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oreomonsterhunter · 3 years

Text

Life Sucks

Pairing: Lee Know x reader

Word Count: 10K (I know.....this was a surprise for me, too)

Genre: fluff, romantic comedy

Warnings: language (our characters have a tendency to curse, apparently)

Summary: Sunshine reader is in love with love, but hasn’t had much luck with it herself. When she meets Minho, a self-proclaimed cynic and disbeliever of “true love”, she’s determined to change his life. If she can’t find the love of her life, she’s going to try to find his.

This fic was inspired by a tag game once upon a time. It was supposed to be a short drabble, but apparently I can’t hold back with Minho. Tag game featured this specific Lee Know and just kinda spiraled from there lol

Nearing the end of January, winter sometimes seemed endless. Yet when you stepped out into the morning chill, you were pleasantly surprised to find the snow banks melting a bit. Your boots splashed through small puddles as you strode down the street, and you smiled softly at the lavender sky. It was still early enough—for a Saturday—that the sidewalks weren’t too packed yet, so you indulged in a more leisurely walk than usual, dancing along to the music from your headphones. You caught a few odd looks, but you simply smiled and waved at everyone you passed. They could judge your happiness all they wanted, nothing could possibly spoil your day when it was off to such a good start—

“Shit,” you gasped, jumping back onto the curb as a car barrelled through a red light. Had you been a second slower, you would’ve been a vehicular manslaughter case. “Asshole,” you hollered after them, flipping two middle fingers in the air.

You exhaled a sharp breath through your nose, attempting to banish the exasperation and get back into your music again. More careful this time, you double checked both ways down the street before entering the crosswalk.

Unfortunately, your streak of bad luck continued. Just as you hopped off the street, a truck passed by behind you, tires bumping through a pothole. And with the recent snowmelt, this resulted in a spray of cold water hitting the backs of your legs.

You froze, mind stuttering as you tried to comprehend how the morning had taken such a turn, all within your first five minutes outside. Pursing your lips, you twisted around to inspect the damage. The dirty water might stain your jeans, but the most pressing matter was the cold and wet denim now plastered to your legs from your calves to the backs of your knees. You bit your lip, contemplating just turning back and spending the whole day in your apartment. Pajamas, a blanket, hot coffee and tea readily available. Maybe a movie, just because you could.

Then you shook your head, determined to make the best of the day. You wanted a cappuccino, dammit. And chocolate babka from the cafe. No homicidal drivers or puddles could stop you. It was a Saturday, just past sunrise, and you had a whole day ahead of you. No need to wallow a few minutes in. And besides, who knew what would happen.

You set off for the cafe, determination heavy in each step. You forced a smile back onto your lips, though it was thinner than before. You switched to a different playlist so that your boots could thump the concrete in time. And you breathed, spooling calmness back into yourself.

It was a Saturday. You might meet the love of your life today. And nothing could stop you from finding out.

The bell over the front door jingled merrily, and you softened a little further, relaxing into the familiar surroundings. You hardly even noticed the damp denim chafing your legs as you skipped up to the counter.

Ruth, currently manning the register, chuckled as she rang up another customer. “Well would you look at that, the sun came shining right in our front door,” she said.

“Good morning,” you giggled. You waved to Jonathan, Ruth’s husband, in the back. The couple had been running the little cafe and bakery for years, and you were a faithful customer, coming by at least once a week since you first moved to the neighborhood.

“Morning, Sunshine,” he called, hands busy kneading dough for what would doubtless become something delicious. You hummed thoughtfully, considering the baked goods in the glass case before you.

“Your usual?”

You tapped a finger on your chin, “You know, the poppy seed muffins look awfully tempting. I might just have to switch it up today.”

Ruth nodded, tapping on the register. You handed over the requisite bills and she shooed you off, sliding the muffin over the counter. “Go on now, a table opened up by the window, perfect spot. I’ll bring the coffee in a minute.”

“Thank you,” you said, but Ruth was already fussing over the espresso machine. Shaking your head, you weave through the maze of tables and chairs, dodging patrons on your way to the window seat.

You had your eyes on the prize, and you were only a few feet from the chair when you pulled up short. A stranger, their back to you, plopped down in your chair. You blinked, suddenly and painfully aware of your wet pants, the muffin growing cool in your hand, the fact that you could give up now and walk home but perhaps you’d just get hit by a car and never get a chance to enjoy your breakfast. You sighed deeply, breathing out through your nose as you closed your eyes, seeking inner peace or something.

“Can I help you?”

The voice knocked you out of your momentary meditation, and you looked at the table thief in surprise. He loosened the fluffy scarf around his neck before sliding his arms out of his winter coat. A beret, of all things, tilted dangerously to the side before he adjusted it on his head. He looked like some kind of absent-minded professor, but for the youthful features that peered up at you. A sharp nose, tinted red from the cold, and a soft mouth. Dark and depthless eyes, paired with high cheekbones and a cutting jawline.

You realized you were staring when he waved at you, eyes widened. “Hello?”

“Um, sorry, I just,” you stammered, lost for words.

“Do you want to sit or something?”

You stopped again, mouth dropping open. You checked the time—you had fifteen minutes or so, enough time for another table to open up. “Uh, sure, if that’s ok with you. I was hoping for a table, I’m meeting someone,” you said, beginning to ramble.

“No problem, I don’t need all this space, and I’ll head out soon,” he cut you off, raising one brow at you when you continued to stand there, rooted to the spot.

Ruth’s arrival with your cappuccino was what ultimately forced your hand. You sat down, gratefully accepting the drink, your smile less shaky with a taste of the familiar.

“I didn’t think they did table service,” the stranger mused.

“They don’t, I just know the owners,” you shook your head, cutting yourself off when you saw his disinterest. “Sorry, I should introduce myself,” you switched tacks, giving your name with a bright grin. So what if it was forced?

The stranger looked at you, and his lips twitched in a shadow of a smirk. “Minho,” he responded.

Silence fell, heavy and awkward, and you found yourself leaning forward desperately. “So how’s your day so far?”

Minho snorted, reaching for his own drink—an iced americano, you guessed, despite it being the middle of winter. “Probably better than yours.”

“What?” your brows furrowed in confusion.

He gestured to your legs with one hand. “Unfortunate accident this morning?”

Your lips tightened, holding back a frown, “Puddles, you know.”

Minho sighed, sounding sympathetic now, rather than snarky. “Yeah, life sucks, doesn’t it?” And there was the sarcasm again.

“One or two bad things doesn’t mean life sucks,” you countered, sipping your coffee. “I’m excited about the rest of the day, it’s not even eight in the morning! And it’s the weekend, and it’s sunny and warm, and I have hot coffee and a delicious muffin, and the world is out there and ready to be enjoyed,” you finished, lips curling up as you looked out the window at the sunrise, the horizon flaming golden.

“Sounds like you’ve never had a job,” a harsh voice cut into your admiration. Your smile faltered as you looked back at Minho. You gaped at him, brain processing the way this soft-looking boy sounded like the king of cynics. The last thing you expected from someone wearing a fuzzy beret and looking like a sly teddy bear was this blunt conversation. “No one’s that excited when they have to work fifty plus hour weeks to pay the bills. Trust fund baby?” he inquired, sipping calmly.

Yep, there was no fighting the frown now. “No, and I don’t appreciate the judgement. Why can’t I just be happy?”

Minho smirked, “Never said you can’t. I just wanted to see if you had a personality beyond being Positive Polly.”

Your eyes flamed, but your phone buzzed, distracting you before you could smite the snarky boy. You fumbled at your coat pocket, whipping out the device to check for a new message. You slumped—just a spam email.

“Waiting for something important?” Minho asked, tilting his head.

You huffed, shoving the device back in your pocket. “As a matter of fact, yes,” you sassed, tossing your hair over one shoulder. “I’m waiting for a date.”

He hummed at you, expression unreadable. “You’re too excited.”

“What do you mean?” you asked, eyeing the clock on the far wall of the cafe.

“You’re significantly early, watching the clock like a hawk, and they haven’t even texted you an update.” He took a long sip. “What time is your date anyway? Eight in the morning? They’re not coming.”

Your smile faltered again. Damn him, why was a total stranger dimming your joy? You shoved your chair back, even though no tables had opened up yet. You’d wait by the counter and chat with Ruth. Anything was better than this asshole.

Minho glanced over his shoulder, checking the clock himself. “Five past, and still nothing,” he commented.

“Fuck you,” you spat.

A spark appeared in his eyes, and he grinned. “Good to see you have some backbone,” he commented.

You could’ve sworn steam was coming out of your ears, but your phone vibrated again. You checked the lock screen, seeing a new text pop up from Jay: hey I can’t make it. You swiped on the message, but nothing followed it. Seriously? That was it? No explanation, and not even a half-assed apology?

“Told you so.”

You spun to face Minho, glare renewed. “And what makes you so sure of yourself and my date?” you demanded.

He snorted, “Life sucks; so does dating. The only thing you’re guaranteed is disappointment.”

Your anger faded slightly as you watched the boy sip his iced coffee, his silhouette stark against the snow outside. When you took a breath to get past your own mingled frustration—both at Jay and your new snarky companion—you saw the tense lines of his face. You wondered what disappointment had left Minho so defensive.

“Alright, enlighten me,” you said, throwing yourself back in the chair. This time, you settled in, sliding out of your coat and leaning forward with your coffee. “Who broke your heart?”

A look of disgust slid over those pretty features. “No one broke anything,” he scoffed, turning to the window and giving you another dose of his sharp profile. You rested your chin on your hand thoughtfully, just watching him and waiting. “Stop looking at me like that,” he muttered. “You’re not my therapist.”

“But I am a perfectly kind stranger. And strangers are the easiest people to talk to,” you said sunnily.

“And don’t sound so happy.”

“No can do, people call me Sunshine for a reason.”

Minho gave a long-suffering sigh. “I’m not calling you that.”

Now you were the one with a cocky smirk, “Why, does it hurt your delicate masculinity?”

A beat of silence, and then, “One of my best friends is called Sunshine.” Minho looked at you sharply. “I’m not calling you that,” he said again.

You waved him off, oddly touched in spite of his gruff tone. This human version of grumpy cat had a best friend named Sunshine? Incredible, and surprisingly soft of him. “Ok fine, no arguments from me. Tell me about her. Or him, whoever it is,” you stumbled over your words.

Minho didn’t seem to notice your blundering. He stared somewhere beyond your shoulder, “No one broke my heart.” Then his eyes focused on you again as he asserted, “I’ve just experienced enough to know better than to hope blindly. The world isn’t looking out for you.”

Humming, you folded your arms as you considered his statements. “Well, I believe in true love,” you started.

“Why am I not surprised?” Minho groaned, rolling his eyes.

“I also believe in the power of positive thinking,” you continued as if he hadn’t spoken. Ignoring his dramatic moaning, you steamrolled ahead. “Yeah, my morning turned out pretty shitty, but if I just go crawl back in bed, I’ll have wasted a whole day over something as silly as wet jeans.”

“Wet jeans and being stood up.”

“And being stood up,” you allowed, gritting your teeth to maintain a smile. “But if I let that stop me from living my life, then I’ve let the negative win. If I go check out a new dating app or two and keep trying, one day I’ll have something good.”

Minho put his coffee down, resting one hand on the table as he met your eyes, gaze hard. “Listen, nothing good comes out of a dating app. You’re wasting your time. And didn’t you say you hate doing that?”

You wanted to argue, but your friends had told you much of the same. Minho was just less polite in his delivery. But you hadn’t had any luck with real life men, either. Case in point: your irritating argument with the perfectly attractive guy in front of you. So that left apps, even if the pickings were regrettably slim. And only growing slimmer, if the ghost date was any indication. You didn’t have the guts to tell Minho that this wasn’t the first time you’d been stood up.

Then you had an idea. Your grin widened, and Minho’s irritated expression faded into apprehension. “Well if I’m doomed to never find love,” you started, batting your eyelashes teasingly. “Why don’t I look for the love of your life instead?”

Minho blanched, recoiling with enough force that his chair rocked back on two legs. “Yeah, no. I don’t think so, sweetheart.”

“I think it’s a terrific idea,” you beamed at him. “I’ve been a successful matchmaker for a bunch of my friends, too. I’ve just had trouble finding my own love interest.”

“What is this, a rom com?” he hissed.

You clapped your hands, overcome with excitement for the first time since the puddle. “Oh, a romance, I wish,” you nearly swooned at the thought. “I promise I’ll do my best. You’d get along great with one of my friends, they’re just as irritable as you.”

Minho exhaled sharply, massaging his forehead with one hand. He closed his eyes, muttering, “What am I doing here?”

“Wait, wait, I’m getting ahead of myself. No matchmaking until I know you better,” you amended, whipping out a notebook and pen from your bag. You had just about everything in there—you never knew what emergency might pop up, like brainstorming a match for a stranger. “What are some of your hobbies? Favorite color? Ooh, what about first date activities you love? Oh my goodness, wait, are you looking for men or women?”

Part of you expected Minho to shove his chair back and leave. You wouldn’t be too upset, that just meant you’d have the table to yourself, even if you weren’t waiting on a date anymore. But you didn’t totally hate this guy. And another part of you kind of felt bad for him. He’d never experienced love! Not that you’d had a taste of true love, either, but you knew what was out there. And it was a shame that he didn’t see that too. It was like...someone hating your favorite holiday—unacceptable, if only because you wanted everyone to enjoy it as much as you did.

You begrudgingly admitted that another teeny tiny part of you thought he was too attractive to be so cynical of love. Some lucky girl out there was waiting for Minho, and you were gonna help her out, even if it meant dragging the man kicking and screaming towards her.

But Minho didn’t do what you expected. He didn’t storm off, coffee in hand, scarf flapping in the wind dramatically. He sighed and stood up, but made no move for his coat. “If we’re doing this, I need more coffee,” he said, then turned and made a beeline for the counter without any further explanation.

You blinked after him, more than a bit surprised. He was...going along with this? You tapped the pen against your chin thoughtfully, watching his shoulders flex beneath his turtleneck as he talked to Ruth. His head turned slightly, and you caught a glimpse of his smile—a real one—taking your breath away.

Now, if only you could get him to smile like that for any potential dates. You clicked your pen with renewed vigor, laughing when Minho approached with a new coffee, exasperation written into every line of his face.

* * * * *

It was a lovely Thursday night, and you were curled up on the couch in your comfiest pajamas. Your only companions were a blanket, a mug of tea, and your phone, which you checked every fifteen seconds. The first time all week that Minho hadn’t answered your messages, and it was the night of his first date. You were buzzing with anticipation, practically vibrating as you waited for news, not caring who it came from first.

Finally, you gave up waiting, throwing the blanket as you went to reheat your tea, since you’d let it grow cold while refreshing your messages. The second you reached the kitchen, however, you heard a buzz. You dashed to the couch, scrambling for your phone to find a text from Mari:

He had to dip early, lame date

You nearly screeched. He left? Your fingers pounded the screen:

What!?!?!! Did he say whyyy?

Mari’s response was short and to the point:

An “emergency”

You could read between the lines. Mari was irritated, to say the least, since the blind date had been your brilliant idea. But what on earth had happened with Minho? Your stomach dropped, considering that he might have an actual emergency. You quickly tapped out a message to him to check in, gnawing your lip in worry.

Hey, Mari said you had an emergency, is everything ok?

You waited what felt like ten thousand years before finally seeing the little bubbles appear. His message, however, was not worth the wait:

Didn’t get on with her

You fumed, pressing dial on his contact with enough force, you were amazed your screen didn’t crack. “You left because you didn’t like her?” you screeched as soon as he picked up.

“Yes.”

Gaping like a fish, you fumbled for words to explain how bad that was. “You can’t just—”

“But I did,” Minho cut you off.

“But you can’t,” you said, exasperated. “Jeez, I thought you knew what you were doing. Obviously not. You need a practice date or something so my friends don’t murder you.”

Now it was Minho’s turn to squawk indignantly. “I do not need practice,” he started.

“Yes, obviously you do. You might look like a player but you’ve obviously never talked to a girl for more than ten minutes,” you scolded him. “Who leaves in the middle of a date? With that bad of an excuse?”

“I hate wasting my time. Didn’t we discuss how we should avoid doing that with our love lives,” he snarked.

You groaned, “There’s a difference between not wasting your time and being rude as heck.”

“So what? She was abrasive, rude, cynical, and had a terrible sense of humor,” Minho said, as casually as if he was discussing the weather. “I can’t believe you’re friends.”

“That’s a pretty great description of you, too,” you sassed back, irritation taking over. “We might not be that close, but you can’t just insult everyone I set you up with.”

“Who said I wanted you to set me up with anyone?”

“I assumed you did, otherwise why are you going along with this?” you tried your best to calm down, lower your voice. But something about Minho just put your back up.

