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themonotonysyndrome · 3 years

Text

REDACTED verse - Those that stood above the rest

Summary: Everyone in D.A.M.N simp for the power couple at least a little bit - the Vampire Prince of Dahlia and the Electro Energetic. Gavin and the Freelancer would be lying if they said they haven't been watching them... respectfully.

TW: [Swearing], [Profanity], [Explicit implications courtesy of Gavin, of course] & [Oblivious narrators]

Apologies for any grammatical or spelling errors because I wrote this the whole night and only edited it once. I’ll do the editing process again tomorrow morning.

Life as a student in D.A.M.N is nothing like regular colleges or universities. While the environment is hectic with exams, assignments and teachers with sticks up their asses - there's also a hint of craziness thrown into the mix. You can never really predict how your day would go here in the academy, and to most of the students, it's the typical college experience you'll get everywhere. Just... taken to the next level.

That's what you get for a magical academy, after all.

An Air Elemental would accidentally shatter the windows in a classroom with a powerful gust of wind on a random ass Tuesday because she was laughing too hard. A Graviton Energetic would sneeze, and suddenly, the gravity in the music room would stick the instruments on the ceilings. The entire soccer team would fall flat on the grassy field, snoozing because the Serenity Daemon playing as the Goalkeeper uses too much magic to calm their anxious Sweeper during his first play with the team.

With so many Empowered creatures of all kinds attending D.A.M.N, there's never a dull moment. You learned that the moment a loud growl came from the Debate Club on your second week as a student. A Wolf Shifter had gotten into a heated argument with a Vampire about the toppings that should and shouldn't be on a pizza.

So yeah, typical college life with magic thrown into your daily shenanigans.

Today, you can't help but wonder what sort of excitement would occur as the large clock above the lecture hall ticks by, counting down the second before the class is over.

You check the clock and sigh. Just ten more minutes to go, but it feels like time is creeping forward at such a snail-like pace. Tapping your pen on the open notebook laid before you rather irritability, you just want the lecturer to stop yammering already so you can grab lunch at the food truck parked outside of campus.

Something gently knocks against your knuckle. You tilt your head to the side and meet with Damien's unamused stare; it looks like this is the third time he caught you losing focus in class.

"I told you to grab a snack before class started." Damien whispers, mindful to keep his voice even so the lecturer won't catch them chatting. Sadism Daemons are scary when you piss them off, and the way the lecturer's eyes sweep through the students is more than enough to have them all shut the hell up the moment he begins their topic of the day.

"I was meeting up with Lasko and we lost track of time." You hiss back. Yesterday you made a promise to catch up with the Air Elemental before your first class started to organise the date and invitations for the next game night. Once Lasko starts talking about the things he's comfortable with, he loses his stutter and launches into an animated one-sided conversation. You didn't have the heart to stop him, not when he looks so happy and cute.

Buying that Arkham Horror board game was the right purchase to surprise him with.

While your mind replays the morning you spend with Lasko, Damien rolls his eyes. "Of course you did. Here." He pushes his coffee cup towards you. His fingers linger on the cup for a few seconds to make sure that the coffee remains hot enough to drink.

You grab the cup, grateful for his consideration, and take a big swing. The coffee settles pleasantly in your stomach as warmth spreads within your body.

You're more a tea drinker - the classic Early Grey and Gunpowder Green - but at this instance, coffee would hopefully kick your focus back into gear.

"Thanks, Damien." You said before passing the cup back to him. You peeked at his notebook and wasn't surprised to find that it's packed with notes written in different coloured pens. "Hey, want to grab lunch together after this?"

Damien switched the yellow pen for a red one when the lecturer mentioned something about a topic for the upcoming test. You absentmindedly wondered if it's worth your life stealing his notebook. "Sure. What are you in the mood for?" He asked.

Finally, the lecturer dismisses the class. Chatters erupt as students pack up while some scurry over to the podium to ask a few questions.

You lean against your seat to stretch your back; your notebooks and stationery are already in your school backpack. You're just waiting for Damien now. "I'm craving for a burger and some cheesy loaded fries with a boba tea." God, just thinking about it is already enough to make your mouth watered.

Being a health nut, Damien throws you a judgemental look at your food choice as you two made your way towards the main campus entrance. He easily follows your lead through a crowd of students, and Damien even gently pulls you closer to his side when a student whizzes by on her skateboard.

With so many people talking and laughing around you and Damien, you can't help but hear the conversations hovering around you.

"...had class with them yesterday? Dude, you're so lucky! Did you sit beside them!?"

"Are you fucking crazy? No! I sat two rows behind them, but it was enough to smell their perfume. God, they're so gorgeous - I couldn't focus the entire time!"

"I've heard a few players from the Earth Elemental team tried to invite them to their party this weekend, but they were shot down. Apply cold water on burned area."

"Well, duh. You can't just walk up to them like that! They're one of the hottest people in this academy."

"Yeah, but those players are in one of the most well-respected sports teams in all of Dahlia, and even they can't stand a chance against them!"

Students parted ways as you and Damien approached the gates. Rows of food trucks parked across the street with tables and chairs placed about. The conversations tapered off behind you, along with the hubbub of the academy. You have a pretty good idea of whom those students were talking about. It's been a topic surrounding the academy ever since the start of the new academic year.

Even as an introvert who prefers to hover to your few but close group of friends, you couldn't escape the latest academy gossip.

"Finally, I thought my ears would've fallen off before we could escape," Damien mutters. It's a cloudy Wednesday; dark clouds are rolling above them with an occasional burst of strong breeze cutting through. "You'd think they would just give it a rest already."

The food truck you and Damien stop by displays a menu with a wide variety of food and drinks. From burgers to pasta and desserts ranging from ice-creams to Thai banana pancakes, your stomach begins to growl. You place your order in a hurry, whereas Damien selects a hearty sandwich stuffed with juicy and tender slices of slow-smoked beef brisket with veggies of his choice and chipotle mayo in between two crusty loaves with a bottle of water.

You and Damien grab your meals to sit at one of the vacant tables and enjoy lunch together. Good food and good company - what more could you ask for? Well, other than Damien's tsk-ing and wiping the barbecue sauce that smudged the corner of your cheek like the mother hen he constantly denies to be.

"Can't you eat your food properly, Freelancer? You're getting your fingers dirty too. Give me your hand." Damien demanded halfway through his sandwich. You grin impishly and offer your left hand for Damien to wipe with some tissue while the other is holding a burger. The thick sauce begins to drip.

Soon enough, a familiar voice shouts at them from across the street.

"Yo, Damien! Freelancer! Are you guys, like, having lunch? Can I join!?"

You can't help but beam and wave your hand (that was still holding the burger) high up when Huxley crosses over. Damien squawked with eyes wide in horror when the barbecue sauce got all over the table. He hurried to wipe the table clean while you greeted Huxley.

"Hi, Huxley! Are you grabbing lunch too? Take a seat, man!"

"Thanks a bunch, dude. It's been a while since I hung out with you two."

"We literally had a class together two days ago."

"Two days too long, Damien. I miss you guys."

"Aww, that's super sweet of you, Hux!"

"Oh, for the love of - just go buy something already before the next class starts."

Huxley happily gives Damien two thumbs up before grabbing his food and drink. When he returned to their table, he brought a tray of smoothie consisting of kale, spinach, banana, orange, and vanilla blended into green mush in a plastic cup and a plate of vegan quesadillas.

The moment Huxley sat down, you took a sip of his drink and made a face.

"Yeah, I ask them to hold back on the honey because I like the vanilla more," Huxley explains before tucking in. "Oh! But I can ask them to add more honey if you want. That’s like, totally cool."

You quickly shake your head and clean your palate with your sweet boba tea. "It's cool, Hux. Just wanted to try a sip. You're really into these crazy healthy smoothies."

"They're the bomb, dude. My Mums introduced a few recipes to me when I was a kid, and I basically hooked ever since." The Earth Elemental explains after gulping down a good chunk of the green goo.

"Yeah, well, with the calories you burned up during practice, I guess you can't go wrong with smoothies," Damien added thoughtfully. His sandwich is all gone. He props an elbow on the table and cradles his face in one open palm. "Anyway, what's up, Huxley? Anything new happened?"

"Nah, it's been nothing but the same shit lately. Classes, assignments and practices for the upcoming Elemental & Energetic Games - normal stuff. What about you guys?"

"More or less the same." Damien replies, soundly ignoring your "We're hitting the tournament arc!" outburst. "Planning to organise a study group for the upcoming tests. I expect the two of you will be joining, by the way."

At Damien's words, Huxley beams brighter. Any brighter, you'd need a pair of sunglasses. "For real, dude!? You're like, the best friend ever, Damien! C'mere - lemme give you a hug!"

You snicker when despite Damien's frantic protest, Huxley shoot up from his chair and quickly hugs the Fire Elemental tightly before he has the chance to weasel away.

Also, you didn't miss the chance to snap a quick picture of them to show Gavin tonight.

Unaware of your phone, Damien grumbled when Huxley finally released him, and they sat down again. The three of you continue to chat about everything and anything. Soon, the topic shifts from tests to plans for the weekend.

Huxley snapped his fingers when you mentioned Lasko's gaming night and the tabletop game you recently bought for him so they could all play together.

"I totally forgot about the party! A few guys in my team are having a party this Saturday, and I want to invite you guys and Lasko. Oh! Gavin too! It's going to be a blast, and on Sunday, we can play that new board game."

You and Damien exchange a glance. "Sounds fun. Actually, we've heard about the party just now. How many people are your team members inviting?" You asked, curious.

Huxley takes a moment to ponder before shrugging. He's nearly done with this food. "It's supposed to be just with a few close friends. Nothing too crazy, you know? After the last party that ended with fireworks exploding in someone's bedroom, they want to keep it lowkey."

"Huh. Close friends, but they tried to invite a certain Energetic," Damien interjects. "What's up with that?"

"You heard about that too?" Huxley replied, surprise coloured his tone. "Word travel like, super-fast around campus! It happened, like, yesterday morning!"

Damien let out an annoyed groan and ran a palm down his face. "I think it's safe to say that everyone in this fucking academy is talking about it and nothing else. God, no matter where you go, you can't escape it."

You pat Damien's arm in a comforting manner. "They're hot and popular; people will be talking about them until we all graduate."

"And if it isn't them, people would be talking about their boyfriend," Huxley pointed out, stirring his smoothie languidly. Huxley smiles and offers it to you when you critically stare at it for a tad too long. Against your better judgement, you try again.

Blek! It still tastes the same! Huxley just chuckles and finishes the rest of the smoothie while you seek solace with your boba tea again.

"Besides, it's not often you see an Energetic and Vampire couple walking around," Huxley continued. "I think they're living together too. I mean, that's what I heard."

"Don't tell me you also have a crush on them."

Before Huxley could say anything, you tentatively raise your hand as if you guys are in class. Now you bear Damien's annoyed glance. "I was kinda hardcore crushing on them and their boyfriend before Gavin and I officially got together. They keep to themselves and their boyfriend most of the time, but they're super nice in classes."

The Elemental and Energetic courses often have classes that intermingle every week. However, they're primarily compulsory lessons like magical history, laws regarding coverts and taxonomy of various Empowered creatures.

So you're practically classmates with the hottest Electro Energetic in the academy and had even sat beside them a few times during class. Unlike many of the students who simp for them at a distance.

The power couple of D.A.M.N is certainly interesting, to say the least.

You narrowed your eyes at Damien when he refused to let up his disappointed stare. "Don't lie to me. You simp for them too."

Damien huffs and crosses his arms. "Both of them look good, alright. Anyone with a working pair of eyes could tell from a mile away. They're gorgeous, and the Vampire is hot - so what?"

"They're both super strong too." Huxley unknowingly throws more wood into the fire.

By the time their lunch ended, Damien had demanded they talk about something else, so you jump into plans for the weekend. Party on Saturday and a gaming session on Sunday.

Typical college life.

When the time on your phone displays 10.30 PM in glaring bright light and you're still on campus, you know what death feels like.

It's quiet in the cafeteria, save for a small group of students huddled together around tables scattered in various places. Their heads are hunched down as they go over textbooks and assignments. One of the students happens to be a Vampire judging from the blood bag beside his laptop.

A red swirly straw juts out of the bag, and for a brief moment of exhaustion, you entertain the image of the student sipping the blood bag as if it was a Capri Sun.

Just like those students, the reason why you've stayed late in the academy's cafeteria is because of assignments. You know that if you bring your homework back home with you, you won't get any of it done. It's better to stay here and slough through them instead.

Damien would scold and drag you home if he knew. Huxley would be sad and plead for you to rest, and Lasko would put on his guidance counsellor voice and advise you that a good night's sleep would help you think better.

The boys mean well, and you love them for it, but you know yourself better than anyone. If you don't finish these assignments tonight, you would just procrastinate until the deadline punches you right in the face.

You sigh and rub your temple in frustration. You've made good progress so far, but there's still a few left and you want to complete them all before going home. So you resume writing down the essay about the importance of convert and the Department on your laptop, fingers deftly flying all over the keyboard.

Nighttime at D.A.M.N is not as busy as it is in the morning. The students that are going in and out of classes are mostly Vampires and nocturnal animal Shifters. The academy's faculties are also lesser in terms of numbers compared to their morning counterpart.

Twice you've experienced the nightlife at D.A.M.N, and tonight would be your third. You wondered if Gavin is at home already. Hopefully, you can return to the apartment before him. Better wrap this up, then.

The steady rhythm of your fingers on the keyboard and quiet discussion from the group of students slowly lull you to sleep. Hang in there just a little more!

The sound of a Daemon Rifting into this world startles you awake.

"Here you are, Deviant," Gavin said, his ordinarily seductive voice laced with conceal anger. Oh shit, you're in trouble now. "I thought we talked about this."

You have no choice but to face him. Gavin looks devastatingly as sexy as ever; his black t-shirt snugly fits his body to the point that it showcases his biceps tastefully. A pair of dark blue jeans that he just so happens knows will get your heart racing and accompanied by a pair of shiny black Doc Martens boots. A rainbow-coloured bead bracelet is on his right wrist; a gift from Caelum.

You would've swoon at the sight of him if you weren't seconds away from face planting on your laptop.

So instead, you greet him with a, "Whaaa... Gavin?" You rub your eyes and blink at him. "W-What are you doing here? I thought you'd be - " You break out a yawn before sighing. "At home by now."

"Funny. I thought the same thing about you but colour me surprised when Caelum reached out to me while I was grocery shopping — saying that you aren't home even when it's close to midnight." Gavin explains and tilts his head to the spread of books you have before you. "So, want to explain why you're at the campus cafeteria right now instead of in our bed?"

The gears in your head are scrambling to come up with an excuse that's good enough to appease Gavin. So lost in your thoughts that you didn't hear the whispers coming from the nearby students.

"That's the main boyfriend..."

"Holy fuck, an Incubus? Damn, they're insatiable!"

"How often do you think they have orgies? Twice a week?"

" - collecting them like Pokemon!"

Oh fuck it, you can't come up with anything decent. "I'm nearly done with my assignments, Gavin." You assured the worried Incubus. "Just need to write down a few more paragraphs..."

Gavin is undeterred. "Freelancer, we talked about this. It's not healthy that you're making a habit of staying over at campus late at night because of assignments. You're going to burn out like this."

Well yeah, you could feel your body is already seconds away from collapsing but like hell would you admit that to your boyfriend. It's been a long day and an even longer evening. It's a good thing that tomorrow's the weekend.

Gavin startles you once more by leaning against the table and cupping your face in his large hands, so you're forced to look straight into his eyes. He's many things, but to those he deeply trusts and loves, his eyes would always betray the worry and concern he has for you and Caelum; even if his words aren't as forthcoming at times. "My stubborn, enticing Deviant... Are you being a brat again? Not listening to your Dom like you should be?" He purrs.

All of a sudden, your throat suddenly feels like sandpaper, and your heart skips a beat at Gavin's tone. You're very familiar with that tone - it always promises punishment and pleasure mixed together until nothing else exists except for your boyfriend.

But the question now is, how far can you actually push him. So with Gavin still refusing to release your face, you swallow and reply as nonchalantly as you can, "Oh, I don't know about enticing, Gavin. I-I mean, I've been running around campus the whole day. Probably have some barbecue sauce stain on my jacket and - Ow!"

You puff out your cheeks when Gavin pinched them.

"Are you purposely trying to test me, Freelancer? You know that just means more fun for me, and you tie up and helpless on the bed, right?" Gavin is all too happy to remind you, cocking one eyebrow at your impertinence. No doubt he already has your punishment in mind when the two of you are home.

But you're not going to budge that easily. Sensing your stubbornness, Gavin lets you go and unleashes his ultimate move with a sigh.

"I can see the Knots on you, Freelancer, and if I can see them, Caelum can too. I'm not covering your ass when he comes over for breakfast tomorrow and starts crying."

You gasp and immediately recoil. "Low blow Gavin!" You counter, but you know that he speaks the truth. Your heart will literally break if you're the reason that Caelum cries.

Gavin smirks when you switch off your laptop. He helps put your things away and offers a hand to you. With a small smile, you let yourself be gently pulled up by him and sling your backpack over a shoulder.

"Are you hungry?" Gavin asked as the two of you stepped into the large hallway, hand-in-hand. "I didn't manage to make anything when I put the groceries away, but I can whip something up real quick when we get home."

It's a sweet gesture, and you made sure that he knows how much you appreciate it by squeezing his hand. Ever since you two started living together, Gavin is determined to feed you properly. According to him, it's only fitting since you've constantly been feeding him too. "I'm more sleepy than hungry." You reply after a yawn. "I'll just eat a big breakfast tomorrow."

