyong wants to bet his entire mafia on this guy? Sounds like a death wish to me.”

“Because of money,” Donghyuck says flatly. “A lot of money.”

Renjun runs a hand through his hair out of frustration. “And I thought killing y/n was the hardest task yet.”

Mark’s ears perk up at the mention of your name but does a good job of hiding his interest.

Jaemin shrugs his shoulders, “Guess not.”

What you planned as a nap lasting an hour or two, ends up stretching to the next day. With the sun’s rays gently shining on your face, it brings you awake, shuffling around the bed until you freeze in your spot when you feel pain, a gentle yet prominent reminder of the recent events. Carefully and with much caution, you leave the bed, taking extra precautions when you slowly descend the stairs. The house is quiet and within your area of vision, you don’t see Mark anywhere, even from an elevated height.

“Mark?”

The clock on the wall reads eight and when you don’t hear any footsteps or Mark answering your call when you reach the last step, you begin to ponder his whereabouts. There’s a blanket neatly folded on one end of the couch on top of a pillow, but it looks as if it hadn’t been touched at all.

Your ears perk up to the sound of the lock in the distance, the tingling of keys being muffled on the other side of the door. You freeze for the second time in a span of five minutes, your feet firmly planting themselves onto the cold marble floor, an icy chill running up your spine, making the hairs on your skin stand eerily fast. You wearily turn, to the direction of the door, a heavy flood of memories suddenly crashing into you like turbulent waves on a stormy night. The overwhelming train of thoughts sends you into a shaking panic, your pulse picking up its pace, your breaths becoming short and uneven. You shut your eyes closed in dire attempts of ridding the ugly images in your head, your hands unknowingly balling into fists until your knuckles are turning white.

The seconds seem long and unending, the quiet ringing of keys and the low echo of the doorknob turning gradually ringing frantically in your ears. You’re sure you’re going to pass out. But the worst doesn’t come when you hear a familiar voice.

“Y/n?”

A series of hurried steps resonate throughout the loft after. And in no time, there’s palms on either side of your arms, gripping you firmly.

“Y/n?”

It’s Johnny.

And his voice along with his touch calms everything that you’ve sent into overdrive not too long ago. You open your eyes finally, the shaking of your body beginning to cease, finding Johnny with raised brows and eyes wide.

“What happened?” Johnny asks, his shoulders falling in relief when your eyes soften at the sight of him. He’s pulling on you weakly to sit you down on the couch behind you and you comply without resisting.

You stay silent for a while, trying to conjure up words that could possibly make sense to describe your panic. Johnny’s fingers are grazing your wrist as he examines you from head to toe. “Your heart’s racing. Did something happen?”

Johnny’s comforting presence and patience calms you down completely until you’re able to come back to the world. “Y-yeah. I uhh.. I think I just panicked a little.”

“Oh okay,” Johnny nods, understanding. “Do you want to talk about it?”

You’re quick to shake your head and Johnny is even quicker to get up and pretend like nothing had happened once he’s sure you’re okay. He’s heading over to the kitchen and that’s when you realise a brown paper bag is sitting on the counter, one that he had probably brought with him.

“Mark asked me to come over and keep you company,” Johnny says, his tone friendly. “And knowing Mark, he doesn’t— no he can’t cook. I hope pancakes and a little bit of maple syrup is okay?”

You nod, rising from the couch slowly and making your way towards him. “That’d be lovely.”

Johnny grins and puts on an apron, “Prepare to be blown away.”

You don’t remember the last time a stranger has made you feel comfortable and that’s probably because you’ve never come across one. It’s only been a short hour with Johnny, yet you’ve lost count of the amount of times you’ve broken out into a laugh, occasionally having to suppress it inside when you feel your wound cause you discomfort. His good nature oozes in the way he smiles and in the way his eyes smile along with the curve of his pretty lips. Johnny’s black hair falls onto his eyes occasionally when a laugh bubbles through his chest, the thought of your jokes being the very cause, making you feel good about yourself.

“I’m taking it that you enjoyed your breakfast then?” He asks, as if it wasn’t already obvious.

You nod with a grin, “I did. Very much. Best pancakes I’ve ever had.”

Johnny smiles, pleased with himself as he collects the empty plates to put in the sink. “Glad to hear.” He wipes his hands on his apron and turns to you, “What did Mark even feed you last night? His utentils look like they haven’t been used in years.

You chuckle, your memories coming back to yesterday, “Is he that bad?” The question earns a nod from Johnny, exaggerating the severity of the fact with eyes as big as saucers, as if you had just asked the most ridiculous question ever. You chuckle again, “Pizza. We had pizza.”

Johnny begins on the dishes, turning his back to you, making you hop off the swivel chair. You’re beside him in seconds and he abruptly stops the motions of his hands, “What are you doing?”