“Uh,” Minho actually seemed lost for words. Your ears perked up, eager to catch his answer. “My mom wants to set me up with her friends’ daughters,” he tossed out at last.

Seemed a bit too easy. “Sure,” you drawled, leaning back on the couch.

“Yes, really,” he sneered, and you giggled, picturing the exact expression on his face.

“Ok, whatever you say,” you allowed, laughing slightly. “But you’re still going on a practice date. Tomorrow night, six o’clock. Meet me at the cafe. If you’re not there, I’m gonna find your mom and help her out.”

You hung up on him before he could argue with you, grinning madly as you concocted your plan.

* * * * *

You half expected to wait for Minho to show up, much like your friend did, but much to your surprise, he was waiting for you under the awning when you arrived. “You’re late,” Minho accused, and you grinned sheepishly. You may or may not have lied about the time. Just in case.

“The queen is never late. Everyone else is simply early,” you quipped. Minho rolled his eyes—absolutely what you expected. You giggled, linking your arm through his and tugging him down the sidewalk with you.

“Woah,” Minho yanked at his arm, trying to free himself. “If you wanted to hold hands, you could have asked.”

“You’re too much of a grinch, you’d just say no.”

“Exactly. It’s called consent, sweetheart.”

He nearly fell at the sudden freedom when you released him, shoving your hands deeper into your pockets to escape the chill. “Alright, follow me then, you unromantic dork.” He muttered under his breath as you skipped away, having fun despite his attitude. Time to show him what a real date looked like.

Five seconds later, and not even two blocks from the cafe, Minho groaned, “Are we there yet?”

“No.”

A pause, then, “Where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise,” you told him, not for the first time. He’d texted you all night, demanding to know, but your lips were sealed.

Except a certain someone seemed determined to annoy the answers out of you. “Are we there yet?”

You sighed, your skip feeling a little less peppy. “No.”

“Are we—”

“Minho,” you ground out. “If you ask me that one more time, I’m taking you to get your nails done.”

“Ok, sure. I could use a bit of pampering,” he said, the epitome of casual.

You stared at him. “This feels like a trick,” you said slowly.

A grin flashed, “That’s because it is. It’s after six, they’re all closed by now.” But then he frowned slightly. “Now you have me wanting a manicure though, I’ve never gotten one.”

Your brows were practically in your hairline but you just nodded. “Ok, another time, then,” you agreed. You caught sight of a familiar street sign and quickened your steps. “Almost there,” you were nearly vibrating in excitement. You felt Minho’s eyes on you, your skin prickling with awareness, but you ignored him in favor of racing around the street corner. And there it was—the zoo! All lit up...all lit…...not lit up at all. Your feet stumbled to a halt.

“So the zoo is open at night now?” Minho inquired at your shoulder.

You gaped at the dark expanse before you. “But where are the lights?” Because indeed, not a single light was on in the zoo. You’d just visited, not too long ago, and they had been open for night visits, so guests could walk around and see the trees all lit up, and wave hello to a few animals in the enclosures.

“Lights?”

“The Christmas lights,” you cried out, frantic. “They were up the last time I was here.”

“You mean a month ago? For Christmas? Back when it was still December?” Minho questioned you. You nearly snapped back before you realized. It was January. February next week. Of course the lights were down, what kind of idiot were you?

You groaned in defeat, slumping against the wall and sliding down to a crouch. You threw your arms over your head. “I don’t know what we’re going to do, then. I’m sorry I made you walk all this way,” you mumbled into your knees, wishing you could disappear into the sidewalk. Gosh, and you’d really dragged him along, hadn’t you? He obviously hadn’t been that excited, and all of your mysterious “it’s a surprise” nonsense only made this a bigger disappointment.

“It’s a Friday night, things are still open, you know,” Minho pointed out. “So what if you somehow forgot a whole month happened. I forget the year sometimes.”

“What are you, an old man?” you tried to perk up, but the tease fell flat.

“I’m only twenty-two. You must be ancient.” You picked up your head to look at him. A faint smile curled on his lips as he played along.

“Oh my gosh, I’m your noona. If you’re a grandpa, then I’m practically in the grave,” you forced out a chuckle.

Minho’s smile grew, and he extended a hand. “Come on, get up. Night’s still young.”

For a moment, you simply stared at his hand. Then you met his dark gaze, “You aren’t going to take advantage of this? I thought you hated the whole practice date idea.”

He sighed, wiggling his fingers at you. “I don’t hate spending time with you, alright? Now get up or I’m leaving you here.”

Your mouth twitched, a true smile threatening to form, and not just a cover-up. You slid your hand in his gratefully, and Minho pulled you to your feet with more strength than you thought he had. You blinked at him, realizing he hadn’t let your hand go yet. But the second his eyes followed your gaze, he dropped it, sliding his hands into his pants pockets instead.

“So where to?” Minho asked.

You opened your mouth to respond, remembering a pretty little outdoor skating rink, but the skies cracked open, interrupting you with a sudden deluge. You gasped as the first fat raindrops splattered on your forehead, eyes widening before you made a mad dash for the nearest storefront, Minho already a few steps ahead of you.

You’d barely been in the rain for a minute, but the icy water had your teeth chattering already. Had it been any colder, this would’ve been pretty snow. Instead, you got an arctic firehose.

Arms wrapped tightly around yourself, you peered down the street. Beside you, Minho checked a weather app, hissing through his teeth. “Looks like rain all night,” he muttered.

You groaned again, wanting to cry. You’d completely messed up the evening, first with the lights, and now by not checking the weather. You’d planned an outdoor date, why hadn’t you checked?

A hand brushed your shoulder lightly, barely detectable through your coat. “Um, this might not be what you had planned, but my apartment is actually on this street. Wanna just order pizza?”

Your first instinct was a vehement “no”, but you stopped that answer on the tip of your tongue. Minho wasn’t one of the sleazy guys you’d gone out with in the past, the ones who’d thought an apartment invite was more than that. Plus, this wasn’t a real date or anything. It was a practice date, just pals, nothing crazy about that. So why couldn’t you grab pizza at his place? Especially with the monsoon and a long walk back to your own place. And no umbrella.

You found yourself nodding, shivers wracking your body. Minho’s teeth flashed in another fierce grin, “Alright, sweetheart, let’s make a run for it. In three, two, one—”

The two of you raced down the slick sidewalks, dodging lampposts and puddles alike. You skidded to a stop at one of the apartment buildings, nearly slamming into Minho’s back as he yanked the door open, and the two of you tumbled into the warm lobby. Once out of the wet, Minho shook his head like a dog, water droplets spraying everywhere, and you shrieked, hands coming up to protect yourself.

“Sorry,” Minho laughed, not sounding apologetic in the least. “I’m on the sixth floor, so we can take the elevator,” he said, pointing you in the right direction.

The ride up was awkward; the only sound was your jacket zipper rattling from the force of your shivers. Minho unlocked the door to his apartment, waving a hand dramatically. You stepped inside tentatively, toeing off your boots by the door. You watched Minho follow suit, then pad over to a closet along one wall. Your confusion abated when he emerged with towels, passing one to you with raised brows. The two of you were still soaking wet, and you didn’t want to track rainwater all over his apartment.

Minho was already drying his head off one-handed. When he stopped, letting the towel slip down to rest on his shoulders, you giggled at the sight of his hair. He made a face, only adding to the comic effect of his hair standing on end.

“I know you drink coffee, but what about hot tea?” he asked, making his way to the kitchen while you continued to dab at your clothes.

You nodded enthusiastically, eyeing the space from where you stood in the entryway. It was pretty minimal, not a ton of color or anything, but cozy. Black couch, gray curtains, some photos on the wall. Fairly tidy, but definitely nothing out of a magazine. A meow at your feet interrupted your train of thought, and you looked down to coo at the cats that were slowly approaching. “Well aren’t you gorgeous,” you complimented the bravest of the three, who nosed at your hand gingerly.

“Soonie, Doongi, and Dori,” Minho said, pointing at each cat in turn. He leaned on the counter while waiting for the water to boil.

“They’re adorable,” you beamed at him. “And much more friendly.”

“Hey,” he narrowed his eyes. “I’m friendly.”

“Yeah, right,” you laughed at him. Your mirth was interrupted by a fierce shiver, reminding you that you might not be dripping wet, but your clothes were still icy cold.

Minho eyed you as you wrapped your arms around yourself. “I have sweats you can borrow.”

You started to protest, but the next shudder of cold made you change your mind. Besides, you didn’t want to get his furniture soaking wet. So you nodded and waited while Minho disappeared into the bedroom. You shuffled awkwardly to the kitchen, toes curling in your socks.

Minho reappeared. “Here,” he said, voice gruff. He pressed a pair of sweatpants into your hands, along with a fuzzy looking sweatshirt. Your turtleneck wasn’t too wet, just a little damp along the neckline, but you slid the extra layer over your head gratefully. Before you had to ask him, Minho pointed to a half-open door. “The bathroom. I’m going to get something dry on, too,” he added.

You smiled in relief, escaping to the small bathroom gratefully. As soon as the door was shut, you were scrabbling at the soaking wet denim, peeling it down your legs. You grimaced, not missing this experience at all after the last time. Minho’s sweatpants were soft and oh so warm by comparison. And fleece-lined, too. You slung your jeans over the shower rod to dry, rolled the ankles of your borrowed pants—just enough so you wouldn’t be drowning in excess material—and went in search of that promised hot tea.

You found Minho on the phone in the kitchen. When he noticed you, he waved you closer. “Do you like anything on your pizza?” he asked.

“Um,” you scrambled to collect your thoughts. “Cheese?”

Minho cracked a smile. “Cheese it is then. And peppers, onions, cherry tomatoes, garlic, basil,” he rattled off what sounded like an entire grocery list. When he noticed you staring, Minho raised his brows in confusion. You shook your head with a small laugh, leaving him to it. On the counter behind him, you found two mugs, tea bags already steeping. You wrapped your cold fingers around one, humming in contentment. Finally, the shivers stopped.

“Wanna watch a movie while we wait for pizza?” Minho asked, but then he froze, grimacing. “Oh shit, sorry. I mean, you can go home if you want. I don’t mean to keep you if you don’t want to stay. I have an umbrella, and you can keep the sweats I guess—”

“Sure how about a romance?” you interrupted him, grabbing your tea and making your way to the couch. You plopped down, eyeing Minho, who was still stiff as a board by the counter. You giggled at him, “Maybe you’ll learn a thing or two from Mr. Darcy.”

That seemed to knock him out of his stupor. An indignant expression wiped away any trace of sheepishness, and he stomped over to find the remote. “Yeah right,” he scoffed. “I’m not watching a romance.”

“A romantic comedy then,” you decided, snatching the remote out of his hands.

He grabbed it back, lightning quick. “Action.”

You narrowed your eyes, crossing your arms defiantly. “Drama. Fight me and I’ll demand a Hallmark movie.”

Minho smirked, “Fight me and I’ll make it a horror movie.”

You groaned in disgust, glaring at him. “Ok, fine, let’s fight over it. Rock, paper, scissors?”

He rolled his eyes, but ended up on the couch beside you, holding one fist out to meet yours. “Best out of three,” he smirked. “Get ready for a zombie fest.”

After a crushing defeat, Minho slumped on the couch, moaning dramatically when you selected Pride and Prejudice. You giggled at the grumpy man beside you, and his similarity to Mr. Darcy. Most notably their matching pouts.

To your surprise, Minho didn’t interrupt the movie once. Sure, he grumbled at first, but when you snuck a peek at him after about half an hour, you caught him watching intently.

You’d seen the movie at least a dozen times by now, but you still couldn’t resist the pull, and your heart fluttered at the brush of hands the way it did every time. Your breath caught at every interaction, and you couldn’t tear your eyes away to save your life. Until the pizza arrived, at least. You were about to press play, two slices at the ready, when Minho looked over at you. “Why are you so in love with the idea of love?” he asked.

You gaped at him for a moment, taken aback. “What?”

“Not just the movie, but real life,” he said, twisting to face you fully. “Why are you so determined to find Mr. Right? Or to set me up on the perfect date?”

“Don’t you want to find someone?” you questioned him, backing away from the question. “You can’t possibly be putting up with me just to avoid your mom playing matchmaker. I’m literally no better than that.”

He scoffed, “You haven’t met my mother.”

“Maybe I should team up with her.”

“Oh please no.”

You grinned, grabbing a slice of pizza. “Oh please yes,” you teased. “Two matchmakers are better than one.”

Minho shot you an unimpressed look. “I told her I already have a girlfriend, but I felt bad lying to her, so I’m hanging out with you instead.”

You nearly choked on your pizza. So you were a pity friend, great. Or worse, you weren’t even real friends, you were just a convenient excuse to alleviate Minho’s guilt complex. You set the slice back down, no longer hungry.

“Hey, you know I’m joking, right? That was a joke. I’m sarcastic all the time, remember?” Minho nudged you.

“Yeah, sure.”

Minho sighed, leaning over to bump his shoulder into yours. “I might not love the matchmaking, or this dumb movie, but I guess I’m glad we bumped into each other so I could tell you to dump ghost boy from Tinder.” You snorted, biting back a small smile. Noticing this, Minho forged ahead, “And this better not be part of the act to get me to forget my first question, because you still haven’t answered.”

“Minho,” you whined. “Why does it matter?”

“Pretend it’s girls night. We’re practically having a sleepover, minus the nail polish and braids. This is the part where we talk about boys,” he smirked.

“I hate you.”

“Do we need to watch 10 Things I Hate About You next?”

Your brows rose. “I thought you didn’t like romance, how do you even know that movie?”

“.....No reason. Now answer the question already,” he huffed.

You sighed, curling up on your end of the couch. “I guess it’s just something I’m not good at, so I can’t help wanting it to fall in my lap,” you said. “I can’t pull all nighters to find love, that’s not how it works.”

“Well no, studying isn’t the answer,” Minho agreed.

“My parents have the kind of love I want. I’m not rosy-eyed or anything, I know it’s hard work and commitment. But the friendship—that’s what I love the most.”

The two of you sat in silence for a little while, Minho chewing on your words. And you mused on your recent attempts to find a partner. Perhaps dating apps weren’t the way to go, you admitted. Not to Minho, though. He’d never let you hear the end of it.

“Maybe,” Minho started. “You should look for new friends instead of new boyfriends.”

“What do you think this is?” you laughed. “I’ve been setting you up, not looking on Tinder or whatever for myself.”

“Good, you’ve wasted enough time on those trash apps already,” he groused.

You grinned at him, “So I guess you don’t want me to start looking for Bumble girls, huh?”

“Don’t even think about it.”

You giggled, but Minho pressed play on the movie before you could tease him any more. To your surprise, he looked as interested in the ending as you were. You doubted he was misty-eyed like you, though.

A yawn snuck up on you, and you glanced at the clock in surprise. How had it gotten so late? “I should probably be going,” you started.

“I’ll walk you home. It’s late.” Minho grabbed your dishes to bring to the sink, snatching them right out of your hands. You blinked after him, then shrugged, making your way to the bathroom.

Unfortunately, your jeans were still damp, but they’d be fine for the walk home. You squeezed yourself back into the denim, emerging with the borrowed sweatpants. “Laundry?” you asked, since Minho was busy with the dishes.

“Just inside the bedroom, next to the door,” he gestured with his chin, hands still sudsy.

You slid the sweatshirt off as well, placing both in the hamper by the door. Despite your curiosity, you didn’t linger, but you caught a glimpse of an equally tidy bedroom. And a large bed with dark sheets. Why was your heart pounding? Mr. Darcy hadn’t been that distracting. You shook your head, hurrying out of the room. Only then you came face-to-face with Minho, and you had to fight a blush. What on earth was wrong with you?

The awkwardness continued, and you felt strange and itchy the whole walk home with Minho. You were hyper aware of how close you were under the umbrella, of the way your elbows brushed every few steps. Minho was surprisingly quiet, as well. Ordinarily, he’d be making fun of you by now.

As you walked the last block together, you tilted your head to look at him. “So tonight was a fail,” you said.

“What the heck are you talking about?”

“The practice date?” you giggled at his expression. “Total failure.”

Minho’s frown deepened, “I thought it was fun. Even if you made me watch a period drama.”

“Oh no, it was wonderful, but the date part of it was a bust. We need to do another, since tonight doesn’t count,” you told him, slowing to a stop in front of your building’s entrance.

“Well what does count?” Minho asked, exasperation dripping from his tone.

“Hmm, something in public. No one ever does a private first date, and obviously that’s what you need the most help with,” you sassed. “Maybe I’ll kick your ass in laser tag or something.”

“Maybe I should beat you in bowling,” Minho retorted.

You hummed, tapping a finger off your chin. “You might be onto something, actually. How about you come up with our next practice date. That’s your homework.”

“Since when is this a class? With homework assignments?” Minho demanded.

“Oh shut it, or I’m making profiles for you on every dating app I know.”

