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yanverse · 12 days

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I have to see my husband, show me Yuri. Please.

bbg i GOT chu husband incoming <33 i present to you my yuri magnum opus !!

"Mr. Maeda"

(cws: gn pronouns, work meet cute, office romance, a bit of petty theft, work-inappropriate kisses, obsessive & overprotective behavior, yuri's a lil secret creep)

wc: 3.3k

Here it is. The starting point of the rest of your life. You worried it might be some big, huge corporate building that you'd sooner get lost in than find your way to the office written on your little sheet of paper, but it was small enough to fit its two-story self smack dab on the corner of the avenue. Easy to access, walkable from where you just moved…and still terrifying. This was the only place that would hire you and the first job you'd had that was actually in your field, so to screw this up would ruin years of potential prospects if you ever decided to move upwards and onwards. There was a whole lot riding on this, but all you could do was swallow those doubts and keep your chin up as you pushed through the door and took your first step into the future.

Ting-ing. A bell chimed overhead to signal your arrival, all other noise from the street growing muffled as the door closed behind you. It was…elegant. Even for an interior decorating office, it seemed lavish. The floors were shiny with fresh wax and the furniture was all arranged so delicately you wouldn't even want to sit, the waiting room off to your left and a showroom to your right while a long hallway extended past the front desk on the far side of the wall. It was all decorated in deep red and white tones for the most part along with some other complementary hues, all save for the bored-looking young woman at the desk who wore a baby-blue top and torn jeans. If nothing else, at least the dress code seemed pleasantly loose.

"H..." You squeaked out your greeting like a shy mouse as you approached her, her eyes stuck to the pages of a book that laid open by her keyboard. “..H-Hello.”

"Yuri's by appointment only, please book online."

Her instructions came out as bland and monotone as you could ever imagine, a business card with the URL slapped down on the upper counter of her desk to stare right back at you. She hadn't peeled her eyes away from her reading for even a second, but when she did, it was because you'd cleared your throat and mustered up the courage to say that you were actually here for the job.

"Here for the–oh!" The mere sight of you had her flipping her novel shut and getting up from her seat, her hand stuck out to greet yours as a look of embarrassment overtook her features. "I'm so sorry, I thought you were–e-er, never mind. Welcome! I'm Angel."

Despite her relatively gentle appearance, the squeeze of her hand was strong–you had little space to dwell on those minor details though, as she briskly skirted around her desk to wave you towards the hall. "I'll take you back to meet Yuri, right this way."

Clack. Clack. Clack. It wasn't her flats but your polished shoes clicking loudly on the tile, echoing your nerves in the silence that was only peppered by the distant hum of computers and occasional chatter. You'd no idea exactly how many agents worked here, just that it was a small agency. Less people to impress, but more intense scrutiny if you happened to disappoint them with your skills….or lack thereof. God, please let your heart stop beating so loud. Angel reached for a door near the very end of the corridor and you took a deep breath, one that was probably noticeable since she reassured you with a look and a curt smile as it opened.

"Yuri! Your prot��gé is here," Her grin grew wider as you balked at her introduction, she patted your shoulder in parting and slipped away as you forced yourself through the doorway and into the brightly-lit office crammed with desks. Chairs had been tucked in tight to allow more room to manoeuvre since it was oddly cramped, but that was mostly because nobody sat in them; your coworkers either leaned against the desks or by the huge bay windows letting in the midday sun, and each and every one of their heads turned to face you once you took a step into their domain. Not one of them commanded your attention like he did, though.

"Oh, please, Angel. Try not to embarrass me, would you?" His voice, airy and smooth, reached you where you stood and nearly buckled your knees before you even got a glimpse of him. The assembly that loosely surrounded him made way for his lithe frame to step around the furniture and head towards you, smiles creeping across their faces and whispers exchanged between them–it almost distracted you long enough not to look up once he finally stood in front of you.

Oh no.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. Ah…" His eyes darted down from your feet to roam their way back up to your eyes in a single pass, so brief you might've thought it never even happened. "...A real pleasure, my sweet." Yuri's cool, soft hands clamped around yours in a gentle handshake, though he barely moved it and rather just held you there like he needed an excuse to stare longer.

Oh, god. Your boss is too attractive to get anything done.

"Y-You too, sir. I've really been looking forward to this." You tried not to stutter out your answer, though Yuri seemed endeared nonetheless and urged you to forget the honours, his grip just barely brushing you once more as he finally managed to drop your hand.

"Let's…oh, what was I saying?" He blinked with an absent gaze, attention fixated on something over your shoulder before he came back down to earth. A quick glance in your peripheral betrayed nothing of note, aside from your own hair. But to think anything of that would be odd, and far be it from you to put your foot in your mouth in front of a boss that actually seemed to like you. "Oh! Right, right–why don't I show you around? We'll get you settled in a minute, but I'll give you a tour first."

He extended an arm out elegantly towards the office, your new coworkers clamouring to get their introductions in to the fresh meat in their presence–yet in all the time he spent showing you around, Yuri didn't seem to take his eyes off you for more than a moment or two.

Which was either a terrible omen of things to come, or a very, very good sign.

The first three days of a new job were usually the most difficult, but a week had passed now and you could swear the hard part just wasn't coming. Every task you'd been given had been a breeze, and with no real assignments yet since you were still in the learning phase, you were practically getting paid to sit around, experiment with your room designs in the decorator software, and chat with your coworkers in between group lunches and the occasional outing to visit potential clients.

The man that had now established himself as your boss was nothing at all like what you expected. Sure, your expectations were certainly lower after your last job plummeted you into financial hell and mental anguish, but you expected the top agent of the city's biggest interior design conglomerate to be somewhat prudish, egotistical, and impossible to please.

But Yuri Maeda was nearly the complete opposite of that. He was by no means lackadaisical, and he did carry a certain air of class about him in the way he walked and talked, but he was not at all like other bosses you'd worked for before. He remembered your name when you walked in the door, and he welcomed you with open arms. He was kind to you and spoke gently of your mistakes, and no matter what, he'd never raised his voice or talked down to anyone about anything.

And he was so, so easy on the eyes. His age showed in nothing but his white hair and even that was more of a fashion statement than anything else–you wouldn't assume a man that barely crested 30 would be so rife with grays under normal circumstances. He didn't even dress like a boss; he'd foregone a suit and tie in exchange for loose, flowing clothing, his shirt hung low to show off his pronounced collarbones while his pants hugged tight to his hips and accentuated those long legs that just kept on going. You'd once asked about his background, and the way his face lit up at the chance to talk about his infancy in Morocco and adolescence in Japan had been the highlight of your day, no doubt. You'd rarely seen such a professional and well-bred man talk so excitedly of his roots while brewing you some coffee and pulling out old photos of his home countries. It was an almost childlike interest, and it endeared him to you even more if that was even possible.

Yuri had a strange habit, however. At first you thought you were getting hazed by the frequency with which your office supplies was going missing, but soon you started noticing that whatever item you had lost would magically appear in Yuri's hands. You'd caught him with your pencil behind his ear, your colourful paperclips attached to his files, once you could've sworn that someone had taken a sip from the drink you'd left on your desk, though there was no way for you to prove that was even the case.

Whatever was going on with that, it took a backseat to the unbelievably good treatment you were getting at the office. You couldn't make yourself mess this up on purpose–you had to try as hard as you ever had to make this work and make it last. Where else were you going to get such a nice boss that called you cute nicknames and bought you lunch on a whim?

But soon came the day that you'd been scheduled to help your first client. You'd been excited leading up to it, eagerly absorbing every ounce of advice that Yuri provided as you prepared to flex your skills.