"I'll hold you to it. Also, look alive, Deviant. Hottie approaching at 12 O'clock."

That got your attention immediately, and snapped your eyes forward. Your jaw would've dropped if it weren't for Gavin lightly nudging your side when you saw who was walking towards the two of you.

It's them — the Electro Energetic that became the talk around campus.

They're as breathtaking as ever, even after a whole day of classes and club activities. Not a single hair out of place and clothes unruffled. Their body language stood out to you; their gait is a little hesitant but friendly, while their eyes are kind.

It's easy to see why so many people harbour crushes on them, and you've always been a sucker for cute faces.

When they finally approach you, they pull out a pair of wireless white earbuds from their ears. That's when you hear intense music playing:

It's the Pumpkin Patch King

With the corpse with the ring

And she'd fuck my best friend if I die here today...

"Um, hi. Good evening. I'm sorry for bothering you guys so late like this. Are you heading home?" They inquire tentatively.

Gavin waits for you to take the lead. "Hey, man. Yeah, we kind of are, actually. Want us to walk you home?" You could feel how pleased Gavin is beside you. The offer just crosses your mind, and besides, it's not nice to walk alone this late at night.

That's what you're telling yourself despite the small part in your brain whispered that walking them home would be a great step of getting to know them better. It's just a harmless crush anyway.

Unfortunately, they decline the offer. "I'm waiting for someone, actually, but when I saw you, I wanted to talk for a bit."

Your heart skips a beat for a second time tonight. They specifically sought you out? You? When they've never done so towards anyone before?

"O-Oh," You embarrassingly squeak, clutching Gavin's hand tighter.

The Electro Energetic nod. They tilt their head like an indulged, curious cat and god, that simple gesture shouldn't look so hot. "I don't know if you notice me, but we share Covert Laws - "

If you notice them? If you notice them!? They have a stronger presence than the lecturers themselves! They radiate magic like thunderstorms - intimidating, powerful and commanding that you have no choice but to submit to it.

Sitting beside them was an experience and a half! There's no way an Empowered creature could ignore them despite their quiet demeanour!

" - and I was wondering if you would like to be partners for the final project this year? Um, I heard that you're really good in that class, and I promise to pull my weight with the research and - "

You don't know how to react. Is this really happening? One of the most popular students in the academy wanted to be your project partner? You thought this sort of situation only occurs in animes!

"They'd love to." Gavin smoothly answers when you're too shocked to say anything. "It's always nice to make new friends after all. Especially with a walking wet dream such as yourself." Here, he purposely pauses to appraise the Electro Energetic.

Just like his Freelancer, Gavin has heard all about this Empowered human and even basks in the delicious energy coming from the thoughts and emotions his partner has for them. As an Incubus and their boyfriend, it's hilarious that his Deviant thought he's not aware of their crush. It's cute.

Hmm... it'll be nice if he and the Freelancer could invite the Energetic and their Vampire lover into their bed one of these days. Regardless if they've been Marked; honestly, that just made the couple as appealing as the biblical Forbidden Fruit.

And besides, Gavin has a strong feeling that the Freelancer wouldn't oppose the idea. It'll be the perfect anniversary present for his Deviant.

"...Was that supposed to be a compliment?" They ask warily. Oops, looks like he's coming on a little too strongly. Time to take it down a notch.

"It's whatever you want it to be. Anyway, now that you guys are... partners, what say you get to know us better, hmm? My lover has been eager to be friends with you." Gavin explains. You whip your head at him incredulously. Is he seriously doing what you think he's doing!? "I'm Gavin, by the way. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

The Energetic look confused, and you can't blame them. You need to save them before Gavin proposes something as crazy as an orgy on your behalf!

You laugh awkwardly, bringing their attention to you. "Right! Partners! I'd love to be yours - I-I mean, uh, for school stuff! Yeah! Can we exchange numbers?"

"Smooth, Deviant." Gavin teases. Something caught his interest, not that you notice as you and the Energetic trade contact information. They compliment the cute picture you have as your Home Screen (it's a selfie shot of you and Gavin, Lasko, Damien and Huxley during the previous game night. It's a shame that Caelum couldn't appear), and in return, you ask where did they buy their sick phone cover.

While they still feel like the human embodiment of a fierce thunderstorm, it's nice to have a casual conversation with them. They're thoughtful, kind and fun that you soon find yourself calming down a little.

"Not to cut this riveting conversation short, but are you sure that you don't want us to walk you home? It's getting really late, and we're more than happy to have you crash at our place for the night." Gavin interjects with a seductive grin, eyes half-lidded.

"Umm..."

Whoa, what happened to being friendly, Gavin!? You shoot him a look; he's going to drive them away!

"We have an extra guest room at our apartment." You hurried to explain. "So it's totally cool if your place is far away or something."

Their hesitation melts to understanding. The last thing that you want is a misunderstanding between you two.

"You guys are sweet, but I'll be alright. Actually, I'm about to leave the campus too. I'm just going to hang out at the cafeteria until he arrives." They said. You have a pretty good idea who 'he' is judging by their soft smile.

Gavin, for some reason, amp up his game. With a smirk, he cajoles, "Since he hasn't shown up yet, how about you hang out with us for a bit? There's a bar not too far from here - "

You flinched, and Gavin automatically shuts up and pulls you close to his side when a Vampire appears behind the Electro Energetic. It was so sudden that his appearance was a blur at first.

"Vincent? You're done with class already?" They blink. An arm snaked around their waist as the Vampire pulled his Mate close to his chest. The Energetic had to crane their head up slightly to look at him.

He's as tall as Gavin. Dressed in a casual black coat that screams money with a dark grey shirt accompanied by a pair of black jeans and boots. His silver studs, rings and watch glimmer underneath the fluorescent lights. Everything about this man reminds you of a panther sizing up its prey.

You gulped. He's currently glaring daggers at you and your boyfriend. You're itching to stutter out a, "This isn't what it looks like!" for some reason.

Now, ever since you learned about the existence of magic and Empowered creatures, you did your best to be open-minded. Even that whole ordeal with Vega didn't stop you from reaching out to the various Daemons attending the academy.

However, you haven't managed to befriend a Vampire due to their night classes, and even the few times you stay back like today, most of them are running back and forth through the hallways to catch their next lesson.

So to be the target of a pissed off Vampire made you uncomfortable. You want to fidget, but Gavin's arm secured around you ease some of that tension.

"Mm-hmm. I'm on break right now, so I can drive you back home. You done with that talk with your guidance counsellor?" The Vampire inquired, eyes still glued at you and Gavin.

"All done. We lost track of time when we discussed next semester's timetable for the Energetic course and potential careers once we graduate." His lover explains, unaware of the displeasure rolling off like waves from their boyfriend. "I think I need some time to go over them again. It's a bit much to take in."

The Vampire hums in acknowledgement. "We can go through them together this weekend if you like, Lovely. Maybe we can ask Will for help since he's coming over on Saturday for dinner too."

Oh, you suppose that's why they reject the Earth Elemental players' invitation to the party.

But the Vampire wasn't done. He assesses you and Gavin with narrowed eyes as if you were stains on the bottom of his boots. What the hell? "By the way, are these guys bothering you?"

A chill sweeps through you, sending goosebumps crawling on your skin at the sudden shift of tone. He was warm and affectionate when speaking to his lover, but now? It's colder than ice.

Gavin, whose smirk turns into a shit-eating grin, is utterly unfazed at the Vampire's hostility. In fact, you would go as far as to say that he's relishing it. "We're just keeping your gorgeous Mate company while they're waiting for you. I was just about to propose that we move the conversation to a bar so we could all get to know one another a lot more... intimately."

Oh god, they're so fucked. You have no idea why your boyfriend is trying to start shit up, but you're too tired to deal with this drama. So again, you try to salvage the situation.

"Just as friends!" You quickly butt in. "We decide to be partners for an assignment in Covert Laws, so hanging out at a bar sounds like a good idea as friends." You're sprouting bullshits at this point, but you hope it's enough to save both of your asses. You also made sure to emphasise the word 'friends'.

The Vampire quickly looks at the Energetic for confirmation, and they readily nod. His aggressive body posture relaxes somewhat, but he's still wary of you and Gavin.

Maybe this is the best time to introduce yourself to him.

"Uh, it's a little silly that we didn't introduce ourselves right away, but I'm a Freelancer." You mutter out rather awkwardly. Should you offer a hand to him?

Gavin saves you from doing so. "And I’m their boyfriend, Gavin. An Incubus."

"...Vincent Solaire." The Vampire - Vincent - reluctantly replies.

Wait - his surname sounds familiar, though. You think you heard it in one of the classes about the supernatural factions in Dahlia... It's on the tip of your tongue...

"Oh, we've heard all about you, Your Highness." Gavin slyly quips. "You and your lover are quite the celebrities around here."

Holy shit. Solaire! The most powerful Vampire clan in the city! You remember now; the King has two progeny - A Vampire Princess & Prince. You didn't expect the Energetic boyfriend to be the Prince himself! What a twist!

"Celebrities?" The Energetic - Lovely, as Vincent calls them - pipes up in confusion. The way their eyebrows furrow is adorable, but you wisely keep that to yourself.

They really are a mesmerising couple. You detect the perfume that lingers around Lovely is sweet and misty. It's calming yet so light that it dances just out of your reach; like a coy lover. Slowly driving you mad with desire. Vincent's cologne reminds you of husk and cedar. Subtle, but once you catch a whiff of it, it'll stay within your mind for hours on end. Wondering if that particular scent will ever return - like the perfect one night stand.

It says a lot about the couple.

"We haven't done anything wrong." Vincent Solaire stated, voice as hard as steel. "I don't know why you're trying to rile us up, Incubus, but I don't appreciate you and your lover hitting on my Mate when I made it clear that I Mark them."

Ooooh, he's jealous! Wait - did you come across as flirty to him!? Did Gavin purposely flirt with Lovely to make Vincent jealous? You've completely lost the plot.

"Consider it as an act of public service," Gavin answers, easily brushing off the Vampire Prince's irritability. "Besides, how can I not when you both are half of the student body's recent fantasies."

Lovely 'eeped' when Vincent bare his fangs at your boyfriend. "Back off, Gavin. Lovely is mine. Not yours or the Freelancer's."

Whoa, whoa! A severe misunderstanding is boiling here! No one is stealing Lovely away from him!

Fortunately, Lovely has gotten tired of the conversation. With a put-out sigh, they pat the arm around their waist to capture Vincent's attention. It worked. "No one is stealing the other's partner, Vince. It's all good; chill. You know you're the only one for me, right?" Here, they peck his cheek. "When did you get so possessive?"

Vincent grumbled but didn't explain himself, so Lovely just shook their head.

"Anyway, we better get going before Vincent's next class starts. It was nice meeting you two. I'll text you soon so we can plan on how to tackle that project."

You give a shaky smile and a thumbs up. "Looking forward to it."

Immediately after you said that, Vincent bares his fangs to you next. Oh my god, this guy needs to fucking relax!

"We're going! We're going! C'mon, Vincent. You're driving me home. Now."

And with that, you watch as Lovely drags the Vampire Prince to the parking lot. It's a strange yet comical sight. You only sigh in relief when they're out of your view.

"I thought I saw my life flashing before my eyes!" You complain. Those were the single most stressful moments that you’ve encountered— second to Vega invading your home.

"I think that went well, Deviant." Gavin objected, very pleased with himself. "He's pissed now, but he and his Mate will be thanking us soon."

So you were right; Gavin purposely flirted with Lovely just to rile Vincent up, and for what? Possessive, sexy time later tonight? Oh, whatever. That's enough drama for one night; you seriously just need to pass out now.

And with that, the two of you head home without realising your interactions with the power couple of D.A.M.N didn't go by unnoticed by the several students who were hovering close.

"Are you hurting anywhere, Lovely?"

"I'm alright, Vincent. The hickeys and bruises are healing nicely; my body still feels a bit sore but not enough to cripple me, so stop hovering near the door."

Vincent guilty did as he’s told and takes a seat on the corner of the bed. He watches you apply some light makeup on your face and neck in front of the vanity table as you're getting ready to head out to the academy. Your outfit compliments your look and, most importantly, hides any patches of skin except for your hands.

Vincent really went all out last weekend after his night classes ended. It's obvious that Gavin unleashed something within your lover, and you will freely admit that an unrestrained Vincent makes for a very fun and wild night.

The moment Will came over and realised that Vincent re-Mark you an hour before he arrives, he graciously decided to take a rain check and promise to have dinner with the two of you some other time.

Once Vincent gets it out of his system, he teased before leaving you gobsmacked and Vincent a blushing mess.

"You know, your guidance counsellor wouldn't mind if you're absent from classes today, Lovely. Probably." Vincent tries; a part of him doesn't want his Lovely to attend their lessons while their body is still healing. Then again, that part also whispers that the Incubus and his lover would be around them without his supervision.

Nope. No. Bad Vincent. Lovely is more than capable of taking care of themselves. They don't need him acting like a jealous, clingy boyfriend.

However, something that the Incubus bothered him.

"You and your lover are quite the celebrities around here."

What did he mean by that? He and Lovely had been playing good students the entire time they've been on campus! Their assignments are always delivered on time, grades nothing but above average, and they keep to themselves to avoid any typical college dramas.

Is it because of his status? For some reason, Vincent feels like it's more complicated than that. What a headache.

"Maybe, but I did promise the Freelancer that I’ll catch up with them to discuss our project," You commented and spritz your favourite perfume on your wrists and neck. You love this scent, despite it being cheap and common. "Vincent, honey, you're making that face again."

"It's my face, Lovely."

"Yeah, well, you have your happy-snappy-neck face again, Vincent." You dryly point out before sitting beside the Vampire. "Did that Incubus really rub you the wrong way?" Your voice is gentle. You didn't get any bad vibes coming from Gavin and the Freelancer - just genuine, harmless, friendly flirting. In a way, you welcome it as their attempts helped you drive your anxiety away.

God, walking up to them was hard enough. You always feel a little intimidated whenever you're around charismatic people.

"I don't know... I thought they were making you nervous, and the words that kept coming out of that Daemon's mouth? He knew what he was doing; I just can't figure out what or why." Vincent admits, frustrated.

Seeing him look so frustrated saddens you, so you propose a suggestion. "How about this, I'll ask the Freelancer what that whole thing on Friday was all about, and if it's anything gross, I'll give you a call so you can deal with them. How's that?"

It assured Vincent. Seeing his tiny smile urge you to peppered his face with kisses until he laughs. With your boyfriend now properly appeased, you leave the apartment for D.A.M.N.

It's a bright Monday morning. You hope that this week will be a little kinder to you than the previous one. However, the moment you arrived on campus, everyone was glancing at you curiously. When you made eye contact with the stares, the students couldn't walk away fast enough.

Weird.

Your first class of the day is on the second floor, so you didn't waste any time heading for the stairs. Students mingle around as they go about their day; some grab breakfast at the convenient store, while others chat with their friends at the cafeteria and lounge room. A Water Elemental is performing simple tricks at the marble fountain to an adoring crowd.

Just as you rounded a corner, the crowd parted ways with a subtlety of a serial killer in slasher movies, which is to say, absolutely none whatsoever to reveal your new friend. The Freelancer is flanked by their boyfriend, Gavin, on the left and on their right, the famous player in the Earth Elemental team Huxley and one of the academy's guidance counsellors, Lasko.

You couldn't help but notice that everyone is giving them a wide berth. Not that it matters when Gavin's body is positioned to shield the Freelancer from bumping into any of the passing students. Huxley passes a bottle of orange juice to them while Lasko is staring at something behind the Freelancer. He mutters something under his breath.

A loud voice suddenly bounces off the walls. "What happened to my water tumbler, Freelancer!?"

You and every other student in the area watch as the Freelancer turns around and loudly replies, "Don't worry! I already got you a new tumbler, Damien! It looks exactly like your old one. Except it's pastel pink with kittens on it, and the shape looks like a really fat snowman with bunny ears for straws." To make a point, the Freelancer rummage inside of their backpack and proudly present the weirdest looking water tumbler you had ever seen in your life to their boys.

"AAAAAHHHHH!"

"You know you could at least see it before you judge it, Damien." The Freelancer grumbled and shoved the tumbler back. Huxley gently pats their shoulder in a comforting manner. Lasko laughs nervously while Gavin continues to protect his lover silently, all the while looking at ease.

Everyone knows of the Freelancer and their boyfriends. They're the most popular group in D.A.M.N for a reason. Friendly, yet no one can be a part of their group due to the tight bond they have with one another.

The Freelancer is quickly shaping up to be a remarkable magical individual in their own right, marching to the beat of their own drums rather than the world's. Unwaveringly kind and friendly, constantly making sure the people around them are comfortable and safe.

In terms of academic performance, Damien remains unchallenged among his peers. Everyone could tell that he would undoubtedly change their world for the better the moment he graduates, especially in governing. He's also known for his fiery temper, yet that fire becomes a hearth when it comes to the Freelancer. More than once, students have stumbled upon them huddled close in the library, softly discussing the future they wanted.

If Damien is known for his academic excellence, then Huxley is famous for his prowess in the field. His mastery over his element made the younger Earth Elementals look up to him as their role model while his teammates view him as their ace. Charming, cheerful yet a bit absentminded at times, and even then, you can't help but be fond of him. You can find the Freelancer cheering him from the bleachers during his matches, and once Huxley won the game, he would immediately launch himself at them. Sweats, dirt and grass all over him, but the Freelancer would laugh as he hoisted them up in his embrace.

