#‘solving the mystery’ to have some basis in. well. maybe his mom was trying to do something similar. picking up where she left off.

[hyperthinks]

the main unfortunate thing about the timeskip vv universe is that sooooo much of the lore i’ve written has been about people who are not only dead during the time the story takes place but also were dead like a decade before 2004 when the maxis storyline starts. i’m plotting out hero and cordelia doing some L and light shit to each other as if they haven’t been dead for THIRTY YEARS

[kiirokero]

Redamancy (OT7)

Redamancy: The act of loving the one who loves you; a love returned in full.

Part of the Protect the Village! Oneshot Series.

Masterlist

Pairing: BTS x Reader (Yes, all seven,)

Genre/Warnings: fluff, a bit of angst, strangers to friends to lovers, a lot of mediocre humour, 

Note: The multiverse in this world just got more complicated. But I did it!

Summary: Seven men, all from different walks of life. Then there’s you, their best friend. Nothing good ever comes from loving those close to you a little too much, that’s what you think. Apparently they have another idea.

Word Count: ~12k

UNEDITED please forgive my illiterate ass. Might edit it at a later date. 

It started with Jimin. 

     Having just moved to the village, you were just barely on your own two feet. You thought moving to the small town full of, what? 200 people? Would be enough to give you that cottage lifestyle you always wanted. Away from others, on your own, nothing but you and the forest. Of course, living in seclusion wouldn’t be as amazing as the stories make it out to be. You knew this, so you settled on moving to a small village. 

      You grew up in the city all your life. And you hated it. You hated the sickly smell of trash and cigarettes. You hated the constant buzz of people no matter the hour of the day. You absolutely despised the people who lived there too. You never thought people could get so narcissistic. Yeah, there were friendly people there, but the selfish and rude ones drowned them out. 

     So because of your less-than stellar experience with people, you didn’t plan on making many friends. Maybe becoming acquaintances with the lady who walked her dog every day or being on a first name basis with the barista at the local coffee shop. You planned to keep to yourself. Stay confined to your house and small garden, work from home. But the universe, or a stubborn blonde-haired delivery boy, had other plans. 

Because it started with Jimin. 

     Today was like any other day in the oddly cheery village. The sun was out, there wasn’t a cloud in sight, and it was way too hot for you. “Ugh,” You groaned, flopping face first on your dusty couch that was fresh out of storage. You felt like you were sweating off pounds of your body fat. You were sticky and uncomfortable. But that wasn’t even the worst part of the day.

      It was only the third day of moving into your new cottage, and you were already done with it. You’ve sneezed more times than you could count, your muscles were begging for mercy, and the movers broke your bookshelf. You swear you could kill a man. Now you had a box full of books and no bookshelf to organize them on. 

      Sure, maybe it wasn’t as serious as you were making it out to be, but adding on all the additional stresses from the past week, it felt like someone just kicked your cat. Not that you have a cat... But the point was made. You were on the verge of a breaking point. 

     Reluctantly, you went to your bedroom and opened your laptop, searching the internet for a new bookshelf. You tried to lift your spirits by telling yourself that you could get one that matches your mahogany coffee table, but one look at the price tag quickly brought you back down. “This better be an heirloom for my great-grandchildren,” You grumbled, going to checkout and typing in your credit card information. 

      The new bookshelf showed up in 2 days. You would think that would be enough time to get your shit together, but it wasn’t. The past 2 days made you even more stressed as you found important things were either missing or hidden deep in odd boxes they had no business being in. Now you're not a sentimental person, not a lot of items you own hold much sentiment to you. But if there’s one item you treasure dearly, it’d be your mother's necklace. 

      It was an old silver necklace that wound around a small teal stone. The chain was chunky and a bit rusty. Though it wasn’t falling apart, just old. It was a centuries old heirloom. Your mother said it used to be painted gold, but that was when your great-great grandmother had it. How she knew that? You didn’t know, you never asked either. Your mom was always just an oddball. 

      But that wasn’t what caught people’s attention the most. It was the teal stone itself. It was an unnatural shape. It looked like it was split in 2 pieces down the middle, almost looking like a pair of doors. They were trapezoids laid on their sides, wider edges together. You asked your mom why they were carved into such a shape, but she always said the same thing. “Honey, the stone isn’t carved, it’s natural. You’ll understand one day.”

To this day, you still don’t understand. 

      And now you never would, because the priceless family treasure was missing. You could practically hear your mother tsking from her grave as she watches you upturn everything in your apartment looking for it. You were currently bending yourself in half, peering under the couch, when the doorbell suddenly rang. You jumped, bumping your head on the coffee table. “Ow...” You groaned, standing up to answer the door. 

      Opening the door, you saw a blonde man standing on your porch with a large box standing upright next to him. “Hello! I have a package for, um... Y/n?” He said with a smile. “That’s me,” You chuckled, trying your best to at least look like you had your life together. “Is that... Heavy?” You asked cautiously, intimidated by the box that was almost as tall as the man in front of you. 

      “Yeah... A little bit... Would you like me to take it in for you?” He offered, to which you graciously accepted. “You can just put it by the tv stand,” You said. He gave you a determined nod, carrying the box over to the living room while you snuck away to the kitchen to get him a bottle of water. It was a hot day; it was the least you could do. 

      “Hey, um, is this yours?” He asked you as you walked back to the living room. In his hand was the silver necklace you were painstakingly searching for. “Oh! Yes! Thank you, where’d you find it?” You asked, quirking your brow. “It was peeking out from under the tv stand, and I don’t think you meant to put it there,” He chuckled, his eyes upturning into crescents. You couldn’t help but thinking that it was cute. 

      You held the necklace to your chest, basking in the sense of relief it gave you. “Yeah, I was looking everywhere for it. Odd that it was in such a visible place,” Your browns knitted together as you asked yourself how you missed it. You almost upturned the entire house looking for it. “Mystery solved!” The blonde man chuckled, “I’m Jimin by the way. I couldn’t help but notice all the boxes... Did you just move here?” Jimin asked, expression showing nothing but friendly curiosity. 

     You sighed, looking around at the mess that was your house currently. “Is it that obvious?” You joked, causing Jimin to chuckle. “Well, welcome to Bangtan! Not many people move out here.” He pointed out. You shrugged, “It seems nice out here. Peaceful,” Jimin gave you a soft, kind smile, one which you reciprocated. “I hope you like it here,”

     As soon as he left, you’d quickly unclasped the necklace and put it on, vowing to never take it off again. It was the only thing you had left of your mother. You didn’t care if you weren’t a jewelry person; you were now.

It started with Jimin. 

     After that day, you would see him often. Whether he was zipping around main street, delivering inventory to the various shops, or he was bringing you a package. You once asked him if he’s the only delivery personnel in the whole village, worrying that whoever was employing him was running him ragged. “No, but we have our designated areas in the village. I deliver for main street and the forest houses. Aka the houses that boarder the forest... Aka you!” Was his explanation. 

      Besides the occasional run-ins, you and Jimin never really hung out. Until he came bouncing up to your doorstep, asking if you wanted to go to the arcade with him on his day off. You almost said no. Well, you said no... But Jimin practically begged you to come, so you gave in... Eventually. So, one Sunday afternoon, you got dressed and went to the arcade that Jimin was so excited about. 

He showed up, but he wasn’t alone. 

Because next it was Taehyung. 

      It was a nice day. Perfect temperature, lovely breeze, clear skies. You would’ve loved to sit in your garden, enjoying a nice glass of lemonade, but no. Here you were outside of an admittedly pretty, arcade. Waiting for Jimin to show up so you could kick his ass at some air hockey. 

      You picked at the invisible lint on your jeans. Tapping your shoes against the concrete. You don’t know why you dressed nicer than you usually do. Maybe it was because Jimin always saw you in sweatshirts and sweatpants and you wanted to prove that you weren’t the humanized version of a dust bunny. Maybe it was because he always looks like he walked off a runway, even in his work uniform. But now you're regretting it. Your jeans are a bit too tight because you haven’t gone clothes shopping in a while and your black shirt was attracting the heat of the sun. 

      “Y/n!!!” A voice yelled, and you instantly knew it was Jimin. Looking at the end of the street, your suspicions were confirmed when you saw his blonde hair flowing in the wind as he ran to you. It was odd to see him dressed in day clothes, but it was a welcome change. He had on light washed jeans and a plain white shirt hidden underneath a denim jacket. It was a simple look, but he rocked it. 

      He stopped in front of you, hands on his knees, gasping for air. “I wasn’t going anywhere.” You chuckled, patting his head patronizingly. “I huff was just puff excited to see you.” He choked out, taking a few more deep breaths before sitting upright again. You felt your cheeks heat up at his enthusiasm to see you, but you shrugged it off. “Well, you coming?” You asked, pointing your thumb towards the building behind you. “Taehyung’s not here yet.” Jimin said, nonchalantly. 

      You tilted your head, Taehyung? “Who’s Taehyung?” You asked, poking Jimin’s side. “He’s one of my friends! Best baker in town! Well... Only baker in town, but still. He has the day off too, I thought it would be nice for you to meet him,” He shrugged, “Is that okay?” His tone was a worried one, as if he was just now realizing that you could be uncomfortable with meeting others, but you just sighed. “It’s fine, Jimin. If he’s friends with you, I’m sure he’s pretty cool,” You said, and Jimin’s eyes lit up. 

      The two of you continued to talk about random things. What you did yesterday, your plans for the coming week... Jimin was currently telling you the story about one of his other friends being attacked by a giant squirrel when a deep voice called his name. “Jiminie!” The two of you turned to see a man waving at Jimin from the end of the street, jogging over to meet up with you. 

      You could tell that this man was a bit taller than Jimin, but not by much. He had short, light brown hair, like a honey blonde color, that almost reached his eyes. He had slightly tanned skin that seemed to glow in the sun and a boxy smile that showcased his perfect teeth. You wondered if all of Jimin’s friends were model level attractive. 

      The man, who you assumed was Taehyung, and Jimin hugged each other once they got close enough. It was a short but sweet one, and you could tell that they’ve known each other for a long time. “Tae, this is Y/n! Y/n, this is Taehyung!” Jimin introduced the two of you, and you gave him a friendly bow. “Nice to meet you! Jimin’s been blabbering on all the time about you,” Taehyung snickered, earning an elbow to the arm from Jimin. 

     “Oh, really? Only good things, I hope,” You raised an eyebrow towards Jimin, and he raised his hands in defense. “Only good things! Only good,” He chuckled, and you nodded your head in satisfaction. “It’s nice to meet you too. Taehyung,” You smiled, turning your attention back to the man next to Jimin. “Alright! Game time!” Jimin clapped, racing inside the arcade with Taehyung hot on his tail. You snorted at their actions, following after them. 

      When the 3 of you paid for your tokens, you instantly agreed on going right to the air hockey table. “Okay so... Tae and I will face off with each other, then the winner plays you, is that alright?” Jimin asked, looking between you and Taehyung. Taehyung nodded while you gave him a thumbs up. 

      The two of them went to opposite sides of the table, putting in their tokens and grabbing the strikers. “You're going down,” Jimin threatened, glaring at the man in front of him. “Jimin, you’re about as frightening as a newborn puppy,” Taehyung snickered, earning an exaggerated gasp from the blonde. “Asshole,” He murmured to himself, picking up the puck and starting the game. 

      To say watching Jimin and Taehyung play was funny, is an understatement. Every time Taehyung scored a point, Jimin would whine louder and every time Jimin would score, Taehyung would start the game as quickly as possible, cutting off Jimin’s little victory dance. “Come on, Jimin!” You encouraged, looking at the 3-point difference on the overhead scoreboard. “It’s only three points!”

      Jimin tried, maybe a little too hard, but ended up losing in the end. Jimin pouted, his lower lip protruding exaggeratedly. He came over and laid his forehead on your shoulder, whining to you about Taehyung being a try-hard jerk. You just chuckled, giving his back a light pat as you gently pushed him off and went up to the table. 

      “You ready?” Taehyung asked after you put your tokens in. You nodded, waiting for him to start the game. Immediately, Taehyung hit the puck hard and fast, the plastic disc ricocheting off the sides in a zig-zag pattern. It was too fast for you to properly stop it from going right into your goal. Taehyung laughed from the other side of the table, holding his stomach as he bent over, wheezing. 

      You looked at him, unimpressed, snatching the puck from the space under the table. “You looked so helpless,” He wheezed, and you quickly put down the puck and hit it right into Taehyung’s goal, making the score even. “Oh no, you looked so helpless,” You snickered, mockingly. Setting off a competitive fire between you and Taehyung. 

After Jimin it was Taehyung. 

      That day was full of laughs and friendly insults thrown back and forth in the heat of a competitive moment. After you won that air hockey game, Taehyung challenged you to everything after that. “I bet I can score higher on this!” or “I bet you can’t beat that,” To which you proved him wrong about 50% of the time, Jimin being your cheerleader for every game. Besides DDR. Nobody dares to go against Jimin on DDR. Unless it’s Hoseok. 

      But your interactions with Taehyung and Jimin didn’t stop there. Now Jimin felt more comfortable inviting you out, usually to Taehyung’s bakery, so you could get to know each other better. Sometimes you’d even go to Taehyung’s bakery (Aptly named “Kim’s Confections”) on your own, just to talk to him as he made his stock for the next day. 

     Jimin and Taehyung said they had other friends that would love to meet you, but they were just busy, so it would take time. They also told you that 2 were on a business trip and wouldn’t be back for another week while another was swamped with work and the others were just shy. You didn’t mind much; you’d meet them when you met them. 

Which apparently was soon.

Because then it was Namjoon. 

      It was a nice day out today. It was slightly overcast and there was a cool breeze blowing through. Perfect for you. Not so perfect to the sunshine people of Bangtan. Nobody was out and about today like usual. People were treating a slightly dim day like it was snowing. It was amusing to you. When you first got here, you’ve never seen so many sunny days before. It was disorienting. The chilly day was a blissful blessing. 

      But going out on a lovely day was only fun when other people were out on that lovely day. Despite your previous woes, you actually wanted to get to know the community that lived in Bangtan. Jimin said that they didn’t get many outsiders, but everyone here was delightful to you. There was even this old lady how gave you a Snickers! A whole Snickers!

      Instead of letting the lack of people get you down though, you opted to go on one of the nature paths that went through the forest that surrounds the village. Putting on a pair of jeans and a jacket, you grabbed your small backpack off the counter and headed straight for the forest that was behind your house. 

     When Jimin said you lived in a “forest house,” He really wasn’t wrong, the tree line was only a 2-minute walk from your backdoor. You love the fact that you can look out your window and see the wildlife running around, even if some of them look oddly larger than normal. But that was probably just your imagination. 

      Stepping onto a well-worn path, you began your walk. Listening to the songs of the birds and breathing in the earthy smell that surrounded you, it was like heaven. Maybe it was because you lived in the city for most of your life, but you really felt drawn to this place. The vibrant green trees, the lively wildlife, the calm atmosphere. It was all so... Nice.

     The way the wind blew through the trees, rustling the leaves in a peaceful harmony, made pleasant shivers run down your spine. You would playfully wave at the squirrels and birds that you encountered on your path, and they would oddly look back at you, making you chuckle. “Cuties,” You whispered to yourself, your shoes crunching against the dried fallen leaves that covered the path. 

      About 20 minutes into your walk, however, you felt goosebumps rise on your skin. Like a second sense you weren’t aware about. Curiously, you stopped, looking around the empty forest. Nothing but trees, fauna, and flora as far as the eye could see. But it was also deathly quiet. You didn’t notice before, too trapped in your own thoughts, but the birds stopped chirping, like the entire forest had gone still. 

      Shivers ran their way up your spine, and you didn’t dare move a muscle. Suddenly the once refreshing forest air turned dry and suffocating, and it felt colder than before. The rustling of leaves caught your attention, and you whipped around in search of the source. Nothing moved as it went silent again. Scared, you started walking down the path again, eager to get away. 

      You could hear your heart pounding in your ears as your palms became sweaty from tightly clutching onto your bag. But then the rustling came again, this time it was closer. You whimpered, picking up your speed into a brisk walk to a jog, the rustling still following you. You took the risk of looking behind you, and what you saw made you gasp. There behind you was a grey wolf, briskly following you like it had all the time in the world. It wasn’t necessarily threatening you in any way, but it was a wolf, and all you were thinking about was getting away. 

     You broke out into a run, trying to get as far away from the animal as you could. You logically knew that it could easily run faster than you, but you were running on pure adrenalin at this point. Well, you were. Until you slammed face first into what felt like a brick wall. You fell backwards with a thump, groaning at the shock of pain that ran up your ankle. 

    “Oh! I’m sorry!” A deep voice apologized, kneeling next to you. All thoughts of the animal chasing you vanished from your mind when you looked up to see a tan, muscular man. He had sandy blonde hair that was swept to the side and chestnut brown eyes that were filled with worry. His grey shirt was tight, leaving little to the imagination. He was very well built. “Hello? Oh no, did you hit your head?” His voice spoke up again, waving his hand in front of your face. 

    You blinked a couple of times before lightly shaking your head. “No- I’m okay,” You answered, and the man let out a sigh of relief. “That’s good, can you stand up?” He asked, you tried to stand up, but a piercing, sweltering heat shot its way up your ankle and you groaned in pain. “I think I twisted my ankle...” You whimpered, bringing one of your hands down to support it. 

      “Oh no, um... Think Namjoon think...” The man, who you presumed to be the Namjoon he was referring to, paced back and forth in front of you. You brought your backpack around in front of you, looking through it until you pulled out the mini first aid kit you carried. You opened up the small plastic box and got out the bandage wrap that came with it. “Um, can you help me wrap my ankle?” You spoke up, getting the worried man’s attention. “Y-Yeah!” He nodded, kneeling in front of you. 

     “I’m so sorry... Um, I can, uh... Carry you back to my home? I think I have an ice pack in the freezer,” He offered while he wrapped the bandage snuggly against your ankle... You raised your eyebrow suspiciously, not quite trusting the random woodsman you just met. 

      He caught on to what you were thinking, quickly holding his hands up and smiling awkwardly. “I promise I won’t do anything! And if I make you uncomfortable, you can like... Punch me or something,” He said, and you relented, knowing that he was likely your only way out of this forest since you seemed to have strayed off the beaten path. 

“I’m Namjoon, by the way,” He smiled, revealing a pair of deep-set dimples.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Y/n,” 

     After Namjoon wrapped up your ankle, he picked you up bridal style (After getting your permission) and carried you back to civilization. You made small talk along the way. Namjoon told you that he was the town’s mechanic and he lived in an apartment that was above his shop. You told him that you were new in town and you worked as a translator. 

      Soon, you arrived at a small store that looked very much like a smaller version of AutoZone. Namjoon carefully carried you up the stairs and set you down on his living room couch. “I’ll go get that ice pack,” He said, giving you a soft smile as he disappeared into what you assumed to be the kitchen. 

    You ignored the blush that made its way onto the tips of your ears, searching through your bag until you found your phone. Opening your messages with Jimin. 

Hey. I know I said I’d meet up with you later but I kinda messed up my ankle...

Chim: What?! How?

I went on a nature hike and ran face first into this dude Namjoon

Chim: Namjoon? The mechanic?

Yeah, he brought me back to his house and is treating it. Seems super worried. Chill guy though!

Chim: Sounds like Joon. Stay there, okay? I’ll meet you there. I’ll bring Tae too.

You know him?

Chim: He’s the guy I told you about, the one that knocked over the can display.

Oh yeah! lol

After Taehyung it was Namjoon.

      After you texted Jimin about your predicament, him and Taehyung showed up to gage how bad it really was. In reality, it wasn’t that awful. You only had to wear a brace for 3 days and stay far away from Namjoon’s clumsy tendencies for another 2. 

      Namjoon was surprised at first to find out that you knew the two men, and then they enthusiastically informed him that you were the Y/n that they’ve been telling everyone about. You don’t know if it was more embarrassing for you to find out you're a regular conversation topic, or for Namjoon who didn’t connect the dots earlier. Maybe it was both. 

     But besides your rocky first impressions. You and Namjoon bonded quickly. But instead of bonding over competition like Taehyung or frequent meetings like Jimin... The two of you bonded when you found out his love for books, especially old classics. It was only 2 days after your initial meeting. Jimin and Taehyung were busy, and you didn’t feel like being alone, so you visited Namjoon. (Much to his surprise)

      You were keeping him company in the garage while he worked on a car when you referenced a scene from “The Odyssey,” Namjoon had shot his head up and looked at you wide eyed, asking if you were a fan of literature. When you said yes, he couldn’t help but talk animatedly about his favorites as you playfully indulged him. Not minding one bit. 

      The two of you frequently met up to talk about books. Whether it be a debate about whether “To Kill a Mockingbird” Should be as hyped up as it is or deep philosophical conversations about the meaning of “Where’d You Go, Bernadette?” But there was one day when you visited him that he asked if you wanted to go shopping with him. 

Which is how you ended up in a grocery store with cans rolling around on the floor. 

Then you met Hoseok.

      “Shopping?” You asked incredulously as you watched Namjoon emerge from his room with a fresh set of clothes on. “Yeah! It could be fun! Also, Jimin begged me to go with him and I don’t want to go through that alone,” He blurted out, and you laughed, hiding your face in the arm of his couch. 

      Namjoon huffed at your amusement, whining out a “Please?” That you just couldn’t exist. You sighed, getting up from the couch and slipping on your shoes. “Let’s go then, you know how Jimin gets,” Namjoon quickly followed suit, not wanting to deal with a nagging Jimin alone. “You’re right, let’s go!” He rushed, and you giggled, following him out the door. 

      It was another sunny day in Bangtan, meaning more people were out and about. You smiled as people on the street waved at you, becoming more used to your presence in the town. “How different is the city life to this?” Namjoon asked from beside you, hands stuffed in the pockets of his leather jacket. “Much different. People would usually bump into you, then sneer at you like it was your fault,” You snorted, earning a wide-eyed look from the man beside you.

    “People were that rude?” He asked, exasperated. “Yep,” You nodded, finding his distaste for people he’s never met somewhat amusing. Namjoon scoffed, mumbling a “Dumb people,” Under his breath, causing you to chuckle. “Namjoon, there's no need to get so worked up about it,” You poked his shoulder. Namjoon looked at you with pursed lips, “Nobody should be mean to a person like you,” He declared, looking at you with deep intensity. 

    “Guys!” A voice called, breaking through the moment you and Namjoon were having. You cleared your throat, wiping your sweaty palms on your jeans before looking up at Jimin. He was standing in front of the grocery store you often frequented. “Hey,” You greeted once the two of you got close enough. Jimin engulfed you in a hug, squeezing you tight, and you couldn’t help the giggled that bubbled their way up and out of your throat. But you missed the look of jealousy that crossed Namjoon’s face. 

      Once Jimin let go, he gave both of you and a cheeky smile. “So... I know Hoseok technically banned Namjoon from here after last time... But! Today is the day they restock the junk food” Jimin exclaimed, enthusiasm painted on his face. You forgot that living in such a secluded town meant that things like brand-named food went out of stock and stayed like that for longer than you were used to. It was one of the downsides to living here, but like, one out of five.

      “Hoseok? You mean the manager that seems to avoid me like the plague?” You asked, earning a sympathetic look from both of the men. You’re heard about Hoseok plenty of times from Jimin, Taehyung, AND Namjoon. You’ve even seen the dude when you shopped here sometimes, but he always hid away in the backroom when he noticed your presence. Not coming out until you were gone.

    You were convinced that Hoseok didn’t like you for whatever reason, but everyone told you it was just him. He was shy at first, then the loudest person you’d ever meet. “Y/n...” Jimin whined, and you playfully rolled your eyes. “Yeah. yeah. He doesn't have some sort of weird vendetta against me, I get it,” You groaned, walking past both of them. “Let’s just go, yeah?” You pressed, looking over your shoulder at the both of them. 

    The two of them looked at each other, then back at you before they followed you into the store. Jimin quickly took the lead as he guided you and Namjoon towards the candy and chips section of the small mart. “Ah, it’s beautiful,” Jimin sighed, grabbing a pack of spicy potato chips. “It’s unhealthy,” Namjoon mocking him, mimicking Jimin’s dreamy sigh.

    Jimin whipped around to glare at the taller man, not caring that Namjoon had to look down to maintain eye contact with him. “Look, not everyone eats leaves like you Joon,” Jimin hmphed, turning back to the shelf. You snickered, earning an exaggerated gasp from Namjoon. “I’m offended, Y/n,” He said, and you chuckled harder. 

    “That’s it, come here,” Namjoon threatened, reaching out for you to which you immediately turned and ran away. You say run, but it was more like a jog. You and Namjoon were laughing with each other while he tried to catch you. “Weak sauce, Namjoon,” You teased from the opposite end of the aisle from him. “You wound me,” He chuckled, lunging at you yet again. 

    But this time, you narrowly dodged his grasp. You jumped out of the way quickly enough for him to miss you, but he wasn’t quick enough to stop himself from running headfirst into a display of cans. How ironic. The cans sounded a huge crash as they fell to the floor in conjunction, Namjoon falling with them. He let out a groan of pain as he landed on a can, one of them hitting him on the head. 

    You let out a pained hiss, almost feeling the headache incoming. “Are you okay?” You asked, kneeling beside him. This situation feeling familiar before. “Yeah... I’m good,” Namjoon whimpered out, wincing at the pain in his back. Suddenly, the two of you heard rapid footsteps approaching you. “You idiots,” Jimin sighed, kneeling on the opposite side of Namjoon. “This is why Hobi banned you,” Jimin flicked Namjoon’s nose, the elder letting out a choked “Ack” sound. 

     Soon, you and Jimin helped Namjoon back up to his feet, the taller man resting a hand on his back for support. “Of course it was you, Joon,” A new voice spoke up, sounding amused. The three of you focused your attention on the approaching man coming down on of the isles, his eyes trained on Namjoon. 

     He was taller than Jimin but shorter than Namjoon, somewhere in between. He had brunette hair in a mocha-like shade that was a similar hairstyle to Taehyung. He had deep brown eyes and heart-shaped lips that were upturned into a slight smile. You recognized him as Hoseok, the store manager who avoided you like you had a flu and he was immunocompromised. 

    “Well... This situation seems familiar,” Namjoon chuckled, wincing when he realized that made his back hurt worse. “Yes, it is,” Hoseok sighed, looking at the dented and disorganized cans that were scattered on the floor. “Sorry about the mess,” You spoke up, Hoseok’s eyes finally registering on you. He seemed to freeze up, a nervous smile plastered on his face. 