“Helping you with dishes,” you reply innocently.

“No it’s fine,” Johnny prods, shaking his head. “Go back and sit down, you’re injured.”

You shoot him an are-you-serious look, “Johnny I’m pretty sure I can do this much. Let me help. I want to be useful.”

Johnny blinks at you a few times before finally dropping the matter when he sees you grabbing a nearby towel so that you can dry the dishes he’s washed. “Speaking of Mark, where is he?”

“Oh. He didn’t tell you where he was going?” Johnny asks in return, eyes glued on the dishes.

You shake your head, “No. He wasn't here when I woke up.”

“He had some business to attend to,” Johnny says indiferrently. “He should be back soon.”

“What does Mark do?” You ask too quickly, without really thinking about it, your whole attention trained on drying the last plate Johnny had just handed you.

Johnny turns the tap off, dries his hands by patting them dry in his apron and hangs it into the hook he had found it on earlier, “I’m not the right person to ask.”

“What—“

“Come on, I’ll check your wound.”

Mark comes back early evening, sporting a white shirt underneath a black leather jacket. Johnny’s sitting idly on the couch, reading a newspaper he picked up from the coffee table. Mark’s eyes immediately dart around the place, but find you nowhere in sight.

“She’s showering,” Johnny says, without even looking up, seemingly reading the boy’s actions from the corner of his eyes.

Mark slumps on the couch beside the elder and runs a hand through his hair, exhausted and drained from the occurrences of his day, “How is she?”

“Pain wise, good. She’s tolerating well, but I left her regular painkillers just so she’s comfortable,” Johnny sets the newspaper back on the table and leans both of his elbows on his knees, craning his neck to look at Mark. “Her wound is okay, healing. Changed her dressing and fed her too.”

Mark lets out a quiet chuckle, “So you worked your charms on her.”

Johnny grins, leaning back on the sofa, “So you finally acknowledge it, that I’m charming.”

Mark rolls his eyes, a crooked smile painting on his lips, “Whatever you say.”

Johnny nudges Mark’s side with his elbow, Mark shifting in his seat to dodge his continuous jabs, “Come on! Admit it! Tell me I’m charming!”

Mark laughs, the melodious sound bouncing off the walls, the stresses of the day slowly becoming drowned out by Johnny’s antics. “Come on Mark!”

Mark laughs some more, using both his arms to shield himself from Johnny who’s tickling him in all parts his hands could get to, “Well Ari seemed pretty smitten—“

Johnny immediately stops, his hands freezing mid-air, just about to attack Mark once again. Mark realises a second too late, his eyes widening at the recognition, the name slipping past his mouth too easily, “Oh shit— sorry. I’m sorry.”

Johnny settles back in his seat, sinking in the comfort of the couch. “No, don’t be. It’s okay.”

Mark is about to say something but chooses to drop the subject instead, knowing Johnny wouldn’t want to talk about it further. So he changes the topic, falling into conversation about what Johnny had to say about spending the day with you. Their exchange of words last for a good half an hour before Johnny takes his leave and calls it a day, just the same time you come out of the bathroom, towel resting on your shoulders, hair still damp.

“Mark,” you say, taking in the sight of him in today’s clothes. You quietly admit to yourself just how good he looks in that leather jacket. But you don’t notice the way Mark’s eyes fall on your entire figure until there’s noting but silence for what feels like minutes. “Oh— I borrowed your shirt again,” you look down and tug at the black shirt, the size hanging onto you like a dress just like the one from last night. “Sorry I should have asked.”

Mark shakes his head, “No. It’s okay.”

He’s contemplating again, wanting to tell you that you can borrow as many of his shirts as you want, that they suit you way better anyways. But he lets the silence stretch on instead.

“Johnny told me something earlier...” Mark says after a while, breaking your trance. “Could we maybe umm, talk?” Mark feels nervous all of a sudden because he’s convinced the impending conversation will only turn out for the worst and though he needed a little extra time to prepare himself, the unspoken things needed to be addressed now. Before it’s too late.

You catch your lower lip between your teeth, the shift in the atmosphere making your heart drop a little. “Yes. Of course, sure.”

Mark reassures you with a smile before he’s walking away, gesturing you with a nod of his head to follow him. He brings you to a part of the loft you haven’t ventured to, a secluded corner that leads to a place you didn’t expect would exist in a place like this; a conservatory encased in glass, giving you access to the view of the moon and the stars. You lose yourself for a while, taken aback by the simple magnificence of the cloudless sky. Living in the city all your life, there were never views like this.

From the corner of your vision, you see Mark take a seat on what appears to be a couch, the only furniture you notice in the room and you follow suit, eyes never leaving the stars. You don’t get the chance to comment on how beautiful this part of Mark’s loft is when he breaks the silence first.