* * * * *

You looked over at Minho, suspicion tugging at you. “So when you said you should beat me at bowling, did you mean it?”

“I’m going to try and win at whatever we do, I’m competitive like that,” Minho said, holding the door open for you.

“No, I mean, are you secretly a professional bowler or something?” you corrected, making your way towards the shoe rental.

Minho chuckled, “I doubt you’ll believe whatever I say.”

You opened your mouth to object, but decided he was right. “You better not be hustling me,” you threatened, slapping cash down on the counter.

“Pay per game or pay per hour?” the attendant asked.

Minho cheekily slid a few bills beside yours. “Best out of three?”

“Insufferable,” you muttered, watching as the attendant took his money instead of yours.

At least Minho looked just as goofy as you did. The brightly colored bowling shoes looked very out of place against his “cool guy” outfit. You’d already poked fun at him. Who showed up to a date wearing sweats? Not that he looked bad in them, but you had at least dressed up a bit. Then again, you might not have worn a dress if you had known that bowling was on the agenda. You tugged at the sleeves of your sweater dress, feeling a bit out of place as you looked at all of the other couples. Jeans, slacks, more jeans...why had you decided to dress up? You should’ve known Minho would pick something casual.

“Hey, you wanna go first, or should I?” Minho’s voice cut through your thoughts, and you shook the negativity away gratefully.

“You go ahead,” you called over to him, trying to find a smile. What were you so worked up about? It’s not like this was a real date. You could have shown up in a potato sack if you wanted, you weren’t trying to impress anyone, least of all Minho. On that thought, maybe he had the better idea after all. You eyed his sweatpants enviously. You knew how comfy they were, and they’d doubtless be better than the tights you were terrified of ripping.

“Ok sweetheart, prepare for a thrashing,” Minho joked, selecting a bowling ball from the rack.

“You prepare for a thrashing,” you countered, despite knowing it was an empty threat. You probably needed the bumpers if you wanted anything but gutter balls. Then you caught sight of the names on the board. “Did you seriously make my nickname ‘Loser’? What are we, five?”

Minho smirked as he passed you. “We’ve been over this, I’m a grandpa, you’ve got one foot in the grave. Childish antics are beneath us,” he said with a laugh.

“So you’re ‘Lee Know’?” you inquired, curious about his chosen nickname.

Minho turned to face you, tilting his head. “Yeah, that’s what my friends call me.”

“...Am I supposed to call you that?”

“We’re friends, aren’t we? Call me whatever you want. Just not ‘asshole’,” he joked. Your heart warmed, and a true smile found its way to your lips. You watched as Minho wiggled a little, eyeing the pins at the end of the lane. Then, to your utmost surprise, he turned around and rolled the ball between his legs.

“What?” you choked on a laugh, nearly falling over at the sight. Minho backed up, and you both watched as the ball rolled down the lane, painfully slow. It ended up knocking down half of the pins, much to your surprise. Minho just looked proud as he picked up another ball. Miracle of miracles, he wound up with a spare.

You had no words, didn’t even bother trying to explain how his technique had any sort of success. Your own attempt was...pitiful by comparison. Your form looked good, but both balls wound up in the gutter in a matter of seconds.

Minho didn’t waste the opportunity to gloat. “Told you I’d beat you at bowling,” he said with a wink.

You grumbled, flopping down onto the bench next to him. “I didn’t expect you to be successful at the toddler technique.”

“Give it a go, maybe we’ll change your nickname if you win,” he laughed, getting up for his turn.

Halfway through the game, you even tried the ‘toddler technique’. This was also a fail, made worse with the mortifying realization that your underwear would be visible if you bent over too far. When your attempt ended up in the gutter, you resolved to get bumpers for the next game.

But Minho had other plans. You had just approached the lane when you felt a hand on your shoulder. “Keep your wrist straight, you keep twisting it at the last second,” he said.

You turned to face him, finding him close behind you. “Anything else, wise one?”

“Don’t overthink it,” he smiled at you. This close, you could swear his eyes were twinkling. “We can both go get bumpers next round, I need them almost as much as you. I’m amazed at my own streak of luck tonight.”

“I’m terrible at bowling,” you whined, looking away from him. Your cheeks felt warm. Gosh, it was embarrassing to be this bad.

“We can go do something else, we don’t even need to finish this game, let alone all three. As long as you’re having fun, I’m happy.”

You glanced at him from the corner of your eye, but looked away quickly. He was watching you so intently, the flush burned hotter, threatening to run down your neck. “I’m sorry you paid for so many games. We can definitely finish them, it’s fine—”

“I’ll never make you do something you don’t want to do,” Minho murmured. You looked at him in surprise, surprised to hear him sounding sincere rather than snarky. “Otherwise, I’d be a shitty friend, wouldn’t I?”

“Right, yeah. An asshole friend,” you agreed, nearly stumbling over the words.

“Ok, I’ll let you focus on your first strike of the night. Don’t overthink it,” he reminded you, walking back to the bench.

You nodded, ignoring the tight feeling in your stomach that reminded you of disappointment. And you sank another one right into the gutter.

Minho’s solution to the bowling fiasco was consolation ice cream. Somewhat surprising, since a part of you had expected him to gloat. Instead, he talked about anything and everything but bowling, entertaining you while you both sat at the window of the local shop. You simply watched him, enraptured. He had hardly opened up at all to you at first. Visiting his apartment felt like the first peek into the real Minho. The happy memories captured in picture frames, the handmade mementos here and there on shelves, all hints as to the soft interior of your once-prickly friend. Now he was regaling you with stories of his best friends—brothers, by the sound of it. Loving rivalry, playful banter, sibling torment. And the look on his face...pride. He was proud of them, his family.

Then you paused, tilted your head to look at him anew. When had Minho stopped being prickly? Where was the cynical, negative, angsty boy you’d befriended, partly out of spite? When had he stopped trying to hold you back with barbed wire edges?

When Minho caught your gaze, he lifted one brow, mouth twitching into a crooked smile. “See something you like?” he sassed you. But his remark was devoid of bitterness. It wasn’t mocking, it was warm, inviting. It was asking you to join in on the joke.

“Yeah,” you said softly. Then you turned up the wattage on your smile, grinning widely at him. “What’s cookin’, good lookin’?”

Minho rolled his eyes at your antics, spinning his ice cream cone between his fingers. But hidden behind your grin was more than a little truth.

* * * * *

You knocked on the door, stepping back tentatively. You could hear raucous laughter on the other side, which would ordinarily have you curious, maybe a little excited to join in. Not tonight. Right now, standing in the hallway outside Minho’s apartment, you were nervous as hell. And on top of it all, you were nearly an hour late, having dragged your feet the whole way there.

“Stop it, this is ridiculous,” you muttered to yourself, shifting from foot to foot. It felt like meeting the parents, which was dumb. Firstly, you and Minho were not dating. Secondly, these were his best friends, not his parents. And thirdly, you and Minho were good friends. You had nothing to worry about. Absolutely nothing.

Which was why you were currently worrying all over the place about meeting Minho’s best friends. What if they hated you? Or worse, what if they pitied you? You thought you’d disappear into a crack in the earth if that happened.

Before you could spend too long contemplating your inevitable end, the door swung open, and a boy came rushing out at you. You gasped, jumping back before he could run into you.

“Sorry, sorry, excuse me!” he blurted, skidding to a stop, then immediately taking off running down the hallway.

You blinked in confusion, but your eyes only widened when a second boy came barrelling out of the apartment after the first. “Minho?”

Minho paused briefly, eyes alighting on your stiff figure. “Hi! Um, I need to take care of something, but I’ll be right back. Go on in,” he waved at you, breaking into a jog, and then a sprint.

Immensely confused, you peered into the apartment, now that the door was wide open. Now or never, you told yourself firmly. Easing through the doorway, you caught sight of six more boys in various states of chaos. Upon noticing your entrance, they all froze. “Uh, hello there,” came a voice on your right. You looked over to see two boys in the kitchen, appearing to be mid-struggle with a bag of popcorn. “You must be Minho’s friend, he said you’d be coming.”

You gave a tiny wave, pasting on a sunshine smile. “Hi guys, it’s nice to meet you, I think? Should I be concerned about the escapee?”

Popcorn boy number two laughed, arms bulging as he ripped open the bag. “Oh no, Hyunjin will be fine. Minho hasn’t made him eat toilet paper in years, he’s above that now.” You must have looked concerned, because the boy chuckled again, waving you off. “It’s all empty threats with that one. Mostly. I’m Changbin, by the way.”

Popcorn boy number one stepped forward, extending a hand to shake. “I’m Chan, and this is our menagerie of chaos. Let me introduce you to everyone,” he offered. You grinned at him, relieved.

By the time Minho returned, practically dragging Hyunjin with him, you were giggling on the couch with the rest of the boys, embroiled in a fierce MarioKart race. With Hyunjin still trapped in a headlock, Minho paused to watch. You just barely caught a glimpse of him from the corner of your eye, too focused on staying on the track. Jeongin had chosen Rainbow Road for your first match, and you were determined to crush them in the dust. Even if it had been several years since you last played.

You watched as your character was knocked off the edge, a cry of dismay falling from your lips. “Dang it, I wasn’t even in first place, what gives?”

Han grinned victoriously, only to cry out when he accidentally drove over the edge as well. “Friends fall together?” he joked.

“You made me go ziplining. Alone,” Minho said, announcing his presence at last.

“Uhhhh,” Han fumbled for an excuse. “You love me anyway, though, right?”

Before Minho could retort, Seungmin stood up. “You can play next, if you want,” he offered.

The rest of you blinked at him in surprise, before looking at his screen and realizing he’d already won the race. Jeongin groaned dramatically, flailing on the couch as he came in second. You and Han just gave up entirely, letting your characters fall off the track once more. Meanwhile, Minho finally decided to release Hyunjin, and the blonde escaped to the other end of the couch, diving into a bowl of chips like nothing had happened.

Felix looked excited, so you tossed him your remote for the next round. “I believe I was promised food,” you said, arching an eyebrow in Minho’s direction.

“I believe I told you to arrive at six,” he fired back, stalking towards you. He finally stopped a foot away, looming over you.

You smirked at him, “What did I tell you on our first date?”

The room went silent, and you froze, realizing your mistake. “You guys are dating and you didn’t tell us?” Han exclaimed, eyes wide.

Your mouth opened and closed, but you couldn’t seem to find any words.

“Oh yeah, real fancy dates, too. We had dinner at the Eiffel tower last week,” Minho drawled. “Isn’t that right, sugar plum?” The cherry on top was when he reached out, lightly pinching your cheek.

A stranger might have mistaken his dry tone for sincerity, but everyone in the room knew Minho’s humor well. Half of the group dissolved into giggles. Changbin rolled his eyes and threw a pillow, but Minho caught it before it could smack into you. “No wonder you don’t have a girlfriend,” Changbin joked.

“All those promises and no follow through,” Han clucked his tongue in mock-disapproval, then ducked when Minho tossed the pillow at him next.

Your cheeks threatened to catch on fire again. The situation only worsened when you met Minho’s dark gaze, his eyes ensnaring you. “So,” you threw out desperately, clapping your hands together. “The food? Or am I going to starve? Not very boyfriend-like,” you tried to laugh. The joke must have been convincing, because the boys merely chuckled, going back to their game.

Minho still hadn’t moved from where he stood over you. Instead of moving back so you could get up, he extended a hand. You bit your lip, teeth digging in, but you placed your hand in his rather than make a scene. The last thing you wanted was more attention, especially with your cheeks warming up past their usual temperature.

Fortunately, he released you as soon as you regained your footing. Your fingers flexed lightly, hand falling back to your side. You kept your chin high as you followed Minho to the kitchen, ignoring the prickling feeling that the boys were still watching you.

“Pizza?” you blurted out, incredulous. “Don’t you eat anything else?”

Minho snorted, leaning against the counter. “For the record, I do know how to cook.”

You snooped in the fridge, disbelieving. “Of course, all evidence points to you being a five star chef,” you said, casting a pointed look at the empty shelves within.

He chuckled, folding his arms while he watched you investigate. “Sweetheart, if you wanted me to cook for you, all you had to do was ask.”

You hummed, closing the refrigerator once more. “I’m kinda afraid you’ll burn something, to be honest,” you teased, grabbing a plate from the cabinet and selecting a slice of now-cold pizza. You popped the pizza in the microwave, then relaxed against the counter opposite Minho. He was still watching you intently, and you frowned. “What? Do I have something on my face?” you asked him.

Minho shook his head wordlessly. Self-consciousness took hold, and you looked down awkwardly, brushing your hair behind one ear. “Hey, I’m sorry about what I said. I totally didn’t mean it the way it came out.”

“I know,” he said, one corner of his mouth quirking up in a half smile.

You tipped your chin again, unable to look at him for long. Even if Minho seemed to forgive your blunder, you still couldn’t believe you’d blurted that out. Your hair fell in front of your face again, and you let it, happy to hide behind the locks.

Then another pair of feet appeared a few inches from yours. Plain black socks next to your patterned ones, covered in cartoon rainbows. Then a butterfly touch along the side of your face, soft enough that you almost doubted the sensation. You lifted your gaze, but this time, Minho’s eyes weren’t on yours. Instead, his laser focus was directed on the hair he was gently situating behind your ear again.

You realized you had forgotten to breathe when he finally took a step back, and your lungs remembered to inflate.

“For the record, you’re right,” Minho said softly. “The queen is never late.”

* * * * *

It was nearing midnight by the time Minho’s friends started leaving. You eyed the clock, then went to grab your shoes as well. “I better get going, I want to get home sometime before dawn,” you joked.

“How close do you live? Are you taking the bus?” Chan asked, worry evident in his tone.

You waved him off, “I’m just a few blocks away, not too long of a walk. Bus doesn’t run after ten or so, anyway.”

Chan frowned, but Minho cut him off before he could say anything. “I was going to walk her home, it’s pretty late.”

That was a surprise to you, but seemed to alleviate Chan’s concern. The others waved goodbye on their way out, Chan following them. “Nice to meet you,” he said, shooting you a quick grin before closing the door behind him.

“You really don’t have to,” you started.

“I want to. It’s late,” Minho reminded you.

“I didn’t argue last time, but I didn’t want to steal your umbrella.” You narrowed your eyes at him. “I’m not some little girl in need of protection. It’s a perfectly safe neighborhood.”

Minho didn’t look up, busy tying his shoes. “I like walking.”

“At midnight?”

“Any time of day, really.”

You rolled your eyes. “Do you walk Jeongin home, too?”

“Sure did. He moved in with Han, though, so I don’t anymore,” he said simply. “You don’t have a roommate. If no one’s there to make sure you get home safe, I want to walk with you.”

You gaped at him, unable to fault his logic. And not really wanting to. “Thanks,” you murmured, scuffing one shoe into the floor.

Minho stood up again, a crooked smile on his lips. “Don’t mention it,” he said, snagging his keys. “After you.”

Walking home with Minho, you were reminded of the first time. Then, you’d been so awkward, quiet. Unsure of yourself. You’d been worried that you were some kind of pity friend at first, but after getting to know Minho, you knew that wasn’t the case. And now that you’d grown comfortable around each other, you could hardly get him to shut up. Even now, he was talking about his dance team’s newest choreo, his words running together from excitement.

You smiled, just listening. This was all you really wanted, if you let yourself admit it. The Tinder dates were just a shit attempt at finding someone to sit and listen to for hours. You wanted movie nights and quiet mornings with someone who cared about you. You wanted a cute little house and kids and a dog. Maybe a cat. Maybe three.

Shit.

You were so wrapped up in your realization that you didn’t realize you’d reached your apartment building until Minho snagged your elbow to pull you to a stop. “This isn’t a midnight hike, where do you think you’re going?” he asked incredulously.

You laughed nervously, “Oh, sorry, I was pretty lost in thought.”

“Apparently. Were you listening to a word I said? Some friend you are,” he snorted.

Friend. Right. Your realization didn’t mean much. Why were you surprised? You hadn’t had luck in the romantic department in years, why would that change now? Minho was your friend, and it was obvious that his opinion of you wasn’t going to change. Why would it? He was way out of your league.

Gosh, now you felt like a fool. You’d really just daydreamed about a happily ever after with him. Why did you ever bother getting your hopes up? You were always bound for disappointment. Hadn’t your crappy dates taught you anything?

Minho called your name, bringing you back down to reality. “Sorry,” you muttered, fumbling in your bag to find your keys.

“Are you alright?” he asked. Shoot, now he sounded concerned.

You pasted a sunny smile on your face, “Totally fine. Thank you for walking me back. I won’t keep you any longer.”

You turned away to walk up the steps, but the smile fell as soon as he was out of sight. How were you only just coming to the realization that you were halfway—or perhaps all the way—in love with him? His face was burned into your mind’s eye. Brows furrowed in confusion, slight pout, and those damned eyes. You’d probably been in love with his eyes from the beginning.

