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#my brain is currently operating at a speed faster than light

shuttershocky · 1 month

Note

hiya shutters,

hope you're doing okay!! on a scale of sad wet cat to anxiety but with guns - how much are you looking forward to the jessica alter banner? if i can pick your brain for a bit, do you have any insights about her or the other ops coming our way?

Hi!

Jessica the Liberated is actually my favorite kind of 6 star: versatile, packing a lot of weird tech/utility, and damage high enough to do the job without being high enough that she becomes instapull Youtuber clickbait. As always, i don't recommend pulling beyond the guaranteed 10 roll when not on limited banners, since she can always spook you later (and will also definitely rerun), but I would raise her to E2max at once if I get her.

Jessica's big draw is that she's currently the only Defender with a summon—a shield that doesn't attack, and can only be deployed in the 4 tiles adjacent to Jessica, but has a +1 Taunt buff on itself. What's the point of a summon that doesn't attack you ask? There's 4 important pieces of info to consider

The Mobile Shield has stats almost as high as Jessica's, and is Block-2 to boot. When you consider that Jessica is a 6 star Defender, that's a really tanky summon. If you go all the way and max her module too, the mobile shield gets higher max HP and DEF than Jessica herself.

Jessica temporarily changes her direction to face the Mobile Shield. She's so far the only Operator able to turn around, useful when enemies try to surprise you out of nowhere, or when dealing with map gimmicks that involve Operator facing like Near Light's shadows.

Since the mobile shield doesn't attack, it can stall enemies that activate skills upon being attacked. Simply form an L shape direction (the long line is Jessica + shield, the short line is the enemy) so that Jessica herself can't shoot the enemy because the Shield is blocking them from entering her range. Flagbearers, Seaborn Reapers, any enemies whose ATK stats can't overcome the shield's DEF stats, you can stall them for a very long time, as the shield lasts 50 seconds.

It's not written in the skill descriptions on Gamepress but the Shield has +1 Taunt, meaning you can deploy operators after it and ranged enemies will still attack the shield. It's a free ranged tank on top of your regular tank! Oh and did I mention at E2 when the shield takes damage Jessica gets a 50% chance of getting +1 SP? If the shield draws fire, it also charges Jessica faster.

But let's say having a 2-in-1 tank package doesn't excite you. Let's go into her skills.

S1 is an infinite duration, AFK skill where Jessica modestly boosts her ATK and DEF by +70% while also increasing her mobile shield duration by +30s. As AFK skills go it's not the greatest, since it doesn't expand her modest attack range and the DPS is low at 800 (though has a modest 1000 DPH), and when it comes to AFK tanking you have Hoshiguma S2 (or my personal favorite, Croissant S1) to compete with, but if you need your AFK tank to also be dealing damage, it's not a bad deal. The mastery gains are huge too, Level 7 goes from 90 SP cost to 70, still large, but a 20 SP cut is a 20 SP cut.

S2 is a range expansion to Spreadshooter Sniper range, +75% ATK, speeds up her ATK interval to 0.3s from 1.2s, and has a very juicy 75% Physical and Arts dodge. Now Arts dodge is very rare even among dedicated tank units in Arknights, and 75% is also really damn high. For a skill that lasts 15 seconds and also boasts a very high 3.5k DPS, this is a damn neat tanking skill, even if still chance based. It should be noted that this skill gets a big upgrade when Sentinel modules are released, since the Sentinel module reveals invisible units inside a Sentinel's attack range. Limited but useful for most Sentinels since they only have two tiles of range normally, but Jessica's S2 expands it into spreadshooter range, making her both a decent invis counter while her really high DPS lets her kill them herself.

S3 expands her attack range by 1 tile, slows down her ATK interval to 1.8s, gives her +310% ATK and +80% DEF, while the Mobile Shield gets +170% DEF. If the mobile shield is deployed, Jessica fires a cannon shot that deals 250% of ATK as damage and stuns enemies in the AOE for 6 seconds. Uses 20 ammo.

Oh boy that description is so long I'm making a new paragraph for the explanation. It's funny, an AOE 6 second stun on a 40 second cooldown is practically Mostima's whole S2M3, except here it's just one feature tacked on to the rest of Jessica's S3. There's a ton of tricks you can do with the cannonshot I won't list down here (refer to the S3 section of this video if you want to learn them), but the general gist is this is a very high DPH (2.5k) tankbuster skill that gives Jessica 1.4k DEF and the shield 2k DEF, making the pair extremely tough. When you combine this skill with Jessica's ability to change directions, you have a very flexible skill that can AOE crowd, control tank, and tankbust all at once, and it uses ammo too so it won't waste any duration when there are no enemies. This lets Jessica S3 cheese enemies that freeze her (since she can't attack them, she won't run out of ammo so her DEF buff lasts forever), or lets her keep her DEF up the whole time while being pelted by ranged enemies she can't hit back yet. There are a ton of ways you can abuse this skill's various quirks, making Jessica the Liberated a favorite unit for players looking into making optimized clears for challenge stages.

_____

Now, whenever anyone talks Arknights meta, people always favor units that are the best of the best in one aspect (usually, DPS) and disregard everything else. However, I feel that's a bit disingenuous, given that Arknights' best game mode and probably the game mode that will outlive Arknights' live service itself is Integrated Strategies.

In the roguelike mode, versatility is king. An operator that can do two things but isn't the best at both will struggle to compete in normal Arknights when you can bring whoever you want, but when you're assembling a well-rounded team at the mercy of voucher rng? Suddenly second-best looks real attractive when they can also do a second role in a pinch.

Jessica the Liberated is one of the most valuable picks you can possibly get from a Defender voucher. Tanking? She can do it. Attacking? She can do it too. Anti-air? She's one of the very few Defenders able to do it, and she's also really good at it with S2. Crowd control? Cannon. Weird map layout? She can change directions. DP is tight? She costs 21, cheaper than a tank like Hoshiguma at 23. Invis reveal? She gets that too eventually, as if she wasn't packing enough options.

The only thing this girl's not doing is fucking healing, incredible given that she's interned at a hospital for years now and somehow came out of the experience with heavy weaponry and zero bandaids.

Ah but we're not done yet. Apart from packing enough utility in a single voucher to make Saria start sweating, Jessica also has a ton of different possible relic combos. To use Spinach relics with her cannon shot, simply deploy the mobile shield before S3, so as soon as S3 activates, she instantly fires the cannon with the Spinach boosting its damage. Any Phys+, ATK+, DEF+, or DEF- for enemies works as well as you would think on her too. Her S3 cannonshot can have its stun duration extended by relics, or deal extra arts damage by relics like Children's Puppet. Being a melee unit with extra range means Scout Scope works on her for both S2 and S3, while S2 having 75% Arts and Phys dodge means she can take advantage of dodge relics too. She's got a summon, so relics that boost summons can boost her shield, and IS4 has a new relic that boosts an operator's ATK when their summon is deployed too.

We can go on and on here, but you should get the idea now. Jessica never solved her anxiety, but she did bring an arsenal big enough to handle almost any situation you can throw at her. I think she's a great unit, and if you're a new player when you get her she's absolutely capable of being your rock.

#arknights

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aforrestofstuff · 2 years

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forrest im gonna catch up on the manga and i haven't read it in m o n t h s but before that can i get your official, murata-sponsored summary of events?

yes i am asking for the most bullshit explanation of what ive missed that your brain can come up with

Yeah sure I’ll tell you where everyone’s at, more or less. Thanks for asking, I hope you’ll catch up soon! It’s getting kinda interesting actually.

Murata didn’t wanna sponsor this bc I broke into his house last week but it was kinda his fault because he forgot to take my key away so… he is aware of it, at least. I hope that’s good enough.

Genos: got his batteries stolen and dumped by his cyboyfriend—tried to save tatsumaki, lost all his arms and legs to a bunch of little dust mites and is now lying on top of her trying to mitigate the damage while watching Seinfeld reruns.

Zombieman: has the tightest little ass on this side of the hemisphere. Going to jail for indecent exposure and assaulting a homeless man. Also, lived underground for a brief amount of time before rent got too high and emerged like a little groundhog. Has pebbles up his ass canonically.

Fuhrer Ugly: turned into a giant booger and then died because he fell over.

Black/Golden/Platinum Sperm: uhhh still alive. Kinda just bullying Genos and evolving as a side hustle.

Silverfang: got beat up and robbed by some teenager outside of a 7/11. Is currently on the floor crying. Canonically gets bitches.

Bomb: also got beat up and robbed by some teenager outside of a 7/11. Is currently on the floor crying. Canonically gets no bitches.

Garou: Also lived underground for a brief amount of time before rent got too high and emerged like a ugly shit idiot groundhog. Is now faster than the speed of light, has a little exoskeleton like a cockroach, literally just bounced around for a few pages just to kill like 3 people, and now he’s here and 95% naked. Currently looks like a Jolteon. Canonically gets no bitches.

Fubuki: unconscious

Tanktop Master: unconscious

Tatsumaki: unconscious

Homeless Emperor:

Psykos: unconscious?

Bushidrill: unconscious

Okamaitachi: unconscious

God: Big dick. On the moon. Can set people on fire by looking at them. Currently on trial for murder of a homeless man. Plead not guilty. Verdict will come next chapter.

Drive Knight: sitting by the fireplace in his laboratory drinking some of that Abuelita Hot Chocolate and feeding Nyan some of that Friskies tuna flavored can o’ shit.

Metal Knight: “I told you so.”

Child Emperor: got promoted to Team Manager at the age of ten. Also lived underground for a brief amount of time before rent got too high and Puri Puri Prisoner was sent to evict him.

Sekingar: lost an arm. Became 1000% hotter. That’s it. That’s his arc.

Metal Bat: Ran 25 straight miles to the fight and is learning to cope with his concussion by beating Black Sperm into little splats on the concrete. Thinks brain damage is just a concept invented by big pharma. Canonically has a single brain cell.

Puri-Puri Prisoner: backbone of the operation. Is currently being crushed under the weight of being the responsible one, for once. Has surprisingly not violated his probation this entire time.

Superalloy Darkshine: I deadass don’t remember, actually. He cried for a while and then was cool for like a single page before getting conked so uuuh unconscious, maybe?

Iaian: Gay awakening via Superalloy. Is sent on a quest for the Moon Blade by proxy.

Atomic Samurai: Nearly died. Got a cool sword. Nearly died. Rooted for King. Nearly died. Is now obligated to go on a lifelong quest for the counterpart to his cool new sword. Might also have another near-death experience.

The Council of Swordmasters: dead as hell.

Spring Mustachio: Left the scene to go to therapy. Will come back to the HA after he has a doctor’s note saying he’s fit to get fucked up again. Golden Ball proposed, it was a big thing. They’re gonna get married in 11 years.

Evil Natural Water: turns out his weakness was being punched a lot of times really fast so he’s now just Natural Water, I guess. He costs 99 cents at your local supermarket and looks like this:

Saitama: has now arrived at the scene via DILF teleportation.

Manako: has now arrived at the scene via DILF teleportation.

Flashy Flash: has now arrived at the scene via DILF teleportation. Also has a juicy ass.

Blast: has DILF teleportation.

King: killed all the cadres AND God with his ultra megadeath lazer beam and is canonically the strongest person to ever live. Saitama fears him.

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jmnjmnjmn · 4 years

Text

Eternal beings | Chapter 1

Pairing: Vampire!Jungkook x Human!Reader

Key words: supernatural, vampire.

Word count: less than 3,000

Warnings: swearing, sadness, jealousy, mentions of murder

Inspo board

Masterlist

In the spirit of Halloween I decided to write a whole series about Vampire!Jungkook. I know should’ve been posting it throughout October and not on Halloween... Bare with me okay? There’s more to come.

Walking through the city at two in the morning isn’t as cute and mysterious as it may seem. The streets are empty and dark despite the street lights being on and every noise sounds like a forecast for something dangerous, especially when you're a girl walking home from work by yourself. You recently took up night shifts at the convenience store you were working at part time. Your boss was more than happy when you announced to her that you can work nights for half of the week. It was always hard to find people for those hours. With all of your classes at college being online this semester you had more time to work and earn money for rent and other things. You actually liked working at night, because there weren’t many customers then if any at all, so you had freedom to spend most of your time at work reading magazines, studying or sitting on your laptop. The only drawback of working at that time though was the walk home.

You pulled the steel grating over the door and locked it slowly in the faint light of the neon sign above the door. Before walking away you pulled on the padlock to make sure it’s definitely locked right. When you didn’t feel it budge under your fingers you turned on your heel and started speed walking home. Your apartment wasn’t further than twenty five minutes away from the shop and though it felt like a short stroll during the day at night it almost always seemed like a pilgrimage. “Fortunately for me-” You thought. “-the summer is in full swing and the nights aren’t so cold anymore.” You shivered at the thought of walking home in winter time. On the other hand the increase in temperature caused all sorts of shady people to come from their homes and clubs out onto the streets. For example you already walked past more than a dozen of drug deals and were cat called by drunk men leaving the bars so many times you couldn’t count anymore. And that’s only this summer season.

Despite all those unpleasantries you kept working and getting the money you desperately needed to pay the rent for your small flat and lead a decent life in the city. And because of those same unpleasantries you came up with a special system of walking home from work that made you a tad bit more comfortable and it went like this. First: leave the shop with earbuds in your ears, but no music playing, walk with big strides and your head up to notice any potential danger and stay alert no matter how tired you are. Second: walk only the bigger streets with street lamps and businesses on them, preferably ones that are open at night so there’s always someone to run to for help. That part wasn’t too hard since you worked right in the center of the city and lived close by. You smiled to yourself, thinking of the deal you cut on your current apartment. You were subletting from one of your college friends who left to study abroad for a year. He didn’t want to break the lease on his place and not have something to come back to when he finishes his studies, especially since his apartment was in such a perfect location for a young student. That led him to looking around for someone to sublet to and… Tadah! You got a beautifully furnished, one bedroom apartment right in the city for a price that was unheard of in that area. Only downside was that you had to vacate the place in less than ten months.

A loud sudden sound pulled you out of your thoughts, but what followed made your heart skip a beat. A sound so faint it was barely hearable, but clear enough to make you stop in your tracks.

“Please, n-no.” The voice definitely belonged to a male. It sounded as if its owner was struggling to breath out the words. You heard him inhale sharply and ask again. “P-lease, stop.” His begging words sent a shiver down your spine. Something really bad was happening around that corner. “N-no.” You felt your shoulders tense up. You didn’t want to get involved with something dangerous, but you couldn’t just walk by a possible assault or maybe something worse. You tightened your grip on your bag and started to walk back quietly. Your instincts started to kick in slowly as you made the difficult choice between the two possible options. Fight or flight. “Flight.” You thought to yourself. “From a safe place I will call the police. I promise.” You sweared in your head to the man around the corner.

“Stop.” Said a second voice also belonging to a man by the pitch of it.

“Please.” The first man said. “Please.” He repeated now with more strength in his voice. Within a second you heard shuffling indicating a fight broke out between the pleading man and his attacker. You started pressing in the police number on your phone and started moving faster as the noises started getting louder and closer to the alleyways exit. The very same exit from which you were trying to back away from.

“I told you to stop.” The second man repeated himself. Right when you were just about to turn the corner and start running to safety with the police on the phone two men fell to the ground in front of the alleyways exit. Both of them in disheveled suits. The older one, which you assumed was the previously heard beggar, was clearly losing to the other man. You made your last step back and tried to turn to the side to start running when you heard the losing man speak.

“Help me.” He croaked looking in your direction and blowing your already weak cover. Standing in the shadowy street you thought he wouldn’t be able to see you backing away, but he did and his attacker now saw you as well. “H-elp.” He tried to repeat his statement, but the other man pushed him to the ground getting rid of the bits of air in his lungs. “What should I do?” You asked yourself. The nerve connections in your brain made a snap judgment for you. The scene you had before you looked just as frightening as comical. What even was this situation? Two well dressed men, who you would think are well behaved and well above resulting in physical fights if you saw them in the shop you were working at, were playing some murderous tug of war right in front of you in the middle of the night. As you realised the oddity of the situation it stopped being so scary all of a sudden. “They’re just drunk office rats fighting in an alley.” You thought to yourself but didn’t put your phone back down in case things escalated to something more dangerous. You continued to back away when the standing man spoke.

“How many times do I have to repeat myself?” He asked in an authoritative tone, but you weren’t going to listen. You turned around and made a step to your left wanting to reach the main road again and get away from this bull. “Stop.” He said tiredly. You turned the corner and started to run before he could say or do anything more to you. You pressed the green button on your phone screen calling the police.

“112.” Said a female operator on the other side of the phone after just a short moment. “Hello. There’s a fight going on near my house. Two men. It looked pretty bad.” You said nervously.

You woke up the next morning around noon. Having already forgotten the events of last night you got ready for work. You were covering a shift in the afternoon at the shop for your co-worker Jimin. He worked there a couple of months longer than you, showed you the ropes on your first day and since you got along pretty well you became work friends. You decided not to eat breakfast at home and just grab something at the shop. Just like that within twenty minutes of you waking up you were out the door.

The mid day was warm but you had your jacket in the bag ready to be put on in the late hours of the night when you’ll be walking home. You turned the corner to get to the main street and have a stroll to work in the sun when you were met with a hoard of policemen blocking the sidewalk. You crossed the road and took a different route than usual, not bothering to think twice about the reason the police were where they were right now.

As you entered the shop you noticed Jimin watching television on the small screen hanging over the cigarette shelf. The bell over the door rang when you closed it and Jimin instantly turned his head towards you, greeting you with a warm smile as you walked towards him.

“Great to finally see you.” He said, taking off his name tag.

“You’re only happy to see me today, because I’m relieving you of your shift.” You joked and he laughed quietly.

“Only today.” He said smiling and let you behind the counter. “I have to run. Yoongi’s probably already waiting for me.” He waved you goodbye, grabbed his bag and headed for the door.

“Go. Have fun.” You called after him smiling.

You turned the volume down on the TV and cranked it up on the ancient radio on the counter. Jimin always watches TV at work while you prefer listening to music and shuffling through magazines or newspapers. You pinned your name tag on and started looking for a good read as a bell rang signaling an arrival of a customer. You picked a fitness magazine and leaned on the shelves behind you and started reading about “the benefits of doing squats”. After a couple of minutes the customer who earlier entered the shop came to the counter with his pickings. You scanned the last item when he asked you to turn on the volume on the TV. You pushed the “+” button on the remote and was about to tell the man the amount he has to pay for the items when you heard the speaker's voice on TV describe something horrible.

“... A gruesome murder. Victim: a man in his thirties, possibly a nearby office worker. His exact identity is still being confirmed by the police.”

“Horrible.” Said the customer. “And so close by. Who would do such a thing?” He asked, sounding truly concerned.

“Twelve thirty, sir.” You said politely. That’s exactly why you didn’t like watching TV at work. This particular television set was about twenty years old and had an antenna so crooked it played only three channels, two of them being news. There was no day there wouldn’t be bad news. A natural distaster, an economic crash, a new riot or war somewhere in the world or, like today, a murder. The man scanned his card and left with his things. As the door was closing behind him you reached for the remote to mute the TV again.

“Estimated time of the murder is thirty minutes after two in the morning.” Said the speaker and you quickly put two and two together. Glancing at the screen you reached your shaky hand for your phone and started searching the internet for more information on the event. A cold shiver went down your whole body when you read an article header stating the place where the “gruesom murder” took place. It was that alleway near your building. You dialed your friend Taehyung’s number still looking at the screen, waiting for more details to be described by the news anchors.

“The number you are calling is unavailable.” You heard an automated message and hung up the phone. “What the hell do I do now?” You whispered to yourself. “I called the police last night and described the situation as well as I could.” You thought. “It’s not my fault they didn’t intervene… Or did so too late.” You explained to yourself. “Still, shouldn’t they have my number saved somehow? And shouldn’t they be calling me up right now for questioning? I was there after all.” You couldn’t wrap your head around the idea that you could have seen a murderer last night. “Maybe it wasn’t them.” You started wandering. “Maybe they left right after they saw me and someone else did… That.” Another announcement by the news anchors pulled you out of this train of thought. “Police just confirmed the identity of the victim. Thirty five year old (Victim’s name), an office manager at (Company’s name) was brutally murdered last night on Third.” You covered your mouth with your free hand when the picture of the victim popped up on the screen. It was the man from last night, the one that lost the fight. “His body was found by a passerby over four hours after the murder took place.”

“Impossible.” You breathed out. “I called the police right around two. How is it that they didn’t send anyone to check on the situation?” You thought and dialled Taehyung’s number again.

“The number you are calling is unavailable.”

“Shit.” You hissed. You really wanted to talk to a friend right now and figure out what to do. Taehyung was your closest friend right now, you knew each other from highschool and hung out all through your first years of college to this day. You dialed the police number once again in the last twelve hours.

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into-control · 3 years

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Into i need help. I bought a oculus quest 2 right and i tried to connect it to my laptop and it wont work so I realized i needed and actual pc gaming setup you know, problem is idk anything about PCs and i dont wanna get scammed. Can you help me? Ive looked online and idk wtf im looking at tbh. Can you give like advice and shit lol 😂 love you into 💕

well i'm not a professional at pcs by any means but i've always had a huge fixation on them so i can try to help as much as possible and i'll even try to put it in simple terms. fair warning, i talk A LOT in this post because i love rambling about computers :') i tried to use the simplest terms possible since you seem confused but if something doesn't make sense just ask and i can try to reword.

it all depends on what you want out of your pc. and do you want to build one or get a prebuilt one? if you want my advice i recommend building one. getting a prebuilt pc is the easiest way to get scammed because retailers tend to overcharge and they think they can get away with it because they stuck a flashy high end graphics card and colourful lights in it even though it has shit airflow and they cheaped out on the motherboard and power supply or something like that. if you're going to get a prebuilt pc make sure you look at allll the specs and consult some online reviews to see if they're any good, and figure out if you're going to be overcharged. now i'll talk about building one. a lot of this will still be useful if you're considering buying a prebuilt though.

the very first step is deciding your budget. idk where you are but in USD the typical amount to spend on pc parts is i think like $1000 - 1500 (you can spend less but that's if you don't have a lot of money to spend and are still desperate to have a gaming pc). i'm spending around $1700 CAD (before taxes, eugh) on mine bc i want to get into more demanding games eventually. it sounds very costly but computers like these can last you a decade and are very multifaceted. figuring out your budget first instead of going right ahead and buying stuff is important because each component should take up specific percentages of your budget. another important thing to consider when deciding your budget is if you want RGB (the colourful lights as previously mentioned), because components with that capability are slightly more expensive.

after deciding your budget, your first move is deciding what graphics card (GPU) you want. the GPU is responsible for processing and presenting the visuals on your screen. theoretically it should take up between 35 - 40% of your budget because it is the powerhouse in a gaming system. you have two developers to choose from here: NVIDIA or AMD. from what i've seen people tend to prefer NVIDIA but AMD cards aren't bad and they definitely compete in performance. i'll talk about nvidia though because that's what i know more about. by searching up the oculus quest 2 system requirements it tells me you at least need an nvidia geforce gtx 970. this card came out in 2014 and is by no means bad however it is actually the same base price as a lot of newer cards. if you want to go better than the minimum requirements, first consider what your monitor is capable of. if you don't have one yet, consider what you want it to do. monitors are not considered a part of the budget i keep mentioning by the way. idk how much this matters to you since we're talking about the oculus quest 2 but i'm just kind of assuming you're going to use this pc for other games too. the main two things to take into consideration are max resolution and refresh rate. my monitor has a resolution of 1920 x 1080 and a 144hz refresh rate. what the resolution means is that there are 2,073,600 pixels in the screen, and can go up to a resolution of 1080p in video games. the refresh rate means the monitor can refresh the picture on the screen 144 times a second, therefore can show a max of 144 frames per second in a video game. to put that in to perspective, most screens have a refresh rate of 60hz, such as regular laptop screens, iphone screens, etc.. monitors come in mainly 60hz, 75hz, 144hz, and 165hz, and for resolution they mainly come in 1080p, 1440p, and 4k. seeing as i don't have any plans on upgrading my monitor any time soon, dropping extra money on a GPU that can achieve more than 144fps and 1440p/4k would be pointless. but forget about the monitor, the oculus quest 2 has a max refresh rate of 120hz and its resolution lies somewhere between 1080p and 1440p. if you know what kind of games you're going to be playing, look up how they perform with different kinds of cards. i'm fairly certain anything above an nvidia geforce rtx 3070 would be pointless because of your display limits, and anything below the nvidia geforce gtx 970 simply won't be enough for the system. you can look at all the GPUs ranked here. after deciding which GPU you want you need to figure out which brand of it you want (NVIDIA themselves, asus, gigabyte, evga, etc), because they all perform at slightly different levels, although the difference is usually only a few frames so it's better to save money. something to watch out for is the quality of the fans in the GPU because if they aren't good, it will overheat and underperform. i'm aiming to get a 3060 or 3060 ti, if that helps. the only problem is that there is currently a worldwide GPU shortage due to covid, tariffs, and the cryptocurrency mining boom (gpus are used in bulk to mine). fortunately there is currently a crypto mining crackdown happening in china, where majority of mining in the world happens, so the demand for GPUs will hopefully start going down soon. you wont be able to build your pc right away but the market is looking better than it has in awhile. this is just about the only argument i have in favor of getting a prebuilt pc, because they have GPUs in them and are more readily available. i don't think that's a good enough reason though especially since part of the reason i'm building my pc is because it looks fun lol. another thing to note is that you should not overspend on your GPU. the shortage has caused a lot of GPU prices to skyrocket into the $2k-3k range but none of them should be above 1k except the highest end ones. when deciding on a GPU, search up the manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP). cards made by brands other than AMD and NVIDIA will almost always cost a little extra, but do not pay hundreds of

extra dollars. but anyways!! the GPU is now out of the way and is definitely the longest paragraph here because it's the most important part.