“This morning, y/n,” Mark starts carefully so that he doesn’t scare you. “Johnny mentioned something about you having a panic?”

You nod nonetheless, knowing all too well questions needed to be addressed in this conversation. “Yeah. I did.”

Mark glances at you, “Can I ask why?”

You realise no one really ever knows about what you’re about to share, and never in your wildest dreams did you even think you’d be telling someone you barely even knew. But you were sure, deep in your heart, that you trusted Mark, him saving your life more than enough reason for you to believe so.

You fiddle with your fingers and keep your eyes to the distance, recalling the memories you wanted to so erase from your brain. “Years ago, I was in my apartment waiting for my parents who were supposed to visit me that weekend. They have their own keys to my place since there were times they’d come briefly to leave me food,” you lower your head, swallowing thickly before continuing.

Noticing your behaviour, Mark leans forward, trying to search for your expression, “Y/n, if it’s too hard, you don’t have to—“

You shake your head, reassuring him with eye contact and a small smile, “No. It’s alright.” Taking a deep breath, you look away again, the ministrations of your fingers never stopping. “I heard the keys on the other side and eventually the lock turning and I waited by the hallway to greet them. But it wasn’t them.. It turned out to be someone else, someone I didn’t know and.. he had a knife with him. I was so sure I was going to die that day. If it wasn’t for Taeil.”

Mark’s fingers have a mind of their own when they come together to form a fist. He bites down hard, his jaw becoming taught, “Someone was out to kill you?”

You nod, “Yeah. The death threats came after that too in letters.. Sometimes in calls and texts from unknown numbers.”

“The police weren’t involved?”

“At some point they were. But there was never enough information to track the sender down. And I don’t remember much of what that person looked like, his cap was covering his face.” You pause for a second, recalling all the failed attempts of putting a stop to your worries concerning your safety. “My parents eventually hired a personal guard to keep me safe. Wasn’t pleasant.”

Mark doesn’t say anything, silently trying to pull the pieces together, coming to a conclusion that there were other people out for your life other than them.

“My guess is that it’s the same person who shot me,” you suddenly say, interrupting his chain of thought.

Mark’s stomach lurches.

“I watched the news with Johnny on the television earlier and people do really think I’m dead.” There’s a slight pang in your chest when you remember how real those articles looked. “And I guess– I’m somehow kind of relieved they think so.”

Your words catch Mark by surprise, highly convinced you’d be out to seek revenge and justice for what you had suffered. “How come?”

You exhale a breath and shrug your shoulders afterwards, tilting your head upwards to gaze at the stars, “Ever since my parents were killed a year ago, I was dumped with responsibilities I didn’t want. I didn’t know anything about running a business and the people around me weren’t so willing to help either. They all thought I wasn’t fit to be CEO especially since I was appointed overnight. And I agree with that, just wished they gave me more time to learn. The death threats didn’t stop either. They became more frequent and I was always on edge being in public and at home since I never really felt safe anywhere anymore.”

A sad smile creeps on your face and Mark sees a part of it from staring at your side profile. “I guess you could say it’s been tiring. But I feel like it’s finally over. Only I get to live in peace now. No one to follow me around, no one threatening to kill me, no one to try and please,” you turn to Mark, a full smile now grazing your features. “I’ve felt the most calm in the last twenty four hours than I ever have in years. Though it would have been better without the pain but hey, I shouldn’t complain.”

Mark’s heart shatters but his blank expression doesn’t give him away. “So what’s your plan?”

Mark can literally see your eyes light up as you turn your whole body towards him, clasping your hands together, “Well, I was hoping you’d let me stay here for a while just until I’m finally not the headlines of the news anymore and until people forget about this whole fiasco. And then I’ll find a place and move out eventually. I’m thinking going to this house my parents bought that no one knows about.”

Mark loses track of your words when he becomes absorbed completely with how excited you look and sound, loving the way your eyes twinkled with delight. He knows he has to tell you the truth. But the thought of taking away your tiny hint of happiness after being put through so much for so long changes his mind. You’re smiling at him right now and he didn’t have the heart to rob that from you.

“You, you.. trust me?”

Your smile falters slightly but a nod follows after giving his question a ponder.

“Of course. You saved my life.”

When the sun’s rays runs past through the glass of the windows in Mark’s loft, you find him downstairs by the kitchen, his back facing you. He’s scatching his head eyes fixated on the stove below him. There’s a faint smell of burnt food lingering in the air and you chuckle at the thought of Mark’s attempts at breakfast. The sound you make catches his attention, making him turn immediately, greeted by the sight of you trying to suppress a laugh.