When you came back to the office in tears, however, that dream had clearly been shattered. Angel at the front desk could barely catch you before you dashed into the bathroom to hide, and even when she followed you in to see what was the matter she herself couldn't believe her ears.

“They hated it,” You sniffled from within the stall, your feet pulled up to press your knees to your chest as if the echoes of your sobs off the walls wasn't enough to tell that you were there.

“Hated what?”

“Everything! They hated the colours, and my d-designs, they said they were terrible–the worst they've ever seen! They made fun of me!” You sobbed, the events of the morning sending fresh pains into your heart as you heard your own voice repeating them. Angel heaved a sigh from the other side of the bathroom door.

“I'm getting Yuri. Hold on.”

“No, please, I–I can't let him see me like this, I-” Despite your pleas, the sounds of Angel's shoes pattering away left you feeling defeated, and you slumped your head between your knees. The shame and embarrassment of having such confidence, only to have it ruined in one fell swoop, felt like too much to bear. You wanted to run and hide forever, dig a hole deep enough and jump in.

You wanted to quit, but you couldn't bear it if Yuri fired you–and after several minutes, hearing a sudden barrage of shouting that sounded like his voice outside the bathroom, you had a feeling that was exactly what was coming. You knew it was too good to be true. Deep down Yuri desired perfection, and you were not that–not even close enough to have tried.

Just when you started to consider slipping out of the bathroom and facing the music rather than stay inside and keep sobbing pathetically, the door creaked open. Taut footsteps hesitantly stepped inside, and by the soft breathing, you knew exactly who it was. He rapped gently on the stall door with his knuckles. It took you a moment to slide off the closed lid of the toilet seat, the lock jiggling loudly in the eerie quiet as you slowly opened the door.

At first glance, he looked flushed and out of sorts. His hair was mussed, and his breathing was uneven. He had his inhaler in the hand at his side, but whether he had taken a puff or not already, you couldn't tell. The silence, save for that, was painful.

Unsure of what to say, you looked back at him as he did the same to you. Your eyes were puffy and your cheeks tearstained and still wet, while his chest heaved hard enough that the quiet was finally broken decidedly by a click, and then a deep inhale of breath as he pressed his inhaler to his mouth.

“Mr. Maeda? Are you…okay?”

“How many times…” He trailed off, only to cough slightly into his arm, and take another deep puff of his medicine. With that, his lungs finally seemed to clear, and he could take deeper, longer breaths while slipping the inhaler into his pocket. “...I told you, don't have to call me that.”

“You're my boss.”

“I'm also your friend.”

“...Am I fired?” Your question twisted itself out, because it was inevitable to come off your lips, but it was so soft and meek you felt shameful yourself just asking it. Yuri shook his head.

“No, no you're not–you’re not fired, sweetheart. You're invaluable to my team. You're not going anywhere.” He seemed convinced beyond belief, but you weren't quite there yet. Despite his earnestness, despite his friendliness and charm that was distinctly Yuri, you couldn't quite bring yourself to trust that you were really that special in his eyes.

“Th-They hated my designs,” You sniffled, and brought your fingers up to smudge the tears that ran fresh down your cheek. You couldn't yet bring yourself to meet his eyes. “All of them. They said they were worthless, Yuri. They didn't like them.”

“I know.” He shook his head again, a twinge of something fierce coming over his expression. “They were wrong. Just so you know, I told them so over the phone.” He looked a bit sheepish, quietly rubbing the back of his neck. So that must have been the yelling you heard…

“Wh-What? Yuri, they were part of a big account, their main client-”

“Listen, sweetheart.” He leaned in suddenly, using his height to his advantage as he loomed over you. Not in a menacing way, but more…almost protective, in a sense. “They were worthless. Don't think about them anymore. They weren't worth your designs, nor your time.”

It shocked you to hear him speak so callously of a client, when he had always shown nothing but utmost professionalism in dealing with even the most snobbish of customers. It seemed like there was almost a shift inside him, like something had snapped to make him shout those people down over the phone, and now had him nearly cornering you in the stall as he got closer and closer to you. Only your wide, nervous eyes managed to snap him out of his trance, and at your trembling he stepped back and brushed some hair out of his face as he cleared his throat.

“You…value my professional opinion, don't you?”

You nodded with little hesitation, yet a lump in your throat forced you to swallow. “Yes, of–of course, Yuri.”

“Then believe me when I say that you are far better than you think. You're smart, and very talented, and…kind, and…very, very lovely. You're a treasure to work with. I…” Even though he trailed off, his true intentions glimmered in those clear, pale eyes. “...I want you to forget everything they said to you, everything that made you cry today. They are but a speck on your life–not worth the slightest mention.”

You opened your mouth to protest on instinct; why did you deserve to feel better about it at all? Surely you must've done something wrong. You can't imagine your meager skills being worth such praise. But something was telling you that this was far deeper than the surface level of work, and Yuri just about confirmed it as he cut you off before you could get down on yourself further.

“Believe me,” He took your cheeks into his soft, sweet-smelling hands, and brushed a stray tear away with his thumb. The gesture, as gentle as it was, almost brought you to more tears with how touching it was. “People that behave in such an…uncouth way don't deserve your attention. They don't deserve your love. Your affection. Your…”

Only then did you realize how close Yuri's lips had drifted to yours. Your mouths were nearly closing in on each other, and but for any resistance on your part he would make no move to stop what was happening. This was not in your job description.

But would you really stop him from kissing you when that's all you had fantasized of until now? A small, shy smile slowly made its way across your lips, and Yuri's followed soon after as he smoothly leaned in to claim a warm, firm kiss, with a more eager introduction to his tongue than you anticipated.

A moment passed, then another, and in what seemed like ages but at the same time only a second he broke it off, his expression aghast–perhaps at realizing what he'd just done. Probably realizing that it was a terrible, terrible mistake. You stood meekly and on the cusp of a panicked fit as he brought the back of his hand to his lips, but soon the warmth in his cheeks tipped you off to what was truly stirring in his heart.

“That was…unprofessional. I didn't mean to-”

“I-It's okay, Yuri-”

“-Not in the bathroom, gods.” He seemed preoccupied, your words barely registering. He ran his fingers back through his soft, white strands of hair and took on a look of sheepish delight. “You deserve better than that. Come, let's–to my office, let's go.” He ushered you out of the stall, his grip firm on your wrist like he was too nervous to try and hold your hand.

“Yuri?” You called out, but he seemed in a daze. His breath was catching on every inhale like he was drowning in excitement, yet he was holding himself together just barely in your presence. He wouldn't make much eye contact with you, but when you did spot that look in his eyes…it seemed like he was in the midst of a calm frenzy, his exterior composed but his mind and heart all stirred up, roused, jumbled into a mess of feelings that he was trying desperately not to get lost in. He tilted his body away from you too, as if trying not to let you see him front-facing as if he had something he was nervously hiding.

“T-Take these,” He suddenly piped up, and thrusted a set of delicate keys into your palm while he turned completely away from you. It was all he could not to just hide his flushed face completely in his hands. “Go wait in my office, I'll–I just need a moment to compose myself. Please.” Yuri whined, and at his behest you agreed and stepped out of the bathroom to give him some privacy. Hearing the lock click behind you made you a bit nervous, but as you made your way out and down the hall you fiddled with the keys and thought about all that Yuri had said.

…What a strange, alluring boss he was indeed. But even so, even now, you wouldn't know even half of what Yuri was really capable of, nor what he had been planning for you since the day you walked into the office and captured his heart in your soft, beautiful hands.