next up is the central processing unit (CPU), which you should be spending about 20 - 25% of your budget on. its job is essentially to retrieve instructions from the RAM and execute it. i suppose you could call it the brain. again you have two developers to choose from, this time between intel and AMD. i've had two laptops with an intel CPU and my current one has an AMD CPU and both are very good, however the general consensus is that you can get the same performance for less by going with AMD. CPUs have cores, and each core can run its own process. the more cores you have, the more your pc can think about basically. you can get CPUs will all sorts of amounts of cores but for gaming, 4 or 6 cores is all you really need. 8 is actually already a bit overkill. so you really don't need to get the best CPU out there. the one you get should depend on what GPU you get (hence choosing that component first). you don't want to bottleneck your GPU by getting a CPU that isn't good enough for it, but bottlenecking your CPU with the GPU by a small amount isn't as big of a deal because the goal is to allow your GPU to be used to its full ability. another detail about CPU is clock speed, which determines how quick it can complete tasks. the higher the faster, obviously. my (non gaming) laptop's CPU clock speed is 2.30 GHz and has 4 cores. the cpu i have for my build is the AMD ryzen 5 5600x. it has a base clock speed of 3.7 GHz but it can be maxed out to 4.6 GHz, and it has 6 cores. the oculus quest 2 has a minimum requirement of the AMD ryzen 5 1500x or the intel i5-4590, which is a little low on the performance list. but like i said the CPU should depend on the GPU. all it takes is a google search for which CPU goes best with the GPU you've chosen and you can find several answers depending on if you want the best possible performance, best budget performance, etc.. a nice little fact about choosing AMD over intel is that most AMD CPUs will come with a stock cooler, which is absolutely necessary otherwise your CPU will overheat (this is another thing prebuilts will cheap out on). this only adds to the whole price-to-performance thing. the stock cooler will most likely do unless you push your pc or want the build to look prettier.

next on the list is a motherboard, where all the parts come together in unity. you should spend 8 - 10% of your budget on this baby. it's easy to over and underspend on a mobo. the most important thing when it comes to choosing a mobo is that it supports your CPU. you cannot use the same mobo for intel and AMD CPUs. fortunately the product page will straight up tell you which CPU brand the mobo is meant for and will typically have two versions of the same board. it's important to note that motherboards don't always have onboard wifi, meaning it wont be able to connect to the internet via wifi and instead needs an ethernet cable or an external wifi adapter. if you can't get an ethernet cable to the room where you want your pc, you're going to need onboard wifi, or a wifi card/usb. onboard wifi mobos tend to be more expensive so it's up to you, but i personally bought one with wifi included so i wouldn't have to worry about it because our ethernet cables are in the basement and i'm upstairs. another very important thing about motherboards is that their BIOS version (operating system i guess?? idk how else to describe it) doesn't always support your CPU out of the box and must be updated before using it. this can present as a problem if you don't have another CPU to perform the update with, however some motherboards allow you to 'flash' the BIOS with a only usb drive as long as it's hooked up to power. there are plenty of step by step youtube videos about how to do this. i will have to do this with my motherboard when the time comes because it doesn't support ryzen 5s out of the box. don't let this deter you from getting a certain board as long as it has a BIOS flash feature. next up is what I/O ports you want, which are the ports (usb ports, headphone/mic jack, hdmi port, etc) you'd find on the back of any desktop computer. that is the side of the motherboard. basically just be aware of how many of each ports you want, and remember that there will probably be even more ports on the front of the case you get. the last thing i can think of right now is making sure your motherboard has all the headers (where you plug components in) you want it to have but i'll get to that later.

next up on the list is RAM, aka random access memory. this stores short term data. the amount of RAM you have kind of determines how much your pc can multitask. RAM sticks typically go up by some multiple of 2GB. most standard laptops and desktops nowadays will come with 8GB of RAM, which is enough for day to day use. it can be enough for mid and low end games however it cuts it pretty close most of the time. 16GB of RAM is the sweet spot for gaming and anything above that is pretty much overkill (and once again a waste of money) as long as you don't have a billion unnecessary background processes. a large amount of RAM is typically needed for video editors or computer programmers. you should always make sure your motherboard can support the amount of RAM you want although any good motherboard will support 64GB or even 128GB. the best option is to get a 16GB RAM pack, which will include two 8GB RAM sticks. splitting RAM between two sticks will increase efficiency. this is called dual channel. i also recommend getting DDR4 RAM, which is simply faster than DDR3. a good speed to have is around 3600 MHz. make sure your motherboard supports DDR4. you also want to be weary that your RAM is compatible with your CPU brand because they do have to interact for your pc to function.

next is storage. there are three-ish options here depending on how much you're willing to spend. generally you should spend 8 - 10% of the budget here. you can always get a good ole hard drive for the cheapest, however they are the slowest and physically biggest option, meaning whatever you put on it will take a bit longer for your pc to retrieve and open (they can load about 100-200MB of data per second). the next option is a solid state drive. they are a little more expensive but can load as much as 600MB of data per second and take up less space. the last and most efficient/expensive option is an m.2 nvme drive. these things are physically absolutely tiny and can load up to 4GB of data per second. anything you put on these will open very very quickly. the fairly standard solution for this is a combination of two of these three. personally i'm using one m.2 drive and one hard drive. the hard drive i have can store 2TB while the m.2 drive can only store 256GB. funnily enough these two drives are roughly the same price. the idea here is to install your operating system on the faster drive. this makes it so it only takes like 8 seconds tops for your pc to start up. you can also put any other programs you use most often on there (like your main browser and favourite games) and they will open very quickly, while the bulk of your games and other files will go on the bigger drive. that's all there really is to say for storage, just make sure the reviews are good on the drive you want to get, but that goes for any component.

next is your power supply (PSU). very very important to not cheap out on this. 6 - 8% of the budget should go to this. the function of the PSU is to do exactly what its name implies: supply power to all the components. this is where the website pcpartpicker can come in very handy. not only does it help you build a list of parts that are all compatible with each other, it will also estimate how much wattage you will need to run your pc. 600W is usually enough for a normal gaming pc. PSUs are ranked, and you should never really go below a bronze ranking. you can also choose between non-modular, semi-modular, and fully-modular PSUs. non-modular PSUs have all the cables permanently attached. this can be desirable to people who are confused by what cable is plugged in where but also undesirable as unused cables cannot be removed and make cable management harder. fully-modular PSUs come with the cables all in a separate bag so you choose which ones to plug in. semi-modular power supplies have the necessary cables attached and the rest can be attached need be. it all depends on preference and how much faith you have in yourself. i have an 80+ gold certified fully modular 750W PSU because the thought of unnecessary cable management makes me sick lol. corsair is pretty much the most trusted brand for power supplies. be careful because this is another place prebuilts will cut corners.

now for the case! this one isn't overly difficult to choose and mainly will just appeal to your aesthetics. it's less important to stick to a precise percent of the budget for this one but you also don't want to spend more than 8%. do you want a black case? a white one? do you want a glass side panel so you can see inside your pc and admire your hard work? besides that, you also need to make sure the case is big enough for your motherboard, GPU, and PSU. most info pages for cases will tell you the max size of the GPU and PSU and what size of mobo it's meant for. you also want to make sure there is a place to put your storage drives (unless you only have m.2 drives which are installed on the motherboard). you also want to make sure it has optimal airflow abilities. a case with no airflow will cause overheating. the best ones have mesh fronts and tops to allow cool air to be pulled in and hot air out. it's even better if you can get a case that comes with fans in the front, because they are what pulls that cool air in.

next is the CPU cooler, which i briefly mentioned. if you don't get an AMD CPU then you'll need to buy a separate cooler. you can choose between air coolers (a fan and a heatsink) or liquid coolers. i don't really have much to say about them and i recommend doing your own research on liquid coolers lol.

last but not least, case fans. like i said a lot of cases will come with front fans and also an exhaust fan at the back, however you might want more, or even replace the ones you already have with better ones. pay attention to how many fans your case manual says can fit and plan accordingly. check out reviews to see if the fans you want are quiet and efficient. if you buy a three pack of case fans there is a chance it will come with a fan hub. this makes it easier to control all of them in sync because the hub will connect all the fans to one header on the motherboard. generally 3-6 fans are pretty good for a gaming pc. two or three in the front pulling in cool air, one at the back and two on the top to pull out hot air.

now that i have all the components out of the way i'm gonna talk about RGB lighting. numerous components that i've mentioned have the option of including LED lights to make your pc brightly coloured, which is always nice if you have a glass side panel on your pc. it's an extra bit of money but i personally was willing to sacrifice that because i want to show off my build lmao. motherboards, RAM sticks, GPUs, CPU coolers, and case fans are the main components that can come with RGB lighting. you can also get special LED strips and power connectors designed for PCs. if you decide to go for RGB lighting, do try to stick to one RGB ecosystem, meaning make sure all the RGB components can be controlled by one program. RGB is controlled by your motherboard. for example if you get an asus motherboard you'll probably want to use their program, aura sync. most components can be controlled by any brand's program however if the motherboard itself has RGB lighting it can only be controlled via its own brand's program, along with the GPU. if you want RGB case fans you really have to make sure your motherboard has RGB headers (the thingy on the motherboard where you plug the fan's LED lights into). most motherboards will only have two-ish RGB headers so if you're going to buy a bunch of fans make sure they come with a fan hub, which lets you plug them all into one header on the motherboard. also, never sacrifice performance for RGB. specifically when it comes to GPUs. if you have a choice between a GPU with RGB and a GPU without RGB, always take the one that has better performance (given it's within the parameters i mentioned earlier).

that's all i have to say :) if you couldn't tell i really love this stuff. i will also recommend you watch youtube videos about this, you can see the build process and the reasoning for using each component, and also tips on what to do and what not to do. i hope this helps and wasn't too confusing. i know you said this is mainly because you got an oculus quest 2 but if you're going to get a gaming pc you should definitely consider games outside of the oculus too.

#ask #anon

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tsarisfanfiction · 3 years

Text

WIP #47

(Send me a number 1-60 [or a fandom/character I guess] for the corresponding wip) because I’m bored and brain-fried and have too many wips that’ll otherwise never see the light of day.

For @misssquidtracy who asked for “Number 47 - Thunderbirds (specifically da Gords)”. Luckily, this happens to be a Gordon PoV wip, so it’s all Gordon!

It’s also a Scott!whump, because it’s me and I’m terrible and I have way too many of these lying around, so watch out for that. There’s also a lot of this. Nearly 6k words, so enjoy :D

Gordon hated it when his squid sense started to tingle for no discernible reason. On a rescue, his squid sense was invaluable, warning him just in time that a building was about to topple, or that an aftershock was on its way. Lives had been saved by his mysterious power – hardly a power, more an instinct honed by too many years of military precision combined with a predisposition for pranks whilst living in a house with three older brothers. Alan joked about him being bitten by a squid, like that old superhero story about the guy and the spider.

It was easier to laugh it off than get into a debate with the astronaut about the biting habits – or lack thereof – of aquatic creatures his younger brother knew nothing more than the required basics about.

However, joking aside, Gordon’s sixth sense was particularly active, and while usually it was a life-saving boon, this time it was just a nuisance. He was at home, safe and comfortable in the clean water of the pool. He’d opted for lazy backstrokes, taking his time to reach from one end of the pool to the other before executing a neat flip to repeat the stroke back the way he’d come. None of his brothers were on missions, either. John was as ever up in Thunderbird Five, but from the far end of the pool he could see the holographic form of his brother just visible in the den. Alan was, last checked, also in the den – the two space mad brothers had decided to watch a documentary on, surprise, surprise, space, during what downtime they had – while Virgil had decided to do some maintenance on Thunderbird Two with Brains.

Scott was away on boring business, a stuffy CEO meeting that he couldn’t palm off onto the board of directors that were supposed to be handling that sort of thing for him, or even attend via hologram. They had insisted on a personal touch – literally – and as it was, apparently, a big deal, that meant Scott had to ditch the blues, send one last longing look at Thunderbird One, and let Kayo escort him in Tracy One to the meeting place.

The meeting had been due to start about an hour ago, if Gordon was getting his timezone calculations correct. Why Tracy Industries still had its headquarters in America, far too many hours behind Tracy Island, when there was a perfectly respectable landmass or two closer to home, he couldn’t quite fathom, but when he’d raised the point Scott and John had both fixed him with tired, don’t be an idiot looks, with just a hint of be glad you don’t have to deal with this nonsense to stop him from pestering further.

Kayo herself was who-knew-where, sneaking around in her sneaky Kayo way. He’d seen Tracy One return several hours ago, Kayo’s taxi service duties over until Scott called for her. Apparently, head of IR security did not equal anything in terms of Tracy Industries security, a fact that he knew grated on her. Still, she and Lady Penelope had run multiple background checks on all the men and women that made up Scott’s official security, and were as assured as they could be with Kayo not amongst their number that he was in good hands.

So if his squid sense could stop tingling randomly, that’d be great, thanks.

It didn’t, and annoyance turned to dread when the emergency signal went off, summoning them all to the lounge. A tingling squid sense, and an emergency? Gordon had a really bad feeling about that.

He made it to the den in record time, more damp than not with a beautiful trail of drips across the carpet that Grandma was going to murder him for later, and still in nothing but his swimming trunks. Alan made a face of disgust as he threw himself down onto the sofa next to him to face John. The documentary that the two astronauts had been watching was paused on what his old school lessons told him was a supernova eruption. The imagery of an explosion did nothing to help his jittery squid sense.

Virgil was last to join them, grease streaking up one sleeve and smearing onto the sofa he chose to sit on – at least he wasn’t the only one that would be facing the wrath of Grandma later.

“What have you got, John?” his eldest currently-home brother asked, looking far too laid back for Gordon’s liking. Not that there was anything wrong with it – Virgil still was far from relaxed, alert and ready for the briefing before launching himself down the slide of death – but Gordon found himself tense in comparison.

“A plane’s gone down in America,” John told them. “I intercepted a mayday call from the pilot; the GDF have already responded but it’s a bad one and they don’t have enough resources to get everyone out. Gear up; I’ll give you the details on the way.”

One of those, huh? Gordon flew towards the fish tank that housed his launch tube, slapping his palm against the hidden sensor and feeling the familiar downwards rush towards the hangars, splitting off from the route to Four and instead making a beeline for Two. He met Alan on the platform, his youngest brother jittering excitedly as always, just in time for Virgil to retract it, bringing them up into the cockpit.

Co-pilot was his chair, and the only person annoying enough to turf him out of it on ‘superiority’ grounds was Scott. Even Kayo knew better than to steal his chair, so Alan settled happily enough into the navigation chair behind Virgil, pulling up the screens ready for John to transmit the data straight though.

“You alright?” Virgil asked him as the hangar door rolled down, revealing rows of palm trees ready to bow in homage to the green beast.

“My squid sense is going haywire,” he admitted, no point in lying. Not on a mission. He expected John to scoff – his second eldest brother always slightly more dismissive of it than the rest of them. After all, there was no scientific explanation. All joking about fish and gills aside, Gordon was one hundred percent human. John didn’t scoff, and that made his squid sense reach an uncomfortable level. In fact, John didn’t say anything at all, his hologram not paying them any attention at all as he fiddled with something invisible up on Five.

“Well, it’s a plane crash,” Alan pointed out, his voice somewhat subdued. Virgil made a noise of agreement as Two’s engines roared to life behind them, punching them into the air. She was no rocket, but Thunderbird Two could still produce a decent amount of Gs. Gordon wished that was it, but the tingle had started before John briefed them.

“Guys,” John finally said, once Two was cruising at full speed towards America. “I’ve got hold of the flight details for the plane. It wasn’t easy; turns out it was a top-secret flight even the GDF didn’t know about.”

“That sounds ominous,” Virgil observed.

“It gets worse.” John’s face was grim. Really grim. Bearer of terrible news grim. “It was a private flight chartered for a top secret business meeting between the biggest aerospace companies in the world. Four CEOs were on board, including-” his voice broke in a very un-John-like manner, and Gordon’s stomach dropped.

“Don’t say it,” Alan begged. In front of him, Virgil’s knuckles were white on the yoke, Thunderbird Two’s engines whining as they went just that little bit faster.

“Including Scott,” John finished, visibly pulling himself back together. “In total there were thirty people on board, including the pilots. The reports from the GDF so far say that the rear of the plane is trashed but the cause isn’t yet clear. Two bodies have been recovered so far – neither of them Scott – but they can’t get into the main body of the plane. Scans suggest that approximately half of them survived the initial crash. I’m picking up fourteen life signs; two of them in the cockpit area so they’re most likely the pilots.”

“Scott’s communicator?” Virgil asked as sea gave way to land beneath them, the American coast looking unfairly beautiful.

“I’m not getting a response,” John admitted. “I’ll keep trying.”

“Anything from the telemetry?” Alan was tapping away at the screen by his chair, clearly manipulating the data John was sending him. Gordon envied him the distraction.

“It’s offline,” John sighed, rubbing his face tiredly. “Seems like it was damaged in the crash. EOS is attempting to reconnect but no luck so far.”

“Do you have any good news for us, Johnny?” Gordon asked hopefully.

“Colonel Casey is one of the GDF officers at the scene,” John offered, notably not rising to the bait. Well, Gordon supposed that was better than random officers, or worse, the ones that weren’t overly fond of International Rescue and didn’t fully co-operate. “Kayo’s just launched in Thunderbird Shadow for the airport they took off from. Lady Penelope is also on the way; she and Parker are already making enquiries to find out what happened.”

“They think sabotage?” Virgil asked.

“The CEOs of the four most powerful aerospace industries in the world were on that plane,” John pointed out. “It’s suspicious, at least.”

“Do you think it’s the Hood?” Gordon sent Alan a withering look. Not everything was the Hood’s fault, even if it felt like it.

“I don’t know, Alan,” John said. “Kayo thinks it isn’t his style. He’d have been looking to get money from them, not kill them.”

“He killed Dad.”

Gordon flinched. He wasn’t the only one.

“No-one said Scott’s dead,” Virgil said, voice steady even though Gordon couldn’t remember the last time he’d looked so tense.

“He’ll be okay, right?” Alan asked. “I mean, it’s Scott. If anyone can walk away from a plane crash, it’d be Scott, right?”

“Let’s hope,” John replied.

The co-ordinates John had programmed into Thunderbird Two’s navigation system flashed up, warning that they were on final approach. Slowed to subsonic, they came to a hover alongside a GDF flier and got their first glimpse of the downed plane. It wasn’t pretty.

The final third of the plane no longer resembled the tail of anything remotely flight-worthy. Twisted and warped metal was crumpled and torn ragged. Men and women in GDF uniforms were hovering around the area, large lasers deployed to slice their way in. Gordon knew instantly that no-one who had been in that part of the plane could possibly have survived.

At the other end of the plane, the nose was also crumpled but not as far back as the cockpit windows. It looked as though whatever had downed the plane had occurred at the back, with the damage to the nose only made by the impact of the crash. More GDF were swarming the cockpit windows, cutting their way in with infinite more care than their counterparts were cleaving the rear.

The area of most interest to them was the middle third. While not the complete write-off of the rear, massive dents and warps in the metal warned of a serious crash. Any survivors would be in that area, but the condition of said survivors was unknown. All of the emergency exits were untouched; from a distance, Gordon couldn’t tell if they were wedged shut by warped metal, or if there was another reason that none of them had been opened.

“International Rescue!” Colonel Casey flagged them down, guiding them towards a space just large enough for Thunderbird Two to land. “You boys are a sight for sore eyes,” she greeted. “The fuselage is too thick for our lasers to get through without endangering the survivors inside. We’ve got the pilots under control, but we haven’t been able to make contact with any of the passengers.”

“F.A.B.,” Virgil answered her. “We’ll get them out. John said fourteen life signs?”

“Affirmative,” she said. “We have visual on both pilots. The other twelve are randomly positioned within the front half of the plane.”

“We’ll get them out,” Virgil assured her, and ended the call. “Gordon, Alan, get as much cutting gear and first aid supplies as you can carry.”

“You didn’t mention Scott,” Gordon observed, and he sighed.

“No point worrying her. You two know we have to treat him the same as the rest?”

Alan frowned.

“But couldn’t he help us?”

“If he’s fit to help, then that’s one thing,” Virgil told them. “But I don’t like that none of the doors are open. Don’t get your hopes up; this is a nasty crash.”

“Come on,” Gordon muttered, grabbing Alan’s arm and tugging him towards the module. “Faster we get in there, the faster we’ll find him.”

“I know that much!” Alan grumbled, yanking his arm back. “I can walk by myself, Gordon!” He stalked off ahead. Gordon let him, hearing Virgil catch up with him from behind.

“You don’t think Scott’s okay,” he said, quietly. It wasn’t a question.

“If he was, he’d have got word out somehow by now,” Virgil replied. “Even if his communicator’s broken, there are GDF swarming the place. He’d only need to catch their attention through a window.” He made a beeline straight for his exosuit, pulling on the heavy gear with the ease of practice and charging out of the lowering module door. Gordon collected their last hand-held cutter and shouldered a medical pack before following alongside Alan, who was kitted out the same.

Virgil’s shoulder laser was powerful and made short work of the fuselage that the GDF had been too reluctant to touch. A wrench with the claw arm and a thick wodge of metal slammed down on the ground in front of him. The opening wasn’t huge, too small for Virgil with his suit to fit through comfortably, but it was the largest they’d been willing to risk with the unknown structural integrity of the fuselage. Gordon slipped through first, hand laser in hand for any further obstacles, and let out a shaky breath.

“Woah,” he muttered, pulling his helmet on. The air was murky, dust kicked up and swarming around from the warped metal. None of the seats were upright; sheered metal struts protruded from where they should have been, in a circle around what was once a table. That had broken in two, the far end buried under the start of the truly warped area. “Hello? International Rescue!”

Silence.

Alongside personal effects and broken pieces of aircraft, the floor was strewn with bodies. Some were obviously dead, impaled by shrapnel made from the very plane that should have been protecting them. One in particular was grotesque, a metal strut that had once supported a chair stuck straight through his chest from where he’d been thrown on top of it. Gordon recognised him as part of Scott’s security detail and had to fight to hold back the bile.

Scott. Where was Scott?

Despite Virgil’s words, he wasted a moment looking around the scene, but there was no sign of his eldest brother. Unable to justify hunting for him before checking for signs of life in those immediately visible, he crouched down by the nearest person not obviously dead and checked their pulse. It was weak but there.

“Woah!” Alan mimicked his own reaction upon entering. “What a mess.”

“Alan, I’ve got a survivor here!” Gordon called him over immediately. “Mind your step.” His youngest brother picked his way over to him. “Find a way to get him out. I’ll look for more.”

“Have you found Scott yet?” he asked, kneeling down and opening his med kit. Gordon shook his head.

“No sign. I’ll let you know as soon as I do.” Alan nodded, and Gordon continued his search. It was a grim one. He’d suspected as such when no-one had responded to his call, but even when he found a warm body, they were unconscious. Virgil joined him, exosuit stripped off and replaced with more medical kits and a small group of GDF personnel courtesy of Colonel Casey. Between them, it was a far more manageable task to carefully remove the survivors from the wreckage. Those pronounced as dead were left for the moment as John’s countdown of life signs inside the remains of the plane slowly ticked down.

All in all, they’d so far found eighteen of the twenty eight passengers, including the dead pulled from the ruined tail section. Ten to go, two of which were still alive according to Thunderbird Five’s scans. One of the ten was Scott. Gordon felt cruel when he found another breathing body and mentally cursed her for not being Scott. It wasn’t her fault; she was lucky to be alive herself, torso contorted in a way he knew meant a broken back. He should be relieved to find any survivors at all, not cursing them for not being the one he wanted to be alive.

He flagged her up to one of the closest medics and moved on. It was almost too dark to see at the back of the plane, up against the crushed wreckage. His toe snapped on something soft and he tripped. Landing in a crouch, he turned around to face the obstruction. A dead body. He didn’t even need to check the young man’s pulse; the poor guy had been caught in the mangled metal and torn in half. His face was twisted in pain and terror, blue eyes wide and glassy with death. It wasn’t Scott, but Gordon knew he’d be seeing those eyes in his nightmares nonetheless.

Turning back around, he moved to stand before realising he was by part of the fallen table. Various limbs had been protruding from beneath the large slab at intervals during Gordon’s search, but here there was a gap. A seat, wedged beneath it, had left part of the table at an angle. It was too dark to see into it, so Gordon palmed a glowstick and snapped it, illuminating the area in an eerie green. Immediately the silhouette of a body greeted his eyes. Mindful of additional shrapnel, he reached in carefully, fumbling until he found their wrist.

Thump… thump…

Slow, but there. At the same time, a GDF woman called in another survivor. One more than expected.

“Virgil!” he called. “I’ve got someone under the table with a pulse. Going to need some heavy lifting to get them out!”

“F.A.B.” his brother replied. He raised the glowstick above his head with the hand not measuring the pulse and waved it around. “I see you.” A moment later, Virgil and a trio of GDF officers appeared. “How much of this are we going to need to shift?” he asked. Gordon shrugged.

“I can’t see. Got a silhouette but not much more. Give me your torch.” He dropped the glowstick and kept his hand open for Virgil’s gear. It landed in his hand and he carefully manoeuvred it down before turning it on.

A once sharp grey suit was covered in dust, but that wasn’t what caught Gordon’s breath in his throat. It was the dark brown hair, and the broken but unmistakable International Rescue communicator on his forearm, less than an inch from Gordon’s fingers on the slow pulse, that made him gasp.

“Gord-?”

“It’s Scott.” He cut Virgil’s query off. Behind him, the GDF murmured in surprise.

Virgil didn’t ask anything more. Gordon stayed where he was, watching the limp form of his eldest brother with a lump in his throat as they moved around him. His fingers didn’t budge from the pulse, a fear gripping him that if he stopped measuring it, it would stop altogether. Orders barked and a concert of groans resulted in a large part of the broken table slab being cut up and lifted, letting what pitiful light had reached so far back into the cabin illuminate Scott’s body.