Lasko is an odd addition to their group, but once he drops his stuttering, he shows just how capable he is as one of the academy's guidance counsellors. Acknowledged as one of the most powerful Air Elemental of his generation, Lasko is well on track to graduate D.A.M.N with honours, and while the future might be uncertain, students like to speculate that he will remain with the Freelancer and the others no matter what. Sometimes you can even catch a glimpse of them hanging out at one of the local cafes and see how bright and alive Lasko can be when around the Freelancer.

Gavin came with a mystery trailing his saunter. See, no one knew how exactly he and the Freelancer first met. Speculations range from a cute, accidental meet up in a random convenience store to the Incubus boldly inviting them into a threesome when the Freelancer stumbled upon him mid-feeding. Lovely wonders if there's a betting pool going around the academy. The seniors would recognise Gavin, for he was their peer before he suddenly dropped out and vanished for a while. But judging by his frequent presence around the Freelancer, some say that he's looking forward to retaking his previous course. But whatever the reason may be, no one can deny the chemistry he has with the Freelancer. How fiercely protective he is of them when the Freelancer isn't looking.

They're certainly an intriguing group, that's for sure.

And when Gavin notices you were watching them, he winks at you. No doubt as an Incubus, he could scent what you and Vincent had been up to the entire weekend.

That's what you get for a magical academy, after all.

PS: Everyone in D.A.M.N (including Lovely & Vincent) hilariously assumes that the Freelancer is in a poly relationship with Gavin, Damien, Lasko & Huxley when in reality, they're just with Gavin. BBBBuuuttt... Gavin could detect the romantic/lustful feelings the other bois harbour for the Freelancer but kept it to himself for now. He's just waiting for the Freelancer to feel the same way so he could give them all The Talk™ and then go buy a bigger bed!

Anyway, I seriously had a lot of fun writing for this oneshot! It's been a while since I had that writing fever again so I hope you guys enjoyed it!

#redacted asmr #fanfic #second pov #they/them pronouns #gender neutral s/o #lovely (listener)#freelancer (listener)#vincent solaire #game #damien #huxley #will and caelum are mentioned

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noname-friend · 3 years

Text

"I have a proposal" NCT Mafia Au

~Just a random idea I had~

Several cars waited in front of the gate, a gate that said "Ncity" on top of it. Anyone would recognize this as the home of the notorious mafia family, NCT. One of the biggest families out there, they were really well known all around Korea and feared. So who dares to request an audience with this family?

"What are you wearing to the banquet?" A guard standing next to the driver side asked, peering into the car in the backseat.

"Black on black, perhaps with some chains." A man, well dressed in a dark grey suit replied, he adjusted his watch as he kept his eyes forward at the mansion in front of them.

The guard stepped away and nodded to the others, the gates opened and the cars pulled up, parking in front of the mansion. Out came 7 men, all dressed in suits like the first man. They looked experienced, and rich. Whoever they were, they meant business. They walked up to the door, the youngest of this group knocked on the door.

Another man answered the door, he wore a button up red shirt, black dress pants, hair slicked back and sported an expensive watch as well. He eyed this group up and down.

"Kun. What pleasure do we have to see you all here today?" The man smiled at them, it seemed fake and perhaps it was.

"I'm sure Taeyong has informed you all already, Johnny." Kun replied, returning the smile.

"Right, the meeting you requested. Very well, follow me gentlemen."

Johnny led the group into a sort of dinning room, the table was long with many chairs, Kun wasn't sure how many people would be in this meeting but he was prepared for the whole family if needed. He sat at one end of the table, his group sitting beside him.

"I'll tell Taeyong of your arrival, feel free to ask our maids for drinks." Johnny bowed his head to them and left.

One of Kun's boys couldn't stop playing with his rings nervously, he's heard so much of NCT but wasn't sure how they would react to Kun's plan. Another leaned over, putting his hand over the nervous boy's fidgeting ones.

"Jungwoo, calm down. Kun's got this." He smiled to the slightly older male.

Jungwoo whispered back, "I know Lucas, but what if I mess something up?"

"Nonsense, Jungwoo you've trained for this, you'll be great." Kun chimed in crossing his hands on the table.

Eventually the door opened once more, Taeyong walked through followed by about 12 others. They all took their places at the table, Taeyong sitting on the opposite end from Kun.

"Wayv, what an occasion for us to meet like this," Taeyong was the first to speak up, "I do wonder what this meeting is about?"

Kun smiled to the leader in front of him, "I have a proposal for you, Taeyong."

This peaked everyone's interest. They were NCT, they had anything you could think, what could a small family like Wayv possibly have to offer them?

Kun took the silence to continue talking, "I've heard that some of your boys have been in my territory. Apparently, you've been trying to take my business? I wonder what NCT is doing in China?"

Taeyong laughed and leaned on his hand as he watched Kun for a moment, "I see nothing gets past you Kun. It's true. We have been scouting out in China. There's some opportunities out there that I've been highly interested in. Why? Is that a problem for you?" He raised a challenging eyebrow.

Kun laughed as well, "Of course not. I'd be here to announce a war then, but that's no fun is it?"

"What are you suggesting then?" Yuta spoke up, his tone was harsh.

"Yuta, that's not how we speak to guests. But I am curious Kun, let's cut to the chase. What do you want?" Taeyong scolded Yuta as he turned back to Kun.

"I propose a partnership." As the words left his mouth, the NCT members began whispering among themselves.

"Oh? What does this partnership offer us exactly?"

"Well you'll share our established claims in China, as well as our branch in Thailand. Perhaps you can have some of contracts in Germany as well."

"You're a small group, how could you possibly have all these connections?" A member named Doyoung questioned, he leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed. He simply voiced everyone's suspicions.

Kun smiled once more, "Our group may be small, but we are very diverse. Shall I introduce my members?"

Taeyong nodded, waving his hand in a way to signal him to go on.

"Well let's start with my right hand, Ten. He runs our Thailand operations." Kun spoke, Ten stood up and bowed to them all. "While Thailand is main responsibility, he also handles many of our connections thanks to him knowing 4 languages fluently."

"What languages do you speak?" Johnny raised his hand and asked.

"Korean, English, Thai, Chinese and currently learning Japanese." He replied as he sat down again.

"You speak Japanese? Prove it then." Yuta spoke to him.

"I said I am learning Japanese, I am not fluent in it yet but I hope it is adequate enough for you." Ten replied, without a stutter, definitely impressing Yuta as he nodded to Taeyong.

"Interesting, he would be useful, how else do you have?"

"This is Lucas and Jungwoo, our spies." Jungwoo and Lucas stood up and bowed as well. "They can get us just about any information. Like the passcode to get into Ncity." Kun motioned them to sit down.

"And how'd you manage that?" Taeil spoke up this time.

"With our handsome looks, and sweet talking? Anything is possible." Lucas replied confidently. Jungwoo stayed quiet.

"Jungwoo, that's not a traditional Chinese name is it?" Taeyong asked curiously.

"I'm Korean, sir." He finally spoke up.

"Ah I see, continue Kun."

"We have Xiaojun and Hendrey, our hackers. Yangyang, the one who handles our German affairs."

"Interesting bunch you have here Kun." Taeyong applauded. "I will admit, having these assets would be beneficial to Ncity. But let's not ignore the elephant in the room, what do you want out of this?"

"All we want is part of the Ncity empire. Anyone would be foolish to ignore the influence and power of NCT. Though we are a small group, we are willing to be loyal and benefit this family, if you let us."

"Words can be broken easily, how will you prove your loyalty?" Doyoung asked.

"We offer one of our members to you. You may do as you will with Jungwoo." Kun gestured to him. "If we must, we will all go through your trainings as well."

Taeyong clapped and laughed once more, "I like this spirit of yours Kun! A go-getter, a man who knows what he wants! You'll even offer us one of your few men? You must be serious."

Kun smiled back to him and bowed his head "Of course, Taeyong. I never joke about matters like this."

"Tell you what, Kun. I accept your proposal. As a sign of my sincerity, we will give you one of our family members as well." Taeyong looked among his members. "We have a few Chinese members of our own, I'm sure they were the ones you spotted in your territory. Have your pick. Renjun, part of the Dream unit and our secondary medic, Chenle, also part of the Dream unit and bomb specialist, or Winwin, our sniper and spy." Taeyong motioned for them to stand up, they did and bowed to Kun, greeting him in Chinese.

Ten leaned over to Kun and whispered to him. Kun nodded.

"Taeyong, I respect your sincerity and I believe Winwin will be a great asset to our team." Taeyong stood up and walked around the table to Kun, shaking his hand. "Kun, I look forward to working with you. I'll properly welcome all of you to our wonderful family once you go through our training. My teachers won't go easy on you all, I hope that's ok."

"Of course, I wouldn't expect anything less." Kun smiled. Winwin and Jungwoo exchanging glances, Jungwoo didn't notice the glares he was getting from Yuta specifically.

Mark the day, NCT's family has grown, an extra 7 members this glorious day!

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koko-bopp · 4 years

Text

How To YouTube

park jaehyung x male!reader

word count - 0.6K

genre - FLUFF

contains - mutual crushing??

synopsis - Jae wants to learn how to YouTube, and being someone who's career was built on the platform, you're definitely the most trustworthy friend he can go to.

"Guys guys guys, guess what!?" You exclaim, ultimately talking to your camera, facing the device to you and moving it the way you see fit, "Jae's going on a learning date with us!"

Jae lifted his head up from his phone, standing in the centre of your apartment, putting up a peace sign at you before he realised what you said, blinking once as he akawardly put his hand down, "It's a date?"

You have a YouTube channel called Y/NSays, the platform originally started out as a video diary; from talking about your day on camera to filming your day on camera, to eventually being paid to talk and film about your day on camera. Your subscribers count is within the million range, your view count being in that same range and your audience love how honest, down-to-earth and friendly you present yourself. You also do a good amount of collaborations; you've cooked, advocated for human rights, gotten your makeup done, reacted to trends, designed outfit and so much more with other YouTubers.

You have an inconsistent consistent style, and your fans love it.

"Mhm!" You chime, looking at Jae from the camera, walking back from the centre of your giant living room before stopping right next to Jae, "You said you wanted to learn how to YouTube, so..." You extend the end of your sentence, before carefully handing the camera to Jae, placing the stick to properly control the device into his hand, chuckling when you watched him frantically plop his phone in his pocket to do his task more efficiently.

"Y/Nnn," he chuckled nervously, lifting up his other hand to get a better angle of the position of the camera, "You said you'd teach me, not make me do all the work."

"I am teaching you! I'll even show you how to edit, you just need to be interesting enough to give me content!" You laugh, placing your chin on his shoulder, looking into the camera as you grinned brightly, starting at the man in amusement from the small rectangle attached to the device that was showing everything, including your delighted expression and Jae's one becoming increasingly excited yet nervous, "And we're only doing a Q&A, you'll live to film another day."

"We do this kinda stuff with the guys but the whole process is kinda different, how do you just do this for a living?" Jae laughed, genuinely asking the question as he lifted up his spare hand to gently get a feel where your head was, stopping when he felt your hair and decided to pat it jokingly.

You also snickered at his behaviour, looking at him best you can just from the resting position on his shoulder, "I seek constant validation for my hard work from strangers, isn't that what you do?" You kid, even though it's partly true. You brainstorm, you come up with a plan, a script if necessary; you like the occasional freestyling of content, though; you film, edit, film again sometime, edit again, cry because you can't edit, then edit again then post and promote then wait; the flooding of love and support from peers and strangers and regulars who view your pieces. It's always nice being appreciated for all your work, making a few people laugh, making others others happy, there's the few disappointing folk but it's nothing you can't handle. "But it's mainly for the creative part, you know? You got an idea, go out and make it."

"Yeah," Jae smiles, staring back at you from the camera with an impressed and thoughtful grin, "I know what you mean."

The moment lasted for a little longer, just a comfortable silence in a rather large living room with an empty coffee table and two ringlights not too far away from it, the two of you standıng in the scene just for another second or two; not even too sure why, maybe it was just out of appreciation? Just a second to breathe? Neither of you were really sure.

But you snap out of your daydreams eventually, leaning off of Jae's shoulder to chuckle nervously and pat his back out of not knowing what else to do, "C'mon! Er, I ordered Thai food and a bunch of Boba, might as well keep ourselves fed while we film, yeah?"

"Totally," Jae turns around to face you, aiming the camera at you while adjusting the lense, taking a moment to adjust to the device, "Yeah, let's start filming."

#i love jae :((#hes so fluffy :((#jae x male reader #day6 x male reader #day6 #day6 x reader #day6 fluff #day6 jae #park jae x male reader #park jaehyun x male reader #jae park x male reader #fluff #x male reader #male reader #male reader fluff #kpop x male reader

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nctinfo · 4 years

Text

[TRANS] WayV’s interview with ELLE Korea May 2020 issue!

— Kun

A suffering leader, everyone's Kun — With a meticulous personality. The pros and cons would be: I think I am the leader thanks to my sense of responsibility and delicacy. [But] when there is too much to take care of, it is a bit cumbersome. There’s no member who gives me a hard time because they all pick on me one by one (laughs). If I had to introduce my hometown, Fujian Province, it's a quiet city with clean air and few people. Many people come to visit because the mountains and the lakes are beautiful. When I think about nature, I start missing my hometown. At school, I was the head of the student council's entertainment department. I might look like a serious person since the members are so active and mischievous, but I'm also a fun person. Times when I feel like we’re one team are when you know what the others are thinking just by the look in their eyes and, when we dance and the movements are 'synchronised'. WayV to me is the comfort of being able to share everything with each other. All the members worry a lot about music so a lot of ideas come out every time we hear new music. It is certainly an advantage that all seven have a lot of desire. I have a bright young voice, but my desire as a vocalist is to have a thicker and more mature voice these days. Wouldn't it suit dance songs that match our [team's] style more than ballads. I graduated in Practical Music. If there is a song I want to arrange: I'm still trying to look for my style while listening to various songs. I want to challenge not only the arrangement but also the composition. I am a good cook. The dishes I recently made for the members are the dishes that I learned from the main chef of the company while I practiced them [on the members]. The menu with the biggest reaction recently was DongPo Pork. When I can't sleep, I deliberately watch low-rated movies and these days, I watch a four-hour-long landscape video shot from a train driver's perspective. It makes me fall asleep really fast (laughs). The most memorable stage after debuting was as expected, MAMA 2019. When I was giving the award speech, my hand that was holding the microphone was shaking and it was all captured [on camera]. What I want to say to myself in hard times is to be confident! The moment you lose your confidence, everything becomes more difficult. The mindset I don't want to lose is to be grateful. Everything I do right now is impossible to do by myself. This is the most important. To Winwin: who has known me the longest among the members! I hope you always take on challenges with courage because I will always be there beside you to support you. Also, all the members know that you are cute.

— Lucas

Healthy energy, hot Lucas — Between a boy and a man, I feel closer to 100% boy! I don't think I feel mature enough. [Maybe I’m just like] a baby who wants to be a man (laughs). The most impressive man to me is a responsible person. And also, a man who gives everything to his loved ones. Having an attractive rapping sound because of a low and husky voice. My desire to sing is big! I want to sing a sad song. I've heard from people around me that a calm song suits my voice. Like the calm songs of Paul Kim I normally listen to too. My favorite song is "Take Off, The killing point is the dance break, with the powerful guitar riff. Emotion is what is the most important on stage. I believe each song has its own soul, and it is important to immerse yourself. My role in the team is positive energy. Although always looking bright, surprisingly, I have a lot of thoughts. Yesterday too, I had a lot of thoughts before going to bed, so it took me a while to fall asleep. Not long ago, Kun hyung played me a song he had composed and so many ideas came up so I wrote them down and sent it to him. WayV to me is a friendship that feels really deep even though it’s been only a year since I made a debut with the people I love so much. So much that when we come back from a schedule, as we laugh and talk together, the stress will suddenly be gone. The most important thing in a team is to have sincere conversations with each other to understand each other's differences. Only then can we get along well because of the wider understanding. Having appeared in a number of familiar variety shows like the Chinese version of <Running Man> <Let's Run Season 3> I like that I can go to various places the most. It's also a special opportunity to meet people with other jobs and not only artists. I think I'm often called/casted [for these shows] because of my sincere youthful reactions. The mindset I don't want to lose is the promise I made when I debuted to be a good influence on people. That's what I always keep in mind. I want to be a person who always gives positive influence to people, family, and fans around me. To Yangyang: who I know is really smart, you're still a cute little brother to me (laughs)

— Winwin A quiet presence, Winwin — In the reality show <Dream Plan>, mingling well with the elders in the village was impressive. Special trick behind it was thanking them for looking out for me! Since they were all kind natured, I guess treating them with sincerity looked good. When Lucas and I visited their home, we got served a meal and received a warm welcome. A performance video of Ten and I has been released. As a dancer, Ten is a member whose strength is being versatile. He helps the members at dance practices a lot. I’ve learned dancing in a special dance school. At the time I was the shortest and least talkative kid until I grew taller in high school. I’ve spent most of the time practicing alone. Chinese dance is similar to modern dance mixed with ballet. Learning the choreography is fast and it’s an advantage to be skillful in tumbling. I would like to properly showcase a modern dance at a concert someday. When I’m on the stage what I care about the most is my gestures and facial expression. During ‘Take Off’ promotions, the gestures and facial expressions I did during my part varied from stage to stage. I hear that I’m ‘pure’ a lot. A new charm that I want to have: our fans call me ‘Baby Chick’. I want to showcase more of an ‘eagle’ image, so I cut my hair short. Isn’t it similar to Park Saeroy (laugh). Something that makes me angry, although I normally have a good temper is being unsatisfied with stage performance to the point I can’t sleep on that day. But it’s okay to just take a nap. I just need to do better. The most memorable moment in WayV promotions was receiving the Best New Asian Artist Award at the MAMAs, it was the first time we’ve gotten an award together so I was very happy. The reason why I went to Beijing on my own as a middle school student seems to be fate. I passed my exams without much determination, left my hometown and went to school in Beijing where I was noticed and then debuted. Coincidence became fate. To me WayV is a path that we’re talking together, a team with a lot of growth potential. I’d like it if the younger members came to me whenever they need someone. I feel our fans love and support the most when: I’m always amazed and grateful for our fans hearts. All of the people who always look out for us even when we’re not promoting any albums and who support us are an immense source of strength. Success to me is when more people get to know us and we get to perform in many different countries. I want to think about my personal success after my team’s success. To Kun: when members want advice, we reach out to Kun first before our families. He knows a lot, can do a lot, and is a person we can depend on.