#yuri maeda #yuri maeda x reader #yandereverse #yandere ocs #male yandere #3k #ellie writes #chenkari #anons

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itsohh · 8 months

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1 A.M

A/N: More vampire au but this time more with Price. It's not super vampiric but it's part of the au regardless.

Summary: When the boys decide they want to go out for the night, Price discovers you fast asleep in your office. The pair of you might not be explicitly the closest in the group but he still takes care of you.

Word count: 1350

Warnings: None

AO3 Masterlist Vampire AU Masterlist

With a deep breath, you clenched your fist. It was never easy standing your ground against your superiors. It was even more challenging when they weren't even human. Price always had that intimidating aura about him. One that scared you shitless and stowed away in your core far longer than Ghost's stares ever could.

"I understand your concern but it was the best course of action."

"You put yourself at risk. Again. How many times is that? Your luck is going to run out."

"It's my job."

"Your job is making sure we have proper access to blood powder. Not bleeding yourself dry, not fighting in our wars with us and certainly not dying for us." Price sighed as he leaned over the desk.

"I will… take that feedback into consideration, Captain Price." You looked away from him. "I have paperwork that I need to fill out." You excused yourself from his presence and didn't see the way he looked at you as you left his office.

"Hey Price. Lads and I are gonna hit the bar. Did you want to come?” Soap pushed his head into Price's office, “Also, have you seen the Agent? Gotta ask her too." Price looked up from his work. It has been at least a day since he had spoken to you and your conversation stayed on his mind on repeat.

"I imagine she's in her room for the moment if she hasn't gone home."

"Nah she only goes to her flat on the weekends. I already checked there. Was gonna see her office next." Price stood up from his desk and grabbed his jacket from the back of his chair.

"I'll come with you."

Soap grinned at Price and soon the pair of them had made their way to your office door. The door wasn't completely shut and had a small crack which Soap slowly pulled open and knocked on the door. "Hey, are you-" Soap paused when he saw your sleeping form on a pile of paperwork.

"Sometimes I forget she's not one of us and actually needs to sleep."

"You go off with Ghost and Gaz. I'll look after her."

"You sure?"

"I've got her."

Soap left with a shrug and soon Price came into your office. His eyes glanced at the paperwork you had been working on. It took him a moment to realize what it was -a contract. Price's eyes roamed and saw the letterhead and furrowed his eyes when he saw it. It was MI6. They had offered you a job and he couldn't help but feel the tang in his chest at the thought. His mind wandered back to the argument the pair of you had a few days prior. Would you take it to get away from him?

His eyes found the last piece of the contract where you would sign your name. Instead of where he expected your signature he found it was crossed out. Instead, a small note was written in the footnote.

I appreciate the recognition and your offer is very generous, but I must refuse your offer. My current place of work is a good fit for me and would like to continue my employment indefinitely.

The note had that tension in him die down. Despite how cold he often spoke to you, he couldn't deny he enjoyed your presence. The thought of you leaving made him realise that. At first, he hated the idea of you, only going along for Laswell's sake. But now that you are here? He didn't want you to go.

Price's eyes went to the awkward way you slumped over your desk. It couldn't have been comfortable. He could imagine the neck and back pain it would cause you in the morning but you wouldn't let that get in your way. Nothing ever got in your way.

Slowly, he bent over and picked you up. Your arms went over his shoulder while your face rested against his neck. Price had an arm under your knees and his other hand on your back. A small mumbled protest came from your mouth but aside from that you didn't stir from your rest. In fact, you pressed your face against his neck while your fingers curled into his chest.

"You’re alright. Let's get you to bed." There wasn't any response to his quiet assurance. On the way towards the shared dorm room, he didn't come across anyone else and a quick glance at the clock told him it was almost one. "Of course, those Muppets would want to go out at this time." Price rolled his eyes at the thought of Soap but frowned at the thought of you. You could get into a lot of trouble for not sleeping properly.

"You better be getting your eight hours of uninterrupted sleep, Agent." He mumbled out knowing you couldn't hear him. Price stopped in front of your door only to discover it was locked. You, of course, would have the pass but he didn't really want to wake you up or start patting you down to find it.

Price let out a breath and looked down to the end of the hallway where his own bedroom lay waiting. That was a room he could unlock. So he quietly made his way to his bedroom. His bed lay pristine and Price found it easy to slip you into the covers.

Immediately you made yourself home and curled up on your side. Your arm snatched a pillow and mumbled something ineligible into it when you pushed your face into it. Right away Price knew that you would end up smelling like him for a decent while. The thought had his lips go dry and he let out a huff at his own reaction. He opened the side table next to you and found a small notepad before he scribbled on it and left it there.

John paused for a moment and watched your peaceful sleeping face. That earlier frustration came back to him. Always so reckless and quick to put others before you. It would get you killed one day. He didn't want that on his conscience. He didn't want that at all. Yet, there wasn't much else he could do. You had heard his concern and that was that. He could only hope that you listened to him. His hand gently graced your cheek for a moment and then he was gone.

When the morning came you woke to feel more rested and relaxed than you had in a long time. What you didn't expect was to find yourself in a mystery room. Panic overcame that relaxation as you tried to remember what happened the night before. You couldn't even remember leaving your office let alone joining someone's bed.

Your eyes analysed the room to search for anything that could tell you whose room it was. It certainly wasn't Gaz's. In the corner of your eye, a small notepad caught your eye.

Try not to fall asleep at your desk again. Eight hours, get it Agent.

- P

This was Price's room? It seemed a lot simpler than you had expected but at the same time so incredibly him. It wasn’t super neat but it was clean regardless. You let out a breath and wondered why you hadn’t figured it out before. The entire place smelt like him. It was almost comforting. Despite how hard he could be on you, you liked Price. He cared and was passionate about his work. The thought brought a smile to your face, even after all the time he had spent alive he still had that drive to him. It made you wonder if you would always have it. The sound of an email alert from your phone brought you crashing back to reality with a sigh. It was strangely nice in his bed. Yet, you had a job to do and life wouldn’t wait. Still in your clothes from the previous day, you rolled your shoulders before you slipped out of the bed, praying to whoever would listen that Soap wouldn't see you leaving Price's room.

#john price x reader #cod x reader #mw2 x reader #call of duty x reader #john price #call of duty #modern warfare 2

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appleflavoredkitkats · 11 months

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don't support here lies love the musical as it comes to bway

my post on here lies love is getting rounds and while i still stand by everything i said on that post, my grievances with the musical has Grown in the last couple of weeks of me researching about it. granted, i still need to do more— i want to do an essay on it in the future because i would hate for it to run on broadway for long, but because that takes time, i thought, at least, i would need to make a post detailing what i find wrong about this musical. even if it's not the most comprehensive, i want more people to be informed about it as soon as possible.

so, have this. ramblings at 5am. i'll try my best to gather sources, but information i have regarding the marcoses comes from a lot of non-digital resources like classes, museums, and physical books. in this case, i recommend the following resources to learn more about who the marcos family is and what they did:

"the kingmaker" by lauren greenfield. native filipinos can watch this free on youtube, but if you aren't from the ph i recommend using a vpn to access it or find a pirated version somewhere else

online martial law museum

if you can buy it, "some are smarter than others" by ricardo manapat, a book detailing marcos' crony capitalism and all his faults

i'd also like to preface: i am not a saint. i am not a historian nor the smartest person who can detail everything marcos did when he was born. i'm trying to do my best with what i know, and i am down to learn more if others want to chime in.

lastly, here's a fresher on the names of people involved, because it can be confusing:

ferdinand marcos — i will try my best calling him ferdinand but most people, including myself, often call him just "marcos" despite the fact that they technically all are marcoses. he was the president from 1965-1986

imelda marcos — i will refer to her as imelda. wife to ferdinand and contributed a lot to his reign of terror. she is still alive today.

bong bong marcos — son of ferdinand and imelda. his name is often shorted to bbm, which i will use. he is currently the present of the philippines

ninoy aquino — marcos' main rival who he indirectly murdered. not a perfect guy tho, just the lesser evil. i will just call him ninoy

now, onto the real deal:

thesis statement, so this can be easy to follow: despite the intentions of the musical being anti-marcos, much of how it is written and presented will inevitably become propaganda to brighten the image of the marcoses. by putting imelda in the forefront, making her entire character do what she does supposedly out of love, audiences will come out of the theatre sympathizing with her and her family. not only is this politically dangerous, but it is incredibly insensitive to native filipinos who have not only gone through the struggle of martial law, but also is suffering through bbm's presidency today.