It wasn’t good. Blood matted his hair, a mark of something striking him in the crash. One leg was twisted almost completely around, a dislocated hip at best, and more blood stained his arm.

Virgil took charge, nudging Gordon out of the way. He went willingly only because out of everyone in the world, he only trusted Virgil or Grandma to handle his brother in such a broken state. He tapped his communicator.

“John, Alan?”

Both answered immediately, eager for news. Inwardly he was glad not to be the bearer of tragic news, not sure he could have managed it.

“Found him; he’s alive.”

“How is he?” Alan demanded over John’s sigh of relief. Gordon winced.

“Alive,” he repeated. “Virgil’s got him. It’s too dark back here to tell past that.” That was a bare faced lie; even as he spoke he could see Virgil attaching the medical scanner to him, still glowing glow stick highlighting the frown on his face. Neither brother called him out on it.

“I’ll update the others,” John said instead. “Keep looking for survivors; you’re on one more than our scans showed. There might be more.”

“F.A.B.” He ended the call. “Virgil?”

“All in hand,” his older brother said shortly. “Keep looking.”

“Yessir.”

Seven dead bodies later, all thirty crew and passengers were accounted for. He exited the craft, removing his now filthy helmet, only to almost collide with Colonel Casey.

“You knew Scott was on board the flight,” she said without greeting. Her face was displeased, and he figured he was the first Tracy she’d managed to collar.

“Of course we did,” he confirmed. “But that didn’t change how we operated.”

“I can see that,” she said. “Why didn’t you tell me?” He glanced back at the corpse of the plane, where Virgil was still inside with Scott, carefully transferring him to a hoverstretcher, last Gordon had seen.

“Because it didn’t change anything,” he repeated. “Excuse me, Colonel, but my job isn’t over yet.”

He didn’t wait to be dismissed, heading towards Thunderbird Two’s open module to prep it for Scott’s transport. The GDF might be taking the other injured to hospitals, but there was only one craft their brother would be travelling in, and that was their own. He wasn’t naïve; Scott’s injuries were bad, beyond anything Grandma and Virgil could handle at home. John and Kayo were already working to locate a hospital both capable of treating him, and with enough security that he would be safe from ill-wishers during his recovery.

None of them were convinced this was a simple accident. Not with so many high profile individuals on board. The Hood aside, there were many people that stood to gain from the deaths of the four CEOs. Lady Penelope was already digging into the employees from the other three companies who stood to benefit from the deaths. Regretfully, the only CEO still with a pulse was Scott. All four of them had been towards the back of the cabin, all bar Scott caught up in the twisted metal that was the final third of the plane.

Scott had been lucky, for all that he wasn’t out of the woods yet. Gordon wasn’t a medical professional, but Virgil’s face told him that much.

“The medical carrier is ready to leave,” Colonel Casey told him. He assumed she’d followed him to Thunderbird Two, although had at least refrained from entering uninvited. “As soon as Scott is on board, they’ll be on their way.”

“They can leave now,” Gordon retorted. “We’ll handle Scott.”

“I know you are concerned, but this crash is a GDF investigation,” she told him. “All casualties fall under GDF jurisdiction.”

Gordon was shorter than her – the only one of his brothers bar the still-growing Alan with that distinction – but inside the module bay he could still look down at her.

“Scott is International Rescue jurisdiction,” he corrected her. “And as the CEO of the family business, also Tracy jurisdiction. He’ll be treated at a location approved by us, not the GDF, and if the GDF have an issue with that, they can take that up with our head of security.”

“And your other employees?” she challenged. Gordon pushed away the memory of a man impaled by a seat strut.

“None of them survived.” He turned his back on her, readying the finishing touches.

“I’m sorry for your losses,” she said, and he heard her walk away. He’d barely known them, the six men and women wearing Tracy Industries logos, but Scott had. John, too, and Kayo had hand-picked the four members of security.

Alan appeared beside him, putting away what remained of the medical supplies he’d taken out earlier and locking the hand-held laser back where it belonged.

“Is he going to be okay?” he asked, and Gordon shrugged, putting an arm around his shoulders.

“I don’t know,” he admitted.

“Do you think this was sabotage?”

“I don’t know.”

“Why would anyone do this?”

Gordon sighed.

“It might have just been an accident,” he reminded him, even if he doubted his own words. Alan looked equally unconvinced. “Come on, let’s get her ready to go.”

“F.A.B.,” Alan said quietly, and they headed out towards the loading platform, only to be brought up short at the sight of Virgil approaching them, hoverstretcher alongside. Immediately they got out of the way, letting their older brother brush past and secure the stretcher to the wall.

“Gordon, pilot,” he said. “John and Kayo found us a New Zealand hospital. It’s a fair distance, but it’s secure. Scott should hold on long enough to get there as long as you don’t dawdle.”

“F.A.B.” Gordon wasn’t a fan of the implication that Scott might not, but had no choice but to trust Virgil as he jabbed the button to raise the platform. Alan stayed behind – understandable, as he hadn’t seen yet seen their eldest brother – but Gordon didn’t say anything. He could pilot Two solo.

There were many words that could be used to describe the speed they left the crash site and headed for the other side of the world at, but ‘dawdle’ was not one of them. She was no rocket like One or Three, but Two was still one of the fastest planes in the world, and Gordon was determined to get as much speed out of her as he dared. Virgil could take her faster, another Mach at least, but he wasn’t Virgil and didn’t trust himself to keep her flight smooth at top speed. He just hoped it would be fast enough.

About halfway there, somewhere over the large expanse of water that Gordon would much rather be in than over, Virgil contacted him, a hologram flickering into life in his periphery.

“If I send Alan up, will you go faster?” he asked. Gordon’s heart sank.

“Is he getting worse?” Please no, please not Scott.

“I’ve got him stable,” Virgil reassured him. “But he’s still critical. The sooner we get him to the hospital the happier I’ll be.”

“More speed coming up,” he confirmed, reaching for the throttle. “Uh, yeah, send Alan up, would you?” He could probably do with a co-pilot if he went any faster.

“Sure thing,” Virgil agreed. “He’s on his way.”

Sure enough, no sooner than his older brother ended the connection, the door opened and Alan stumbled through it, all but collapsing into the co-pilot’s chair.

“He hasn’t woken up,” the astronaut offered as he reached forwards to power up the co-pilot controls. As soon as the second set of lights lit up, Gordon accelerated the craft towards top speed. “Virgil’s worried about the head injury.”

Gordon grit his teeth, remembering the red matted into the brown under the powerful beam of Virgil’s torch.

“Head injuries are tricky,” he agreed. “But Virgil knows what he’s going, and John’s found a hospital that specialises in them.”

“I know,” Alan replied quietly. “That’s what worries me. They’re not telling us something.”

“The hazards of being the youngest,” Gordon groaned, unsurprised but as annoyed as Alan about it. Scott was their brother too, dammit. “So, what are they not telling us?”

“Have you seen the results of the scan?” Alan asked him. Gordon shook his head.

“Nah, had to leave to look for other survivors once Virgil was dealing with him, and haven’t seen him since.” Five seconds of hoverstretcher rushing past didn’t really count. “What came up?”

“No idea,” Alan sulked. “Virgil’s been keeping it out of my sight all journey. But I know John knows.”

Gordon growled and slammed the comm button.

“John, Virgil, I want the result of those scans,” he demanded.

“You’re piloting,” Virgil responded immediately. “No reading while you’re controlling my ‘bird.”

“Then summarise for me,” he retorted. “Starting with that head injury.”

“Just get us to the hospital,” Virgil ordered.

“Already doing that,” he ground out, hackles rising. “Stop trying to keep us in the dark! He’s our brother too!” Thunderbird Two lurched under his grip before Alan hastily stabilised them.

“What are you doing up there?” Virgil demanded. “Be careful!”

“Letting my imagination fill in the blanks,” he lied – he was, in fact, keeping his imagination carefully blank.

“Is it that bad?” Alan interrupted before Virgil could find a fresh retort. “Is he dying?”

Silence filled the cabin, and Gordon’s temper flared.

“You said he was stable!” he yelled. “Dammit, Virgil, don’t lie to me about that!”

“I said critical but stable,” Virgil corrected. “He is stable, Gordo, but…” He trailed off, and Gordon glanced over at Alan to see his own growing panic mirrored back at him in blue eyes.

“He’s comatose,” John said quietly.

“What?” Alan yelped. Gordon stiffened, hands threatening to crush the yoke in his hands before he forcibly relaxed them.

“You didn’t think I might like to know that?” he growled, flashes of hospitals and white coats and bodiless voices stirring in the back of his mind before he trampled them down ruthlessly. Not now. Silence answered him. Clearly both his conscious older brothers knew they were in the wrong, and that whatever nonsense they fed him about not wanting to distract him while he was piloting wouldn’t pacify him in the slightest.

Alan’s face had gone white, big blue eyes focused on him, and he knew his younger brother was remembering the last time he’d had a family member in a coma – him. He forced a smile for his benefit, which had about as much of an effect as any pacifying words John or Virgil might have tried to use.

“Why?” Alan asked, voice shaking. “Who would do that?”

“Kayo and Lady Penelope are looking into it,” John told them. “Whatever happened, they’ll find out. I’ve got EOS doing some digging of her own, too.”

“But… is Scott going to be okay?” Alan pleaded, looking back at Gordon, who was clearly the resident expert on comas. He remembered the fight for consciousness, pleading voices turning to resigned ones as they talked about their day yet again. He remembered wanting to respond so badly but being trapped by his own body.

The idea of Scott going through that filled him with dread – if he even did. Comas were different for different people, he’d found out later, when he’d torn through everything he could get his hands on in a desperate attempt to understand what had happened to him. He wouldn’t wish that on anyone, except maybe the Hood but then even only in his blackest moods. Scott had done nothing to deserve that.

“He’s a fighter,” was all he could say.

The hospital staff were ready and waiting for them when they finally arrived, a two hour flight that had felt far longer. No sooner had he touched down and opened the module than they were swarming, hurrying Scott inside with Virgil hot on their heels, presumably talking doctor-speak and filling in anything they hadn’t already been briefed about.

Gordon and Alan were left in Thunderbird Two’s cockpit, watching out of the windows as their elder brothers vanished into the maw of the hospital.

“Do we follow them?” Alan asked after a moment. Gordon looked at the doors with no small amount of dread, and shook his head.

“They won’t be allowing visitors just yet,” he said. “Virgil will have a fight to stay with him, and he’s our medic. We’ll just get shoved in a waiting room with sympathetic looks and no news.”

At least, that was the stories he’d heard from his brothers, regarding his own accident. International Rescue might have more weight than merely the Tracy name had back then, but a patient was a patient.

“Come home,” John said, popping up from the dashboard and looking them both over. He looked tired, too, and Gordon wondered how much worse it was for him, stuck up in space and fully reliant on holograms to see Scott. At least the rest of them had been able to see – and touch – him. It didn’t take much for Gordon to recall the thump-thump of a faint pulse beneath his fingers as he clung to the sign that he hadn’t lost anyone else.

Not yet, a nasty voice whispered in the back of his mind. He silenced it sharply.

“But-” Alan protested, clinging to the edges of his seat as though it was the hoverstretcher carrying Scott’s limp body.

“Come home and get cleaned up,” John said firmly, reminding Gordon that he’d spent several hours in a wrecked plane with dead bodies. It was hidden slightly better on Alan’s uniform, but a glance at his own showed red drying into brown on his yellow baldric. “By the time we get back there, they might have news for us.”

“We?” Gordon locked onto, and John crossed his arms.

“I’m not staying up here waiting for news to trickle in,” he snapped, and Gordon raised his hands in surrender.

“Never said you were, big bro,” he soothed.

“What about the investigation?” Alan asked, even as he started flicking switches and preparing the massive craft for lift off once more.

“I’ve got EOS on that,” John replied. Following Alan’s lead, Gordon took control of the massive Thunderbird again, her VTOLs roaring as they peeled away from their landing spot back into the sky. “I’ll let Virgil know where you are once he gets in contact.”

“F.A.B.,” Gordon acknowledged.

He pretended it didn’t hurt to turn their back on the hospital where Scott lay comatose, but even if it fooled his brothers (doubtful), he couldn’t fool himself.

...tbc..?

#thunderbirds are go #thunderbirds are go fanfiction #tsari writes fanfiction #wip excerpt #gordon tracy #scott tracy #john tracy #virgil tracy #alan tracy #colonel casey #thunderwhump #thunderangst

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whichwaytowonderlandep · 4 years

Text

Whatever It Takes | Ch. 3

⇒ Pairings: (Yoongi/Reader) (Hoseok/Reader)

⇒ Genre: Romance, Angst

⇒ Words: 3,132

⇒ Tags: Cop AU, Agent AU, Gang Au, (this is a filler pretty much, nothing exciting)

Chapter One | Chapter Two

Chapter Three

You wake up to the sounds of pots and pans being moved around. A sound that quickly indicated you were not in your apartment but somewhere you had to force yourself to have a conversation with this early in the morning. You pick up your phone from where it was laying down on your pillow, your eyes squinting at the low— and yet, very bright light coming from the screen.

The screen read four in the morning as the sound of more pans hitting the floor sounded from the kitchen. You groan to yourself as you bury your face into your pillow, trying to block out the noise. The old cot you were laying on letting out squeaks of protests at the weight of your movements. You could hear Taehyung’s soft snores from the other side of the room as you sit up, bare feet touching the cold floor as you look around for any type of shoes. Your lips smack together as you wipe away the sleep from your eyes before you’re making your way out of the bedroom.

The first thing your eyes find as they adjust to the light coming from the kitchen in the sight of Jungkook muttering to himself, trying to turn the stove on — the click clack of it refusing to turn on echoing in the room. You don’t say anything as you come up behind him, startling the younger man as you push him to the side as you take the lighter from him and turn the stove yourself. “Behold, fire.” You mumble as you hand him the lighter and turn towards the fridge.

You could see a rush of red on Jungkook’s cheeks as nods in thanks, pouring in the pancake mix. “Make me some, too” you groggily tell him, turning towards the fridge before pouring yourself a glass of orange juice. As thoughts of last night came rushing back to you, the decision to go out to that club without letting anyone know was probably not the best idea— at least you made contact, got a feel of what you were getting yourself into. Jung Hoseok was definitely a flirt. Although, you would have definitely done without the shots as you remember a sort of wobbly walk to your shared apartment for the next few months, you didn’t really have that much of an eventful night after that — Jungkook was asleep when you got there and Taehyung was nowhere to be found.

You sit up on the counter, the dining table already too littered with Jungkook’s equipment for you to try and find any space at all. “Where did you go last night?” Jungkook questions as he passes you a full plate, “You turned off your tracker.” He mumbles, giving you a side glance.

“Just wanted to get accustomed to the city” You smile sleepily at him, “Why are you up so early?” You scold him softly, biting down on your freshly made breakfast. You glance at his various monitors, only understanding half of what they showed. “I just couldn’t sleep, thought I could do some more for you guys. Why did you go out at one in the morning?”

You chuckle at his line of questioning, “Nosy, aren’t we?” You tease him, letting out a sigh “I’ve never been here before, even if it’s about two hours from the head building. I just wanted to be around ” you confess, shrugging your shoulders.

“I wasn’t trying to be nosy” Jungkook vacillated, “I was just worried…” He mumbles that last part.

The sound of the door to the bedroom opening distracts from your conversation to reveal a sleepy looking Taehyung, he smacks his lips together as he tries to rub the sleep from his eyes.

“Why are you up?” You ask him as he leans on the counter beside you “Didn’t you get in like a minute ago?” You watch as he shrugs before stealing some of your food as you both turn to stare at Jungkook. He gets a few bites in before asking, “What’s for today?”

“Well, with you guys making the progress that you’ve been making…” Jungkook gives you both a side glance before moving to sit in front of his computer. “We’re moving pretty quickly through the supposed schedule.”

“However, I did get a chance to get into their security system and part of Hoseok’s calendar. It’s mostly just charity galas, events and names of some people I still haven’t had the chance to profile.” He scratches the back of his neck, looking kind of sheepishly as he admits his progress.

“That’s good, that means we can get this over with even faster,” Taehyung says, looking up at you. “Less time away from our real lives, I’m sure you would love to get back to it.” He smirks in your direction. You slap jokingly on his shoulder, if anyone knew about you and Yoongi’s ‘relationship’ the most, it had to be Taehyung — he was there for most of it.

“What do we do next?” Taehyung continues, this time his attention fully on Jungkook as he continues to eat from your plate. You yawn as you feel the sleepy feeling creeping back up.

“Well, since then Chief is now a big part of this operation— I have to wait what his part in all this is,” Jungkook says.

Yeah, you where also question what the fuck Yoongi was doing there — however, it didn’t take a genius to know that the reason was more than likely you. “Where is he anyway?” You voice out what everyone else was thinking, looking around the otherwise empty apartment. You know for a fact that he snores pretty loud, there’s no way he was here still.

“He left this morning saying he had some business to take care of, didn’t say when he would be back.” Jungkook shrugs, his breakfast long forgotten as he sits back down in front of his computer set. “I’m guessing to get rid of anything that would get his attention away from this mission.”

“Whatever, just make sure to text me when he arrives. I’m going out for a run.” You let both of them know before walking back into your shared room, changing into leggins and a hoodie. You pick your phone and headphones, making your way out of the room and passing the kitchen. Jungkook now fully immersed in his computer, the surveillance videos from Hoseok’s apartment taking most of the available screens. Taehyung had moved into the small living room, a cup of coffee in one hand and a lit up cigarette in the other. “I’ll be back in about an hour or so, I’m going around the block” You shout back as you walk out of the cramped apartment.

Hoseok sits behind one of the exclusive tables of one of the many famous restaurants he owns in the area of downtown. He could feel the eyes of the other guests stealing side glances at the men as they continued to enjoy their meals. His leg moves up and down as he stares down deep in thought at the cup of white wine in his hand, his mind drifting back to two nights ago.

He can still remember the smell of your perfume, the smirk you wore across your lips and that tantalizing gaze you gave him as if he wasn’t good enough.

Fuck, how he wanted to ruin you.

“Boss?” Jimin asks, tentatively as he watches murder form on the oldest face, “everything okay?” He watches the small mental breakdown going on inside the brain of his oldest friend. He could only put two and two together from the moment Hoseok had starting acting so strange, back to when he had first met you back at his bar — he couldn’t really understand what the big deal was, sure you were a part of a very powerful family in this business but from what he had heard being whispered around here was that you were no longer a part of it. You had ran away, disappeared for a few years before popping up here again. How could they even know if it was the real heiress? Hoseok just couldn’t see all the other possibilities.

Jimin found it weird, to leave all that power and riches away to just float around from continent to continent — not taking care of the things you were supposed to be in charge of. He thought it was highly irresponsible of you, a spoiled rich kid with behaviour issues.

He puts the fork down on his now empty plate, wiping his lips with the pristine cloth that was once resting on his lap. “We have a few more meetings today, and a fitting at four for your suit. The-”

“Can you find more about (Y/N) Ucello, where she’s currently staying? What does her schedule look like?” Hoseok interrupts Jimin as he cuts into his food once more, showing it in his mouth as his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “There’s got to be a reason why she’s in town all of a sudden…” Hoseok puts his utensils down on the plate as a loud clunk fills the room, the people around him sending him glances before continuing on with their own conversations.

“...Boss?” Jimin whispers, frowning as he tries to get Hoseok’s full attention “Should we be getting involved with her?” Jimin asks, leaning back against his chair. “We’re doing just fine without any outside help.”

“It wouldn’t be outside help. Think about the power her family holds, the riches, the connections… Not to mention, (Y/N) isn’t that boring to be around.” Hoseok continues in a gaze as he looks into nothing while playing with the rings on his fingers. If he had you on his side, that meant he had the most powerful man in the world by his side. Oh, the things he could do with that much power in his hands. “I don’t know about that, but it seems we’ve struck gold with our unexpected guest.”

“I get it, she makes you horny.” Jimin interrupts him, “But still, do you really want to go down that road? You know once you’re in with an Ucello, there’s no going back.”

He smirks, the gears in his head moving at a rapid speed as millions of ideas run through his mind. “Anything you can get on her, I want it in my possession as soon as possible. Now.” He continues.

“Yeah, I’m sure. Have Seokjin find her schedule and anyone else she might be doing business with while she’s in town.” Hoseok insists, his mind already been made up.

Jimin doesn’t press anymore, instead he pulls his phone out of his pocket— sending a quick text to Seokjin about Hoseok’s latest escapades.

“It’s done” Jimin says, putting his phone away as soon as he sees Seokjin’s reply.

You take in a couple of breaths as you lean down on your knees, the sweaty grey sweatshirt clinging onto your skin as you take a sip of your water bottle. You weren’t keeping track of how long you were running for, but as the sun shone high in the sky and your water supply running low you knew it had been a couple of hours. You walk off the path, sitting down on the grass as you look towards the serene lake. You lean back on your hands, the sound of your phone cutting through the silence interrupting the comfortable moment.

It took you a few minutes to regain your breath, to get your heart beating back to normal as you. You take out your vibrating phone from your pocket, watching as Yoongi’s goofy face stares back at you. You chuckle as memories of when you took that photo surface back every time he calls you. “What do you need, my little bon bon?”

“I thought I told you not to call me that” Yoongi instantly replies.

“And I never said I wasn’t, what do you need?” You ask him again, trying to get to the point as the gray clouds start rolling in above you.

“I need you to come back to the safe house, get your equipment and check in at the Melrose Hotel. There’s a gala there tonight that you’ll be attending.” Yoongi continues, “I should be there as soon as I clear things up here at the office. I made sure Jeon ordered what you needed for tonight. It’s time you make first contact.”

“Understood, sir” You say as you stand up from the grass, brushing the dirt off of your pants before hanging up the phone.

You watch with a look of disgust on your face as Jungkook slurps up the cream in one of the cannolis. That boy is not normal— thinking to yourself as you shake your head , finally managing to look away from him. Maybe stopping by the bakery around the corner wasn’t that good of an idea. “That is just disgusting”

You take a big gulp of your coffee, your eyes scanning the board filled with surveillance pictures, reports from Taehyung and old/new data Jungkook had collected at the beginning.

There was still no way Hoseok’s empire would come crashing down, he was thorough and made sure nothing could ever be traced back to him. Lucky for you, you love the thrill and adventure that comes with the challenge.You hear the front door of the apartment open behind you, “Where are we with Taehyung?” Yoongi says, throwing his coat onto the couch before standing right next to you —his hands on his hips.

Yoongi had been taking turns here and at the office, he was joining the team and leaving his second in command in charge of the station. He missed being on the field and he knew no better time than with his old team.

“He’s on making another drop, He got a call from Park again.” Jungkook answers.

“That’s good, he’ll find his way into the inner circle soon enough.” Yoongi nods as he sits down on the sofa. “The gala tonight, I want you to make a move. Make sure to give him a business proposition.” “But, before we agree to anything else. Are you sure you want to proceed?” Yoongi questions, looking at you straight in the eyes. “Because if you do, your father will know where you are and he will find you. I know this is the last thing you want.”

“Yes, I’m sure. It’s time he and I get together.”

Yoongi stares, maintaining eye contact with you before nodding, moving to talk to Jungkook about the rest of the schedule — leaving you to wallow in your own thoughts and memories.

Your high heels click against the marbled floor of the lobby floor, wheeling your luggage behind you as you take your sunglasses off. “Way to attract attention to yourself” You hear Jungkook in your ear as you sashay your way to the front desk. You smile up to the camera as you take off your sunglasses, knowing full Jungkook was the only one watching. You had changed from your work out clothing to one of the many expensive outfits you had hidden away.

You politely smile at the man at the front desk, “Reservation under Ucello” You tell him, slipping your license over to him as you slide your sunglasses back on as you survey the big lobby.

“Looks like you’ve got a fan” Jungkook mentions, looking through his monitor as he recognizes one of Hoseok’s men, not sitting far from you. Kim Seokjin, more or less the one who makes up Hoseok’s daily calendar. You smirk, knowing that initiating contact last night helped you in some way. It definitely got his attention.

“This arrived for you, Miss Ucello” The receptionist calls for your attention again, sliding an envelope towards you. You take it in your hands, nodding in thanks as you pull out two silver tickets for the charity gala tonight. “And your room key, Miss”

“Thank you” You grab onto it as well before making your way towards the elevators, as soon as the doors close and you’re alone once again you let out a deep breath- waving your key card on the censor. Your feet were killing you, you had put on those heels in the town car before getting off and you swear it felt like you had had them on for what seemed like a week. Why can’t sexy shoes be sensible? - you think to yourself as the elevator arrives at the penthouse.

“I see we’re living off appearances, I’m guessing the money for this room isn’t coming from the agency’s bank account” You say out loud, watching as the smart tv turns on and Jungkook’s face appears.

“Well, technically… it hasn’t been paid for completely…” Jungkook says, shrugging as he swivels around in the chair. “Hyung didn’t really explain all the details to me”

“Yeah, I’m using my old credit card. Might as well let daddy dearest I’m in town while I parade around town” You sigh at the thought of finally seeing your father after eight years of remaining under the radar, sticking to the shadows and evading every goon he sent after you. You’ve kept yourself hidden as you fought for the good guys as an ally and had placed most of his associates in jail or those who had gotten themselves killed in the process.

You put your bag on the couch, kicking your heels as you head towards the bed. You put the suitcase on top of the ottoman at the end.

“I’ll leave you to get ready, I need to check in with Tae before he goes off the grid tonight.” Jungkook let’s you know before the television turns off again. You start to take off your clothing, throwing your clothing onto the floor until you’re left in nothing but your underwear before you make your way to the walk-in closet.