“Good morning,” you greet and make your way beside him to examine the damage. You raise a brow when you fail to determine what dish he was trying to make.

“Nothing good about this morning, no,” Mark grumbles and studies the mess he’s made once again. “Eggs. How does one even burn eggs?”

“How does one manage to break the yolk too?” You add playfully, earning a slight scowl from Mark.

“Not helping,” he says lowly.

You laugh, “Mark, did you put oil before cracking the egg onto the pan?”

The silence answers your question.

“That’s why.”

“I forgot. And then I realised halfway,” Mark defends. “But by the time I realised, it was too late, the egg was already on the pan.”

You bump your hips with his to scoot him away, intending to take over his unfinished job. “Grab me the ingredients, I’ll make breakfast.”

Another silence. And it makes you halt cleaning the mess. You look at him inquisitively only to find him scratcing the back of his head again.

“Well.. That wasn’t exactly my first attempt.”

“What?”

Mark gestures to the bin not too far from where you both stood and there your eyes take in the endless egg shells threatening to gush out of the metal cylinder.

“Yeah there’s none left,” Mark finally admits, although with shame dripping his words.

You stifle a laugh. Seeing Mark still eye the bin that’s close to overflowing with his futile attempts at breakfast, a thought comes across your mind; Mark was cute. Endearing. Silly.

You lean against the stove, a teasing smile permanently etching on your face. “Well I guess we’re both starving then.”

Mark turns to you with raised brows. “No. Johnny said that the better you eat, the faster your wound heals.” You purse your lips together at his inability to see through your sarcasm, responding all too seriously at something so small. “You’re okay to walk right?”

You momentarily look down to your legs and feet and then back up at Mark, “Yes I’m pretty sure I can.”

“Let’s get breakfast outside. There’s nearby markets around and we need to get you clothes too,” he replies. “Also, Johnny mentioned that getting fresh air and walking about is good for healing too.”

“Is that a good idea?” You ask, suddenly worried. “I mean, going outside in broad daylight? What if someone sees me?”

Mark contemplates for a second, blinking once or twice before finally shaking his head. “It’ll be okay. We’ll just have to be careful.”

“You sound unsure.”

Mark looks at you square in the eye, the firmness in his orbs leaving no room for second guesses, making all your doubts go away all at once

“Trust me. I’ll make sure no one sees you, okay?”

You find yourself traipsing along the markets beside Mark, your shoulder touching with his upper arm, the mere contact making you feel a little safer. You’re glad Mark had convinced you to venture outside; you’d almost forgotten what the outside world really looked like, despite only having been cooped indoors for a few days. Today felt different to all the other times, even compared to all those times before the shooting happened. You remember always feeling on edge stepping outside, security always following your every move. And even though now would be a time where you’d be fearing for your life more than ever, you feel oddly placid, in serenity. And you marvel in the way the air feels fresh under your nostrils, the way the rays hit your skin, the way the distant mumbles of people selling their products fill the atmosphere in a cozy way. You’ve never been to this place yet you feel good. Maybe because Mark is right beside you, keeping an eye on everything when you unconsciously get distracted by your surroundings every now and again.

Mark’s hiding under a cap just like you and you can’t help but feel not so alone for the first time. Because Mark didn’t have to hide himself the way you did. You think you’re thinking too deeply into it, but the possibility of the thought he’s keeping himself hidden to make you feel even an ounce of normalcy, makes your insides warm.

“Craving anything?” Mark asks lowly, his eyes darting around the different stalls you encounter along the way.

Your eyes scrutinise the area, the aroma of fresh bread being made attracting your senses. Once you spot the stall responsible for the churn of your stomach, the excitement pushes you to jog towards the end of the rows, catching Mark offguard but catching up to you nonetheless in no time.

“This one,” you say, without even looking at Mark, your eyes completely enamoured by the countless types of bread.

The two of you sit yourselves by the tables beside the bread stall after choosing your breads with much debate with yourself on your end, the variety of delicious looking baked goods taking up so much time for you to finally make up your mind while Mark settles with one in no longer than a second. You devour your food, your eyes almost rolling back when you realise how heavenly it tastes, coming to a conclusion that it’s the best bread you’ve had in your whole life ever. And Mark watches you while he munches on his, secretly enjoying you bask in the little joys of life.

“Holy— this is so good!” You exclaim, pausing for a while to swallow and gulp some water after having eaten too fast. “Mark we need to come here more often!”

The word “we” shouldn’t have as much effect on Mark at it should right now, but it does, the short one syllable word inevitably colouring his ears a tint of red. “S-sure,” he stutters before bringing his head lower, his cap completely hiding his face now.