    “It’s fine!” He said a bit too enthusiastically. Jimin snickered from the other side of Namjoon, giving Hoseok a teasing smirk. “Hobi! This is Y/n! The girl I’ve told you so much about!” Jimin smiled, and Hoseok’s cheeks reddened as he avoided eye contact with you. “Nice to meet you,” He coughed out. “You’ve seen me before... I’m not exactly shopping for food anywhere else,” You pointed out. 

     Hoseok looked up to you for a brief second before looking back down at his shoes. “Yeah! Yeah... Sorry you’re just, new,” He nervously chuckled. “I get it, I’ve heard not many people come to Bangtan. You just don’t hate me, right?” You asked cautiously, not knowing what you would do if the answer was yes. “No! I don’t hate you; I swear.” Hoseok cleared his throat, fiddling with his fingers. 

     “What Hoseok is trying to say is he doesn’t know how to approach new people. Like I’ve been telling you,” Jimin interrupted, giving you a “I told you so,” Look. “Whatever Jimin. But um, Hoseok? Could you do me a favor?” You asked, turning your attention back on the brunette. “Hmm?” Hoseok hummed, urging you to continue. “Could you take my place supporting Namjoon? He’s heavy...” You chuckled. Getting a laugh from Jimin, a complaint from Namjoon, and a soft smile of agreement from Hoseok. 

After Namjoon it was Hoseok. 

     When all of you arrived back at Namjoon’s apartment and threw him on the floor, you and Hoseok made quick work of getting him an ice pack and medicine. You got Namjoon comfy on the couch with some blankets and pillows, an ice pack on his back, while Hoseok got him some water to swallow the pills he gave him. 

     Namjoon fell asleep shortly after he took the medicine. Whether he was already tired or the pills knocked him out, it didn’t matter; he was out like a light. All three of you chuckled at the snoring man, even if he sounded like a train in the distance, you thought he was cute. Jimin eventually had to clock into work, giving you a wink as he waved goodbye and rushed out the door. Leaving just you, Hoseok, and a sleeping Namjoon. 

    At first, the air between you and Hoseok was quite stale. The two of you exchanging basic words of pleasantries to keep an awkward silence at bay. But “How old are you?” and “Where are you from?” can only get you so far. So when the conversation died down, Hoseok suggested that you should put on a movie. 

    You didn’t pin Hoseok to be a superhero nerd, but he totally was. If his simping over Spiderman was anything to go off of. You weren’t necessarily a Marvel or DC guru, but you let Hoseok talk your ear off once he got comfortable. 

    Jimin wasn’t wrong when he said Hoseok was shy at first, then the loudest person you would ever meet. Because after a few minutes into the movie, he couldn’t hold in his excited soliloquy anymore. Once he got more comfortable in your presence, he would make comments here and there on what was happening and eventually you joined in, asking questions about anything you were lost on. 

    Hoseok was very sweet about your lack of knowledge about the universe and even offered to switch to an earlier movie in that confusing connected universe. That kicked off an entire movie marathon of Hoseok explaining everything to you and you intently listening, genuinely interested in the weird, bizarre world of super heros. You even picked your favorite out of the enormous bunch. Ironically, it was Spiderman... He’s just so lovable. You couldn’t help it, he was too charming. 

    Eventually, after 3 hours of a lesson on superheros and some villains, Namjoon woke up, still sore, but better. He even joined you on your marathon, mostly because he didn’t want to get up from the couch, but he did pay attention! You, Namjoon, and Hoseok laughed, talked, and bickered over the lore and more trivial things for hours, but it was all in good fun. “You’re cool, Hoseok,” You remember telling the brunette. Hoseok sought out to be a friend you could have endless amounts of fun with after that. 

But the eventful day didn’t end there!

Because then Seokjin burst through the door.

      “Okay so... You’re telling me that there’s this ex-surgeon turned mystical time lord, and that’s canon?” You asked Hoseok incredulously, the brunette trying not to laugh at your disbelieving attitude. Because in this world radioactive spiders, literal gods of thunder, and a whole, invisible kingdom named Wakanda exists... But no! Time lords are too much! “Yes, Y/n. Doctor Strange is canon,” Hoseok chuckled. 

     You furrowed your brow, leaning back into the couch more and (unintentionally) leaning into Namjoon more. He doesn’t mind though, you’re warm. “What are like... The rules of this world? Things like time manipulation opens up a whole new can of worms,” You pointed out. Hoseok shrugged, popping a piece of popcorn into his mouth. “I try not to like about the logistics. I mean, it’s superheros Y/n! Not exactly a philosophical conversation starter about the possibility of multiple timelines and aliens.” 

     Namjoon chuckled as you nodded, seeing his point. “It’s like those fantasy books you like to read, Y/n,” Namjoon said. “I guess I can see your point. Guess I’ll have to discuss the possibility of a multiverse with someone else,” You playfully sighed. Hoseok snorted, opening his mouth to say something before Namjoon’s front door burst open violently. 

     “Joon! You are so dead!” A masculine voice shouted. You shrunk into the couch while Hoseok and Namjoon looked towards the source of the ruckus. “Jin? What are you-” Namjoon speaks up, only to be cut off by this “Jin” person. “Oh you know why I’m here! You were supposed to help me organize files tonight!” The unfamiliar voice complained, and you slowly looked over the back of the couch. 

     Standing in the doorway was a man about as tall as Hoseok, dressed in a pristine grey suit with a green tie. He had dark brown hair that looked almost black in the low light of Namjoon’s apartment in a similar hairstyle to Taehyung. He had thin-rimmed circular glasses that enhanced his pretty brown eyes, that were currently wrinkled in annoyance. He was strikingly handsome with his plump lips and smooth-looking skin. You were seriously wondering what was in the water at Bangtan that made all these men seriously attractive. 

    Namjoon gasped, sitting up to get a better look at Jin, swallowing the wince as the pain from earlier in the day hasn’t quite dissipated yet. “I’m so sorry! It slipped my mind... I kinda... Got occupied,” Namjoon scratched the back of his neck nervously. Jin quirked a brown, still not acknowledging your presence even if you were right next to Namjoon. “What?” Jin asked, crossing his arms. “I... Ran into a can display,” Namjoon muttered out, looking down at his hands. 

     “Before you say anything. Yes, he did it again,” Hoseok spoke up, giving Namjoon a cheeky smirk. “But he got hurt this time,” Jin looked Namjoon up and down, taking in the bump on his forehead and disheveled appearance, finally letting out a sigh. “Alright just, text me next time, okay?” Jin said. Namjoon nodded giving him a thumbs up before he turned to you. 

    “Oh! Jin, this is Y/n.” Namjoon smiled. Jin’s head now turned to look at you, his eyes widening. “Y/n? Oh yeah! The girl you texted me about!” Jin walked closer to you, holding out one of his hands. You awkwardly took it, giving it a shake before Jin smiled. “I’m Seokjin. But please call me Jin because Seokjin makes me feel old and like I’m back at work.” He declared, and you chuckled at his practiced introduction. “Nice to meet you, Jin,” You replied, giving him a smile. 

    Jin’s attention then focused on the mess of junk food that sat on the coffee table, his upper lip furling in disdain. “Have you guys eaten any real food yet?” He asked, looking at all three of you briefly before he started cleaning up the mess. “No... And stop cleaning. It’s my apartment, I’ll get it,” Namjoon whined, only to get brushed off with a “You say that every time. What would you do without me?”

    Jin continued to clean while you watched him and Namjoon bicker back and forth, turning to Hoseok for some sort of escape from how awkward you felt. Hoseok noticed your uncomfortable aura and chuckled. “it’s fine, they bicker like that all the time.” That made you feel a bit better. Knowing that you weren’t witnessing a rivalry go down right in front of you. 

     “You guys stay there and I’ll cook something that will actually give you nutrients, okay?” Jin called from the kitchen, but you quickly spoke up. “Oh no, you don’t have to count me in! I’ll just head home,” You said, standing up. jin quickly tutted you like a scolding mother with a “Nonsense! It’s nothing, really. Besides, I want to get to know you. What better way of doing that then over dinner?” You looked towards Namjoon and Hoseok, both of them shaking their heads, silently saying “There’s no use in arguing”

    You surrendered, sitting back down on the couch. You missed the smile that crossed Jin’s face when he saw you give in, declaring to himself that he’d make an extra tasty meal. You, Hoseok, and Namjoon continued to watch Doctor Strange while Jin clanged around in the kitchen. The scent of what seemed to be bulgogi wafting through the air. 

    Soon, Jin called all of you over for dinner, Hoseok helping Namjoon to the dining room while you helped Jin set the table. Once you all sat down, everyone grabbed their bits of food, the three of them putting more food on your plate when they thought your plate was too empty. Using the excuse of “Leftovers are a hassle,” to subtly shrug off their doting over you. 

    After the first initial bites of food were on everyone’s stomachs, Jin piped up to ask you questions about yourself, offering information and embarrassing stories about him and his friend in return. It was easy to talk to Jin, his dad jokes and open personality meant that you felt it was easy to open up to him. Never once did he make a face of judgement or disgust at anything you said and it made you feel welcomed. (Not that the other didn’t make you feel welcomed, it was just that Jin was easy to talk to,)

    “I love your necklace, by the way. Where’d you get it?” Jin asked, pointing to the old family heirloom that still hung around your neck. “It’s an heirloom, I have no idea where it came from,” You chuckled, fidgeting with the cool, teal stone. “Well, it’s beautiful. Seems oddly familiar too,” He commented, getting nods of agreement from Hoseok and Namjoon. You shrugged, stuffing the last bit of meat into your mouth. “Thank you for dinner. Jin,” You smiled. 

After Hoseok it was Seokjin.

    That night you went home with a full stomach and new contacts in your phone. All the boys you met so far sending you a goodnight text. Some filled with emojis, others declaring that you should hang out with them more. It made you feel all warm and gushy inside. The prospect of having friends that cared about you enough to send you goodnight texts was a dream a few months ago. Now you could send goodnight texts back. 

    The chirping of crickets and rustling of leaves narrated the walk back to your tiny cottage. Now that you were alone, you thought back to when you met Namjoon. That grey wolf you were chasing seemed to suddenly disappear once you bumped into him. Namjoon is tall. Maybe that scared it off? You didn’t know, who knows about the behaviors of wolves? Nature nerds. So probably Namjoon.

     Then again, it didn’t seem aggressive, just curious. What if it saw you and got curious? Just wanting to see what you were all about. That made you feel somewhat guilty. You probably scared the poor thing by breaking out into a sprint. That didn’t mean you’d walk up to one the next time you see one, but it just meant you’d probably be a bit less anxious. 

    And you were right, the next time you saw one you were very calm. Whether that was because the wolf was surprisingly domestic or it was the man you found petting it that made all sense of danger blank from your mind. But the calm wind that blew through his hair as he looked you up and down was something you’d remember forever. Because now, in the strangest way...

Yoongi entered your life.

      You decided to try a nature day again. A run in with a wolf and one sprained ankle isn’t going to stop you from admiring the beauty that is the forest of Bangtan. You were either brave or stupid. Probably a bit of both. Nonetheless, you grabbed your bag, slipped on your sneakers, and set off into the woods with a new sense of determination. 

    You don’t know what your end goal is; you didn’t plan that far ahead. All you cared about was appreciating nature, alone, with no interruptions. Today was a hotter day than before. The skies with nothing but blue as the sun beat down on the world below it. Luckily, the forest had a good canopy of trees to block you from being directly hit by the sun's rays. 

    It was another calming day of birds chirping and small animals scurrying about, no ominous rustling this time, just you and the odd animals of Bangtan forest. You kept up the joke of waving to the animals that would stop and stare at you, some of them taking a few steps closer, some of them tilting their heads, but none of them running away. It made you feel like a forest fairy that could talk to them, even if that was a ridiculous idea. 

    This time you were able to venture deeper into the forest, the trees getting thicker, and the animals seemed to get bigger. Not paranormally so, but enough to notice. “They probably just eat better deeper in the forest,” You observed aloud, continuing your walk as you stopped occasionally to smell the wildflowers that lined the path. 

     While you were busy admiring and smelling what looked to be chicory, a bump against your leg caused you to look down. Down at your feet was a large squirrel. The critter looked up at you with big beady eyes, its small hands holding an acorn. “Aww, hello!” You cooed, not moving in fear of startling the fuzzy creature. It ran laps around your feet a couple of times before stopping, looking back up at you once again. 

    You quirked your head to the side, chuckling at the squirrel's odd behavior. It did that routine a couple more times before you moved, taking a step back onto the path. The squirrel turned and ran a few feet down the path, turning around to look at you once again. The two of you stared at each other before it came back, circling your feet then heading down the path at the spot it was previously in. 

    Curious, you walked towards the squirrel. The fluff ball kept goes a few feet down the path every time you caught up to it, waiting for you before it continued that routine. You questioned yourself whether you were really blindly following a squirrel in hopes of it leading you somewhere important, but you just felt like you had to. 

     Soon the squirrel detoured off the beaten path, turning to look at you from the thick brush. “I’m not moving off the path, little guy,” You said, drawing this goose chase to a close when you felt like it could possibly endanger you. The squirrel didn’t let up though, it just went back to circling and bumping your legs, it’s eyes silently pleading with you. 

    Sighing, you decided that if it stayed straight, then you would follow it, thinking that it would be easy to turn around if this was really useless. The squirrel continued to lead you through the forest, staying on its own straight path before the forest opened up into a clearing. 

     The grass was a vibrant green and there was a thick oak tree standing on a hill, just slightly off center. But it wasn’t the odd natural phenomenon that caught your attention. It was the man and the wolf that were sitting under the tree. The squirrels bumped against your leg again, trying to get you to walk toward them, but you refused, slightly nervous. 

    But the wolf didn’t seem to give you a choice as it spotted you and bolted right towards you. You felt your heart jump to your throat as you tripped on your own feet, falling backwards on the ground. You prepared for pain. A bite. A scratch. Anything. But you only got the cold wet touch of its nose while it sniffed you and the soft tickle of its fur when it rubbed its head against your head. 

     Slowly, you lifted your hand up and the wolf took the liberty of putting its head under it. You pet the large animal with wide eyes, not noticing that the man from before had gotten up and walked towards you. The wolf curled up next to you, whining whenever you stopped petting it. “He’s a baby,” A sleepy voice spoke up beside you. 

     You whipped your head up to see a man with brass blonde hair and brown eyes. He seemed about as tall as Jimin, and he had a flower sticking out of his pocket. His face was stoic, looking at you with subtle curiosity. “W-What?” You asked, still a bit blown away by the sequence of events that just played out. “Holly, the wolf you’re petting,” He said, pointing down to the wolf that was now asleep. 

    “O-Oh... Yeah,” You said, perplexed, looking down at the sleeping canine. The man sat down next to you, petting Holly alongside with you. “You’re not from around here, are you?” He asked, looking you right in the eye. “Not really... I just moved here... I’m Y/n,” You answered. “I know. The others like to talk about you,” He shrugged, catching you off guard. “I’m Yoongi,”

    Ah, you’ve heard about Yoongi. The others described him as a quiet, old man, and you could see what they mean. Yoongi looked like the kind of person that knew all of life’s secrets but wouldn’t tell you because you “Didn’t ask,” He had an aura of mystery around him, but everyone else insisted he was a kind soul who you could tell all your problems to and he’d instantly make it better. 

“They really talk about me that much?” You chuckled, shaking your head. 

“Yeah, I’ve been excited to meet you,” He said, sounding very unexcited, but you believed him anyway.

“Have you been too busy to?” 

“No, I had to wait for the right time,”

     You tilted your head, furrowing your eyebrows. “The right time?” You asked. “I knew we’d meet, eventually. You’ll meet everyone eventually,” He responded cryptically, and you decided to drop the subject. The two of you sat together in silence, but it was a comfortable one. Neither of you felt to need to talk over the chirping birds or snoring Holly. 

You didn’t quite notice how Yoongi kept stealing glances at your necklace or the hopeful gummy smile that crossed his face. 

After Seokjin it was Yoongi. 

    After that day, Yoongi would invite you over to his flower shop more, insisting that you take a flower home every time you left. The two of you didn’t hang out as often alone as you did with Jimin or Namjoon, but you still became friends. Whenever you were upset, Yoongi would walk with you to that clearing, sitting with you under the tree while Holly rested his head on your lap. 

    The docile wolf used to weird you out, even if Yoongi explained that all the animals in the forest were friendly. You just couldn’t understand that an apex predator could shrug you off and even demand cuddles from you, but Holly was a sweetie, so you didn’t complain. Yoongi would often say weird and bizarre things, most of them very cryptic, but you learned it was normal and everyone just went along with it. 

    Yoongi would often ask about your necklace and your family. Asking where you got it, where your family was from, if they’ve even been to Bangtan. It was a bit odd, but you just chalked it up to Yoongi wanting to know more about you and your weird looking necklace. Besides, it’s not like the two of you didn’t have fun together.

    Sometimes he would sit and talk to Namjoon with you, he’d bake together with you and Jin, get dragged along to the arcade with Jimin and Taehyung, or put up with you weekly movie nights with Hoseok. Yoongi became a friend too, never failing to be a rock for you to lean on or a shoulder to cry on, and he didn’t seem to mind. Not one bit. He even soothed your worries about the youngest of the bunch not liking you. 

Cause then you finally met Jeongguk.

    “Are you saying you don’t like my cream puffs?” Jin gasped, pointing his spatula at the 5 of you currently lounging in Namjoon’s living room. Yoongi shrugged and Jimin stuck his tongue out in disgust, earning another gasp from Jin. “Don’t worry Jin! I like them,” You spoke up, giving the elder a smile. “Thank you, Y/n. You’re the only one I can rely on,” He playfully sighed, getting an eye roll from both Namjoon and Hoseok. 

    You watched Jin move around the kitchen for a few more minutes, “Why are you baking so much?” You asked. Jin lifted his head to look at you, giving you a small smile. “Gukkie’s coming home from the academy!” He exclaimed excitedly. After hanging out with all of them for more that a month, you came to realize that “Jeongguk” “Guk” and “Gukkie” was the same person. “The academy?” You questioned. 

     “Yeah! He had to go for his yearly training, but some seniors asked him to help train the rookies, so he stayed. He’s coming home today!” Jin continued his ministrations as you let out an “ohh” understanding why you’ve heard so much about Jeongguk but he never seemed to be around, even if Yoongi said him, Jimin, and Taehyung used to go to the arcade often. 

     You let out a sigh, laying your head down on top of Taehyung’s lap, closing your eyes. You failed to see the red that painted Taehyung’s face or the way he looked up to everyone else to see if they were seeing what he was seeing. They were. And you all wished they were Taehyung right now. Hoseok pouted, Jimin gave Taehyung a sly smirk. The eldest looking at your tired form with soft worry. They knew you had a long night; it was written all over your face. 

    You don’t know when you drifted off to sleep, but you were awoken with a start. The sound of happy cheers pulled you out of the sleep realm, Taehyung running his hand through your hair to ground you. You looked up with dreary eyes, burying your face into Taehyung’s stomach in an attempt to hang onto the threads of sleep that were slowly slipping through your fingers. 

     “Sorry,” Taehyung whispered to you, feeling his heart pound against his ribcage at how cute you looked. But his efforts of lulling you back to dream land were thwarted and Jimin dragged you off the couch, rambling something about Guk and backs. You didn’t know, you could barely stand at this point. 

     “Guk! Meet Y/n!” Jimin chipped while you rubbed the sleep out of your eyes. You opened your eyes to see a tall man with brown hair like Jins. He had brown eyes like the others, but his skin was tan like Namjoon’s, a little lighter, probably because of working out in the sun. 

    He gave you a shy smile that showed off his bunny like teeth. “H-Hello,” He stuttered out, the tips of his ears reddening. “Hi, nice to finally meet you,” You smiled sleepily, leaning your head on Jimin’s shoulder for support. “You too... You’re very pretty,” He chuckled out nervously, his bluntness caught you off guard. “Thank you,” You giggled, cheeks heating up before he got whisked away by his hyungs so they could catch up. 

    Jin stuffed Jeongguk full of the food he made while Jimin and Taehyung pulled him into annoying Yoongi. It was amusing to watch how well he reintegrated into their group, like he wasn’t gone for 3 months. The boys fit together so easily and naturally, like a perfect ecosystem in play. You wondered if you could get to that point with them. 

    Jeongguk was obviously influenced by his hyungs a lot. He had the love for superheros like Hoseok, the mischief of Jimin and Taehyung. He was physically built like Namjoon put had a soft nature like Yoongi, The only influence that wasn’t overtly obvious was Jin, but you could see the subtle caregiver tendencies like putting extra food on Yoongi’s plate. 

    All 8 of you talked over dinner, everyone else trying to push Jeongguk to talk to you. Which you did. Jeongguk told you about his time as a police officer and some of the odd stories that came along with it. The others occasionally butting in to embarrass him. 

    By the end of the night, Jeongguk and you had gotten to know each other well, with the help of the other, as all 8 of you feel asleep in Namjoon’s living room. Infinity War playing on the tv. You laid on Jeongguk’s shoulder and he laid his head on top of yours; the others cooing at the two of you. 

That was 2 years ago.

     It was a normal day in Bangtan. Sunny, clear skies, and a whole lot of ruckus. The boys decided to visit you for the day, saying that they needed a day to hangout with everyone together. You didn’t mind though; you were more than used to the impromptu visits that any (or all) of them would make to your house. 

    Jimin, Tae, and Guk were sat in your living room playing a game of Mario Kart while Yoongi and Jin helped you make dinner. Hobi and Joon talking to the three of you while they sat around your kitchen island. “Alright, Hobi. Time lords were right on the line. Purple alien dilf? Crossing it,” You laughed, cutting up some radish for the kimchi Jin planned to make with you tomorrow. 

    Hoseok gasped, while Namjoon wheezed with his forehead on the counter. “Okay I’ve heard a lot of things about Thanos. Purple alien dilf is a new one,” He cackled, his lips stretching into the heart-shaped smile that make your face hot. “She’s not wrong,” Yoongi shrugged, throwing some beef into an already prepped pan. “Just because she’s right doesn’t mean she should say it!” Guk called from the living room, obviously hearing every word that was spoken despite him being in another room. 

    You giggled, offering a piece of carrot to Hoseok and one to Namjoon when he whined about you picking favorites. In these past 2 years you’ve grown to really care about the boys who slipped into your life so abruptly, some more oddly than others. (Cough. Yoongi.) But they all just stayed. Every day you would learn more about all of them and they would learn more about you. I mean, you wouldn’t have guessed that Jin loved stuffed animals. But he does. 

    The only problem that came with leaning more about them was slowly turning that care into admiration. What you're trying to avoid saying is the word “love” because you refuse to let yourself feel something that could be detrimental to the carefully crafted friend dynamic all of you have built. But deep down you knew that what you felt for them was anything but platonic. 

   Friends don’t want to cuddle with each other under the stars. Friends don’t look at each other's lips and think about how soft they’d be against your own. Friends don’t think about living in a house together and eventually growing old while you watch your kids carry on your legacy. Friends don’t do or think about that. 

    However, it’s not that you have a crush on one of them. It’s all of them. That’s what confuses you and makes you push your feelings away. How was that possible? Loving all of them? How was is possible to think about getting morning kisses from both Jin and Joon? Was is weird to think about holding hands with both Jimin and Jeongguk while you went to go meet up with Taehyung for a quadruple date? What would they say if they found out you thought about having a picnic out at that clearing with Yoongi, Hoseok, and Holly by your side under the tree while the others play around? The possibility of them being grossed out by you was scary. So you suppressed your emotions.

     You ignored the way you would shiver when their skin brushed yours. You suppress the dreamy sighs every time you got stuck in a daydream. You forced a smile whenever jealously would bubble up in your stomach at the sight of other happy couples, wishing you could have what they have, but with all of your best friends. 

    “Our 2 year anniversary is tomorrow,” Yoongi spoke up randomly, very in character for him. “Random,” Hoseok snorted. “2 year anniversary?” Yoongi nodded, not taking his attention off of the cooking meat. “2 years since Y/n became our friend. We should celebrate,” Yoongi suggested, getting hums of agreement from the rest of the boys. “Wait a minute, I met you all on different days. Except Hobi and Jin. So technically there’s no date to pinpoint,” You pointed out. 

    But Yoongi merely chuckled, turning to you with a gummy smile. “I’m saying that the day you met Guk is the day that we all became friends,” Yoongi declared. “I don’t see why not,” Taehyung spoke up from behind you suddenly, wrapping his arms around your waist. You had to swallow the squeal that threatened to spill out of your mouth. “Maybe we can go to that clearing you and Yoongi are always seeking off to,” Guk said. 

    There was no room for arguments apparently since all of them eagerly agreed and they even gave you puppy eyes so you physically couldn’t say no. Soon enough, Yoongi and Jin switched to prepping food for tomorrow while Hoseok and Guk went to Hoseok’s mart to get some snacks. Namjoon pulled you away from the kitchen with the excuse, “We need to pick books to read tomorrow,” which made you playfully roll your eyes since Namjoon has raided your book collection 2 times already. 

    But you indulged them, letting them do their own things for tomorrow until eventually nightfall came and they had to go home. “We’ll pick you up and 8!” Hoseok called to you as they walked down your driveway. You watched them go from the doorway, heart in your throat as you thought about how amazing they were. 

    The youngest were always willing to cheer you up whenever you needed it. Yoongi was a shoulder to cry on. Namjoon and Jin were overprotective caregiver types that made your heart swoon. Hoseok could always whisk you away from stress and worries by distracting your overactive brain with silly movies and late night rendezvous star gazing. You wanted to cross that line between lovers and friends so bad. But you couldn’t. Because it was all or nothing and you’d never choose. 

    “Holly!” You cheered as the 8 of you broke through the tree line into the familiar clearing where the cheerful wolf was waiting for you. He always seemed to be waiting for you. Holly tackled you onto the ground, nuzzling his head into the crook of your neck before he got up and playfully jumped around you. 

“I still can’t believe you domesticated a wolf, Yoongi,” Jin commented.