[rest of the post under the cut]

despite what a lot of criticisms claim, the intentions of the musical is not to be pro-marcos. this is stated in their instagram post:

david bryne also stated these in an article from the guardian:

"The mindset of the Marcos regime and the mindset of disco music to me doesn’t seem all that distant. The hedonistic, escapist feeling of losing yourself and being transported to another world, like you feel on the dance floor and like you feel in a dance club, that’s a means to divorce yourself from the rest of the world, just as Imelda did.

When you’re dancing, you’re in this psychological and sonic bubble, in the same way that powerful people create a bubble around themselves. So I wanted to give an audience a taste of that feeling.

In the first half, when the play is dealing with her childhood, her upbringing and her meeting with Ferdinand Marcos, it’s meant to get the audience to empathise with her and understand what’s driving her and then they’ll understand how that manifests later on."

so, it seems promising: an anti-marcos musical that will make audiences dislike empathizing with her. initially, i really liked the concept of audiences being lost with the music similar to how the marcoses were able to play a lot of their supporters.

but, and a big but, 1.) there's a lot to pick apart from these statements, and 2.) i fucking despise how they presented imelda in the musical.

let's discuss the first point: the instagram post details that the intent of the musical is to dispel disinformation created about the marcoses. first thing's first, if this truly was a musical that aims to educate, then broadway is probably the worst way to do it. while the west and native filipinos could share the award of most misinformed about the marcoses, native filipinos are the ones most affected by it. we just suffered a terrible election last year with constant speculation and reports of vote buying. i've heard accounts from people from the province that bbm would send representatives to bribe those in poverty to ensure a vote. we are suffering in the worst education crisis, with the most corrupt politicians you can think of.

so, if this musical aims to educate, the fact that you can only access it by viewing it live on broadway is incredibly... backwards. how are you opting to dispel information when those most affected can't even access it?

what's worse is the statement that says that modern history of the philippines cannot be told without the usa. it is such a patronizing, surface-level statement that gets my blood boiling. it is true that our histories and present-day contexts are intertwined, especially since the filipino diaspora in the usa is incredibly huge, but that's because this is all a product of american colonization + imperialism. stating like the philippines owes the usa to retell our native stories mirrors much of the savior complex-esque sentiments the usa had when they colonized us.

now, onto bryne's statement. the main problem i have with it is him insinuating that imelda is a victim of circumstance. he wants us the audience "empathize" with her and understand her downfall. this is common rhetoric uninformed people, even filipinos, used to excuse imelda's contributions. that she was supposedly "poor", that marcos put her through hell. but genuinely, and i cannot emphasize this enough, imelda was an absolute ass on her own accord.

no, she did not grow up poor. her wikipedia even states that she grew up in a wealthy family, born into the romualdez political dynasty. my history professor even claimed that she attempted bribing the mayor when she lost one of her beauty pageants. despite the repetitive "i'm doing this for love!" bullshit the musical regurgitates, imelda did not even marry marcos out of love. in ricardo manapat's book, he details how marcos attempted to swoon imelda by showing her his vault of money (of course, possibly stolen). she was enraptured by marcos the moment she saw his WEALTH.

i want to emphasize: imelda is not fucking stupid. much of what marcos did to the philippines was thanks to her. i would recommend watching the kingmaker documentary for all the details, but just know she is still alive and incredibly wealthy. she is well-known for her absolute gaudiness and all of that comes from her money-centric mindset. she does not give a shit about love.

here's some accounts by ricardo manapat from his book. on imelda falling in love with marcos (btw, she had a fiance at the time and didn't tell him she was marrying marcos until said fiance found out on the damn newspaper):

imelda being aware of the wealth she accumulates in politics:

on this note, i'd love to discuss how historically inaccurate the musical is. i'd like to preface that i've only listened to the only available version of the musical which is the 2013 version on spotify. this could have changed, but either way, the general tone of the narrative already reads to me as extremely incorrect, anyway. i'd also love to detail every discrepancy of each song, but again, i'll save that for a future essay.

in general, the musical's plotline follows imelda, a "humble and poor" girl from leyte who grows up and marries ferdinand. she repeatedly expresses she's doing this all out of love. thus, the musical insinuates that imelda is merely a victim of circumstance, and that she didn't become evil on her own accord. and yet, from what i've presented so far, she was very much aware! she was not passive. you have to understand, SHE was the reason both men and women had equal opportunities to become corrupt in our government.

what marcos did was also imelda's fault. the genocide and displacement of indigenous people, the mass torture and murder of journalists and politicians, the stealing of companies and mass wealth, the mass delivery of non-native animals to the philippines. she condoned all that. yes, marcos cheated on her, but she also used that as a means to manipulate him into doing whatever she wanted. they are both horrible people.

speaking of, marcos' song in the musical was also really bad. he could be written as lying for all we know, but his "fear" of japanese soldiers invading the philippines is also up for debate. there is speculation of the marcoses collaborating with japanese troops, which also led to the murder of marcos' father's political rival.

and while i don't know if there's actual dialogue outside of the songs, i don't think this musical actually informs us much of the marcos' faults. the songs, which will be the most accessible thing to native filipinos, express nothing but generic descriptions of what characters feel about certain situations. it's hard to understand or know what these people are actually doing because it's just so vague and ambiguous. how are you supposed to inform when none of the music details, well, anything? the information given is so minimal that i pray, at least, the musical would have more explicit scenes about marcos' atrocities.

and that's my main problem with the musical. with how much they spend sympathizing with imelda in the first act, i don't think everything the marcoses have done can be encapsulated in the second. of course, i'm not asking to give me a detailed rundown of everything they did, but let's be honest, this musical was never about dispelling disinformation. if it was, then they wouldn't spend an entire act and a half sucking imelda's dick. it's not about educating audiences about martial law. it's about humanizing imelda, with martial law and the marcoses' atrocities as a second priority. it makes me sick to my stomach seeing how pure imelda is presented when travelling to meet other world leaders, or how she's seen as the person who insisted that ninoy move away from the philippines.

it was never about education or re-information. in the end, these were such pretentious and performative statements to defend a historically inaccurate musical.

and tbh, that's just the tip of the iceberg of why i hate this musical. another thing is that, holy shit is it obvious that it's written by two white people. they mispronounce "tacloban" (should be tacLOban not tacloBAN). these characters are also just... not distinctly filipino? they're so white in mannerisms. i need more insulting humor, more grit. in fairness, the richer you are in the philippines the more connected you are to western culture, but i would have loved to see that disaparity more in the songwriting. they really peaked (/s) when they wrote these lyrics:

this is... awful, in a cringey what the hell manner. i hope they changed it for the bway production, because this was blatant evidence that the songwriters barely took the time to understand our culture before writing.