— Ten

Ten who is curious about what's next rather than what’s now — The secret to adapting well everywhere is attending an international school. I had friends of various nationalities and I also traveled a lot. Wherever I went, I went to see the common [places] first. Learning an unfamiliar culture is fun. I’m learning Thai, English, Korean, Japanese and now working hard at learning Chinese. I memorize expressions that I can use while watching Chinese variety shows and dramas. Although it's still difficult to read the buzzwords and hanja. The most important thing as a performer, and what makes you an outstanding dancer, is to have your own style while not being trapped by masculinity and femininity. I am different now from a few years ago and I'm trying to challenge myself by being flexible in various aspects. What I've learned since debut is, in the case of WayV, that when you work with various genres the main concern is the vocal style and with SuperM, I learned about the importance of performance through the activities [we did]. 'It's important to dance well, but you must also have your own [style]', 'think about what you want to express in front of the camera, but you must be faithful to your feelings on every stage in order to develop [yourself]' is the advice I received from the Hyungs (Baekhyun, Kai, Taemin). For the dance video that I did together with Winwin, the concept, music, settings, and outfits were all decided by us together without the company's advice. I came to realize the difficulties of being a staff member (laughs). I can [now] see the wider picture and more details. I like poetry too. I think poetry expresses emotions. It helps me understand the world and the society as a person and not as an artist. The lyrics of my 2nd solo song 'New Heroes' feel like an autobiography. If 'Dream in a Dream' was all about the performance then 'New Heroes' is a song about the time spent committing [to something] and I thought anyone can sympathize with that. The [original] lyrics were so great that I asked them not to change it and to just go with it. I want to write lyrics myself someday. The kind of person I want to be is [someone who] always tries to go with the flow as I think that making plans and setting expectations can make it more difficult on yourself. I hope I could be a person who can leave a good impact on others. WayV to me is just like a family who always does everything together and takes care of each other asking ‘have you already eaten?’. Everyone has an open mind to try and accept new challenges. During the 'Moonwalk' promotion period, I was kinda surprised how well we got along. Having received recognition for my skills since debut. The times when the expectations are high are: Art and languages too are ever-evolving disciplines, so it's not easy to keep up. Nevertheless, there are self-expectations and anticipations to show a new side of myself. I will work hard (laughs). I still play Pokemon Go and I'm waiting for the June update. I will catch a lot of new Pokemon again! To Xiaojun: with whom I saw Harry Potter together yesterday! Let's make an appearance in Harry Potter when there is a reboot.

— Hendery

Flexible midfielder, Hendery — Something I’ve gotten into recently is practicing playing drums. Kun hyung is cooking a lot lately so I’ve been reviewing the food too. The other day he made kimchi jjigae so good that it even got an approval from manager hyung. My favourite track is ‘Take Off’. We filmed the music video in Ukraine and spent loads of happy times together, so I feel happier whenever I listen to it. Something I’ve improved on since debut is that recording songs takes less time. When I hear a member of staff say ‘Is this really Hendery’s voice?’ I feel proud of myself. The charm of my vocal is: I’m still looking for it, but I feel like my rap sounds nice when I spice it up with a little melody. Good at giving advice to our members. A tip to giving good advice is: it’s important to have helping and not making decisions in mind. Talk about both bad and good points about the A and B. The secret to always looking like I’m at peace is my parents always telling me ‘Your happiness is the most important. You always have a home to come back to, so work as much as you can enjoy’, thanks to them I grew up as someone with little stress or worries. Mindset that I don’t want to lose is the excitement before going on stage. I think the most important thing for an artist is their greed for performing. When I get on stage the most important is interacting with fans. The most memorable stage was our Korean debut on <Show! Champion>. I couldn’t believe we’re performing Chinese songs in Korea. I was so overwhelmed to see our fans welcoming us so enthusiastically even though they didn’t understand what we were saying. I opened an instagram account recently. My posting plan is ‘This is where I am‘ ‘I am filming today’. I want to showcase my daily self. I hope our fans can smile for a brief moment when they see the pics I had the most fun taking. To me WayV is: I feel empty when I go away to see my family for a little. Every time that happens I facetime them to relieve the sadness. Lucas is the member who picks up the most (laugh). To Lucas: No matter how busy we get, even if we become grandpas, I’ll always be by your side. It’s something I want to say to all of the members, but Lucas is a friend I'm especially attached to so I really wanted to say this.

— Yangyang

Infinite potential, bold maknae Yangyang — I speak Chinese, German, English Korean and Spanish. Great language skills are useful when you travel. Whenever I talk with friends of various nationalities, I think it's fortunate that I can speak many languages. In our team alone, it's full [with people who speak] Chinese, Thai, English, and Korean (laughs). My role in the team is being the happy virus! Although of course, the hyungs think I'm a maknae that requires a lot of energy from them. WayV to me is a high tension team that can deliver strong and positive energy. If someone shows a slight sign of exhaustion, we immediately stick together and somehow infect each other with energy. I think that such energy is conveyed to fans on stage. If I have learned anything from living together with the members [it would be] the habit I have developed to control my greed and to care for others. I'm used to looking at the other's feelings now before doing something. My favorite song is ‘King of Hearts’, because I participated in writing the lyrics. I also love 'Love Talk' from the 2nd mini album. It is a charming song that is sweet and sexy but has a way to make your body move. My ambition as a rapper is the flow. Because I think this is the aspect that determines the impression of a song from the listener's point of view. I want to be a multi-talented person who is good at not only rapping but also dancing, singing, and writing lyrics. I've always had a lot of ambition. The attractive part of writing lyrics is that I can tell my story, since from a long time ago, I wrote lyrics little by little and it's always fun work. I want to steadily keep doing it. I like Virgil Ablo and Demna Gvasalia, and the fashion icon who caught my eye these days is Mike Amirie. I am drawn to people who have a simple yet clear style. The same goes for musicians. I like people who have a clear style like Travis Scott and A$AP Rocky. I’ve said 'I like who I am' before. Instances when I am especially like myself is when I'm confident. When I have confidence and want to show off, I can show much more than my actual skills. I use SNS to check on NBA and fashion news. I see the news on sneakers I'm looking forward to fast. Surprisingly, I don't look up anything about me [but] when a stage or performance is over I do look up the reactions. Most of them are good, so every time I read, I get energized. To Hendery: hyung, you seem to really get into gaming, but don't try too hard (laughs).

— Xiaojun

Warm voice, Xiaojun — Something I’m into these days is practicing the songs that will be included in the next album that we are preparing for. Before debuting, I only sang my favorite ballad song, but nowadays, I want to sing songs of other genres such as R&B. I've been uploading videos of me singing on my personal Instagram. My favorite song is ‘Face to Face’. My heart warms up every time I hear it. I really like the lyrics ‘You won’t be lonely because I’ll be your strength, I won’t let you cope with your wounds alone in silence’. The keywords that describe me are kind. Friendly. Positive. I often say ‘I wish my songs were healing different people’. The way I heal myself is: my heart calms down when I look at pictures with many memories sealed in them. I take a lot of pictures of the scenery and especially when I look at the pictures of my hometown in Guangdong I feel healed. The reason behind my strong sensitivity is the big influence of my dad who’s a singer and my older brother. Ever since I was little we would often watch movies together. I graduated with a musical major. My greed for musicals is: I’ll surely do it again later. I like starring in musicals but one day I’d like to make my own. A musical piece I’d like to recommend is <Dear Evan Hansen> who won at Tony Awards and Grammys. It’s a warm story about a lonely high school boy suffering from social anxiety disorder, who is working on his trauma and healing from the pain. My way of dealing with stress is quiet time on my own. Just like positive energy, negative energy is easily spread to others, so I’d rather be alone. A memory I really want to make is a trip, I promised to go on before debuting, with the members. The destination is still undecided. The kind of team member I want to be is a silent supporter. It would be nice if I can be 'my people/dearest' to others. Something I want to do this year is to have an event for the fans. I like to surprise friends or throw surprise birthday parties. I think fans will love it if we would do a guerilla performance. I told you here so I have to throw [that idea] away and I will prepare something else (laughs). To Ten: You are one of the 'Hyung-line', and you Korean is the best so there are many times you have to lead us. Don't carry everything on your own and sometimes lean on us! The same goes for Kun hyung.

t/n: Due to the structure of this interview there might be inaccuracies as many things only made sense in Korean but sounded kinda awkward in English (more so compared to other translations we did). We tried our best to convey what they meant, but please keep this in mind when reading this interview.

Translation: Alex, Esmee @ FY! NCT (NCTINFO) | Source: ELLE Korea Scans — Do not repost or take out without our permission!

#NCT #wayv #kun #ten #winwin #lucas #hendery #xiaojun #yangyang #t:trans #t:interview #ELLE #ELLE: May 2020

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meichenxi · 4 years

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For the ask game! 9, 12, and 22?

Yay more askies :D this is going to be likewise long!

9) What does a week in your language learning routine look like?

- I’m not particularly disciplined in the way that I study, though I do tend to study most days. I’m very good at making plans but less at following them consistently, so this is a more realistic depiction of what I do!

- Because I’m currently studying with HSK Online and they have two classes a week which cover about 3 chapters, I have a lot of vocabulary and grammar that I need to cover in the app before attending those classes, so most of my studies at the moment are focused on getting that done. So:

Vocabulary and grammar:

(I do this all most days, depending on what exactly I need to do for the next lesson, but I try to do Quizlet every day)

1) I go through the vocabulary and grammar lessons, and write down the vocab and any example sentences.

2) When I input this into Quizlet, I use Baidu Translate to look at example sentences to get a better feel for how the word is used. I also write a couple of sentences / say a couple of sentences with each word. Baidu Translate is a fantastic tool, much better for Chinese than Google Translate, and it has an example sentences section where you can get the pinyin if you hover over the characters.

3) After I feel I vaguely know the words for that day, I will go back and actively study them on Quizlet. For any words I forget I’ll write more sentences, or look at more examples. If there are any grammar points, I look them up on Chinese grammar wiki.

Input and reading

(I don’t do these at any specific time, but luckily I quite enjoy this section so am very happy to Consume Media)

1) Try to read something every day. It doesn’t matter exactly what this is - often it’s Bilibili comments! I also like to skim through my graded reader and try to practice scan-reading.

2) I do dedicated HSK-style reading practice a few times a week as well. Again, I use the HSK Online app for this. It’s terrifying but necessary. This one I do have to motivate myself to do.

3) I watch a lot of Chinese shows. Some with English subs, some with Chinese subs. My favourites include The Untamed (obviously), Nirvana in Fire (will always need the subs for this rip), Tian Guan Ci Fu (a donghua on Bilibili) and Street Dance of China. I probably watch a good 5-10 hours of TV a week.

4) I learn other things through Chinese. So I watch lectures or courses on Bilibili or do workout videos. I especially like watching videos teaching beginners Cantonese and Japanese, two languages I am interested in learning, as well as Literary Chinese.

5) I listen to podcasts in Chinese when I’m walking around. My favourites include 聊聊东西, 听故事学中文 and 面包吐司. They are all in Chinese, but all specifically designed for foreigners, though the first and last are not learning podcasts, just podcasts of fairly accessible content where people chat about things like smoking, health, dating and so on. The second one is a podcast where stories are read in Chinese, and then explained sentence-by-sentence in Chinese, so it’s more ‘learning’.

12 - What tips would you give to people that want to study the language/s you’re studying?

1) It’s an uphill slog, but you’re at the hardest place right now. So if you feel discouraged, if you feel overwhelmed, nobody else got it after one month either! It will take time, but is there anything worthwhile that doesn’t?

2) Invest in good pronunciation training right from the beginning. If you can’t take classes, watch videos (YoYo Chinese, Outlier Chinese, Mandarin Blueprint etc have good tone series). Practice tone pairs. Tone pairs are your saviours. Practice repeating what the speaker actually says, not what you think they say. Learn a little bit about phonetics.

3) Listen to Chinese right from the get go, as much as you can. Listening is many people’s weakest area, especially if they are learning it in a non-Chinese speaking environment. Play podcasts all the time. Differentiate between ‘learning’ podcasts (which will mostly be in English at the beginning), and podcasts that just train your ear to the sounds of Chinese. Have Chinese podcasts on all the time, regardless of whether you understand them or not.

4) Invest in a structured course. I don’t necessarily mean classes with a teacher, though if you can I would recommend italki (feel free to contact me to see which teachers I’d recommend). But consider something like Chinese Zero to Hero, where they have videos explaining HSK1 through to HSK6. It’s about 100 dollars, but even if you have to save up for a few months to get that, I’d recommend it. Why? Because Chinese is overwhelming and there’s so much to learn. Having someone to tell you what you need to learn next is an absolute god-send. Plus, they know more than you what beginners need to tackle. They also have beginner-appropriate audio, which is absolutely crucial to learning to speak. I really would recommend this course.

5) Learn properly about how characters work from the get go. Learn about phonetic and semantic components. Learn what types of characters there are, learn the most common components, and learn to hand-write them too.

6) Record yourself speaking as much as you can. Play it back. How does it sound? Record it again.

7) Practice reading from the moment you have around 150 characters. There are excellent physical graded readers as well as apps like The Chairman’s Bao and Du Chinese. THIS IS SO IMPORTANT, PLEASE DON’T LEAVE IT OUT. It takes time for you to get used to reading in a second language, especially one with unfamiliar characters.

8) Decide whether you’re going for traditional or simplified, and stick with it. Do not learn both unless you have a very good reason. If you think you might go to Hong Kong or Taiwan, have family there, want to read literary Chinese, or even understand ‘deeper’ how certain characters have developed, you can learn traditional, but if you’re less than 100% sure, go with simplified. It’s easier for beginners, and if you have a good level of simplified Chinese, traditional isn’t that hard to pick up later down the line - some common characters are completely different, but many are different in very predictable ways. If you are not absolutely sure you are going to need traditional, I’d recommend simplified.

9) Really, really consider your motivation. Why are you learning? Do you just think it would be cool? It is cool, but that’s not enough of a reason to embark on any language, much less one with extra difficulties like Chinese. In an ideal situation, you’d be intrinsically motivated all the time: but that’s not always going to happen. Do you have Chinese family you’d like to communicate with better? Do you want to travel to a Chinese speaking country? Do you want to read Chinese poetry? Do you just really love Xiao Zhan?? If you’re doing it ‘for your career’, please bear in mind that you won’t get any points for learning half a language. If you’re not willing to engage with the culture and the people, you’re just not going to be successful long term.

10) Find things you like watching / listening to / reading in Chinese as soon as you can. Bored? Unmotivated? Stick a favourite episode of your favourite drama on. It still technically counts as immersion, and when your language skills are better, you’ll be able to use that as your textbook!! Try and find something that will make you want to read or listen in Chinese, and then it won’t feel like a chore. It’ll also become a motivation, because inevitably the more you explore the Chinese language internet, the more you’ll find things you can’t interact with in translation and need your language skills for.

22 - How has learning about the culture of the country impacted your language learning?

Hmm, this is a really interesting question!! I'll have to answer in a few ways.

1) I'm interested in a lot of things about Chinese culture, which fuelled my interest for learning Chinese, and also let me learn in a more fun way. I’m a huge tea nerd, I enjoy listening to Chinese traditional music though I know very little about it, and I enjoy calligraphy. I think that some hanfu is just objectively the most gorgeous clothing on the planet and I enjoy Chinese water-and-mountain style landscape art. I also love the karst landscapes of some parts of southern China (OH MY GOD LIMESTONE MY FAVOURITE ROCK) and I’ve had a faded picture of Zhangjiajie on my wall since I was about nine. This is very different from my experience with German: I love the German language, and I have a lot of great friends from German-speaking countries, but I’m not intrinsically interested in the culture the same way I am Chinese-speaking countries. Because there’s so much I want to learn, it gives me a) huge motivation for continuing studying, b) makes it a more holistic, rounded experience, and c) provides me with wonderful study materials. At the intermediate level, I can avoid textbooks if I really want to and just learn about tea. Isn't that just the dream. Also, realistically, if I want to be able to read poetry in literary Chinese, my modern Chinese has to be a lot better. So I’m very motivated because of this.