“I didn’t,” 

    At this point everyone learned to shrug off Yoongi’s weird speech blips, filing them down as “Random Yoongi Things,” in your brains. Soon, a blanket was set up underneath the sturdy oak tree, you and Yoongi laying down on it, basking in the sun rays that peaked through the leaves. Jeongguk and Taehyung were playing with Holly while Namjoon read and the other three ate, the atmosphere one of comfort and content. 

     “You’ve been thinking about something recently,” Yoongi spoke up from beside you, turning his head to look at you. “You know everything, don’t you, Yoongs?” You snickered. continuing to watch the clouds blow by. “I’m serious Y/n. You seem... resistant. Are we making you uncomfortable or something?” He asked, looking at you with slight worry. “No... It’s not you,” You sighed, turning to look back at Yoongi. 

“Is it work? You know Jin told you about overworking yourself,”

“Nono, please don’t get eomma Jin over here,” You laughed, getting a chuckle from Yoongi.

“Then what’s up? You know you can talk to me about anything.”

    Anything? You thought. How am I supposed to admit to you that I’m in love with seven men when I can barely admit that to myself? You wanted to keep your mouth shut. You wanted to turn away and change the subject to the cloud shaped like a pizza roll, but you were trapped in the sparkling brown of Yoongi’s mocha eyes.

    Just as you opened your mouth, a giggly Jimin tackled you. He hugged you close, hiding you away from everyone else. “Chim!” You giggled, trying your best to wiggle out of his grasp. Soon, Jeongguk and Taehyung joined in on the dog pile, making sure not to crush you but also not afraid to wrestle you a little bit. “Hey! Cut it out! You’ll hurt her!” Jin spoke up in his eomma voice, successfully getting them to stop. 

    Your earlier conversation with Yoongi is forgotten as all 7 of them pass you around for a day full of them. You play with Holly and the youngest, then Namjoon sits and reads with you, Jin makes sure you eat, why you take a quick power nap on Hoseok’s lap, missing the very serious conversation they had with each other. 

“But what if your wrong Yoongi? What is she doesn’t want to be with all of us,” Jeongguk whined.

“She does, I can feel it,”

     “Yoongi, we’re your best friends and you do have freakishly good intuition. But Jeongguk’s right, What if you’re wrong and she leaves?” Hoseok sighed, petting your hair unconsciously. “Trust me, it has to turn out like this,” Yoongi declared. “Or what? The world will end? Yoongi, sometimes I wish you’d speak less like a story narrator,” Taehyung snorted, earning an eye roll. 

“Okay so, we all decided to man up and ask, problem is, how do we do that?” Namjoon questioned, an awkward silence following after.

“We just... Ask...” Jin suggested.

“Brilliant plan Jin. 10/10.” Jimin said sarcastically. 

“I’m serious! What if we sit her down and just talk out our feelings?”

“That could work, alright that’s the plan,” Namjoon settled, the rest of them nodding and planning what they wanted to say in their minds. 

    You rubbed the sleep out of your eyes, looking at the men who were lined up, sitting next to each other in front of you. “Okay, so. What’s going on?” You sleepily drawled, letting out a yawn. “We have something to tell you,” Namjoon choked out, fiddling with his hands. “Alright, go on,” You pressed, giving them your undivided attention. 

    Nobody spoke up, all of them either avoiding eye contact or finding the blanket really interesting. Suddenly they all blurted something out at the same time, looking at each other before trying again and doing the same things a second time. “Oh for goodness sake,” Yoongi groaned, lurching forward to connect his lips with yours.

    You gasped, eyes wide as the feeling of Yoongi’s soft lips clashed with yours. Your eyes eventually fell closed as you savored the feeling of Yoongi’s tongue dancing with your own, him sucking in your bottom lip, giving it a bite as you let out a small whimper. Your body felt feverish as your mind turned into slush. Nothing but the smack of your tongues and the warmth of his plush lips filled your thoughts as everything was solely just Yoongi. 

    “Yoongi! We were supposed to talk, not show!” Jimin complained, tugging at Yoongi’s sweatshirt. Yoongi reluctantly pulled away, giving you a chance to gasp for air, eyes lidded as both Yoongi and Jimin looked down at you with admiration in their eyes. “W-Wha..?” You gasped out, mind still struggling to pull itself back from the depths of passion. 

    Namjoon pushed them both to the side and he cupped your face in his hands. You leaned into his touch, looking up at him with flushed cheeks and swollen lips. “What we wanted to say was... We... We really like you. All of us. All seven. And I know it’s not the most traditional thing ever but we really want to be with you, all of us.” Namjoon spluttered out, trying his best to get his point across.

“How do you feel about seven boyfriends?” Jin asked over his shoulder.

     “Sounds like heaven,” You sighed, feeling like a weight had been lifted off of your shoulders. All of them broke out in smiles, pulling you into a big group hug full of kisses and sweet words that promised to take care of you and be the best boyfriends they could be. Soon, the enthusiastic hug settled more into a cuddle, all of you eventually laying down on the blanket, looking at the setting sun. 

      You slowly felt sleep clawing at your body, the eventful day mixed with the secure warmth of the cacoon the boys wrapped you in. “Does this mean we can hold hands, kiss, and cuddle now?” You spoke up hopefully. “Absolutely” Hoseok sighed, pulling you closer to him. “Um... Y/n?” Jin spoke up. “Hmm?” You hummed with your eyes closed. “Is... Is that normal?” He asked and you opened your eyes to see him pointing down at your necklace. Which was now glowing. 

From that day your life got a lot weirder.

And Yoongi made a lot more sense.

[walkerwords]

“The Savior Sessions” Part 1 of 33 - Negan x GN!Reader

IMAGE CREDIT: Gene Page/AMC

SERIES MASTERLIST

Summary: This will be a collection of conversations set before the events of season 9 in which the reader speaks with Negan while in his cell as they recount events and memories from their time in the Apocalypse as well as stories of his own. 

Word Count: 2417

Warning: None

Song I Wrote To: “Open Season” by Josef Salvat

Note: These are going to be smaller stories that I will be updating randomly. Each fic will be a conversation/situation about Negan in his cell in Alexandria. Some maybe very short, others not. I am still working on the other stories, but I wanted to post this as I work on those as well. Thank you for your kind words about my family, I really appreciate it.

------

“I just don’t know why you’re asking me to do this, Michonne.” 

You stood across from Alexandria’s head of security in her kitchen. Michonne meticulously cleaned her Katana as you spoke, remaining calm the entire time. When she had asked you to meet her today, you never imagined this would be the reason. 

“Gabriel is worried about his state of mind,” Michonne said, “He thinks somebody should be speaking with him on a regular basis.” 

“Isn’t that already Gabriel’s job?” you asked. “He’s always the one who’s down there.” Michonne sighed, sliding the blade back into its sheath.

“He believes that he can no longer get through to him and that they’ve become too familiar with each other,” Michonne said, placing her sword down and bracing her hands against the kitchen counter, “I also think we can benefit from it and I suppose he can as well.” You frowned. 

“You’re asking me to become Negan’s therapist,” you pointed out. “How is any of that beneficial?”

“Whether we like it or not, Negan did run an entire community unchallenged. He may have insight into this world that we don’t and I have started to think that perhaps keeping him so isolated isn’t doing anyone any good,” Michonne explained. “I am asking you because you don’t have a relationship with him. The two of you never interacted during the war and you made sure to stay out of his line of sight for most of it. You’re not a total stranger, but he doesn’t know you like he knows Gabriel, me, or even Aaron.”

“So, basically, you want someone he can’t push around by pushing their buttons,” you concluded and Michonne grimaced. 

“You were also a teacher, (Y/N),” said Michonne, “that is something you two have in common. Maybe that will get him to open up or at least… God, I don’t know what I want the outcome to be, but Rick wanted Negan to be a symbol for how we can grow as a society. I don’t know if he can ever be redeemed, but if he can even a small amount, then it may start with you.” 

“You pulled out your Rick card,” you said with a sigh, “not fair.” Michonne smiled with a shrug. 

“I knew it would come in handy someday,” she said and you finally gave in. 

“Okay, I will be the big bad wolf’s confidant, but if he tries anything or pisses me off to a degree that makes me want to commit murder, that’s on Gabriel,” you said with a wink and Michonne visibly relaxed. 

“Thank you, (Y/N),” she said, relieved. “I’m going to let you run it the way you want to, but try not to piss him off if you can.” You smiled at her brightly. 

“Oh, you know me, Michonne, something like that is inevitable.”

-----

When you arrived at the cell an hour later, you dismissed the guard who stood out front. 

If you were going to be talking to Negan to gain insight and trust, you didn’t see the need for a chaperone. As the guard left, you pushed open the heavy door and sealed it behind you. 

“Gabe, if you’re here to give me another life lesson, you can save it. I’m not in the mood,” Negan said in the darkness of his cell. You had never been this close to the man before. You had fought against the Saviors of course, but always at an outpost or in a larger fight. Rick had also used your talents with the sniper rifle and kept you up high most of the time. This whole situation was alien to you and while it was unnerving to be so near to a killer, you didn’t let that stop you from stepping out of the shadows. 

“Then it’s a good thing I’m not Father Gabriel,” you said, dragging a chair from the wall and centering it before the jail cell. Negan, who had been laying on his bed with his back to the door, slowly sat up and turned towards you.

In the cool light of the room, you could see him clearly now. His hair was shorter than the last time you had seen him which was when Rick had dragged him into this cell about five years before. He still had the stubble on his face, but the cocky grin that you had gotten used to seeing through your scope was nowhere to be seen. 

“Have we met?” he asked, tilting his head in curiosity. You shifted slightly in your seat, trying to get comfortable. 

“Not officially,” you told him. “I’m (Y/N).” Recognition dawned on his face then. 

“Yes,” he said, sitting forward on the edge of his cot, “Little Miss Grimes has mentioned you before.” It wasn’t news to you that he spoke to Judith. Most people knew that she visited Negan often. The only person who probably didn’t know was Michonne. Judith had confided in you that she wasn’t scared of the man and that all she wanted was for him to know he wasn’t some kind of wild animal. You now started to realize that her reasoning was exactly why you were here. “So what can I do for you, (Y/N)?”

“I’ve been sent by the overlords of Alexandria to be your new best friend,” you explained, crossing one leg over the other. 

“Is that right?” he asked, leaning forward. “Gabe get too bored with little ole me?” 

“I don’t know, I didn’t ask,” you told him, “but I am here as a favor for Michonne so how about we just accept the new normal?” Negan bowed his head slightly. 

“Well then, what exactly do the big shots upstairs want us to do? Compare breakup stories? Organize a block party?” 

“I see you haven’t lost your wit,” you pointed out, leaning back in your chair.  

“We all have our things, (Y/N),” he said, “I am curious, though,” he went on, “where were you when your people were trying to kill all of mine?” 

“Usually on a rooftop,” you explained, “Grimes always had me up high with the guns.” Negan seemed genuinely thrilled by the thought of that. 

“And you never got me in your cross-hairs and took a shot? Damn, that is incredibly terrifying.”

“I was never ordered to,” you told him. “I was more surveillance than an assassin.” 

“Either way, my men never saw you watchin’ me,” he said and it sounded like a compliment. The way Negan was looking at you reminded you of kids staring at a lion in a zoo. Ironic seeing how he was the one in the cage and not you. Every glance was out of curiosity and you thought you noticed a bit of gratitude in his eyes. Perhaps Michonne and Gabriel were right after all. The man just needed someone to talk to.

“Okay, how about this?” you said, after a moment of silence. He waited for you to continue. “You and I are just gonna talk. You can ask me anything you want and I’ll answer and hopefully, you will return the favor when I want to .” Negan raised a single brow. 

“It’s that simple?” he asked.

“Do you want it to be difficult?” you asked. “I think I could add some really brash and annoying terms to the arrangement if you want."

"You are a very strange person," Negan said.

"I'm going to take that as a compliment."

"As you should," Negan said with a cheeky grin. "However, I am curious about one thing. Don't you hate me?" You mulled over his words for a few seconds before shaking your head.

"Hate, it has caused a lot of problems in this world, but has not solved one yet," you quoted easily. Negan's eyes lit up.

"Morrison?"

"Angelou," you corrected.

"Ah," he said. "Wise woman. So what you're saying is that hating me isn't going to solve anything, am I right?"

"Pretty much," you agreed, crossing your arms.

"But I killed your people," he reminded you. Negan was clearly trying to put you off, but you had expected this. 

"And I killed your people," you said. "Do you hate me?" Negan scoffed, leaning back on his hands as he watched you through the bars.

"You're good," he complimented.

"You didn't answer my question," you said. Negan licked his lips before shaking his head.

"No, I don't hate you. Although, I don't even know you so that could change." This time you let out a quick laugh that was pure instinct at this point.

"Fair enough," you conceded.

"Alright, (Y/N), if you are so inclined to answer questions, answer me this: how did you end up with this merry bunch of survivors?" 

"Simple," you said, "I saved Carl Grimes from a Walker." Negan's face dropped at the mention of the late teenager. You knew about the soft spot Negan had for Carl. It wasn't a mystery, hell, Carl wouldn't have lived long after he attacked the Sanctuary if Negan didn't like him.

"You saved him?" Negan asked, pulling you from your memories.

"Yeah, I met Carl and his mom, Lori, shortly after everything happened," you began, "They, alongside other survivors, were camped at a quarry outside of Atlanta. I was on my own, trying to make it to the coast when I came across their campsite. I was wary of people, of course, but I knew I wouldn't make it far on my own. I stayed around the edge of camp for a while, just gettin' a feel for the people when Carl ran off when Lori wasn't looking. He was running around with another kid from the group." You paused, unsure if you should divulge much more, but Negan was staying entirely focused on your story.

"Carl was with Sophia...Carol's late daughter." Slight surprise entered Negan's eyes, but he remained quiet. You went on, "The two of them got turned around and then Carl being Carl, decided to run off alone without Sophia. He was near me when the Walker came out of the trees and grabbed him. I didn't really think at that moment. I just ran for the kid. I shot the Walker in the head and the next thing I know, I had a crossbow pointed at my back."

"Let me guess, Daryl?" Negan figured. 

"Damn right. Son of a bitch thought I was shooting at the kid, but luckily Carl spoke up and explained. They took me back to their camp and Lori insisted I stay so that's what I did."

"And here you are," Negan said, impressed.

"Here I am."

"That kid was pretty damn special," Negan said fondly. "This world really does take the good ones, don't it?"

"I always think that it would have been easier if a person had killed him instead of a Walker, you know? At least then we would have an enemy." 

"What, you don't think the Walkers are the enemy?" 

"They're just a part of the new world," you explained. "Can't really call them an enemy if they didn't intend to be here in the first place."

Negan was quiet again as your words sank in. In fact, you were surprised that he hadn't spoken over you whenever he got the chance. According to the rest of your friends and family, the man loved to hear himself talk. You stored that new observation away for later.

"In your opinion," Negan said slowly, "what kind of person classifies as an enemy, or rather, just evil?"

"I've seen darkness, Negan," you told him. "We all have and it was before we even heard your name. If you're trying to ask me if I think you’re evil, the answer is no, I don't. Most of us here like myself, Daryl, Michonne, we've all seen what happens when someone has lost all trace of humanity. Seen what they do to other human beings and trust me, those are the evil people of this screwed-up world. You haven't lost your humanity, Negan, and I pray you never will."

Negan leaned his forearms onto his knees, rubbing a calloused hand over his bearded face. Something had clicked inside his head, that much was apparent, but you weren't sure what.

Yet.

"Sounds like you've been through hell," Negan whispered.

"And back," you finished. "Multiple times."

"You gonna tell me that story? About the loss of humanity?" His question wasn't overly eager, instead, it was all curiosity and you were starting to think that was the main characteristic of the man who once called himself the "big bad wolf".

"One day," you nodded. "If you'll let me come back again."

"I get to decide?" he asked, intrigued.

"Yeah, no point in coming down here if you won't talk to me. That would be wasting both of our time."

"Then by all means, (Y/N), feel free to drop by," Negan said, spreading his arms wide in a welcome gesture. You rolled your eyes but nodded.

"If it means anything," you said as you stood from your seat and turned towards the door, "Carl once told me that you were the only person he always trusted to tell him the truth, and coming from him, that's a lot."

Negan looked at you for a long moment before bowing his head. "Thanks for that," he said softly. You gave him a small smile, one more out of understanding than anything. Whether people hated him or not, nobody could deny that he cared about Carl Grimes and that the teen's death had affected him as well.

"I'll see you tomorrow," you told him as you pushed open the heavy door and stepped into the sunlight. Negan didn't call you back as you climbed the steps and began walking home.

You watched as Alexandria spun on, unaware of the emotions that ran deep through you at the moment. Gabriel and Michonne had been right, after all, Negan needed to talk to another human being, but perhaps that was exactly what you needed as well and you had a feeling this was just the beginning of an odd relationship. 

TAGS: @thanossexual​

[thelastspeecher]

A Case of Mistaken Identity - Chapter 3: Reveal the Truth

Chapter 1   Chapter 2   Chapter 3   Chapter 4   AO3

That’s right, I’m updating TWO of my multichaps within the span of one week.  One of the benefits of finishing my thesis and not having a new job yet is that I have a lot of time to do fun writing again.  I’m actually hoping that I’ll be able to finish this multichap relatively soon.  That would be cool.

Anyways, in this chapter, Fiddleford finds out what’s going on with Dipper and Mabel, the Power of Mabel saves the day (or at least the weather), and Ford doesn’t like biscuit gravy.  Enjoy.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

              “…What do you mean?” Dipper finally asked.  The kitchen was dead silent, save for an occasional plink from intermittent rain hitting the roof.  Fiddleford sighed.

              “You know exactly what I mean, kidlet.  Tell me who the two of ya are and what yer really doin’ here, or-”

              “Or what?” Mabel jumped in.  “You can’t do anything to us!”  Fiddleford raised an eyebrow at her.

              “That’s mighty bold of ya to assume.  I don’t own this house, sure, but that don’t mean I’m completely powerless. I could always tell Stanford that yer bein’ duplicitous and not tellin’ the full truth.  Though I’d prefer not to, since he has some trust issues.” Fiddleford pursed his lips.  “Some day I’ll find out why.”  Dipper and Mabel looked at each other helplessly.  “Look, either start talkin’-”

              “We’re from the future,” Mabel blurted out.  Fiddleford’s eyes shot wide open.  He leaned back in his chair.

              “Pardon?”

              “We’re from the future.  2012,” Dipper said, adding the year as an afterthought.  Fiddleford stroked his chin, visibly jostled but trying to hide it.

              “Yer from thirty years in the future,” Fiddleford said slowly.  Dipper and Mabel nodded.  “Well, do ya have any proof of that?  I mean, this is Gravity Falls and all, so I won’t discount ya right away.  But I’d still like some evidence.”

              “Um…”  Dipper looked over at Mabel, who seemed deep in thought.  “What kind of proof?”

              “Tomorrow’s lotto numbers would be nice,” Fiddleford said, “but I’ll accept just about anything.  Some sorta futuristic technology, maybe?”

              “I don’t…”  Dipper grimaced.  “Our mom and dad say we’re still too young for cellphones.”

              “What in blazes is a cellphone?” Fiddleford asked.

              “It’s-” Dipper started.  Mabel’s eyes widened.

              “Dipper, show him the journal!”

              “Oh!”  Dipper quickly retrieved his copy of Journal 3 from inside his jacket and handed it over to Fiddleford.  “Do you recognize this, Mr. McGucket?”

              “…Yes, I do,” Fiddleford said slowly, turning the pages.  “I’ve seen Stanford scribblin’ in it plenty of times. In fact, he was scribblin’ in it not just five minutes ago.”  He pursed his lips.  “I prob’ly shouldn’t read this too much.  It wouldn’t be wise of me to spoil m’self fer the future, now would it?”  He closed the journal and slid it back to Dipper, who tucked it away in his jacket again.  “Even if I didn’t know Stanford was currently usin’ his journal, it’s pretty obvious that one comes from some point in the future.  That kind of wear and tear only happens over years.  Or if a raccoon gets into a library.”

              “Has that happened before?” Mabel asked, awed.  Fiddleford managed a small smile.

              “Where I grew up, it happened on a reg’lar basis.”  He took a deep breath. “All right.  The two of ya are from the future.  Why are ya here, in this time?”  Dipper and Mabel looked down at the table.  “Are ya on some sort of mission?” Fiddleford prompted.

              “No, not- not really,” Dipper said.  “We, uh, we came here by accident.”

              “How exactly do two twelve-year-olds travel back in time by accident?” Fiddleford asked.

              “We stole a time travel doohickey from a guy even more in the future and it broke,” Mabel said.  Fiddleford raised an eyebrow.

              “A ‘time travel doohickey’, ya say?  Mind if I take a gander?”

              “Um, okay, but don’t-” Dipper started.  Fiddleford waved a hand airily.

              “Don’t worry, boyo.  I won’t do anything unsavory.  If you let me look at it, I might be able to fix it, that’s all.  I’ve been gettin’ a lot of practice with strange technology lately.”  Dipper swallowed, took the broken time travel device out of his pocket, and handed it to Fiddleford.  Fiddleford turned it over in his hands, letting out a low whistle.  “Shucks, I can tell just from the outside that there’s somethin’ mighty strange about this.”

              “If you can fix it, that would be great,” Dipper said.  “We should probably get home as soon as possible to keep the timeline from…”

              “Getting all screwy,” Mabel suggested.

              “Yeah, that.”

              “Hmm.”  Fiddleford held the time travel measuring tape up to his eyes.  “I’ll see what I can do.  In the meantime, yer not Stanley’s children, are ya?”  Dipper and Mabel shook their heads.  “Now why don’t ya tell me how yer related to Stanford, if in fact ya are?”

              “I think we’re his great-niece and great-nephew,” Mabel said slowly. “But I’m not completely sure.” Fiddleford set down the time travel device and frowned at them.

              “Care to elaborate, hon?”

              “It’s just- Ford, he- he’s not the Stanford Pines we know in the future.”

              “Maybe he just aged poorly,” Fiddleford suggested.  Dipper shook his head.

              “The Stanford Pines we know has ten fingers,” he said solemnly.  “And he goes by Stan, not Ford.”  Fiddleford nodded slowly.  “We think that the person we know as Stanford Pines is actually Ford’s brother, Stanley.  But we don’t know why Stan would try to pretend to be his brother.”

              “That’s a very good point,” Fiddleford said softly.  He rubbed his forehead.  “And I’d like to help ya out the best I can, but I should prob’ly avoid hearin’ ‘bout the future as much as possible.  Not to mention, I found out about Stanford havin’ a twin just yesterday m’self.  I wouldn’t know any of their history.”  A twinkle appeared in his eye.  “Though Stanford does.”

              “What?” Dipper asked.

              “Well…”  Fiddleford leaned back in his chair again, but casually this time, not out of surprise. “The best person to help ya figure out why this Stanford don’t match yer Stanford is...Stanford.  Between the two of ya, I bet you could pry some information outta him, even without spillin’ who ya really are.”  Fiddleford’s gaze hardened.  “Which by no means should ya do.  I ain’t related to ya, any information about the future won’t impact me as much as it does Stanford.  Or, when he gets here, Stanley.  Be careful what you tell ‘em.”

              “We will,” Dipper said.  “But, I mean, do we really need to know about the details of this weird mix-up thing?” Mabel gasped theatrically.

              “What?  You don’t want to solve a mystery?  Dipper, are you ill?”  Mabel placed the back of her hand against Dipper’s forehead.  “I think you might have the consumption!”  Fiddleford chuckled loudly.  “For realsies, bro-bro, why’d you change your mind?  This morning, you were all for figuring out what was going on.”

              “If Mr. McGucket could figure out that we’re lying, so could Ford.  Heck, Stan will probably know we’re not his kids the second he looks at us!  I wanna know what’s going on, but the longer we stay here and the more we talk to Ford, the more likely it is that we disrupt the time stream.”

              “I think this can be a case of hittin’ two birds with one stone,” Fiddleford said calmly.  “I can get to work on this time travel device of yours and the two of ya can go with Stanford when he hunts anomalies.  Who knows? Maybe you’ll stumble across time travel crystals or somethin’.”

              “I thought you didn’t want us to go in the woods,” Mabel said.

              “I don’t.  But Stanford does.  And I mean it, yer best bet at findin’ a way home is to shadow him.  You won’t be able to help me with this here tape measure. I’ll have to do it on my own.”

              “But-” Dipper started.  Fiddleford shook his head.

              “No buts.”  Fiddleford looked out the window at the rain, now coming down in sheets.  “Once the weather’s cleared up, find Stanford, make yer best puppy dog eyes, and beg to come with him in the forest.  He don’t have experience with children like me; he won’t be able to say no.”

----- 

              Fiddleford was right.  It only took Mabel widening her eyes a fraction for Ford to immediately cave and agree to take Dipper and Mabel in the forest with him.

              “We agree that this stays between us,” Ford said firmly, waiting for Dipper and Mabel to put on the boots that had been purchased for them earlier that day. “F will not be happy if he discovers I took you into the woods.”

              “No problem, Uncle Ford!” Mabel chirped, saluting him.  Ford beamed.

              “I also need the two of you to stick close to me.  If you get injured in any way, Fiddleford will know it was from going into the woods, and he’ll scold me fiercely.”

              “You’re pretty close to him, aren’t you?” Dipper asked, putting on his new coat. Ford froze.  He busily adjusted his glasses.

              “We’re good friends, research partners.  Nothing more. If you were trying to imply-”

              “No, I wasn’t!” Dipper said quickly.  He rubbed the back of his neck.  “I just think it’s kinda weird that you guys are so close, but you didn’t tell Mr. McGucket you had a twin brother.”

              “Yes, well…”  Ford trailed off.  He shook his head.  “Never mind. I should debrief you on the purpose of this particular hike.”  Ford began to pace in front of them.  “You may have noticed that, despite it being the middle of winter, it was raining earlier. Now, the sun is shining and the temperature has risen by twenty degrees.”

              “Global warming,” Mabel said, nodding.  Ford paused his pacing to frown at her.

              “Global what?”

              “Um, Uncle Ford, if it’s so warm, should I not wear my coat?” Dipper interjected.

              “Oh, no, please do still wear it.  Children struggle more than adults to properly regulate their body temperature. Not to mention, the cold weather will return once we’ve successfully pacified the weather gods.”

              “The…weather gods?” Dipper asked slowly.  Ford nodded.