if you don't understand what it says, "titi mo" (the correct spelling is tite but i digress) means "your dick". i think imelda is trying to call marcos a dick, but they literally translated dick in tagalog. but tite isn't an insult, it literally refers to a penis. "mo" is the equivalent of "your" which also makes ZERO sense. the lyric literally goes "how can a your penis run the country?", like WHAT.

so you know, maybe there's a reason why many filipinos fucking despise this show on twitter. we are insulted for good reason. they are sensationalizing and glamorizing our suffering for their own gain. we native filipinos and other filipino diaspora who can't access the show have nothing to gain. here lies love is profiting from our struggles that we are still recovering from and experiencing today. imagine if you made a musical about hitler explaining he is a victim of circumstance to disco music. insensitive, isn't it? i'd love to ask the cast of here lies love if they'd ever show the musical to living survivors and families of victims of martial law.

and what's worse, because of course it gets worse, misinformation like this is what boosts the reputation of corrupt politicians in the first place. manapat quotes what leonard saffir wrote about how marcos built his reputation in new york via a biography filled with disinformation. the excerpt is too long but it's quoted from this article by the new york times. and now we are living in an era of another musical based on imelda being shown in new york — time is a flat fucking circle.

what sickens me is that this musical is possibly a lot of americans' first exposure to the marcoses, and what will they think? imelda is just a poor girl, imelda is just a victim, imelda is blah blah blah. that will be stamped in their head. even if some filipinos have come out of this musical dreadful that they sympathized with imelda, not everyone is gonna have the same experience.

^ this an excerpt from one of theatermania's articles. dictators have feelings too, i guess!

objectively, there is nuance when it comes to anyone. but the problem is, we cannot afford to consider nuance in politics. we cannot sympathize with imelda right now when people are dying of poverty under the marcoses' hand. the marcoses are very much alive, very much in power, and very much willing to lend their offspring to other positions of power. they turned the entirety of ilocos into a bunch of marcos dicksuckers, and i'm afraid that this musical can make a ton of their audiences be oblivious to the true extents of the marcos' atrocities. i'm already seeing people on tiktok say that there's nothing wrong about this musical, or that this can exist when miss saigon and evita exist (which in on itself are problematic beliefs, because they are glamorizing other country's sufferings too).

i am privileged enough to be educated about marcos, and while there is much to be done in terms of disability and lgbtqia+ rights, i am lucky to be less impacted by the marcoses compared to other people. but there are hundreds of thousands of filipinos severely affected by marcos. what's worse, is that there are plenty extremely uneducated that they are unaware that marcos is directly contributing to their suffering. my history professor told us that other countries are using the philippines as their model for successful disinformation campaigns. in this era of disinformation, we cannot afford to disinform even more. as sad as it is, the usa has a lot of power and control over the philippines (and the world, tbh), so one wrong step into the wrong direction and we're fucked. this musical fails the message it attempts to preach and i cannot imagine how much more people are going to spread misinformation about the philippines like they did during the 2022 elections.

to end off, i'd like to mention to everyone that imelda marcos has actually listened to the musical. in this new york times article, she says, "i'm flattered, i can't believe it!". i don't know what to tell you— if imelda herself says she likes the musical you claim to be anti-marcos, then what does that say about the musical?

i guess i'll end with, i am willing to change opinions once i see how the musical is being executed. if they emphasize the atrocities done by marcos and give proper information about the timeline of events, then i can be more lenient. but if i still see any attempts woobifying imelda, then i stand by what i say. this musical is insensitive, disrespectful, and just fucking hurtful.

#here lies love #imelda marcos #ferdinand marcos #bongbong marcos

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bambiraptorx · 6 months

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I've been rotating this theory in my head for a while so here goes: there's a decent possibility that Draxum was familiar with the Hamato legacy. Maybe through legends or histories that were written down, maybe by virtue of being old as rocks and actually being around during the Shredder's reign of terror, but I think he knew about it.

After all, it's suspiciously convenient that he just so happened to know about the twilight dimension that the weapon to defeat the Shredder was in (although he didn't know the weapon was Karai) AND that he knew how to access that dimension. Just off the top of his head.

Also, it would explain why he wanted Lou Jitsu's DNA, his "innate genetic gifts", to create his super soldiers if he had heard somehow about Hamato ninpo. Like, Draxum is a fighter himself, there's no way he would think that ALL of the fighting prowess/strength/skill that Lou Jitsu has is somehow genetic. So what if it wasn't Lou Jitsu's fighting prowess he was referring to, but the family's mystic arts?

After all, if you looked at a family record that talked about the incredible mystic power that runs in a clan, it would be easy to assume that said power was part of the bloodline itself. It's possible that the records wouldn't even mention that the power was mystic in nature at all (given that they would have been written by and for people who knew about/used ninpo, so there was no need to write down what it was), leading to the misconception that the power described was purely physical.

And given that Draxum was trying to make super soldiers, it would make sense if that process involved at least some reference to past warriors, if not in looking for good genetic material to use, then to look for good techniques and fighting styles to train them in. He would have thought he hit the jackpot in finding not only the history of the Hamato clan, but a living, breathing Hamato right in the Hidden City.

TDLR: Draxum wanted Lou Jitsu, not just because he was such a good fighter, but specifically because he was a Hamato.

#this theory might fall apart on closer examination of the show idk #in any case Draxum looked at Lou Jitsu and was like 'you're gonna be the dad for my designer babies'#bambi's rambling #rottmnt #rottmnt theory #rottmnt headcanons #rottmnt baron draxum #rottmnt lou jitsu #rise of the tmnt #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles

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shyxcherry · 1 year

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Drinking Games | San

summary: when you need an easy way to make money during your last semester of college, your friend gets you a job at a local bar. you wish that didn't include the cute singer who won't leave you alone, but when do things ever go your way.

pairing: Singer!San x Bartender!Reader

genre/warning: fluff, angst, smut, drunk men as reader does work in a bar, San is an idiot, but we love him anyway

Word count: 10.9k

note: My biggest fic i’ve ever written. i hope you enjoy it. there may or may not be a part two in the works.

You tie your hair up in a knot as you open your locker door. You throw your bag and phone into the locker before shutting it. You put your lock back onto the locker, so no one steals your stuff. This room may be locked by a code and only accessible to employees, but you wouldn't put it past anyone to steal your things. This was a bar after all.

You had gotten this job about a week ago. You needed a way to make money so you could pay your way through your last semester of college. You had tried working during the day, but between your classes and studying, you were mentally and physically exhausted. When your roommate Chae suggested a night job at the job where she works, you were against it. But you needed money, and what better way to make money than being a bartender?

Chae and another bartender, Miyoung, had spent the last few days teaching you the basics of drink making. You were in college, so of course you did know the basics. You and Chae would also practice drink making one your weekly movie nights. So, you at least knew your way around the bar.

You felt the heavy bass under your feet as you make your way to the bar. You nod your head greeting Jungho, one of the security guards who worked here. He was quite tall and looked like your typical scary guard, but Chae assured you that he was a big Teddy bear. Both him and Yunho, who was a guard as well.

You had some unspoken rules that Chae and Miyoung had told you about. One: Don't wear your hair down. Drunk man will grab it when you don't give them what they want. Two: Don't be afraid to show some skin. It will get you more tips. And three: Don't get involved with San. He was the leader of the group Purple Rose. You didn't have to ask what that meant since Chae had told you when it happened a few months ago.

Apparently, the last female bartender they hired thought she had a thing with San. They did sleep together, but San said that it was a one-night stand. That caused her to go 'crazy' according to Chae. There was even a rumor that she slashed his tires.

Today was your first day working without the help of Chae or Miyoung. You were working with a man named Hongjoong. You had met him when you were hired here. He was nice from what you could tell. He had some facial piercings and a sleeve of tattoos. Your favorite thing about him was his hair. It was split dyed black and white.