Jungkook had made the move from your personal storage unit, filling it with all of your old dresses and clothing from your socialite days. All one of a kind and all expensive enough to buy a small house with. This part you definitely did not miss. “My babies, how I’ve missed you” You bite at your bottom lip as you pick out the dress for tonight. Elegant but slutty with the low back and front that left nothing to the imagination.

You lay it out on the bed as you turn to the speakers in the room, before turning towards the bathroom and getting ready for tonight.

You could feel yourself getting excited, the same way you did when you knew there was danger around the corner. It was finally starting to feel like home.

Masterlist >>

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codylabs · 4 years

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Having the Time of My Life Overanalyzing Voltron Science, A Visual Novel

The team’s little mantra in the original show was “ Activate interlock! Dynotherms connected! Infracells up! Mega thrusters are go! Let’s go Voltron Force!” And they said this each and every single time their 5 lions formed together into the combined robot.

In today’s essay I will be deeply examining and wildly speculating about what exactly interlocks, dynatherms, infracells, and mega thrusters are, why it’s entirely crucial that these 4 items be part of the Voltron preflight checklist, and explaining why (or at least inferring that) you should take it all seriously.

Interlock

The Interlock is easy. It’s probably whatever system is used to attach the 5 lions together. So what are they? Magnets? Docking rings like on spacecraft? Just mechanical latches? Hard to say. But something as simple as a mechanical latch isn’t something you’d have to ‘activate’ or actively call out during pre-flight, so I would suspect ‘interlock’ is likely a catch-all term for not only the mechanical attachments, but also the control circuit used to synchronize the computers onboard all 5 lions. It would be a complex integrated system within the black lion, which also explains why they refer to it in the singular instead of plural.

Without the interlock, Voltron would just be the 5 lion with their individual brains tied together like duct-taped dogs. The interlock synchronizes them into a common intelligence, under the direction of the centralized black lion.

I don’t know what the mechanical structure of the interlocks would be. Conventional material science would suggest that a robot as large as Voltron wouldn’t be able to even stand, let alone run and jump and fight, so even if we assume nearly-indestructible exotic alien materials, I think you would still want something more than hooks and pins to connect the various pieces together. It would be best if the actual structural elements could somehow fuse at the molecular level. Welding is the most obvious method for that, but there’s also Vaan-Der-Waals forces, which could bond together flat surfaces that could then be slid apart. And maybe if you had superconducting cables running between the elements and then ran a ton of current through them, then you could use magnetic binding? I’m not sure if that would work, but it sounds futuristic enough to be true. IDK.

Dynatherms

I can’t tell if this is ‘dynatherms’ or ‘dinotherms’, but the first sounds less prehistoric, so I’ll go with that. So it sounds like pieces of the words ‘dynamic’ and ‘thermal’ mashed together, which don’t really mean anything except in the context of thermodynamics, so.... What is this? A reactor? A steam engine?

Of all the various components this one puzzled me longest, but I think I’ve got it.

The dynatherms are the cooling system, meant to radiate away the massive amounts of heat its engines and motors would generate. Most spacecraft, heck most vehicles in general, have a system analogous to this. Here’s the one the ISS uses:

Voltron doesn’t have any weird extendo-wings like this, but it’s conceivable that they could be built directly into the outer layer of its armor. The black lion’s little red wings are likely a part of the system too. If you ask me, the surface area of its armor isn’t nearly enough to dissipate enough heat to keep a thing like this cool, but I think I can ignore that.

So anyway. At first this explanation doesn’t seem to fit, since they say ‘dynatherms connected’, not ‘coolant pumps started’ or ‘refrigerant levels maximum’ or something. You don’t ‘connect’ the heat radiators, they’re always connected. You just pump water through them. Right?

Wrong! Here’s my sufficiently futuristic explanation: Voltron’s cooling system doesn’t use coolant and pumps or any type of conventional refrigeration at all! Instead, the ‘dynatherms’ are a network of thermally superconductive cables connecting all its motors and engines to radiative armor panels on the exterior. Thermal superconductivity is a concept I learned from Star Wars and later found out is a real-ish thing. Basically any vibrations in any part of a thermally-superconductive material can frictionlessly travel to any other part of the material. Since temperature is based on vibrations, this means that if a hot thing touches one part of the material, everything else touching the material can instantly feel that heat, and even dissipate that heat. You can think of it as Marvel vibranium or as warmth communism.

Since there’s no fluid flow, the only way to control this cooling system or increase or decrease its dissipation is to connect and disconnect individual cables. Hence why they would have to connect the dynatherms before forming Voltron; combat in combined robot mode is one of the most taxing conditions of the machine’s operation, so they need all the cooling they can get.

Infracells

Now HERE’S where it starts to get interesting. ‘Infra’ roughly means ‘below’. To take the most common example, take ‘infrared’ light, that is, light existing at frequencies lower red light, which is itself the lowest frequency in the visible spectrum. Infrared is invisible, so the only way to describe its color is ‘somewhere below red’.

So as far as I can tell, ‘infracells’ could mean one of three things. They could be some kind of infrared light sensors, like FLIR imagers used for night vision and targeting on modern military equipment (which I consider unlikely, since that’s not the type of thing you would specifically call out during the preflight, or something intrinsically useful to the Voltron assembly process.) Or it could be an armor layer consisting of some kind of cells literally ‘below’ the rest of the armor (which I also consider unlikely, because why would that be important to the Voltron assembly either? You wouldn’t need to even worry about it until you take damage to the outer armor layer, right?) Or, finally and most interestingly, it could have something to do with lower frequencies or lower speeds in general.

Here’s my theory:

The infracells cause time itself to run differently. You all saw the movie Interstellar, where time aboard the spacecraft passed slower for the crew whenever they were inside powerful gravity wells. If you had high buildups of negative energy within cells inside Voltron, it would produce the opposite effect, causing time to move faster inside the cells than outside. Anything inside would experience the rest of the universe in slower motion, meaning lower acceleration, lower forces, and lower stress.

Therefore, if such ‘infracells’ were installed around Voltron’s skeletal frame and motors, it may explain the machine’s great strength and indestructibility. And it would make sense that this would be the type of thing they would call out during the pre-flight, as even one down infracell could spell disaster once that section of the frame is attempting to support the entire weight of the robot; it would buckle and break. Every infracell needs to be up before forming Voltron.

Mega thrusters

Now, this just sounds silly. They’re likely the engines that Voltron uses to fly, but the show creators put ‘mega’ in front of the name to sound cool. Might as well call them ‘super rockets’ or ‘the ultra drive’, right? But mega is an interesting word, as it’s actually a scientific term in the metric system meaning to multiply by a million. Like a kilometer is a thousand meters and a kilogram is a thousand grams, a megameter is a million meters, and a megagram is a 1000 kilograms. You may have heard of ‘megaton’ when referring to nuclear explosives; a three-megaton bomb is a bomb with the explosive yield equivalent to three million tons of TNT. A lot.

So, uh,

Why would you call a thruster a ‘mega thruster’, then?

Well, I know approximately jack-diddly about the original show, but I know that in the newer show, most large spacecraft in the universe get their energy not from nuclear reactors or solar cells, but rather from Balmeran crystals. The crystals are able to produce apparently infinite energy so long as you don’t damage them or overtax them. I don’t know where the crystals get their infinite energy, but that’s not what I’m here to speculate about, so I’ll just treat that as one of the universe’s rules, like bending in Avatar.

So! How do you set that up to make an engine? Well, infinite power is good! Higher power to the engine means hotter, faster exhaust, and hotter, faster exhaust means higher fuel efficiency and higher thrust. So the question becomes, how do you get the most power in the safest and most efficient way possible?

For the sake of some rules, let’s say that you need to give the crystals a little bit of stimulating energy to make them produce energy. That seems fair, I think. Let’s say they produce 5 times the energy they absorb.

So you give a crystal 1 watt, you get 5. That’s great; that means if we need 50 billion watts to run the thruster, we just need to get a big crystal, and feed it 10 billion watts. However! Where do we get that initial 10 billion watts? Well we could just take a portion of the crystal’s own output and cycle it back around to the input, but that’s a dangerous game to play, since if the percentage you cycle around is even slightly more than 20%, you could create a “positive feedback loop” where more input means more output, which leads to greater input which leads to even greater output, and so on and so on until the crystal breaks or the ship blows up or something generally unfavorable happens. This is approximately the experience of the people at Chernobyl, and is not recommended.

So instead of having crystals feed themselves, you’d instead want them to be fed exclusively by an external source, like a battery or an entirely separate smaller crystal. So the initial crystal would feed larger ones, which would feed larger ones, and so on, each stage in the chain becoming more powerful, but always stable and dependent on some initial external input, so as to never go out of control.

And now, I’m thinking it would be nice from an engineering perspective to have all the crystals together in one shielded location. And from a tactical perspective, it would be nice not to have a bunch of bulky, vulnerable, high-energy cables running around the entire vehicle. So, you would want as many crystal stages as possible in the places where the power is needed most. Namely, the engines.

Therefore, a big part of the engines would be made of armored shells to contain dozens of stacks of crystal beds. They would accept a small amount of power at the top, and multiply it internally to get enormous output at the bottom. Hence, ‘mega’ thruster. It multiplies input by a million.

Boom.

Done.

Headcanon deployed.

So now the next time you’re watching some stupid show and think that something doesn’t make sense, pause to consider that maybe you’re just not using enough imagination, or else I will be with you in spirit to wrong-shame you.

(If you use your imagination and it still doesn’t make sense, then don’t worry. This means that the show is trash and you are right.)

Now go to bed.

#Boom #Voltron #voltron: legendary defender #lion #fan theory #engineering #some cool food for thought #I don't even watch this show what am I doing

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cozycryptidcorner · 4 years

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“This takes place in the universe I’m working on! Some of my followers might recognize the characters, I’m drawn them plenty of times before. I’ve been wanting to actually write the relationship, but have been working on the plotline beyond what ya’ll see in order to do so. I hope you enjoy these two dumbasses as much as I enjoy writing about them!”

This can’t get any worse, AJ thinks, as it inevitably gets… well, worse. At least instead of freely orbiting through the vastness of space, she gets caught in a planet’s gravitational pull, but that opens a whole other can of worms that involves things like possibly burning up in the atmosphere. She doesn’t know if her spacesuit has any kind of heat guards or impact safety measures beyond the basics, but oh boy, she’s about to find out.

Being caught in a gravity well is sort of like how AJ imagines being caught in a whirlpool while completely paralyzed and numb all over. It’s an inevitable sort of horror, though she can’t actually feel friction of any kind, like someone on the outside might think she would be experiencing, her spacesuit at least makes sure of that. From her position, she can see the planet through her tinted visor, a soft, golden shade overtaking everything it possibly can.

There are two possible planets she could land, twins, locked in each other’s gravitational pulls, and she doesn’t know which one claimed her first. Her so-called team briefly stopped in the system, trying desperately to pull the energy of the sun to refuel the damaged warp engine and repair the external damage before the accident.. Her body flips over, tumbling, plunging, flipping head over heels, wholly unsure of the direction she is heading, much less the planet that has decidedly grasped onto her frame and pulls her ever closer. She has thrusters, but they won’t so much when barreling towards the ground at high speed; however, maybe she can angle herself so that she bounces right off the atmosphere bubble?

She has to think over this very quickly. Which sounds worse, floating in a vacuum and hope someone who aren’t the space pirates her crew was running from picks up on her suite’s emergency beacon, or pray her suite can take the impact of a crash and try to make contact with the natives? Tentatively, she tries working her thrusters and quickly realizes by the lack of movement that they must somehow be damaged. Awesome. Incredible. Her day is just getting better and better.

There’s a blinding flash, and she realizes that all other options are now unavailable, because she is now falling to the planet’s ground. She’s also on fire, that’s why it’s suddenly so bright. The light control on her helmet kicks in a moment too late, her eyes ache from being exposed that, but she can’t do anything about it. Her brain fizzles for a moment, and when she opens her eyes again, she realizes that she must have fainted for a few seconds. The systems operator is going insane, flashing messages running across the face shield, one of them politely suggesting that she call for assistance because it appears she’s moving faster than the recommended speed the suit can tolerate without disintegrating.

Helpful advice, but AJ knows that slowing down will probably aid in her survival, so she maneuvers her body around so that she’s parallel to the ground, spreading out her limbs to create surface drag. A warning pops up in front of her face, letting her know that the heat of reentry is melting the outer layer of her suite. She doesn’t even have any time to panic, though, because she’s trying to figure out if there are any sort of functions she can use as a makeshift parachute, something, anything to cause enough drag that will increase her chances of not pancaking into the ground.

It’s so very unbearably hot. AJ’s suit’s internal systems try to let her know, unhelpfully, that the air conditioning is not compensating enough for the external heat. AJ thinks she might start crying but tries her best to keep her shit together so she can focus. A part of her wishes that the impact could be instantaneous, but the ground doesn’t seem to be getting any closer. The descent controllers work, though, miraculously slowing her fall to the point where she is no longer on fire.

She hits her thrusters, hoping they might decide to work now, though nothing happens. Then, miracle of miracles, sees that the option for the descent controllers is still available. Nothing that will guarantee a soft landing, but it might be enough to keep her bones from shattering on the impact. She hits the release and two hexagonal shapes pop out on either side of her, the difference in speeds almost immediate. Her body wobbles uncomfortably, but nothing breaks off, thankfully

One problem is out of the way, but another one is fast approaching. She can’t really control her descent beyond angling her body slightly to fall a little more forward, so it’s not as though she can pick where she’s going to hit. There’s a loud snap as her body rams into a tree, and the damn thing cracks in half as though it were made from weak plastic. There’s a dull pain on her hip, AJ can feel the suit take critical damage, but she doesn’t fucking stop. It’s like she’s chained to a speeding train, her body skidding through the forest, the leaves and branches doing little to stop her, the protective layers of the suit beginning to crack and warp.

AJ can hear the pop of her chest piece as it fractures, and parts of her arm guards begin to rip off. Just as it looks like she’s finally stopping, she slides right off the edge of a cliff, which, incredible! Excellent addition to her day. Water leaks into the cracks of her armor, and her breathing apparatus beeps a warning that it can’t manage to sort oxygen from other harmful molecules anymore. A current sweeps her away, just as merciless as the gravity has, and AJ has to figure out how the fuck to get the helmet off so she has a better chance to breathe.

The weight of what is left of her armor drags her down, but she tries to focus on one dilemma at a time. The release buttons of her helmet are almost welded together, which only leads to further panic, thus speeding up her oxygen use. After a few, shaky moments of being tossed about in the water like a ragdoll, she finally managed to release the helmet, letting it get sucked away by the current. When she manages to find and break the surface, she barely has time to take in two, gulping breaths before her foot catches something, and she’s yanked back under.

She flails, terror building because AJ did not survive a freefall through a planet’s atmosphere just to fucking drown once she hit the ground. Again, she manages to surface, if only for the barest moment, and she quickly goes back down. She tastes blood in her mouth as her chin hits something solid. Then, by some other miracle, she’s again up, jerked roughly from the water, and she can finally breathe as something- or someone- drags her out of the river and onto the grassy banks.

At first, all she can do is sputter any water out of her lungs, too shaken from the river to do anything. A hand sets on her back, and she turns to look over her so-called ‘rescuer’ as a headache fully setting in once she manages to sit up on her own. Actually, everything hits AJ at once, a shudder of pain rippling through her body like a goddamn tsunami. With trembling fingers, she begins to peel away what is left of her armor, side eying the… the person with a curious glance.

He’s remarkably tall, she can tell that just from his kneeling position, his legs slim and long. His gaze holds hers, eyes wide, pupils small, as though he sees a ghost, which AJ supposes if fair. This is most likely his first time seeing someone from outside his world, his shock is understanding. AJ is, after all, completely desensitized to all things’ alien,’ she can’t imagine what he must be thinking.

“Thanks for getting me out of there,” AJ says, her voice raspy, and she can tell her face is swollen just from the areas of pain that come with speaking. After prying her gloves and finger guards off, she finds that most of her hands are covered in blisters, which explains why moving them hurt so much. When she wipes her nose with her wrist, it comes back tinged with red.

He answers, but when all she hears is a string of gibberish, AJ realizes that the universal translator must be fried. Her day just keeps getting better and better, because she needs to ask him to help pull the arm plating off next. Her fingers are dripping with pus and blood, some of her blisters popping from the effort, and with the way that the metal has melted and hardened weird on her arm, she’d be surprised if it’s only bruised.

“I need your help,” she says, slowly, in case the translator is just having some minor processing issues, “can you,” she gestures in his direction, “pull this,” she taps on the armor and mimics a good yank, “off for me?”

He seems to catch the gist, hesitantly reaching over, his long, slim fingers grasping the end of the metal awkwardly, as though he isn’t sure where to grip. As he pulls, there’s a sharp pain that runs up AJ’s arm, but she tries not to make anything more than a soft grunt as the plate pops off its attachment. Before she even has a chance to recover, he holds his hands out, taking the opposite piece in hand and doing the same thing. That one hurts a bit more, though, and AJ finds herself letting out a quiet whimper.

The alien quickly places a steady hand on her shoulder again, a comforting gesture that catches her off guard, and then he helps pull off all other parts of the suit until it’s just an exoskeleton. It’s a bit more complicated to get off than the external plating, since it involves a load of switches and locks, safeguarding her body against the vacuum of space. AJ’s fingers are stiff and aching, but she somehow manages to undo all the bells and whistles, and with her brand new friend’s help, she actually gets the damn thing off.

Her arms are covered in dark, swelling bruises. Patches of her skin are burned, much like her fingers, and she doesn’t want to know what her legs and feet look like quite yet. She can’t even wrap her arms around her chest to fight the oncoming chill since, beyond the obvious, her left arm spikes with pain every time she bent her elbow. Something in her stomach gurgles, she isn’t sure if it’s anxiety, hunger, or the fact she might have accidentally swallowed half of that river while she was fighting to breathe.

She starts crying. Not full-on sobs, but the tears are there, sliding down her already wet cheeks, mingling with the blood and snot that’s dripping out of her nose. The alien looks like he’s about to panic, and glances self-consciously over his shoulder, pointing to somewhere in the trees. He stands, and yes, AJ’s first observation about his height is correct. Good god, he has legs for days, the cool, blue of his skin remarkably reminiscent of a clear, sunny day back on Earth.

Oh, and he has horns. AJ doesn’t know how she missed that part, plucking the translator from the rest of the discarded suit and tucking it against the waistline of her leggings. He helps her up, slowly, carefully, clearly aware of how the more bloody and battered body parts are strictly off-limits. AJ doesn’t know how she could possibly walk, but she somehow does, another miracle to add on today’s list. Just because she can, though, doesn’t mean it’s not absolute agony,because there are a lot of things happening at once and none of them are good.

She’s suddenly overcome with pain, and she can’t do it. She can’t go any further. Her legs are quaking, her balance is warped, and just as she stumbles, the alien catches her. Carefully, conscious of her other injuries, he wraps her arm around his neck, placing his other hand on her wrist, effectively pulling a significant amount of weight off her feet. It’s torture, but she quietly tells herself that the pain will end just over the next landmark. They’ll get where the alien has them going soon, just beyond the trees. Beyond that big rock. Over the bridge.

And then there’s a house, small, rectangular, made from dark pink clay up ahead. AJ breathes out a gasping sigh of relief as the alien steers her there, letting her in through the awkwardly placed door, into the warm glow of weak, artificial light. Lightbulbs. Electricity. That’s a worthy observation because that pops the lid off dozens of possibilities that come with such a technological advancement, including things like functional, decent medicine that AJ is probably going to need in the near future.

There’s someone else in here, but AJ doesn’t try to be too worried. A woman, older than him, it looks like, judging by the slight creases in some areas of her face, and she’s looking at them like… well, like she’s seeing an alien for the first time. That’s also pretty fair. AJ tries to make herself seem like less of a threat, though she doesn’t really know… how to do that when she’s almost broken apart from the fall. Surely she possesses no sort of danger to these people?

They speak, and all she hears is garbled nonsense, though there is an undertone of familiar syllables that signals that her translator is trying to do its job. The female gestures over to a nearby table, and she is now ferried over to a kitchen area and seated on a comfortable wooden chair. The two proceed to converse, while AJ tries to use all her linguistics training to pull meaning from the gestures, tones, and facial expressions alone. After all, it is her goal to eventually be able to communicate with unknown species from the ground up, as is most linguistic anthropologists without technological aid. Might as well start now.

The older one sets a blanket around AJ’s shoulders, then goes about something around the kitchen area. Carefully, AJ undoes the straps of her giant work boots, wincing as her fingers bend around the straps. Her feet are horribly swollen, she can already tell without looking at them, and she’s almost afraid that she will have to cut the damn things off. Luckily, though, once everything’s loosened enough, her feet slide out with minimal effort. Like her hands, her toes and heels are burned, the red, raw flesh already peppered with popped blisters, she doesn’t think she’ll be able to walk for a good couple of days at least.

A bowl- no, cup, is set in front of her, the older one must have made her something to drink. Before AJ has a chance to pick up the ceramic mug, the female picks up her hands, looking over the wounds with a skilled glance, clucking her tongue sympathetically. After a moment of banging around in a drawing tucked to the side, she returns with long strips of cloth and a glass jar filled with some sort of paste. Carefully, the female patches AJ up, a sharp, biting sting overtaking her senses as that sticky stuff is unceremoniously smeared all over her hands and arms.

AJ dimly wonders if this is what a mummy partially feels like as her hands, fingers, and forearms are wrapped firmly in the bandages. Despite the burning pain from the salve, she feels… tired. Like she could just go to sleep at this very second. Slowly, she drinks the tea, though that doesn’t help the drowsiness, watching the two people go about their day like an extraterrestrial isn’t chilling in their kitchen area. Now, she can’t be sure unless she like… actually speaks to them, but the older one seems to have some sort of parental authority over the one who saved her from the water. Like a mother and son dynamic?

Her eyes drift closed, and AJ finds herself fighting them back open. Is she even safe to sleep? She doesn’t know, there hasn’t been any sort of weird vibes from the natives. Self-consciously, she takes another sip of tea, wincing as her hands move weirdly against their wounds.

The one who pulled her from the river disappears for a few minutes in the back of the house, then returns, wearing something entirely different from the simple tunic he sported earlier. The fashion is… Well, it’s something, that’s for sure. Lots of ornaments dangling from his ears, horns, and nose, dozens of piercings that she hadn’t noticed now plugged with gold-colored jewelry. There’s something more aggressively strange about his outfit, too, with a longer skirt and an open front, and he’s quick to avert his eyes when he catches her staring.

The female says something in passing, probably to her, but AJ doesn’t understand any of it. She finally takes the time to finally pick up her universal translator in an attempt to repair it. Not that she has any sort of confidence in her engineering abilities, though, because to put it nicely, she’s not really an electronics person.

When the masculine one actually leaves, though, ducking out from the door, AJ is overwhelmed with a sense of absolute panic, though she doesn’t really know why. She trips over herself, trying to stand, and she doesn’t know what she would do once she finds her footing, maybe follow him, but her feet just are not capable of walking anymore. He returns to her side as she crashes into the ground, hoisting her up by her waist, and she catches a whiff of his scent. Oh, it’s nice. AJ didn’t think that the indigenous people of technologically unadvanced planets use things like cologne. Still, he definitely smells different than when he first pulled her out of the river. He picks her up, arms hooking under her knees and around her waist, like a bride, and carries her through the hallway.

The bedroom he enters is cluttered, yet clean, a collection of things lining the walls and various shelves, clothing folded and carefully placed in little cubbies dug. AJ is then placed onto a bed, which is good, because she’s tired, but she’s also aware that the alien is just going to leave her, and a part of her is remarkably nervous over that. Even so, she buries her face in the blankets, struggling to find a comfortable sleeping position to accommodate all of her injuries, and she still manages to sleep, fully aching.

#alien/human #monster/human #exophilia #alien romance #monster lovers #alien lovers

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seedergoal32 · 3 years

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nayutai · 5 years

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Royally Fucked

↝ Summary Kim Seokjin is a royal asshole. Literally. As the only heir to the throne of Cirenth he’s used to getting what he wants when he wants it. The only obstacle in his way is you, his rigidly moral assistant. He outranks you on both the social and hybrid hierarchies yet a shiver of fear runs down his spine whenever your claws come out. One rude interruption too many is the straw that breaks the camel’s back and he decides he must rid himself of you once and for all.

↝ Warnings Jin is a dumbass, oral sex, semi-public nudity, unprotected sex (use condoms kids), dry humping, crude/foul language

↝ Word Count 14.809

One day at a time.

Your daily mantra bounces around in your brain just like it does every other morning as you give yourself one final once over in the mirror before exiting your suite. Your shoulders are squared, head held high, and your trusty iPad is in hand as you move purposefully through the service wing of the palace. It’s just after seven in the morning and as personal assistant to the crowned prince of Cirenth Kim Seokjin, it’s time to get the royal jackass started on his day.

A deep breath in and released through your mouth to steel your nerves in preparation to deal with the nuisance that is Seokjin is the last thing you do before flinging open the heavy oak door. You’re so used to him being a comatose lump in bed at this hour that the light choking noises don’t even register in your brain until you’re face with the sight of Seokjin vigorously face fucking one of the palace maids. A headache springs up behind your left eye. This is why you’re the highest paid service person in the whole palace after the head chef. Dealing with Prince Seokjin is an absolute nightmare. You wish that you could say this is the first time you’ve walked in on him performing some lewd act with one of his numerous partners but sadly it is not. However, this is the first time you’ve caught him with another member of the palace staff.

“Can you hurry it up, your highness?” You sigh with a quick glance at the apple watch strapped to your wrist. “We have a busy schedule today and we need to get going.”