              “Yes.  Though ‘god’ may be a misnomer.  Hidden deep within the woods of Gravity Falls are magical beings that control aspects of this region’s weather.”  Ford began to pace again.  “I stumbled across them shortly after I first began my research here.  They seem to embody the aspects of weather that they regulate.  For example, the one in charge of rain tends to be rather gloomy.”

              “Makes sense,” Mabel said.

              “Thank you, Mabel.  Today’s weather is indicative that something has happened to upset these beings.” Ford stopped pacing and sighed.  “I sincerely hope it is not related to boy trouble again.”

              “Boy trouble?” Mabel asked, her eyes wide.

              “…Yes.  Last time the weather became this chaotic, it was because the sun god and the snow god were fighting over the same boy.”  Ford shook his head.  “It makes me wonder, sometimes, if the Greeks were correct about the maturity of magical beings in charge of forces of nature.”

              “So, are they like, friends?” Mabel asked.  Ford grimaced.

              “Worse, my dear.  They’re sisters.”

----- 

              There was a loud crack of thunder.  Dipper looked up nervously.  The sky was still bright blue and completely devoid of clouds.  Despite this, a bolt of lightning shot out of the clear sky and struck a tree some distance away.

              “Um, Uncle Ford?” Dipper asked cautiously.  Ford merely frowned.

              “Yes, I saw that.  It’s much worse than I thought it would be, if they’ve dragged the lightning god into this.”

              “A lightning god…like Zeus?  From Hercules?” Mabel asked.

              “Close, my dear.  His name is Heracles in the Greek tradition.  The Romans renamed him Hercules, so if you were to refer to him in that manner, you would need to say Jupiter, rather than Zeus.”

              “No, not-” Mabel started.  Dipper put a hand over her mouth, then quickly removed it before she could lick it.

              “Mabel, that movie might not have come out yet,” he hissed at her.  Mabel crossed her arms.

              “It’s a really old movie, it might have!” Mabel hissed back.

              “Just to be safe, we should probably avoid talking about pop culture.”

              “Ugh,” Mabel groaned loudly.  Ford looked back at the two of them.

              “Are you all right?” he asked.  Mabel promptly plastered on a smile.

              “Just peachy!” she chirped.  Ford smiled.

              “Good.  We’ve arrived.”  The three of them came to a stop in front of a large pine tree.  “Now, I want the two of you to be on your best behavior, okay? These beings are incredibly capricious.” At Dipper and Mabel’s confused expressions, he elaborated.  “Prone to switching between moods rapidly without warning.”

              “Oh, pish posh, we can handle that!” Mabel said, waving her hand.  Ford nodded.

              “Excellent.”  He knocked three times on the trunk of the pine.  After a moment, the glowing outline of a door appeared on the bark. The door opened, revealing what appeared to be a teenage girl with dyed gray hair that was black at the roots. She looked at Ford doubtfully.  “Hello, madam.”

              “Why are you here?” the girl whined.

              “I wondered if there might be a fight ongoing with your sisters.  If you’ll recall, last time I was able to resolve the situation.”  The girl let out a long sigh.

              “Fine.”  She turned around and walked back into the room that Dipper and Mabel could now clearly see was housed within the tree trunk.  Ford stepped inside, then beckoned for Dipper and Mabel to follow his lead.  Once all three had entered, the door behind them shut.

              Dipper and Mabel looked around the room.  It looked similar to the setup for an apartment on a sitcom.  There was a large living room that led directly into a fully stocked kitchen.  The lighting was impeccable, though there were no visible lamps.  Instead, the walls themselves appeared to be glowing. The gloomy teenager that had greeted them drifted over to the kitchen, where two other teenage girls were at each other’s throats and a third one watching silently.  Water dripped from her hair and pooled on the floor.

              “Sisters, that owl guy is back,” she informed them dully.  Mabel looked up at Ford.

              “‘Owl guy’?” she whispered.  Ford scowled.

              “The second time I met them, one decided that I bore a resemblance to an owl. Ever since, they have refused to call me by my proper name,” he replied quietly.  Mabel nodded slowly.

              “I can see it,” she said.  Ford rubbed his face.

              “Good,” snapped one of the teenagers that was fighting in the kitchen. She had short flaming red hair, that, like the walls, was emitting a soft glow.  “He can tell you how terrible you’re being!”

              “I’m not being terrible!” snapped the other teen.  Her hair was bright white and curly.  What looked like snow drifted from her hair onto her shoulders.  “You are!”

              “Ladies, what seems to be the problem?” Ford asked, stepping forward. The teenagers looked over at him.

              “She broke my lucky necklace!” shouted the redhead.

              “Well, she keeps saying she’s going to move in with her boyfriend!” snapped the white-haired girl.  Ford closed his eyes.

              “Fantastic.  Boy trouble again,” he muttered.  Mabel patted his arm.

              “Don’t worry, I’ll handle this,” she said confidently.  She walked over to the kitchen.  The teenagers stared at her.  “Hello, lovely ladies, my name is Mabel Pines.”

              “Are you related to the owl guy?” asked the redhead.  Mabel nodded.

              “I sure am!  I came with him today because I’m much more qualified than he is to handle arguments of this nature.  I mean, can a boy really solve a problem that girls have?” she asked with a wink.  The white-haired girl giggled.

              “That’s a good point.  He was pretty lost last time.”

              “I’m not unqualified,” Ford muttered.

              “Uncle Ford, Mabel’s really good with people,” Dipper whispered.  “Just give her a chance.”  A strange emotion flashed across Ford’s face.

              “Very well.  But don’t-”

              “-tell Mr. McGucket,” Dipper finished for him.  “Yeah, I don’t think he’d be happy if he heard about Mabel trying to be a counselor for weather gods.”  Ford nodded silently.  He and Dipper turned their attention back to Mabel, who was leading the teens to the large couch in the living room.

              “We’ll be able to talk much better like this,” Mabel said calmly, settling herself onto a chair directly across from the large couch.  “Now, first things first.  What are your names?”

              “Oh, humans can’t pronounce them,” said the redhead.  “We’re nature, personified.  You’d need to be a nymph at least to even hear them.”

              “All right.  No problem.” Mabel pointed to the redhead.  “Lemme guess.  You’re in charge of the sun?”  The redhead nodded.  “Then you’ll be Sunny.”  She pointed at the white-haired girl.  “Snowy.” She pointed at the gloomy girl that had answered the door.  “Rainy.” She pointed at the last teenager, who had been watching Sunny and Snowy bicker in the kitchen.  “Hmm…”  The girl had a bright yellow, spiky pixie cut.  Minute bolts of lightning shot from the ends of her hair.  “Sparky!”

              “I like it!” Sparky enthused.  Mabel grinned.

              “So.  What happened?” she asked.  Sunny crossed her arms.

              “Snowy destroyed my lucky necklace.  My prized possession.”

              “Maybe it was an accident,” Mabel suggested.  Sunny scoffed.

              “There’s no way it was!  She knows that I was wearing it when I met Josh!”  Mabel frowned.  “My boyfriend.  Josh.” Sunny sighed dreamily.  “He’s the most handsome satyr in all of Gravity Falls.”

              “The boyfriend that Snowy said you’re gonna move in with?” Mabel asked. Sunny nodded.  She glared at Snowy, her mood switching immediately from lovesick to vicious.

              “Snowy doesn’t want me to be happy!  She wants me to stay here, in this tree, for forever!”  Ford shifted slightly beside Dipper.  Dipper looked up at him, but Ford’s expression was unreadable. “She lashed out at me and decided to destroy the thing that, honestly, is the reason I’m moving out.  It’s my lucky necklace.  If I hadn’t been wearing it when I met Josh, I wouldn’t have had the guts to talk to him, and we never would have dated.”

              “Lucky necklaces are important,” Mabel said solemnly.  The weather gods nodded in agreement.  “Okay, that’s your side of the story.  Snowy, care to share yours?”

              “It was an accident,” Snowy said.  “I bumped the jewelry stand by accident and it fell and broke.”

              “If it was such an accident, why didn’t you tell me right away?” Sunny asked snidely.

              “Because I am angry that you’re moving out!” Snowy shouted.  A flurry of snowflakes burst from her hair and settled onto the couch, melting as they landed near Sunny.  “I didn’t really care you would be upset.  I mean, you’re abandoning us!”

              “Abandoning you?  I’m moving into the next glen over!” Sunny shouted back.

              “You’re still leaving!  I mean, with you gone, we-”  Snowy’s voice broke.  “-we won’t be the weather gods anymore.  We’ll just be two forms of precipitation and- and an electrician.”  Sunny’s eyes widened.

              “Wait, you- you don’t really think that, do you?  You don’t really think I’m- I’m abandoning you?” she asked quietly.  Snowy looked away.  “Snowy…I might not live with you guys, but we won’t stop being weather gods with each other.” Sunny took a hold of Snowy’s hand. “We’re still sisters.  Even if we don’t live in the same place anymore.” Snowy let out a loud sniff.

              “You- you mean it?” she asked.

              “Duh!”  Sunny frowned.  “And you’re telling the truth?  My necklace got broken on accident?  You didn’t do it on purpose?”

              “Of course not!  I might not be happy you’re leaving, but I wouldn’t try to sabotage you,” Snowy scoffed.  “I’m too busy to do that right now, anyways.  It’s winter, after all.”

              “Yeah, that’s a good point,” Sunny mused.  She and Snowy smiled at each other.

              “So…problem solved?” Mabel prompted.  The sisters looked at her.

              “Yes, definitely, absolutely.  Thank you so much for your help.  You did that much faster than owl guy would have,” Sunny said.  Ford let out a wordless grumble.  Mabel clapped her hands.

              “Great!  See, sometimes, just talking it out can take care of your issues!  Next time there’s a problem, try that first, before you make it snow in July or something like that.  Actually…”  Mabel tapped her chin.  “If you guys do make it snow in July, give me a heads up.  I’ve always wanted to build a snowman in summer.”

              “Anything for the sweet little human that helped us work through our issues,” Sunny said, ruffling Mabel’s hair.  Mabel laughed.  She turned to Sparky and Rainy.

              “One last thing.  You guys did stuff to the weather, too.”

              “Oh, we don’t have any quarrel,” Sparky said, waving a hand.  “We just saw an opening to control the weather and took it.”

              “Ah.  Okay. I get it.”  Mabel hopped up from her chair.  “Well, it was delightful meeting you, and I hope things work out with Josh, Sunny.”  Mabel walked back over to Ford and Dipper.  “Goodbye!”

              “Yes, goodbye,” Ford mumbled with a nod.  The weather gods waved goodbye at them.  The door to the outside opened on its own.

              “Oh, owl guy?” Sparky called.  Ford sighed.

              “Yes?”

              “Next time you wanna poke your big ole honker into our business, bring her with.  She’s way better at this than you are.”

              “I’ll keep that in mind,” Ford muttered.  He quickly ushered Dipper and Mabel out into the woods.  The temperature had dropped.  A light snow was beginning to fall.

              “That was fun,” Mabel said cheerfully.

              “Hmph,” Ford grunted.  Mabel looked up at him, worried.

              “Uncle Ford, if I upset you by taking over, I’m sorry-”

              “No, no need to apologize, my dear.  Sparky was right.  You were much better at that task than I have been in the past.  I’m just…”  Ford paused. “Their fighting brought back some memories.”

              “Does it have to do with you and Stan?” Dipper jumped in eagerly.  Ford nodded slowly.  “What- what happened between you guys?  I can’t think of anything Mabel could ever do that would make me half as mad as you are at Stan.”

              “It’s…it’s a long story,” Ford said softly.

              “Well, luckily, it’s a long walk back,” Mabel said.  She fixed her best puppy dog eyes on Ford.  “Could you tell us while we walk?  Please?”  At Mabel’s begging, a small smile quirked the corner of Ford’s mouth.

              “All right.  I’ll tell you.  Since it concerns your father, it’s probably something you should know anyways.”

----- 

              The day after Mabel had gotten the weather gods to talk out their problems instead of causing havoc in the local climate, Dipper, Mabel, Ford, and Fiddleford gathered in the shack’s kitchen for breakfast.  Fiddleford had whipped up a breakfast scramble and was doling it into bowls set in front of Dipper and Mabel.

              “And there’s plenty of proper southern-style biscuit gravy to top it with,” he said proudly.  “I didn’t put it on directly ‘cause someone doesn’t like it.”  Fiddleford frowned at Ford.  Ford shrugged.  Mabel grinned.

              “Well, I like it.  Where is it, Mr. McGucket?” she asked.  Fiddleford nodded at a saucepan on the stove.

              “Right there, lil lady.  Why don’t you and yer brother help yourselves to some?”

              “Yes!”  Mabel rushed over to the counter with her bowl.  Dipper followed at a more sedate pace.  Fiddleford scooped some of the scramble into the dish in front of Ford.

              “Thank you fer sharin’ yer history with Stan last night,” he whispered to Ford.  After Dipper and Mabel had gone to bed, Ford finally caved and told Fiddleford the same story he’d told Dipper and Mabel as they walked back from the weather gods’ tree. Ford flushed slightly.

              “Yes, well, it wasn’t right to keep you in the dark any longer. Particularly given that Dipper and Mabel pried it out of me.”

              “Still.  I appreciate it.”  Fiddleford rested his hand on Ford’s shoulder.  Ford smiled at him.  There was a loud knock on the front door.  All heads turned.  “You expectin’ anyone, Stanford?” Fiddleford asked.

              “I don’t think so.  Unless…” A shadow crossed Ford’s face. Fiddleford frowned.

              “You think it might be yer brother?  But ya didn’t send fer him that long ago.”

              “When I spoke with him, he said he was in the area,” Ford muttered, getting up from the table.  Dipper and Mabel looked at each other, Dipper having paused in the middle of scooping gravy into his bowl.  “I’ll handle it.  Please, the three of you, enjoy your breakfast.”  Ford exited the kitchen.  Fiddleford looked at Dipper and Mabel.

              “You heard ‘im.  Finish gettin’ yer gravy and then sit back down to eat.”

              “But Mr. McGucket, Stan’s gonna know something’s up when he sees us!” Mabel whispered.  “We’re not his kids!”

              “I know, I know,” Fiddleford said in a low voice.  “But there’s nothin’ we can do ‘bout that right now.  Get somethin’ in yer bellies and we’ll play the sit’ation by ear.”  Before Dipper and Mabel could get back to their seats, however, they heard a voice they recognized immediately.

              “Somethin’ smells pretty good.  Did you finally learn how to cook, Poindexter?”  Dipper put the ladle back into the saucepan and hurried back to his chair, as did Mabel.

              “No, I didn’t cook.  My partner did.”

              “Your partner, eh?”

              “Research partner.”  Ford appeared in the kitchen entryway, visibly disgruntled.  “Children, Fiddleford, meet my twin brother, Stanley Pines.” Ford stepped to the side, allowing for Stan to enter.  Stan stepped into the room.  His gaze landed on Dipper and Mabel.  His brow furrowed.  He looked back at Ford, jerking his thumb in Dipper and Mabel’s direction.

              “Who’re these two?”

[pretty-prince-lulu]

part 8, in which I actually had to stop playing, stare mutely at the screen, and start typing and uploading because I am in sheer awe at how much more fucked that got fast and I must share

the day began simply enough, and in a fashion that many of mine do in real life

with the cat dropping a dook that was apparently so nuclear that it disgusts even the imaginary.

A ghost cat comes back, looks over his shoulder

and then leaves skyward, because her planet needs her. (note the trail of sparkles. I did not moveobjects her there. What the actual fuck?)

It’s a school night, and Davin should be sleeping, but Hannah won’t get out of his bed. She’s too busy chasing dream butterflies

instead, the boy contemplates his hatred of the coffee table, and stalks around the house dressed as an astronaut. bella, evidently tired from her afternoon of FURNITURE FUCKERY, considers bedtime

fuck me that’s one smug alien you’re imagining son

Leisure Day rolls around. Sekhmet wants to spend it in a way the locals often do.

I’ve never thrown a pool party, so I guess I might as well. We have no pool, so we’ll use the one in town. I don’t throw community lot parties anywhere near enough.

We invite a wall of randoms just so that at least someone shows. We include the reaper, because why the fuck not? Guy’s on a first-name basis with us anyway. No idea who that last guy is. His portrait didn’t generate and I didn’t feel like waiting for it to solve the mystery.

okay. article 1: HE ISN’T

article 2:

you’re his daughter-in-law, and I feel at least moderately unqualified to make that call

article 3: YOU LIVE IN EGYPT. WHAT THE SHITTER MCDONG ARE YOU EVEN DOING HERE

no really I don’t understand the mechanism by which y- sekhmet where are your pants

you’re not putting a good case forward for not being senile right now. party hasn’t even started just yet.

when it does, however, he immediately busies himself. it is Snorkel Time.

Little boy shows up, but is tired from his night of getting zzzz-blocked by Hannah the Ball of Floof.

The fuck?

Is that guy made of satin? Sure haven’t seen HIM around town. Oh. OH MY GOD.

I KNOW YOU!!!!!

god damn!

grim without his hood is a Spicy Man. Pity that I’m pretty sure bonking him is a bad idea. Goddamn. That lighting effect.

meanwhile can someone call chris hansen jesus christ

The boy wakes up (partly at my behest because that’s creepy as shit) and splashes the Reaper. Davin sure does live dangerously

A game is begun that is almost certainly a bad idea

life and death swing in the balance while daddy snorkels on. mom hasn’t arrived yet because she’s trying to hunt down one specific butterfly for a potion of youth, so that dad gets to stick around long enough for his son to reach adulthood (remember, the guy’s about 87 now)

It’s probably at this point I should have started worrying about what the evening party truly held

unfortunately

I was immediately distracted by THIS guy. Goddamn. That’s a fairy and... a werewolf, I think? Thank you past me for putting interesting genetics into the sim pool, that is really paying off. Haven’t seen him before, so I want to figure out what he does.

Awesome. AWESOME. He’s a singer- so a good future colleague for Davin- but not just that. I have absolutely no idea why he’s this many different occult types, but that’s fucking amazing and I love it. We MUST stay in contact with this guy. I’ve never seen that many occult types generate onto one guy! I’ve got it enabled, technically, but it’s not supposed to actually HAPPEN. Rad as hell!

His only skills involve illusions and GETTING HIS BONK ON. What an absolute paragon of a man.

He’s also homeless. I have at least 5 questions.

Daddy, meanwhile, is actually getting somewhat good with that snorkel. Maybe I’ll build some proper scuba diving lots and let him poke around the sea. I -should- be able to do that in this neighbourhood.

Meanwhile-

Mimi’s arrived, so let’s let her introduce herself and make a new friend. She could do with more than, like, her stolen husband here and her kid.

About that moment, I remember that popup that came up several minutes ago.

It’s the full moon, and this guy has werewolf in him. It’s Big Spooky Dog Time. I guess it doesn’t count when he’s in water or something...

...I still think he’s beautiful, mind you.

Mimi seems not to share that opinion.

She introduces herself, at least, but gets the hell outta dodge.

People are starting to notice that the Grim fucking Reaper is here.

Marian looks less than impressed about it.

Her daughter’s reaction is arguably less measured

Mama falls asleep, along with Davin. Both are sent home. It’s past their bedtimes anyways, and the party’s just about wrapped up.

‘Awesome party’, says Cara, who is a teenager, pregnant and WEARING HEELS AT A FUCKING SWIMMING POOL. Somebody call CPS. That child is in DANGER.

only now do I notice that things have, somehow, gone wrong.

they have gone incredibly wrong.

the wrongest.

For some reason, this is in his action queue. I have absolutely no idea why. He’s merrily swimming about, completely unmolested. I do NOT understand.

yeah I’m. I’m proud of you, dude, but we have a much bigger problem right now.

I’m getting a distinct feeling you won’t be making that trip.

WHY, THOUGH? He’s swimming around, 100% fine. He’s in no hurry to get out of the pool. No distress. HE’S EVEN STILL GAINING SKILLS.

SEKHMET I’M PROUD BUT

WE ARE HAVING A BIT OF A CRISIS ABOUT THIS HERE.

his want panel just contains innocent merriment and satisfaction at the party. A desire to throw one for the boy, as he’ll be a teenager quite soon. My stress level is several.

Eventually, I opt to bring Mimi back to the pool, and cancel his swimming action, so at least someone else is present to attempt whatever can be done here.

he’s

????????????????????????

sinking into the fUCKING FLOOR

WHAT JUST HAPPENED.

Grim I have no idea what your damage is.

YOU WERE AT THE PARTY. JUST RIGHT NOW. Is this NECESSARY? Must you PLAGUE HER?

please take a moment to admire the composition I got on this shot tho

Mimi bawls. Death waits. Sekhmet looks into the camera like he’s on the fucking office.

DO NOT SHAKE HIS HAND. HE’S FUCKING US HERE!

Seriously this is just plain unjust even for you, sims. ALL THAT WORK AND WHY

ended up second-guessing the stone hearted perk. kinda wishing I hadn’t now

uh. sorry kid, genuinely had no idea THAT was going down today

[codylabs]

Chapter 12: Escape to the Hard Life

Links: P 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Wendy awoke.

Just outside her open window, she heard her brother running the lawn mower. Doing it early in the morning was just his way of reminding her that she had promised to mow the lawn. But since she’d procrastinated for so long, he got a bigger allowance for doing it instead.

Ugh. I forgot again. Rub my face in it, why don’t ya?

She didn’t even bother opening the drawer of her dresser, because all her clothes were lying on the floor where she’d left them in the past week. She’d meant to get the laundry done yesterday. And the day before that. But she always just said ‘I’ll to it tomorrow’. But then the tomorrows came and went, and the laundry never got done, and her plans always bumped on back to ‘tomorrow’ once again.

Ugh. I’ll do it tomorrow.

So she crawled out of bed and into her cleanest dirty shirt, and began to prepare for the day.

When she came out of her room ten minutes later, with a backpack full of gear and an armful of armor, her dad was reclining on the couch watching TV.

He wasn’t looking so great. Juan’s mom had scratched him in the shoulder, sawed him in the leg, and threw him against the side of the house. He was still hurting pretty badly, and simply couldn’t find a way to sit that didn’t tweak something somewhere.

But Daniel Corduroy was a very manly man; such mortal pains were trivial to beings like him. He didn’t complain or whine. He threw no fuss whatsoever. He just kept the bandages where they were, kept the ice against it, and watched TV like normal. WHAT’S A LITTLE PAIN? He thought. I’VE HAD WORSE. WAIT, MAYBE I HAVEN’T… OH, SHUT UP ME!

Wendy aimed for house’s front door, which meant walking directly between him and the TV. She expected her dad to mutter some annoyed remark at the interruption, like usual. But instead, he broke his eyes entirely away from the screen, reached for the remote, and turned it off. “HEY.” He said, and gave her his full attention.

She stopped walking, and turned to face him. “Hey.”

“DIDN’T SEE YOU YESTERDAY.” He grunted. “WHERE WERE YA?”

“Oh, just…” She glanced around, trying to think how to put it. “Well… We were looking around, trying to figure out where the killer robots came from. And… Well… Yeah.”

“FIND ANY ANSWERS?”

“…Yeah.”

“WHERE?”

“It’s… Uh…” She hesitated to say it. “…Kind of a need-to-know basis…”

“…YOU… WAIT… HUH? YOU’RE GONNA KEEP A SECRET FROM YOUR OWN FATHER?!?”

She glanced about nervously. “Well… I kind of have to. Just… Trust me, it’s for the greater good that it stays between as few people as possible… It’s… We said to keep it a secret. We promised… I promised to take some very… Very amazing and scary things to my grave… And I wouldn’t betray that.”

This made a bit of sense to him, but it still annoyed him. He frowned up at the ceiling for a few seconds, and took a deep breath to calm his great annoyance. “SO.” With a mighty and obvious effort, he moved on. “WHO’S ‘WE’?”

“Huh?”

“WHO DO YOU TRUST THAT MUCH? MORE THAN ME?”

“Uh… I… I do trust you dad, it’s just… Okay, uh… The Pines men… Uh… Stanley and Stanford. Remember them? Used to own the Mystery Shack…”

“A’COURSE.”

“And Dipper, their great-nephew… I was with him all of yesterday.”

Dan nodded. “OH YEAH. THE LESS-GIRLY ONE. TELL ME ABOUT HIM.”

“Huh?”

“… YOU’VE BEEN SPENDING A LOT OF TIME WITH THE KID. TELL ME ABOUT HIM.”

“He’s… Uh… He’s a good man.” She stated simply.

Dan pondered this for a moment. “…MAN?”

“That’s right.”

“…HE’S BUILT LIKE A GIRL HALF HIS AGE.”

“Oh yeah?” Wendy fished her brain for some great comeback. “Well… Eh.”

Dan considered this. It seemed wrong to him that of a pair of mixed twins, the smaller one would be the boy. And it seemed further wrong to him that said boy would be given such a share of respect and trust. It seemed even further wrong to him that the boy’s obvious shortcomings would be so consistently and totally overlooked… Dan didn’t want to think too hard about all this though, because he knew he was probably wrong… But still.

He looked back up at the ceiling and took another deep breath, while he endeavored to drag his mind back on-topic. “HOW MUCH LONGER IS THIS THING GONNA TAKE?”

“Like… Solving the mysteries of these robot things?”

“MAKING SURE THEY DON’T DO THIS NO MORE.” He pointed to his bandages. “HOW LONG ‘TILL YA BEAT ‘EM?”

She shrugged helplessly. “Like, I don’t know! This isn’t a war, dad! We don’t have an enemy that we can stand up to, it’s just a bunch of… Wild animals, we don’t even know how many! And this isn’t a job, either! I don’t have a schedule to keep or a wage to earn… I’ve put maybe 40 hours into this mess just this week, not including the time I spent recording in my diary or with you at the hospital. And we have NO idea how close we are to solving the mystery, and even LESS idea WHAT to do once we solve it…”

“40 HOURS THIS WEEK?” Dan frowned.

“Yeah.” Wendy grunted.

Dan considered this, and decided to remind her of her second priority. “YOU KNOW, YOU STILL NEED TO GET A JOB THIS SUMMER.”

Wendy closed her eyes. She had been meaning to forget that part for a while now. Her hands balled into fists within her pockets. “Yeah.” She grunted again. “I know.”

“HAVE YOU BEEN LOOKING FOR A JOB?”

“No.” She admitted, as politely as she could manage.