"What's up, short cake?" You heard Hongjoong yell at you over the loud music. They had just opened the doors, so people were starting to flood in.

"Like you're the one to talk." You joke. He was one of the shortest guys who worked at the bar. He hated when people rubbed that in. He bumped your hip as he brushed past you.

"Shut up."

The two of you get the bar prepared as people started to line up. You put on a smile as you started taking orders. You and Hongjoong worked around the bar nicely together. He told you that the two of you make a good team.

"Hey (Y/N)!" You look over to see Yeosang. He was the waiter of the VIP lounge. He would take drink orders and bring them back. The VIP lounge isn't very large, so Yeosang could manage it well on his own. "A round of vodka shots and a martini please."

You take the some shot glasses and place them on the tray he was holding. You pour a generously large amount of vodka in the glasses. You then work on making the martini. You place the mixed drink in a cute glass before placing an olive spear in it. You give it to Yeosang. He thanked you before walking off.

You look up from making a drink as the people of the dance floor start cheering. There you saw the owner of the bar standing on the stage. You knew what was about to happen. Purple Rose was about to play. The band was very popular for a small group. According to Chae, they are the main reason this bar stays afloat. The lead singer, San, had been sick, so they haven't played the last few days. This would be your first time watching them.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I hope you having a good night tonight." The owner, who told you to call him Red, spoke into the microphone. "It's about to get even better. Give it up for Purple Rose."

The crowd went crazy as four men walked onto the stage. You knew a little about them from Chae. The drummer was first. His name was Mingi. He was tall with gray hair. You smile as he jumped around the stage getting everyone hyped up.

Next were the two guitarists. On the bass was Seonghwa. He had black hair that was slicked back. He sported a leather jacket, which was his signature look. The other guitarist was Wooyoung. His hair was similar to Hongjoong's with the black in white, but the white was tucked underneath the black.

The last to come out was San, the singer. You felt like your ears were going to shatter with how loud the girls were screaming. His hair was slicked back like Seonghwa, but he had a red streak going down the middle.

"Thank everyone for coming out tonight. We are Purple Rose, and we're going to play some songs for you if that's okay?" San spoke into the microphone. The audience responded with cheers and whistles.

You did your best to watch them perform while you served drinks to people at the bar. You couldn't take your eyes off of San. The way he moved around the stage. It is like he belonged there. His voice was amazing as well. He had a natural growl to his voice.

You knew better than to interact with him though. He looked like the type who could make girls fall in love with him with one conversation. You weren't going to be one of them. You needed this job.

The group played for another half hour before announcing that their set was done for the night. You noticed that the four of them got off the stage and took pictures with the women who were waiting for them. You rolled your eyes before looking away as one girl, who barely had any clothes on, threw herself at them.

"Hello there, angel. I haven't seen you before." You heard someone say from behind you. You turn to see San leaning onto the counter with a smirk on his face. "Are you new?"

"Yes, I just started here last week." You answer shortly as you handed some guy his fifth beer.

"My name is San." He held out his hand for you to shake. You looked at his hand for a moment before leaning over and shaking his hand.

"(Y/N)."

"A beautiful name for a beautiful woman." He replied to you. You rolled your eyes at him before crossing your arms over your chest. You didn't miss him glancing at your chest.

"What can I get you to drink?"

"Trying to get rid of me so soon?"

"How did you guess?" You answered him. A loud laugh came out of his mouth, almost startling you. San liked you so far. A woman who fights back and doesn't just throw herself at him. It made him want to fight back.

"Just a beer."

You make him a glass of beer before sitting the tall glass in front of him. He thanked you before taking a long sip of the beer. He reached in his pocket and pulled out some money, but that's where you stopped him.

"It's on the house."

He should know this. All four of the band members get free drinks. Red said that it was one of his form of payments for them performing for him.

"It's a tip, angel. I only tip the pretty ones."

"And that's supposed to make me feel good?" You question him. Before he could respond, Hongjoong yelled from behind you.

"Is that why you never tip me?"

"You're not a pretty girl." San replied with an eye roll upset that he was interrupting his conversation with you.

"That's hurtful." You laughed as Hongjoong placed his hand over his heart.

"Don't worry. I think you're the prettiest girl I've ever seen." You reply.

"Thank you." Hongjoong smiled at you before glaring at San. "That's how you compliment someone."

You felt San grab your hand gently. He placed the money in your hand. Before you could throw it back at him, he chugged the rest of his drink before walking away.

"See you around, angel."

You grumbled under your breath before shoving the money in your back pocket. You weren't going to say no if he wanted you to have it so bad.

"I don't need to warn you, do I?" Hongjoong warned. "I mean, he's a good friend of mine, but he doesn't have the best history when it comes to women."

"Don't worry. I've already been warned." You tell him. You didn't have any interest in him. You had too much on your plate to be worried about a guy.

"Good. I don't need my new partner quitting over a broken heart."

"Not a chance."

You kick a rock down the sidewalk. This was your weekend off of work, so you were able to spend the weekend studying for you finance test on Monday. You decided to take a small break and go get some food. Thankfully, you lived down the street from a convenience store. Perfect for a college student.

You pull the door open as you step inside the quite store. It was 11 at night, so the store was empty besides the cashier. You grab a basket and make your way down the aisles. After you had gotten everything you wanted, you made your way to the front of the store. You pay for your food before walking over the tables.

You pull out your phone out of your pocket as you heat up your food. You continue to watch a drama that you had gotten interested in while you eat your food. You were enjoying yourself. That was until someone sat in front of you.

"Hello, angel."

You look up to meet the dark eyes of San. You held the urge to roll your eyes as he sits his bag of food down. Out of all the chairs, why did he sit here?

It's been three weeks since you started working at the bar. Since then, San has bothered you every night since he met you. And by 'bothering' you, you meant he's been trying to ask you on a date. You spent the first week completely ignoring him, but that got tiring very quickly.

You had told Chae about this. She said something similar to Hongjoong. That you needed to be careful around him. But there was something that she also said that you couldn't forget. According to her, San doesn't chase after woman like he has with you. Most of the time when San asks someone out, they say yes. But on the rare occasion they say no, he will leave them alone. You have said no a total of 12 time. You counted, but he hasn't taken no for an answer. Maybe it's the fact that you aren't afraid to put up a fight.

"What are the odds?" You mumble as you continue watching your show.

San let you continue to watch your show as he set up his meal. You looked away from your screen as he concentrated on his food. Your eyes drifted to his lips as he bit it. You heard him chuckle as you meet his eyes. Instead of being embarrassed like San had thought, you held eye contact with him.

"Like what you see?"

You shook your head as you rubbed at your lips. "Your lips are really dry. You should fix that. Your side chicks wouldn't like that."

"Don't worry, angel. You're the only one." You roll your eyes at him. Of course, that's the only thing he would get out that. "You know what would make this even better?"

"Don't say it." You interrupt him.

"If this was a date." You roll your eyes as he ignores you.

"You wish."

"I do. I spend all of my time wishing you would go on a date with me." San told you.

"You're such a liar." You laugh at him.

"Just one date?" San asked.

"No thanks."

"Please."

"San."

"(Y/N)."

"If I say yes, will you leave me alone?"

"Yes." He answered quickly.

"Just one date." You warn him.

"Unless you want more." He winked. Before you could respond to him, he interrupted you. "Just one date. If you don't enjoy it, I wound bug you again."

"Okay." You agree.

San pulled his phone out of his pocket. He pulled up the contacts before handing you the phone. You hesitated to give this man your phone number. Worst case scenario, you'll block him. You enter your number and send yourself a quick text. You hand his phone back to him.