2) My interest in martial arts! I originally started learning Chinese because I had gotten interested in Chinese culture via wuxia and martial arts. My dad is a huge martial arts nerd. By that I don’t mean someone who sits on his sofa all day with a nunchuck collection and Bruce Lee pictures, I mean he gets up at 6 every day and trains for about 2-3 hours. He can run a 5:30 minute mile aged 56. I have so much respect for this man, seriously. He used to practice karate, taekwondo and Muay Thai, but after he got sick he started with taiji. He’s practiced taiji and qigong now every day for about twenty years. So I was brought up on a diet of Hong Kong and mainland Chinese martial arts cinema - my dad would regularly show me clips of films because I couldn’t watch the whole ones until I was older, and get into trouble when my mum came back! We spent hours learning forms together and doing push-hands in the kitchen. Even now when we go home our form of affection is trying to kick each other without being kicked back lmao. I discovered the Jin Yong books in English about 15 and was just entranced by the names of the movements, by the action, the galloping across the plains, the sweeping scenery. I have inherited this interest, and am also a huge martial arts nerd and so a large motivation for me learning Chinese is that a) I love the genre of wuxia and want to know more about it, and b) I’d like to spend a few years training at an academy in Wudang and want to be able to understand as much as possible and for that, I obviously need the language to a high level!!! I started jiu jitsu when I was 8, started a southern style of Kung Fu when I was fifteen, studied for a few months in China in an academy, and it’s been my dream to go back since.

3) Different cultural attitudes, the outside park culture, and how people talk to each other. I’m from the UK, alright - we don’t do things in public and we certainly don’t approach strangers!! So when I was in China this was one of the weirdest things to get used to, next to just the sheer amount of people (I grew up in a village of 2000). But though it was tiring at times, I liked it so much. It was so refreshing to have people ask me questions because they were curious, and start talking to me. One of the reasons that I think my accidental immersion-only approach to learning Chinese the first time I was in China worked was because I just couldn’t stay away from the parks. People practicing taiji, playing badminton, chilling with kids, doing calisthenics: isn’t that just so so cool??? And naturally if I was in the parks, people would chat to me. This patience and friendliness (because my Chinese truly was awful) combined with many people’s lack of ability / confidence in English meant that I was able to improve in a way which would have been impossible in, say, Germany or Finland. Can you imagine?? Once an old guy came up to me, peered over my shoulder at my (English) book, then announced loudly, ‘I can’t read it.’ I was like - can you read English?? He shook his head, and then pointed to a small boy: ‘This is my grandson. He’s learning English.’ That kind of interaction repeated daily, as well as being in a second-tier city where I had to speak Chinese, did so much for my language skills. It also made me very motivated to improve. Also, training and exercise is just a great way to meet people: no matter your language skills, if you are dedicated people are going to respect that, and if you’re both there every day, you’re going to get chatting eventually.

Phew, that got long again (what a surprise). But thank you very much for your questions!! :D

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inessencedevided · 4 years

Text

The Untamed, episode 46 - watching notes

Full disclosure: I'm not in a particularly good mood today. Have you seen that "no productivity. Only guild." Meme flying around? That's me today :|

Hopefully this will distract me (though distraction was the problem in the first place 🙈)

I apologise for any typos you'll finde in this post 😅

To recap, the last thing I learned was that apparently, Jiggy married his own sister because Jin Guangshan was a scumbag who raped more women than he could possibly remember

I was told by several people that this episode is their favourite. No pressures or anything :D

The way someone is dragging up Jiggy's secrets has a lot of poetic justice to it. Everyone is outraged and gossiping. Consensus is reached quickly. Kinda makes me feel that that someone (who probably also wrote the letter to jgy) knows exactly how to use the sect world's worst qualities as a weapon

Yao what's-his-name, resident gossip queen, at it again

Don't look at me my memory is as bad as wwx when it comes to names :D

I was about to write who is Lianfang Zum again and then I remembered that it's jiggy's honorary title. See what I mean? ^^

What does it say about me that my heart makes a leap when I simply see wwx leaning close to lwj to whisper to him? 😅 I'll probably die reading the novel, that's what that says

Oh so it was the maid who sent the letter

Come on Wei Wuxian! That was cruel

Yeah Yao what's-his-name, why would you need to know the identity of who ever is behind this? It's not like you've ever been deceived before!

What's... with that bracelet?

I love it how everyone looks positively startled when Lan Wangji says something unprompted :D

Wait ... Zwei Jun is in his hands? Shit, i don't remeber what happened there. Where did Xichen go again? 😬

I'm so confused right now 🙈 I can't watch and read the subtitles and type

Okay, watched the whole conversation again, now I'm following

I reiterate my earlier statement that whoever is pulling the strings here knows exactly what strings to pull to get the clans to act

Great, another mob 🙄

Loooool

NOW you want his help? 😂

Sure, as soon as he can serve YOU with his "evil tricks", that's okay!

You can see how much wwx changed because he does not hold their hypocrisy to their faces. He mostly seemed tired of it

And Jiang Cheng just realised that wwx might indeed not be responsible for Jiang Yanli's death, didn't he? He's almost stunned 🥺

Or is BEAUTIFUL to see Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji move in such unity! 😭

Oh ... those are the graves of his foster parents, right? :(

And Yanli ... oh God I forgot about Yanli 🥺

I'm crying again. Nothing on this show will ever hit as hard to me as the Yunmeng siblings' fate

I couldn't help myself, I legitimately just stroked my laptop screen where Yanli's plate was 🥺

So many conflicting emotions

Thanks to a friendly anon, I know that these three bows together are marriage thing! 😭😭😭

So yeah, they're married now. I dont make the rules :')

Somehow, this feels like them asking wwx's foster family's blessing

And now I'm imagining Shijie smiling back at them gently and I'm crying 🥺

And by God, I love lwj's gentle teasing :')

This whole scene, he's so soft! 😭

And it think that Wei Wuxian probably thought that he'd never get to step into Lotus Pier again. But here, he can finally say his goodbyes to his Shijie properly. He can heal! 🖤

And again, I cannot stress enough how wonderful that is! And how rare and precious in a show like this. So often character's get put through unimaginable trauma, but they either brush it off no problem or the show/movie ends immediately after the main action and you are left to imagine the number it did on the character's psyche. There are so rarely fantasy shows that really dive into the emotional fallout the plot has on their characters and then give them time to heal. Thus show does both and I'm so goddamn overjoyed my it!

Come to think of it, it reminds me of a very good hurt/comfort fic 🤷‍♀️

Jiang Cheng pleae, fir once, try not to be angry immediately when you're hurting :(

He still takes special offence that lwj is there. Makes me wonder if he still feels like wwx chooses lwj over the Jiang sect and is still hurt by it 😔 (note that at the same time, he reminds wwx that he's very much not a member of the Jiang clan anymore. God, the man has not worked through his own feelings ...)

For once, as much as I love it when lwj defends wwx (especially when it's not against any physical harm, but because he doesn't want wwx to be hurt emotionally) I think him interfering with this particular conflict does not help

Okay sorry, but no! lotus pier was not destroyed because wwx saved lwj in that cave. That was just an excuse for the Wen sect. They would have come eventually anyway

Ohhh

So there's my answer

He's still hurt because he feels wwx chooses anyone else over his family, which is to say him

And he probably can't understand because their positions are so different. The (future) sect leader and the son of a (dead) servant and a rogue cultivator who never felt quite like he belonged 😔

It's so goddamn tragic how much between these two was destroyed simply because they have such a different status in society and could never quite understand each other's perspective

And again, wwx just takes it 💔

Until, that is, lwj's honour gets besmirched

Don't fight in front of Shijie 🥺

Jiang Cheng's every action screams that he still loves his brother and that amidst all that pain for his lost family, is also deep betrayal and grieve for the brother he thought he could always count on 🥺💔

Can we appreciate for a second how much this shot tells us? From Jiang Cheng's angry desperation, to Wei Wuxian's quite acceptance of his rage (which must be so confusing to Jiang Cheng and probably hurt him even more. Because fighting is always how these two resolved their issues!) to Lan Wangji who is in full on protective mode (which I find more than heartwarming,but still think probably isn't helpful rn)

He ... what?

I still don't quite understand when exactly wwx's lack of golden core shows. Why does he have a nosebleed here?

What?

Oh!

Wen Ning 😱

I get what he wants to do!

Have we ever seen him this calm and determined before?

Abd they understand 😱😱😱

The look on all of their faces! Shiiiiit

I'm crying again

Oh wangii is crying 🥺

Wen Quing 💔💔💔 I'm crying even harder just looking at her. I've MISSED her 🥺

Lan Zhan your FACE!! 😭

The way he's looking at wwx in his arms, as if he's seeing him fir the first time

And by god, I can only imagine what he must be thinking

He must be reevaluation every single interaction they had since wwx started down the path of demonic cultivation 😭

I'm a bit in awe of Wen Ning here and how much he must have been holding in. That's the steadiest and most confident he's ever been

Oh Jiang cheng 💔

That looks like a man whose entire world has just been shaken to its core

And Lan Wangji is crying so much 🥺

God I hope he doesn't blame himself even more 🥺

Aaaaaaahhhh, so that is why he wouldn't just carry the sword for appearance sake and why he just had a nosebleed!

Jiang Cheng probably needs about a month to process all that :/

And therapy ...

Aaaaaaahhhh! The boat scene! I've seen gifs! 😍😍😍

A penny for Lan Wangji's thoughts ...

Oh I'm so so so so glad that Wen Ning gets to say thank you to the man who raised his ... cousin (?) :')

Oh god we get to see!!!!

Oh little a Yuan 😭😭😭😭😭😭

I wonder now, did Lan Qiren know who the child was that his nephew suddenly brought back to cloud recess?

I'm glad that we all learned from this that keeping secrets from the people we love, especially secrets that concern them personally, will eventually come back to bide us in the ass. Than you for delivering that important lesson, wen Ning!

Which reminds me that I hope they eventually tell wwx that they know 😬

I swear to god, one of these days I will melt from the gentleness in lan Wangji's gaze :')

Shit. He had to be awake? 😳

You can pinpoint the moment Lan Wangji's heart breaks for all the suffering wwx endured and how close he came to loosing him even then 🥺

Waking like that in you lovers arms in the middle of a lotus pond - that's the dream *sighs* (minus the passing out bit)

It's weirdly cute that wwx thinks that it's Jiang Cheng's insults that have lwj so upset 😅

Oh GOOOOD ...

I can't

The moment Yanli's themes started to play and she appeared I started to bawl 😭😭😭

And he's sharing the lotus pods with them ... oh please, lwj, please understand what he's saying. That's his pove language! His sister's food was how he received love and right now he passes it on to you! Please, please understand it! 🥺

Oh lwj, don't 🙈

Awwwwww ....

He's breaking the rules for you!!! Just to make you smile!!! 😭😭

And holy shit look at their expressions 😭

By now you should know that he's willing to break the rules for you :')

And poor third wheel Wen Ning 😂

Now there are glittering butterflies???

Do they have some kind of romantic aesthetic bingo going on in this episode???

Oh okay, messenger butterflies

Please appreciate wwx almost climbing into lan Wangji's lab in excitement :D

Thay scene transition was pretty af!

Hey! Why do they bully wen Ning? 😤

*shakes wwx by the shoulders* DO YOU GET THAT HE LOVES YOU NOW???

Huh, this episode was a roller coaster. you guys did NOT exaggerate! I loved it to pieces. I'm floored once more by all the actor's performances. Wen Ning revealed a lot about his character, Jiang Cheng broke my heart, Lan Wangji made it melt and Shijie is still able to make me bawl in an instant. But ... I'm not left with a bitter feeling. Sure, jiang Cheng and wei Wuxian havebt reconciled, but the truth is the first step to even have that possibility. Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji are both healing and whatever happens in the last 4 (4!!!😭) episodes, I'm not dreading it that much right now. I feel like we're climbing upwards :)

@sweetlittlevampire @fandom-glazed @elenirlachlagos @allhailthedramallama @luckymoony @kyrrahbird @i-love-him-on-purpose thank you guys for staying with me for this crazy ride 💙🖤💙

Also one last thing: please don't tell me what happens differently in the novel in any given scene. I am still reading it (about half way through rn) and I'd like to still be surprised by stuff like first kisses and love confessions 💙🖤

I should have put something like this at the end before, but I always forgot. That's on me 😅 so don't feel bad, if you've shared something before :)

#the untamed #sophie watches the untamed #wei wuxian #wwx #lan wangji #lwj #jiang wanyin #jiang cheng #jiang yanli #wen ning #a yuan #the untamed liveblog

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spooky-space-kook · 3 years

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Muay Thai class #6!

Well, after the high of Tuesday, this one didn't go so well. I had lots of nice partners, but I was so so so tired that I just was not where I needed to be for them. And I'm really feeling the guilt and shame for not being at 100%. So much of the training is having a good partner, and I just wasn't that.

The first person I was paired up with was awesome! They were new like me but they had that sort of wasp-like movement that I wish so hard I could achieve. In fact, he had the same movement that inspired me while watching John Wick 2. That sounds silly, but the John Wick series is a great way to see people at their physical peak perform amazing stunts. In the second movie, there were two men who came running into a building and they moved like wasps. So fast and so precise that it boggled the mind watching them move. The moment I saw that I thought "I want that."

And that's what my sparring partner had! They were very good!

I think they thought I was going easy on them. I wasn't. Also they were very quiet and I'm very hard of hearing (not, like, diagnosed. I just can't hear shit. It is what it is, ya know?) So we had a little confusion.

But man. As each round went I got more and more tired and I just was not where I needed to be. I forgot to call out instructions because we learned a combo but we learned it, like, 3 different ways. I didn't know how to call the different combos so I kept confusing my partners. Then I would call and get confused myself!

I feel rough about today. In the past I've tried to be a very good partner. This is the first time I've been truly ashamed of myself. I know that failing once is not Being A Failure, but... it feels that way. For right now anyway. I did learn a valuable lesson, though. That I take this more seriously than I even realized, and need to work hard accordingly so I can hopefully not have days like this in the future. That I should never, ever come as tired as I did today. I could feel my brain literally blanking out. That's enough time for a person to throw a punch and me to not brace properly. That got my glasses knocked off. That's my fault, and I'm never doing that again.

So it was a bit of a wash, but also a good learning experience. I'll do better next time, and make sure to seek out the people I paired up with today again so I can prove I can be a worthwhile partner.

#personal

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suffering-and-happy-about-it · 5 years

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A Bottle of Sriracha (Sriracha, Part 6.)

Description: A problematic college student gets the worst summer job of the '83 - Jim Hopper, the Chief of police in your hometown will have you as his secretary since his old lady Flo has two months lasting holiday. It was agreed so Hopper could keep you away from all the trouble.

Part Summary: Jim Hopper can't do many things, but he can properly appreciate the hard work of his co-workers.

A/N: Finally, you will understand why is the whole series named Sriracha! Yay!

Word count: 4.3 K

Tagging: @nemodoren @missdictatorme @creedslove

Master list: H E R E

Only ten minutes remained to the end of your shift and Jesus, weren't they just dragging like fuck? You were alone in the building of Hawkins PD. Every cop in there left probably an hour ago, but you were waiting for Hopper just like he asked you to. But there was no call, radio was completely silent and you could hardly understand why he even asked you to stay there.

You were just turning the lights off and getting ready, when the so-called Chief of police finally entered the building You smiled at him, gave him a nod and went to your small personal space on Flo's chair.

"So, what happened, Chief?" - You asked and started to clean up the desk. Jesus Christ, you were a messy person. Lipstick here, sheets with drawings there, half-eaten donut on the other side of the desk. That was just as impressive as it was disgusting at the same time.

"I was drivin' through the whole damn town and tried to find this." - He put a paper bag on your desk, leaning into the counted in front of you. - "Your reward and my way of sayin’ thanks."

You cautiously looked on the Chief before taking the bag, putting it on your thighs to look at what the hell he bought you. First, you were afraid, since Hopper could buy you literally anything. But as soon as you unwrapped the napkins off, you found our that it's food. And warm food. And a bottle of...

"You somehow bought Sriracha in this God-forsaken town? Wow, well, that's a reward, Chief, not going to lie." - You held the bottle in your palms and smiled. You loved homemade Sriracha from your grandmother, but bought was also good. Especially the bottle Hopper got was spicy but sweet at the same time. And he even got you some Mexican food. If Hopper wasn't a magician, you didn't know what he was.

"That's why I was gone for so long, kiddo. Come on, let's eat. I'm starving." - Hopper started to take his jacket off and walked into the direction of his office, and you almost followed him, but then you stopped yourself.

"I can't. My mom is cooking dinner and even if I greatly appreciate all of this, Chief, I have to go." - You said with sadness with your voice, watching Chief preparing one of his extra-dark coffees. You put the bag with the sauce on one of the officer's desks and smiled at him. It was a great gesture, really, but you knew that your mom would start a fire on the roof if you weren't home on time.

"Call her that you're here with me, stuck since I need your help with another case. If she wouldn't believe you, tell her to call me." - Chief said as if all of it was completely logical. - "You need a day off, kiddo. You're trying your best here even if it's supposed to be your summer sentence. That's what I call good work."

That was right. That was fucking right. You needed a fucking day off to rest. Yeah. Hopper was right. You should be more careful with yourself, you should stop overworking and be home exact at seven p.m.

So you called your mom.

"Hey, mom, it's me." - You said shyly to the phone while you were still playing with the hem of the paper bag Hopper brought you, smelling the Mexican food inside.

"Hi, baby, something's wrong? Do you want me to give you a ride home?" - She asked in a curious tone. You giggled and shook your head even if she couldn't see you.