Seokjin and his flavor of the morning are so shameless that they don’t even stop what they’re doing. If anything, he speeds up his thrusts into the willing mouth his erection is stuffed in. You make it a point to focus on the wall above his head to keep your eyes from wandering lower. It’s easier said than done. Seokjin might be an irritating bastard but even you must admit that he’s sinfully attractive. That primal attraction is shattered when he opens his mouth.

“Why don’t you get down here and join her? I bet I’d be coming in seconds.” He suggests much to your chagrin.

“I’d rather claw out my own intestines and eat them.” You reply quickly. Your nose wrinkling in distaste. He might be the hottest piece of ass you’ve laid eyes on but you have standards.

“Oh, come on, Kitty. A threesome might actually loosen you up some.” You can feel your claws lengthening with the urge to tear him apart at his little nickname for you but Kim Seokjin outranks you in more than just social hierarchy. As a black panther hybrid, you are far outmatched when it comes to the dragon still shallowly face fucking his human conquest.

“Camille would love some help. Wouldn’t you, pet?” He coos out. The petite maid at his feet nods as best she can in her current position. Your nose wrinkles at the way the smell of her arousal kicks up a notch.

“The only thing I’m helping Camille do is file an unemployment claim as her services will no longer be needed in the palace.” Your face is carefully devoid of emotion as that sentence makes Camille tear herself away from Seokjin.

The spot above Seokjin’s head you’ve been staring take a backseat to his saliva-covered erection bobbing in the air. Camille swats at his hands as she grovels at your feet for her job. There is not an ounce of sympathy in your heart for the young maid. Every palace employee is told upon hiring that sexual relations with members of the royal family are strictly forbidden. Few rules in this palace result in immediate termination and this one is right at the top of the list. As a recent hire, Camille shouldn’t have had time to forget that particular fact.

With a resigned sigh, you turn to open the ornate door of Seokjin’s room. Camille knows what that means. She finally drags herself off her knees to run out of the door. The heavy wood door slams shut behind her.

Most hybrids have a keen sense of smell no matter what form they’re in but dragons are a strange exception to that trend and right now you’ve never been more thankful for it. The more primal side of you is practically salivating at the sight of the sizeable appendage jutting from Seokjin’s body. You grimace internally at the gush of wetness that soaks your panties.

“Goddammit you couldn’t wait five more minutes?” Seokjin questions indignantly. He’s always been a physically expressive speaker for as long as you’ve known him. You hate it, especially now that all of his gesturing is making his softening erection wave around wildly. “Now I have to walk around with blue balls all day.”

You huff in response as you herd him towards his bathroom. “Don’t care. Now go take a shower. You’re meeting with a lot of important people today and I can’t have you smelling freshly fucked in front of foreign dignitaries.”

He mumbles something under his breath about not smelling freshly fucked if he didn’t actually get to fuck but for once you choose to not respond to him. While he’s showering, you raid his closet to find him a suit to wear for the day. You fan yourself with the sleeve of a heather gray suit that probably costs more than your healthy monthly salary. Your body temperature is already a few degrees higher than a human’s but now your body feels like a walking furnace.

The sound of the shower turning off spurs you in action. You quickly grab the gray suit you’ve been using as a makeshift fan along with a pale blue shirt and a tie to match. The clothing is carefully laid out on the bed before you disappear back into the closet for accessories. Seokjin emerges from the bathroom in a very revealing pair of black boxer briefs furiously towel drying his hair. You tell him to make it quick before disappearing out in the hallway to wait for him.

“Was firing Camille really necessary?” Seokjin asks, interrupting the peaceful quiet in the SUV. You don’t even glance up from your iPad as you continue to answer one email after another.

“Yes, sexual relations with a member of the royal family are a direct violation of the palace employment contract and results in immediate dismissal.” Had you been looking at him you would have seen the way his lips pouted. A sign that the young prince is deep in thought.

Seokjin is a vengeful man. It’s a fact of his life that he knows has gotten him into trouble more often than not. Despite how much he likes to push your buttons, he’s always made sure to never go too far or risk the harsh bite of your wrath. He might be the bigger, badder hybrid between the two of you but truth be told you scare him quite a bit. He can’t let his fear get in the way of his revenge though. You have singlehandedly cut off his access to the best pussy he’s ever encountered in the palace and that will never do. There’s a week-long summit coming up in a few days in one of the neighboring kingdoms. He decides then that he will commence his plan for revenge.

Operation: Bye Bye Kitty will soon be underway.

“Good morning, Kitty. Did you sleep well?” Jin chirps. Your icy glare doesn’t dim his megawatt smile in the slightest. The way your eyes flash that familiar gold does give him pause though as you seem to struggle to hold your tongue.

Seokjin takes a small step back when you close your eyes for a few seconds. The iPad that never seems to leave your hands is currently clutched to your chest in a death grip. Maybe kicking off his plan at five in the morning as the two of you are preparing to leave for eight o’clock flight wasn’t his best decision. In the three or so years he’s known you, you’ve never been a morning person.

“Don’t speak to me again until we land in Aurlena.” You mutter when you seem to have better control of yourself.

“But that’ll be like eight hours from now.” He protests loudly. The flight to the distant kingdom is already going to be hell as it is but not having anyone to talk to is only going to make it worse. You shut him up with one single glare that promises an untold amount of pain if he doesn’t zip it immediately.

The more animalistic side of him cringes at the way he backs down without another word but the human side of him knows he made the right decision. You’d rip him to shreds faster than he could blink if given the smallest bit of provocation and he knows it. It’s with a shudder that he notices your fingers have actually sharpened into claws. He knows you’re not usually a morning person but you’re extra irritable today. That doesn’t bode well for his plan at all.

The second the doors of the private jet open, you and Seokjin are whisked to the palace of the fairy queen who rules over the kingdom of Aurlena. A spritely host leads the two of you to the main dining hall where an extravagant brunch is being served. Summit participants are spread around at various tables talking amongst themselves over various brunch dishes.

Seokjin purposefully selects an empty table away from the crowd next to a window when the host asks if he has a preference. The view of the royal garden stretching out before them in various hues is breathtaking in its beauty. Rays of light stream through the glass and hit your profile at an angle that leaves the problematic prince speechless for a second as second thoughts run through his head. Maybe he shouldn’t do this. One snappy command to stop slouching from your pursed lips crushes that doubt to dust.

“So, what brought you to the palace?” Seokjin questions as he carefully covers his lap in one of the pristine linen napkins. You snort in response to him just as he’d expected.

“That’s a stupid question. I’m here for the same reason you are, idiot.” He has to stop himself from insulting you in turn. He can’t afford to let a single negative word pass his lips if he wants this plan to work.

“I know that but how did you end up working at the palace? Your file says you were an art student but you dropped out.” You narrow your eyes at him suspiciously. He’s up to something. You’re sure of it.

“Why were you reading my file?”

“Well you said I wasn’t allowed to speak on the plane so I did some reading.”

“Most people read novels not personnel files, Seokjin so cut the bullshit.” The grip you have on your fork that’s hovering above the plate of food you’ve just been served looks punishing but he powers through. He opens his mouth to point out the fact that as a crowned prince he’s most definitely not most people but he thinks better of it.

“Is it really so bad that I want to get to know you? You pick out my underwear for Christ’s sake.” He points out. You’re a woman who can appreciate an honest pursuit of knowledge and facts. Seokjin may not be all that honest about why he wants said knowledge but you don’t need to know that. You arch a brow at him as you consider his statement and for a second he’s sure that you’re going to tell him to piss off.

“My dad had a series of small strokes my senior year of college. My mom had been a housewife since I was born and they couldn’t afford to keep paying for art school so I dropped out. I knew someone who knew someone else and managed to get this job.” Seokjin is a bit taken aback. He was expecting something a bit more frivolous and a lot less traumatic. Then again, you didn’t strike him as a person that did anything frivolous.

“You’ve worked with me for what three years now? Why didn’t you ever mention this? How’s your father doing now?” He questions with rapid fire.

“I didn’t tell you because my personal life is none of your business but my dad is doing much better now. He’ll probably never be 100% but he’s still here.” A small smile graces your features as you duck your head shyly. It’s clear how much you love your father.

A strange flutter takes root in his gut at such an unfamiliar action from you. Looks like family is a soft spot for you. Maybe something happened and that’s the reason for your increased irritability this morning. Seokjin ponders that possibility for the rest of the day as he mindlessly moves through the different speakers and panel discussions for that day.

Seokjin lays in bed later that night mindlessly watching an episode of Bob’s Burgers when his mind drifts back over the events of the day. You’d been incredibly on edge this morning. So much so, that he’d toyed with the idea of postponing his evil scheme to keep from being slaughtered. He praises his own genius when he recalls a certain fact from the exhaustive personnel file he’d read on the plane. Seriously, why are they so in-depth? Why would anyone need to know your precise measurements and what color you prefer the most? He quickly reigns himself back in and grabs the phone from its cradle on the nightstand.

It rings once before someone picks up. The hotel staff member is initially hesitant to fulfill his request until Seokjin gives his room number. All hesitancy goes out the window once that tidbit of information is on the table. Whoever is on the other line must have seen exactly who’s occupying the room. He hangs up after assuring that his wishes will be granted expeditiously. Now all he has to do is wait.

You’re making last minute preparations for day two of the summit when a knock sounds through your suite. No one should be knocking on your door at this time of night unless it’s an emergency. You’re immediately thrown into crisis mode, crossing the room in four large steps. When you see the person standing on the other side of the door you wish you’d thought to grab your robe. You feel incredibly exposed in your worn, oversized t-shirt that bares the symbol of your former university and a tiny pair of shorts.

“I must say I rather like this look on you.” Seokjin says with a smirk as he squeezes by you to step into your room. He looks around observantly though there’s really no point to it. Your hotel rooms are mirror images of each other so there’s nothing he hasn’t seen before.

“It’s almost one in the morning. What do you want?”

“Oh, I brought you this.” Your senses finally seem to get over the initial shock of being disturbed at this hour as he holds out a white box that you hadn’t even noticed before. The enticing smell of chocolate and hazelnut caresses your nose. As if it’ll disappear, you slowly take the proffered container before taking a seat on the edge of your bed while Seokjin cautiously does the same.

“You seemed like you were having a rough morning so I called the kitchen to have them make this for you. I know it’s your favorite.” He speaks up at your startled gasp when you open the lid to reveal a chocolate hazelnut cheesecake. Your favorite dessert.

Seokjin actually looks shy for the first time in all the years you’ve known him. One large hand rubs nervously at the back of his neck as he awaits your reaction. The tips of his ears could be confused for tomatoes with how red they are.

“I know that wasn’t in my HR file so how did you know it’s my favorite?” You question curiously around a bite of the decadent dessert. You hadn’t even bothered to cut a proper slice, opting to just dig in instead. If it weren’t for your impeccable self-control you would’ve moaned at loud and made a fool of yourself. Seokjin grabs an extra fork at your insistence and digs in right alongside you.

“You’re right it’s not, but it did say that your favorite candy is chocolate plus I noticed that the chef makes you one of these for your birthday every year.”

“How did you know that?”

“People sometimes forget that the palace is still just a really big house. I know everything that goes on in my home.”

You nod in concession to his point as you set your fork aside. It is well within your abilities to eat the whole cheesecake in one sitting. A perk of your ramped-up hybrid metabolism. However, you know that doing so will mean a sleepless night and a day of chugging coffee so as not to fall asleep.

“So,” Seokjin starts sheepishly, “Do you wanna talk about it?”

You glance at him in your peripheral vision. Even fix your mouth to deny his invitation to vent. Your eyes wander to the half a cheesecake that you’d set on the nightstand and decide, what the hell? He did go to the trouble of securing your favorite dessert just because he’d realized you were upset this morning. With a heavy sigh, you scoot back so you’re leaned against the headboard.

Your bare legs are stretched out in front of you while Seokjin chooses to stretch his lanky frame across the foot of the bed, propping his head up on his hand. To an outsider, the two of you probably look like half of the Golden Girls cast spilling tea and discussing feelings over cheesecake.

“This stays between us, right?” You ask apprehensively.

“Of course, it does. Boy scout’s honor.” Seokjin beams as he holds up three fingers in salute.

“First of all, that’s the girl scout’s hand sign. Second of all, you were never a boy scout, Seokjin, so what type of honor do you even have?” You hold your hand over your mouth in an attempt to stifle the laughter doing its best to escape.

He waves you off with a playful scoff. It feels weird. You’re about to spill your guts to the man that’s been nothing but a whiny pain in your ass for the better part of three years. This is definitely crossing a line, right? And yet you find yourself pushing that strange feeling to the side. He listens intently as you tell him about the phone call you received from your mother the night before the two of you left for Aurlena.

Simply put, your parents are on the verge of eviction. Well, they were until you’d emptied out your healthy savings account to get them current on their mortgage and keep them off the streets. That was only a temporary fix though. They still owe nearly $10,000 on their mortgage. A mortgage that they can no longer afford to keep up with though they’d never divulged that minor detail to you. Your parents are proud people. They hadn’t wanted you to drop out of school to help them, even promised to do whatever necessary to find the money to fund your last year but you couldn’t do that. Not when creditors were calling them so often that they pulled the plug for the phone out of the wall completely.

You’d taken over the medical bills when you got the job at the palace. It took over a year but you finally got them all caught up but with your dad still needing extensive medical care there would always be more. You’d tried to help your parents with their various other expenses but they assured you that everything was fine now that you’d taken away the burden that was the mountain of medical bills that had piled up at their feet. Apparently, that hadn’t been the truth. Despite your mother getting a part-time job to make some money while also taking care of your father on the days his nurse wasn’t there and his sizeable pension, it wasn’t enough to cover everything.

Seokjin’s face displays a myriad of emotions as you continue your tale. You hadn’t intended to talk this much but it’s not like you really have anyone to talk to. All of your friends from college have moved on with their lives doing god knows what so once you got started you can’t stop. The words just keep flowing and Seokjin just keeps listening.

Surprisingly, the conversation keeps flowing. The more you talk to him, the more you realize that maybe he’s not quite as much of a dickhead as you always thought. Who are you kidding? He’s definitely still a dickhead, but in a more endearing way. In other words, he’s an enigma. A glance at the digital clock nearly makes your eyes bulge out of your head. There’s no way the two of you have stayed up till nearly two in the morning just talking. You hustle him towards the door with strict instructions to go straight to bed with no pit stops and no mindless social media scrolling.

Seokjin goes willingly, giggling at your urgency the whole way. He promises not to make any “pit stops” as you so eloquently put it but both of you know he’s not going to listen.

The second he’s back in his room, he’s digging his laptop out of his suitcase. He opens a fresh word document and brands it with the title of his brilliant plan. His fingers dance across the keyboard as he documents the events of the day. He types a few notes. Makes a few observations. The key to a successful outcome will be keeping track of what works and what doesn’t. A lingering sense of guilt creeps up on him but he shakes it off, typing a final note to pen a glowing recommendation letter for your future employment endeavors. He might be about to get you fired but he’s not so much of an asshole to leave you at the mercy of the world with no job, especially after everything you’d told him tonight.

* * *

The next morning finds you wide awake and fidgety. You’d chased sleep for hours but your brain refused to power down. Your conversation with Seokjin kept replaying over and over in your head. What would be the consequences of telling him such intimate details of your life like that? You weren’t foolish enough to believe that there wouldn’t be any. Seokjin did nothing that didn’t benefit him in some way so he has to have some ulterior motive for suddenly being so nice and attentive.

Your fists are clenched tightly in the expensive sheets of your bed. Last night was a mistake. You’ve always prided yourself on being a logical person and yet, there was nothing logical about telling your boss all about your present hardships. The thought of what this could mean for your future made you queasy. After giving up on sleep, you’d spent the last few hours before your alarm goes off making sure that your resume is absolutely flawless. If you’re going to be unemployed, you need to make sure that you far outshine your competition in the job market. You can’t afford to go without a job considering that your savings account currently has nothing but the mandatory $20 that the bank requires for the account to remain open. Your checking account is nearly just as empty. You’d had to hit it up too and pay day is still a little over a week away.

It nearly takes an act of God for you to raise your fist to knock on Seokjin’s room door. He answers with a blinding smile that calms you for some strange reason. He’s dressed in the sleek navy blue you’d selected for the day. You can’t help but admire the way the tailor-made jacket highlights his broad shoulders with perfection.

“You ready?” Seokjin asks interrupting a bout of silence that you hadn’t even realized had stretched between the two of you.

“Oh…yes after you.” You step aside and dutifully follow him towards the elevator. A yawn slips out despite your best efforts to hold it in. If you make it through this day, it’ll be a miracle.

Your phone rings with a call from your mother as the elevator descends smoothly to the first floor. You ignore it the first time but the second? The second one you answer. She never calls twice in a row like this unless a crisis is underway.

“Mom? What’s wrong?” You ask, concern heavily laced through your words. Your worry only intensifies as you pick up on small sniffs and hiccups coming from the other end of the line.

She tearfully retells the reason for her emotional phone call. A phone call from the bank holding your parents’ mortgage. According to the bank representative, their mortgage is now all paid up and they should be expecting a certified packaged with the deed to the house in a few business days.

The elevator is cruising past the fifteenth floor while your jaw has already reach the lobby. This can’t be real life. The bank must have made some cruel accounting error. Your mind is already whirling with the different phone calls you’re going to have to make to get to the bottom of this as your mom continues to sob her thanks. It takes several attempts but you finally get her off the phone. Now the real work of solving this dilemma while also fulfilling your work obligations can begin.

“You’re welcome.” You jump as Seokjin speaks out of nowhere. Oftentimes you forget that while his senses aren’t as strong in human form as yours are, he can still hear better than the average human. But that would mean…

“You didn’t.” You accuse with narrowed eyes. The fool next to you apparently has more money than sense if he truly did what he’s claiming.

“Oh, but I did.”

“Well undo it. I don’t have that kind of money. I can’t pay you back.” The elevator dings as the door slide open in the opulent hotel lobby. Seokjin faces straight ahead, striding confidently towards the SUV waiting to deliver the two of you to the palace for another day of panel discussions and seminars.

He faces you for the first time as he waits for the driver to open the car door. “I don’t recall asking to be repaid, Kitty.” The look in his eyes nearly takes your breath away. No one has ever looked at you with this much…sincerity? You can’t really put your finger on exactly what it is you see in his eyes but it makes your gut twist up in knots.

“I can’t-” Your words are cut off by a yawn that refuses to be suppressed. You soon realize that it doesn’t matter anyway because Seokjin has absolutely no plans to listen to your protests.

The man next to you hums in approval when one of the security guards up front lowers the security screen and passes two cups of coffee to Seokjin. Your eyes widen for the hundredth time since you walked out of your hotel room when he hands one of the piping hot cups to you. He winks at you annoyingly before taking a sip of the scalding liquid. It always irks you when he flexes on you like that. Stupid dragons and their stupid immunity to extreme heat. You, on the other hand, have to wait for the coffee to cool off before you can drink it.

“Thank you.” You whisper into your coffee.

“Anything for you, Kitty.”

Surprisingly, the rest of the seminar passes in much of the same fashion. Seokjin continues to do little things here and there to get on your good side. He even shows up for more late night conversations a few times. Each time feels like an episode of The Golden Girls as the two of you laugh and talk about life over hulking slices of cheesecake. You’re still not entirely sure of his motive but it’s not like you’re in the position to turn down his olive branch of friendship. Being his assistant hasn’t left you much time for a social life. You’re so far removed from your old friend groups that you’re not even sure they still consider you their friend at this point.

You’d thought that things would go back to normal when your plane touched down in Verus but Seokjin is only too happy to prove you wrong. He greets you like an old friend during his routine wakeup call the next morning. Warm embrace and all. You stand stiff-armed and in shock until he physically places your arms around his neck. Your mind is frantic as you try to figure out how to respond. Part of you wants to melt into his arms but that’s dangerous territory. That type of thinking could lead to feelings that you can’t afford to feel. A protest is on the tip of your tongue but Seokjin releases you before you can voice it. A genuine smile lights up his face as he takes a step back from you.

“A hug a day keeps the wrinkles away,” He announces as he smooths out your furrowed brow. You weren’t even aware that you were frowning. “and you’re much too pretty for wrinkles so I expect a hug every morning. It’s my royal degree.”

In true Seokjin fashion, he doesn’t give you a chance to argue with him. He simply disappears into the bathroom and hops in the shower. Still in a daze, you set about picking out his suit for the day. You’re going through his accessories looking for a particular set of cufflinks when Seokjin’s voice suddenly sounds from behind you. He’s entirely too close to you if the closeness of his voice is anything to go by. You hadn’t even registered the sound of the shower turning off nor the bathroom door opening. When you turn around to chastise him for scaring you, you fervently wish for a sink hole to open up beneath your feet and send you plummeting towards the Earth’s core.

Seokjin stands before you in all of his freshly showered glory. Hair dripping, skin flushed and damp, and a towel slung dangerously low around his waist. Saliva pools in your mouth at the devastating sight of him. You nearly say fuck the consequences and launch yourself at him but your last ounce of resolve keeps your muscles locked in place.

“Sorry. Forgot my underwear.” The cocky devil in front you reaches for a shelf down by your hip to grab a pair of the overpriced Balenciaga boxer briefs that he’s partial to. He normally keeps a stock of underwear in his bathroom so that he can just get dressed when he comes out but it would appear that isn’t the case for today.

“I’m going to kill him.” You announce to the row of suit jackets by your head. Fists clenched at your sides as you fight for control. Your more primitive side is fighting to get out and answer the sexual challenge that Seokjin has laid before you but the human in you would rather die than give into your animalistic urges and risk everything you’ve worked for. Rational thought must take precedent here.

Jin’s flirtatious demeanor continues throughout the day in the form of random compliments and acts of kindness. A large part of the day is taken up by a mandatory appearance at an outdoor festival with his parents. The sun is shining brightly and Seokjin takes every chance he gets to tell you how you look like a “sun-kissed goddess”. You have an overwhelming urge to smack him every time he opens his mouth to say it. A waitress accidentally spills a drink down your back and he doesn’t hesitate a single second before he’s taking off his blazer to wrap it around your shoulders. A blazer that you know for a fact costs more than your entire monthly salary.

You’re not sure why he’s being so different but you can’t find it within yourself to complain either. Jin, as he now insists that you call him, is a lot more receptive to your instructions which in turn makes your job less of a headache. The constant compliments don’t hurt either. However, it’s when you start to look forward to them every day that you realize that maybe you’re not as immune to him as you’d once thought. Jin picks up on the subtle shift in your attitude as well. You smile more now and it makes his heart do jumping jacks every time. These days his plan of action has taken a back seat and every word out of his mouth is now a genuine effort to get you to bless him with even the smallest of grins.

You can feel Jin’s eyes on you as your fingers fly across the screen of your tablet. He’s inches away from you in the back seat of the SUV currently returning both of you to the palace after a long day of public appearances. Part of you yearns to know what’s going on in that head of his but you don’t want to push him. This…thing between the two of you is strange to say the least. You’ve long accepted that you have less than platonic feelings for him but that pesky employment clause in a mountain in your path. Besides, there’s no way that Jin feels the same way about you. He’s always had a thing for those traditionally beautiful girls that seem to draw people into them with their mere presence. You wish you could say that was you but you know it’s not

“I like you.” Jin interrupts your self-deprecating thoughts as if you had spoken them out loud. Your eyes fly to his, wide open. The shocked expression is identical to the one you’re sure that paints your own face as if that little sentence wasn’t meant to be said aloud.

“What did you just say?” You ask strictly for clarification purposes because there’s no way in hell he just said that.

He takes a deep breath, scooting closer to you. “I like you.”

Your heart leaps into your throat as he repeats himself in a soft voice that is just so unlike the loud, animated man you’re used to. He’s practically folded in on himself as if he’s preparing himself for rejection. You realize then that you weren’t the only one harboring feelings that you thought could never be reciprocated.

His words embolden you to finally act on your own repressed feelings. You completely close the little remaining distance between the two of you, leaning in to whisper in his ear. “I like you too.”

His lanky frame tenses up as he searches your face for any hint of a lie. He’s visibly relieved when he doesn’t find it. Smoke billows out of his nostrils and a shiver of fear runs the length of your spine. You’ve never personally seen a dragon hybrid shift but in all of the movies they always blow smoke out of their noses like this right before they transform into their more powerful form. You’d like to not be intimately pressed against Jin in the back of an SUV if he’s about to turn into a twenty-foot beast.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to shift.” Jin assures you and at this point you’re convinced that he’s reading your mind. “Dragon hybrids do this whenever we feel extreme emotion.”

You nod in understanding but you move over a few inches just in case while he cracks his window to air the car out. A small squeal totally unbefitting the unflappable persona that you’ve carefully crafted escapes you when Jin suddenly unhooks your seatbelt and lifts you into his lap. He tugs your iPad away from you with a sudden show of strength, carelessly tossing it to the floorboards on what was your side of the car.

When he runs his nose along the column of your neck, your breath seizes up in your chest. You want this. God, you really, really want this but you know that it’s against the rules. Losing this cushy position would be devastating in more ways than one. It’s with a heavy heart that you not so effortlessly extricate yourself from Jin’s grasp to slide off his lap.

Your apparent rejection stings if his hurt facial expression is anything to go by. As you reach down for your iPad, you purposefully avoid his prying gaze. You know that if you look into his eyes you’ll break. Jin has other plans as he gently cups your jaw, turning you to face him. The warm chocolate of his eyes somehow calms you while also kicking your pulse into overdrive. You’ve never met a man who had such a dizzying effect on you before.

“Let me in, Kitty.” You’re not sure when his face had gotten so close to yours but his full lips just barely graze yours with every word. A frustrated growl rumbles in your chest as you lurch forward before jerking yourself back. You shouldn’t be doing this.

“Please, I can’t go on without knowing what kissing you is like. Even if it’s only once.” His voice is gruff. Hands gripping your waist as if you’re the one thing keeping him grounded.

Fuck it.