"I'll let you know the next time I'm free." You tell him.

"You won't regret this, angel."

"I better not."

Due to your hectic schedule, it took almost two weeks before you and San could schedule your date. At first, he thought you were purposely pushing it back, but when you sent him a picture of your full color-coded schedule, he started to understand. It also made him admire you. You worked full time at a bar while you were a full-time student. San had tried that before, but he had failed. So, he understood partially. Until then, he was okay with texting you until your first date.

You also didn’t mind texting him. He wasn’t as annoying over text. He was very offended when you told him that. The more you texted, the more you got to know about him. The two of you were very similar. You both had a love for music, except you couldn’t sing for the life of you. That didn’t stop you though.

It was a Friday night that you scheduled your date. He had told you to dress casually. He had hinted at the idea of you wearing a dress, but you turned that down quickly. You still dressed cute though. Chae had whistled at you when you exited your room. She loved the fact that you were finally going on a date. She had tried to set you up many times before, but none of them have worked out. She did let you know how she had felt about it being San who you were going out with.

“Be careful.” She warned you.

“I will.” You assured her. “I’m just doing this to get him to leave me alone.”

“Okay. I just don’t want him to hurt you. I’ll be here to pick up the pieces. After I murder him.”

You laughed at your friend. “You watch to many crime shows.”

You grab your bag and phone before walking out the door when San had texted you stating that he was there. When you get outside, you see San in front of the building leaning on his car. When he sees you, a big smile covers his face. You smile at him as you stop in front of him.

"You look beautiful (Y/N)." He compliments you.

"Thank you. You look nice as well."

"Don't tell anyone, but I'm trying to impress this cute girl I work with." San said as he opened the door for you. You slide in before he closes the door. He walks around to the other side and gets in.

"Do I know her?" You play along.

"You should." He answers. "It's hard to miss her. She looks like an angel."

"Alright Mr. Cheese. Where are we going?" San laughed at your response.

"It's a surprise." San winked at you.

"I hope it's a good one because I hate surprises." You tell him.

"It's a good one. I promise."

San starts the car and drives off. The two of you listen to music in silence while you drive to your date location. At least it wasn't an uncomfortable silence. That was until San spoke up.

"So (Y/N), if you could live anywhere, where would it be any why?"

You could help but burst out laughing. "Where the hell did that come from?"

"I was trying to start a conversation with you." San laughed. He liked the sound of your laugh.

"I know that. I wasn't expecting a question like that." You told him.

"I may have looked up good conversation starters." San admitted. You looked at him to see if he was telling the truth. His red face gave it away. At least he was trying. You would give him that.

"I've never thought about it." You finally answered his question. "I would want to stay somewhere remote. Preferably in the mountains somewhere."

"Why the mountains?"

"I used to go on hikes with my parents when I was younger. We also camped a lot." You tell him.

"The Forrest kind of creeps me out." San says. "There's bears and stuff. I prefer the beach."

"There are sharks in the ocean." You chuckle when San huffs.

"You have a point."

"There's always a risk of danger when you go out into the world. Especially nature. I think that it's worth it."

San looked over at you. Beauty and brains. You weren't afraid to tell him your opinion, even when it didn't match with his. He appreciated that. It made conversations more interesting.

"Here we are."

You looked around. "Where are we?"

"My apartment." San answered. You looked at him skeptically.

"You brought me to your apartment?"

"Yes and no." He answered. "You have to trust me."

"Okay."

Both you and San got out of the car. San grabbed your hand as he guided you unto the building. He half expected you to let go of his hand, but when you didn't and held onto his hand, he felt his heart race. He really didn't want to mess this up. He had Seonghwa help him plan this since he was the only one who had a girlfriend.

The two of you waited for the elevator after San had hit the button. When the doors opened, you stepped in. San hit the button for the top floor.

"Do you live on the top floor?" You asked.

"No, I live on the third floor." San answered.

"Then why are we going to the top?"

"Patience angel."

The door opened and the two of you stepped out. San led you to the stair that led to the roof. San held the door open so you could walk through first. You held your hair back as a burst of cool wind blew around you. It was then you could see the beautiful view he had from his roof. Being able to see the stars without hearing the traffic was nice.

"Right this way, my lady." San's arm wrapped around your waist as he led you to your date spot.

On the other side of the staircase, there was a small gazebo. It was covered in string lights. There was a blanket laid out for you to sit on. Right in the middle of the blanket there was a picnic basket and some wine. There were also some blankets to cover yourself with. San remember when you told him that you get cold easily. He set out some pillows for you to sit on.

San watched your reaction. "Do you like it?"

"I do." You smiled at him. San let out the breath that he was holding.

"Then let’s eat."

The two of you sit down as San pulls out the food. He had one of your favorite foods that you had told him. He also had his favorite food. He also brought some snacks and wine glasses to drink the wine in.

The two of you had some small talk while the two of you ate. You made San pull up the website with those questions. You both answered a few of them. After you were done eating, you leaned back and covered yourself up.

"Earlier you said you went hiking with you parents, were you close with them?" San asked you.

"We were." You answered. "I was the only child, so the three of us hung out almost every weekend. They didn't want me being lonely."

"Are you still close?"

You shook your head. "Not anymore. As I got older, I didn't share the same values as my parents. They wanted me to be a doctor or a lawyer, and I didn't."

"What did you want to be?" San asked.

"At that point I didn't know." You answered. "I took a couple different college classes when I found out I liked business and finance. My parents didn't like that when I told them. They said that either I go to school for what they want, or they didn't want to see me again."

"What did you end up doing?"

"I'm a bartender. What do you think?" You laugh. "It's been three years since I've seen them, but they'll message me every once in a while to make sure I'm not dead."

"I'm sorry." San apologized.

"Don't be. I had to do what was going to make me happy." You told him. "What about you and you parents?"

"We've always been close. Especially my sister and me. At first, they weren't the blighted fan of me singing. I did what they asked and have college a go, but I ended up flunking out. It was after that they gave me their blessing." You watched San as he told you about his family. You noticed while you two were similar, your backgrounds were completely different.

The two of you lost track of time up there. Around midnight, San brought you back home. He parked his car before getting out to meet you.

"I had a good time with you San." You confess.

"Enough for a second date." San asked hopefully.

"Maybe." You tease.

San finds himself leaning in. Against all of what you previously thought of him, you lean on as well. San cups your cheeks as his lips meet yours. It was a short and sweet kiss. When he pulls away, he leans his forehead on yours.

It was then you felt it. The pit in your stomach. The ugly thing you call anxiety. You weren't used to being intimate. You haven't had many boyfriends, and you were still a virgin. You knew that San wasn't. What if you didn't meet his expectations? What if he realized he didn't want you because of your lack of experience?

"(Y/N), what's wrong?" San noticed something was off when you pulled away from him. You weren't acting like this before the kiss. Did he do something wrong?

"Nothing. Um..." You trailed off as you lost your train of thought.

"If I did something wrong, you can tell me." San told you. You shook your head.

"It's not anything you did. Can we just... Can we take it slow?"

San blinked as he finally understood the situation. He felt bad for not understanding earlier. "We can go however slow or fast you want. I won't push you. And I will never make you do anything you're not comfortable with."

San watched you relax some. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize." San interrupted.

"Thank you for tonight." You tell him.

"I'll text you in the morning." San tells you. You nod at him.

"Okay."

After the first date that San took you on, you agreed to another date. That second date turned into five dates. You didn’t want to admit it, but he was nothing like you first thought of him. He was kind to you, and he never made you uncomfortable in any way. You told him that you wanted to take it slow because of your lack of experience with guys and schoolwork. He respected that. He never pushed you. He always waited for you to make the first move. Then he would take the lead.