“I only agreed to let you play matchmaker so I could see you again.”

You stopped at the top of the steps, not quite believing your ears. Turning slightly, you looked at Minho over your shoulder.

Once he had your attention, he continued, “I bailed on the date with your friend because I knew you’d yell at me.”

Lips parting in surprise, you turned to face him fully. Minho put a foot on the first step, gaze locked on yours. You weren’t sure what he saw when he looked at you, but his mouth softened into a slight smile.

“I was going to do the classic move of teaching you to bowl, but I chickened out,” he said. “I wish I hadn’t.”

“What are you...why are you telling me this?” you asked, fingers curling nervously.

He ascended another step, “You only smile like that when you’re sad. When you start getting in your own head about what you deserve.” Another step, “And I’m tired of hiding.”

Now he was only two steps away. Close enough to touch, if you dared to reach out. You didn’t. “We’re friends,” you said, voice small.

“Yeah, we are,” he agreed. Then he bit his lip, drawing your attention like bees to honey. You sucked in a breath, closing your eyes firmly. When you opened them, Minho was on the step just below you. “Tell me to stop,” he said, voice low. You didn’t.

Your breath stuttered to a stop, your whole body stilling at the electric shock of his lips on yours. For a moment, you were frozen, utterly focused on the whisper of a touch. Then Minho pulled away, and you could breathe again, gasping for air. But you didn’t want it to be over. Your eyes fluttered open, finding his dark gaze melting into you.

This time, you let yourself fall into him, ignoring the voice in the back of your head that said this was a fantasy. He caught you, one arm wrapping around your waist, his other hand coming to your jawline. He ascended that final step, pulling your body into his. His lips were plush, a little dry. Real. Minho was here, warm under your fingertips.

His hand slid up into your hair, slowly enough to make you shiver. You sighed into the kiss, goosebumps appearing on your arms as his fingers gently tugged the strands. And then his mouth opened beneath you, and you let yourself tumble into sensation, drowning in him.

You don’t know how long you kissed, but your heart was racing when you finally came up for air. Minho panted, little breaths puffing against your lips. He rested his forehead against yours, the weight somehow grounding you.

“Do you understand now?” Minho’s voice was hoarse, deeper than before. You shivered, just a bit, and the corner of his lips twitched up.

You couldn’t find words, unable to string any coherent thoughts together. And you didn’t really want to, happy to have your mind all to yourself, no doubts in sight. You leaned forward, placing a small kiss on the tip of Minho’s nose. He scrunched his face up, making you giggle. But you needed to know one thing. “Are we—are things different now?”

“We’re dating. Unless you don’t want that,” he backtracked, eyes wide.

You grinned at him. “I do.”

He heaved out a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness. I thought I really fucked up there.”

Now you really laughed, head falling forward to rest on his chest. Minho’s arms tightened around you, pulling you closer than you thought was possible. You could hear his heartbeat, thudding just as fast as yours.

“You said the friendship was your favorite part of love,” Minho mused. You hummed in agreement, nodding against him. “Well I hope you don’t get sick of me. I hear I’m pretty annoying.”

“Minho,” you rolled your eyes.

“I know you just rolled your eyes at me,” he teased.

“Well, you are annoying. But I suppose it’s a part of your charm.”

He chuckled, “So that means you like my jokes?”

You smiled fondly, “Don’t push it.”

* * * * *

Masterlist

#skz fanfic #skz fluff #lee know fluff #lee know fanfic #lee know x reader #stray kids fluff #stray kids fanfic #lee know #skz minho #skz lee know #skz imagines #skz scenarios #lee know scenarios #skz minho x reader #minho x reader #lee know fic #skz fic #skz one shot

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thexam-union · 3 years

Text

Riverside Relaxing

First fic to be put up here!! It’s the Chessy Boys up first, which surprises me just as much as it might surprise you! It’s just some soft fluff because that’s what got made :>

Length: 2031 Words

General Overview: It’s too hot outside, and the gang get together to cool off by the water in Land of the Tiger. Also ship moments between Tevel and Apollyon!! They’re grooving!

Warning(s): Mentions of heatstroke (no incidents or harm done, simply concern)

( If you need anything else tagged/forewarned about let me know!! )

The worst thing about the Digsite was the heat. The baking sun made it borderline impossible to work during the middle of the day, the sun’s glare roasting everything through to the point of burning without any hesitation. It was fine when nothing was scheduled, but when you were stuck there all day waiting for sunset? Pain. Suffering, even.

Tevel half-heartedly pushed open the door to Alcor’s office, the beige and yellows of the walls being anything but welcoming as they set themselves down in the chair after haphazardly hanging their jacket on the back of it.

“Please don’t say what I think you’re about to say, but what are you here for?” Alcor said with a short, sharp glare in their direction, before looking back at the computer screen on their desk. He seemed taken aback when they gestured towards the ceiling he got in response. Specifically, the fan. Normally when Tevel comes in all sheepish, it’s probably because something broke, so this was a surprise. “Right.”

“How mad would you be if I said I’m just hanging out here for that and that you’ll have to put up with me or let me go elsewhere.”

“Not very, but that’s just today.” Alcor simply shrugged behind his glasses, sipping at his drink before putting the fan in front of him in Tevel’s direction. “I’m glad you haven’t broken anything.”

“In this weather? No way, I wouldn’t. Thanks, by the way. But yeah, who’s in your personally-manned hell of emails today?” It was a joke, but clearly not anything rough-sounding. Surprising, given it’s Tevel of all people, but he already knew they didn’t like his email practices.

“The Marquess, and a few other people. You don’t get the emails.”

“I’ll level with you, chief, I’ve got your address marked as spam. Doesn’t work, though, you’ll be glad to know. Also, Aludra’s letting people hang out. I know you’re as antisocial as they come, and that neither of us like each other, but it’ll hurt my one entire moral,” They very dramatically put up their index finger, “If I don’t tell you and you get heatstroke.”

“Right. I’m glad you’re conscious of safety on the digsite. I’m actually surprised you didn’t just go.” Tevel shrugged. “Or did you want the go-ahead for tonight to be cancelled first? I know you used the last workplace safety book I gave you as a fuse to spite me. Impressive, but you know how I feel about that sort of thing.”

“Yeah mostly I guess. Heatstroke sucks, and I like to annoy you. Not almost kill you with negligence. Anyway, if you want to CC the information to people that don’t even go here, fine by me, I’m leaving. See you there, yeah?”

“Mhm. I’ll be right out. Thank you, Tevel. Are you sure you’re alright?” They’d just stood up and picked up their jacket, holding it over their arm as their sunhat covered their eyeline. “You’re acting a little strangely, today.”

“I’m fine. It’s too hot to blow up the place, and I can’t burn down Aludra’s place, I’ll feel so bad.”

“I thought you had one moral standard.” Wait, did Alcor just make a joke? What the fuck. What the fuck? He even laughed and everything.

“Uh-- Right, uh, stay hydrated? I’m going.” And with that, the office door was closed and they were braving the sun again. That was so weird? Alcor had never made a joke, and they’d known each other for years. It was mostly disappointed and annoyed glaring in their direction. At least he was going to cool off later? Acting weird is a heatstroke thing, even when you have the fans in the area in your office you’re not safe, they supposed. But, they did their bit, and it was time for some - as Lesath put it - “much needed splashy splashy”.

To be honest, everyone apart from the Marquess was going to be there now Alcor’d been convinced, and even then, Aludra had been trying to set up a nice canopy so the Marquess could get out more? Unsure, though, they weren’t in the building things business. More the blowing things up business. More their speed.

Walking down to Aludra’s perch took a very short amount of time, and getting under the forest cover was all they needed to get going, really! The comfort of the running water was also very nice, although they didn’t expect a short tap on the shoulder. There, but short.

“Hey, chief, what’s up?” They asked, knocking their hat brim up a little.

“I haven’t been officially invited, so I think my presence would go over better if I’m with someone who was invited, if you get what I mean.” Tevel shrugged. “That’s common practice for social engagements.”

“Yeah, but it’s also Aludra. If she can put up with your slew of emails, she can put up with you in person. Plus I don’t think she dislikes anyone. I gotta say, you’re acting off.”

“Off..? How so? I feel fine.”

“Yeah. Too... Person-y.” Tevel made a vague gesture with their hands, like someone would when describing the movement of a bug. “And that sorta thing’s a sign of heatstroke. You’re my boss who’s allergic to fun, and I heard you make a joke earlier.”

“I assure you, I’m fine. I’m not allergic to fun, I’m allergic to your idea of fun. You’re about as self-aware as a teabag at times.” He sighed, shaking his head, but Tevel seemed… happy with that response? And he was the one that was acting strangely?

“That’s the Alcor that I know.” Tevel half-cackled as they tended to, swinging their jacket so it was over their shoulder rather than over their arm. “Good to hear you’ve still got it, chief. Was actually half-worried something’d happened to ya.”

“I appreciate the concern for my safety? That’s weird coming from you, though.”

“Eh. I like things being consistent and-”

“You’re a demolitionist. What part of that is ordered?”

“Explosions happen in the same way almost every time, and it’s pretty. Consistent behaviour’s what helps me sleep at night, I’m sure you can agree on that.” Tevel laughed, nudging Alcor with their arm as they got to the clearing, and the others were starting to come into view. “Besides, I do pay attention to safety laws. I’m qualified, actually.”

Apollyon had their shirt - jacket? - open over her swimsuit, Lesath was curled up on a well-made perch, Aludra had her laptop open a bit away from the water, and even the Marquess was out here! She was sitting on a deck chair near the side of the water under a parasol, though clearly not dressed for it. Hell, even Citala’d been convinced to drop by! That was slightly less impressive than Tevel of all people dragging Alcor along, but the gap wasn’t that big!

“Yo, you brought him along? How?” Apollyon asked as the pair got up to the side of the water, Tevel sitting on the edge of the waterfront beside her and Alcor settling near Aludra, who’d put down her laptop. Probably to talk to each other rather than sending emails.

“Concern about heatstroke.” With a wink and a slight poking of the tongue, Tevel yawned and leaned back. “It’s so cool here I love it so much.”

“And he set with that? I’d thought he’ll drag you over to my place to toss you in the hoosegow instead of coming over!”

“Consider the following, Apple, it’s Aludra’s thing, right? And look at them.” Apollyon nodded a little. “No one can say no to Aludra, sure as hell not him, you know?”

“Them? Mashed? I didn’t know she had taste that bad!” They looked around everyone else, who seemed quite happy to spend a hot afternoon there. “I didn’t know she did that at all to be completely fair. Same with Alcor, he’s a barn sour and that’s it, I thought. Clawing at the gate when he has to leave it.”

“Yeah? I don’t know, I don’t talk to her much and Alcor’s harder to talk to than a brick most of the time.” Apollyon laughed a little at that. “But yeah, bad taste if true, but also the only thing I thought he loved was his email inbox, and I’m probably right on that one.”

“Yeah, he’s a bit of an odd stick, isn’t he? But enough about your work, how you doing, Tev?” Apollyon reached into a small covered hamper crate on their side of the water, and passed over a can of soft drink, cold to the touch. Perfect. “Also, love to see everyone get together like this, y’know? So glad Morava had the idea.”

“This was his idea?”

“Well yeah. Aludra can’t say no to anyone, and Morava’s all over logistics. He got all of us a half-crate of our favoureds, who else would get that done? Even Ali’s roaming around here, she’s having a great time!”

“True! I’m just glad I don't have to do work today, you know how it is.” Apollyon nudged Tevel in the side for that, setting both theirs and her own hat down on top of the drink crate in that order.

“You? Not wanting to blow things to high heaven?” She gave a slight laugh in response to her own point, before taking a sip of drink.

“More likely than you’d think, Apple! It’s dangerous in high heat. You should know that. As much as I joke about ignoring safety, I do pay attention to a little bit. Don’t tell anyone, though, I have a reputation.”

“Secret’s safe with me, Tev. Will say, very surprised the Marquess came down. Must be awkward. She’s just kind of sitting up there with Citala, y’know?”

“I mean if she’s happy to be here? I don’t know her that well. And no, not your time to go ‘I’ll check it out’ and get us both in it. I like being the spooky chaos one no one knows in any meaningful way.”

“Consider the following: Some of us want to know you. Perceive you. Behold you, even.” Apollyon said, looking directly at Tevel for a moment. “You’re knowable! Sorry Tev, I know you! I don’t know how you got here without letting me be there to see you.”

“And to that I say: I better not be! You’re different, though. You know that.”

“If I don’t get to know you I’ll actually be a little upset.” Apollyon laughed a little, yawning before stretching, although it was a quiet invitation for Tevel to lean on her. “You’re one of the funner people to be around.”

“I’m sure you would think that, Apple. You’re also very biased.” Tevel replied, pulling Apollyon’s arm over them in a way that was comfortable for both of them. “Wouldn’t have it any other way, though. You get to see me outside of work.”

“Mhm. Don’t you think your relationship with everyone else would improve if you were knowable, though? I know you want that.” Apollyon had started to gently run their hands through Tevel’s hair with a gentle smile, as they were just comfortable with their eyes closed and resting more on her lap than her shoulder at this point.

“But having to actually talk to people though. Plus, I’m not moving. You can suffer.”

“Oh, I’m suffering with my beloved lying on my lap. The struggle of being with the person I care about most. The anguish that comes with having a day off and spending it with you.” She said with a dramatic emphasis and feigned a fever for a moment. “We’ll improve your mess later.”

“I can’t believe this.” Tevel sounded offended, but didn’t really mean it. After all, how could they? They did in fact sign up for it.

“I hoodwinked you real good, darlin’. Until then, just us, okay?” A wink from Apollyon, and a laugh. This was going to be a rough few weeks, but if Apollyon really thought it was this good idea, then it probably was? Who knew. But hey, it was something for Future Tevel to think about, not the Tevel at this moment by the river. They were more than content.

#chessington ocs #fic #theme park ocs #🗺️ } The Adventurers' Realm #🖋️ } Beltrame's Writing #🎠 } Beltrame's Jesters #📜 } Forbidden Kingdom #🐯 } Land of the Tiger #🧭 } Tevel #📒 } Alcor #🦂 } Apollyon #everyone else is mentioned but anything but loadbearing #cw heatstroke mention #didn't expect this to go where it did #love it all the same though!

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chanyoungies · 3 years

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bye bye 2020, hello 2021 !!

happy new year everyone!! there’s a lot of people i want to thank for making last year so much more bearable so i tried writing some messages for some of my dearest mutuals this year as well!! (keyword tried because i absolutely cannot put my feelings and thoughts into words. i love you all though and thank you so so so much!!!)

@angelhyunjin : angi!! i know you’re not on here anymore (actually i just found out . i ran to twt to find u as quick as i could!!) but it felt weird not?? putting you on here because you WERE a big part of my year!! i was always excited to chat with you and i rlly rlly loved (still do) seeing your art and your dance covers i can’t believe how talented at both you are!! you are really really lovely and even if it’s been a while i hope you know i still think of you and hope you’re doing well!! this year might have been hard but i hope 2021 will be much nicer to you because you definitely deserve it!! i love you!!

@cinanamon : stephie!! i think we haven’t talked in a while until we started suddenly bonding over minho but all is well that ends well because now we are the founders of a minho cult and that’s all i could hope for in life i think! we don’t talk that much but seeing your tags in all the minho posts is always a TIME i absolutely love reading them! thank you for being there to lose it over minho, always, but also for being there in general! you are really sweet and i do love to talk to u!! i also know you are a really good writer so i hope 2021 brings you lots of inspiration to write more!! (and i’ll finally catch up on your fics too! hehe) happy new year!!