Smoke clouds around the two of you once more as your lips dance the timeless waltz of lovers. His tongue slips into your mouth with ease. His lips are gentle yet insistent as they move against yours. In that moment, you know that this is what it’s like to fly.

Seokjin curses as he powers through one last set of bicep curls. The heavy barbell in his hand drops to the floor with a loud bang that seems to echo around the room. His eyes burn from the sweat that’s pouring off of him but he doesn’t even bother to wipe his face. Instead, he opts to just push his hair away from his forehead and keep it moving.

He would normally take this cool off period to admire his progress in the mirrors that line one wall but he can’t even bring himself to look at his own reflection right now. He turns one of the treadmills so that it’s facing a non-reflective surface and hops on, cranking it up as fast as he can handle. His chest feels tight thought it’s not from a lack of air but rather it’s the heavy weight of guilt constricting his lungs.

Kissing you hadn’t been on his list of things to do today. Neither was spilling his guts in your lap about his feelings either. The words had burst forth before he could even think about stopping them. Seokjin couldn’t help the small smile that curved the corners of his lips at the memory of you confessing that you felt the same way.

His smile becomes a frown when that gnawing sense of guilt eats at him again. He’d documented the kiss in his log out of habit. It had just become routine for him to write down every little interaction that could be deemed less than appropriate. He pushes himself faster on the treadmill. His heart yearns for you to be his without the cloud of his false pretenses looming over him. Seokjin had originally thought that kissing you would be torture because he’d never be able to get enough and he was right. What he didn’t anticipate is that he’d feel this bad about it.

His mind wanders back to that incriminating document on his laptop. He doesn’t really know why he still has it or why he still updates it. Seokjin gave up on his plan to get Kitty fired a while ago but this weird relationship that’s not quite a relationship could end tomorrow if you wanted it to and he’d rather not rely on his own memories to remember you. The mere thought of you finding out his secret makes him physically ill. He lurches from the treadmill, collapsing into a heap on the floor. He’s fucked and royally so. Pun intended.

The days seem to blur together as time goes by. As he’d expected, Seokjin finds it damn near impossible to keep his hands and lips to himself. You’ve given up on wearing lipstick at this point. It’s practically become routine for him to lift you into his lap and attach his lips to yours the second the door of the SUV is shut behind him.

Today is no different. The driver hasn’t even made it back into his seat yet and Jin’s hands are already on you. Normally, you’re just sat across both of his legs but apparently, that’s not doing it for him anymore. He positions your knees on either side of his body as he does his absolute best to ruin you. Your pencil skirt is bunched up around the tops of your thighs just barely covering your lower half.

The shock wears off in the time it takes for the driver to put the car in drive. Your fingers are buried in his hair, tugging at the soft strands when he forces your hips to rock against his own. The bulge in his slacks brushes perfectly against your clit on every roll of your hips against his lap. He swallows your moans greedily, refusing to detach your lips from his. The car hits a bump in the road that causes the two of you to bounce a bit and results in your hips coming down with enough force to have you biting down on his lip hard enough to draw blood. Jin is unfazed. Instead, he thrusts his upwards in time with the continuous rocking motion of your hips. The rising pressure in your nether regions indicating that you’re teetering on the edge of an orgasm snaps you out of the sexual haze he’s dragged you into.

“Stop.”

Though it’s the last thing he wants to do, Seokjin ceases all movement at your whispered command. You escape from his lap and put as much distance as you possibly can between you and the virile man next to you. Your fingers shakily redo the buttons on your blouse. You don’t even know when they’d come undone in the first place. The iPad that’s normally glued to your hand is nowhere to be found. After a few minutes of desperate searching, you find it has slid under your seat and into the trunk area of the SUV. Jin lets out a pained groan at the sight of your perky ass in the air when you lean over the back of the seat to reach your device.

You’re all business when you return to a seated position. If it weren’t for the fact that there’s a few strands of hair that’s been tugged out of your bun there’d be no way to tell you’d just been engaged in a heated make out session in the backseat of a car. A few coughs to clear your throat has you back to normal so you launch into a breakdown of an upcoming conference that the two of you will be attending in a few short days. Jin had forgotten all about the small healthcare summit. He hates that he has to attend these things but if it means getting uninterrupted he’ll gladly suffer through whatever hell is in store for them.

Seokjin has his ear pressed against the door connecting your room to his listening to you move around as you get ready for bed. He’d been ecstatic when you’d arrived at the hotel to find that the hotel had messed up the room reservation in such a manner. It felt like the universe was rewarding him for some good deed. He feels like such a creep right now though as he practically strains his ears to pick up on every little sound you make. His normal confident demeanor has deserted him just as it has the two previous nights. This is his last chance to finally buck up and make his move. With one final mental shove, he raises his fist to gently knock on the door.

His lungs practically collapse when you open the door. There’s no sight that he loves more than you in your after hours state clad in the baggy sweatshirts and tiny shorts combo he’s learned that you favor. Your hair released from the strict bun you wear daily per palace guidelines. Face free of makeup and exposing the small beauty mark on your top lip. Nothing could make it better except for maybe the smile currently stretching across your face.

“I was wondering how long it would take you to finally knock. I guess third time really is the charm, huh?” Shit how did you know that he’s been wussing out like some kind of coward every night? Must be a panther thing. At least he hopes it’s a panther thing because it would be really creepy otherwise.

“I-uh” Jin finds himself suddenly at a loss for words. He’d planned out exactly how he’d wanted this to go but now that you’re in front of him he’s at a loss.

“Relax, babe. I only bite on request.” Jin feels himself melt at the way your tongue teasingly pokes out between your teeth. He doesn’t protest being dragged into your room, shutting the door behind him.

“So, what’s up? It’s getting late and we have to be up early tomorrow.” You continue moving around the room laying out your clothes for tomorrow and going over tomorrow’s itinerary one final time.

“That’s actually what I wanted to ask you about.” Jin trails off as he tries to carefully choose his words in his head before saying them. You arch an eyebrow in question when you face him, taking in the way he’s nervously rubbing at the back of his neck. Your heart softens at the sight.

Jin’s eyes are trained on his feet with embarrassment because of his inability to collect his thoughts around you. He hears rather than sees you approach him; therefore, missing the loving smile on your face. Your arms snake around his slender waist, cheek resting against his firm chest. His own arms find their way around your shoulders as he breathed in the scent of your shampoo. Holding you like this will never get old for him and he’s reluctant to let go so he doesn’t.

“Can I sleep here tonight? With you.” He mumbles into the top of your head.

“Only if you give me a kiss first.” Jin can’t help but to laugh at the cute way you tilt your head back, full lips puckered up and demanding to be kissed. He’s quick to oblige your request.

Neither of you are really sure how, but what was a playful kiss mean to calm his nerves escalates into something much more. Your clothes and his fall soon litter the floor as you hastily undress each other. Jin’s lips only detach themselves from yours long enough to remove your sweatshirt. His own shirt doesn’t receive the same standard of care as he opts to rip the plain white tee down the middle instead.

His erection presses against your abdomen as he walks you backwards to the bed. Your hands wander the broad planes of shoulder blades as he blesses you with his weight. He encourages your legs to wrap around his waist, hips grinding against your own. The engorged head of his erection sends shockwaves of pleasure shooting through you until you're sure that you're teetering on the edge of insanity.

Euphoria spreads through your bloodstream when Jin finally begins inching his way inside you. He bottoms out with a grunt, sucking on your collarbone. His fingers slide up your arms, interlocking with yours as he pins your hands next to your head. Pressure is rapidly building in your gut with each purposeful grind of his hips. It's not long before you're tumbling over the edge with Jin following closely behind you.

You brush Jin's sweaty fringe away from his forehead. You can feel his lips curve into a smile against his chest when you sweetly kiss his forehead. He tightens his arms around you before rolling off to the side. The loss of his body heat makes sure shiver. You immediately turn to cuddle into his side, whining when he detaches your arms from his torso.

“Go pee.” Seokjin instructs with finality as he rolls you towards the edge of the bed. “Vaginal health is important.”

“Well you’re gonna have to carry me because I can’t exactly feel my legs right now.”

“With pleasure, my dear.” He rounds the bed and lifts you into his arms. He rambles the whole time about how this is totally contradictory to every fairytale ever.

You shut him up with a kiss when you’re both settled under the covers. He kisses your nose once, twice, three times before you finally shove him away from you and turn your back to him. Jin pulls you flush against him, leaving a lingering kiss on your shoulder. Sleep draws his eyes closed faster than he would like. He’d intended to truly savor the moment before travelling to dream land.

A pleasant soreness flares in your limbs as you stretch in the warm rays of the morning sun shining through the curtains. Jin grumbles out a protest at all your movement. His arms flail around lazily as he tries to restrict any further movement. You melt against him and allow yourself a few more minutes of solace wrapped in Jin’s strong arms. It’s when your third and final alarm goes off that you force yourself out of his grip and push him towards his own room.

He goes grudgingly and even puts up a fight at the door. The scaly bastard refuses to even touch the door knob until you give him a kiss. You attempt to scold him for being difficult but the amused grin that you try so hard to hide makes an appearance anyway, effectively negating your words. Of course, he takes advantage of the situation and turns what was meant to be a quick peck to get his ass in gear into a full make-out session. It takes all of your will power to separate yourself from him so that the two of you can finally get dressed but you manage somehow.

As per usual, you are showered and dressed faster than his royal slowness next door. You’ve committed the day’s itinerary to memory but you decide to check it again just to be sure you’re aware of every closing event Jin needs to attend. After inputting your passcode, you expect for your home screen to appear on your tablet but nothing happens. Your heart seizes in your chest and you immediately feel bereft. Trying to function without your tablet would be like asking you to fly and unlike Jin you are unable to sprout wings and take to the skies.

“No, no, no don’t do this to me now.” You exclaim as your beloved iPad doesn’t respond at all to your frantic stabs at the screen. No matter what you do it won’t unfreeze. You panic as your brain runs through your options. Diddly squat is what your brain conjures up as a solution. You can’t function without the summit itinerary and your tablet is holding it hostage.

Just then, you remember that you emailed a copy of it to Jin right after you’d received it from the Council after confirming Jin’s attendance. Thanks to your feline reflexes you’re across the room and flinging open the connecting door in a flash. You breathe a sigh of relief when you spot his laptop charging on his bedside table. However, that relief is short-lived when you realize that you have no idea what his password is. The sound of roaring water tells you he’s in the shower so you’re on your own. If Jin is anything he is vain and predictable so it shouldn’t be too hard to guess his password. When the sleek machine accepts PrinceJin1 on your second attempt you can’t help the small smile that lifts the corners of your lips.

The screen opens up to the word document he’d last been working on. With any hope, it’s his speech for the royal banquet next week but knowing him he’ll blow it off and pull something out of his ass on the spot. You’re about to minimize it to open the browser when a sentence in the middle of the page catches your eye.

3/20 – Kissed Kitty in the SUV on the way back to the palace

Your lungs seize up as you scroll through the extensive document. Every kiss. Every touch. Every whispered word is documented up until a few weeks ago. When you reach the top only to see the words Operation: RIP Kitty, it’s all you can do to hold back the tears threatening to burst forth. Your thoughts are a frantic, jumbled mess as they buzz around your brain like a hoard of frenzied bees. The sound of the shower turning off doesn’t even register until Jin is stepping out of the bathroom in a towel. The sight of his bare torso glistening with drops of water would normally melt you into a pool of whimpering desire but now all you feel is pure rage. His heart sinks when he sees you seated on the edge of his hotel bed holding his laptop in a death grip.

“I can explain.” He feels physically sick when you level your gaze at him. Looking into your eyes is one of his favorite things to do in the world but right now he wishes that you would look anywhere but at him.

He’s always said that you’re scariest when you’re angry but now he realizes that’s not true. Anger is an emotion. One he’s learned to deal with from you over the time he’s known you. You’re an open book and have never been shy about expressing your emotions so the fact that you’re now purposefully reigning that in to show this blank mask that’s on your face now shakes him to his core.

“I’ve always thought your brain was underdeveloped and this just confirms it.” You state calmly as you set the laptop back on the table where you’d found it.

“Babe,” You cringe outwardly at his use of such an endearing term. “I know this looks bad but-”

“Save it, Seokjin. I don’t need an explanation from you nor do I particularly want one.” He flinches at your harsh tone as you rise from your spot on his bed. Panthers are warm-blooded animals but your words are frosty. He hasn’t heard his full name come you’re your mouth in weeks and hearing it just now made him ache in a strange way.

Jin closes his eyes as you make your way back to your room. The sight of you walking away from him is more than he can take. He flinches at the sound of the door slamming shut. The finality of it sends a sharp pain shooting through his chest that nearly brings him to his knees.

He tries throughout the day to explain himself, but you are having none of it. You barely cast even a glance in his direction unless it’s absolutely necessary to do so. Sure, you make nice for appearances but your smile never reaches your eyes. Your irises that normally capture and mold rays of light into shooting stars look flat and lifeless. It kills him to know that he did that.

The next morning, Seokjin is already awake when you come to wake him up. Not that he ever actually went to sleep in the first place. Your jaw is set as your eyes look him up and down contemptuously. He’s on his feet in an instant, reaching out for you. The hiss you let out as you snatch away from him feels like a stab to the heart. Your eyes are glowing that tell-tale golden hue of your inner panther.

“Touch me again and I’ll rip your throat out. Crown be damned.” Your words are clipped and slurred as your teeth lengthen to their feline length. He’s never seen you lack this much control over yourself but it’s not like he can blame you. He broke your heart and he’s come to realize that he’s broken his own in the process.

Seokjin drags himself to the shower. The sound of the rushing water almost completely masks the sounds of his sobbing but you hear him anyway as you lay out his suit for today. You shove your fist in your mouth to keep from falling down the same rabbit hole. You’re absolutely miserable but the person you would normally go to for comfort is the cause of your anguish.

If Seokjin had thought you were frigid before, he’s sure that modern scientists haven’t even discovered temperatures as cold as the vibes you’re giving off now. When the two of you returned to Verus he had halfway expected for you to resign. That would’ve been so easy. At least then he wouldn’t have to look at you every day and be reminded of how stupid he’d been. He wouldn’t have to be reminded of the fact that he’d lost the best thing that ever happened to him through his own idiocy. But no one pays better than the palace so you need this job and he knows it.

Losing you has affected Seokjin in every aspect of his life. He can’t eat. He barely sleeps. It’s a struggle to face the world every day. A week and a half into your freeze out and Seokjin is ready to launch himself off a cliff. He normally looks forward to Sundays as they are his only free days but now? Now he rejects the laziness of the day. At least when he’s got a schedule packed full of appearances and other princely duties he has something other than his own misery to focus on.

“So, when are you and that assistant of your going to kiss and make up?” Seokjin freezes with his glass of apple juice resting against his bottom lip at his father’s question. Guessing that he’s been in a funk is one thing but there’s no way that his parents could possibly know what’s been going on between the two of you. He carefully sets his glass down, contemplating the best response.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, father.” Seokjin answers coyly. His eyes get impossibly wider when his mother snorts in response.

They know. He’s not sure how or when they found out but they know. It had to have been recently because they would’ve definitely fired you already if they’d known before now. His heart skips a few beats as he considers what this means for you. The King and Queen have always been sticklers for the rules. They hardly ever make exceptions for anyone, including their only son. Yet, he still readies himself for battle. He couldn’t save your heart but the least he can do is save your job.

“You think we don’t know what goes on around here? The palace is still just a house.” His mother remarks after a spoonful of yogurt. Seokjin hangs his head.

“How long have you known?” He asks woefully.

“Hmm, how long would you say it’s been, sweetheart?” His father asks of his mother. Had he been in a more positive state of mind, Seokjin may have picked up on the lighthearted tone in the King’s voice.

“At least a month, darling.” His head snaps up incredulously. His parents have known for an entire month that he’s been sneaking around with you and yet they said nothing? Not a single word?

“Why didn’t you say anything? I thought this was against some stupid rule?”

“It is, dear.” His mother chimes in. “We wanted her gone the second we found out but then we saw just how much you seemed to blossom. You were happy and it showed.” She reaches across the table to take her son’s hand in hers, stroking her thumb across his knuckles.

“We’re your parents before we’re monarchs and we just couldn’t take that kind of joy away from you.” Seokjin feels like he’s about to choke on the knot in his throat. Unfortunately, their words of acceptance are too little too late. You want absolutely nothing to do with him and now and he can’t even blame you.

“Plus, she’s the only assistant that could keep your chaotic ass in line. We would’ve been fools to fire her.” The king lets out a rumbling belly laugh at his own “joke”. Seokjin almost cracks a smile along with him. Almost.

“That’s because she’s terrifying but I liked it. Loved it even.” This is the first time that Seokjin has admitted the true depth of his feelings out loud. His already shattered heart cracks just a little more at the thought of his first love despising him.

“Go to her son.” His mother’s urging prompts a small huff of laughter from Seokjin but there’s not a shred of humor in it whatsoever. He tilts his head up towards the ornate ceiling of the dining room, doing his best to keep the tears at bay.

“I can’t do that.” He whispers thickly as he slowly pulls his hand from his mother’s warm embrace. “Going through that type of rejection twice might actually kill me.”

Seokjin excuses himself from the table politely. He wanders around aimlessly until he finds himself in one of the many palace gardens. A swear falls from his lips as he realizes that he’s ended up in the millennium garden. Gardenias of all kinds had been carefully curated and arranged into this breathtaking display to commemorate the millennium mark of his family’s rule. You’d mentioned once that out of all the palace gardens this one was your favorite. According to you, the air smelled sweeter here.

Smoke pours from his nostrils and he suddenly feels like he’s suffocating. His jeans and sweatshirt are a thing of the past as twenty feet of scales and fire take the place of the man that had stood at the edge of this garden. Seokjin can’t even remember the last time he’d been able to shift. It always seemed like he never had the time to revel in this form. He heaves a mental sigh of relief as he stretches out his wings and takes to the sky. The citizens far beneath him are probably taking to the streets to witness the rare sight of his midnight black form slicing through the sky.

He’s not sure where he’s going, just letting the wind beneath his wings steer him through the clouds. The Traiya mountain range looms closer and closer and for a second he contemplates letting himself crash into the rocky mountain face. That thought is squashed as quickly as it pops up. In its place, his parents’ words play on repeat. Go to her. If only he could. He doesn’t miss the way you look physically distressed every time you’re in the same room with him as if his mere presence makes you sick.

Seokjin lands in a clearing at the base of the mountain range. He shifts back to his biped form so as not to scare the wildlife and ventures into the forest in front of him. His eyes drift closed after he drops to the ground beneath a large oak tree. A small creek cuts its way through the earth. The sounds of the forest around him soothe the ache in chest even if only a little bit.

When he opens his eyes again, he notices a squirrel scouring the branches of a tree off to his right for nuts. Most of the wildlife has vacated this part of the forest after sensing Seokjin’s presence but this squirrel is on a mission that no dragon will prevent him from carrying out. The small animal seems to be inspecting each one he happens across until he finds the perfect one. Seokjin is intrigued by the picky, little rodent. So many suitable acorns and yet the squirrel passes them by after quick sniff. He walks along several branches before he finally finds one that makes him pause. Seokjin calls upon his enhanced vision and he’s shocked to see that the acorn the squirrel has set his picky sights on really isn’t all that special. He’s passed up bigger, surely more satisfying, acorns on his quest to find this one. Plus, his nut of choice looks to be slightly out of reach. That doesn’t deter the tiny rodent in the least.

Seokjin watches with rapt attention as the determined squirrel tries its hardest to grab the acorn it has its sights set on. The small animal keeps trying and trying to the point that Seokjin is contemplating getting up to get the damn acorn for it just to save the poor animal the trouble. No sooner has he shifted to stand something damn near miraculous happens. The squirrel’s outstretched class finally grip the acorn in their clutches. It tucks the nut in its cheeks before darting off to God only knows where not realizing that it has just shifted Seokjin’s entire world view.

“Well I’ll be damned.” He says out loud to the quiet forest around him.

Your heart is racing like a speeding bullet train as your feet carry you towards Seokjin’s door. You have always prided yourself on being an unwavering, unflappable force but that girl is nowhere to be found. Today, you’re a girl with everything to lose. Your heart is on the line now and you doubt that the tape you’d put on the deep fissures snaking through your will hold if this conversation doesn’t go well.

As you knock on the door, you still don’t really know what you’re doing here. When Jin had texted you quite literally begging for a few minutes of your time, you’d turned him down without a second thought. You were convinced that you didn’t want to hear anything he had to say and yet here you are.

Seokjin flings open the door before your arm has even had time to return to your side. After years of being his right hand you can tell when he’s trying to hide the fact that he’s nervous. You easily pick out each of his tells with ease as you observe him quietly, starting with the tips of ears that have turned an astonishing shade of red.

“You came.” He breathes out almost in disbelief. Seokjin looks disheveled to put it lightly and in some twisted way it makes you happy that you’re not the only one that’s been suffering since what happened.

“I told you I would.” You answer lowly. He nods, stepping aside to let you into his room.

The normally immaculate space is a mess with pieces of paper covering seemingly every available surface. You take a glance at a few of them to see various versions of what looks like a letter. A letter of apology at that. You take a deep, ragged breath as you turn back to face him. Seokjin almost looks small as he wrings his hands together.

“I was-…I tried to put my thoughts on paper but everything was just…” He trails off once more as his thumb nail becomes trapped between his teeth. You yearn to gently smooth out the wrinkles in his forehead. But you’re not about to let him sense that the soft spot you’d developed for him is still intact. If he wants your forgiveness – forgiveness that you’re still not sure you’re interested in giving – then he’s going to have to work for it. Hard.

He clears off a chair for you to sit on so you carefully perch yourself on the edge of it. Your confusion shoots through the roof when Seokjin kneels at your feet. You’ve never seen him kneel for anyone ever. Part of you wants to make him get up just to make this awkward feeling go away but he starts speaking before you can say anything.

“I’m a gigantic dumbass.” Prince Seokjin? Admitting he’s wrong? Those two phrases have never been uttered in such close proximity before because Seokjin is never wrong. It’s always someone else’s fault. To hear him taking accountability for his disastrous choices is actually terrifying. He must be feverish or something.

Before you can stop yourself, you touch the back of your hand to his forehead. His face is flushed but he’s not running a fever. You check his cheeks just to be sure. He leans into your touch, eyes drifting shut. Your breath catches in your throat at how vulnerable he looks like this. The urge to softly stroke his cheek is too strong for you to resist. His hand is warm around your wrist when he detaches your hand from his face.

“I have a hard enough time thinking around you as it.” He offers as an explanation. Your face must have been a picture of confusion. “I don’t want to mess this up again.”

As promised, you hear him out. He keeps expecting you to interrupt him as he lays everything out on the table but you don’t say a word. You sit primly on the edge of the chair with your hands neatly folded. He’s not even really sure you’re listening from the way your eyes are unfocused and seemingly staring at nothing but your facial expressions give you away. Your features move through a myriad of different emotions as Seokjin exposes his sins. You remain silent even after he finishes. Fear seizes in his heart as your face is wiped clean just as it was on the day you first learned of his transgressions.

“Please say something.” He begs. He reaches out a hand to touch your own but stops midair when your hone in on his hand as if it’s a direct threat to your physical safety. Seokjin quickly retracts his would be olive branch. It’s quiet a few moments more before you finally speak up.

“Was any of it real?” You question accusingly. He opens his mouth to say every single second with you was real but that’s a lie and he’s in deep shit as it. Better to tell the truth than to dig himself into an even deeper whole.

“At first, no but when we went to that summit in Aurlena I was so focused on finding your soft spots that I didn’t realize I was falling for all of your little intricacies until it was too late.” Jin pauses to gauge your response but you say nothing. Your eyes are actually focused on his face now though so he takes that as a positive sign and soldier on.

“It wasn’t even extravagant gestures that I fell for. It was the small smile you do every time you talk about something your passionate about. It was the way your nose scrunches up when you’re thinking. It was the way you go out of your way to help others even if they don’t notice or even appreciate what you’re doing.”

Your mouth opens as if you have something you want to say but Seokjin is on a roll that cannot be stopped. He raises a single finger as he continues his spiel.

“I don’t know much but what I do know is that somewhere in the process of all this bullshit I fell in love with you. And I understand if you don’t want anything to do with me after everything I’ve done but I just needed to tell you this.”

“Even after everything you did, I think I love you too and I can’t fucking stand that.” You rise from the chair, arms wrapped around yourself as if you’re trying to hold your emotions together. Seokjin follows behind you like a lost puppy to the large bay windows that take up most of one wall.

“Doesn’t matter how I feel anyway though. I need this job more than I need a relationship and, unfortunate as it may be, I can’t have both. We’ve been pushing our luck with getting caught and I can’t keep putting my work at risk like this.”

“I could take care of you. I’m sure that you’re well aware that I’m rich.”

“I’m not some trophy wife that you can just throw money at to keep happy. I’m glad that we had this talk but I’m leaving now.” Seokjin nearly combusts into flames then and there. You infuriate him to no end. Here he is laying his heart and his money at your feet and you’d still rather throw yourself on a dagger out of some goddamn sense of pride. It makes his head spin.

“If I could work out a way for you to have both, would you do it.” Seokjin asks just as you reach the door. The short hesitation before you answer gives him hope for something good.

“Maybe.” With that final parting word, you slip out into the hallway.

A week crawls by and Seokjin doesn’t breathe a word about whatever plan he’s concocting this time. The thought of what he could possibly come up with in that wild brain of his is almost scary. You still perform your duties as his assistant flawlessly but he does his best to trip you up. A whispered compliment here. A hand that lingers just a fraction to long there. If his plan is to drive you insane so that he can have you relieved of your position due to mental incapacitation, then he’s pretty damn close to succeeding.