The rest of the morning passes by like that, consisting of you pulling Mark to various different stalls to explore things you wouldn’t usually see on a daily basis. The sense of community you feel from being around vendors who more or less know each other, elicits a homey feeling in you even when technically this wasn’t even your home in the first place. Though, this place felt the closest thing to home ever since you lost your parents.

Mark notices your sudden change in demeanour, tilting his head towards you only to see your eyes distant. “Everything okay?”

Mark’s voice brings you back, “Yeah. Just remembered my parents..” You smile at him to push away the sodden atmosphere. “I think we have everything. Should we get going back?”

Mark wants to ask if you’re really okay, but nods instead, seeing how you’ve changed the topic so quick. “Okay.”

You’re about to turn away from the last stall you and Mark visit when you feel his strong arm suddenly land across your shoulder to pull you into him in the process. You crash into Mark’s chest, the unexpected manoeuvre raising your pulse and provoking an uncalled for pain from your wound. Mark’s arm travels from your shoulder to the top of your head, gently pushing it lower, your face completely hidden in his chest.

“Keep still. Don’t say anything,” Mark warns lowly.

You calm your fears by focusing on Mark’s scent; the very scent you’ve been drowning in the past couple of days from having worn his shirts. You hear a group of people conversing in a rather boisterous manner as they walk past where you’re both rooted and only when they’re out of earshot does Mark loosen his grip on you until you’re no longer in his hold.

“You okay?” He asks, searching your face.

“Y-yeah,” you answer weakly, still stunned.

Mark prepares himself to answer your impending questions but he doesn’t get any of that even today.

“Coast clear?” You ask calmly, as if that thing didn’t just happen.

Mark is caught by surprise again.

“Coast clear. Let’s get you back.”

In the next coming days, you see Johnny a lot more often than you see Mark, waking up to an empty loft and falling asleep without seeing even his shadow. Today, Johnny cooks pasta for lunch and the two of you converse over the kitcehn counter about trivial things. You liked Johnny’s company. He had a great ability in making you laugh and teased your small personal habits in a way a big brother would to his younger sister.

“So Johnny, do you believe in soulmates?” You ask out of the blue when the evening comes, the television playing in the background. The two of you are seated on the couch as Johnny carelessly switches from one channel to the next.

“Mhm,” he hums, continuing his pursuit of landing on a perfect channel with somewhat a good enough show to watch for the night.

“Oh?” You confirm. “Really?”

Johnny sighs and sets down the remote, giving up eventually when his search is unsuccessful. “Why is that hard to believe?”

You shrug your shoulders, “It’s not. It’s just that you’re the first person I know who believes it them.”

Johnny’s brow shoots up, leaning back on the couch, “Well who have you asked?”

“A couple of my friends from before, they all said no,” you reply.

“That’s probably because they haven’t met their soulmate, no?” Johnny asks.

You nod.

“Ah, exactly.”

Your brows furrow, almost meeting in the middle. “I don’t know if I believe in it or not. I haven’t heard of anyone who’s met theirs.”

“What about your parents?”

You shake your head. “Nope. My dad’s soulmate is someone else that’s not my mum. I can’t remember what exactly happened but the mark on my dad’s ankle didn’t match with my mom’s. My mum’s was on her wrist and their illustrations were completely different. My dad’s was a tree while my mum’s was a cloud.”

Johnny nods slowly, narrowing his eyes. “Wow, I’ve never heard of anything like that before.”

You purse your lips together, “Yeah. Though they loved each other, just goes to show how sometimes you don’t really end up with your soulmate.” A chuckle from your lips follows after that, “If they really do exist.”

Johnny smiles a small one, diverting his eyes downward to the floor.

“They do exist. I met mine.”

Your eyes widen, growing all too excited at the new discovery. “Really?! No way!”

Johnny lifts his head and meets your eyes, “Yeah. Two years ago.”

“Oh my god!” You half exclaim, jumping on the couch and lifting your legs so that you can fold them in a comfortable position. You twist your body so that you’re facing Johnny completely, standing your elbows on your thighs, resting your chin on your hands. “Tell me more about it!”

Johnny chuckles at your behaviour. You’re too adamant to know his story to even notice the sadness in his eyes. And Johnny almost doesn’t want to share the story he’s been stowing away since forever but the way your eyes are literally oozing with excitement makes him feel guilty for even considering saying no to you.

So he takes a deep breath and prepares for whatever bits of the past wounds him this time. “I met her during Spring, purely by chance, in a coffee shop I frequented. She was in a hurry and I’d just come in. She ended up spilling scalding hot coffee on me as she was trying to run out. I think she was late for something.”

“How romantic,” you murmur.