@cocogoat : puppy !! i think we haven’t been friends for long actually and that sounds fake because that would mean there was a time i didn’t instinctively check your blog when i woke up in the morning (or the evening let’s be real)?? you are so! adorable and for what!!!!!! i really do love seeing you pop up in my phone notifs and reading your posts even if i dont have any idea what they’re saying half of the time unless it’s dgrp (i cannot believe i have a dgrp friend now. amazing i think i won) u are so funny and so cute and i’m really glad i got to know you because!! you’re such a nice friend that i! love! times can be hard but i hope 2021 is gentle with you because that is! what! you deserve! gentle pats and tight hugs! (maybe that’s why i associate ab6ix’s heaven with you it’s the gentle vibes) <3

@glossiers : miss bri i am in love w u that’s it. no i’m kidding that’s not it i have much more to say . i am in lov w u though #brillie2k21 i think. i think it’s been a surprisingly short time since we’ve actually started talking?? which is kinda crazy if u ask me because?? how the hell did i live my life without screaming BRIIIII whenever i see u on the dash like for real how . that sounds like a life so empty like. that would rlly be missing . something?? anyways u are a dear dear friend that i really really love and i’m sure you know that but i will keep saying it anyway! i’m sure i’m pretty annoying so thanks for putting up with me! and for talking to me! i feel like i’ve said it before but! you are a delight to see on the dash and i lovlovlov talking to u (and sending u pics of my cats, thank u for appreciating them). i still cannot believe u managed to convince yourself i was a hyeongjun stan though. hope i can be convincing enough to clear that up and leave no doubts in your brain this year. anyways i love you and i hope we can continue to be friends and talk even MORE this year!!!!!! happy new year ilu <3

@hwacinth : miss dia my sweet sweet floral nymph real life shirayuki and queen of urls! i am? so so so so so glad that we are friends you literally have my heart it is YOURS i can’t even try to claim it back!! you literally are shirayuki i don’t even know how to elaborate i think it’s just self-explanatory but you are just. such a sweet little sunshine!! it’s like you bring spring everywhere you go!! we could be in a middle of a metaphorical storm but when you appear the skies clear up and flowers bloom wherever you step and i cannot help but smile when i see you online!! thank you so so much for being my little ray of sunshine in these tough times! i hope to see even more of your posts this year!! don’t hesitate to live blog anything you watch in my dms if you feel like you’re posting too much (but i hope you never feel that way because you’re not . love seeing u live post it is absolutely amazing i won’t ever get tired of it)!! happy new year and i love you!! ps only 1 more hour until your birthday HAPPY BIRTHDAY DIA ILUUU <3 I HOPE YOU CAN HAVE A WONDERFUL ONE!! IM SENDING YOU CAKE TELEPATHICALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

@hwisgf : sorinaaaa! happy new year!! we don’t talk that much but it is always nice seeing you around! you are vv sweet and i really appreciate that, thank you for taking the time to talk to me sometimes!! you are also probably my only fantasy mutual?? which is terrible on one side because i think everyone should stan sf9 but that’s besides the point . i really do love the fact that i at least have u to talk to abt sf9 if need and i LOVE seeing u in love with hwi it is absolutely amazing. i am forever grateful for all the free hwi pics days too!! <3 i hope 2021 can be a year full of happiness for you!! (also that is also besides the point but @ fnc i want an sf9 cb announcement) ILY!! (and so does hwi)

@inkigayeo : miss vivi galaxy brain happy new year!! we only started talking recently but u do have my heart already!! i hope this year treats you well and that we can get to know each other more and be friends hehe!!!! <3 (my other wish is for u to stop breaking my heart with those fake titles. please . why should san NOT come back explain yourself .)

@jeongcheols : mimi . mimi mimi mimi im literally typing this as u are listening to that ten n dj stage ok now it’s kai ok anyways . ANYWAYS i am loving your sm concert live commentary . criminal is sounding amazing taemin is insane indeed (yes i took a break before coming back to writing this) i truly don’t know what to say?? n i have to keep watching the time so that i can scream HAPPY NEW YEAR into the mic in 14 minutes. but like?? i love you?? like. like for real i don’t know what i would’ve done without you?? also it’s weird writing this for tumblr instead of just in your messages (also i can’t focus with idea playing. idea soty). and i mean. you technically know all of this but like?? i can’t believe we’ve known each other for so long but also such a short time at the same time like. what. thank you for being my bestestest friend and my soulmat i don’t think i would’ve been able to remain sane this year (and last year too honestly) if it wasn’t for you?? thank you for always listening to my incoherent rants and i’m always so sorry for spamming you while you’re asleep i know you must wake up to like 150+ messages with absolutely no connection between them and they’re all just so random i truly don’t know how you manage to not get annoyed and to just stay with me all this time i’m- getting emotional. you had a terrible year, i know it! i really do!! and while it might not be looking too bright right now, i hope the universe hears me and treats you much better in 2021 because!! you deserve so much more!! you deserve the world, really!!! i love you!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (i would write more really but like what is there to say literally i’m just (your emoji)) i love you for real;;

@nakyngs : ele <3 happy new year!!!!!! we haven’t talked much this year but i do think of u a lot daily i hope you know that!! and i love u a lot! even if i still need to catch up on all your aus </3 i hope 2021 can be a fun and stress-free year for you!! and we should catch up sometime too!! ps i hope your fish are ok

@ncityzen : dear spring fairy!! i already sent you a new year’s message earlier today like what. 6 hours ago but! once again!! i really do hope you can leave the hard times behind in 2020 and only get the best things possible this new year!! i’m always very happy to see you appear on my dash and curious to see your life updates and your random literature-related mini-rants in the tags they are always very interesting to see!! so! hoping to see even more of that this year <3 i hope you know that i love you and i really care about you!!

@woojjongs : MISS IRI! i am screaming this very loud so hopefully u can hear me all the way in canada! okay i had to leave this one for last because i?? don’t really know how to start i’m just a pink glittery puddle with lil hearts flowing in it that is how i feel towards u right now . how does one think and how does one write down their thoughts coherently give me a second. this is going to be a mess maybe u shouldn’t read it (‘accidentally’ forgets to tag u). just know that i decided to play txt’s wishlist to write this and u might be confused by that but all u need to know is that it means i love you very much. OKAY so miss iri you are . such a wonderful pal i truly don’t know what i would’ve done without you like . it would feel so weird not seeing you around tumblr would be so so so so empty i don’t even think you can begin to imagine how empty i’d feel without you around here ksdjbskbds i absolutely adore you but we already knew that. i’m always super excited to see your gifsets and your nonsense!! be it your love for woojong or u missing lim jimin (play m.. 🔪) or your snoo brainrot or hating literally anyone on smtm or whatever else it might be i love it all!! you are so cute and adorable and talented and sweet and funny i cannot believe you also happen to be the prettiest person on earth too. how does that feel! anyways i love you so so so so so much? i keep telling you to hold back from committing crimes but i absolutely WOULD commit a crime for u i really do adore you!! i mean . how many groups did u make me stan . (ok actually i don’t think there’s that many. but STILL) i know i can be super annoying but thank u for taking the time to chat with me nonetheless!! i’m all over the place but . there’s times i come online literally just to check your blog nothing else! i hope we can continue to be friends this year too n perhaps talk more (or the same amount idk please tell me off when i’m too annoying)!! happy new year, i hope it holds wonderful things in store for u!!!!!! and we really are starting off great since victon comeback is approaching <3 (this got way too long i’m so sorry i’ll cut it off now before i write 10 pages)

@xiaocity : miss siya hello hello hello first of all i’m just so very glad that you’re back i l o v e you!!! i love seeing you around be it your gifs or your text posts which yes. i cannot properly understand half of the time but google is my best friend after all! you’re such a wonderful person and i’m just?? really glad to have you around like?? you feel kind of like a cousin i don’t always get to see but am always excited to talk to when i can? this might not make sense but. you are vvv cool and talented and funny and feel very like. reliable? i feel like i am not making any sense so like ignore me. what i’m saying is i really really like you a whole lot and i really hope we can talk even more in 2021!! happy new year, i hope it’s a wonderful one for you!!

@yunwoo : miss anna we haven’t been moots for that long and we haven’t talked much but u are vvv cute and i hope we can become (better) pals this year!! i’m looking forward to seeing u on the dash more often, hopefully!! happy new year <3

#happy new year everyone i love you all;;;; thank you again!! hope 2021 treats you all nicely!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!#there's like a few mutuals i rlly do appreciate but didn't really have much to say to/abt because we haven't really . talked #i really do love all of you though!!!!!!!!!!;;;;;

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cutepresea · 4 years

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XD0-1 Gjallarhorn Prologue: The Incident

Also known as “Strange Happenings” because for some reason this part has two different names in English.

Sorry for the upcoming spam. This is the prologue of the XD Quest Gjallarhorn in XD Unlimited. Unfortunately, the rest of the story (Chapters 1, 2, and Final) will not be available in the English version of the game and neither will a lot of events leading to it, so this is all we have.

If you want to blacklist these, you can use either the tag #gjallarhorn prologue or #xdu scripts

Reminder that these are copied straight from XD Unlimited itself, so any grammatical weirdness, mistranslations, and/or mischaracterizations are not my doing.

Elfnein: (This is really concerning.)

Elfnein: (I have some time, so I think I'll read over some of the Gjallarhorn report again.)

Elfnein: (I've really managed to flesh it out ever since Ryoko Sakurai left it behind.)

Elfnein: (Let's go over Gjallarhorn first.)

Report: "Gjallarhorn is a complete relic that links parallel worlds together."

Report: "It can also detect crises in parallel worlds, alerting its users and providing a path to the world in need."

Elfnein: (But what could be the original intent behind its creation?)

Elfnein: (Could it be to allow said worlds to deal with crises that they couldn't deal with on their own?)

Elfnein: (But then how could they even know about the existence of parallel worlds, let alone connect them together?)

Elfnein: (Perhaps they were able to observe parallel worlds in the age in which Gjallarhorn was created?)

Elfnein: (Wait. What if there was some event that involved the parallel worlds?)

Elfnein: (If I take a closer look at each parallel world observed thus far, I might find some commonalities.)

Elfnein: (Though I do wish I could go to the worlds myself and investigate...)

Report: "The gates and paths opened by Gjallarhorn stay active, linking the worlds even after the crisis is resolved."

Report: "However, the paths cannot be used without relics, meaning that currently, only wielders can traverse them."

Elfnein: (Hmm... This doesn't sit well with me either.)

Elfnein: (Why is a relic needed to travel to parallel worlds?)

Elfnein: (Is it to protect oneself from obstacles like faults in the space-time continuum or phase contrasts?)

Elfnein: (Or is there some other reason to limit who can traverse the paths?)

Elfnein: (It can be surmised from the report that it could be to select only those capable of resolving said crises.)

Elfnein: (Conversely, is it possible that these requirements were set to arbitrarily gather relics in specific worlds?)

Elfnein: (I'm not sure...)

Report: "A special black variant of Noise have been identified in these worlds. We call them Karma Noise."

Report: "Not only are they far more powerful than typical Noise, they also instantly recover from superficial wounds."

Report: "Among other unique traits, they also spread miasma that triggers negative emotions in surrounding organisms."

Report: "Upon contact, a human will experience increased hostility, and at worst, a total collapse of the ego."

Report: "Although wielders can resist this mental contamination, they become unable to use the Ignite Module."

Elfnein: (Yes. As Dáinsleif's curse overlaps with the Karma Noise's curse, the destructive impulse is amplified--)

Elfnein: (--Eroding a wielder's reasoning, and making them go berserk like HIbiki-san once did in that parallel world.)

Elfnein: (We needed something outside of Ignite that was more powerful than usual Gears to fight those Karma Noise.)

Elfnein: (Specifically, special means like S2CA or the X-Drive.)

Elfnein: (Or several wielders fighting together in a tight formation.)

Report: "The origin of these Karma Noise is presently unknown."

Elfnein: (In certain parallel worlds, there were reports that they could not be controlled by Solomon's Cane.)

Elfnein: (Maybe instead of being an aberrant strain of Noise, they were made by different means like the Alca-Noise?)

Elfnein: (This is something I should probably bear in mind moving forward.)

Elfnein: (Although at any rate, the relationship between Gjallarhorn and the Karma Noise remains elusive...)

Report: "A strong correlation between Karma Noise appearances and the Gjallarhorn alerts has been observed."

Report: "In many cases, the Karma Noise have been observed to appear in the world indicated by the alert."

Report: "Additionally, defeating the Karma Noise that appear has been confirmed to silence the Gjallarhorn alerts."

Elfnein: (Why does Gjallarhorn react to the presence of Karma Noise?)

Elfnein: (Is it that the alert is triggered when it detects and outbreak of Karma Noise?)

Elfnein: (But in some cases, the Karma Noise did not appear until after our wielders arrived in their world.)

Elfnein: (What if Gjallarhorn reaches beyond this dimension and transcends time, predicting outbreaks beforehand?)

Elfnein: (Or is that too far of a leap? No large discrepancies in time between worlds have been observed thus far.)

Elfnein: (And with the cases in question, perhaps the Karma Noise present happened to escape detection?)

Elfnein: (Or is it that Gjallarhorn is reacting not to the Karma Noise, but to something else entirely?)

Elfnein: (It truly is a mystery.)

Elfnein: (I get the feeling that trying to link these surface events together is making me miss something important.)

Elfnein: (In Norse mythology, Gjallarhorn is the horn that heralds the beginning of the end.)

Elfnein: (Is the "end" that it heralds the Karma Noise? Or is it--)

Elfnein: "A Gjallarhorn alert?!"

Elfnein: "Where could it be this time?"

Elfnein: "What?! This is--!"

Hibiki Tachibana: "Sorry to keep you waiting!"

Genjuro Kazanari: "Looks like everyone's here."

Tsubasa Kazanari: "What happened?"

Elfnein: "The Gjallarhorn alert has gone off again."

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "Gjallarhorn again?"

Chris Yukine: "What kind of world did it connect to this time?"

Elfnein: "We're narrowing down the coordinates as we speak."

Maria: "Who will be going this time?"

Genjuro Kazanari: "I'll decide as soon as we know the coordinates. Wait just a little longer."

Hibiki Tachibana: "Got it!"

Elfnein: (These Gjallarhorn coordinates... What is this...)

Hibiki Tachibana: "Huh?!"

Genjuro Kazanari: "What is it this time?!"

Sakuya Fujitaka: "We've detected Noise signals in our own world."

Aoi Tomosato: "Wait! These signals are neither regular nor Alca-Noise..."

Sakuya Fujitaka: "My god, it's the Karma Noise!"

Genjuro Kazanari: "What did you say?!"

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "You mean they're in our world?"

Chris Yukine: "Looks like it. We're lucky it happened while we're still all here."

Tsubasa Kazanari: "You got that right."

Hibiki Tachibana: "Master, we'll move into position immediately!"

Genjuro Kazanari: "Please do. We'll worry about the parallel world once we've dealt with things here."

Kirika Akatsuki: "Got it!"

Kirika Akatsuki: "Yaah!"

Kirika Akatsuki: "Look at how it regenerates. This is definitely Karma Noise."

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "But they seem a little different from when they appeared in our world before."

Maria: "Yeah. Last time, they appeared as some sort of reflection."

Tsubasa Kazanari: "Right. Back then, their form materialized gradually as conditions worsened in the parallel world."

Chris Yukine: "But this time, they've materialized right from the start."

Maria: "Yes. It's as if they've existed in this world all along. Anyway, let's focus on the task at hand."

Hibiki Tachibana: "Okay!"

Maria: "We defeated the Alchemists, so we should be able to hold our own against a Karma Noise if we work together."

Tsubasa Kazanari: "Yes, we can do this."

Kirika Akatsuki: "Let's get this done!"

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "Together!"

Chris Yukine: "Yeah! I'm going in full blast!"

Maria: "It's working! We're overwhelming its regeneration!"

Tsubasa Kazanari: "Okay, let's finish it off with some more combo attacks and concentrated firepower!"

Hibiki Tachibana: "You got it!"

Kirika Akatsuki: "Let's do it!"

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "Hyaaah!"

Maria: "Stay on it!"

Tsubasa Kazanari: "Yaahhh!"

Chris Yukine: "Get lost!"

Hibiki Tachibana: "Graaaaah!"

Kirika Akatsuki: "We did it!"

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "We beat a Karma Noise without S2CA or X-Drive!"

Chris Yukine: "Yeah. I guess this is thanks to our improved Gear output."

Maria: "That's not all. Our teamwork and precision are definitely improving, as well."

Tsubasa Kazanari: "There were some close calls here and there, but I'd say we made the grade for today."

Kirika Akatsuki: "Hehehe. We just keep getting stronger and stronger!"

Hibiki Tachibana: "For sure."

Maria: "Not all Karma Noise are born equal, so we need to stay sharp. There could well be stronger ones out there."

Maria: "And in the parallel world, we won't be able to fight all together like we did today."

Kirika Akatsuki: "...That's right."

Tsubasa Kazanari: "But we have discovered that frontal assaults do work. That's a huge step forward."

Chris Yukine: "Yeah. It takes a lot to get S2CA or X-Drive going as it is..."

Hibiki Tachibana: "Oh, it looks like Master is calling."

Genjuro Kazanari: "Great job taking down that Karma Noise."

Kirika Akatsuki: "Hehe, I eat Noise like that for breakfast!"

Genjuro Kazanari: "Sure... Anyway, we need you back at S.O.N.G. immediately."

Hibiki Tachibana: "Roger that."

Hibiki Tachibana: "Did any of you notice something weird about the way Master was speaking?"

Tsubasa Kazanari: "Yeah. He seemed a little out of sorts."

Maria: "Let's just hurry up and get back."

Genjuro Kazanari: "Good work out there, girls."

Tsubasa Kazanari: "Why are the battle stations still online? Is there another problem to deal with?"

Genjuro Kazanari: "Well, the Gjallarhorn alert is still going off."

Kirika Akatsuki: "Did we not finish off that Karma Noise?"

Genjuro Kazanari: "No, we've already confirmed the elimination of that Karma Noise you engaged earlier."