“YOU KNOW YOU SAID YOU WANTED A ‘GOOD’ JOB… THAT MEANS YOU NEED TO SET YOUR SIGHTS HIGH. YOU NEED A RESUME… YOU FINISHED THAT YET?”

“No.” She admitted.

Her dad frowned. “HAVE YOU EVEN BEEN WORKING ON IT?”

She took her balled fists out of her pockets. “No.” She admitted.

“…HAVE YOU STARTED IT?”

“No!” She spat.

This annoyed Dan even more. He stared up at the ceiling for a few more seconds, and breathed deeply again. He looked back at her again. “THIS IS YOUR LIFE, WENDY. YOUR GAS MONEY, YOUR DRIVER’S INSURANCE, YOUR CAR SOMEDAY, YOUR COLLEGE IF YOU WANT…”

“I know, but… There’s always stuff that… Look, it’ll GET done, dad! I’ll get a job. I will! Just…” She gestured to the armor she had in her hands, then to the door. “There’s other stuff to do…!”

“THERE ALWAYS IS! BUT IF YOU REALLY WANTED THAT JOB, YOU WOULDN’T JUST COME HOME AND WATCH TV LIKE YOU DO! YOU WOULD WORK FOR IT!”

“Yeah. Thanks. I will.” Wendy turned and made for the door.

“LOOK, I KNOW YOU DON’T WANT ME REMINDING YOU, AND I KNOW IT’S YOUR LIFE, BUT I CAN’T JUST SIT BY WHILE YOU BLOW IT!” He bellowed. “YOU’RE RUNNING AROUND CHASING GHOSTS, AND YOU THINK THAT LETS YOU GET OFF RESPONSIBILITIES! I CARE ABOUT YOU, WENDY! SOMETIMES IT SEEMS I CARE MORE THAN YOU!”

“Sure…” Wendy grunted, stepped out the front door, and slammed it shut behind her.

Ugh.

The job… Her dad expected her to have a job… It wasn’t a huge expectation, really. It was perfectly reasonable… It just happened to be the straw that broke the camel’s cool. She didn’t want to deal with this. She didn’t want to think about it. She wanted nothing more than to forget all about it. She was so… Very… Done.

She eased herself down onto the front step, pulled out her phone, and began to check through her recent messages.

-Nate found a way to make paint cans explode! Come to the football game tonight so we can totally terrorize it! -Lee

-Why aren’t you texting me? I thought you wanted to go out again! -Joe

-Free subscription to our weekly newsletter! Simply call 8005554592 with credit card information -$$Win Win Baby$$

-Robbie says he can give us a ride to the forest today. Ready to roll out at 10:00. -Dipper

-I still love you, btw. >3. -Joe

-Oops, I mean <3. -Joe

-Credit Union Fraud Center: Fuel tax $38.83 on card 6800 of your account. If valid reply YES, if fraud reply NO. To opt out reply STOP. -Credit Union Fraud Center

-3 people liked your status update.

-I understand the urgency of the matter. I’ll be at 412 Gopher Avenue on the 10th. -B.Blandin.

-I’M MOWNG THE LAN AND GETING YOUR ALLOWANS! NYEH! -Bro

-Your library book ‘Cryptids: Pseudo-Science or Reality?’ has been overdue as of 05/14/2012. Return by yesterday or pay the full buyout price. -Gravity Falls Library

-Did I mention I found a way to make paint cans explode? Instant graffiti! -Nate

She scrolled through the messages. The words entered through her eyes and into her subconscious, but they didn’t get much further than that, because she didn’t care what they said; not even a little.

This wasn’t important. This wasn’t relevant. This was just her friends, her family, and the whole of the rest of society, trying to get in at her. Trying to get a piece of her. Vying for her attention, her time, even her money… Everybody wanted a piece of Wendy, everybody was saying something different and confusing, and the only method she had to survive was to retreat: shut it out and ignore it.

She began to delete texts.

Only one really stuck out to her, and she kept it.

-Robbie says he can give us a ride to the forest today. Ready to roll out at 10:00. -Dipper

There it is.

The mission. The plan. The duty. The purpose. There was one thing at least which was tangible and real.

Here in this normal life, where everything was ordinary and routine, here was where reality was at its most confusing, most burdensome, most troubling and depressing. But in that other life, where everything was crazy and hectic, where so much good and evil hung in balance, that was where things started to fall into place. That was where she stopped being confused, and could finally stand tall enough to stop being lazy. She could forget her family, her ex-boyfriends, her responsibilities, her laundry… It freed her. This crazy life was the one place where she knew how to live.

That was the life she loved.

-Ready for pickup now. She texted Dipper back. -I’ve got my armor if you’ve got yours. See you in a bit.

Dipper tossed his backpack and armor into the back of Robbie’s van, where they clattered to a stop on top of Wendy’s. Dipper slammed the doors back shut, and made his way toward the front of the vehicle.

“So… Like, where is this place again?” Robbie was saying, as he pulled out his phone and opened the ‘maps’ program.

“Oh, you know, just… Back in the woods.” Wendy shrugged. “Uh… Head South on Befufftlefumpter Avenue, and I’ll let you know from there.”

“Oh… Okay.” Robbie put away his phone. When he noticed Dipper standing at the door, he gestured toward the back seat. “Hey, you can sit in the back, little man.”

The back seat was stuffed chock-full of edgy, gothic clothes, edgy, gothic skateboards, edgy gothic musical instruments, candy wrappers, and edgy, gothic candy wrappers. “Great.” Dipper grunted, and began shoveling the junk aside, just to make room to sit down. Robbie started the engine before he’d finished, and lurched down the road toward the forest.

From there, the trip passed in a boring sort of way. Up in the front seats, Wendy and Robbie chatted about the most recent death metal albums, arguing about whether the songs had lyrics or were just screaming, theorizing as to what those lyrics might be, gossiping about the personal lives of the band members, etcetera. Dipper tuned out after a few minutes of this, then opened his journal and looking back over the notes from their first visit.

The first time, they’d only made it into the metal forest about half a mile. Then the underbrush and accumulated malice of the sharp leaves got so painful that they couldn’t continue. This time however, Wendy’s improvised suits of armor should be able to get them as far as the needed; far enough to reach the alien coordinates.

‘Betty and Barney’ said they’d set up ‘fortifications’ there. With any luck at all, the place would hold some answers.

The pavement ended after about ten minutes of driving. The gravel ended about ten minutes after that, and then the van was bouncing and rocking its way along narrow, overgrown dirt roads, up into the hills and deeper into the unknown.

The road took one final bend toward the old logging areas, and here they instructed Robbie to stop. This was the closest such roads reached, so they’d have to continue on foot from here.

Dipper and Wendy hopped out of the van and circled around to the back, where they began to unpack their equipment, and suit up.

“Hey…” Wendy remarked. “Why’s there a third backpack in here?”

“Huh?” Dipper looked down at it. “I don’t know. I thought you put that here.”

“Nope.” Wendy reached over and picked it up. “Well, there’s nothing even in it except some old glitter…”

“Oh, okay… Wait, what?”

They were interrupted from their discussion by Robbie, who had followed them around to the back of them van. “Woah.” He blinked, as he regarded their armor. “Is all that really necessary?”

“Oh yeah.” Dipper told him.

“Eh.” Wendy shrugged as she pulled the leather gloves and composite gauntlets over her arms. “We’ll see. But it can’t hurt, right?”

“Uh… So… Look…” Robbie shrugged, and shoved his hands deeper into his pockets. “Like… You know that I wasn’t a chicken the last time you guys went out there. I actually did want to come.”

“I know.” Wendy hiked up her leggings, and tightened the belt. “But you were wearing flip-flops.”

“Well… Look. I’m wearing boots this time. And I’m still not chicken.” Robbie gestured down to his boots. “I, like… I heard what happened to your dad. I heard that this thing really hurt him. So… Like, that sucks. And I want to help. I want to do this. I do.”

Oh… Dipper realized. That third backpack must be his. He was planning to come along the whole time… What did Wendy have to say about this? He looked over at her.

Wendy lowered the shoulder pads into place, and cinched the straps up around her waist. She glanced sideways at Robbie. “You really want to risk life, limb, and skin out in a deep, dark forest where the leaves are literally thousands of knives?”

“Is that what this is?” One of Robbie’s eyes was completely obscured by his hair, but the other one got really wide. “Like, what kind of knives? Do they slash or just stab?”

“Umm… Yes.”

“Woah…” Robbie blinked. “That’s… Like… Hardcore.”

“And it’s what we’re dealing with.” Dipper told him. “Hence the utterly necessary armor.”

“Yeah.” Wendy threw the chainsaw chaps across her back, and buckled the legs around her wrists. “I mean… You can come if you want, but…”

“UH…?” Dipper looked up at her, wondering if she really meant that. Robbie was useless, right?

“Oh yeah? Hey, look!” Robbie slipped back toward the front of the van, and came back in a minute covered head-to-toe in ultra-edgy, ultra-gothic black leather. He was also holding his mom’s sawed-off shotgun. “I got this!” He told them.

Dipper snorted. “You look like a… Like… I don’t know, like Catwoman or something.”

“HEY!” Robbie snarled. “At least I don’t look like some junior-high flag-football-dropout superhero-wannabe!”

“Is that what this is?” Wendy tied her hair back to make way for the helmet. “I always fancied we were more of… Post-apocalyptic rhino-hunters.”

“Well… I mean… You look fine, Wendy, but this guy’s helmet is bigger than his torso!”

“You know what?” Dipper snapped. “Fine! I look ridiculous! I’ll admit it! But at least I AM going out there prepared. You just got all your stuff just now, and shotguns don’t even work on these things!”

Robbie turned toward him, and frowned. “You’ve got some MOUTH, don’t ya, ya snobby little pipsqueak?”

“Woah, dude.” Wendy was about to put on her helmet, but instead she set it down and put up her hands to ward off a potential fight. “Back off…”

“You know what? You think you’re so much better than me!” Robbie stepped past Wendy and shoved a finger in Dipper’s face. “You always have, and now it looks like you always will! Dipper’s the smartest! Dipper’s the bravest! Dipper’s the hero! Dipper’s the manliest little snot-nosed 12-year-old brat on the face of this whole stupid Earth! You think you’ve got it all together huh?”

“I’ve never said that or thought that!” Dipper took a step forward, and didn’t flinch even a little. “All I’m saying is that we can’t use you if you’re not prepared! You didn’t even pack anything in your backpack!”

“Dudes!” Wendy repeated. “Chill!”

“You just want to kiss me off again? Treat me like pointless trash, just like you always do?” Robbie said.

“Wouldn’t you, in my place? What AM I supposed to do with you?!?” Dipper lost his temper. “Robbie, the ONLY halfway-competent thing I’ve EVER seen you do is hypnotize Wendy!”

There was silence for a good minute.

Dipper thought through what he’d just said. He wished he hadn’t said it, but too late now. He closed his eyes, bit his lower lip, and balled his fists. Why can’t I ever just shut up?

Robbie took a step back, and his eyes fell to the ground.

Wendy didn’t say a word. She just donned her helmet, and turned away.

Robbie and Dipper looked at each other.

“Well.” Robbie finally grumbled. “I guess the winners write the history books, huh?” And then he turned away, went back around to the front of his van, and climbed in. The engine sputtered a few times before rolling over, and then the vehicle lurched to life, turned around on the narrow road, and started back down the hill.

Dipper and Wendy hiked in silence.

“Sorry.” Dipper finally said.

The word wasn’t half out of his mouth before Wendy interrupted him. “Dude. That’s what you say every single time that whole hypnosis thing comes up. You always just start apologizing! Well look, I forgave you! See? I’ll do it again: I forgive you. Just like the last, like, four times. So ease up already, okay?”

“Oh… Okay…”

“Only one thing: I forgave Robbie too. So don’t go dragging him back into this. We’ve all moved on. We’re all sorry. And nobody’s more sorry than him. Nobody wants to move on more than him.”

“Yeah… I guess… Sorry.”

“Yeah, I heard you the fifth time.”

“Sorry.”

“Sixth.”

“Yeah, yeah. Okay. I get it, I just… Yeah.”

“And look.” Wendy said. “Don’t get hung up on this sort of stuff, man. You’re sweating bullets over the distant past, when all you really need to do is chill out, calm down, and stick to what’s important.”

“But… Aren’t my friends… My relationships… You? Important too? Like, I mean… I’m just… I don’t know, I was a jerk to Robbie wasn’t I? I should apologize to him, huh?”

“Look dude, that’s none of my business. But you know what is my business?”

“What?”

“The one thing we’re both good at, dude. The mission. Tell me: how close are we to the metal forest?”

Dipper nodded. “Yeah.” He reached up underneath the armor’s chestpiece, where he’d put his map before setting out today.

It wasn’t there.

“Uh…” He checked his back pocket, his front pocket, and all the other little chinks in the armor. He could’ve sworn he left it in here somewhere… “Uh…” He repeated. “We should be pretty close… I guess… I mean, I must’ve forgot my map but we should know when we get there, right?”

“It’s kind of hard to tell, but if you pick individual trees and look real close…” Wendy picked up a rock, and pitched it at the trunk of a tree up ahead. The impact made a loud metallic ‘BONG’ sound. “You can tell them apart.”

“Huh.” Dipper squinted around at some of the other trees, and saw that they were standing right at the end of the organic forest. Past here, there was a few hundred feet of mingled growth, and then the full-metal started in quickly. “We should, like… Paint a line or something.” He suggested.

“Yeah…” Wendy pulled out a rattle can of paint, and drew a long red stripe on the side of the nearest tree. Then she dabbed her finger in some of the excess paint, and wrote the words ‘DANGER, KILLER ROBOTS BEYOND THIS POINT’ above the line. “There we go… Ooh, wait. In case anybody’s coming the other direction…” She swung around to the other side of the tree, and wrote ‘YOU MADE IT OUT ALIVE. YOU DA BOSS’.

“Great.” Dipper nodded. “Now… Ugh, oh man… I forgot my map. How we gonna find the coordinates?”

“We’ll just find it with our razor-sharp senses, willy intellects, and cunning instincts.” Wendy promised, with utter confidence.

“Uh… Does that work?” Dipper frowned.

“HECK no.” Wendy pulled out her own map. “We’ll just use mine. Where’d you say it was?” She pointed to a point on the map. “Here?”

“Yep… So… That way.” He pointed to the South-East.

“That way.” She confirmed, and started into the trees.

And so they continued. They passed through the forest’s outer regions, where the trees were further apart and the air was clear. They reached a small creek; the same on from their first visit. But this time they didn’t follow it; they crossed straight through, and continued on without stopping. Their destination lay beyond.

A few minutes later, the forest grew thicker and became immersive; the air smelled like iron filings and odd chemicals, normal moss and grass had disappeared entirely, and the clicking and buzzing of wildlife replaced the ordinary birds. Indeed, the whole world seemed ever-so-slightly colder and greyer. This place was alien in every way.

Their armor really started to prove itself. Their ears began to fill with clattering, scraping and tapping, as the razor-sharp branches and leaves assailed them and bounced off. Blow after blow was warded off by the armor plates, and more and more nicks and dings and scratches and abrasions appeared in the surface. But each mar was only surface deep; none of the blades were getting more than a few millimeters into the plastic, as their branches simply weren’t stiff enough to push them deeper.

Working wonderfully.

But this constant barrage wasn’t the hardest part of the journey. The ground beneath their feet was becoming… Strange. It wasn’t a flat surface anymore, or even what passed for ‘flat’ in normal forests. This was uneven; rough; chaotic. Every available surface was either a root, a branch, or some ancient deadfall. The heaping masses of living and dead metal rose and fell in miniature hills and valleys below them, entwining with itself, and hiding all else, even the dirt and the rocks. The ecosystem had consumed the very landscape.

There came to a point where a thicket of trees and bushes formed a sort of short cliff, and the only way to walk through was to climb a few feet up a tree, do some tricky footwork across the bows, and descend the other side. Wendy climbed up ahead of Dipper, wrapped an arm around a higher branch, and extended her other down to him. They gripped each other’s wrists, and she hauled him up beside her.

“Ugh.” Dipper said. “Why’s everything getting so… Like… I mean, where’s the ground?”

“If I had to guess…” Wendy looked around. “I’d say the actual ground is about 5 or 10 feet below the roots and logs we’re walking on. But just, like… When the old trees topple over, new trees use their remains for food, and grow right in the same place. And then those new trees-on-trees fall over too, and more grow on top of them, yadda yadda, right? …So over the years…” She steadied herself against the trunk, and jumped across a short gap. “It just stacks on top of itself.”

“Uh… That makes sense…” Dipper made the same jump right behind her, and would have lost his balance if she hadn’t caught him. “Why don’t normal forests do that, then?”

Wendy shrugged. “Normal forests do that too. Especially the old-growth forests, where my dad takes us hiking… That’s how I know.”

“Yeah, but… So why is this place such a tangled, deep mess? Normal forests are usually pretty flat.”

“I dunno… It’s probably because there’s no forest fires around here. In normal forests, a big ‘ol fire washes through about every 50 years, and cleans up all the deadfalls.”

“Huh… Yeah… And it might be because rain and water doesn’t dissolve or wash the rotten chemicals away.” Dipper theorized. “Everything is… Everything’s all solid. Normal life is based on liquid water, so things kind of… Rot away easier. But here, it’s all frozen in place. Static.”

“Ooh, that’s a good theory.”

Wendy reached a place where they could descend out of the tree, and back down to the ‘ground’. So she took a jump, aiming for a patch of grass. But when she landed on it, it gave way beneath her with a loud snap and creak. She lost control of her descent, and began falling further than intended.

“Wendy!” Dipper yelped.

But she didn’t fall far; only up to her armpits.

“Agh! DANG it!” She winced, as she tried to get her elbows under her. “Ow.”

Dipper descended more carefully, ran up to her, and offered his hand. “Are you okay?!? Did… Like… Did anything stab… Uh…”

“Ugh…” She took his hand, and pulled herself out of the hole. “Oh, ow, that’s gonna leave a bruise. Take note: this is all very hard. It hurts to land on.”

“Yeah… Are you okay though?”

“Uh… Yeah. I’m fine… I’m not skewered like a pig, if that’s what you’re wondering.”

“Err… Yeah… Okay.”

Wendy looked back down at the hole. The grassy landing pad had been growing in a gap between two fallen logs. When she’d hit it, the impact had knocked the smaller vegetation loose, leaving a sort of tunnel. Down in the gap, they heard something alive move about, then clatter away from them, off through the ground.

“So…” Dipper frowned. “If the forest is made of a whole bunch of stacked logs, are there tunnels and gaps all through it then? Like, I’m sure this isn’t the only place where the grass is loose.”

“Yeah… It’s like… Like a ‘Super Plumber Bros.’ game.” Wendy said. “We have to hop and jump between platforms, because there’s pits and spikes and crumbly parts everywhere below you.”

“It’s kind of scarier when it’s not in a video game.” Dipper noted.

They stood staring for a minute.

“So…” Wendy said. “Are we gonna go down there, or what?”

“Uh… Well, did you see anything cool down there?”

“Uh…” She reached back into the hole, and came up holding some fat, round plants. “Nothing but some… What are these? Fruit? Mushrooms? I don’t know. But they were down there.”

“Heh. Okay.”

She shoved them in her backpack, and they continued onwards above ground. High in the treetops above them, a small herd of five-armed ‘monkeys’ glance down with curiosity. Dipper waved up in a friendly way, but the harmless little animals didn’t respond. Instead, they just went back to cutting up and eating little bits off the tree branches.

After a while, they sat down beside a log to rest for a minute. Dipper reached into his backpack and pulled out his walkie-talkie. Ford had been kind of nervous about them going in alone, so it would be good to let him know everything’s all right. Hoping the signal would reach, he pushed the radio’s button and began to speak. “Hey Ford, just calling to let you know we’re all—”

As soon as the radio signal left the device, the forest leapt to life around them, and the teens realized that they’d accidentally wandered directly into the center of a large herd of pony-sized robot creatures.

Dipper hadn’t even noticed them ahead of time. Their spiny backs and long heads were colored and textured in an identical brown/grey to the rest of the trees, and the solar panel arrays on their tails looked a lot like those of the living bushes.

Nearly perfect camouflage. Perfect for sneaking up on people and attacking.

But they didn’t attack. If anything, they seemed as confused and startled as Dipper and Wendy were. Most of them stood in place with their antennae out, scanning side to side. The others watched the scanning ones, unsure if they should be panicked or not.

Dipper could see that no attack was forthcoming, but he didn’t want to provoke them anyway, so he turned his walkie-talkie off entirely, and returned it to his backpack.

One nearby creature seemed to notice them visually. It turned toward them, and approached until it was about 10 feet away. The teens stood up slowly, ready to fight or run if it did anything aggressive. Dipper wasn’t sure if they were in danger, however. Unlike the robot lion, which was sharp and hooked all over, this creature appeared entirely unarmed. It had no saws in its mouth, just a set of clamp-like jaws. Even its feet lacked claws; the fingers were short and stubby, almost like hooves.

Dipper supposed it could try to ram them with its gigantic, long head, but other than that it appeared perfectly harmless.

“So…” Wendy said. “It’s a herbivore, or what?”

“Well, it doesn’t have saws… Yeah, I think it’s harmless.” Dipper took out a disposable camera, covered up the light to prevent startling it with a flash, and began snapping pictures.

Wendy remembered the ‘fruit’ in her backpack. “Uh… Hey big guy… You want this?” She pulled out the food, and held it out to the creature. It shied away at first, then its antennae perked up, and it took a few steps closer. “Okay.” Wendy said. “Yeah. Herbivore.”

“It’s just, like, a robot deer or something.” Dipper said, and took another picture as it got close.

Then the creature opened its mouth. There was another mouth inside its mouth, and this second system shot outward about two feet and snagged the food out of Wendy’s hand.

“AGH!” Dipper yelped.

“Woah!” Wendy jerked her hand back.

The robot held the fruit in its first set of jaws, and began to grind at it with a drill bit in its second. When it was through, it took another step toward them, as if asking for more.

“Okay…” Wendy said. “Yeah. Still a robot deer… It just…”

“It has a head that looks like a Xenomorph.” Dipper observed, and took another picture.

“Yeah.”

“Nothing wrong with that.”

“No.”

“Just kind of weird.”

“Yeah.”

“Kind of freaky.”

“Yeah.”

It took another step towards them. “No.” Wendy said, as the deer/xenomorph thing got closer. “NO. Nothing more. No more fruit or stuff. Go away.”

It extended its second mouth again, and turned to Dipper. Okay. He thought, suddenly nervous. Its head is 4 feet long. That means its mouth can pop out 4 feet. Which means it can probably reach me from here… And it can definitely reach my…

The mouth shot out again, aiming for Dipper’s camera. He jerked it out of the way as fast as he could, and the deer’s drills did nothing but nick the chest of his armor.

“Hey.” Wendy stepped forward. “Shoo. Come on dude, shoo. Shoo. No more food. Take your weird long drill head, and take it way out of here. Go on, git.” She put a hand on top of its head, and pushed it away. It shook her hand off, and took another step inward.

“HEY!” Wendy yelled at it. “SHOO!”

It didn’t have ears, so the yelling was slightly less than effective.

“Yo.” Dipper brought his gauntlet down on top of its head. Not quite a punch, but almost. “Shoo!”

Its body was very hard and tough, so a measly half-punch wasn’t all that effective either. It turned toward him.

“Okay, look stupid thing.” Wendy said. “I’m like, up to here with your crap right now. Why don’t you…”

Just then, her words were cut off by a sudden noise, coming from the North; a clattering, and banging. The robot deer froze, extended its antennae all the way, and looked off in that same direction. All the other deer in the forest did similar.

The noise changed to a grinding, abrasive noise; the sound of saws.

All the deer tucked their long heads down close to their bodies, fanned out their solar panels like warning flags, and sprinted off through the trees to the south. In a matter of seconds, they were gone, and all that remained was some flattened grass, and some pictures on the camera.

Dipper and Wendy turned toward the sound of the noise, and crouched down behind a tree trunk. “You think that’s…?”

Wendy nodded. “Dude, I bet it IS! Let’s go see!”

They carefully began to crawl their way through the trees, staying behind logs and bushes whenever possible.

The finally stopped about 30 feet from the sound, and made themselves as hidden as possible.

“Magnet guns.” Wendy told him.

They both drew their weapons. (Not to use, just to have.) Dipper drew his camera as well.

And then they peaked over.

A deer robot lay on the forest floor, mangled and broken. Two full-grown lion-bots stood over it, digging into its torso with their massive saws. Sparks, debris, metal shavings, and bits of oil flew all over the place, as the deer’s motors, batteries, and functional parts slowly but surely disappeared into its killers.

The lions were pleasantly ignoring the humans for the moment, so they got comfortable and kept watching. Dipper lined up his camera, and began snapping pictures, while Wendy took a good look at the creatures themselves.

One was Juan’s mom. It had the damage that her dad had given it in the fight, as well as the ‘mom parts’ that Mabel had first pointed out.

The other was ‘male’, judging by the lack of these same parts. The male was slightly bigger, with a slightly shorter torso, longer antennae, and lighter coloring.

But curiously, although they’d never even seen this male before, it still had some damage; damage they didn’t give it. The plating on its right side was dented and twisted by a big, burned crater, partially exposing the hydraulics beneath. As if somebody had hit him with a grenade or a flamethrower or a… Laser blaster or something.

“Hey.” Wendy whispered.

“What?” Dipper looked over at her.

Wendy pointed to the blast mark, and shrugged. “Eh?”

“Uh…” Dipper frowned at it, and then shrugged. “Maybe there’s creatures out here with built-in ray guns?”

“…We should look out for that.”

“Yeah.”

And then Dipper’s phone rang.

Ford nervously drummed the six fingers of his hand against the table, while he waited for his great-nephew to pick up. What’s taking so long? Dipper’s usually pretty punctual about answering…

“Hey!” Stan called from the next room. “Did you ask Dipper yet?”

“Trying now!” Ford covered up the speaker and hollered back. “Just calm down Stan; it’s probably no big deal…”

“But it could be a big deal!” Stan reminded him. “You need to get a hold of him!”

“But he’s not picking up! He’s—”

Ford suddenly remembered just where Dipper was: an alien forest where the dangerous creatures heard and smelled through radio and electrical signals. Wait a minute, why is his phone even on at all? Ford wondered. If Dipper had any sense at all, he would have shut it off entirely. If anybody called him, the signals it shared with the cell tower could give away his position… Oh well. He must have just forgotten.