It’s on the twelfth day, a balmy Sunday, that it all comes to a head. You always get Sundays off so you usually take the day to head to your hometown of Alladin, a small township just short of an hour outside of the capital city. You’re in the kitchen helping your mother make lunch when your phone vibrates in your back pocket. A quick peek at the screen shows a message from Seokjin asking you to stop by his room when you return to the palace. You’re instantly suspicious of what it is he could possibly want on a Sunday evening but he’s still your boss so you tap out a quick reply confirming that you’ll pop in later.

It’s nearly ten o’clock when your fist knocks softly on Seokjin’s door. He calls out to you from somewhere inside to come in. You poke your head in the door to see him lounging in bed, scrolling through Netflix, hand shoved down the front of his pants for no real reason. He says something smart about letting all his “good air conditioning out” so you step all the way into the room and close the door.

“I had your employment contract redrawn. HR said you’ll have to switch positions but I was able to get you a four dollar raise as a consolation prize for not being able to work for me anymore. It’s on the table if you want to look at it.” You roll your eyes at his foolishness, venturing further into his inner sanctum. Thankfully, it’s a lot cleaner than it was the last time you were here. You really hope he recycled all of that paper though. You find the stack of papers you’re assuming is your new contract on the small end table next to his armchair.

“Jin,” You whisper almost unintelligibly. The papers in your hand drift back down to the table you’d picked them up from. “This is an application for a marriage license not an employment contract.”

You flip around only to get the shock of your life. For the second time, Seokjin is knelt before you. The sparkling diamond nestled in the tiny velvet box makes this time so much more significant. You hadn’t really believed him when he’d told you that you were it for him. It just couldn’t be true. You’re just a college dropout trying to be a good daughter by taking care of her parents. There’s nothing special that could’ve enraptured a man like Seokjin and yet he somehow found something in you that you’d never been able to see yourself.

“I’m a jerk. I’m impulsive. I leave my dirty underwear on the bathroom floor. I’m selfish. But I’m also hopelessly in love with you and everything you are. I don’t deserve you. I probably never will but I’m willing to spend the rest of my life trying to be worthy of being yours.”

Tears stream freely down your face. This insufferable pain in the ass has really wormed his way into your heart instead and, as much as he infuriates you, you wouldn’t have it any other way. You love this man. As much as you tried to deny it, you are head over heels for the fire-breathing menace in front of you.

“Give me my ring, loser.” Jin chokes on a huff of laughter before carefully sliding the ring onto your finger.

The second it’s sitting securely on your finger, you pounce on him with all the ferocity befitting your hybrid species. It’s like crashing into a brick wall when your body collides with Seokjin’s but you don’t care. You need to be close to him and you refuse to wait a single second longer. He lifts you off of your feet as he stands from his kneeling position and carries you to his bed.

Your lips cover his for the first time in weeks. Both of you simultaneously groan in satisfaction at the feeling. You’d almost forgotten just how much you loved kissing him. Your back meets the coolness of his sheets when he carefully lays you out on his mattress. His plush lips move along your jaw, finding that sensitive spot just below your ear. He sucks and bites at the skin there as you cling to his shoulders.

Seokjin nestles himself between your legs. The zipper on his jeans looks like it could give way at any second as his erection strains to be set free. He grinds against our soaked center repeatedly. You rake your nails down the front of his button-down shirt until it hangs loose around his frame. He quickly sheds the now useless garment before treating your clothes to the same fate. Soon all that remains between the two of you are the tiny pair of red lace panties you’d put on as a confidence booster this morning. They match the bra that Seokjin has already shredded so you’re surprised when instead of ripping your panties as well he chooses to leave them on you.

His lips leave no inch of skin untouched as he kisses his way down your torso. He pauses to swirl his tongue in your navel before blowing a puff of air on your skin. The shiver that courses down your spine brings a cocky grin to your face. That grin only grows when his eyes take in the way that your back arches after he flattens his tongue against your covered heat. The lace of your panties is so thin that you can barely tell it’s there when he flicks his tongue against your engorged clit. The fabric adds just that extra little bit of friction that has you seeing stars early.

Your fingers bury themselves in the thick, black strands atop his head and he welcomes the way you tug at his roots. He continues to slowly flick his tongue along your outer lips but it’s soon becoming not enough. After a few desperate pleas, Seokjin finally rids you of your panties to eat you out like he means it. He brings you to the brink of insanity with his tongue and shoves you over the edge with a final expert flick of his tongue. You’ve never been able to come from oral that didn’t involve fingering of some sort but as usual Seokjin shows you that there’s more than one way to make a cat purr.

He finds himself being dragged back up to your mouth as your greedy lips cover his once more. You can taste yourself on his tongue and it’s a heady mixture that has a fresh wave of arousal washing over you. Your inner muscles clench around nothing and you’re aching to be filled but there’s something that you’ve been wanting to do since that fated day when you’d walked in on him with Camille.

Seokjin is aware of the fact that as a hybrid you’re a lot stronger than the average woman but he still finds himself full of surprise when you flip him on his back as if he weighed nothing. He growls low in his throat when you grab his thick erection in your fist, squeezing him tight just how he likes it.

“I want you to fuck my face.” His eyes nearly bulge out of their sockets at your bold request. Far be it for him to deny you anything you ask of him though.

He obediently gathers your hair into a ponytail and guides your head towards his waiting erection. He thrusts are shallow at first but he slowly starts picking up speed. The gagging sounds bubbling up from your throat every time he bottoms out are threatening to do him in. Your arms snake up his torso, fingers flicking at his nipples as you hold yourself down on his cock. Seokjin is surprised by his own orgasm when you swallow around him. He cums long and hard down your throat and you swallow every drop. You keep working him with your mouth until he’s squirming beneath you from oversensitivity.

You soon find yourself trapped under Seokjin’s larger frame with your thighs pressed so tightly to your chest that your ass is no longer touching the mattress. It’s in this position that he decides to bury his face between your legs. You can do nothing but feel as he explores your drenched folds with his tongue. The warm wet muscles flickers rapidly against your clit and all you can do is take it. You can’t jerk your hips away from his face like you want to. Can’t grind your hips against his face like you want to. Can’t arch your back in pleasure like you want to. You’re totally and completely at the mercy of Seokjin’s talented mouth. Black spots dance before your vision as the pressure in your abdomen reaches its boiling point.

Jin rubs soothing circles in your thighs after he releases your legs. You pull him down to you for a kiss. An odd sense of pride spreads through your chest at the feeling of something warm and hard resting against your pelvic bone. Apparently, you weren’t the only one enjoying the way he just feasted on you like a starving man. You shift your hips so that he’s pressed against your center, relishing in the deep groan he lets out as he licks and sucks at your skin at random.

He rocks against you, coating himself in your wetness. His hardened cock is covered in an unholy mixture of his precum and your juices. You’re on the verge of begging him to put it in already – totally over his teasing – when he buries himself inside you on the next rock of his agile hips. The feeling of finally being one with him again feels much more overwhelming this time around. You suspect it may have something to do with the rock weighing down your left hand. Regardless of the reason, you feel dangerously close to another orgasm just one stroke in and, judging from the way Jin has frozen inside of you, you’re not the only one. Curses fall freely from his lips as he waxes poetic about how wet and tight you are around him.

You lift your hips to meet his every thrust when he finally starts to move until he’s moving too fast for you to keep up. He pauses his movements to sit up and lift your legs so that your ankles are resting on his shoulders. The change in position allows him to slam into your g spot with every forward movement. He can tell you’re close by the way your inner muscles spasm around him with increasing frequency. The soft look in Jin’s eyes is a striking contrast to the pounding of his hips against yours. Everything you feel for him is mirrored in his irises and it only serves to push you closer to your climax. You grit your teeth and try to hold your orgasm off because you don’t want this moment to end. Jin doesn’t exactly give you a choice in the matter as he makes you come undone with a flick of his thumb against your clit. He follows you into ecstasy moments later with a growl that you really wish you had been able to record as, head thrown back.

Jin lets your legs down for the second time today and moves as if he’s about to pull out. You hastily wrap your legs around his waist, locking your ankles at the small of his back to keep him inside you for as long as possible. He flashes you a tired grin that makes your heart flip flop in your chest as he gathers you in his arms to turn you both on your sides. The sound of his laughter fills the air when you swat at him for blowing rings of smoke in your face.

“So where do we go from here?” You ask, breaking the pleasant silence that had settled over the two of you.

“I’m thinking the shower.” He starts as he drags a hand through his sweaty locks. He even has the audacity to look taken aback when you flick him on the nose like a disobedient hound.

“That’s not what I meant you overgrown snake with wings.” Seokjin pouts. Still rubbing at his nose but you don’t relent. You like having a solid plan for everything you do in life and you’re not about to make an exception for him.

“Well for one, you’re fired. I wasn’t actually able to get your employment contract redrawn which is bullshit because I’m the goddamn prince but my mother is on the board of an ass load of charities and all that other good philanthropy stuff and is only too happy to have you join her.”

The implications of what Jin just said smacks you in the face like a ton of bricks. Sure, it solves your initial problem of not wanting to be some trophy wife but not having your job anymore revives the issue that forced you to get this job in the first place. No job means no paycheck. No paycheck means you can’t afford to pay your dad’s medical bills.

Jin can see the hamster wheel in your head spinning at an astonishing speed. He doesn’t have to be able to read your thoughts to know exactly what they pertain to. Despite your rough exterior, you have a massive heart and will sacrifice yourself for the well-being of others. A noble trait but he can foresee it being annoying in the future.

“Before you go too far down the rabbit hole, I would also like to say that both of your parents have been enrolled in the royal healthcare plan so you won’t have to worry about your father nor your mother in that regard anymore.”

There are really no words to how much you love this man right now. None whatsoever.

“You’re still in charge of picking out my suits thought. You have vision and I don’t trust anyone else to dress me.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.” The kiss that you’d intended to be soft and sweet takes an intense turn. Getting a bit more dirty before you shower can’t hurt.

#btssmutclub #hyunglinenetwork #btswritersguild #bts smut #kim seokjin #seokjin x reader #bts hybrid #dragon seokjin #panther reader #bts scenario #bts fanfiction

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docfuture · 4 years

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Princess, part 6

[This story is a prequel, set several years before The Fall of Doc Future, when Flicker is 16. Links to some of my other work are here. Updates planned to return to biweekly after the holidays–next update is scheduled for January 5th.]

Previous: Part 5

Flicker was of two minds. Not figuratively. They weren't currently in sync because speed mind needed to load a lot of things through squishy brain's memory access bottleneck before she could do that after waking up, and that hadn't finished yet. Which one to use? Not safe. Journeyman had ported out. Flicker didn't know why. But it was clear which was needed. Speed mind had standard defaults loaded--that always came first. So it was ready for hazard and emergency response, even if it was missing context. Speed up without moving. Orient. Assess. Hazard avoidance response witnessed. No visible hazards. Nearby or impending hazard check: No spacetime discontinuities, nuclear chain reactions, focused EM beams, shockwaves, plasma, high speed projectiles, or chemical detonations in progress. So much for the easy part. She changed into her costume for the better high speed interface and sensors. What had she been doing? She had no recent social context at all--she'd still been loading the implications of her capture of Hermes yesterday, and his escape. She'd talked with Journeyman after that, but social interaction updates were lower priority. She had almost no idea what she'd done after waking up, because her minds hadn't been synced. And the human emulation part of speed mind wasn't loaded yet either. She started virtual typing to send queries: DASI, memory integrity issue--missing key information from a social interaction during memory desync. Please advise, and estimate potential causes of Journeyman's hazard avoidance response. Send. It would be at least a dozen milliseconds for a Database response because of light speed lag. She checked the night visor memory: All her conversations with Journeyman from yesterday were there, recorded under verbal coordination assistance override--she used that so she could speed up to check something while talking, then return without losing her spot and sounding disjointed. She loaded them into speed memory. But there were no recordings at all after that. The visor defaulted to no recording for privacy reasons when she was off-duty and inside someone else's home, and she'd forgotten to reset the override when she'd awoken. She could do a short downshift to squishy mind to try to pick up some essentials. Nothing better to do while she waited for DASI's response. Slow down, bounce, speed back up, trailing emotional reaction debris and a thread of memory. Shock in the limbic system, turning to... some kind of agitation. She couldn't tell what; her emulator wasn't loaded. Meanwhile, the response arrived, and a string of warnings and advisories popped across the bottom of her display. Verified: Potential for interaction hazard caused by memory, judgement or identity impairment. Requested estimate: Insufficient data to support quantitative decision making. That was fair. Flicker reviewed the memory thread, and sent an update reflecting what she'd done. She didn't include what she'd been thinking, because she didn't know. The memory was full of enough implicit references to missing context and emotions to make the reasoning incomprehensible. And her thinking had probably been been... bad. She was used to the aid of speed mind and Database access as social prosthetics, and she'd had neither. A short wait for another reply from DASI. Chance Journeyman's hazard response was triggered by your actions: 99%+ Chance you were the perceived hazard: 97% Chance you are the hazard: 74% Flicker stared at the assessment. She was the hazard. Well, that was clear enough. And she didn't have to understand why to know what to do next. It was time to leave, so Journeyman's house could be a secure place for him again. She left a note and a message, then took a last look around Journeyman's living room. She wondered when or if she'd see it again. She closed the door behind her and headed out, ghosting through the darkness. ***** Back at home. She had caffeine, and sat at the high speed interface to her Database node, though she was using it only sporadically. One thing was already obvious: She had a serious flaw in her speed mind loading priority for dealing with an edge case--a hazard requiring both speed mind and social judgement before she was done waking up. She was still trying to safely finish the disrupted process and wake up enough to understand what had gone wrong. But she had a working theory. She'd told her partner he was safe when he wasn't. She used compartmentalization to manage stress. And a level of it that worked well enough when she had time to wake up on her own... was too much for sleeping near Journeyman. She'd woken fuzzy and dissociated, but still felt comfortable enough to make an unaided social decision with squishy mind. A very poor one. She'd considered only safe nearness, having compartmentalized away any sexual context. And when Journeyman had awakened to her saying 'safe' about a situation that emphatically wasn't... He had correctly identified impaired judgement. That was a hazard. So he'd ported out. That was bad enough. But there was probably more. How would he react? Where was he now? All she could do was keep loading speed mind and wait. She clearly needed to find a faster way to load social context into a mind that had none of the natural support for it that a human brain did. It had never seemed that important before. Run halfway around the world, catch bullets, stop an explosion, vaporize missiles with rocks, blunt a tsunami--those were all things she might need to do immediately on waking. Talking could wait for her to wake up. But 'social' was more than talking... Incoming message from Journeyman appeared on the screen. Trace. Flicker read the message and accompanying data with increasing dismay. It was a text message sent as a burst from a skip-port on the other side of the world. The only reason for him to do that would be to preclude any possibility she could get to his location before he ported out again. The message itself was full of typos and grammatical errors, and she still wasn't clear what he was trying to say after reading it three times. It sounded like he was apologizing? And thought she had been, or possibly still was, drunk? And the phone he was using was an insecure disposable cell; the encryption was fine, but he was leaking metadata whenever he connected to a tower... The next fifteen minutes were a slow-moving nightmare, as Journeyman reappeared at a succession of remote locations, skip-porting to evade her while they talked completely past each other by text. He finally stopped when she left a hologram-projecting drone near his next port spot in an attempt to show his skip-porting was futile, unnecessary, and dangerous, because she wasn't going to try to demand answers or anything else in person, his port location algorithm was sloppy enough to easily crack, and it was only a matter of time before his unusual metadata pattern drew attention from a telecom or intel agency. He'd ported out again to 'undefined'--possibly not on Earth--and hadn't yet returned. Flicker had finally finished waking up and started trying to make sense of what was going on from Journeyman's viewpoint. She was sure of very little except that he hadn't been operating at his best either. He'd made some cryptic references to a need to put some secure data into the Database, but that could wait until they sorted out the hazards and misunderstandings. Journeyman thought she'd been intoxicated--not from alcohol, but magic. He'd made an oblique reference to it before dinner, which she hadn't followed up on. Whatever checking he'd done last night had convinced him that Hermes' anti-climactic disappearance from Earth had been aided by a cloud of bad luck and poor judgement characteristic of tricksters, and that her high magic aura was potentially related. Apparently a similar level of magic infusing a normal human could be enough to send them into full 'I am invincible' lethal overconfidence. Journeyman thought it might still be influencing her, whether she showed any obvious effects or not. DASI found this unlikely but plausible. Flicker didn't--but wasn't sure she'd gotten across that her judgement had been impaired for an entirely different reason. The bad luck was clear enough. That was supported by the evidence. She'd known they needed to talk. 'Tonight probably isn't the best time, though,' she'd said. It had just been the last possible one before... No. Don't call it a disaster. No one had died. All the wreckage was emotional and social. She let the anger and frustration wash over her. It was inward-directed and manageable for now. She used the detachment of her speed mind to write up an assessment of the emotional context and decision processes that had led her to this point, and some goals for a better speed mind startup protocol. DASI would find it useful, even if Flicker didn't end up using it as a reference. Then she had something to eat, looked glumly at her readiness status monitor--yellow for global and personal crises, red for everything else--and adjusted a few priorities and preferences in the Database that might be useful when her personal world stopped being a train wreck. It was not yet light out. Her crisis reaction had long since worn off, and she just felt depressed and tired. She didn't think the day would improve after rest, but she needed it and didn't have anything else to try. She went back to bed. Maybe she'd be wrong. ***** Awake--late morning. Flicker put together a more measured set of messages for Journeyman, along with suggested boundary rules for a meeting. There had been no word back. Though if he wasn't on Earth, or was lying low, it might be hard for him to check his mail. But there was nothing she could do about that, so it was past time to start driving her own decisions again. Doc was working down in the vaults, so it was easier for Flicker to call than visit for once, because of all the security doors in the way. "What's on your mind?" he asked. "Journeyman is done with his long-term interdimensional work," she said. "And no longer needs backup. That was the last reason for delaying Speedtest. Also, we had a misunderstanding shortly after he returned that was set off by an issue I have with mind sync lag when I wake up that I never gave priority to before. So I'd like to work on it, but I don't want to start until--" "After Speedtest. Understandable. What timeframe?" "Tomorrow work for you?" Doc gave her a long look, then raised an eyebrow. "Ambitious schedule. Don't you still have some yellow and red in your readiness matrix?" "Not for physics. And I find it soothing, since I can't go on patrol." "Speedtest shouldn't reveal any new physics unless something goes wrong. The part I find interesting is the cybernetics, and I can certainly understand why you find it soothing to consider. But this isn't therapy; it's seriously risky test work. You'll want to start well rested and stable. I think you should wait at least another day." "...Okay. Day after tomorrow, then. Do you have all your sensors ready?" "There's a few new ones I want to add. I'll fab and test them tomorrow. And I can still give you a ride out if you've changed your mind." "No," said Flicker. "I'll take thirty seconds of ballistic acrophobia over an hour of claustrophobia in your flyer any day. Sorry." A crooked smile. "No problem. The doors would need to stay closed. I'll want to update the Volunteer on some of the less-optimal return scenarios, though. A few of those could get exciting for people other than you." "That's fair." She started her prep work, and went over alternate plans. She felt her mindset shifting, becoming more upbeat. It was a welcome change. Then lunch, and a reminder warning from DASI about social isolation. Doc had authorized an open-ended search, so Flicker spent an hour, some of it at speed, creating a detailed priority tree for her search for a psychological expert. She was ready to talk to just about anyone helpful that seemed capable enough to survive the attention they would eventually attract, because 'shrink to someone who can destroy the world' would be an irresistible target for whole categories of nastiness. The fatality rate for mental health professionals who worked with superheroes during the Lost Years had been close to 100 percent. Late afternoon. Incoming message from Journeyman on her visor. Flicker sped up and moved from her workbench to her high speed interface station to read the message. It was clear, showed no signs of being rushed, and established that she hadn't created an unforgivable social breach. Flicker felt a wave of relief. But less of the message was personal than she'd expected. DASI? Yes? What's this secure transfer protocol Journeyman wants? He is displaying admirable thoroughness in assuring security from magical leakage for a cache of compartmented information he has asked me to safeguard. He does not wish either you or Doc to have unrestricted access to the cache. Okay. Some of the cryptic bits in his texts after he ported out make a little more sense now. Indeed. Are you willing to facilitate, prior to resolving your personal concerns? Yes. Journeyman clearly had some tasks he'd needed to handle after his return, and finishing that had priority over working on their joint issues. Flicker sent her own reply, then started putting away tools from the sensor calibration she'd been doing on her worktable.

Journeyman appeared in the entryway in his 'formal' costume--leather trench coat, button-down shirt, panama hat, glasses, and cargo pants--looking ill at ease. Flicker was still on edge from the uncertainty. But he was here, he was ready to work with her. That was how to start. "Hey," he said as Flicker touched fingertips with him. "Hey. You didn't need to dress up." She gestured at herself. She was wearing work clothes and older visor. He managed a lopsided smile. "I didn't want to be disrespectful. And sometimes psychological armor is useful." "Data transfer first?" He relaxed minutely. "Yeah." She led him to a squat metal housing outside a cabling cabinet next to one of her server rooms. Journeyman studied it briefly. "One-eyed Jack's work?" he asked. "The ward on the housing, yes," said Flicker. "The inside is new, but Jack warded a bunch of spares back at Doc's old lab, and Doc never throws anything away. It makes secure transfers faster by screening out potential weird stuff." Journeyman pulled a portable drive out of a jacket pocket and plugged it in, then chuckled. "When older magicians bitch at me about Doc, I remind them about all his crazy preparations that turn out not to be so crazy. They can respect that." DASI confirmed that the transfer had started smoothly, and Journeyman brought up the history of some of Doc's more esoteric Database safeguards--it was a safely neutral topic while they waited for the transfer to finish. "I'm a little surprised you wanted to do this here instead of the main Database, if you're that paranoid about transfer security," said Flicker. "I mean, I know I have a good setup, but I don't have Doc's experience." Journeyman started pacing, hands clasped behind his back. "Well, the real security is handled by your Database AI--which is apparently way smarter than Doc led me to believe--and your setup is cleaner, because Doc's is all mixed together with the Dangerous Artifact vaults security. There's also the issue of whatever he might be working on at the moment. Anything related to probability manipulation could complicate things. None of that here. And I could verify the wards easier, because they aren't as spread out." "Ah. Yes, DASI is very smart. Doc doesn't like to emphasize that, though." "Because he doesn't want to terrify people. It terrified me last night, after you were asleep, when I found out while discussing the logistics of the data compartmentalization I wanted. Your AI is probably smart enough to be vulnerable to spells that target minds rather than computers. I understand you have a few legacy routers that were also warded by One-eyed Jack--those appear to be in use?" "Oh yes." "But your AI said that you--and Doc--use another method to protect the Database against magic, and I can sure sense it. You've got something below your main junction that has real power. I was told what it does, so I'm pretty sure what it has to be, but I'm not sure I believe it. You installed it--what does it look like?" Flicker smiled. "It's this funny antique vacuum tube thing. Doc swears by them." She consulted the Database. "It was originally called an Omniresonator." "Holy shit. You actually have one of Belle Tinker's Omniresonators connected to your server room?" "Two of them, there's a hot spare. And Doc has more back at his lab." "Oh, well." Journeyman rolled his eyes and made a tossing gesture. "Why not? I knew he had them, but I thought they were all in the vaults, not connected to... Wait. They're connected to an AI. A smart AI. How long have they been connected to the AI?" "Doc's have been since he built his new lab, I guess? And what's the big deal about Belle Tinker's inventions? I know they're more compatible with magic than most electronics, but she built them back in the 50s, and--" "Have you read any of the history about her and Luce Cannon? I'll see what kind of panicky handwaving I can manage while I finish transferring my little bundle of secrets to the care of your data dragon, but I'm not sure what you already know." "It was kind of frustrating last time I tried, but that was a while ago. I'll check." Flicker sped up, sent some requests through her visor, and started to read.