Tsubasa Kazanari: "So then something else must be setting off the alarm."

Genjuro Kazanari: "Yeah, it looks like there was more than one."

Hibiki Tachibana: "You mean there's another one?!"

Chris Yukine: "Where the hell is it?!"

Elfnein: "Here's the thing. We have some readings that were different from the other times the alert has gone off."

Hibiki Tachibana: "Different readings?"

Maria: "How were they different?"

Elfnein: "As you all know, the Gjallarhorn alert is linked to gates that connect to multiple parallel worlds."

Elfnein: "So when the alert goes off, the spatial coordinates telling us what world to investigate also appear."

Chris Yukine: "Now that you mention it, you were still checking the coordinates before we left, weren't you?"

Elfnein: "Yes. We were trying to determine whether the world was one we visited or a new one entirely..."

Tsubasa Kazanari: "But something was different this time?"

Elfnein: "Yes, the spatial coordinates that came with this alert changed rapidly and were clearly abnormal."

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "The spatial coordinates changed rapidly?"

Kirika Akatsuki: "So then, what does that mean?"

Hibiki Tachibana: "Did it break or something?"

Elfnein: "I considered that possibility, but that cannot be the case."

Elfnein: "Around the time you defeated that Karma Noise, the spatial coordinates came up again, but..."

Maria: "Which parallel world was it?"

Elfnein: "That's the thing. Somehow, there appeared to be multiple signals triggering the alert."

Hibiki Tachibana: "What?!"

Nastassja: "...This signal!"

Serena: "What's going on, Mom?"

Nastassja: "It seems Karma Noise have appeared."

Serena: "Karma Noise... You mean those Black Noise?"

Nastassja: "Yes. I do mean those Noise. But for them to appear in our world again..."

Serena: "It's okay. I'll figure something out."

Nastassja: "No. They are far more powerful than typical Noise, and their regeneration abilities alone... It's too risky."

Serena: "I'm not what I once was before. I'm going to engage them!"

Nastassja: "Serena, wait!"

Nastassja: "Stubborn little girl..."

Nastassja: "Don't put yourself in too much danger, Serena."

Genjuro Kazanari: "Raaaagh!"

Genjuro Kazanari: "Damn. So this won't be enough to whittle it down!"

Finé: "Unlike the Symphogears, your RN Tactical Advantage Gear can't get in tune with the Phase Contrast Barrier."[1]

Finé: "Which means brute force is your only option..."

Genjuro Kazanari: "So I have to deal with this pitiful lack of firepower!"

Finé: "That's just how it is."

Finé: "Also, your RN Tactical Advantage Gear can only be used for a limited time. Proceed with caution."

Genjuro Kazanari: "As if I need reminding of that!"

Dr. Ver: "Haahaha!"

Dr. Ver: "Fear not! My omnipotent genius and invincible heroism have come to save the day!"

Finé: "I expect your actions to keep pace with your words. Do mind the miasma while you're there."

Dr. Ver: "That goes without saying. How could a genius such as I possibly make the same mistake twice?"

Dr. Ver: "Hit and run tactics are a fundamental of battle. All we have to do is avoid the miasma while we fight."

Dr. Ver: "More importantly, why don't you find one of its weak points?"

Dr. Ver: "Even with my genius and Nephilim's power, the Karma Noise's regenerative capabilities are cumbersome."

Genjuro Kazanari: "Have the civilians been evacuated?!"

Ver Squad Member A: "Civilian evacuation will take another five minutes!"

Ver Squad Member B: "Please buy us some time until then!"

Dr. Ver: "What's this? Why is my glorious Hero Unit being relegated to such menial tasks?"

Dr. Ver: "As their commander, I would want them to perform more glorious, heroic errands."

Ver Squad Member A: "But we like menial tasks!"

Ver Squad Member B: "Besides, we wouldn't stand a chance against the Karma Noise!"

Dr. Ver: "Dear oh dear, how uninspiring."

Dr. Ver: "But I suppose it only makes sense. Simply calling them Hero Unit does not a unit of heroes make."

Dr. Ver: "Only the chosen few may stand on the stage of history."

Dr. Ver: "Yes. As I do right now!"

Genjuro: "If you have the time to talk, why don't you use some of it to take on the Karma Noise!"

Dr. Ver: "I would appreciate it is you didn't order me around! A hero is one that acts according to his own will!"

Genjuro Kazanari: (He's a handful as usual. Even so, that arm of his is no joke...)

Genjuro Kazanari: (But can we even overcome the Karma Noise's regeneration with our combined attacks...?)

Genjuro Kazanari: (I could really do with some wielders right about now.)

Genjuro Kazanari: (No. A grown man like me can't afford to be complaining.)

Genjuro Kazanari: "Adults just have to make do with what they've got!"

Hibiki Tachibana: "So that means that there are bad things happening in multiple parallel worlds all at once?"

Elfnein: "Correct. And the alert has only been getting stronger with time."

Genjuro Kazanari: "If we don't address the alert, the problems could spill over to our world."

Genjuro Kazanari: "In light of this, we've decided to split you all up, and have you go to the different worlds to provide aid."

Tsubasa Kazanari: "Of course."

Chris Yukine: "So, who's going where?"

Elfnein: "We have currently confirmed anomalies in Serena-san's world and the world with Finé-san and Dr. Ver."

Genjuro Kazanari: "I want Maria-kun, Shirabe-kun and Kirika-kun to go to Serena-kun's world."

Maria: "Will do."

Kirika Akatsuki: "Let's go help Serena!"

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "Yeah, let's get going."

Genjuro Kazanari: "As for the other world, I want to send Tsubasa and Chris-kun there."

Chris Yukine: "Sure thing."

Tsubasa Kazanari: "Understood. We will deal with the situation in accordance with your orders."

Genjuro Kazanari: "We're counting on you."

Genjuro Kazanari: "However, we don't know what dangers are waiting for you there."

Genjuro Kazanari: "Don't overdo it, and always consider tactical retreat as an option. Come back in one piece."

Tsubasa Kazanari: "Okay."

Maria: "All right."

Hibiki Tachibana: "Uh, umm, Master... What about me?"

Genjuro Kazanari: "I want you on standby here, Hibiki-kun."

Hibiki Tachibana: "Standby... so like house-sitting?"

Genjuro Kazanari: "Yeah. With the Karma Noise direct materialization, the Gjallarhorn's abnormal signals, and everything else--"

Genjuro Kazanari: "--We can't rule out the possibility of another emergency here. Our world can't afford to be left unguarded."

Hibiki Tachibana: "...I understand."

Chris Yukine: "Don't be so glum. We'll be done and back here before you know it."

Tsubasa Kazanari: "Yeah, we're counting on you to guard the home front."

Hibiki Tachibana: "Okay. Tsubasa-san, Chris-chan, be careful out there."

Tsubasa Kazanari: "We will. Let's go, Yukine."

Chris Yukine: "All right, we won't be long."

Maria: "I guess we should get going too."

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "Yeah."

Kirika Akatsuki: "Let's make this quick!"

Hibiki Tachibana: "...Be careful."

Miku Kohinata: "Is anyone here?"

Hibiki Tachibana: "Huh, Miku? What are you doing here?”

Genjuro Kazanari: "Oh, I called her in."

Hibiki Tachibana: "You did?"

Genjuro Kazanari: "Just in case."

Genjuro Kazanari: "If there's a turn for the worse, you might not be able to go it alone. You can never have too many wielders."

Miku Kohinata: "Yes, I've been briefed. If there is something that I can do, please allow me to help."

Genjuro Kazanari: "Thank you."

Hibiki Tachibana: (Even Miku's fighting now...)

Kanade Amo: "Phew... I think that's enough for today."

Ryoko Sakurai: "Good work. Your compatibility with Brisingamen seems to be stabilizing." [2]

Kanade Amo: "Yeah, I've been able to handle it thanks to you."

Ryoko Sakurai: "That's great to hear."

Kanade Amo: "Okay then. I'm about to make my way home. How about you?"

Ryoko Sakurai: "I still have work to do. There's something I want to look into as well."

Kanade Amo: "Really? Okay, see you tomorrow then."

Ryoko Sakurai: "Yeah, see you."

Ryoko Sakurai: "Phew... My goodness."

Ryoko Sakurai: "I've finally finished analyzing Kanade-chan's simulation data. Now let's get this sorted."

Report: "Karma Noise Analysis Report."

Report: "Karma noise are either an aberrant strain of Noise or Noise that are under the influence of a powerful curse."

Report: "Their appearances seem random, but they seem attracted to crowded areas and regions with high phonic gain."

Report: "They have no capacity for independent thought like typical Noise, and seem to kill humans instinctively."

Report: "Although one specimen that appeared in this world was eliminated, a second one materialized shortly afterwards."

Report: "The second one absorbed a high-energy crystal called the Adam Sphere, evolving into a more powerful variant."

Report: "It was also seen fusing with an Alchemist corrupted by the miasma. Further research and steps are a must." [3]

Ryoko Sakurai: "Kanade-chan is here, and we can call in Tsubasa-chan and the others if we have to, but..."

Ryoko Sakurai: "If something were to happen in multiple parallel worlds simultaneously, we'd have our work cut out for us."

Notes:

[1] There are several references to events that won't be translated in this prologue. There were a few events leading to Finé, Ver, and Genjuro being playable and this part takes place in that world.

[2] Brisingamen is another relic that is used for Kanade's Duo Relic Gear in Sirius of Zwei Wing, which will be in the last event added to the English verison of XDU in July. The other characters get Duo Relic Gears using other relics too but unfortunately, they're all either in events after that or later parts of this story that won't be translated.

[3] The Karma Noise that absorbed the Adam Sphere and fused with Saint-Germain is from the event Alchemic Order that unfortunately also will not be in English

#senki zesshou symphogear xd unlimited #symphogear xd unlimited #senki zesshou symphogear #symphogear #gjallarhorn prologue #xdu scripts

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trixcuomo · 5 years

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Final?? Org Daily Mail Interview With Trixany Cuomo

Approx. 10 min read. The Org Daily Mail liquors Trixany up and let’s ‘er rip. BTW Trix has a guild tag now, but I did leave her unguilded for a while and it inspired me.

Alternate title: Free Trixany!

Org: So, Trixany…

Trix: Eyup.

Org: Eyup.

Random Orc #1: …Eyup.

Random Orc #2: Uh-huh. *hands out the beer*

Trix: Wow. Kaja Cola makes beer? Nice. *has a big sip*

Org: Sort of. Miss Trixany Cuomo, thank you for joining us again.

Trix: Yeah. Being here for the second time is… meh. I guess. And I figure the Trixany versus the Org Daily Mail, love-hate relationship thing has to end sometime, right? You know, this Kaja Cola beer is unusually good. It’s even giving me ideas!

Org: Well done, Trixany. You’ve earned a toffee.

Trix: Haha, nice! *spins in her swivel chair*

Org: Let’s get to it--

Trix: Ooh! I know a girl in another video game who says that. She’s good with a whip. And if I ever, as a video game character, did a cosplay of another video game character, like inside my game? It would totally be Franziska Von Karma.

Org: What… the heck are you talking about now, Trixany?

Trix: *gulps more Kaja Cola beer from the can, swivels*

Camera man: *chuckles*

Org: *starts ignoring Trixany* Alright. So, a lot has happened since the last time you were in the Org Daily Mail studio. Care to explain?

Trix: Oh cool! Yeah, I was wanting to talk about that—wait, do you mean about my glam fishing project?

Org: Welp, this episode will be boring and drop our ratings then… *mutters, annoyed* No, tell us about something more… spicy.

Trix: Okay so, me and Haris Pilton finally had that knock-down, drag-out fight that witch deserved. But then, someone got cute and put us in the same ghetto Lower City Hospital ward. *shrugs, swivels* Which only led to a re-match.

Org: Woah. That’s awful, Trixany. We’re so sorry to hear that someone out there finally took a swing at you… *winks at the camera*

Trix: No, she’s the rotten one. After her little dog stopped being cute, Paris stole my pet dragon whelp Nautistrasz, saying it wasn’t ‘my brand.’ And I told her that her brand is trashbags and Febreeze! Then, she hit me. *tears up* I’m a Bloodknight. She started it, I finished it. Retribution comes with the territory. *sips her beer, calms* Anyway, it ended on a good note. After they transferred me to Scryers Hospital and my recovery was almost finished, I figured—hey, I’m already in here. Might as well get some work done. And there are some treatments you can only get for a good price in Outland. Can you see it? I sort of have a new face now, like that Kardashian girl. *puckers* It’sh shubtle, but alsho mega poutier, shee?

Org: Uh… Hokaaay...

Camera man: How do we trick her into talking about the really good stuff that’ll get her jailed again? Try that!

Org: Ah! So, I see that you’re currently guildless. Isn’t that a bit shameful for someone at your level? A bit… sad? Aren’t you lonely? Angry? Angry enough to start fighting people, or to start some other crazy drama? Maybe shave your head? Attack a Goblin trike with a baseball bat? Punch a camera man in the face like Kanye while you’re walking out of the Mankirk’s Wife Memorial Airport*, right at the heart of Orgrimmar?!

Camera man: Or, you could not encourage her to punch me in the face…

Trix: Wait, is the zeppelin… place… is it called that?

Org: Yeah, it’s pretty sweet. The new zeppelins are now tricked out in all those Quilboar hides that were just piling up in the Barrens, but few people know. Actually, we’re going to start calling it Mankirk’s Wife Memorial Airport after we crash the zeppelin master’s association dinner and finally expose them. Can’t wait. Muahaha…

Camera man: Yeah, you have to tune in for the next episode!

Trix: Mhrm, *files nails* I figured that seemed more like something -you guys- would do.

Org: Now, about you being guild-free and ready to hurt people and also raise our ratings?

Trix: I know, I know, whenever you see someone max-level without a guild tag, it’s like… I dunno, seeing someone who’s clearly not wearing a bra and it’s kind of awkward? And also kinda hawt. But I think you guys can handle that from Trixany. Like right now. We’re hangin’ out and everyone’s fine.

Org: … Wait.

Camera man: Woah. And now, this episode is being banned in Thundberbluff, the Exodar, Stormwind… Not Goldshire, for some reason.

Trix: Being guild-free is liberating, it’s wild! Another thing, being guildless is like being bra-less in that it’s also nobody’s bloody business. I tell those haters, ‘Don’t spam me with your life advice—I look great!’

Org: *clears throat and carefully looks her in the eye* Well, um. But don’t you sometimes feel like you need… more support? Social support, I mean.

Camera man: Sure, Bill. Whatever you say, Bill...

Trix: Nah, I got friends. I still hang out with all the Kaja-Cola girls, too—Actually, there’s talk of us re-forming our girl band. Our new single is going to be unbelievable. Mega Meghan Mango and I wrote it. I think we’re calling it… Roleplay Got Back? It’s the cutest song. And scandalous, yet empowering. And hilarious. Which is like, exactly my brand. Stupid Haris….

Org: Wait, let’s go back to the free Trixany thing—

Trix: Wanna sample? I know one of the verses. Let’s see… *turns her rose red RET HO snapback the other way, and gestures aggressively* My emote anaconda don’t want none unless your roleplay got buns hon!

Org: STOP!! Now, about your lack of a guild… Ratings… need ratings… Trixany! Wouldn’t you be more comfortable if you went around in a um…? And, I mean, I’m a guy, but still-- aren’t there benefits to having one of those… *trails off, looks her cautiously in the eye again* Anyway! I’m just saying, we here at the Org Daily Mail, a quality family show, are very concerned because, without a bra-- a guild! Without a guild, you might stick out too much—No! What I’m saying is, you won’t fit in with other people! And you get less experience. Your mail doesn’t get delivered as fast, right? And aren’t there certain battle pets and other stuff you won’t be able to buy? Is being an individual really worth it?

Trix: I think I stick out just fine. Also, I have plenty of amazing experiences, the mail man always visits me first, and I walk right up to the front of the line at the auction house. They just let me. I even get a discount. Thanks, Drezmit! He’s taking me out this weekend. Aww, isn’t that so sweet of him? He says he’s been worried about me.

Org: *Tries hard not to laugh*

Camera man: Holy crap. I think she’s actually onto something there.

Org: Hold on. *feigning serious again* Are you… saying that you planned this? Going, let’s call it ‘tag-less’, is a real strategy for you?

Trix: Either that, or I just don’t care. *gulps more beer* Do you know what? Maybe it’ll be like that ‘I kissed a girl’ song or that thong song and everyone will start dropping their guild tags for the realer benefits, am I right? I mean, you’ll go to Club Night Owl and be like dancing, and then some hottie without a guild tag will walk in, and then they turn up the music, shine that spotlight, and suddenly everybody just drops their guild tags too, and parties even harder!

Org: Yeah, that won’t happen.