“Being burned and sustaining second degree burn injuries? No not really,” Johnny laughs. “But that’s how we met. She happened to be wearing a dress that day and I got a glimpse of her mark which was just below her collarbone, right where mine is.” Johnny tugs at the collar of his shirt and pulls it down, revealing a small mark of what appears to be a tulip. “Her one was exactly like this.”

“Woah. It’s so beautiful,” you coo. “And then?”

Johnny chuckles. “Someone’s too eager.”

“Tell me!”

“Alright alright. I just kinda blurted out she was soulmate then, even though I was basically hissing in pain and she wouldn’t stop apologising about her spilled coffee. At first, she didn’t believe me. But then I showed her my mark. And she smiled at me. God— that was the most beautiful smile I have ever seen in my whole life.”

“Naawwww!”

“We began spending time with each other then, going back to that exact café again and again and getting to know each other. We’d sit in that café for hours on end until the employees eventually had to kick us out because they were closing,” Johnny smiles at the memory and pauses to think of what to say next. “She.. she was just the most beautiful person inside and out you know? There was always something to learn about her and from her everyday and it never ceased to amaze me.”

“Well when can I meet her? She sounds so lovely,” you coo again, tilting your head to the side at the sight of a smitten Johnny.

Johnny catches his lower lip in between his teeth, darting his eyes to the floor again. He’s fiddling with his fingers, lying on his lap. And a sick feeling takes over your stomach in the way his smile disappears so fast.

“She- she uhm,” Johnny pauses, blinks once and continues, “She passed a year ago.”

Your heart drops. Johnny, the nicest person you know, his soulmate, is gone forever. “I’m so sorry..” are the words that leave your mouth, the syllables dragging, though you know they won’t offer much comfort to him. After all, you’d imagine nothing would ever compare to the feeling of losing the person you were fated to spend the rest of your life with.

But Johnny smiles at you gratefully. And now that you’ve taken a closer look and with the knowledge of his story, you begin to see the sadness in his eyes, hidden so well beneath his smiling orbs when he laughed. You feel it’s something you can’t ever unsee now.

It’s been so long, Johnny realises, since the last time he’s ever talked about the love of his life. All the seasons that’s passed should have been enough time for him to heal, yet the scar was still so raw, still so delicate, threatening to give way any minute. Johnny hasn’t cried since she left for good and he thinks that maybe tonight would be a testimony of everything he’s repressed inside all those years. He can feel his vision blur and he tilts his head upwards in futile attempts to prevent the tears from falling.

He just really missed her extra hard today.

The sight breaks you, and so you consciously scoot closer to Johnny. You slowly lean towards him, until your head’s resting on his shoulder, until you’re close enough to bring a hand to rub his arm. Out of all people, you knew best how it felt to lose someone so close to your heart, having lost both your parents in a day and though Johnny’s situation was slightly different, two things were still there: grief and loss.

“You would’ve gotten along with her really well y/n,” Johnny mumbles. “She’s similar to you in a lot of ways.”

You smile, continuing the motions of your palm on Johnny’s sleeved arm. “It would’ve been like meeting my sister in law.”

“Sister in law?” Johnny quirks.

You nod your head against his shoulder, staring into blank television screen. “Yeah, you’re like the brother I never had, John.”

“John?”

You laugh. And so does he.

“Feels nice to have a brother,” you say, peeling yourself off Johnny and meeting his eyes. “You cook for me, treat my wounds, make fun of me too. That’s what siblings do right? I wouldn’t quite know since I don’t have any.”

Johnny melts and reaches his arm out to ruffle your hair, messing it up in the process, “Especially the last one.”

You roll your eyes playfully but silently feel grateful nonetheless at his indirect acknowledgement of your claim. The atmosphere shifts then, to a lighter one and in no time, Johnny’s cracking jokes again, both of your laughs bouncing off the walls of the loft. You momentarily forget about Mark when Johnny begins to talk about his life, his mom and the little house they both live in by the beach. His life sounds like the ideal one you would’ve wanted to live yourself; normal, quiet and happy. Johnny finishes the conversation by promising to take you to his house one day when you admit you haven’t visited the beach in years, the last recollection of dipping your feet in the waves going back to when you were just a child.

You’re expressing your excitement at the thought of visiting the beach soon when Mark enters the loft, the sound of the door shutting close echoing through the place. Your head snaps towards the door as Johnny does the same and you get the fright of your life when you take in the sight of Mark; bruises on every inch of skin possible, a busted and bleeding lip and an open slash to his eyebrow. Your eyes widen and you’re quick to jump to your feet, jogging over to him in a hurry, ignoring the sting in your chest.

“Mark! What happened!” You exclaim, your arms landing on his upper body to assist him in stabilising himself when you realise he’s limping.

There’s a pained expression on Mark’s face with every step he musters, “It’s nothing.”