After a time--long subjective, short in realtime--Flicker slowed back down and frowned at Journeyman. "Hit the same annoying problem I had the last time I tried to read about Luce Cannon and Belle Tinker," she said. "First, there's lots of superficial stuff and newspaper reports from the 50s through the 70s, but none of it direct. Then there's cryptic fragmentary stuff, a couple of crappy biographies, a whole bunch of things they did as partners that are still privacy blocked because of some connections Luce Cannon had--which I don't understand, because she died in the late 80s--a bit of legal stuff about some robots that Rex Roland stole from Belle, and then forensics from the accident that apparently killed her." She waved a hand. "Sure there's lots of records of people talking about her personality, or trivial stuff, but nothing interesting, like what she was actually doing in her lab, except some low data quality conspiracy theory stuff, and a few notes from Doc that she was the inspiration for some stuff he did. And a few things he has under hazard blocks. Oh, I take that back, there was confirmation that she worked with some magicians, but it wasn't very clear what that meant." Flicker frowned. "It kind of bugs me, because they should be better known. And before she died, Luce trained Jumping Spider. Maybe Jumping Spider is the reason for the privacy blocks? I can't really tell with the legacy stuff." Journeyman nodded. "You ever try asking Armadillo or the Volunteer? They both knew Luce and Belle pretty well." "Yeah, but talking is way slower than a Database search. And the Volunteer is really busy and Armadillo's stories wander all over the place." "Fair. But you will miss stuff that way--some fascinating history I can maybe tell you some other time. And that the story of Belle as a genius gadgeteer has a big hole in it." "What?" "She was okay at gadgets. But she used that to hide the fact that she was a frikkin' brilliant magician. An artificer. She hid it because she was a woman and an immigrant, and being a foreign witch was a great way to get the torches and pitchforks crowd to burn you at the stake. There's stuff she built that no one has been able to come close to--though Doc managed a few things with One-eyed Jack's help. Those robots of hers? They weren't robots; they were golems with servos and hydraulics. And the Omniresonators are like combination magic shields and collecters and batteries, all together." "Oh." "So, with at least four of them linked to the Database, I'm now less worried that it might be subverted by magic than I am that your AI might decide to start casting spells. And there's two Diviners that I owe big apologies to, because they said something like that might be possible a while ago and I laughed it off. Can't give them at the moment because one has disappeared and the other is currently taking a chemically-aided vacation from reality." The speaker at the entrance to the server room beeped. "Secure data transfer complete and verified," announced DASI. Journeyman heaved a sigh. "One less worry," he said. "Thank you." "You're welcome," said Flicker. "Is... there anything you can tell me about why it was so important?" "Yeah. Insurance. Some of it is the stuff from my interdimensional mess that I can't talk about. I wanted it archived so no one would be tempted to off me to suppress it permanently. I imagine you would be a bit annoyed if that happened, yes?" "More than a bit," said Flicker. "But that doesn't help if you're already dead." "If whoever is considering it has Diviners, Seers, or an Oracle it will. Because divinitory signs of your annoyance range from 'bad idea' to 'future, what future?' Anyway, it's done, I can sleep easier, and we can talk about our other problems." Back out in the common area. "Sorry this part is a bit of a mess," she said. "The robots can't finish up until I decide on the changes I want, and it's been low priority because I don't have guests over very often." Flicker leaned against the table and waved a hand at the sheets of clear plastic hanging in several locations behind her. They were temporary substitutes for 'smart' walls--key components of her initial plans had turned out to be too vulnerable to shockwave and plasma induced failures. "Not a problem." Journeyman leaned forward on the couch. "Anyway. How do you want to start?" Flicker looked down. "I'm sorry about last night. Did you get that I screwed up because I'd been compartmentalizing and I have an issue with social competence when I first wake up?" "Yes. And I was careless because I was tired. It was a mistake, but not a big deal now. Nobody got hurt, we're talking again. Try not to beat yourself up about it, okay?" "I've worked on other things, which helped." "Glad to hear that." He held up his hand and they touched fingertips again. Their 'partners' hand touch also served as a wordless affirmation--a boon when Flicker couldn't think of the right way to say something or there just wasn't any. She pulled the chair from the high speed interface over to face him and sat down. "Here's a way to look at what's important." he said. "There are a couple of elephants in the room that we've been ignoring. Last night you woke up fuzzy, tripped over one, knocked over a bookcase, scared the hell out of me, and we spent the next twenty minutes practicing for the Olympic tryouts for text misunderstanding. We've handled that, and picked up some of the books, but hey, that elephant is kinda obvious now." Flicker laughed despite herself, but it was a little painful. "I haven't been ignoring it," she said. "Not completely. I compartmentalized because I had to, but I've been trying to find some non-threatening way to bring up some things for a while. But every time there was an opportunity, you would divert or change the subject--and you're really good at evasion. Why?" "I've been maintaining a load-bearing social fiction." "I have enough trouble with social facts. What load was it bearing?" "It held up an otherwise shakily supported roof of professionalism that let us work together quite well as partners without awkward issues intruding." She met his eyes. "Those issues haven't gone away, and now they're more awkward. And I wasn't going to ask anything direct while you were dependent on me for backup. That would just be obnoxious. I wouldn't do that to my partner. But your interdimensional thing dragged on and on, you kept having to go back..." "I know," said Journeyman. "To make things worse, it was a personal screw up that got me involved in the first place. And a different screw up that left me lucky to make it back with a day's worth of memories that were so messed up that it took you four hours to convince me I really was back on a reasonable facsimile of the Earth I left. And... things seemed a little different after that." "They did," said Flicker. "I noticed a bunch of stuff, all tangled together. And I started to be really aware that my partner was more than just a cool, interesting person. Enough that I needed to compartmentalize while I tried to find answers to some awkward questions." "Compartmentalizing was an entirely reasonable thing to do." "Yeah, but..." Flicker sighed. "Anyway. Not sure the best order for dealing with... us. But we should probably handle partnership trust first, before anything else goes wrong. Sound good?" "What do you mean by partnership trust?" asked Journeyman. "Our ability to work together in an emergency despite the lack of your load-bearing social fiction. I don't think we'll have problems. But we haven't tested that. And we just got into a lot of trouble assuming." "Heh. Point. What did you want to test?" "Tarp catch after a shock, vortex plasma dispersal as a proxy for an environmental hazard, and a fast door bypass joint port. You up for that?" "Sure." Outside. Flicker had copied Doc's test range setup and surrounded a large chunk of her property with earthen berms, to cut down the effect of high energy annoyances for her neighbors. "Ready," said Journeyman. Flicker sped up, swung wide, then came back trailing a shockwave and glided past Journeyman close enough to send him flying backwards. Then she pulled out her catching tarp, caught him with it, and applied steady force to bring him to a halt, still upright. "Green?" she asked. "Green," he said, with a half-smile. "Haven't done that in a while." "Yeah, somebody's been gone so we're out of practice. Ready for some fire?" "Go for it." This time she sent a cloud of plasma towards him, then spun around him to create a vortex to bring in fresh air. She finished by gliding to a stop next to him for a quick port into the entryway, using their favorite non-destructive way of quickly getting past a door. A hand touch and they were done. She checked the telemetry on her visor. "Timing was a little ragged but we haven't lost our edge. Coordination trust established?" "Coordination trust established." Journeyman waved a hand. His jacket turned into a sleeveless vest and his hat into a bandana around his neck. He wiped his forehead and sat on the couch. Flicker sat down beside him. "Sooo... About those elephants," he said. "Ready to talk?" "Yeah." "The one you're probably more interested in is the one you tripped over. Intimacy and sex. Right?" Flicker's heart sped up a little. "Well, yeah." "And that's fine." He spread his hands. "I remember being sixteen. But I want to talk about the other elephant first. The reason I ran. Anger and power." "...Oh." "I don't know where a lot of your anger comes from, or why it's so intense, and that's a little worrying. I do know where some of it comes from, and how much you put yourself through, and that's worrying too. Put it all together with your power, and it's pretty scary. Do you see why someone you want to get close to might have some concerns?" Flicker nodded. "That's reasonable. If--" She stopped. "That look when you listened to the vid. Your eyes widened. That was fear." "Partly, yes. Have you talked to Doc about your anger?" "Some. He's often the person I'm angry at, though. I followed his guidance in shaping my anger response when I was younger, to make sure I never completely lose my temper and do something catastrophic. So yelling and Database digging and passive-aggressiveness and going to Antarctica to sulk were all adaptive." She lifted a hand. "I have ways to cope, but I could use better ones, and I could certainly use someone better to talk to. About a lot of other things, too. The Database is trying to find a reasonable candidate now. Doc was worried I'd get a non-superhero killed by making them a target, but he finally went ahead and authorized a search a couple of days ago. I don't have access to the details for privacy reasons, though. Maybe it will find someone, maybe not." "Very glad to hear that," said Journeyman. "But in the meantime, after last night, I had an idea that you might find helpful. If you're interested." "Sure. What?" "I have a better version of a book that the Database likely only has dubious or partial copies of. I would be leery of suggesting it, except you mentioned you'd been studying The Prince, so you've probably run across it already." "What's it called?" "Practical Power Dynamics." The name wasn't familiar. Flicker frowned and sped up. Database, query, book title, Practical Power Dynamics. Book not indexed. Not indexed? That didn't seem right. She should get either 'not found' or a record. DASI? Database integrity problem here. I'm getting 'not indexed' for Practical Power Dynamics. What's the problem? Access denied. Override. Still denied. I'm sorry. DASI? That's stupid. Journeyman has a physical copy. I could just read that. Very well. Reprioritizing. I can now tell you that your access to the applicable record has an Index block, a Cross-domain priority conflict block, and a Legacy privacy block. In addition, the record has eleven associated hazard warnings and 47 advisories. Please use appropriate caution. I thought Index blocks were deprecated? Why would Doc even use one? Or leave it around? He did not place the block, nor is he aware of the record. He is also subject to the Legacy privacy block. What? Then who put it in the Database? The Volunteer. Well, that explained the Index block. The Volunteer was most familiar with much older versions of the Database segmentation protocols, and it sounded like he might have wanted to put whatever it was in the digital equivalent of the Dangerous Artifact vaults. Flicker slowed back down. "Um. I had to jump through hoops just to get the Database to admit that the book even exists. It still won't let me read it, and it has the longest warning and advisory list I've ever seen. What does it do, summon plutonium demons or something?" "Heh. No, but you have an appropriate level of wariness. It surfaced about a decade ago, written by someone using the pseudonym 'Machiavelli's Daughter'. There are various versions of the text circulating, most of them mangled or incomplete. It's ostensibly about acquiring and managing power as a supervillain. It's full of deadpan snark, disturbingly effective advice, and subtle psychological traps for the egotistical." "It certainly sounds interesting. But why did you think I'd find it helpful?" "Well," said Journeyman, "I could only understand about half of the section on self awareness and coping with anger, but it's a unique viewpoint, and I thought you might like to read it." "Okay, but if the text is mangled..." "Most versions. Not all. I traded a bibliomancer... probably too much, to reconstruct a copy of the original text." Journeyman reached into an inside pocket of his vest and pulled out a compact book with a green cover. He handed it to her with a smile and a dramatic flourish. "Be careful turning the pages, okay?" "Okay." Flicker opened the book. The title was as expected, but then she turned to the dedication page and suddenly giggled. It read:

For Doc Future. It's a trap.

"Oh, I love the dedication," she said. "Yeah," said Journeyman. "The level of snark is--" "No, no. That's not snark, it's a personal warning. Doc would read that and stop. Whoever wrote that is smart. I've got to read the rest, give me a sec." Flicker sped up, and started reading and turning pages. Carefully.

When she finally slowed down again, her mind felt fizzy with new perspectives. And then her emotions hit and she started laughing until there were tears in her eyes, while Journeyman watched with a look of apprehension. "The book is perfect," she managed finally. "Thank you, especially for the parts you don't understand. Forget Machiavelli--this is the book I wanted. It was written for a woman--all the traps are optimized for men. This was just what I needed. It's The Princess."

Next: Part 7

#FallofDocFuture #FallMisc

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dontatmethanks · 5 years

Text

A distraction...the good kind.

(A LeviHan fic)

Summary: Hange finds out something about her boyfriend during a fun night out between couples and helps him through it 😘

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It was Hange and Nanaba’s idea, and Levi knows that once Hange forms an idea she will be forever stuck on it.

So here he was, on a triple date at the fair with his girlfriend Hange, Mike and his girlfriend Nanaba, Erwin and his fiancée Maria.

Levi would rather be anywhere else doing anything else than be on this stupid triple date.

He inwardly sighs.

‘For Hange, this is for her.’

He thinks to himself as he shoots his girlfriend a sideways glance. She’s walking in tandem besides him as the group weaves their way through the bundle of brightly colored food stalls and attractions. She is talking amicably with Nanaba about which rides they should go on.

“Ooo! Levi look!” She squeals, grabbing his arm and pointing upwards at one of the rides in front of them.

“Let’s ride this one, it looks so fun!” She tells him in a jittery mess.

Levi looks up and almost throws up.

He was never a fan of roller coasters or rides in general. He always avoided going to the fair, before he was with Hange, ever since his uncle all but forced him to ride a roller coaster when he was seven.

He shudders at that memory.

The ride was named the death drop.

Yes it was very literal.

It just fucking dropped when you’d least expect it, at full fucking speed. His stomach drops hard at the screams of the current passengers.

Hange notices his face change color and immediately asks him if he’s okay.

“M’fine.” He swallows.

She wasn’t buying any of it.

“We don’t have to go on this one okay?” She tells him, voices filled with so much concern it made his heart do a little leap.

He frowns, “But you want-” his girlfriend cuts him off by grabbing his hand and yelling out to the others in line.

“ Hey guys, I’m not feeling this ride anymore, we’re gonna hop on the Ferris wheel!”

Once she recived an okay from them Hange all but yanked him towards their destination.

“Ferris wheel?” He asked her while attempting to match her pace, damn those long ass legs.

But God he loved them.

Hange slowed down a bit, tightening he hold on his hand. “It’s not too fast, but we won’t do anything you don’t want to.” She’s tells him with the sweetest smile.

Fuck.

“No, let’s do it.” He says firmly, gripping her hand and pulling her through a crowd of people and towards the line for the Ferris Wheel. The line seemed to be at least fifteen minutes long.

He could wait, Hange already has made him the most patient man alive.

Hange noticed that he was acting a little fidgety, constantly rubbing his thumb across the back of her hand and combing his fingers through his hair.

“Levi, really you don’t have to prove anything, we don’t ha-”

“I’m not, I want you to enjoy this-whatever this is-date thing.”

“Triple date!” She corrects him, shoving her pointer finger in the air.

He rolls his eyes, “ right.”

The line shortens faster than they thought and they thought and before they know it it’s almost their turn. Levi looks up from the front of the line at the giant glowing wheel and swallows thickly at the thought of being that high.

“It’s our turn!” She tells and drags him towards the gate and hands the ride operator the tickets because Levi couldn’t bother.

When they reach their designated car Hange motions for Levi to enter first so she can sit near the door, which Levi is very much greatful for.

Once everyone of the passengers were quickly settled in the wheel began to turn and their cart started to slowly ascend into the night air.

Levi immediately attached himself to his girlfriend, which Hange found very unusual but endearingly sweet. She threaded her fingers with his and leaned her head on his shoulder.

“This is romantic..” she sighs happily.

“Hn.” He responds, resting his head on hers.

A few seconds pass and the ride pauses, causing the car to shudder slightly. Levi sucks in a small breath.

“Levi?” Hange says silently, as to not disturb the ambiance.

“Hm?” He responds just as quietly.

“I never knew you were afraid of heights.”

He pauses and looks down at his bespecled girlfriend. She looks back up at him through her lashes, scanning his face with her soft brown eyes. He can tell she’s genuinely curious and that she cares.

He sighs, shoulders dropping.

“I’ve usually never had to be in a position to feel like this, whith you, which is why you never knew.” He tells her, avoiding her gaze so she wouldn’t see the warm blush spreading across his cheeks.

“I’m sorry.” She whispers.

This catches him off guard.

“No, no-” he corrects himself, turning to look at her and wincing as the cart moves a little.

“ I meant that I never really had to feel that way when I’m with you. You help keep my mind off it- if that makes sense..” voice drifting off at the feeling of his burning cheeks.

What a fucking sap.

Hange’s eyes widen and her lips slide uprwards into her signature curious grin.

“Forget it.” He immediately says, looking away.

“You mean I’m a distraction in these situations?” She prods.

“...yea..” he whispers, looking back at her. “ ..the good kind..” and then down at their intolocked fingers.

“ Oh..” she ponders looking at his embarrassed face, her boyfriend is rarely ever embarrassed. She nods to herself and takes his face in her hands, cold fingers warming against his skin.

“It’s okay..” she whispers to him, her looks at her feeling her warm breath against his face.

“I’m here..”

And before he can react or say anything she presses her lips into his, initiating one of the sweetest kisses he’s ever felt.

His brain nearly evaporated.

He doesn’t even notice the cart move as the begin to descend. Leaning into the kiss they wrap their arms around each other, sinking their fingers into each other’s hair. Bodies pressed against each other, lips moving against each other softly, in tandem. Levi was beginning to feel light headed but he didn’t care, he wanted to drown in her, in Hange.

Hange breaks the kiss right before the ride stops.

She grins at his flushed face, fixing her hair and glasses that managed to get askew during their surreal kiss.

“Feel better?” She asks him, chocolate eyes bright.

He nods, huffing, “yeah, ..that was fucking abnormal.” She laughs breathily and drags him out of the car.

They meet up with the others near the ballon dart game. Hange immediately makes a beeline for Maria and Nanaba to win a prize, the latter dragging Mike along with them.

Levi, still coming down from the adrenaline of the kiss, sits next to Erwin on a bench nearby.

“Not playing?” His blonde friend asks him.

Levi shakes his head “nn..”

Erwin eyes him suspiciously, “ we’re doing funnel cakes later.” He adds leaning against his fist.

Levi nods “nn..” not entirely paying attention to him, but instead focusing on his girlfriend. Erwin notices this and smiles.

Levi watches her laugh at Nanaba who misses a shot and pouts, eyes crinkling and shining with laughter. Soft brown hair framing her glasses, tousling against the chilly night air. She catches his gaze and winks at him before turning to aim a dart at an unsuspecting balloon.

‘Fuck’ he thinks

‘I wanna raise children with this woman.’

Erwin’s thick ass eyebrows shoot up at that statement, and that’s when Levi realized.

He definitely did not say that in his head.

Fin.

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AN: Lmao that ending 😭 I hope you guys like this one, the idea popped into my head at work and it made so sappy that I had to make it into a fic 😭😭😭💕💕 I’m such a fucking sap for LeviHan I can’t even function in real life 💀💀

Okay I’ll go now, byeeeeee

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myfeetkeepdancing · 5 years

Text

Up The Ladder | Tom Holland x Male!Reader

Pairing: Tom Holland x Male!Reader

Warning: Fluff

Word count: 1687

A/N: Just a quick drabble I made last night, could barely sleep. Because... I got a BIG ass promotion! Good times! ✨

The car shook from the speakers blasting your favorite songs. You feel the vibrations from the speakers resonate through your arm resting on the door panel. You can’t help but sing along from the top of your lungs. The steering wheel becoming your drum set. You definitely got some weird looks from people at the traffic lights. But it didn’t matter. The excitement coursed through your entire body. Nothing could stop you now. Every speed limit was overstepped. Every car overtaken. Not even a speeding ticket could ruin your day. You’ve never driven home faster than before.

With your favorite tunes still thundering between your ears, you rhythmically jump up the stairs. One ear to the front door, you silently fumble with the lock. Trying to sneak in your own apartment like some sort of spy. Your best hopes were on Tom still being in bed. Being all fluffy and tucked in between those warm sheets. The thought alone made you soft. Making the grin on your face even more prominent.

But all things considered, there was a fair chance Tess would see you coming or smell. Somehow she always sensed it. When Tom returned home from a day of shooting on set. He'd return home, physically exhausted, but full with excitement and energy coursing through him. Before he got a chance to tell you about his day. Tess would just run between you two, bouncing up and down. If she wanted to bring that energy and excitement from Tom to you. Participate in the crazy energy sparking between you. Even when you got together, cuddling on the couch, blanket, and drinks at the ready. Tess wouldn't stop going crazy, running along the couch, dragging her pillows and toys with her. Eventually, she'd calm down, and curl up between the two of you.

You shake the thought of Tess and take a sneak peek inside. From behind the bar, you spot Tom. Wearing his oversized pajamas, his brown curls somewhat straightened, cup of tea in one hand. His eyes rolling over the screen of his phone. What a treasure of a human being he was. You can’t help but stare at him for a moment, taking in the beauty that was yours. You hear small paws moving about on the wooden floor. A familiar brown dot appears in your lower peripheral vision. Tess’s cute head pops through the door, looking up at you. Tongue hanging from her your jaw. Her beautiful big brown eyes staring at you, just like Tom's could. “C’mere Tess…” Tom murmurs between his lips, still focusing on his screen. Tess didn't flinch, patiently awaiting your reaction. You decide to stand your ground. See how this plays out. Seconds go by, maybe minutes. You don't know for how long. It didn't really matter. You had time to spare. And looking at Tom wasn't the worst of things to spend your time on. His sleepy eyes scan across the screen, as his fingers play with the cord of the tea bag. Sipping the steaming hot tea with care. "Tess?" Tom questions as he glances towards the door. You see his eyes staring at Tess for mere seconds as they shoot up.

You can't help but smile at his expression. "Wha- Hah! Hey!” Tom face just shines with joy. “Wasn’t expecting you..." The first step you take into the room makes Tess all happy, bouncing left and right. Desperate for your attention. With a thud, you leave your bag onto the side table. Crouching in front of Tess you give her a big hug. Rubbing her head between your hands. Finishing it off with a kiss on top of her head. Tom was pleasantly surprised. Wiping the sleepers from his eyes. "I- eh…" You could only giggle. There was so much to tell. You wanted to. All at once. But where should you start? This was your moment. You can't help but smirk, smile and giggle all at once.

“That-” Tom shakes his head, smiling in wonder. “That… grin on your face.” He chuckles. “You gonna tell me, love?”

“Just this morning-” You hang your coat on the rack. Straightening the collar on your vest. Making you feel more confident. But also building tension. Tom hated that. And you knew. “Yeeesss…” Tom continues sounding slightly annoyed from the kitchen. “Go on…”

“I got my fucking promotion!” You whip the words right through the room. Releasing all your excitement. All the happiness. Your smile couldn’t stretch much further across your face.

“Oh my God! (Y/N)! I-I-I.. I told you!” His lips quiver at your sight. “I knew it! I'm… I-” Tom sputters.

You worked so hard for this. Years have gone by. Time and time again, you were denied the opportunity. Pushed aside by bigger egos. Diminished by other managers. Lied to by executives. And worst of all, held down by your superior. “You know Chris, right?” Before Tom could respond, you just kept rambling. About being called in, shifting powers and new positions opening up. They informed you that your current manager was being transferred to another district. He had denied your promotions time and time again. And that opened up a lot of options, right on the spot. A promotion with a good prospect for the future. Tom only nodded as you kept rambling. No questions asked. “The future also holds a promotion into operational manager for the neighboring districts. Can you believe it? I’ve always wanted that job since the day I started there. And now it’s right around the corner…”

“I’m really happy for you. You deserve this… so much…” Swallowing the lump in his throat. Did you just see that right? The rim of his eyes color red. Tom wiping his eyes with the back of his wrists. “Tom? A-Are you crying?” You giggle and laugh softly. “I'm not. I'm not… I'm… just...” Tom tries to regain himself. You spot a small tear trailing down his cheek. He turns his head away for several seconds, trying to hide that he actually is crying. For a split second, you realized your mistake. You laughed Tom in his face over a tear of happiness. “I'm s-sorry Tom, I-...” Tom turns back to you, his eyes swollen red. But a big ass smile painting his face. “D-Don't. I know what t-this means to you. You’re so passionate about it. You should see yourself. It’s cute.”

His words fall from his lips with snickering in-between. You spot the conflict on his face. Throwing his head back as he leans back against the kitchen counter. “Your mom once told me that you look up to me. That you feel you need to prove yourself. While you're always there for me. That moment y-you… walked in, that smile, that enthusiasm. Your moment of triumph. It made me realize what your job means to you. I need to support you in that. Just like you did with me all these months.” Tom was trying to hold back his tears. But each sentence made it more and more difficult for him. Blinking rapidly as he spoke his mind. Speaking his feelings that had cropped up for weeks. Holding his hand up in front of you, indicating to stay back. But that wasn't your plan. You wanted to comfort him. Hold him close to you. Cuddle him. Share your joy. Now there was nothing but an uncomfortable distance between you. “Tom, do I look mad? Sad? Disappointed?”

“N-No… But I-“

“Tom, I’m here to talk my decision over. Discuss it with you. Your part of my life. I'm thrilled about my promotion and the things that it's going to bring. But I don’t want to travel day and night. I wanna be there when you walk that red carpet. When you do your interviews. I wanna see you shine. And at the end of the day. It’s you that makes me smile. It’s you that makes me happy. Not a job in the world that changes that.”

“I don’t-… You take days off to travel with me to set. Only to watch. You make all ends meet to find a sitter for Tess. You travel to red carpet events with me to help calm my nerves. Only for you to be denied access. Spending the night in some dark cafe waiting for me to return. You help me practice my lines. You even make me breakfast on days like this while I'm free. Do you know how that makes me feel?”

“Loved?”

“Dickhead…”

“So…how long has this been circling in that brain of yours, Tommy?”

“Weeks... And now you show up like this. It kinda broke me.”

“Come here. Let’s hug this out.” You spread your arms out, hoping to encase Tom’s figure close to you.

“Can you do one thing for me…?” With the edges of his white shirt, he wipes his eyes clean. His six-pack teasing you as his shirt moves upwards. The red in his eyes slowly fading away.

“If it has something to do with the bedroom…” You tease, taking a step closer.

He takes his phone from the counter and snaps a picture from you. “That’s up to you…” Tom’s look on his face says it all. “That smile is going straight to my background. Gorgeous..."

“I’m listening…” You press on. Tom licks his lips as you step closer. You suck your lower lip between your teeth. You slowly step into the kitchen. With both hands, you grab his pelvis and press him against you. Guiding your hands from his hips up to his back. Wrapping your arms around his torso. His arms slide around your neck as he lifts himself up onto his toes. Just high enough to gently press his lips onto yours. Being taller than Tom for sure had its cute moments.

“What if I tell you, you need to follow your dream?” Tom says.

You tilt your head to one side. Letting the question sink in for a moment. Tom looking at you with dreamy eyes. “I already am.” Planting your lips on his as you shove him against the kitchen counter.

#tom holland x male reader #tom holland reader #tom holland x male!reader #tom holland x reader #male reader x tom holland

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creative-frequency · 5 years

Text

Connor|RK800 x Reader: Ocularity Ch. 12

Word count: 1999 Warnings/Categories: Eventual mature content, romance, friendship, fluff, light angst, explicit language, uncle Hank

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November 3rd 09:36 AM

Raid on CyberLife warehouse – police believe the suspects are deviants

Chiara Hale | Tuesday 2 November 22:35 | 235 shares

A group of robbers broke into the CyberLife warehouse sometime in the evening today in Delray. The value of the stolen property is estimated at hundreds of thousands of dollars. One of the warehouse’s security guard androids also went missing during the events of the robbery.

The suspects are deviant androids or are affiliated with an organized group of deviants. The police are currently investigating the crime and would not comment until more details are discovered.

– We saw nothing out of the ordinary and then count the trucks to see one is missing, the security guards of the warehouse say.

– No one got hurt, but we could just be lucky.

The GPS tracking system of the stolen truck was disabled as soon as it left the property.

An increasing number of cases involving androids are reported to the DPD every day. Statistics show these android cases have notched up the overall crime rate of the city for over seven percent during the past six months.