“Chief just came back on the station and asked me to stay a bit longer to help with a case or something like that. He asks if it's fine and if you don't trust me, he says you can call him any time.” - You told her with a calm tone and moved further from the bag when Hopper came there to take his food from the bag. Sriracha might've been a Thai sauce, but you knew that Chief is going to love it once he tries it with Mexican food.

“I did ask her!” - He yelled over your shoulder to the phone and gave you a quick grin, taking his hat off to let his hair have a rest from being under the hat all day.

“Oh, okay. You seem to like to work at the PD. Why won't you try your chances and try to ask Hop if you could be a cop?” - Your mom asked you with a burst of quiet laughter, earning a quiet groan from you.

“I only helped him with catching a marriage fraudster, It's not like I'm James Bond or Thomas Magnum now or whatever.” - You laughed back to the phone, hearing Chief chuckling in the back.

“Right, right, sorry I asked you such a dumb question.” - The woman sighed and you giggled once again.

“I will probably take the couch we have here, alright? I'll see you tomorrow.” - You signed off and ended the call. Then you followed Chief into his office, sitting into the chair in the side of the room.

"A celebration just for me. Wow." - You chuckled and took out your quesadillas as well. He bought the exact things you recommended, which was a huge plus in your eyes.

"And the sweet end." - Chief's hand disappeared under the table, picking up a bottle of sweet wine. You nervously looked at the bottle and then you scanned your boss.

"If this is a test, I'm going to be good kiddo and I'll just refuse the wine. I learned my lesson and now I know that's a shitty idea to puke on Chief's car." - You said with a burst of laughter and opened up the sauce, putting it on all of the right places.

"I didn't arrest you for drinking, but for smoking weed and then destroying the property of a state worker. You can have a glass. I swear I won't tell the Chief." - Jim winked at you and poured you a hell of a big one. That was an irresistible offer. In a second, you were sitting at the other side of the table and took his quesadillas while you took a sip of the wine.

That man a good taste, that was undeniable. You hummed and gulped the booze while you started to pour the sauce at all the right places, Hopper taking french fries out of the paper bag.

"Hope that you don't try to murder me, huh?" - He looked at the food with suspicion. For now, you prepared him only one Sriracha quesadilla, but you knew that you'll be preparing a couple of others once he tastes it.

"Don't worry, Chief, I'm far beyond that phase of murdering you." - You mumbled back and gave him the food, pretending it's two glasses, you cheered with him before taking a fair bite from your quesadilla. Hopper followed your actions with slight suspicion still written down his face. You carefully watched his face when he took the first bite. And holy fuck, Chief didn't know how to properly eat a quesadilla at all.

At first, he coughed a bit, covering his mouth. Then he took another fair bite, trying to get a hold on that taste. Dry chicken meat, a ton of cheese in a crispy tortilla with a Thai sauce were something to get a hold on. But as he continued on chewing, it turned out not to be that bad. It was actually pretty tasty. You both started to nod as you continued on chewing the food.

"Damn, that's..." - "Tasty, right? Or maybe finger-lickin' good?" - You completed his sentence with a soft giggle, taking another sip of the wine. Hopper chuckled as well and watched you pouring down the whole glass. That left him in slight worry and awe since he knew that maybe, you'll get drunk a bit too fast.

"Another one, please." - You licked your lips and handed him the glass with a sweet smile, already preparing another quesadilla for both you and Hopper, taking some of the fries.

"Let's talk a bit." - Hopper said when he handed you back a full glass and you nodded, your eyebrows knitted with concentration. You tried to pour the sauce all over the important spots, but not to pour too much of it.

"How comes that you're experimenting with drugs?" - His low voice asked, his shoulders leaning back to his chair. You smiled a bit, giving him another piece of heaven.

"Everyone has their rebellious stage, right? I'm soon to be an adult, which means promoting college, finding a flat or a house, having a real job, most likely having some dumbass boyfriend from here, staying here until the very day I die because my parents want me to... I just wanted to feel young for a little longer." - You shook your shoulder, raising one of your ankles on the chair you were sitting on, so you could support your elbow.

"Being an adult doesn't mean that you necessarily have to start living an adult life." - Hopper said after a while, looking at you holding your glass to your lips. - "You can travel, perhaps? Or you can take your friend on a road trip, that sounds fun."

"Chief, I've learned my lesson. When someone offers me a ride home, I will accept it with a smile and I won't puke all over your precious car again. No weed, I swear." - You huffed out with a smile, making the Chief smiling as well.

The days of coffee and contemplation were far behind both you - Hopper knew that you're not the dumb kid who smokes too much weed and you knew that he isn't an irresponsible fucking jerk. This felt more friendly-like. Just sitting in his office, having coffee and wine, eating the most delicious dish in the whole world. The awkward questions slowly turned into a full dialogue and soon, you were straight drinking out of the bottle, while Hopper was giving his coffee a little chief's kiss with some Irish bourbon. He wasn't drunk at all, but you destroyed yourself before eleven p.m.

Your Converse shoes were below your on the ground along with your socks when you put your ankles on the chair, sipping the rest of the wine straight from the bottle. You took off the short-sleeved shirt and you were barely seeing one Hopper in the room with you.

"And what did you say about boyfriends?" - He snapped at one moment as if he did come out of lethargy. You chuckled and pointed your fingers at him, chuckle slowly growing into laughter. You were wasted.

"That I think it's a responsibility for an adult, a necessity if you want and I'm anything but an adult." - You answered honestly. - "And the young boys my age? Jesus. I have really not much to choose from, do I?"

"Steve Harrington seems to be into a big time. He visited you here a few times, brought you a flower, asked you out..." - Hopper rose his eyebrows and took another completely cold french fry.

"Oh please, I'm really not into romancing a highschooler. He's fine and all, I like hanging out with him, and we actually do a lot of things together since he's my brother's team and they're friends, but, I mean, nah. I'm not standing at the queue for the love of Steve Harrington." - You told him as honestly as you could, meaning every word of your speech. Alcohol usually made you brutally honest, you spoke the truth whether you liked it or not.

You and Steve had the conversation a few times actually. He tried to ask you out and every time, you just smiled at him and hugged him. You knew him since he was six years old, there was no way you would romance this guy. And you also knew that his attempts for more frequent because he was brokenhearted recently. And you liked that boy, a lot, but not in the sense he would like you to.

"I've never thought of boys, to be honest." - You mumbled to yourself as a note for the next time.

"So... Um..." - Hopper licked his lower lip and scratched his beard, visibly getting a bit uncomfortable. - "You fancy girls?"

At that, you shot a shocked look at him just seconds before you started to laugh hysterically. Your feet fell off the chair as you spangled up, trying to contain your behavior. - "I mean, it's a bit unconventional, but I don't judge. Love's love, I guess."

"No! No! No! That's not what I meant at all, Chief!" - You looked at him, unable to stop snorting. That made Hopper laugh as well. - "I just... Boys aren't really my area. They're fun to hang around, yes, but... I don't know. There's something about men."

Hopper just stopped doing anything, furrowing from a moment to moment. He watched you drinking the last bits of the wine remaining in the bottle before you inhaled to continue with your speech. Hopper was not sure if he wants to hear all of it.

"Men around twenty are... Fine. Sure, I agree with that, but there's something mysterious about men ten years and older than me. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?" - You sat straight so you could look at him, crossing your legs. You looked so young and full of life at that moment - your cheeks were red and eyes shining, you were making gestures with your hands and you seemed to be really excited about the overall topic you and Hopper were going through. So he spoke out first.

"It isn't a mystery or coolness, that's what you're seeing and talking about. We colden over time, especially men like I or old Hamilton down the road. It's no mystery, believe me." - Hopper stood up and poured himself another cup of coffee, this time without any bourbon in it, lighting himself up a cigarette, throwing the pack at you. - "Why should I feel bad or negative emotions, if I don't have to feel any? That's how men like I think. Stay away from these ones, for your own good, kiddo. They'll only break your heart."

You leaned your elbow to the plush chair below you, lighting up a cigarette, bringing it closer to your lips.

"Well... That's just bullshit." - You chuckled and at the moment, you looked completely sober. Hopper looked back at you, furrowing even more. - "You pretend to be apathetic, Hopper, that's a difference. You like having the upper hand, to control your life. Jesus, when you came back to Hawkins, you hadn't got any friends and I highly doubt that you have now. Everyone has heard you fuck here and there, you're a drunk, probably even a junkie... But that's the image you chose to represent. That doesn't say anything about you."

That was the first time ever you addressed him only as Hopper. There was no Chief or Sir, there was only Hopper. He chuckled ironically, staring at you.

"And how the hell would you know, Y/N?" - Hopper addressed you only by your name, which caught your attention. This conversation was somehow different from all the ones you ever had before. It was more personal, raw, touchy-feely with emotions.

"Because I spent a whole fucking month with your smart ass. You're not that grumpy old jerk I saw you as - a bit ignorant, dumb and oblivious at times, yeah, maybe, but you care about people. A lot. And you hide it behind the iron mask you always wear. That's fucking pathetic." - You laughed coldly, puffing smoke from your lips so slowly that it framed your face for a moment.

At that moment, Jim realized that you're studying psychology. You were specializing in that medical industry. Maybe you were drunk, but you still knew what you were talking about.

"A month is enough to have an opinion on you and your behavior. Taking medication out of prescription, drinking too much, eating too much, smoking too much. You've given up, didn't you? But you, for an unknown reason, clearly think that you need to find a situation which sparks a flame inside of you and when you'll work on it, you can overcome your... Sadness. And then we have... Oh, look at that, the classic example of fear turned aggression. How could I forget for a second?" - You looked right into his eyes. - "I know a lot about you, Hopper, way more than you think. All it took was to listen. Not only to your words but overall reactions, acts, and emotion you were able to show."

"Stick your little psychology research up your ass, will you?" - Hopper huffed angrily. Everything was on point. Every word you've said was true. You've read him like a book. Which was horrifying for a man like Hopper. It was fucking creepy that you knew so much over the month. You tried to get up, but you accidentally broke the bottle and stepped on it in the process. Your eyes watered immediately when you felt one of the pieces cut your foot. Without hesitation, Hopper caught you and helped you to sit down, away from the broken glass.

"This situation keeps getting better and better, I tell you that." - Hopper got on his knee and rose your leg up to look at it. - "Fuck, goddamn it." - The shard was stuck in your foot, pretty deep inside of it. Jim got up, getting the first aid kit. You were crying, but still smoking, which indeed looked funny.

"I'll get the glass out and patch up your leg, okay? Don't you dare to kick me in my handsome face." - He said and concentrated on your foot, playing with his mustache. You chuckled, still crying like a five-year-old.

"Handsome? You wish - oh fuck, fuck, fuck!" - You yelled at him, catching his shoulder with your free palm, scratching his shoulder through the fabric of his shirt. You yelled and cried like a woman in labor, but it was out in no time. Hopper threw the shard away and started to clean up that wound, that's when you started to abuse his other shoulder with your palm, the cigarette was on your lips and you were puffing out like a steam engine. Hopper was quite handy and quick with bandaging your foot - you almost didn't know it's over until he took the cigarette butt out of your lips.

"It's going to hurt tomorrow." - Hopper stated as a matter of fact and you just nodded with your eyes still closed. You didn't know if you should cry again or laugh, actually.

"No shit, Sherlock." - You mumbled quietly, realizing that your head hurts and that you want to puke. Nice. First, you puked his car, now his office? You were definitely stepping up your game.

"Alrite, let's get you away from here." - Hopper said and took the bag with the leftover food and then your shoes along with your socks and shirt, fetching them to his car. You panicked and looked around for ways you could escape through. This psycho was about to take you home. To your mom. And you knew she would beat your damn ass if you have shown there drunk - and because you were drunk, the window seemed like the best idea you've ever had. So you tried opening it up, even if you could barely walk.

Well, since you were drunk, you didn't notice that the window is locked and Hopper even lightened up another cigarette while he watched you cuss at the window. It was one damn funny look.

"You're... Going somewhere, Y/N?" - He asked when you started to cry that the damn window wouldn't open. You looked at him, looking like a little puppy, sobbing and standing on one foot, stabilizing yourself with your palm pressed into the window.

"Please, don't take me home, Hopper." - You sobbed once more. You vividly remembered the last time Hopper gave you a ride home - the yelling of your mother was almost unforgivable. You were afraid of your whole life at that moment.

"I wouldn't drive you home when you look like this, dumbass." - Hopper told you quietly, coming closer to you. - "Your mom would beat me up like a dog. You're wasted, I'm going to let you sleep at my place. Nothing else."

Hopper was calming you down, choosing a completely different approach, more relaxed and... Empathic. He was more vulnerable to show you that you can trust him since you were at the edge of freaking out totally and going loco. It seemed to comfort you more than his normal, aggressive approach. After a moment, you nodded and let Hopper put your arm around his shoulder and his palm circled around your waist while he helped you out of the building.

Without a problem, he sat you on the co-driver's seat and watched as you did your seatbelt before carefully putting your bike into the trunk. Then, he went back to fetch your bag and to lock the door.

You mumbled something when you were halfway to his cabin. He just turned his face to look at you while you were looking like you were dying.

"What about the blood and the broken bottle?" - You repeated yourself, trying to pronounce every word right. You stuttered here and there, but in the end, Hopper knew what you're asking about.

"Forget about that. It won't be the first nor the last time the cleaning lady finds a broken bottle and blood in my office." - Hopper said and focused on the road again.

By the time he was turning off the engine, you were dead. It looked like someone has just turned you off as you slumbered all over his damn car. You were even louder than him - and his slumbering made many women rather uncomfortable and unable to fall asleep.

To get you out of the car and to actually carry you into the bed was almost an impossible mission. And yes, if you're asking, his trail had a bed which was used rarely. It was always tidied up and smelling nice since Hopper rarely used it to sleep in it. After ten minutes of mumbling various cuss words from 'son of a bitch' to 'I swear to fucking God', he tugged you under the blanket, preparing you a bucket. You had to puke throughout the night.

And around four a.m., there you were, puking into the bucket. When Jim came there to hold your hair off your face, you were going between crying and puking your organs out.

"I'm so sorry, Hopper. I was so rude." - You mumbled over and over again, still drunk like a little bitch. Jim, having only his briefs and a t-shirt on, was looking out of the window while your head was basically shoved into the bucket.

"It's alright, go to sleep." - He tried to shush you down when you cried again, telling him how terrible you were feeling for what you've said.

In the end, he decided to lay down next to you for the night - before, he barely made it into the bedroom before everything sort of... Flew out of your mouth. After an hour, you started to snore again, but Hooper was half-asleep as well, still thinking about what you've told him.

You got right every word. He was lost and already gave up on his life. Jim scoffed and put one of his arms below his head, looking at the ceiling.

It was scary - such a young woman, well, barely a woman, was able to look through his lies in a month - you didn't know that Sara was where it all had started, but you knew that he's hurting. You knew that he has too much fear and grief inside of him and you knew that had so much of it that it was turning into his temper issues.

Hopper liked to be in control of the situation and he didn't like changes. He liked to have his own little bubble where nothing could hurt him anymore - where he kept his emotions and his heart safe. And you fucking knew, just like that.

A woman who threw up on his car just three fucking months ago. Hopper never thought that you can be as smart as you were, but he realized that the more he'll let you look into that bubble, the more vulnerable you'd make him. And that was something he couldn't stand.

But at the same time, there was salvation in finally meeting someone who could understand the way he was feeling. To have around someone who knew his states and respected them. Maybe even offered a helping hand to pull him out of that fucking dark place.

And in the end, you were right. Older men were just big mysterious creatures who barely knew anything about themselves. And it was almost ridiculous to imagine such a young, bright woman helping them from that endless loop of fear and loss.

That was why he needed to keep you away from that point. Jim simply didn't want to drag you along deeper into the hole. His fingers smoothed your shoulder and put the hair away for a moment before he leaned in and smelled you.

You didn't smell like puke, no, but like... Vanilla. You were reminding him of vanilla. And your skin was warm and so... Smooth to touch. The only thing he allowed himself was a peck on that place before putting his nose back there once again.

So that was how the story of the Wolf falling for the Red Riding Hood started - and Jim swore that no matter what, it will also end just there.

#jim hopper x reader #jim hopper imagine #chief jim hopper #james jim hopper #stranger things Netflix #stranger things #jim hopper stranger things #sriracha #baby no money #hello there

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piroco · 5 years

Text

Coming Home

Status: Complete (One-shot) Word Count: 3188 Rating: Explicit Pairing: Yuuri Katsuki/Viktor Nikiforov Tags: Post-Canon, Fluff and Smut, Domestic Fluff, Feat. other food bc katsudon has been abused to hell and back for fluffy purposes, Yuuri is not a graceful sleeper, Top Victor Nikiforov, Bottom Katsuki Yuuri Warning: None AO3 Link: Here

Contribution for the @yoihomezine! And thanks to @narcissuspseudonarcissus for the beta work!

Smutty under the cut, so you know ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Viktor had expected a bit of a challenge in getting Yuuri settled in St. Petersburg. Things like Yuuri having a hard time grasping basic Russian, experiencing customs he wasn't used to, struggling in his interactions with the rest of the people at the rink, or getting lost while going places. Viktor had taken the preventive measure of never leaving the Japanese alone if possible — too much according to Yuuri, but to Viktor it was nothing if not necessary.

And it was a bit of a challenge alright, but not in the ways Viktor actually expected.

It had been almost two full weeks, and Viktor had failed to fully convince Yuuri he was more than just a guest in his apartment.