WAIT A MINUTE! Ford frowned as a new thought entered his mind. I just called him! Oh dear… I might have actually have put him danger, just by doing that… Oh my…

Ford was about to hang up, when suddenly Dipper’s voice sounded over the speaker. “HEYGREATUNCLEFORD THISREALLYISNTHEBESTTIME COULDICALLYOUBACK?”

“Dipper! I’m glad you’re all right! Listen, this is fairly imp—”

“NOTTHEBESTTIME!” Dipper repeated. “WENDY! HIDE DOWN THERE! I’LL FOLLOW YOU! GO GO GO!”

He heard the sound of a magnet gun discharge over the line. And in the background, was that the sound of saws?

“I’ll make it fast!” Ford promised. “Dipper, have you—”

Dipper hung up.

“Have you seen…” Ford looked at the phone for a second. He really had just hung up. He must actually have been in trouble… Ford closed the phone and slipped it back into his pocket. In the parlor’s new silence, he finished his sentence quietly to himself. “…Have you seen Mabel…”

A few hours earlier, Robbie’s head bounced side to side as his van rolled its bumpy way back down the roads, leaving Dipper and Wendy at the end of the trail at the top.

As he drove, a great many dark and edgy thoughts were going through his mind. Dipper is such a jerk… I could beat him in a fight… I wish I had… He just cheated… Wendy and I could have made it work… I didn’t mean to hypnotize her… Well, kind of… Well I only half meant to… Has Wendy ever forgiven me…? And what’s with those two now? They’re doing all this stuff together alone, and Dipper got rid of me today just because I’m intruding on their ‘alone time’... If they didn’t mean for me to come along, why would they throw in a 3rd empty backpack?

Wait a minute, they said it wasn’t theirs… Who packed it then? And why would they pack nothing but some glitter?

“Hold on.” Robbie mumbled, as he glanced over his shoulder.

To his surprise, he didn’t see the back of his van. He saw a young girl’s face, about 2 inches from his.

“HELLO!” She announced, more than loud enough.

“Ah geez there’s a kid in here!!” The van almost crashed into a tree as he stomped into the brake pedal. When the vehicle was safely back under control and stationary, he turned back to address his stowaway. “What the heck? Why are you here?!?” He asked. His brain worked through this new development. “You stowed yourself away in a backpack…? Wait, that doesn’t even make any sense! How did you load it into the van while you were still inside it?” He demanded.

What’s her name again? He racked his brain. I don’t quite remember, she’s just kind of the ‘Girly Dipper’ that set me up for a date one time… Well, I hate Dipper but I like girls, so… I don’t know…

“Oh, pshaw! You crack me up sometimes!” Girly Dipper rolled her eyes upwards as she leaned one cheek into her elbow with a mysterious grin. “Sneaking myself past the closed and locked doors from inside a backpack… That was the easy part! The hard part was fitting a pig in there too!” She produced a full-grown pig, which promptly emitted a loud snort.

“AGH! PIG IN MY VAN!” Robbie tried to stand up, and bumped his hair on the ceiling.

“And if you’re wondering how I did that… Well.” Girl Dipper smiled again. “You should really check out my YouTube video: ‘Mabel’s Guide to Showing Up in unexpected times and Places’.”

“Uh…”

“Yeah! It’s super informative! And a masterpiece, if I do say so myself. A true classic.”

“Okay…” Robbie sat back down hesitantly.

“So… Riddle me this, my gnarly old friend.” She abruptly changed the subject. “I guess Dipper and Wendy don’t want you going on their thing, huh?”

“Uhh…” Robbie squirmed rebelliously. “I didn’t even… Like… Wanna go on their stupid thing anyway. If I wanted to roll around in knives all day I would’ve just ransacked my dad’s morgue…”

“Well… If you don’t want to do that, how would you feel about helping me collect stuff?” She reached into her sweater and pulled out a map, scrawled all over Dipper’s handwriting. “Not as much danger, but the work is more important. And we’ll make lots of new robot friends!”

“Huh?”

“See, sometimes I don’t think Dipper trusts me.” The girl admitted with a shrug. “Maybe he’s right not to… Sometimes. ‘Cause we all do silly stuff that’s not very smart… But… But this time, I think he’s wrong. ‘Cause see, he wants to, like, kill the robot creatures and stuff like that… And I don’t think that’s really all super ethical or whatever. So I… I have another mission. A happier, funner mission… So what do you say, Mr. Buddy-Pal-Chum-Friend-Pal?” She gave him a gentle little punch on the shoulder. “Would you consider being my dark, edgy chauffeur/bodyguard for a day?”

“Uh…” Robbie frowned. “Uh… I guess…?”

“Awesome!” She squealed.

“SQUEE!” The pig squealed.

The girl then reached over Robbie’s shoulder, and put the van in ‘park’. “Let’s go do this thing!!”

[miraculouspaon]

More Things in Heaven and Earth

Chapter Six

AO3

Hawkmoth opened his eyes and looked across the room at his wife, who was still in bed and watching him intently.

“Well?” she asked, her voice tight. “Anything out of the ordinary?”

Hawkmoth hesitated. “It’s… difficult to say,” he replied. “It's only my third day; I’m still getting a feel for ordinary. And I’m not used to using these powers like this.”

“Correctly, you mean?” Nathalie let out a frustrated sigh. “I’m sorry, that was unfair.”

“No, you’re right,” Hawkmoth said. “I have never before used these powers the way they were meant to be used. I have monitored Paris, but only to search for exploitable weaknesses. Monitoring for danger is different. Broader. Still, I don’t believe I sensed anything imminent.”

Nathalie nodded. She'd been on edge ever since Gabriel had reclaimed the Miraculous, and it didn't help that he'd been spending as much time transformed as possible ever since, in order to get accustomed to monitoring Paris. Now, though, some of the tension in Nathalie’s shoulders finally began to ease. Hawkmoth walked back to the bed. He sat down behind her, then placed a gloved hand on each shoulder. Slowly, he began to massage the remaining knots out. “You don’t need to… oh… never mind, yes, keep doing that,” Nathalie murmured. “Right there. Forever.” She closed her eyes, and for a few minutes the only sound in the room was her satisfied moans. “You’re better at this than I remember.”

Hawkmoth leaned next to Nathalie’s ear, not stopping. “Was it so easy to forget the advantages of an empathic partner?” he asked softly.

“I blocked them out, I suppose,” Nathalie whispered. “It was too difficult to separate them from all the disadvantages that came with it.”

“Fair.” Hawkmoth continued to massage Nathalie’s shoulders and upper back, easily zeroing in on the spots and techniques that produced in her the most satisfaction, the most pleasure. “I’d forgotten, too,” he admitted. “I’d banished the memory of how utterly breathtaking it is to feel everything you feel.” He kissed her neck softly. “Even your frustration, your annoyance. Although those do finally seem to be abating. It seems you’re coming around.”

“Mmhmm,” Nathalie said. There was, after all, no point in lying.

“It’s getting easier for you, to look at me like this.”

“In my defense, the costume change helped.”

Hawkmoth let out a low chuckle. “I don’t control the costume,” he said. “That’s all Nooroo. I suppose he feels I’ve earned the upgrade from the villain’s cowl to the standard mask. Or at least the benefit of the doubt.” He paused. “I haven’t, though. Not yet. But I will,” he promised.

Nathalie nodded. “I know,” she murmured. Her eyes stayed closed, she continued to bask in the caresses and the kisses that were growing more and more insistent, but there was still a kernel of hesitation at her core. She would not be returning any of these affections while her husband was transformed-not today, at any rate. Sighing, Gabriel dropped the transformation, returning to the shirt and boxer shorts he'd woken up in, and a moment later Nathalie twisted around to face him, touch him, kiss him. She brought a hand up to his face and caressed his cheek for a moment before sliding her hand around to the back of his neck and pulling him in for a more insistent kiss, keeping him on her as she fell back into the pillows.

“Nathalie,” Gabriel whispered, as his wife bit his lip and grabbed his shirt.

“Hmm?”

“I should get dressed.”

“That seems counter-productive.”

“Any other morning,” Gabriel replied, kissing the shock of red in her hair, “but the appointment’s in less than an hour.”

Surprised, Nathalie looked at her wristwatch. “Hell,” she muttered. She looked back at Gabriel. “Promise we’ll pick this up right after.”

Gabriel kissed her forehead. “Promise.”

 ~~~

 Alya looked at her two friends silently for a moment. “Okay, let me get this straight,” she finally said. “Your stepmom was kidnapped by an evil wizard trying to weaponize soulmarks.”

“Sorcerer,” Adrien corrected. “And… yeah, actually, that's a really good summary.”

“And you want me to break into his phone.”

Adrien scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. “Well, um, I completely understand if you don't want to get involved, but I thought-”

“If she doesn't want to get involved?” Nino interrupted skeptically. “This is Alya.”

“Yeah,” Alya agreed, waving her hand impatiently “obviously I want to get involved. I'm just surprised you can't get your magic mom to handle it or whatever.”

“She said there's anti-magic defenses on it. But hacking isn't magic-”

“My hacking is.”

“-so we thought you could probably do it faster than she could.”

Alya beamed at the praise and picked the phone up. “Yeah, I'm game,” she said. “Out of curiosity, though, on a scale of one to ten how worried do I need to be about this very dangerous sorcerer finding out I'm snooping through his things?”

“Zero,” Adrien said. “My mom… took care of him.”

“She took care of him?” Alya repeated skeptically. “What is this, a mafia movie? What does that even mean?”

“It means what it sounds like,” Adrien said, clearly uncomfortable.

Alya's eyes widened. “Oh,” she said. She looked back down at the phone. “What are you hoping to get from this, exactly?”

“Mom thinks he had a partner.”

“Do I need to be worried about that guy?”

Adrien shrugged. “We don't even know if he exists. Look, you're right, this is probably way too dangerous, I'll figure something else out.” He reached for the phone, but Alya snatched it away and quickly dropped it in her purse.

“No way am I not helping after everything you just told me,” she said, annoyed. “I don't care about danger. ‘All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good people do nothing’, remember? Where would we be if Ladybug or Chat Noir only helped when it was safe?”

“Ladybug and Chat Noir are superheroes!” Adrien cried, exasperated. “They're a lot harder to kill than you are!”

“Oh, whatever.” Alya frowned. “Still, it's probably a good idea to bring them in on this. I mean, this is big, Adrien, you get that, right?”

Adrien rolled his eyes. “Yes, Alya, I get that.”

“So you agree that I should call Ladybug and ask her to help?”

Adrien stared blankly for a moment, an expression Nino was quickly coming to recognize as the one his boyfriend wore when he was trying and failing to think of how to gracefully get out of secret identity shenanigans. “Sure,” he finally said. “That's probably a good idea. Um, you don't have to keep bugging her with updates you get from me though, you can just send her to me and I'll fill her in with everything directly.”

Alya raised an eyebrow suggestively. “Careful, Adrien, your boyfriend’s right here, you don't want to make him jealous.”

“What? No, no, no, I didn't mean it like-”

“Oh, relax, Nino gets it, he had that little fling with Chat Noir earlier this year,” Alya said, grinning as Adrien turned bright red. “If you ask me, you should get a one-time pass for your own superhero crush. I mean, fair’s fair, right?” She looked at Nino expectantly.

Nino rolled his eyes. “Sure, why not,” he said. “But I think Adrien's a little preoccupied right now with the mysterious sorcerer that's maybe trying to kill his parents.”

“Right.” Alya frowned again. “How big of a problem are sorcerers, anyway? I mean, I knew they existed, obviously, but I had no idea they were like, kidnapping citizens for weird magic rituals and basically getting away with it scot-free. And not everyone's as lucky as you are to have their own sorcerer who can ‘take care of’ the dangerous ones for them. Shouldn't people know about this?”

Adrien shrugged. “Maybe? I don't know, we can worry about it after we solve this soulmark thing.”

“Shouldn't people know about that, too?”

“No,” Adrien said emphatically. “Regular people can't do anything to protect against it, it'll just make them panic. And if other sorcerers find out that it's possible, they might figure out how to make it work. We can't let this get out, Alya.”

Alya's frown deepened. “I'm a journalist, Adrien, the idea of keeping secrets from people ‘for their own good’ doesn't exactly sit well with me.”

“Keeping secrets to protect people is the entire basis of how all the superheroes you love operate,” Adrien said defensively.

“Those are their secrets to keep, Adrien! This isn't like a civilian identity, this affects everyone.” Alya stood. “I won't say a word about it to anyone else before we figure this out, and I won't publish anything without telling you first, but I'm not going to promise to keep this a secret forever, Adrien. Not before I have a better understanding of how much secrecy actually protects regular people, and how much it protects the sorcerers who exploit them. Fair?”

Adrien nodded. “Yeah, that's fair.”

“I'll let you know when I manage to break into the phone.”

“Thanks.”

 ~~~

 “Everything looks great,” Dr. Martinez said, and Gabriel relaxed his grip of Nathalie’s hand ever so slightly.

“You're sure?” Nathalie asked, not taking her eyes off the ultrasound screen.

“Mmhmm,” the doctor assured her. She pointed. “There's the heartbeat, right there. I know it's not much to look at this early, but trust me, that's exactly what we want to see.” She shifted the wand around. “Lining looks good. There's no sign of anything out of the ordinary. No cramping, bleeding?” Nathalie shook her head. “Well, call if that changes. Otherwise, I think it's safe to say you're out of the woods.” The irony of this phrasing did not escape Nathalie, but she ignored it.

“If something like this should happen again-” Gabriel started to ask.

“-come back right away,” the doctor finished. She looked at Gabriel. “Do you expect something like this to happen again? Because we really very strongly advise against any kind of magic exposure for the entire gestation.”

Gabriel hesitated. “No,” he lied, “we don't expect anything like this to happen again. It was an unfortunate fluke.”

Dr. Martinez nodded slowly, clearly skeptical. “Well, it's not really my area of expertise. If this is going to be a repeated occurrence, perhaps I should refer you to an obstetrician who has more experience with magic exposure in pregnancies.”

“No,” Nathalie said immediately, still not looking away from the screen.

“Nathalie-”

“I'm not switching to another obstetrician.”

“Why not? The doctor said herself that-”

“Because we interviewed over two dozen,” Nathalie said, “and Dr. Martinez is the only one who didn't immediately start gushing about how easy soulmarked pregnancies were.”

The doctor snorted as she shut the machine off and handed Nathalie a paper towel. “Is that how I got the job?” she asked. “Yes, most of my colleagues tend to get excited about patients like you, and the numbers are there, but,” she shrugged, “there's no such thing as a sure thing in this field. I wish there were, but it's better to just be ready for anything.”

“I couldn't agree more,” Nathalie said, finally tearing her eyes away from the now blank screen in order to wipe away the ultrasound gel from her bared abdomen.

Dr. Martinez gave Nathalie’s shoulder a gentle pat. “Like I said, call if anything comes up. Otherwise, I'll see you in a few weeks for your next regular appointment.” She left the room, and Nathalie let out a heavy sigh of relief as she pulled her shirt back down and sat up.

“I don't think I realized how much anxiety I was carrying over this,” Nathalie said softly.

“I did,” Gabriel replied.

Nathalie raised an eyebrow. “Show-off,” she muttered, but Gabriel could feel the amusement she was hiding just as easily as he'd felt her anxiety. He leaned against the exam table and Nathalie took his hand and squeezed it. “I don't want to have to come back here again,” she whispered. “I wish I could believe the worst is over.”

“For you it is,” Gabriel promised. “The rest of us will take care of whatever comes along. There's no reason for you to get dragged into it. You can stay safely out of whatever comes next.”