Trix: It could trend, you don’t know. Like glam fishing. I will force glam fishing to be a trend if I have to. Ouch! Sorry—kinda TMI I know, but this bra has been pinching me all day.

Org: Sure it is and I guess I’ll finally ask you… What’s glam fishing? Is this like a low-budget glamping that only Horde B celebrities would be into?

Trix: Seriously? Someone is finally asking me? Yes! Oh goodness, now I’m nervous. I invented it myself, it’s so cool. And it’s perfect if like, you feel your toon, IC’ly, would never dirty their hands with fishing, like me. Well, first, you find a beautiful fishing spot. Next, and this part is most important, you--

Org: Wait, nevermind! My camera man here says we’re out of time. *fake smile* Trixany, we can’t thank you enough for coming into the Org Daily Mail studio and telling us how you are. We care so much and we’re so glad that you’re out of rehab now and doing the topless thing—

Trix: It wasn’t that kind of rehab, and I would never do that! Why would you say that? Are you somehow twisting my words? I thought our last lawsuit settled this! *her speech slows* Wait, whyyyy did I blaaather on the way I did? What’s in thiiiiis friggin’ beer? And WHY did you saaaay this episode was being banned eeeeveryplace but Goldshire??

Org: And thank you all for watching! Remember everyone, the Org Daily Mail cannot be held liable for any gross misinterpretations of what its employees actually said and did today in the studio. Org Daily Mail is also a subsidiary of the Kaja-Cola Corporation: ‘We don’t exploit our workers, we exploit big flavor!’ *cheesy TV grin* Now everybody, you know how it works. Let’s say it together!

All: FOR THE HORDE, AND GOOD NIGHT!

Trix: Waaugh! *Falls out of her swivel chair.*

…

*Note:

Special thanks to a random stranger I talked to a whiiiiiiile back on an alt for the Mankirk’s Wife Memorial Airport idea. Sadly, I can’t remember your name! I joked about all the Quilboar hides piling up in the Horde probably going into the airport in Orgrimmar; that our zeppelins would be covered with them. And then, they laughed and said that if I saw the zeppelin towers as an airport (and it SO totally is) then it would have to be called Mankirk’s Wife Memorial Airport. I can even see Blizz putting a sign up there that says it. Can’t you? Okay so… possibly. And also some NPCs curing Quilboar hides as well as towing parcels… It’s kinda goofy, but I love it. Thank you, kind stranger! I hope it catches on. Another reason why I love this game. Random encounters with really, really fun people. Hahaha!

#mankirks wife memorial airport #warcraft

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todokori-kun · 7 years

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N O

I did guess that maybe something was wrong with your computer/internet connection but after a few days the ridiculous anxiety started punching me in the gut again like ‘what if it was something I said’ or ‘what if something happened and we never get to talk again’..it seems so silly and overdramatic now but I seriously did think those things for a while LOL that’s why I kept sending messages… I’m really sorry for spamming you OTL

And no, don’t apologize! It’s not like you had any control over that. If anything, I should be sorry for freaking out so much ^^;;

But anyway, that’s enough angst for now. I’M SO GLAD YOU’RE BACK :D

Seriously though, sometimes I wonder what was going through Steve’s head when he decided to keep that suit back in the first CA movie XD

The trailer is really cool. I actually think we don’t need another one; this 'teaser’ seems to reveal just the right amount of info :) (And Loki’s hair has FINALLY stopped looking greasy. I think. I hate greasy stuff (unless it’s food) so that hair was really, REALLY bothering me during Avengers 1 and Thor 2, though I guess it did make sense for his hair to look like that at the time)

I think Marvel’s using the 'Power of Love’ thing to explain Nat being able to calm Bruce down. Doesn’t really make that much sense but I agree, it’s cute :3 I shipped Nat with Clint during the first movie (and the reveal that Clint is MARRIED was a serious 'WTH’ moment) but Bruce/Natasha is good enough that I’m not particularly salty over Mrs. Barton.

Sharon Carter/Steve may be the only ship in the MCU that I genuinely dislike. Civil War would have been perfectly fine without it. Sharon and Steve themselves would have been perfectly fine without it. PEGGY would certainly have been fine without it. Just. Why.

Ah, yeah. TDW both gave me hope for Loki and made me lose a little bit of it at the same time, if that makes sense? The thing with Odin worries me, but since I think I read somewhere that Anthony Hopkins is going to be in Ragnarok I guess he’s not dead, so maybe Loki didn’t do anything TOO drastic…

But we got some genuine emotion from Loki over Frigga and I believe that he WAS getting a bit emotional during his 'death’ scene wih Thor, so that’s something, I guess.

To me, Thor 2 proved that while Loki’s morality might have changed, it hasn’t changed for the better, and he still has way too many issues to work through, but his relationship with Thor isn’t quite ruined yet.

I have a soft spot for The Winter Soldier because it was not only the first MCU movie I ever watched, it was the first superhero movie AND the first 'gritty’ live-action movie I ever watched (I was like nine or ten when it came out and before that the only live-action movies I watched were stuff like The Sound of Music and Cats). I guess I get why you might not like it, though- the only reason I still watch TWS now is because I love Bucky’s Winter Soldier costume (sure, we get to see it in Civil War as well but it just looks really cool in TWS) and because it has some of the best Steve & Bucky moments.

(Also Natasha. Natasha is always a good reason.)

YES. Join me in Remember This Cold hell. The creator even has a blog where they answer questions about the series and write shorter stories connected to it :D Also, spoiler regarding the Steve/Loki relationship-

Steve proposed a few stories ago. I’m sure you can guess Loki’s answer.

Awww, thanks! <3 I’m really glad you enjoyed the playlists ^^ but which songs were the ones you didn’t know? And how did you react to Kanae’s list? :)

(And if it’s not too much, could I also ask which songs you thought were the most fitting? it’s fine if you don’t answer this one though)

Ugh, those weird bots ;-;

Random thing, but I got my nails done for the first time today! :) My little sister really wanted to get her nails painted and mom suggested that I should too…normally I don’t really enjoy dressing up and 'decorating’ myself but I thought it would be fun so I tagged along.

I lowkey wanted black nails because Kaneki and Sebastian LOL but I ended up with sky blue. It does look nice so I’m happy with how it turned out :) though the skin right beneath my right thumbnail still hurts…I got my cuticles cut, the cut was too deep and it wouldn’t stop bleeding for a while ;-;

Last note:

Another random thing, but do you have any OCs? :3 It’s my dream to become a writer someday so I have a ton of them, one cast for a book I’m trying to write and another one for a comic I’d make if I was better at anatomy and knew how to do digital art ;-; maybe someday it’ll work out. If it doesn’t, I’ll just write down that story too… I also have lots and lots of discarded OCs for my fandoms (not all of them are discarded though, there’s one wallflower cutie named Naomi for TG and unfortunately I like torturing her a bit too much to let her go. There’s also her brother Tatsuo, a fabulous jerk who loves his little sister very much, in his own passive-aggressive way, and will serve any poor soul who dares to approach her for dinner).

If you have OCs too maybe we could rant about them together? :) (totally not using this as an excuse to ramble about my babies who I love to hurt. I think I’ve caught the Ishida-virus)

Again, don’t apologize! I’m just really glad you’re back, Queen Luna <3333

Don’t worry, I got this message ^^ (Un)fortunately, I’m that person who’d probably tell someone if they’re annoying me. And you’re not annoying at all! I enjoy talking to you a lot, since you’re one of the rare people who shares so many fandoms with me ^^ So if I don’t answer, it means the internet/phone/computer is acting up, ok? I wouldn’t disappear just like that ^^

I’m glad to be back ^^

Before I forget, the new chapter of TG. The title sure is fitting. ISHIDA’S BACK AT IT AGAIN! ((I mean, who names a chapter ‘suffering’))

Maybe he wanted everyone to look at the behind ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) You never know what kind of weird things he likes. It’s so awkward trying to avoid all the key words for those blogs XD

Ahahahah, he did look like needed to wash it… But it’s solved now ^^ And it’s curly. THE ONLY THING THAT’S NOT SOLVED IS THORS HAIR AAAAAAAAAAAA Why did they cut off his glorious locks ;-;

Nat and Clint did seem like a good ship, but since I watched Ultron before anything, I knew about Clint’s situation. It was a bit weird watching Clint and Nat interact, though, since they do seem very close, and not in a purely platonic way.

Since I haven’t reached Civil War yet, I haven’t seen the ship. Somehow, I know I won’t like it ^^ (I mean, from what you’ve said, it really is a very NO ship.)

TDW Loki for me was the biggest ‘honestly, what was I expecting?’ character in the whole MCU universe, because, honestly, what was I expecting? When he ‘died’ I laughed, because he’s Loki and it’s probably another one of his plans. anD I WAS RIGHT.

Frigga is the only character who Loki showed genuine affection for, though, isn’t she? I mean, since we don’t know her well as a character, I didn’t feel anything when she died, but I did feel sorry for Loki.

I recently found a mythology book that features Nordic mythology. And you have 3 guesses about who the main bad guy is in all of them. I’ll be genuinely disappointed if you need the other 2.

One’s about the making of Thor’s hammer where Loki turns into a fly and stings the blacksmith, causing him to mess up the length of the part where you hold it (I forgot the english name), the other one is about him being responsible for the death of Frigga’s son, because he made someone stab the son with mistletoe. Mythology is weird.

That’s actually adorable ^^ I never would’ve guessed your first action movie was Winter Soldier! And I completely agree, Bucky’s costume is quite nice (huehuehuehuheue)

I’m scared of starting to read it….. I THINK I MIGHT WAIT UNTIL I FINISH WATCHING CIVIL WAR JUST BECAUSE :))))

Let’s see… I knew the whole Loki&Thor playlist, All of Loki except for Castle, She keeps me warm from Yumikuri I didn’t know, knew all of Urie/Saiko and Urie and I will not say anything about Kanae :))))

Sweet! I only got my nails done once in my life and that was for my uncle’s wedding. I understand your pain entirely ;-; There’s a reason why I only had them done ONCE hahah For some reason, I associated sky blue with you even before this… Idk why, though

Did someone say…. OCs? You want the older ones (absolute Mary Sues, I laugh about them today, even though I was 100% serious before) or the newer ones (the ones with actual flaws and development?) Also, we probably talked about this before, but have you watched Fullmetal Alchemist? My biggest Mary Sue is from there ^^;;

ALSO ALSO, I was thinking about changing my icon, and I narrowed it down to 4 potential ones. Which one should I choose?

#evans #submission

0 notes

cutepresea · 4 years

Text

6-12 Innocent Sister: Bonds of Love

Sorry again for the spam.

If you want to blacklist these, you can use either the tag #innocent sister for just this event, or #xdu event scripts or #xdu scripts

Reminder that these are copied straight from XD Unlimited itself, so any grammatical weirdness, mistranslations, and/or mischaracterizations are not my doing.

Kirika Akatsuki: "Thank goodness that all worked out..."

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "Yeah, that was too close for comfort."

Maria: "I made a huge mistake. I'm so sorry, you two."

Maria: (I tried to do everything by myself... It feels like I keep making that mistake again and again.)

Maria: (I jumped to conclusions and made everyone's lives harder. Of course I couldn't do this all by myself!)

Maria: "Thank you... I'm glad you two managed to talk some sense into me."

Kirika Akatsuki: "You're too kind, y'know. You try too hard to protect everyone. I hope you learned something today."

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "We want you to rely on us more from now on, okay?"

Maria: "Of course. Honestly, I can't thank you enough."

Kirika Akatsuki: "And of course, we didn't forget about you, Serena!"

Serena: "M-Me?"

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "If there's anything troubling you, we want you to tell us. After all... we're your family."

Kirika Akatsuki: "That's right!"

Serena: "My... My family..."

Serena: "Tsukuyomi-san, Akatsuki-san... Thank you! I'm so glad we can be family!"

Kirika Akatsuki: "Wh-Whoa there, Serena! You don't need to hug me so hard. I'm not going anywhere!"

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "Hehe. This reminds me of the old days..."

Maria: (It can't be said that we Receptor Children were brought up in a particularly caring environment.)

Maria: (That made it all the more crucial to trust each other and stick together.)

Serena: "Sis, Tsukuyomi-san, Akatsuki-san... I'm so glad you're all here for me."

Kirika Akatsuki: "Hehe... How weird, my eyes are all wet. I didn't even realize I was sweating."

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "Yeah... Sweating... Uh, Kiri-chan? Your nose is running..."

Kirika Akatsuki: "It is NOT! That's just... It's just sweat!"

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "Well, whatever it is, it's getting on Serena's clothes. Here, have a tissue."

Kirika Akatsuki: "Well, I don't need one... But thanks."

Serena: "Hehe. You two are still as close as ever, huh."

Serena: "I really upset Mom this time..."

Maria: "I'm sorry, Serena. This is all my fault. If I hadn't convinced you to run away..."

Serena: "No, it's okay, Sis. After all, it was all for my sake, right? I really appreciate it."

Maria: "Serena..."

Serena: "I'm so grateful to have family that cares so much about me."

Serena: "I love you all so much... Oh, but of course, I love you the most, Sis!"

Maria: "Hehe... Thank you."

Serena: "...Come to think of it, where are Tsukuyomi-san and Akatsuki-san?"

Maria: "They said they went to check out the training facility. Want to head over and train with them?"

Serena: "Yeah. I want to chat more with those two. I mean, they're family, you know?"

Maria: "Of course. Let's go, then."

Nastassja: "Your training seems to be going well."

Maria: "Yeah... Mom, I'm really sorry about what happened earlier. It was very selfish of me to do that."

Serena: "I should apologize too..."

Nastassja: "Don't worry. I've already said everything I wanted to say. You came back safe, and that's all that matters."

Kirika Akatsuki: "So, what happened to the bait operation?"

Nastassja: "Ah, yes... That plan is currently in the testing process."

Serena: "Testing? So that means..."

Nastassja: "Yes. They're hoping that any remaining kinks in the operation will be ironed out during testing."

Maria: "Mom?!"

Nastassja: "As a professor, I have been entrusted to carry out this operation."

Nastassja: "Therefore, it cannot proceed without my approval. We are currently in the testing and preparation stage."

Nastassja: "The process takes a long, long time, though. We don't know when, or if, the operation will become a reality."

Serena: "Th-Thank you so much!"

Nastassja: "I wouldn't be so quick to thank me. Unfortunately, as long as Nephilim exists, you'll be required to fight."

Serena: "I know. But still... Thank you so much, Mom."

Kirika Akatsuki: "As long as we're here, we're not going to let Serena fight alone!"

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "Yeah! If Nephilim wants to hurt Serena, it'll have to get past us first!"

Maria: "I'm so glad you're on our side, Mom."

Maria: "If you hadn't been here for me, then who knows what kind of foolish path I would have taken..."

Maria: "I'm really sorry. I should've had more faith in you..."

Nastassja: "Don't feel to bad about it, Maria. It's clear you were simply blinded by your love for Serena."

Maria: "Mom... Thank you."

Maria: "So, now we need to think about how we're going to deal with Nephilim."

Serena: "Yeah, but we can't afford to take our time. Mom can't stall the operation forever."

Maria: "What's the situation on the other side?"

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "We heard from Tsubasa-san and the others that S.O.N.G. is going over the Nephilim info again."

Kirika Akatsuki: "From the information they managed to gather, it looks like Nephilim is currently printing."

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "I think you mean imprinting, Kiri-chan. Nephilim appears to be teaching its offspring."

Kirika Akatsuki: "Still, I dunno how effective this printing or whatever could be."

Maria: "...If we let it reach complete maturity, there's no telling what could happen."

Kirika Akatsuki: "Its strength would be too much to handle."

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "As much as we want to defeat it, I get a bad feeling that..."

Serena: "...It sounds like you've fought it before."

Maria: "U-Uh... Yes, but... In the simulator! That's right, the simulator!"

Kirika Akatsuki: "Yeah, yeah! Ah, man, that training we did was sooo tough!"

Maria: "A-Anyway, we'll all have to work together if we hope to do something about Nephilim."

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "We can't forget about the mini Nephilim, either. They could also mature if left to their own devices."

Kirika Akatsuki: "I guess this calls for some training, then!"

Serena: "In that case, there's something I want to try."

Kirika Akatsuki: "What are you thinking?"

Serena: "Let's have a team battle. Me and Sis against you and Tsukuyomi-san."

Serena: "When we fought in the forest, Sis and I were exhausted from running. I want a fair fight this time."

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "W-Wow..."

Kirika Akatsuki: "You really hate losing..."

Serena: "This is going to be fun!"

Maria: "We won't go down so easily this time!"

Kirika Akatsuki: "Well, then, we accept your challenge!"

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "Just don't be upset when we win!"

Serena: "Oof... Phew. We won, Sis!"

Kirika Akatsuki: "Ngh... No fair! J-Just one more round!"

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "Now you've done it. Look, you got her all riled up."