“Doesn’t look like nothing to me,” you snap, examining everywhere else for any signs of injuries. You think back to the day in the markets, to the exact moment Mark hid you in his arms from a bunch of people. Could they have been behind this? Or?

Johnny looks unfazed at the sight of Mark, standing by the couch, patiently waiting for the two of you with his arms crossed across his chest. You help Mark carefully sit himself on the couch to which he does with a low groan. You stand beside Johnny and there’s a moment of silence when Mark shifts in his seat under your gazes and Johnny decides to break it.

“You good?” Johnny asks nonchalantly, his voice indifferent yet stern.

Your eyes dart to Johnny, an incredulous look grazing your face at how uninterested he sounded. “Johnny, he doesn’t look good!”

But from the corner of your eye, Mark nods.

“Johnny you need to check and treat him! What if he’s bleeding internally somewhere or—“

“Y/n, can you ge me the first aid kit,” Johnny cuts you off, eyes still trained on Mark who has his arm draped across his stomach.

“In the kitchen,” Mark mumbles, his eyes closing when he leans back on the couch, a heavy breath leaving his lips.

You don’t waste a second longer, dragging your feet towards the kitchen as fast as you could. You search the area in a frantic, closing and opening drawers, wishing the next one you’d open would contain whatever you were looking for. You’re panicking and you hated it because you couldn’t focus on whatever task that was asked of you, no matter how simple. And you didn't even know why you were panicking.

“I’m okay— but the others..” you hear Mark in the distance as you continue to frantically rummage for the first aid kit. “Johnny, you need to help them. I— Renjun and Jeno— they’re hurt.”

You finally find what you’re looking for when you open a cupboard in the corner. But Mark’s words linger in your ear.

The name resonates in your mind, searching the depths of every crevice in hopes of even a tiny memory of the name that sounds unfamiliar yet familiar at the same time.

Then it clicks.

Jeno?

Your security Jeno?

The day of the shooting Jeno?

When you return to Mark, Johnny is nowhere in sight. You crouch down, your knees hitting the carpeted floor in front of Mark, setting the first aid kit on the couch. “Where’s Johnny?”

“He left, just now,” Mark mutters.

You barely hear Mark’s reply when you focus on picking out the necessary items to treat Mark’s wounds. When everything’s set and ready, you tug on Mark’s arm, pulling him forward so that you have easier access to his face. Your actions startle him, his face ending up way too close to yours, his eyes widening in the process.

“I— I can do it myself,” he tries to protest quietly, pulling his head back slightly.

You stop him midway, landing a palm on the back of his head, his hair under your fingertips for the first time. Soft, his hair is soft. You cluck your tongue and frown at him, “Stay still.”

And you begin to work away, tending to each and every cut you come across, gently and skilfully cleaning and applying cream onto it before covering it with plasters you’ve cut into smaller pieces to accommodate their sizes. Mark avoids your eyes, focusing on anything that isn’t you and you’re too concentrated to even notice his desperate attempts of not giving into the want of staring at you. He doesn’t even hiss in pain when you apply a little extra pressure by accident, all too distracted by the heat creeping on his ears.

“Johnny told me about his soulmate today,” you say to break the ice and to divert your thoughts away from Jeno’s name.

“Yeah?” Mark repeats.

You nod, applying an ice pack you had picked up on the way, on a bruised area on Mark’s forehead, “I didn’t believe in soulmates at first since I’d never heard of anyone meeting theirs. But—“ you pause, meeting Mark’s eyes halfway your sentence. “I think I’m starting to believe in them after hearing Johnny’s story.”

Mark blinks and you take note of the shine in his eyes. Even with all the bruises peperring his skin, his eyes still stood out best. “Yeah?” he utters quietly, at a loss for words.

“Mhm,” you hum, staring way too long, growing too fascinated with the way his eyes held way too much depths. “I— I think so.”

Mark holds your gaze and you don’t look away.

Not until the ringing of Mark’s phone startles the both of you back to reality. In an instant, you’re leaning away from Mark, clearing your throat and looking elsewhere that happens to be his phone lying just beside where he’s seated

Donghyuck, the name ID reads, alerting an incoming call.

Mark snatches his phone away quickly, but not quick enough that you don’t see the name. He’s off the couch in seconds and leaving you alone to go off somewhere so that he can answer the call.

Donghyuck? Your security Donghyuck? That day before you passed out Donghyuck?

Your skin grows cold and your head begins to spin. Jeno and Donghyuck. The names repeat in your head like a broken record, prompting you to close your eyes to collect yourself, to calm yourself hopefully.

A sick thought forms in your mind and you hope with all your might that it’s not true.