It started the moment Yuuri moved in, mid January. They had agreed for Yuuri to stay longer, so he had brought more luggage than he usually did. The apartment lounge and the bedroom were quickly occupied by boxes and of varied sizes, which contrasted starkly with the rest of the tidy residence. Viktor didn't mind, there was something about having Yuuri's stuff in his apartment that made it feel cozier.

But then Viktor noticed how Yuuri never finished unpacking his things. Stuff would be unpacked, used, and then packed again. Clothes would be worn, washed and then folded back into the luggage. Even Yuuri's game console, which took some while to figure out how to properly connect to Viktor's television, was disconnected and stored again after each use.

Trying to address the problem directly was turning out to be fruitless as well.

"Yuuri, you can unpack your stuff. I don't mind. There's enough space around the apartment anyways."

Yuuri smiled sheepishly, answering back with a nervous chuckle "Ah, it's nothing really. I just thought it would be better to save space."

Viktor pouted a little at Yuuri's reply. That was the worst excuse Yuuri had come up with, ever. If anything, all the boxes around took more space than if Yuuri just unpacked his things, and the constant having to put stuff back in the boxes was just a waste of time.

"I really don't mind." Viktor said with more emphasis.

But Yuuri simply waved him off with the same nervous expression.

Viktor knew Yuuri wasn't a man easily convinced by words. He had learned that the hard way, since last year, the moment he began to train Yuuri. His beloved needed to be encouraged, given reasons to choose by himself.

So Viktor began with the closet. A huge thing spanning an entire wall, meant to not only store his impressive collection of outfits but also be big enough to store them all while also allowing some space between them, as to avoid crumpling and wrinkling. Viktor only spared that thought a second before shoving half the clothes together and leaving the other half of the closet almost mostly emptied — he was still trying to be somewhat discreet, Yuuri may protest if he emptied the entire side.

He left a few unoccupied hooks and moved Yuuri's clothing boxes inside. It barely took a day for Yuuri to wonder where they had gone.

"Viktooooooor," Yuuri called one day while looking around the hall, "Have you seen my boxes?"

"Which ones?" Replied Viktor, sitting in the couch with a book in hand, knowing perfectly well what his Yuuri was asking about.

"The ones where I kept my clothes."

"Ah! I left those in the closet since they were taking space in the hall, and most of the closet is empty anyways." He answered, feeling a smidge of guilt at his trickery.

He peeked from behind his book to notice how Yuuri's eyebrows furrowed slightly, but the other didn't protest.

In the end, it had worked. Slowly but surely Yuuri's clothes got unpacked, the hangers got used, and Viktor's closet got filled by twice the amount of parkas, t-shirts and sweats he's ever had in his life in the span of a single week. The only boxes still inside were for Yuuri's shoes.

Fulfillment shouldn't be an emotion anyone would relate to the sight of a dirty shirt thrown over his sofa, but Viktor couldn't think of any other word for it. From obnoxious impersonal tidiness to obnoxious familiar disorder was a big step when Yuuri Katsuki was concerned.

But that alone wasn't enough and Viktor knew it. So he was taking the next step: Homely food.

Viktor waited for a day when he could surprise Yuuri, which didn't take too long to arrive. He had been preoccupied with promotional work for almost the entirety of that particular day, while Yuuri went to practice with the rest of Viktor's rinkmates.

Given the way Yuuri had been pushing himself lately, Viktor wanted to reward his beloved's effort on top of wanting to make him feel more at home. He took a small detour while driving home to buy the stuff he needed for tonight's dinner, planned specifically for Yuuri's enjoyment — according to Yuuri's friend Phichit.

Looking for ideas Viktor has asked around and researched on some of Yuuri's old habits, tastes and hobbies. He already knew a fair bit from his stay in Hasetsu, and the Katsukis were more than happy to share everything they knew — enthusiastic even, Viktor was sure that by this point there wasn't an aspect of Yuuri's childhood Hiroko had forgotten to talk about.

But most of the stuff they mentioned was either too familiar with Japan, risking making Yuuri melancholic, or too old to be familiar anymore. That's when Viktor remembered Yuuri had roomed together with Phichit back when he was studying in America, so Viktor contacted the young Thai man for ideas.

It took barely a minute for Phichit to reply to Viktor's message, and it was more than likely that sending Viktor a friend request ate up more of those seconds than the reply itself. But he got the answers he wanted, which now came back home with Viktor inside a pair of grocery bags.

Viktor struggled a bit trying to open the door to the apartment, his excitement making him completely forget that he could simply lay the bags on the floor for a minute while he opened the door, but somehow he managed.

Usually Yuuri and he spent the day together, given their status as both coach, student and fellow skaters, but when they had to go their separate ways, one of them would always be home to welcome the other when they returned. Even in the rare occasions they had to leave Makkachin home — which Viktor always tried to make exceptionally rare — she would always be waiting in front of the door to welcome them with a happy bark.

Today however he was greeted by the muffled, electronic sound of a TV in the distance and the sight of Yuuri sprawled over the sofa, still in his practice clothes, sleeping with his glasses on and his mouth parting, the perfect picture of bone-seeping exhaustion.

Charming, adorable, bone-seeping exhaustion.

On top of him lay Makkachin, with her head over Yuuri's chest, somehow the full press of her weight not bothering the Japanese in the slightest. Unlike Yuuri, Makkachin was awake and alert, her ears perking up the moment she heard Viktor come in.

Viktor smiled to her, placing his index over his lips in a "shush" sign. She immediately understood, smart girl that she was, and moved off Yuuri's chest without waking him.

"Good girl," whispered Viktor, patting her head affectionately before picking up the grocery bags once again and taking them to the kitchen, Makkachin following close behind. Viktor placed the bags over the kitchen island and began taking out their contents one by one.

Viktor didn't cook very often, but when he did it was usually for the sake of treating himself to dishes he didn't get to eat very often, childhood dishes or interesting, multiple-step things he saw shared on social media.

It felt kind of strange that today instead he was going for a very simple, kind of ordinary dish — Mac n' cheese.

According to Phichit, it had been Yuuri's comfort food whenever pressure, anxiety or homesickness bore too heavily on him, back when he was still training in the United States.

Katsudon was something they shared in Hasetsu, in Yuuri's childhood home. Viktor wanted something that could bring 'home' here and not force Yuuri's thoughts back to Japan, so his college days' comfort food could do. Viktor had never made Mac n' cheese before, but he studied videos and instructions with dedication, in secret, so he could surprise Yuuri, and was confident he could do this without trouble.

And he did. It was simple enough to make even with the more gourmet additions and instructions he was using, Viktor was done in barely an hour, just as the sun had almost completely settled in the sky. Viktor took two bowls of his porcelain dinnerware set, wanting to make it extra special for his Yuuri, and filled them before placing them on the counter while he went to wake Yuuri up.

His beloved had barely moved from the position Viktor had found him in, having only moved a little away from the edge of the couch.

Viktor brought a hand to gently brush the side of Yuuri's face and kissed his cheek tenderly, uncaring of the dried sweat clinging to the latter's skin and hair. "Yuuri, love, wake up, it's time for dinner."

It took around a minute of gentle touches and whispers until Yuuri fully roused. "Ah...Viktor?" Yuuri rubbed his eyes, "Ugh, I didn't mean to fall asleep. And in my sweaty clothes too... Sorry..."

Viktor kissed Yuuri's temple, "It's fine. I made us dinner tonight. We can eat now and bathe together later, yes?"

Yuuri wasn't drowsy enough not to pick on the hint. With a playful pout he replied "Shower only. I'm too tired anything more than that..."

Viktor laughed, placing another kiss over Yuuri's temple. "Okay, okay!"

He took Yuuri's hand to guide him to the kitchen. Yuuri's eyes, which had been slightly dulled with sleep and tiredness, sparkled the moment he noticed what their dinner consisted off.

"Oh my— Viktor—?"

"I see you like it! I made it especially for you~" Viktor said in the most comically flirty voice he could.

"But, isn't it too many carbs...?"

"You've been working really hard since you arrived. As your coach I say you have earned a reward!"

Yuuri stared back for a few seconds, before his lips quirked in an amused smirk. Without any more protest he took his plate and a fork, only stopping for one last quip before digging in.

"I changed my mind. We can do more than showering."

It was Viktor's turn to be pleasantly surprised.

Viktor spared no expense by the time Valentine's Day rolled around. They had missed the chance to celebrate New Year's, Viktor's birthday, or even Christmas together — not that Viktor cared about the latter, but a chance to celebrate was as good as any — so, unlike the subtle domesticity of his pampering of Yuuri these last days, for Valentine's Viktor wanted to properly wine, dine and spoil his timid and frugal lover.

Yuuri may have felt the same, since he didn't protest the moment Viktor asked about taking the day off.

Viktor had long anticipated this day, and planned accordingly: Taking a walk with Makkachin through St. Petersburg's most pleasant plazas and boulevards. Comfortable lunch at a cafe with a beautiful garden view. A gift of diamond cufflinks for Yuuri — that he seemed awfully flustered about until Viktor pointed out it would match his own. Dinner at a high-end restaurant with more dinnerware than any person should actually need and fragrant wine that tinged Yuuri's cheeks an adorable shade of red. And finishing with box seats at the ballet theatre.

All very fancy, all very expensive, all worth the adoring look Yuuri had by the end of the night.

They had barely made it through the apartment's doorway when Yuuri pinned him to the wall, capturing Viktor's lips on his own in a breathtaking kiss, still sweet with the taste of wine.

Viktor hands were drawn to Yuuri's hips almost unconsciously.

"Y-Yuuri..." Viktor stuttered when they broke apart for air. Yuuri drew away from his lips but not from his flesh, kissing a trail along his cheek and towards his neck, hands working to undo Viktor's tie.

A well-placed love bite between his ear and neck had Viktor unable to stifle a cry. Yuuri's chuckle afterwards had something else stifling.

Such Eros was going to be the death of him.

"Viktor..." Yuuri hushed against his skin, "Won't you take me to our bedroom?"

Viktor's thoughts stopped for a moment, focusing on Yuuri's wording. Our bedroom. Not "your", not Viktor's, our.

Driven by elation and impatience, and with a bit more strength that he intended to, Viktor lifted Yuuri in his arms and carried him all the way from the hallway to the bedroom, drinking in the sound of Yuuri's surprised cry and laughter.

There was something simultaneously romantic, cheesy and domestic about carrying Yuuri bridal-style to their bedroom, and seeing Yuuri in the same state with the way he laughed and wrapped his arms around Viktor's shoulders, that had the latter dizzy with giddiness.

For the next few seconds time moved in flashes. Like images from a camera, the transition was lost. One moment they were falling on the bed, Yuuri's hands cupping around Viktor's face to capture his lips once again, then their clothes were being shed one by one, discarded on the floor without a care, until finally it was just them and the expanse of uncovered skin pressing against each other.

The pads of Viktor's fingertips burned as they traced the curves and dips of Yuuri's skin, his palms tingling pleasantly at the softness of his lover's flesh. Hands were joined by lips and teeth, and then Yuuri's encouraging whispers became hitched.

Viktor would never get tired of the way Yuuri's voice shifted in their lovemaking, curling tenderly on each enunciation of his name.

"Viktor... please," Yuuri whispered, choking on an involuntary moan, "...closer, please."

Viktor lowered until his face was close to Yuuri's, and immediately the Japanese's hands wrapped over his shoulders to draw him into a clash of lips. Viktor happily surrendered, his own tongue chasing after his lover's and deepening their connection, while his dexterous hands caressed Yuuri's cock and thighs.

It was a strange but pleasant feeling. Viktor forsook his body's pleasure and focused on Yuuri's, and yet his heart felt more fulfilled for it, granted a pleasure his body alone could never take.

When they broke apart, taking heavy breaths to fill their emptying lungs, Yuuri was the first to speak.

"Viktor... you... aren't you going...?" He said between pants, his leg moving so the skin of his thigh brushed against Viktor's neglected cock, making the other hiss on contact.

"Ah, Yuuri... It's ok, let me focus on you tonight..."

After hearing his words Yuuri's body relaxed, all muscular strain let loose as his body dropped over the mattress and pulling Viktor's upper body down with him where he caught his lips on another, tender kiss. Before Viktor could continue worshipping his body, Yuuri hooked his legs around Viktor's hips, trapping him.

Viktor was surprised, and the feel of his cock brushing against Yuuri's firm thighs coupled with their passionate kiss make him feel lightheaded. When Yuuri finally let him go, his eyes, while still darkened with lust, held a sparkle of determination.

"No... Not just me... I want Viktor too..."

With his legs, Yuuri pressed their bodies together closer, hips bucking against Viktor's thighs and making both of them gasp. He began to grind against Viktor, as one of his arms unwound from Viktor's shoulder to touch his cheek.

"I want you, Viktor... Inside..." Yuuri whispered, kissing the side of Viktor's face as the tip of his fingers traced along his cheek and down his neck.

"Yuuri--" Viktor said, but Yuuri interrupted.

"Please, Viktor."

And how could Viktor deny him like this?

Viktor sighed and smiled, arms winding behind Yuuri's neck and sucking at the skin of his neck, "As you wish, my love."

Yuuri's legs relaxed, enough to allow Viktor to rise a little bit while remaining hooked behind his back. His arms let got completely, but not before giving Viktor a sweet peck on the lips and a content — and somewhat mischievous — smile.

Viktor's right hand came to rest behind Yuuri's thigh. He looked at his lover for approval, and found it in his excited gaze before Yuuri even voiced it.

"Take me, Viktor. I want you to feel good too..."

Giving so much love and being given in return... Viktor could never describe what making love to Yuuri was like with just actions. To make love to Yuuri was a feeling, like the last winter snow melting under the long-awaited sun of spring, like holding the most precious treasure between your hands, like the first breath of sweet air after breaking out of deep waters.

Like coming home after being lost for so long.

By the end of the night their arms are wound around each other, undisturbed by the heat and sweat clinging to their bodies, catching their breath on the same air, hearts beating in synchrony.

Again, Yuuri is the first to breath the silence.

"Viktor, thank you... For everything..." He whispers, tracing invisible lines over Viktor's chest.

"What do you mean?" Viktor asks, still too drunk on their love to discern the meaning of Yuuri's words.

"You've done so much to make me feel welcome..." Yuuri replies between breaths. "I... When I came here I thought... It would be the same as before..."

He lifts his head from Viktor's chest to rest by the side of his face. The sight of Yuuri's adoring smile has Viktor's own lips pulling to match, to correspond.

"I used to get lonely... Whenever I was away from home, even within Japan." Yuuri continues, his breath evening out. "I used to think it was just my emotions trying to get the better of me again, so I just... ignored it, even when it hurt too much. But since I moved here... I haven't felt like that even once, and it's thanks to you..."

His sweet smile turned into a cheeky smirk then, "Don't think I haven't noticed what you've been doing. You even got Phichit giving you ideas, don't you?"

"Yuuuuuriiiii," Viktor whines with comical intent, "Don't speak another man's name when we're like this!"

"Don't change the subject!" Yuuri replies, all the edge of his words dulled by the cheer of his expression.

But Viktor very much wanted to change the subject, to continue to hold, kiss and caress his adorable lover.

Yuuri wasn't voicing any complains once Viktor resumed either, only one suggestion.

"Maybe we should take a bath... In the tub would be better, I don't think I can stand right now..."

"I can carry you again if you want to~ " Viktor was quick to answer.

And Yuuri didn't refuse.

#my fics #yuri on ice #viktuuri #yoihomezine #one shot #lemon #yes i'm using the citrus scale bc tumblr staff are idiots

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dat-town · 5 years

Text

the day after tomorrow pt.3 (final)

Characters: Lucas/Yukhei & OC (Ariadne)

Setting: paranormal abilities au

Genre: humour, adventure, this gets quite angsty

Summary: It’s time to end this once and for all. But what are they willing to sacrifice?

Words: 4.3k

For my dearest @restlessmaknae ❤️

<< Previous part

Wong Yukhei had some issues.

Having a terrible father was just one of those. Being hunted for his powers was a much more urgent problem actually. But every problem's solution started with finding the source and that he knew well. The next question was the how part: how to get rid of the source so that the problem can stop being a problem? It was a tricky one because as long as Jedikiah Price, his 'beloved' father lived, he wasn't going to give up this legacy. Ultra was now in his hands and could only be taken from his cold, dead fingers. But no matter how much he hated his father, killing him - which his kind was physically unable to do anyways - wasn't one of the things he was willing to do. He didn't want to go that far because then he wouldn't have been anything better than Ultra.

"I can tell you're overthinking. Stop it," Ariadne said as she appeared next to him on the rooftop and joined him watching the sunrise.

Yukhei looked up at her confused at first, with undying curiosity and wonder in his caramel eyes but then his features softened and he sighed.

“I just can't figure out how we could stop my father.”

“Hey it's not your job to have everything covered. You shouldn't take all of our weights onto your shoulders. We're in this together,” the girl reassured him and she always seemed to know what to say to make his uneasy heart feel at least a bit better. He didn't let go of worrying but it was good to know that even if he was the unsaid leader of the team, they didn't expect him to do everything from forming a strategy to making it real. And yet, he couldn't get rid of the feeling of guilt.

“I know but...”

“No buts,” Ariadne interrupted him sharply. Her dark eyes were firm and authoritative, Yukhei didn't have it in him to protest. “We don't care who your father is. You could be the child of the president of the United States for all we care. You stand by us, that's what matters.”

As she was talking, she looked like a warrior giving a pep talk to her soldiers but he indeed needed it, he needed to hear it.