Serena; (I feel like they really went all out this time... That just makes winning that much more satisfying.)

Maria: "Now, now, calm down, girls. Hehe..."

Maria: (Watching her laugh together with Shirabe and Kirika... It's like my little sister is really back.)

Maria: (...No, Maria. You mustn't forget, she's--)

Nastassja: "We've detected Noise in the neighboring town. We need you to head over immediately."

Maria: "We'll be there right away!"

Kirika Akatsuki: "Hey, Serena. Let's see which one of us can defeat the most Noise!"

Serena: "Ha! Sure, as long as you're prepared to lose."

Kirika Akatsuki: "That's one more for me!"

Serena: "Don't get cocky! I'm not far behind!"

Kirika Akatsuki: "It's a mini Nephilim!"

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "I didn't think any of them would appear so soon!"

Maria: "It's one of the offspring... At least there's only one of them this time!"

Serena: "Dr. Adolf probably tracked us using the Noise, just like last time."

Maria: "We can talk about how he found us later. Let's take this thing down!"

Serena: (It'll be fine... I've got everyone here with me.)

Maria: "It might be a Nephilim, but this little squirt is no problem for us!"

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "We can overpower it just fine!"

Kirika Akatsuki: "Its counter attack missed! Now, Serena!"

Serena: "Yeah!"

Maria: "Serena, You did it!" [1]

Serena: "I did it, Sis! I actually beat a Nephilim!"

Kirika Akatsuki: "The way you executed that attack was absolutely perfect. I'm impressed!"

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "If you keep this up, you'll be able to--"

Passerby: "Eeek! M-M-M-Monster!"

Maria: "What was that?!"

Serena: "It must have come from nearby!"

Notes:

[1] the Y in "you" was capitalized

#senki zesshou symphogear xd unlimited #symphogear xd unlimited #senki zesshou symphogear #symphogear #innocent sister #xdu event scripts #xdu scripts

0 notes

cutepresea · 4 years

Text

6-10 Innocent Sister: For the Me Who I’m Not

Sorry again for the spam.

If you want to blacklist these, you can use either the tag #innocent sister for just this event, or #xdu event scripts or #xdu scripts

Reminder that these are copied straight from XD Unlimited itself, so any grammatical weirdness, mistranslations, and/or mischaracterizations are not my doing.

Tsubasa Kazanari: "How's Tachibana doing?"

Nastassja: "She didn't sustain any life-threatening injuries. She's currently being treated in the medical room."

Maria: "Thank goodness..."

Tsubasa Kazanari: "Good grief. I don't want to think about what will happen if Kohinata ever finds out about this..."

Serena: "You have to make her all better, Mom..."

Nastassja: "There's no need to worry. Her external injuries aren't so bad, and we haven't found any internal damage yet."

Nastassja: "She lost consciousness due to extreme fatigue and exhaustion. She should recover from simply resting."

Serena: "That's a relief..."

Nastassja: "I must apologize. I thought Dr. Adolf was dead. I would never have thought he would be behind this."

Maria: "There's no need for you to apologize, Mom. Only he is to blame!"

Tsubasa Kazanari: "Please let us know as soon as you have a lead on his whereabouts."

Nastassja: "Understood. Now, you girls should use this time to rest and recuperate as much as possible."

Tsubasa Kazanari: "Your concern is much appreciated."

Maria: "Yeah. I don't know about you, Tsubasa, but I feel like I could sleep for a week."

Nastassja: "That goes for you too, Serena."

Serena: "I will, Mom... Please take care of Tachibana-san."

Serena: "...Sis, you're still awake?"

Maria: "Yes. Don't worry, I managed to get a little sleep while you were out."

Serena: "Sis... I have a favor I want to ask of you."

Maria: "What is it?"

Serena: "Go back to S.O.N.G. with the others. I'll be fine."

Maria: "What?! Serena, what are you saying?! I can't do that!"

Maria: "You're terrified of Nephilim, I saw how you were shaking back there! I'm not letting you fight it alone!"

Serena: "I know... I know it scares me. But right now, I'm more scared about something happening to you."

Serena: "Seeing you and the others get injured like that... What if something worse were to happen?"

Maria: "Serena..."

Serena: "I really want to be with you and the others... But I'd never be able to forgive myself if you got hurt."

Maria: "Serena... I'll be here for you whenever you need me. I'll be here to comfort you."

Maria: "When I'm feeling down, you're there for me, and when you're feeling down, I'm here for you... Remember?"

Serena: "Yeah..."

Maria: (I could never leave her on her own!)

Maria: (I may be an imposter, but I still need her love!)

Maria: "Ugh... I guess yesterday really took a toll on me."

Maria: (I want to protect Serena, but the situation here is awfully dire.)

Maria: (Even if I muster all the strength I have, will it be enough to protect her?)

Maria: (What can I do for her?)

Maria: (Well, for now, at least, I can put all of my effort into training. I can't afford to just stand around!)

Nastassja: "Good morning, everyone. I gathered you all here because I believe I have uncovered something of interest."

Tsubasa Kazanari: "What did you find?"

Nastassja: "It's concerning Dr. Adolf. I discovered--"

Hibiki Tachibana: "Good morning everyone! Sorry I'm late!"

Nastassja: "Are you sure you should be out of bed yet?"

Hibiki Tachibana: "I don't really need that much rest! I guess I am still a little out of it, though..."

Serena: "Please, you shouldn't push yourself. You have to recover!"

Hibiki Tachibana: "Oh, don't worry about me. Once I get some food in my belly, I'll be right as rain!"

Maria: "Honestly, that girl..."

Tsubasa Kazanari: "Well, it's good to know even a little trauma isn't enough to change her."

Serena: "Incredible..."

Hibiki Tachibana: "Anyway, please continue with what you were saying, Professor Nastassja!"

Nastassja: "Ah... Well, if you say so..."

Natassja: "Now, after your recent fight, I looked into Dr. Adolf and discovered a paper called Document F."

Maria: "Document F? What does it say?"

Nastassja: "Document F appears to be an old research paper, containing accounts of Nephilim and the Karma Noise."

Maria: "There was a researcher here that knew about the Karma Noise?"

Nastassja: "I searched Dr. Adolf's lab and past residences, and it seems that Document F is the origin of all this."

Nastassja: "He had his own copy of the paper, as well as his own data. Document F also explains how to control Nephilim."

Natassja: "Seven years after the failed experiment, he revived Nephilim to act as a solution for the mutated Noise."

Natassja: "In fact, this facility was built for that very purpose. He likely acquired the paper before coming here."

Tsubasa Kazanari: "So he waited patiently for his opportunity, right from the initial stages of research."

Maria: "Is there anything in that paper about Nephilim giving birth to other Nephilim?"

Nastassja: "It didn't mention anything of the sort, no. Perhaps that was due to the relic fragments it consumed."

Hibiki Tachibana: "Well, Dr. Adolf did say that those fragments were from a relic embelmatic of fertility or something."

Nastassja: "Fertility, you say?"

Nastassja: "One of the relics Serena activated in the past was the great lotus flower, one of Kubera's nine treasures."

Nastassja: "Perhaps that was what Nephilim consumed? It is said that in ancient India, lotus flowers symbolized birth."

Tsubasa Kazanari: "It seems even the doctor didn't see it coming. How frustratingly lucky for him."

Nastassja: "But relics should only decompose and be converted into energy. It is highly unusual for them to reproduce."

Nastassja: "As Nephilim's unexpected growth continues, we still don't know what other abilities it could acquire."

Nastassja: "Still, we cannot afford to ignore it, or indeed Dr. Adolf. Will you continue to help me, wielders?"

Hibiki Tachibana: "Of course!"

Tsubasa Kazanari: "We never had the slightest intention of standing down."

Nastassja: "I assume you and Serena are happy to help too, Maria?"

Maria: "Um, yeah, of course..."

American F.I.S. Official : "How's the Nephilim case coming along, Professor?"

Nastassja: "We're taking care of it. Hopefully now that the secret service has been deployed, they'll find Dr. Adolf."

American F.I.S. Official: "The government is discussing him now. Many in there hate relic research, and won't act without proof."

American F.I.S. Official: "However, F.I.S. wants to do whatever it takes to secure Nephilim."

American F.I.S. Official: "If we can secure it, we'll have the upper hand."

Nastassja: "You can't be serious. Surely securing a powerful Nephilim with yet unknown abilities is far too dangerous?"

American F.I.S. Official: "Well, we don't mind sacrificing a few relics and wielders, if that's what it takes."

Nastassja: "Absolutely not! You may be prepared to do that, but I shan't dirty my hands so callously!"

American F.I.S. Official: "It seems you misunderstand, Professor. You're going to secure Nephilim, regardless of what it takes."

Nastassja: "But--"

American F.I.S. Official: "We are not a charity. Is that clear?"

Nastassja: "...Understood. I will do everything I can to further the mission."

American F.I.S. Official: "I expect to hear good news the next time we talk."

Maria: "That's three Karma Noise down, but there's still more Noise to deal with!"

Maria: "Yaaah!"

Tsubasa Kazanari: "Without the key to close the Treasury of Babylonia, they'll just keep on coming!"

Hibiki Tachibana: "Yeah... This is... too much!"

Serena: "Raaah!"

Serena: "Are you all right?!"

Hibiki Tachibana: "My Gear feels a lot heavier than usual today..."

Tsubasa Kazanari: "Tachibana! Behind you!"

Hibiki Tachibana: "Huh?!"

Tsubasa Kazanari: "Tachibana!"

Tsubasa Kazanari: "N-Ngh!"

Hibiki Tachibana: "Tsubasa-san!"

Maria: "Tsubasa! Grr... Damned Noise!"

Hibiki Tachibana: "Tsubasa-san, are you okay?! I'm so sorry!"

Tsubasa Kazanari: "Ngh... Worry not. It'll take a lot more than that to break this sword."

Tsubasa Kazanari: "And even more to break my spirit! Time to finish off the rest!"

Hibiki Tachibana: "Right!"

Maria: "Yah!"

Serena: "Yaah!"

Hibiki Tachibana: "Guh... Phew. Thank goodness that's over."

Tsubasa Kazanari: "Yeah... Should we head back... to the facility?"

Maria: "Are you two all right? You look very pale."

Hibiki Tachibana: "Really? I guess that might have been a little rough on me..."

Tsubasa Kazanari: "At least that last attack didn't hit any vitals..."

Hibiki Tachibana: "Sorry to put you through that Tsubasa-san."

Tsubasa Kazanari: "Heh... I could say the same thing to you."

Serena: "Maria-nee-san!"

Maria: "I know. They're both suffering from severe fatigue. You two need to head back."

Tsubasa Kazanari: "Yes, I think heading back to the facility sounds nice, but--"

Maria: "No, Tsubasa. You will return to S.O.N.G. HQ."

Tsubasa Kazanari: "I... I suppose so. I'm guess we're not use to you as we are right now." [1]

Hibiki Tachibana: "Fine..."

Maria: "Go get some rest, okay? Honestly, you two are far too reckless for your own good."

Maria: "Want to train together again, Serena?"

Serena: "Yeah. I have to get stronger as soon as possible."

Maria: "We're going to have to fight the Noise by ourselves from now on. We need all the training we can get."

Nastassja: "Did the other two get back home safely?"

Maria: "Yes, although I practically had to push them through the gate."

Serena: "Sis made them promise that they would get themselves treated once they got back to their HQ."

Nastassja: "I see. Well, thank goodness they weren't seriously injured. I hope they can get some rest."

Maria: "Well, they'd have fought themselves to death if they'd had the chance. We're lucky we retreated when we did."

Nastassja: "I have something I need to discuss with Serena. Could you give us a moment, Maria?"

Serena: "How about I meet you in the training room later, Sis?"

Maria: "Sure thing."

Maria: "Yaaah!"

Maria: "Now it's your turn!"

Maria: "Take this!"

Maria: "...Phew. I wonder what's keeping Serena?"

Maria: "(Mom never was a woman of many words. What's going on?)

Maria: (Maybe I should go see if everything's all right.)

Maria: "There you are, Serena! I was starting to get worried."

Serena: "......"

Maria: "...Serena?"

Serena: "Oh, Sis... It's you..."

Maria: "What on earth is the matter, Serena?"

Serena: "An operations order came through for me. Mom told me--"

Serena: "...No, F.I.S. told me that I have to act as a bait to lure out Nephilim."

Maria: "Bait? They want to use you as BAIT?!"

Maria: "Absolutely not! What the hell is Mom thinking?! I'm going to--"

Serena: "No, Sis, wait! I'm begging you!"

Maria: "Why are you trying to stop me?!"

Serena: "Because Mom... She just looked so sad."

Serena: "That's why I have to--"

Maria: "Forget it! I'm not letting you do something so danger--"

Serena: "......"

Maria: "Serena..."

Maria: "I will protect you, I swear."

Serena: "Sis... We'll always be together, right? No matter how far apart we are, we'll still always be sisters?"

Maria: "Of course we will. I'll always--"

Maria: (I may not be her real sister... If this is going to carry on, though, then I have to act the part.)

Maria: "...I will always be your older sister. No matter how far apart we are, I'll always love you, Serena."

Serena: "Then I'm going to be okay. As long as you're with me, I can do anything."

Maria: "But look at how much you're shaking... You don't need to hide your true feelings from me, you know."

Serena: "My true feelings..."

Maria: (There's no way I'm going to let her get hurt. I swear on it.)

Kirika Akatsuki: "And heeere we are!"

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "I wonder what Serena's facility is like?"

Kirika Akatsuki: "I wanna see how Mom's doing, too. Hopefully she isn't hurt, or sick, or anything like that."

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "Yeah... The last time she was healthy was when we were kids. I hope she's okay."

Kirika Akatsuki: "But first, we gotta do something about Nephilim!"

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "It must be pretty strong... Just look at Tsubasa-san and Hibiki-san. We shouldn't underestimate it."

Kirika Akatsuki: "Anyways, let's head to the facility!"

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "Okay."

Kirika Akatsuki: "--Aaand there's the Noise, right on cue!"

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "And they're quick, too! Let's take them on as soon as we get the call on our comms."

Kirika Akatsuki: "Sounds like a plan!"

Kirika Akatsuki: "...Hello?"

Nastassja: "Are you two back already? I know I asked you to rest, but we're currently dealing with an outbreak of--"

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "We're on it. We're already on the scene."

Nastassja: "...Wait, is that you--?"

Kirika Akatsuki: "We're their replacements! You can just sit back and relax!"

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "Right! Let's go, Kiri-chan!"

Kirika Akatsuki: "One step ahead of ya!"

Kirika Akatsuki: "And so we thought we may as well take them out, seeing as we were already there!"

Nastassja: "I can't thank you two enough."

Kirika Akatsuki: "Hmm... This feels really weird. Like, you're Mom... but you're not Mom. And yet, you are Mom."

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "I know... It's surreal."

Nastassja: "I know exactly how you feel, girls... I didn't think I'd ever get to see you two again."

Nastassja: "Please, make yourselves at home."

Kirika Akatsuki: "Don't mind if I do!"

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "Thank you very much, Mom."

Kirika Akatsuki: "Wow... So this is where Serena lives? It's pretty snazzy for an F.I.S. facility."

Nastassja: "Well it may seem that way, but I can't say we are overflowing with researchers or resources, though."

Nastassja: "Anyway, our main problem now is Nephilim. This facility can't withstand another attack."

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "If you're looking for a solution--"

Kirika Akatsuki: "--You're lookin' right at it!"

Nastassja: "Well, I'm glad to see you two haven't changed a bit. I trust you'll do everything you can to stop it."

Kirika Akatsuki: "You know, I haven't spotted Maria or Serena yet."

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "Maybe they're napping?"

Kirika Akatsuki: "This isn't Hibiki-san we're taking about..."

Nastassja: "About that..."

Serena: "...I'm not sure about this."

Maria: "It's fine. We're better off taking things into our own hands, anyway."

Serena: "But if I'm not there, Nephilim will--"

Maria: "You don't need to bear their burden alone, especially not if they're planning to use you as bait."

Serena: "But won't there be consequences?"

Maria: "Serena... You slept for seven years after trying to activate Nephilim the first time."

Maria: "And then the minute you wake up, they have you fighting Noise alone, and activating Nephilim again."

Maria: "They made you face Nephilim a second time, even though you could've died!"

Serena: "......"

Maria: "You deserve to be happy, Serena. I'm not going to let them keep using you as a sacrifice."

Maria: "You're such a kind girl, but iif you keep living like this... You're going to end up broken."

Maria: "I'm going to protect you from that fate, Serena!"

Maria: (That's the least I can do for her. I'll throw everything away if I have to!)

Serena: "Yeah... Thank you, Maria-nee-san."

Serena: (I'm so happy she's here with me... But is this really the right thing to do?)

Notes:

[1] The "I'm" should be "I." "I guess we're no use."

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