When Mark comes back a few minutes later, his eyes are masked with worry with a tinge of nerves, brows raising upwards in preparation for whatever you were to say next. He knows you saw Donghyuck’s name and he knows there’s questions burning at the back of your mind. But he finds you calmly putting away the first aid kid instead.

“Mark you’re sleeping upstairs.”

“Huh? No— I’m okay down here.”

“No, you’re taking the bed.”

“But—“

Mark stops mid sentence when you rise from the ground, eyeing him from head to toe. He could barely stand, judging by the way he’s uncomfortably shifting his weight on his right foot.

“You’re hurt and the bed is way comfier than this couch,” you reply firmly. “I won’t take no for an answer.”

And that’s how Mark finds himself being wedged under the warm sheets of his bed with you taking the time to ensure his comfort by shifting the sheets in the way he seemed to like. He’s watching you again silently, enthralled yet worried by how unhealthy it’s been for you not to be asking questions.

Mark’s fatigue lulls him into sleep in the midst of watching you still. When you notice his eyes shutting to a close, you pause in your movements and take in his bruised features. You recall the sheer worry taking over you when he set foot through that door earlier, the way your heart dropped at the sight of him in pain and the fear you felt when the worst case scenario somehow formed in your head. You think Mark is way stronger than he seems and that there’s a lot more things hidden under what he shows you, way more things left to be discovered.

You didn’t know Mark at all.

You lower yourself on the floor beside his bed, silently allowing your eyes graze the sight of him in his most peaceful state and begin to wonder what Mark really was like. What he does, where he goes when you don’t find him in the morning, who he talks to on the phone in a hushed voice. But more importantly, you wanted to know what Mark was really like. His hobbies, his favourite food, if he believed in soulmates or not.

Leaning your chin on your arms that’s somehow found their way to rest on the bed, all the wonderings of Mark pulls you to sleep, slowly fluttering your eyelids close, the thought of getting to know Mark being the last thought in your mind.

Mark awakes some time after midnight. He stirs and halts when he finds you beside him, soundly asleep in a position that seemed uncomfortable to him. But nonetheless, he makes no haste movements just so you don’t wake. Studying your features secretly, he swipes a strand of hair away from your face as gently as he could. His mind’s blank, utterly enthralled by your beauty. And right then and there he wishes things didn’t have to he so complicated— but that’s how his life always was, complicated and messy, everything he wishes it wasn’t.

He’s careful when he gets up from the bed after a while, biting his lower lip to suppress a groan when he feels an ache in his abdomen. When he’s off the bed, the soles of his feet meeting the wooden floor, he pads over to where you’re sleeping, pushing aside all of the discomfort surging through his body when he bends down to pull you into his arms. When he’s sure you’re secure in his hold, he stands, lifting you up with him. He feels you stiffen briefly, your eyes shooting open in alarm.

“It’s just me,” Mark whispers softly.

You relax then, his face coming into your view before closing your eyes again, reaching upwards to circle your arms around his neck. The gesture makes Mark freeze for a moment, realising how close you were to him for the second time tonight and he has the urge to pull you even closer but he decides against it when he places your sleeping figure gently on the bed. He tucks you in, in the same manner you did to him earlier and he’s about to leave when you stretch your arm to grab his.

“Sleep here,” you call out through closed eyes. “It’s cold downstairs.”

Mark should protest, he wants to protest. But the desire to stay with you tonight was bigger than what his conscience was screaming. His eyes falls on your hand and then at you and then makes the conscious decision to settle back into bed beside you, but not before making sure there was a safe distance between the two of you. There’s a smile playing on your lips, in your half-awake state, when you feel the bed sink beside you, content that Mark had agreed.

Mark does what he does best for the last time tonight and that’s to stare at you without your knowledge. It seemed as if there was always something new to be mesmerised with even when he’s gazing at the same features of your face.

“Y/n?”

“Mhm?”

“Why, why— have you not asked me questions?”

You open your eyes then, Mark’s inquiring ones greeting you. He’s genuinely curious, eyes imploring yours but never in a way that pressures you to respond. You’re not sure what takes over you then, maybe the stillness of the night or the fact that Mark’s here with you for the first time in days, but you suddenly feel compelled to let your vulnerability show.

“I’m scared, that’s why.”

It takes a few seconds for Mark to reply, your words registering in his head a little too slowly for him to form a coherent response.

“Of what?”

Mark’s voice is low and velvety, warm and reassuring.

You close your eyes again, letting sleep take over your senses, shifting in your spot until you find yourself in your most comfortable position.

“Of finding out you might be someone I thought you wouldn’t be,” your voice has come down to a whisper now, your words expressing what’s been lingering in your mind for all the times he’s been gone. “That, you might be one of them too.”

Silence.

“You saved my life—And I, I want to hold onto that for now.”

513 notes · View notes