”Thanks,” he nodded at her with a small smile forming on his lips that made the girl relieved. She didn't like to see him blame himself for the sins his father committed. There was no way for him to know what kind of person Jedikiah was, he was the most betrayed out of all of them.

“Anytime,” she said and she meant it. Whenever Yukhei needed someone who was straightforward enough with him, she would be there, that much she could promise. “By the way, Ten actually has an idea but I'm not sure you're gonna like it.”

It wasn't that kind of situation but Yukhei let out a forced chuckle.

“I don't think there's anything that I would like at this point but there is no good solution, so I'm okay with the least bad one,”

”Then let's go. He wants to gather a meeting,” Ariadne prompted, standing up and she held out her hand. Yukhei stared at it for long seconds wondering what happened to the girl who didn't like to be touched. She offered willingly, so there was no way he wouldn't take it. He slid his own hand into hers, letting her to pull him up. Although she let him go immediately when he was on his two feet and he didn't know why he felt so empty and cold then.

In the underground building they had a room called The Campfire. It was basically the living room with a round table but since they often used it to sit around and discuss their plans or problems, these started to feel like heart-to-heart talks by the fire.

By the time Ariadne and Yukhei arrived almost all of them were there. Even the new guys and Ten shot them thumbs up when they got there.

"Thanks for coming, I swear we won't talk about who ate my last cookie again," the Thai guy promised with a hint of mischievousness in his voice he had that look on his face that ensured he wanted to talk about something serious. He cleared his throat and looked around. “So… Jeffrey, tell them what you told me this morning,” he prompted pointing at one of the newcomer guys.

Said boy was around Winwin's age, had lanky limbs and such a new yorkian way of talking he must have been here for quite a while. He ran his fingers through his blondish brown locks and spoke up:

“In Ultra they weren't only doing experiments on us but on humans too. They were trying to figure out what exactly it is in our DNA that causes our paranormal skills and how they could reproduce it,” he said and that was sick, Yukhei furrowed his brows. It went against Ultra's principals, just like the experiments that tried to fry out the 'can't kill' barricade in their brain. Jedikiah must have lost his mind.

"Yeah, I heard them say they want to figure out how to get rid of the difference between us and humans." Yuta added with a nod and a bitter grimace.

“Wait, does that mean that they want to make them like us?” Hendery asked, with reasonable confusion in his voice. It really didn’t make any sense. They both wanted to kill them and now, for some ridiculous reason they wanted to make more of their kind. What was the logic in that? Why did they need the witch hunt then?

"Like an army," Johnny mused out loud, Honey nodding alongside with him.

“Or they want to make biological weapons to kill us all,” she piped in and Mark choked on his Coca Cola next to her. He looked downright scandalized.

”Always so positive, good to have you with us,” the organizer of this whole gathering remarked. “But yeah, you're probably right. They want to make their own homo superior army and their first task would probably be to kill us all who disobey.”

Ariadne looked sideways to see Yukhei's conflicted face because boy, was it rare to see him speechless, so lost in his thoughts but lately, he was more and more like that. The joking kid who flirted with her non-stop now had the weight of the world on his shoulders. She wanted to see him smile again.

"So… what's your suggestion then? Ariadne said you have one," he turned to Ten, voice deep and serious.

"Uh yeah. It's a pretty risky plan with lots of what ifs. First step is that we steal an injection from Ultra. Then we kidnap Dr. Price or have an ambush on him. Then we threaten him," the Thai guy introduced the plan to him but it wasn’t quite convincing so far. Yukhei furrowed his eyebrows. His father wasn’t easy to make swayed and not to mention, it would have been almost impossible to find him alone after their attack on Ultra.

"With what?"

"Shouldn't you know the best?" Ten raised a brow, looking at the son of the man who lied he wasn't even his just to save his face in a company where any relation to homo superiors counted as a sin. But the saddest thing is that Yukhei was sure the only reason why he was still alive because Jedikiah had some kind of leverage due to that fact. It wasn't any parental sentiment. “What he's the most afraid of."

And oh, they both knew what it was.

Yukhei had to admit that no matter how crazy Ten’s idea was, it was a good one, good enough to put a dot at the end of this endless fight between superiors and the organization against them. But there were lots of variables even he wasn’t sure of. He didn’t know his own father enough to bet their life on a mission that could go wrong any minute. No, he wouldn’t do that. Even if they saved half dozen young superiors last time, he almost lost Ariadne. He still remembered how ice cold it felt, the sheer panic of her might not waking up. He wasn’t ready to face that again, he wasn’t ready to lose anything anymore. He had lost enough already in his short life.

"Where are you going?" Ariadne chirped leaning against the wall that he passed by on his way out of the building. He could have teleported easily out of his room but since they had incidents before when people started appearing out of nowhere, bumping into each other and knocking off things, they made a rule to reserve teleporting to one area.

"I need to get some fresh air. To think." Yukhei said while he put on his leather jacket and Ariadne was tempted to joke about guys in leather and motorbikes but this time wasn't for joking.

"I'm coming with you," she claimed and she came prepared, she had her denim jacket with her. Almost as if she knew what he was planning to do (Because she did know. She knew him better than anyone. Maybe even better than himself and when he started to doubt himself she was there to give him the final push.)

"You sure?" The boy quirked a brow because while she also knew what he did and where he went when he needed to get away from this little chaos, he knew that she wasn't fond of fast vehicles ever since the accident in her family.

"Yeah, I'm sure," Ariadne nodded and held a hand out for him. Twice a day, he was impressed (he must have looked pretty devastated if she felt this bad for him) but he took it anyway, memorizing the softness of her skin and the light scratches on her knuckles and on the tip of her fingers. She was working hard to learn how to fight properly even if she can't use her powers.

But he didn't say anything, they all worked hard and he knew she wouldn't have wanted to be treated any differently. When his fingers closed around her hand, there was a glitch, a pause of a heartbeat before they found themselves in an abandoned warehouse logistics centre where Yukhei kept his bike.

They needed no words, it was a routine for the boy which she followed wordlessly. She took the helmet with a smile and sat on the motorbike behind the guy, arms winding around his middle. Under her hands, under the thick material of his jacket, his heart trumped loudly. They went on for an hour, going around the city wherever they could with no destination in mind. Ariadne couldn't help but enjoy the closeness, the wind in her face and all the bright neon lights that seemed like modern art as they passed by them. They ended up leaving the bike in a parking lot of a fast food restaurant and teleported to the top of a fifty storey building. They looked down on the city, all those tiny little lights from up there and Yukhei felt like he could breathe again. He needed this.

Ariadne knew that Ten's plan wasn't foolproof and a lot of things could go wrong but even last time when they prepared a whole lot, even then were surprises they would have never expected so by now she knew that there was no perfect preparation. However, Yukhei seemed more hesitant than ever and standing next to him, arms brushing as they watched the moon, she openly asked:

“What are you afraid of?”

“Of losing you,” the boy blurted out without thinking and then looked up at a girl with eyes wide like a deer caught in the headlights. Okay, she didn't expect that answer but it made her heart soar. “All of you, but you especially.”

After a moment of dumbfounded silence, he sighed and looked ahead, pointing at the edge of the building.

“Remember when you dived off from a building when we first met after all these years? You nearly gave me a heart attack. Then I didn't know what to do with myself after the last mission when I thought that you...”

Ariadne cut his words off, shutting him up by pressing her lips on his chastely for an eternal moment.

“You will never lose me,” she said, promised when she pulled a breath away and looked into those dark, confused eyes. Yukhei blinked, almost not believing that this happened and before Ariadne could think that she misunderstood all the signs, he slid a hand over her nape, angling her head just right for a proper kiss.

Their confessions echoed between them through telepathy.

When they went back to their so-called headquarters hand-in-hand and Johnny saw them, the older guy screamed like there was no tomorrow.

“Oh my god, guys, it happened! It finally happened! The ship is sailing, I repeat, the ship is finally sailing!” he hollered to make sure that everybody, even the half-deaf cat lady down the street could hear it.

Ariadne smiled sheepishly, burying her face into Yukhei's shoulder as their friends all come out to congratulate them. Yukhei squeezed her hand and smiled proudly as if he was showing her off.

“It was about time,” Honey scoffed with a roll of her eyes as she and Mark walked out of the tech room.

“Look who's talking,” Ten fake coughed into his hands that earned him a slap on his back from the girl. But oh, was that a slight blush on her cheeks?

“Oh and Ten?” Yukhei looked at said boy with something wicked in his smile. “Let's do it. Let's threaten my father.”

His remark earned some chuckles, hollers, encouraging pats on his back from the others. They talked it through with Ariadne before coming back and they decided that leaving hidden isn't something they could keep up much longer, so they needed to take risks. For a more wholesome life.

The plan was easy-peasy as Ten liked to call it. Since Yukhei knew the inside-outs of Jedikiah's apartment and Ariadne was good enough to deal with the security system, they decided to execute their mission there. It gave them the leverage of knowing no other factor could bother them, the only tricky variable in the equation was Dr. Price himself.

Of course the man used the same technique at his home as the one in the labour that prevented the usage of homo superior power but it wasn't only their power that made them dangerous and he was about to learn that. Yukhei was ready to teach him a lesson as he sat in his armchair, casually reading a magazine while waiting for his father to arrive.

It didn't take long, around 11:30pm the door finally opened and light filtered into the study room from the hall. He must have looked like the prodigal son coming home from the way Jedikiah looked at him as soon as he stepped into the room, switching on the lights.

“It is quite bold of you to come here, Lucas,” he said cold and unnervingly calm. He walked closer to the desk, taking a good look at his son but he didn't seem quite satisfied. He never was when it came to Yukhei. After all those years, trying to prove his worth to his father, he finally realized why he couldn't. The man would never really acknowledge him as a son, he was a homo superior and the doctor was ashamed of it. He could never be good enough as long as he had this in his blood but he wasn't willing to give this up, not for him. For a father who only used him to get what he wanted.

“I have told you countless times, again and again, not to call me that,” the boy gritted his teeth. “But you never listen, do you? Because you think you're above me, that you could wipe me off the Earth. Do you really still think all this, the Tomorrow People is just a childish rebellion on my part?”

Jedikiah sighed with all the heavy burden of a man whose hand was red with the blood of hundreds and he sat in the chair across Yukhei.

“Is this why you came? To have a father-son chit-chat about where things went wrong?”

“No,” the boy shook his head. “But I thought I would ask nicely because this will probably be the last time we talk.”

Jedikiah raised a brow at the confident statement.

“You should give yourself up. This is your only chance. You will never win,” the man warned him but only got a scoff as an answer.

“Oh you think?” Yukhei smiled devilishly and in that moment he indeed looked like the son of his father. “Maybe you should check the security cameras of your beloved Ultra.”

There was a flash of sheer panic in Dr. Price's eyes and Yukhei knew they did well. The man immediately turned on his computer and opened the camera screens. Ultra was dark and empty at night safe from the guards. However, as it could be seen, the guards were nowhere and there was a bomb ticking in his office counting down now from 15 minutes.

When the man reached for his phone, Yukhei was quicker and took it from him.

“Ah-ah. No funny business. We are here to make a deal,” he singsonged which made the man growl. He loved Ultra more than anything, good.

“What the hell do you want?”

“Apart from the video game you still didn't get me?” Yukhei pouted, he felt like winning even though he knew his father must have had other cards up his sleeve. “I want a life. A peaceful, I can walk on the streets kind of life. I want you to stop hunting down our kind.”

“It's not a hunt. It's for the safety of humans! Your kind can't be trusted with this power. It's only a matter of time. Look how you turned out.”

The man's voice was full of spite but Yukhei didn't care, not anymore.

“Oh you think it's a wise idea to mock me now?”

“You won't get away with it. My men are already on their way here,” Jedikiah claimed and the boy knew it wasn't a bluff. He saw him fidget with his smart watch while they talked. But oh, it wasn't only his father who had backup.

“Your men? You mean the guys currently totally out of it in the hallway?” The door opened and Ten, Johnny and Ariadne walked in. The others were either at Ultra or at their base.

“He wasn't convinced, was he?” Ten sighed theatherically and when Jedikiah reached for the gun at the small of his back, they quickly held him off. “You are slow, old man. See, we don't even need our powers.”

They pushed the man on the armchair, keeping him off no matter how much he struggled.

“Let's add another convincing factor, shall we?” Ariadne winked at the boys and took out an injection with bright blue liquid from her backpack. Jedikiah's eyes widened as he saw it.

"Remember? Familiar liquid? We will see how your blood will take it, buddy,” Johnny clicked his tongue. “Your statistics say almost half the lab rats who willingly joined you on this road to hell died. Do you think you will be a part of the other lucky fifty percent? Or would that be more of a punishment for you to live like the species you hate so much?"

Yukhei didn't know much about biology and genetics but since he was homo superior he had to get the genes from somewhere and since his uncle and cousins were also like that it wouldn't have been so unreal if he survived.

"You know what's the problem with you? That some people randomly got these skills and they can use them to anything, whatever their heart desires. It's unfair. Why did some undeserving brats get this only to cause trouble? It shouldn't be like this. They aren't worth of holding such power," the man's tongue got loose as he spat curses at them.

"Why? Would you be?" Yukhei scoffed at his father. The way he talked just proved his inferiority complex.

The man didn't answer but kept his eyes on the injection held close to his neck artery.

"So we have some conditions," Yukhei declared brushing the needle against Jedikiah's skin. "You destroy every tracking device, every weapon made to hurt our kind, you delete all our files and you shut down Ultra."

He listed their wishes as if it was a Christmas wish list but oh well they say go big or go home.

"You want me to wipe the world clear off my life's work," the man said bitterly and wow all those PhDs, he really was smart after all.

"Yeah."

"Even if I do, there will always be others like Ultra," Jedikiah said with lips trembling from anger.

"Then we will deal with them then," his son said remarked confidently and checked the countdown on the computer screen. Only two minutes were left till midnight. “Tick-tock, dad, decide quick or Ultra will explode and you won't have the serum to save you if I accidentally get this blue thing in you and make you like us.”

There was a minute a silence but when the clock reached 00:00:59, the man finally decided to speak up.

“Okay, okay. You won, I will shut down Ultra,” Jedikiah agreed in a rush and it was Ten who let out an evil laugh at that.

“Do you think we will believe you just like that?”

The sound of an explosion echoed even in the room though it only came from the computer screen that showed the ruins of a once office.

“What?” Yukhei blinked, looking at the others. It wasn't supposed to be a real bomb, it wasn't supposed to go off. He wanted to watch his father take everything down by himself.

“Sorry, we couldn't take risks,” Johnny said and as apologetic he looked Ten also knew about it. Only Ariadne was as dumbfounded as him.

“Hah, see? This is how it feels to be backstabbed,” Jedikiah said with clear hatred and ill-intent in his voice. As the hold of him weakened he broke out and took the injection from Yukhei's loosened fingers. It all happened too quick to stop it and before he knew it, the man pierced the needle through Ariadne's skin.

“I hope you will know how it feels like to lose it all, too,” the man said bitterly and didn't even try to run off just fell onto his knees to watch Ultra burn through the screens.

The guys all gathered around the girl, asking how she felt. She looked pale but nothing else seemed different. She looked just as surprised as them that she didn't feel any different as the injection was spreading in her veins.

“Maybe it doesn't do anything to us,” Ten hummed out loud, hopeful but Yukhei had a hunch about something bad was about to happen. He knew his father wouldn't have done it just so. He must have planned something but he wasn't willing to tell hem.

“Let's get out of here,” the boy ushered them outside. Once they were out of the apartment, the guys teleported back one by one, leaving Yukhei and Ariadne alone.

“Are you sure you feel okay?” he asked just to be sure, not wanting her to strain herself by teleporting if she was unwell.

“Yeah, yeah. Everything's fine. Let's go home,” she forced a smile and looked like she was about to jump but then didn't. She got pale once again as her knuckles turned white from trying so hard.

Can you hear me? Yukhei, please tell me you can hear me, she pleaded, looking at the boy with tears spilling from her eyes.

“What's wrong?” he asked, confused, as he stepped closed and cupped her face.

“I… I can't...” she sobbed and felt like she was robbed.

“What?”

“I can't do anything. He took my powers, Yukhei,” she whispered and so they knew what he meant by losing it all.

At the news of Ultra's being done for and Jedikiah actually sitting behind the bars because of some evidence of his medical wrongdoings and inhuman experiments came to surface while Ultra's ruins were being cleared, it was a time for celebration. Most of them decided to go to the surface to have fun, to visit their families they haven't seen in a long while so it was only the two of them by The Campfire, cuddling on a worn couch.

“At first, I hated being like this, I didn't ask for it and I hated the hardships and lies it brought into my life. But ever since you, I liked it more and more,” the girl said sadness evident in her voice. Being homo superior and using the powers has become such a big part of her that now she felt empty, she felt like she didn't know who he was anymore. But Yukhei didn't look at her any different.

“Homo superior or not, you are you and I love you, Ariadne,” he said hinting kisses on her shoulder as he pulled her closer. “We will get through this. Together.”

And Ariadne smiled, because she knew he was right. Together, they could overcome anything.

Nothing proved that better that by the time Johnny came back, they were arguing about superheroes again and whether he should buy flowers for her mother when he officially introduces himself as her boyfriend.

Everything was going to be alright.

#lucas scenarios #lucas imagines #yukhei scenarios #yukhei imagines #nct scenarios #nct imagines #wayv scenarios #wayv imagines #paranormal abilities au #tomorrow people au #stories

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