Nathalie scoffed. “Staying safely out of things has never exactly been my forte.”

 ~~~

 Gabriel knocked on his son’s bedroom door. There was a certain unfortunate irony, that Gabriel had only recently gotten into the habit of respecting his son’s privacy right before reacquiring powers that made the gesture completely moot.

“Father?” Adrien opened the door and stepped aside, allowing Gabriel to enter. As he did, he noticed Nino sitting on the couch in front of some muted anime.

“Adrien. I…” Gabriel hesitated. “I’m not sure if this is appropriate, but I was attempting to acclimate to the Butterfly Miraculous again, and I sensed… distress. Fear.”

Adrien's eyes widened. “Ian's partner? Is he-”

“No,” Gabriel interrupted. “It's nothing to do with that. Nothing to do with sorcery or soulmarks, nothing that poses any kind of a threat to us whatsoever. It is simply a domestic dispute. About ten blocks north. There are children present. The situation is not currently violent, but it could quickly become so. I know this is not why the Guardian bestowed this Miraculous, but I thought-”

“You thought a visit from Chat Noir might set the guy straight,” Adrien finished.

“Something along those lines, yes.”

“Yeah, of course.” Adrien turned to Nino. “I'll be back soon.” He transformed, and a second later had disappeared out his bedroom window.

In the wake of his absence, Gabriel and Nino stared at one another for a few moments of silence. “You disapprove,” Gabriel finally said.

“No,” Nino said slowly, “I just… are you going to send Adrien to deal with every domestic dispute in all of Paris from now on?”

“I don't know. I hadn't really considered-”

“Because he’ll take care of every single one you send him after, you know,” Nino continued. “Happily. Even if it completely drains him, which it will. It's a lot to put on one guy, even a superhero. So maybe consider that, too.”

Gabriel nodded. “That is a good point. I will try to find an appropriate balance.”

“Thanks.” Nino started to turn back around, then hesitated. “You, um, you can sense stuff that specific?”

“While transformed, yes,” Gabriel replied. “This surprises you?”

Nino shrugged. “Look, I wasn't gonna bring it up or anything, but back when you were, you know, akumatizing someone new every other day, I guess I always figured you didn't actually have that much say in what kind of people you found. Because if your powers were good enough to pick out the really bad guys, guys that would hit their wife or rob a bank or whatever, then why were you always picking people like…”

“Like you?” Gabriel asked.

Nino shrugged. “Well, yeah.”

“I would have,” Gabriel replied, “if it had been my aim to damage Paris as much as possible. It was not. The terrorism was incidental. I realize this is not exactly a comfort-Adrien certainly took little comfort in it, when we finally discussed it-but I never wanted to create any more chaos than necessary in order to draw out the major Miraculouses. A violent man, a sadistic criminal, akumas made from people like that would have been an ugly thing. An akuma made from someone like you, on the other hand, a decent person caught in a temporary moment of weakness, could be trusted not to take things too far.”

Nino raised an eye skeptically. “So, what, it was a compliment?”

Gabriel sighed. “Again, I understand how little a comfort it actually is. My actions three years ago were inexcusable. I do see that now. I regret that you were caught up in them.”

Nino’s expression didn’t change. “Apologies aren’t really your thing, are they?”

“They are not.”

Nino nodded slowly. “Well… thanks for trying, anyway.”

Gabriel nodded. “I appreciate you taking all this in stride,” he said. “It cannot have been an easy thing to find out, especially in the middle of my wife’s disappearance.”

“Oh, yeah, well,” Nino shrugged, “after finding out Adrien’s Chat, I kind of just braced myself for everything in his life to be insane. Besides, Nat married you, so you can’t be all bad, I guess.”

“Still. I think most young men would be far more distressed, to find out their boyfriend’s father was a former supervillain. You must care about my son a great deal, to let it go so easily.”

Nino blinked, stunned, and his cheeks went pink. “I, uh-well, yeah, of course I do, but, um, when-how did you, uh-”

“Over the next few days, I expect to fully adjust to becoming an empath again,” Gabriel interrupted, “and I will be able to direct my abilities enough that there are no more violations of privacy or awkward revelations. In the meantime, however, I’m afraid I cannot help but pick up on these things.”

Nino nodded. “Uh huh. Right. Well, I mean, we were going to tell you anyway, it’s just Nat disappeared and everything was crazy and it didn’t, you know, seem like a great time to bring it up. I mean, it never seemed like a great time, but Adrien had finally psyched himself up for it, he really had, and then-”

“It is not a mystery to me,” Gabriel said softly, “that Adrien still finds it difficult to share personal things with me. It is not a mystery to me why that is, either, or whose fault it is. I didn’t mean to accuse. I simply wished to express my gratitude, that is all.” Before Nino could reply, Gabriel left the room.

[cheelchan]

Boo! pt.1

genre: ghost au, mystery, fluff, supernatural rating: T pairing: Taehyung x Reader summary: “it surprised him that you could see him. After all, he was dead.” word count: 5.1k next chapter: chapter 2 chapter 3

“Even if she’s just right there, for sure, she wouldn’t know that I was here all along.”

You stirred awake as you realized that you heard a familiar voice right above you. You lazily opened one eye, checking the clock on the bedside table. It was just three in the morning, but why were you suddenly hearing someone talking? It was as if someone was also inside you in your room….

You bolted your eyes open as you realized that you should actually be alone in your room at the moment, especially since you weren’t staying in your university dormitory. You were surprised, however, as you saw brown eyes staring back at you, as if he wasn’t wary that you were awake. It was as if he wasn’t worried at all that you were awake and that you could hit him.

“What the hell are you doing here in my room at three in the morning, Kim Taehyung?” You groaned as you drowsily sat up on your bed. You clenched the sheets around you, knowing that you weren’t wearing a lot since the AC unit was broken. You glared back at him, waiting for an explanation.

“Wait, you can see me?” He asked, looking very surprised. You stared at him back with a look of disbelief. Did he really think that he could just play some funny joke at fucking three in the morning?

“Of course, you idiot,” you muttered, deciding to check your phone and open your SNS account. For some reason, you had a lot of notifications from your high school batch group, which you didn’t notice since you slept early that night, tired from the long trip you took to go all the way back to Daegu. You decided to scroll through the posts, realizing that it was pertaining to the boy standing by your bed.

“Kim Taehyung got into a mysterious accident!” “Why? What happened?” “Nobody knows what happened!” “May Taehyung’s soul rest in peace!”

You could only turn back to him as it dawned to you why he was shocked that you could see him now in your room at three in the morning. He scratched his head, letting out a nervous chuckle before he confirmed the exact thought running inside your head.

“But, I’m dead.”

It was your first time to go back to your hometown in three years after you got into a university in Seoul. It wasn’t that you hated Daegu. In fact, you loved Daegu a lot more compared to Seoul. But, you just didn’t have the time to go back since you had to do required internships over the breaks.

This time, though, you finally had the time to go back to Daegu since you had finished your required hours for the internship already, and your dormitory was getting repaired over the break. Thus, your parents insisted that you go home since they didn’t want to pay for additional expenses, since you still had a month before classes started.

To be honest, you actually looked forward to being able to rest in your stay in Daegu. Even if it was a busy city, it wasn’t as hectic as Seoul. In Seoul, it seemed like everything just gobbled you up from the pressure that was imposed on you on a daily basis. However, Daegu wasn’t like that. It still offered the peaceful nights that you missed during the past three years you had in college.

But, of course, how could you rest when you were being bugged by the ghost of your high school classmate?

“I know you can hear me. Stop ignoring me!”

You refused to acknowledge his presence as you continued to go about your day and browsed through your social media accounts. They were all filled with obituaries and news about Taehyung’s accident. Surprisingly, there were no details about how he got into an accident. All that’s been uncovered was the fact that his body was mysteriously found on an empty lot.

“Notice meeee.”

Last night, you were able to get away from the shock of realizing as you tried to play it off that you were probably hallucinating before you covered yourself completely with your blanket and went back to sleep. Fortunately, he might’ve relented to that since it was three in the morning at that time.

It was a different story, though, when you woke up. 

Taehyung would follow you everywhere: from the moment you had to eat breakfast with your family (“Sweetie, how was your sleep?” “Oh, it was good, Mom.” “Hi, Ma'am. Your older daughter isn’t paying attention to me. Well, it’s stupid though because you can’t hear me, but I’m sure your daughter can!”) to you, lingering by the sofa as you watched the television with your younger sister (“Why do you even watch this show? This show is crappy! I can’t believe Seoul corrupted your taste in television shows!”) and even now, in your room because you got pissed off by his endless commentary, while you were trying to watch your favorite dramas (“Ah! That couple is so stupid. Why are they making stupid choices? Why can’t they ju- wait. Where are you going now?”)

“Are you seriously not going to pay attention to me?”

You avoided to turn to his direction, hoping that he would just disappear. You didn’t want him to realize that you really could see him because, really, who wanted to be haunted by the ghost of your high school classmate?

“Well, if that’s how it is, maybe, I’ll just leave. I mean, it’s obvious that maybe, the thing earlier just worked because it was three in the morning. I guess, I’m just going to linger around as a ghost in this world. I’m never going to be able to solve my lingering regret in this world and go to the afterlife….” he mumbled at the last part as he started to walk out of your room, easily passing through the wall.

You sighed in relief as soon as the coast was clear. While you did want him to be able to move on to the afterlife, but you didn’t want to be the person who would be able to solve his regrets. It was something that was better left to professionals, just like the ones that people saw on the television. 

You decided to take a shower, realizing that the heat was sticking on to your skin and you just hated that feeling. You stripped down to your underwear when you heard a noise coming through the wall.

“Or maybe I should just wait again until three in the morning so I can talk to yo- oh.” He paused on his actions, startled for a moment before he slowly took in your current state of being almost naked.

“YAH! KIM TAEHYUNG!”

You were sitting on your bed, drying your hair with your towel, while a guilty-looking Taehyung sat on the floor. He fidgeted with his fingers, a habit he had whenever he felt nervous about something. You continued to dry your hair, not wanting to break the silence between the two of you.

“… so, you can actually see me, huh?” He asked, looking at you with an embarrassed look on his face. You wondered why he was the one feeling embarrassed when you were the one who was caught almost naked.

“I thought we’ve established that already.”

He scratched his head, obviously very apologetic, ”I’m sorry for seeing you naked. I didn’t expect that you could actually see me-”

“So, you were planning to just watch if I couldn’t see you?” You asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Th-That wasn’t my intention when I came in.”

Your eyes rolled back to your head. “Pervert.”

“A-Anyways,” he said, clearing his throat. “Don’t you have to apologize to me for ignoring me the whole morning? It’s rude to ignore people, you know!” He pointed at you with an accusatory tone.

“You’re not exactly a person,” you tried to reason out, but then, you regretted your words as soon as you saw the look on his face. The look of conviction from earlier disappeared and was replaced by dejection, especially as the reality that he was dead dawned on him yet again. You tried to take back your words, “I mean-”

“No, you don’t have to feel bad for me. I’ve already accepted the fact that I’m dead. That’s why I just wanted to know why I died,” he said, a sad smile appearing on his face. “That’s also why I need you. I need someone to help me uncover why I died in the first place.” He turned to you with a serious look on his face.

“Taehyung, I think it’s better if you consulted a professional, to be honest. A girl like me can’t do anything,” you sighed at the last part.

“What do you mean that you can’t do anything?” Taehyung frowned, as if he were the one being insulted. “You’ve always been so great in everything! It’s true that you can’t dance, but so what? Your grades were always high and you made it to one of the SKY universities!” He said, an excited look on his face. “If there’s anyone else who can do it, it’s always been you!”

You shook your head, sighing. ”Look, Taehyung, I don’t have the connections I need so that I can easily discover the reason why you died. That’s why I still think that it’s better to consult a professional medium. I mean, they’ve probably done it a million times.“

He stared at you, hoping that you would change your mind, but you stood firm on your suggestion. He sighed, finally relenting to your suggestion. “Okay, fine.”

You took it as a ‘go signal’ as you immediately took your phone and googled the nearest spirit medium to your house. "Oh, there’s one a few blocks away from my house. We can head down there now. The sooner you talk to one, the faster you’ll be able to solve your regret!” You grinned towards him as he gave a slight nod, seemingly unenthusiastic about it, but you chose to ignore it. He might just feel awkward about having to consult a spirit medium in the first place. Contrary to common belief, Taehyung wasn’t actually a superstitious person, even if he was raised by his grandmother. 

“Look, I’ll just change into proper clothes, and then, we’ll go right away, okay?” you asked, picking a few clothes as you heard an unenthusiastic ‘okay’ from him. You decided to choose some light clothes since it was pretty hot as you decided to take off your shirt. However, for some reason, you felt like turning around, only to see Taehyung who was still there, looking at you as if you weren’t going to need privacy. He blinked his eyes as you stared at him, motioning that he had to leave. However, he just raised his shoulders.

"Yah! Kim Taehyung!”

The spirit medium was an old lady in her forties. She was sporting a red long-sleeved dress and a matching veil that covered her hair. She had a crystal ball in front of her, which she continuously rubbed as you went inside her stall. You patiently sat down on the chair across her with Taehyung standing right behind you.

“So, I’m here because-”

“It’s a ghost, isn’t it?” The lady cut you off as your eyes widened.

“Yes! Yes! It’s a ghost problem!” You grinned as the lady hummed and rubbed the crystal ball again.

“Brown hair, a doll-like face? Brown eyes?”

You nodded as you realized that it matched with Taehyung’s physical appearance.

“The said ghost first appeared to you at three in the morning in your bedroom, am I right?” She asked as you gave a nod.

You turned to Taehyung, who didn’t seem as excited as you were. It weirded you out for a bit since you knew that he wanted to discover the mystery behind his accident immediately. Maybe, he was still feeling a bit skeptical about the spirit medium, but so far, she was accurate with describing Taehyung.

“Ah! The ghost is haunting your house because she died in your bedroom!”

Not.

You turned back to the lady, your eyebrows scrunching in surprise. “E-Excuse me?” You blurted out, wondering if you had heard her wrong for a moment.

“A female ghost is haunting you because she died in your room. And that’s why you need to have your room cleansed. I can have it cleaned for 100,000 won, and I can assure you that you would be able to sleep again,” she said with a crisp tone, though you frowned because you realized that she was actually fake. Taehyung obviously didn’t die in your room, nor was Taehyung a female ghost, for the matter. 

You sighed, scratching your head. "I’ll think about it. Thank you,“ you said as you got up from the seat and left the room, but the lady stopped you, gripping your wrist to prevent you from leaving.

"Consultation fee, sweetie.”

You frowned as you took several bills from your wallet and immediately handed it to her before she released her grip on your wrist and let you leave her tent. Taehyung was walking right beside you, while you were fuming from anger.

“I can’t believe that she had the guts to charge us when she was obviously a fake one!” You grumbled as you continued to walk, but you paused as you realized that Taehyung’s expression still didn’t change from earlier. He still had a skeptical look on his face.

“I actually had a feeling already that she was a phony. She didn’t react even when I was standing right behind you.”

Ah, so that was why he was just silent.

"Well, what are we going to do about it now?” You asked him, taking out your phone. “We can go to other spirit mediums. They may be actually real this time, Taehyung!”

He shook his head at your suggestion. “Well, I was thinking of doing the very thing that I’ve always told you from the start. I have you and that’s already okay with me,” he said as his eyes crinkled along with the smile on his face. You felt your heart skip a beat for a moment, making you blink in surprise. Taehyung always had a way with his words, but you should already know better this time.

“I-I, well, thank you,” you replied as he nodded. The two of you started to walk towards your house as you saw someone familiar walking along the gates of your house.

“Jimin?” You called as the pink-haired boy looked up and waved at you.

“How are you? I heard that you were finally home!” Jimin grinned as you ran towards him and gave him a hug. Park Jimin was one of your closest friends from high school. He was a transferee in your high school, while you were in the middle of your second year. His family had to transfer from Busan because of his father’s work. However, even if transferred in the middle of the school year, the two of you easily became close friends, especially since the two of you had similar interests.

“Well, yah, I guess I’m home,” you told him as Jimin continued smiling. He somewhat looked the same, though you realized that he might have lost the baby fat he had on his face back in high school. Then again, you haven’t seen him for years already.

“When did you arrive? He asked.

"Yesterday, actually. But, I slept early because I got tired from the trip.”

“By the way, have you heard about Kim Taehyung’s accident? I was so surprised that it happened to him,” Jimin asked as you nodded, but feeling awkward because the two of you were talking about Taehyung, who was standing beside you. “I haven’t heard any announcement regarding his memorial yet, but I’m pretty sure that the details would be out anytime soon.”

You casted a look at Taehyung who was just silent the whole time. It was weird that he wasn’t trying to insert himself into the conversation like what he did earlier when you were having breakfast with your family. Then again, Jimin and Taehyung weren’t really close friends in high school.

“Do you know what exactly happened to him, though?” You tried asking him. After all, Jimin always knew the ins and the outs of this city, especially the rumors.

“Nobody really knows what happened,” he replied, shaking his head. “I don’t think anyone would hate Kim Taehyung, too. He’s a really nice guy, you know, despite what happened to yo-”

“I’ll have to go inside first, Jimin. I’m a bit tired because I had to go somewhere,” you cut him off, hoping that Taehyung wouldn’t realize what Jimin was referring to. The pink-haired guy nodded, probably understanding that you felt awkward about talking about that incident, as he said his good-byes before you went inside your house and immediately headed to your room with Taehyung in tow.

“I guess my family is still in shock over my death. That’s why there isn’t any memorial just yet,“ Taehyung remarked as he sat down on the floor. Obviously, he didn’t hear what Jimin was about to say because he was in shock that his family has yet to hold a memorial for him. You simply stayed silent, unsure on what to say to comfort him. "I mean, me, too, especially since it was such a weird accident. I don’t even remember the details of what happened or like where I was hours before I died. I know that I was in my home, watching the television and the next thing I know was me, staring at my own bruised body in the abandoned lot,” he said, trying to recount the events on the day he died.

Your eyes widened upon hearing his account of his death. “So, you mean that you were abducted from your house and then, someone just killed you, while you were unconscious?” You asked him as he nodded.

“I guess? Well, the person who killed me must have really hated me,“ Taehyung sighed as your eyes widened in realization. How could anyone hate Taehyung? He was always nice and optimistic. He was the type who would greet everyone with smile that always reminded you of the golden sun on a warm day.

“But for what reason?” You asked him as he raised his shoulders.

“I didn’t have any recent squabble with anyone, to be honest. I mean, I do argue with some people, but I made sure I made up with them before we parted ways,” Taehyung said, scratching his head.

You held off asking for a moment, knowing that you reached the endpoint of what Taehyung knew about his accident. It was pretty clear that he didn’t know anything more about his death, aside from what he told you. Unfortunately, the things he did tell you were pretty useless. You wouldn’t blame him, though. Because if, indeed, he really died in that manner, then it would’ve made sense because, otherwise, he would’ve remembered who the perpetrator was.

You turned back to him, seeing him looking down, obviously bothered by the lack of information he could provide you with. His eyebrows were furrowed deep, as if he was trying hard to recall anymore details.

“Don’t get yourself beaten up over it. We’ll find another way to find out about what happened,” you promised him as he turned to you with a surprised look on his face. “I promise that before I go back to Seoul in one month, I’ll be able to solve the mystery behind your death, okay, Taehyung?”

He gave you a thumbs up, giving a wide grin to your direction. “Wah, you’re so responsible.” He grinned, “This is why you’re someone who’s so likable.”

Your heart skipped a beat over what he said as you tried to shake it off, getting rid of whatever emotion you felt. It was as if you were returning to your high school self who was hung up on him, only to feel like you were left hanging in the end.

“Is it okay if you leave my room for a bit? I have to take a shower and change into more comfortable clothes,” you told him as he nodded and left your room, while you sat down on the floor.

You had to remind yourself that you weren’t going to fall in love with Taehyung again. This time, you were mature enough to figure out that Taehyung being with you at the moment, was merely because you were the only one who could see him and help him out. It wasn’t because he was in love with you or something. You made that mistake in high school when you thought that Taehyung liked you back because he was hanging out with you a lot in the past. But, that wasn’t the case. You misunderstood his intentions in the past, and that’s why you weren’t going to do that again this time around.

This time, you knew better.

The next day, you found yourself lingering around the lot where Taehyung was found. The policemen were still present, the lot covered with the yellow police tape. Taehyung, however, decided not to go with you, simply shaking his head when you suggested to go to the lot. You didn’t insist, knowing that he was probably traumatized about the accident that cost his life.

"Only authorized men are allowed inside, Missy. You obviously aren’t authorized, so you should stay away,” a pale-looking policeman stopped you from encroaching the area. He had a stoic look on his face that made it obvious to you that he didn’t want you to go inside. You understood that he didn’t want anyone to just go inside the lot and contaminate the scene of the crime, but you also had a reason why you should go inside.

You scratched your head, trying to find a reason you could give him that would make him let you go inside the abandoned lot. “Well, you see, there’s a reason why I have to be here,” you insisted, wrecking your head for possible reasons. Unfortunately, you were really bad at lying. 

“You’re one of those kids who are trying to play detective, right? God, kids nowadays,” he muttered, clicking his tongue, obviously showing his distaste.

“Hey, I actually know what I’m doing!”

“Yup, you and a million other kids who were curious about Kim Taehyung’s death. That kid seriously-”

“What’s going on here?”

A familiar voice had interrupted you as you turned around and saw Taehyung’s older cousin, Kim Seokjin. He was wearing his police uniform as he went near you and the pale-faced policeman. 

“You’re Taehyung’s friend, aren’t you? That girl whom I often saw Taehyung was with at the movies!” He recognized you as you scratched your head nervously and nodded. During your time in high school, Jin used to work part-time at the movie theatre  place. That was why Taehyung easily scored free movie tickets that he would bribe you with to tutor him in a few subjects he had some difficulty with.

“Yup, that’s me. I was just here because, well, you know,” you tried to find your words, looking around the lot when you spotted a few candles and bouquets of flower at the side, “I just wanted to pay my respects to Taehyung. I mean, it makes more sense that I would go here and pay my respects….”

"Oh, I see, I see,” he said, nodding. It was obvious that people already went here to actually pay their respects for Taehyung since there wasn’t any announcement for a memorial or whatsoever. "But then, I can’t really let you in. You know that it’s protocol, right?“ He asked as you nodded, understanding his situation. But, you couldn’t just leave without getting any information about Taehyung’s death. For sure, the policemen should have more details about Taehyung’s death, but you had to be discreet in getting more information about the matter.

"It’s really sad that Taehyung died,” you mentioned in passing as he nodded, agreeing with you.

“It’s a very mysterious accident, to be honest. Nobody knows why and how it happened. The next day, a battered and bruised body was just found here in this exact lot and it turned out to be Taehyung’s,” Jin clenched his jaw, before puffing a heavy sigh, “I can’t believe anyone would do it to a very good child like Taehyung.”

This time, it was your turn to nod in agreement. 

However, the subject of the conversation shifted to you as he asked you about what you were doing now after high school. You told him about your life in college, how you tried to adjust your accent to suit Seoul’s accent, and other things. It didn’t take long, however, before Jin had to leave you, especially since his presence was needed by his superiors. He gave his good-bye as you took a final glance at the area before you started to walk going home. 

For some reason, you suddenly missed Taehyung’s presence, especially since he was always around you for the past two days. But then, you knew that he couldn’t always be with you all the time, especially when you knew that learning more about his death would be traumatic for him, even if he was a ghost.

All of a sudden, your phone started to ring as you were about to go inside your house. However, the caller ID was not registered. You, nevertheless, answered it, curious about the identity of the person who would call you all of a sudden.

“Hello? Who is this please?” You politely asked as you waited for the other person to respond.

“Young girl,” a robotic voice answered, “if you don’t want your life to be endangered, I suggest you stop snooping around the accident surrounding Kim Taehyung’s death.”

Your eyes widened as you realized that it was Taehyung’s murderer.

“Hello? Hello? Who is this?” You tried asking, but it was futile since the phone call had already ended. You immediately tried to look around your surroundings, wondering if the murderer was around you or whatsoever. You couldn’t believe that the actual murderer would find out that you were trying to snoop around, despite the fact that it had only been two days since you started seeing Taehyung.  

“Look at you. You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Taehyung’s voice interrupted your thoughts as you turned to where his voice came from and saw him smirking, obviously proud of the joke he just made. On a normal day, you would’ve laughed, but the murderer had contacted you all of a sudden.

“Taehyung, he knows,” you told him as he raised an eyebrow.

“Who knows what?” He asked, puzzled.

“Your murderer knows what we’re trying to do and he just gave me a warning a while ago.”

“Wait, what?” Taehyung’s eyes widened as you nodded. He immediately scrambled and ran towards your back, as if to guard you from behind. “What else are you doing here then? Go inside, you fool!” You hurriedly went inside your house, scrambling towards your room, while he temporarily stayed behind, looking around the area before he followed you to your room.

“So, who else knew about what you did today?” He asked you, furrowing his eyebrows, while looking at the outside through your window.

“I-I, well, there’s your cousin, Jin, and then, the policemen there. They were just the people who I talked to,” you said as Taehyung frowned.

“Did you talk to anyone else in particular?”

You scrunched your eyebrows, trying to recall the people you had talked to. “Well, Jin and this pale-looking guy policeman.”

“You mean, Yoongi?” Taehyung asked.

You raised an eyebrow. “You know him?”

“Ah, yah. He hangs out a lot with Jin recently. And well, since Jin still stayed with my family until recently,  Yoongi dropped by a few times to drop off Jin’s documents from work,” Taehyung said as you nodded.

“Well, that puts our suspect list to two people,” you said as Taehyung scratched his head.

“I still don’t think it’s Jin, though,” Taehyung insisted as you sighed and sat on your bed, turning to him.

“Well, so, you think it’s Yoongi?”

He shook his head.

“Well, who else would know that I’m snooping around, Taehyung?” You asked him, raising an eyebrow. “I mean, I don’t think anyone else knows that I’m here in Daegu, since I’m studying in Seoul, remember?” You reminded him as he gave a slight pout until his face brightened for some reason.

“Well, there’s that boy from Busan. That Busan transferee, Park Jimin.”

You raised an eyebrow, skeptical with his suspicion on your high school classmate. “Really? Jimin? That guy would actually kill you? For what reason?”

“I don’t know, I mean, I don’t really talk to him. So, I wouldn’t really know,” he replied, his eyes diverting away from yours. “Maybe, he’s just a big psycho in real life. You just don’t know that.” You snorted on what he was implying, knowing that you had no reason to suspect Jimin when he never even saw you snooping around. “You seriously don’t believe me? Dude, are you completely sure that he’s innocent? He knows you’re here and you’ve talked about my death. Well, there’s that,” he insisted. 

“We can definitely do this, right, Taehyung?” You asked him, turning to him with a worried look on your face. You had no other details aside from the fact that his body was just found on an abandoned lot. You had no connections to help you out with the details of his death, especially since his cousin, Jin, a policeman, was another suspect for his death.

“There’s nobody else who can do this with me. There’s only you,” he said, a determined look on his face. “You have me. And I have you. I think we’re both good enough to make this work.”  You started writing down three names on the piece of paper, feeling more determined.  

Kim Seokjin

Min Yoongi

Park Jimin

Whoever killed Kim Taehyung was definitely one of these three people. You just had to discover who the murderer was, so that you could bring peace to your friend-turned-ghost who was still lingering in this world. And you had one month to solve it before you had to go back to Seoul for your classes.

What a great way to spend your vacation, right?

[madelinerhetoricandethics]

Assignment 1

Can you teach a person to be good? Is it ever ethical to lie? Why be ethical? These three questions have influenced my thinking not only as an ethical and moral rhetor but as a human being. Over the first few weeks of this course, we have explored the ideas of being moral. Through, Robert Coles reading The Disparity Between Intellect and Character, Martin Luther King’s Love, Law and Civil Disobedience and John Duffy’s Post-Truth and First-Year Writing, I feel like I have been able to connect worldly events with textualized evidence and have attempted to formulate opinions in terms of answering these major ethical questions that shape our daily lives. At this point in my life, I am twenty-two, I am a Senior in college I know who I am as a person and I have my opinions on morality and ethics. Through this course, I have discovered that there is so much more to my thinking and that this exploration of readings and questioning has awakened my interest in learning more about who I am as a person and understanding these rhetors various opinions on society and morality.

Can you teach a person to be good? In short – maybe. This is a situational question. Two significant things shape a person: nature and nurture. We are who we are based on our genetics, but also based on our experiences. I consider myself to have a good head on my shoulders and understand morality for what it is. I have learned not to lie and be honest because at a young age I was punished for lying. I learned not to drink too much because I watched one of my best friends end up in the hospital one night. A parent’s goal is to teach their children how to be fair and just and have similar moral values. Although this is an idealistic view because every family is different and generation to generation children are changing. Every child you pass is glued to an iPad, most of my acquaintances and friends were raised playing Barbie’s. This technological takeover will impact future generations personalities and their moral views on the world. In addition, teaching someone to be good can be compared to trying to break an unbreakable habit, like smoking. I have learned and become who I am because of my experience, and as a whole, I do think I am a good and moral person with the best intentions. A few years ago maybe not, but college has shaped me and helped me mature. There are people in this world who have grown into who they are and could not be changed for the better. Adolf Hitler, for example, was raised in a typical Austrian household and moved to Germany at a young age, he went to high school and college and took an interest in politics and quickly became a nationalist, like his father. In time he invested so much passion into politics and eventually had a radical approach. Hitler is a man in history that will be forever questioned for his intentions and his character. He has been written about in history books and has been psycho-analyzed for centuries. In a time of crisis, he rose to power and gave the people of Germany a united faith to focus on during a period of an unstable economy. In his life, there was no turning back for him. No one could have changed the man he had become. Hitler could not be taught to be better or to improve because he was too far gone. In contrast, the idea that “character is higher than intellect,” means that the personalities of the smartest people in the world may not be equivalent to their IQ. Coles’ experience proves this idea true. His interaction with his students a man who gets straight A’s and is top of his class at Harvard, but is disrespectful and rude to his peers. On paper, he is a stellar candidate and partner, but in person, his character and persona cannot stand alone. Based on my personal experiences and the readings I feel as though the intention to help morph and shape someone to be better is a great a day, but a certain point in our lives there is no turning back we are set in our ways.

Is it ever ethical to lie? In short-no. This is a situational question, and I change my answer every day. Lying is always a controversial and hard topic to discuss. It is assumed to be a harmful act, but sometimes people lie, to protect others. Lying is defined as a form of deception, but not all types of fraud are lies. A lie always starts as something small and continues to grow. If a friend asks you, “do you like my sweater,” and you know it looks horrible you make the cognitive decision to lie to not offend them, but also to not get into a debate about why it looks bad. We have all been there but in various scenarios. Most people would say that lying is a collective act, but is always wrong. We have discussed how people believe the worst and that if you lie once you automatically lie again. To not lie is considered a common universal rule for all in society. There must be a moral balance or some equilibrium. Moral balance in lying can be achieved, but the question is, is it worth it? Do the ends justify the means? In Dr. King’s Love, Law, and Civil Disobedience, he describes that the “means must be as pure as the end,” and “immoral, destructive means cannot bring about moral and constructive ends (45).” King concludes that any violation of ethical and rhetorical order is disregarding the means. His perspective is considered to be idealistic because the means can be described as a person lying to protect their family and/or not wanting to hurt someone – a logic that has the intent of being pure.  It is part of the universal code we as humans hope to abide by daily. Verbally, when you lie, you are convicting a rhetorical crime, by not telling the truth. In Duffy’s article, Post-Truth and First-Year Writing, “rhetoric is the study of misunderstandings and their remedies,” still holds to the idea of lying. We discussed how lying does have negative impacts as well, but usually, when it is done, it is a tool used to protect someone. I do not believe in lying because if roles were reversed, I would not want someone lying to me regardless of the situation. I want honesty. If I am asking you for your opinion, I want it in full. Based on our class discussions and my experience with lying I do believe that there needs to be a common rule about lying and its limitations. German philosopher Immanuel Kant, believe that the rhetoric of lying forces a statement of some story and that the liar must speak or write out a gesture. A common phrase, “living a lie,” meaning someone is not truthful about who they are as a person. Lying diminishes trust between humans and in the end truth is always the most valuable thing. Lying can make a personal impact, but also a global effect on society. In a court of law, the truth is the most valued piece evidence and the key to solving any mystery, that is why it is priceless. The issue with lying is can it be justified? Should we all lie to protect someone or will we take it too far at one point? Should we only nix lying all together? How do we move up from here? Once a lie is told, there is no going back, and the guilt will rot forever. Fessing up after the fact is an option, but the lie will still hurt the person.

Why be ethical? Why do the right thing? As a child my mom always told me, “do the thing that counts and then don’t count it.” I never fully understood what that meant until my teenage years when I would hold the door for someone and expect them not to thank me, hold the elevator open, or say “bless you,” when someone sneezed. Doing the right thing is morally correct, but if you are looking for praise for doing the right thing that can be seen as immoral. In life we make choices. As students at Syracuse, we choose to wake up every day and go to class. No one is forcing us to. We choose what we wear, what we eat and everything else in between. Why hold the door open for someone? Do you do it because it is the right thing to do? Do you do it because your parents raised you that way? I do it out of habit, and when someone does it for me, I am usually surprised because of the way our society is. In the twenty-first century, most of us doubt humanity. We doubt politics because we look at the way our government operates. Everything is out in the open on social media, which in years past would not be considered ethical. Who says it is ethical to use social media platforms as a basis to exploit other politicians or peers? No one did, but that is the way society is. In Duffy’s article, Post-Truth and First-Year Writing, he discusses how the government spews “fake news” as a type of resistance and how this bears no truth to reality. The concept of fake news is completely unethical because it creates false information and shares it instantaneously through media. He describes the humility in using newspapers and media to stir a world-wide pot of news with incorrect information. Ilhan Omar has been battling anti-Semitic charges for the past few weeks insinuating that American support for Israel is because of money. She has used Twitter as her platform to apologize and has received criticism from the American government. A Muslim woman is assumed to be against Israelis due to the Israeli-Palestinian issues that have been consuming the media for the last few months, but if any other person made comments, they would not be persecuted and accused of being anti-Semitic. Is it ethical to attack a woman for her beliefs? She has the right to freely express herself and yet is being persecuted for her opinions.

Can you teach a person to be good? Is it ever ethical to lie? Why be moral? These three significant questions are all connected because in this day in age it is nearly impossible to shape someone into a good person based on today’s media and government. There is no longer any privacy. These past few weeks while I have been exploring these questions and searching for answers within the readings, my own life experience and within current events I have found that it is a struggle. Unfortunately, we doubt the morality and character of the people around us. We suspect that people will be nice first-hand and now trust is something hard to find. I think in time the world will improve because change is always needed, but it is a gradual process. I try to find the best in people and have a positive outlook on the world, but it seems to be a struggle currently for the American government and society. Based on my experiences it is easy to shape the younger generations through communications, but now technology firmly stands in the way. This project has helped me further explore what it truly means to be ethical and moral, but also connect my life to the terms and work we have done in class, thus far. There are two sides to any ethical and moral question, which is why I struggle with making decisions in my life but also looking at the decisions people make around me. Every decision is a choice and what you choose shapes your lifestyle, but always “do the thing that counts and then don’t count it.”  

[decadenttimetravelmentality-blog]

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I recently had an accident on my motorbike where a car did a U-turn in front of me and I went over the handlebars. I fractured my heel, broke a finger and tore the ligaments in my legs. I've been in pain since it happened and am only just getting well enough after 2 Months to walk without crutches. I have not had any sick pay as I work for agencies and have lost around 500 a week. This has almost caused me to lose my house. I want to know how much money I should expect to get as a payout? I'm not expecting to be back at work for a few weeks yet and I still have limited movement in my legs (I can't crouch down).""

""Car parked on drive, do I need insurance?""

I am buying a car in aprivate sale very soon, although will not be able to drive it until April 1st. Will I be able to just leave the car on my drive without insurance or is that illegal?""

Average cost in nj for 17 year old girl for car insurance?

thanks

Can insurance company's raise your deductible without you knowing it?

My Daddy thought he had full homeowners coverage for years with a $250 deductible. He found out last week he wasn't as covered as he thought and his deductible mysteriously rose to $1,000. How could a company do that without notification?""

1992 BMW 850I CALIFORNIA INSURANCE PRICE?

IM 19 YEARS OLD I PAY $115 FOR MY TOYOTA MR2

Car Insurance approximation...?

I would like to know approximately how much it would cost to insure a 2009 Nissan Altima Hybrid, 4 doors, 2.5, 15,000km, I am 59 years of age, live in the Quebec Penninsula Area. One driver only, for leisure purposes""

Good Renters Insurance?

What's a good renter's insurance company and the approximate cost ?

Do you know of a good motor insurance company?

I have just bought a merc. Need a good and reliable insurance company. Please suggest one.

Can my mom insure my car she does not own (California)?

So I am 21 and have a car with a learners permit and I wont get a license until Jan. Can my mom insure the car even though her name is not on the registration until I get my license and will then be the primary driver? In this case I would only be driving with her under the learners permit guidelines. My mom would be driving the car on a daily basis to take my little sister to school and stuff because right now it's our family's only car. In Jan. I would have the insurance put under my name and have her added as a driver.

Buying auto insurance?

Is it possible for someone to buy auto insurance with their brother?

I do not have regular health Insurance?

I regularly go for activities like white water rafting. Is it possible to buy cover for injuries from such activities on per event basis?

How much would car insurance be for a 17 year old (1998-1999 Renault Clio 1.2)?

Approximately? xx

Cheapest car for a learner driver to insure?

my mums insurance wont insure anyone under 21 and my dads insurance want just under 3000, so i wondered which would be the cheapest car for a learner driver to insure? thanks xxx""

Rough estimate for Car Insurance Cost For Second Year?

Hi peeps. I Have a question about car insurance. I am basically looking for qualified guesses from people who have previous experience with this sort of thing. I am a first year driver. Im 21 and i passed my test in early August and was driving straight away because i had bought my car the month before hand. The car i own is a 1.4 Ford Fiesta Zetec 2002. I paid around 1250 for the year for insurance and i did it through Quinn Direct. My question is, does anybody know a rough figure of what it might be next year baring in mind i have never claimed? I have tried running new quotes on comparison websites but they are based on new customers and all come out at around 1500 to 4000 If anyone has used this company or even another company and situation was similar could you please tell me the rough figure of what it was reduced to/from just so i can maybe have an idea of what to expect Any help is greatly appreciated. Cheers :)""

""Where is the cheapest place to get auto insurance in st. petersburg, FL 33701?""

Haven't had insurance in awhile, just bought a new/used truck. Just need the basics. Live in st. pete area code 33701.""

What is the best car insurance company for a 16 year old?

I'll be turning 16 next year and i want to get a headstart on what the best car insurance is for a 16 year old male in New York

Can I go on my boyfriends health insurance florida?

I am living with my boyfriend for a year can I go on his health insurance

Insurance for Yamaha enticed 125?

I'm Looking at buying a Yamaha enticer but insurance is very dear as I haven't been riding a year yet but I'm Moving up from a 50cc Moped. If anyone had been in this situation and found cheap insurance deals for 125's please let me know.

""What is a good site for getting a quote for insurance on a moped, 50cc?""

I need to insure a 50cc moped, does anyone no anywhere I can get some good quotes""

How much is insurance on a genesis coupe?

I'm thinking about getting a genesis coupe sometime in june. How much is insurance on this car? I'll be 17, and I have done drivers ed.""

MINI One for first car? Insurance?

Desperately want a mini for my first car but they're quite expensive - especially insurance! Was wondering the approx cost of insurance on a mini one for a 17 year old after passing, I haven't passed yet so can't get a quote :/ Also, are 2003-4 reg minis more prone to problems & break downs? Loads of people I know have minis so can't be that bad? Or their just wealthy haha""

Health insurance costs...what do you pay?

My husband is in the military and is thinking about getting out. Our health insurance is totally covered right now but in the civilian world we have no idea what the cost will be if he doesn't get a job that offers benifits. I'm looking for any info about what people pay monthly, and co-pays for health insurance for a family with 1-2 children. Thank you so mcuh!!!""

dial direct online insurance quote

dial direct online insurance quote

Mandating health insurance?

I heard that HIllary and Obama want to mandate health insurance. How is that going to solve anything? People can't afford it, like me. Health insurance should be like car insurance, people pay their own way and if they don't have it they pay for their repairs or don't get fixed.""

Temporary vehicle registration and insurance in California for uk citizen?

Hi, Myself and a friend will be travelling to California next month to purchase a 1960s vw campervan. We will be driving it to the shipping port to export it back to the uk. I've been told we can get a temporary registration which lasts 28 days and will allow us to drive the van. I've been on the californian DMV website but cannot find any more information or the forms. no email address either! So far I just know we will need to have an insurance certificate to get the temporary registration. Couple of questions really, Do I need to purchase a van before I can get the temporary registration? Ideally I would like to go buy a van and drive it away there and then from the seller but Im thinking I'll have to put a deposit down or similar and get the info and go to the DMV before I can take it away? Second question is insurance, I guess the best idea would be to go with an American company. Will they insure a uk citizen who's just over for a few weeks with just a uk driving license? Any suggestions of companies who may do so? In the uk we have a company called swift who only deal online. This would be ideal because then I wouldn't need an address forms/certificates to be sent. Any ideas? Reason were not getin it transported is because we want to do a bit of travelling on route to a east coast port.""

What would be an estimate for in on a 2WD silverado for a 16 year old male living in California?

I recently got my license and am looking at ins. Can someone find me a quote (or at least give me an idea) for a 16 year old male living in California. The vehicle would be a 2WD 2006 Silverado. I also have a clean record if that helps at all. Thanks!

I totaled my car. Car insurance question?

I got a new car that was worth about $19,000 last year. Ive only had the car for a year and 2 months. I had an accident and my car was totalled. I have full coverage insurance. I havent paid off the car, so I still owe quite a bit of money on it. Does the insurance pay off the rest of my car, or will I keep having to make payments on it and pay off the loan? Im so confused. Someone please explain this to me. Thanks in advance!""

Compare long term insurance prices?

compare long term insurance policies from the recomended insurance companies genworth, metro life, coastline federal, ltci""

Do you have to insure a road legal quad?

One with number plates, i want one. I'm 17 and don't have 5 grand to insure my own car, so what about a road legal quad? Are they loads to insure, or are they free to drive on a road? Thanks.""

I am Looking for a Best site for Comparing HEALTH INSURANCE Quotes Online?

Are there reasonable car insurance quotes comparison sites online that someone can link me?

What are 2 Door car insurance choices?

I live in New York City , and im trying to do all my research before i jump the gun and even buy my insurance and car ( Tho i do know what i want ). But these are what i want to know .""

Can I get insurance that isn't based in my state?

I currently live in South Carolina and I'm in need of a particular surgical procedure, and my current insurance provider rules the surgery as cosmetic when in fact, an orthodontist, dentist, and an oral surgeon all suggested that surgery is a good option for me. They've all told me the same thing, however, that the surgery is difficult to get approved. So I did a bit of research and only one insurance company in the entire United States covers the procedure (That I could find). But, this insurance (Kaiser Permanente) isn't offered in my state. It is however offered in Georgia, which is relatively close. So my question is, could I switch to Kaiser Permanente if I don't live in Georgia, California, or one of their other locations? It's orthognatic surgery, in case it's relevant.""

""Is car insurance on a coupe, two seater car really that expensive?

or is it only like $20 extra as compared to a regular four door? my mom makes it sound like its another hundred....

Survey - Are you in good hands?

Survey - Are you in good hands?

Need information on affordable senior health insurance?

I need information on affordable senior health insurance policies. Im leaning toward a private insurance company, like this one- http://seniorhealthinsurance-fl.com/ (if possible) in the Florida area. Thanks!""

Would a V6 minivan generally have a higher or lower insurance rate than an equally equipped V6 sedan?

I'm shopping for a used car, and I figure if I can get all that extra space without it costing more I'll do it...""

I am after cheap public liability insurance for my bussiness with $5000000 cover in Australia?

The best price i've got so far is $476.63, but I want to pay less than $250 if I can, and I do not care if they are not an Australian company.""

How much would insurance be on a dodge stealth?

i am going to be sixteen and i may be buying a 92 stealth and i need to know how much insurance would be. it is only a 5,000 dollar car. but the speed meter goes to 160mph.""

Does installing a new stereo into your car affect your insurance?

A lot of car insurance companies ask whether any modifications have been made to the car and I was just wondering on whether this included stereos.

How much (roughly) would car insurance for this car be a year?

im going to be 15 when i would be driving it and its a 1998 Lincoln Navigator and im with state farm and i will be added onto my moms policy and my sisters also on it and my mom and my sister have never been in car wrecks and im taking drivers ed and I live in montana (low crime) so about roughly how much would it cost a year for insurance on this car?

Pulled over and had no car insurance?

I'm in the state of IL and I just moved here so I don't know their laws too well. I got pulled over a few days ago which really pissed me off because I make sure to do absolutely nothing wrong so I don't have to deal with cops. Well I got pulled over because my front license plate was in my front window instead of screwed to the front of my car (it won't fit there on my vehicle and where I come from you don't even need a front one). Pretty much the cop just wanted to waste time because he was bored....this is why i really dislike cops because I did nothing wrong and someone ran a stop sign right in front of me! lol Well anyway I had no insurance on the car unfortunately. I don't need a lecture because I know I have to have insurance. So he kept my drivers license and set up a court date for me. I'm getting car insurance this Friday. I've heard 2 different things. One is that as long as I get insurance before my court date nothing at all will probably happen. Another person and the cop said that I had to prove I had insurance the day I got pulled over or I could be fined or whatever. Does anyone know what penalties I face if I have insurance when I show up to court? Can my license be taken away? The car isn't even in my name if that matters.

First automobile accident. How much will my payments increase?

I'm 25 and have just been in my first automobile accident in which I was at fault. I hit the side of another vehicle. My car is only damaged slightly on the front bumper, while the other car's passenger side is quite dented. No one was hurt in the accident and I didn't receive a ticket. Both of us were able to drive away from the scene. I do have automobile insurance which should cover any damages to the other car, but I am concerned that this will cause my insurance payment to increase. Thoughts?""

""Where can I find the absolute cheapest auto insurance in Kennwick, WA?""

I need cheap basic liability auto insurance for my car, who can help?""

What is required for a new resident in England (from Canada) to get car insurance?

Moving to England shortly, and it will be so much easier to find work and move into a new place if we have a car first. What information will we need to get insurance? We will be living with friends, so we could use their address and phone number until we get our own place. But will we need a national insurance number before we can get car insurance? British bank account? We'll be getting those things, but it would be so much easier to have the car first. Basically, what is required for us to provide in order to get a car bought, insured, and on the road? (We'll be paying cash.)""

Does anyone know cheap car insurance websites for a 22 year old driver?

hi i am a 22 year old driver and i live in NJ does anyone know any cheap car insurance web sites?

Whats a good health insurance company?

One that is affordable, has good coverage, good selection of choices? Fair, good quality, what do you recommend ?""

Best overall car insurance company?

In your opinion (or based on any experiences) what is the best kind of car insurance?

What car colors are more expensive for insurance?

I am buying a new car and I have found the one I want but I need lower insurance so what color is cheapest and what is most expensive.

dial direct online insurance quote

dial direct online insurance quote

Insurance for a cheap car?

Hi all, i am living in NYC which has notoriously high car insurance rates. I'm looking to purchase a second beater car to work on as a side hobby. This car would run anywhere from $500-$2000. Is there anyway to insure this car without it being $100/mo? Because those are the quotes i am currently getting for just liability insurance. Seems a bit ridiculous seeing how the cost of insurance would go over the value of the car in just a year or so.""

Healthcare Insurance: True or False?

1. The Affordable Care Act does not require employers to provide health insurance for their employees. 2. No employer, in any state, is required to provide health insurance to any employee, full time or part time. 3. Employers do not have to report the cost of insurance on employee W-2s in 2011. This reporting is optional in 2011. The reporting requirement is intended to be informational and provide employees with greater transparency into health care costs. The amounts reported are not taxable.""

Need affordable dog insurance?

Hi I am a college student and getting a puppy soon, i need an affordable , and good dog insurance, please if you have one...give me the details and which insurance you have, i would really appreciate it. Thanks!""

Question about car insurance?

1. How long does it take to get insurance? Can we go in and apply for it tommorrow and have it when we walk out? Or is there a waiting period? How long until you are legally covered? 2. If you get insurance on a car you are going to sell/trade in - can you switch over your insurance to cover the new car? Or how does that work? Problem is, our truck isn't insured right now but we're planning on buying a new car in the next month or 2.. will that make things more difficult for us? - first time insurance buyer""

Which is cheapest car insurance in new york?

i want to buy a car but i know the insurance of the car is very expensive. I will like to know if there is a car insurance that i can afford.

Auto insurance companies keep calling me?!?

i went online looking for some quotes now all kinds on insurance companies are call my phone leaving voice mails. about 20 calls in a hour. is there a way i can get my number off the insurance quote list /something?? thankyou!

My insurance policy quote went up?

I have 2 cars registered under my name. Because I use to have one and I gave it to my younger sister and bought a new one so I now have both under my name. She got a speeding ticket this year and also did not have her DL on her. So what happen was that they wrote the ticket under my name and put my DL number and now that shows up on my driving record and when I looked at my insurance renewal notice the quote increased. How can I get this off my record since it was not my fault?

""I got into a tiny accident today. I am 19, about how much do yo think insurance premium is going to go up?""

There are 2 other 45yr old drivers on the insurance already, I wan't added to it yet. About the damages. I have a 9 in diameter dent in the car above the front bumper. The person's car I hit had 5 to 2 minor scratches on her back bumper. She called the police, who will probably automatically put it through insurance.""

Wats the cheapest car insurance company for young drivers?

Wats the cheapest car insurance company for young drivers?

Can someone tell me what the cheapest car insurance is for college students?

Can someone tell me what the cheapest car insurance is for college students?

Why Is my car insurance so expensive?

I'm just trying to find a good quote for the renewal of my car insurance, due in November 10. The cheapest I can get for a THIRD PARTY FIRE & THEFT only is 800!!!! for the following circumstances: Driver: male 32 yo, EU national living in the UK since 2003.Home owner. No convictions or anything like that. Full UK licence that I got converted in 2005, though I had held a full EU licence for 9 years before that. In full employment. The car: 1998 R reg For Fiesta LX 1.8 Diesel. 3 doors hatchback. Kept in a secure (bollards) street at home during the night and in the company's hyper secure car park during the day. Miles per year: up to 9000. With factory fitted immobiliser plus a anti theft wheel lock. The postcode is not the best, but it can't be the reason for it being so expensive, because my neighbours pay something ridiculous, like 30 or 40 per month for a fully comp policy, and also, because it's not a fully comp policy that I'm after and the car is so cheap (600) that it wouldn't make sense. I'm even ready to go for a third party only, but it turns out even more expensive in the searches... I've even tried with other cars with smaller engines thinking that maybe replacing the car would help... I'm really confused, and that famous website is not helping at all. Hopefully somebody can shed some light on where the problem is. It'd be so very much appreciated...""

Im a 20 year old male and im thinking about getting my first motorcycle. I need suggestions.?

Like i said im a 20 year old student looking into getting a bike. Most of my friends have them and they tell me how much they enjoy riding so i'd like to take up the hobby and ...show more

Best car for cheap car Insurace?

Hi, So I passed my driving test today which is ace. Im 27 male from from West Sussex. Im looking to buy a cheap car that has a cheap insurance premium. So ideally I want a 1.1l Any tips on which cars to look at? Obviously category 1 cars are cheaper but the actual cars are are quite expensive. I just need a banger to chug to work in, no motorways. Any help would be ace. Thanks Dan""

Good car insurance price for teens?

Im 16 and I just got my license. My dad told me the insurance agent said its going to cost $130. I dont think that is including drivers education discount and good grades discount. How much discount a month you think Ill get and is that a good price? (Im getting a Nissan Xterra)

Is insurance expensive on an '01 Hyundai Tiburon?

Is insurance expensive on an '01 Hyundai Tiburon?

Cheap car insurance with no deposit?

where is the best place to get insured that is cheap and no deposit asked for or cheap deposit?, thanks""

Is there such a thing as divorce insurance?

My parents are getting a divorce and, since it's California, the courts favor the female. Even though my mom and dad earn about the same money, my dad has to pay this huge amount to my mom for child support because she got more time with my younger brother. He's 12 and he told the mediator that he would rather live my dad full time, but the court gave my mom more time and made her the custodial parent. How old do you have to be to tell the court which parent you want to live with all the time? Also, just like there is medical insurance, has anyone ever heard of divorce insurance? It would kick in if you're ever stuck with child or spousal support. I haven't found anything on the internet yet.""

I'm 23 and a female. I've never bought car insurance before. Who's cheaper Geico or Progressive?

Is wanting to pay $100 a month unrealistic?

Why is mandatory auto insurance to make sure other drivers can be reimbursed for my actions ok?

But mandatory insurance to make sure doctors and hospitals can be reimbursed for my healthcare is considered socialism?

What is the CHEAPEST Motorcycle Insurance?

I want to buy a fairly new 02 or newer used Crotch Rocket. I have had 3 tickets 2 in 2008 & one in 09 for speeding you know 65 in a 50 stuff like that. Well my insurance will only drop from this point as I have driven the Speed Limit Respectively & will continue to. Well I called my State Farm agent about it & they said it would cost over 400$ a month that is WAY TO MUCH How can I buy a bike & save A LOT on insurance whats the best company? Any advice would be appreciated I turn 20 On July 11th. Please help me I am sick of my car I want a BIKE!

Auto insurance ???

who do auto insurance companies answer to? Auto insurance is a state requirement, but if an Auto insurance company makes a mistake of some sort who are they responsible to? everyone answers to someone...""

I live in PA...I never had car insurance but I'm buying my first car. I can't get a car insurance quote so...

how can I drive the car off the lot if I don't have insurance? I'm lost...can somebody help me solve this problem? Thank you.

Car accident no insurance?

Long story short- we were in a car accident because this lady was trying to turn left over a double yellow line into the gas station and we hit her from behind. Well we didnt have car insurance at the time because my hubby was out of work for 3 months and you pick and choose your bills at that time. So, the cop gave us a ticket and we did a little damage on her car. Her insurance company called and said we are supposed to pay 1500.00 to fix her bumper. Well they said that we can pay a big lump-sum now and they wont take us to court or we can do payments. NOW- i understand that we need to pay for her damages, my question is that can they garnish my husband wages now that he is back at work. Or if we go to small claims court will the cost will be more then what they are offering? I DO NOT think she had that much damage. I took many photos.""

Can i get car insurance from a different adress?

basically where i live my car uinsuranmce would be double that of where my boyfriend lives and i was wondering if i could use his adress for my car insurance. i got o his house for half teh week anyway and im thinking im gunna leave my car there most of trhe time and only bring it home on teh odd accassion and put down on my insurance that i use it for commuting. but teh agress on my license will be different to that on the insurance. i will register the car to my boyfriends adress though. so is this ok? thank you for any help :)

How much do you think my motorcycle insurance will be?

I am getting the CBR125R 2009 HONDA! It's going to be black. I'm a 16 year old girl, and the bike costs $3,599.00 . How much do you think my insurance will be? All together what will it possibly total up to? Thank you!""

dial direct online insurance quote

dial direct online insurance quote

How Much Would Insurance Cost For a 2004 Cadillac CTS for a 20 Year Old?

Im currently looking into getting rid of my 'old 1994 Mustang GT' and replacing it with a '2004 Cadillac CTS'. How much would insurance be for me a month? Here are the reasons why I would like to get a new car: 1.Reliability 2.Comfort My 94 Mustang GT is just giving me too much mechanicle problems, which is eating at my budget. I fix one thing, another goes wrong, which is getting quite expensive. So i think its about time to get a new car. Will it be cheaper and less of a headache for me to get a new car? And how much would insurance cost for a 20 year old with no bad driving history? Just give me rough estimate. Also the CTS is a V6 which should be cheaper than my current V8. I currently spend $120 a month on gas alone. So inconclusion would it be cheaper for me to just get the CTS? And what is a rough estimate for monthly insurance?""

Car Insurance for any Car in USA?

I am a Senior Indian Citizen of 73 with a US Green Card in Parker, Colorado. I have an international driving permit. Can I get a Car insurance for driving any car hired or private?""

Car insurance refund!! PLEASE HELP?

i paid 300.00 deposit for the my car insurance on 12th december 2009, than on the 30 december 2009, i canceled my insurance. do you think they should refunded me? please tell me what should i do? thanks""

I just turned 19 and just got my first speeding ticket. im under my dads insurance will rates go up?

I live in Ohio this is my first ticket and we have state farm, he has been with state farm since he was like 18. How can I prevent my insurance from going up or rates from increasing. What is state farms policy on all this?""

What is insurance expense and preaid insurance ?

A review of the ledger of Khan Company at December 31, 2006, produces the following data pertaining to the preparation of annual adjusting entries. 1. Prepaid Insurance $9,800. The company has separate insurance policies on its buildings and its motor vehicles. Policy B4564 on the building was purchased on July 1, 2005, for $6,000. The policy has a term of 3 years. Policy A2958 on the vehicles was purchased on January 1, 2006, for $4,640. This policy has a term of 2 years.""

When do I need to get the car insurance? Before buying the car or after?

When do I need to get the car insurance? Before buying the car or after?

""Ran a stop sign, will my insurance increase?""

I am 20 and accidentally ran a stop sign today and got pulled over. I am in FL and the ticket is 166$. I am under my parents insurance and was using my dads car. I was planning on paying it rather than doing traffic school or trying to fight it, i'd rather just get it over with and pay the dang thing. But, my question is will it show up on there insurance that 'someone got a ticket on this day for this price and this reason and raise their insurance even if I pay it off? Reeeally don't want them to find out! Also, how to pay it?""

Does the cost of insuring a car go down when you turn 18?

is it worth waiting a couple of months to my eighteenth birthday to get cheaper car insurance? thanks guys!

Health Insurance for the self-employed?

After 13 years with my husband, he is leaving me. I have always been on his health plan because I am self-employed. Can anyone offer me any advice on where to find providers? I have no idea where to start.""

I wrecked my motorcycle with no insurance in fl help?

So a year ago i wrecked my motorcycle, crashing into another car. I did not have insurance or a motorcycle Endorsement. I live in fl so im kind of familiar with the not at fault law. However the insurance company from the other party has sent a bill for 9k an request i pay it. Some people are telling me to ignore it an others are telling me to pay. Need help would be thankful. Im trying to be a firefighter paramedic an i do not want this to kill my chances. Thank you""

My mother needs a LOT of dental work! Whats the best insurance to inquire about?

She needs teeth pulled (many of them will need to be surgically removed) and dentures...what would be a good insurance that would cover a good portion of the cost? We live in Florida...

Health insurance???

my family doesnt have insurance but we re really need one and there is a insurance called IOB or something. the website is www.ameriplanusa.com i dont really understand it. can u guys help me??? thanx alot!!!

Aviva car insurance named driver no claims?

Hi, I have been a named driver on my dads insurance for one year due to not driving much and being able to afford run a car. Now that I full.time job I can now afford to run a car. So if I took my own policy out with aviva would they honour the no claim?""

Could someone tell me how to get a speeding ticket reduced?

Hi. I got pulled today. It is my first ticket and the first time I have ever been pulled. I was going 47 in a 25. I thought that the speed limit was 35 becasue everywhere else around the place I was pulled is 35. I have no problem paying the fine of $222 I would just like to know if anyone could walk me through the process of getting the violation lessend so that it will not be put on my license. Any help that someone could give me would be greatly appreciated.

Motor insurance policy q2?

hi contemplating on making a second claim. how does this effect my renewal premium? situation is the policy holder had an accident where the third party was at fault and this claim was dealt with few months ago. now a named driver had a piece of metal flung at the car. the excess is only 50 and estimated cost to repair independantly 150-200. but i'm not sure how much premiums usually go up by? if for example making a second claim bears not much difference as a claim has already been made then I might as well do it through insurance. If making a second claim bumps up the renewal considerably higher then maybe I should just pay 150-200 GBP by independant garage and save on my premium?

Should I have my own insurance while using someone else's car?

The other person owns the car and has it insured in his name but is allowing me to use it until I can get another car. Should I or even can I have my own insurance policy on his car? I live in Michigan and my previous car was hit and totaled. Trying to buy/finance another car after only working full time again since Feb. is near impossible.

Are jettas cheap to insure?

I need to buy a car for college and i really like a 2001 vw jetta. I have the money cash for it, and im looking at middle coverage. I know i can get a quote, but i dont like doing ...show more""

Can you get insurance on a vehicle if your license is suspend?

Can you get insurance on a vehicle if your license is suspend?

Is it possible to get different car insurance under the same household?

Hi, So I have a question regarding different car insurance. MY family has allstate for the car insurance. However, I do not want to go under allstate for family reasons. I am trying to get geico for my car. However, my father states that if you were to get geico you would still have to add everyone's name under the insurance policy. I am trying to get my own individual policy without adding anyone under the car insurance policy. I wanted to know if it is possible to get different car insurance under the same household? Thanks :) P.S: I am 23 years old. About to turn 24 years old. I wanted to get my own individual policy without adding anyone on the car. The car was a gift from my parents to me.""

What's the cheapest car insurance rates?

I wanna know the absolute cheapest car insurance someone you know pays and what their life situation is. I'm just curious where I would have to be in life in order to get the cheapest ...show more

Insurance premiums?

How much is a family coverage for insurance premiums? Just an average, not sure what insurance we will have yet but it should be a ppo. Trying to figure it out because my husband got offered a higher paying job, but the job he has now they pay his insurance so we have no clue what to expect to pay""

Personal Medical Insurance?

Why is medical insurance is a dream of riches or expensive commodity in U.S.A ? For example, Denmark, Canada, and other countries it is affordable and free to the people who contribute to the development of the country? (In Denmark for example if you can speak Danish, and work, you get free Insurance, like such in another countries). Why can't we make it affordable to everyone? What pro-active thoughts, comments, actions, suggestions you have for in this regard? Thank you.""

Car insurance question?

Ive got a younger brother who's 16 years old, newly licensed, had his drivers license for about 4-6 months... he's buying a car soon but he's paranoid of what the insurance will be! Its going to be a used car with a lot of miles (90-130K) and he'll spend no more than $4,000 on the vehicle. I know there are discounts for good grades, he has a GPA of 4.2 Advice? How much will it be per month, AND what provider is best? Thanks!""

Will i be double paying for house insurance?

I have had a 3 year personal loan on my house with a balloon payment on the end, and i am Re-financing the house to include my taxes/insurance with a conventional 30 year note. I have already paid my 2010 property Tax, and my 2011 house insurance is due March 21st. I am going to the bank today, will i actually have to pay my insurance come March 21st or is that something the bank does?""

Good cars with cheap insurance?

Does anyone know any good cars with cheap insurance for a 17 year old ??

dial direct online insurance quote

dial direct online insurance quote

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/young-drivers-car-insurance-michael-haney/"