At first, you held yourself back. You were scared to get too involved with him just in case he was like you thought. But the longer you hung out with him, the more you found yourself letting go with him. San couldn’t hide his emotions well, that you learned early on. You could tell how happy he was when you opened up to him. He always listened to you with such an intensity in his eyes. Even when you were talking about boring things like your studies. He even asked questions. He never interrupted you. He made you feel cared for which was a new feeling with you. That also scared you.

Tonight, the two of you were hanging out at his apartment. You often hung out here because the two of you had privacy. You lived with Chae, and you loved her, but she was the nosiest person you knew. The first and last time you brought him over, Chae interrogated you for a solid three hours. You had to lock yourself in your room to get away from her. You also loved the view from his apartment. He didn’t live to far from the bar you worked at. The neon lights from the restaurants and bars were all you could see.

The two of you started out watching a movie. You ordered pizza that was left half eaten on the table. All was forgotten as you sat on San’s lap. His arms were wrapped tightly around your waist as the two of you made out. This wasn’t how you planned on the night to go. But when San saw you putting on a new strawberry lip balm, he just couldn’t help himself. One quick kiss turned into this.

You felt yourself getting carried away the more you kissed him. And the more you kissed him, the more turned on you got. You wanted him so badly. You hoped that he felt the same. You ground your hips against San’s. You felt yourself becoming wet when San let out a deep groan. You also could feel him become hard against your bare leg.

San pulled away from you making you whine. He smiled before placing his forehead on yours. “Angel, if you don’t want to take things further, we need to stop.”

“What if I want to continue?”

“I would love nothing more, but are you sure?” San asked you. As happy as he was to finally have you, he wasn’t going to push you. He would wait for as long as you said. He knew that you were a virgin. He would be honored if you trusted him enough for him to be the one to take your virginity.

“I want to be yours.” You told him. His hands reached up to brush against your cheeks. He pulled you into a kiss. You grip the collar of his shirt as you pour all of your emotions into the kiss. He continued to brush your cheeks as he pulled away again.

“We can stop at any point.” San assured you.

When he was completely sure that this was what you wanted, he stood up with you in his arms. You wrapped your legs around his waist as he made his way to his bedroom. You felt your back hit the soft mattress as he laid you on his bed. You sit up on your elbows as you watch him remove his shirt. You rake your eyes down his body. He was very fit, which didn’t shock you. What did shock you were the nipple piercings. You felt your heart race as he stared at you.

“You like what you see?”

You lean up and grab his hand. “I’d like it better if you were on top of me.”

“You’re wish is my command.”

You lay back has San hovers over you. You wrap your arms around San’s neck as he pulls you into another kiss. You feel a shiver as San’s hand start to pull up your shirt, exposing your stomach. You break the kiss before lifting yourself up as he pulls your shirt over your head, leaving you in only a bra. You felt yourself blush as San admired you.

“So beautiful.”

San pressed a kiss to your red cheek before he slowly made his way down your body. You tilted your head as he kissed down your neck. San felt himself grow impossibly hard when you let out a soft moan as he sucked on your neck. He didn’t think he had heard a more beautiful sound. He wouldn’t mind hearing that for the rest of his life.

His hands brushed over your bra. You stiffened for a second before relaxing. He paused and looked up at you. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” You told him. “I’m just not used to having anyone touch me like this.”

He pressed his lips to yours in a sweet kiss. “You’re safe with me.”

“I know. I trust you.”

San felt his heart swell as you said that. He knew that he hadn’t had the best past with women. You knew that. That’s why it was so hard for you to open up to him. He was so glad you did. You were the most beautiful woman, inside and out. And he was going to spend the rest of your time together telling you that.

“Can I take this off?” His hands brushed your chest once again.

You didn’t flinch this time as you nodded your head. You lifted up your back some as his hands slid around your back as he unhooked your bra. He slid the bra down your arms before tossing it to the side. You felt yourself turn shy once again as your hands rested on top of your breasts. San noticed this. He kissed your cheek before speaking.

“You don’t have to hide from me.” He whispered. “Especially when you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”

You let him guide your arms to the side of the bed. When he looked down at your chest, he couldn’t help the smile that overcome his face. He laughed as he buried his head in the crook of your neck. You laughed along with him.

“I guess we really are made for each other, aren’t we?”

You had a matching set of nipple piercings. You went out partying one night with Chae and some other friends. After spending half the night drinking, someone had the idea of getting piercings. Some didn’t agree, but most did. That included you. You already had a few piercings in your ears, so you wanted something else. That’s when Chae said she was getting her nipple pierced. The two of you went in together and held each other’s hands as you got them. Once you saw them the new morning, you instantly regretted them. That was until you saw the way that San stared at them.

“I guess so.” You laugh.

San pulled away from your neck with one last kiss. He kissed his way down your chest. You jumped in shock when San placed your left nipple in his mouth, your hand instantly going into his hair. You let out a moan when he started to suck on your nipple. His other hand went up to play with the other nipple. You hadn’t felt anything like this before. San could tell how much you were enjoying it by the sounds you were making.

“Does my baby like that?”

You looked down to meet San’s eyes. They were filled with lust as he placed your other nipple in his mouth. You thought you would be uncomfortable looking into his eyes while you were being intimate, but it actually calmed you if that made any sense. It also turned you on even more if possible. You whimpered as San released your nipple with a loud ‘pop.’ He started to make his way down your body, kissing every inch his lips could reach.

“So soft.” You heard him mumble. Once he got to the hem of your bottoms, he looked up at you once again for permission. “May I?”

“Please.”

San unbuttoned your bottoms before sliding both them and your underwear down your legs. Before you could close your legs, San laid in between them. His lips caught yours in a passionate kiss. Your hands rested on his face as he kissed you. He held your lip between his teeth as he pulled away. As he let go of your lip, he placed a sweet kiss on your nose that had you smile.

“Are you ready for me to continue?” He asked you. You nodded your head at him, but he wanted you to actually answer him. “I want you to use your words, angel.”

“Please.”

“Please what?” San teased you.

“Please touch me.” You answered him. Gave you one last kiss before making his way between your legs. He places a kiss to your inner thigh as you try to relax.

“You don’t know how long I’ve waited for you.” He placed more kisses to your inner thigh as he made his way to your heat. “Since the first time I laid my eyes on you, I’ve wanted you more than anything. I knew I had to make you mine. And now that you are, I’m never letting you go.”

He placed a kiss on your clit making you jump. You had never felt so sensitive down there. You could feel every breath as San watched your reaction to him. You looked beautiful. Your eyes scrunched shut as he licked a strip up your heat. The moan that came out of your mouth made him think he was in heaven.

You gripped the bedsheets as San started to suck on your clit. You felt yourself moan louder the more San pleasured you. As soon as you felt yourself getting lost in pleasure, San released your clit. A loud whine came out of your mouth as you opened your eyes.

“Why did you stop?”

“I’m sorry, angel.” He apologized, but the smirk on his face said otherwise. “I just wanted to prepare you.”

“Prepare me for what?” You asked.

“My fingers.” You gulped at his answer. San could see the fear in your eyes. “I going to take it slow. It may be uncomfortable at first.”

“What if it hurts?” You ask.

“If it hurts, you let me know, and I will stop, okay?” You nod at Sans answer. You watch him as he goes back to your heat.

You felt yourself relax as San continue to kiss and suck on your clit. You felt him shift, so you knew what was going to come next. You tried to stay relaxed as San enter one finger into you. You shifted at the feeling. It wasn’t painful, but it was slightly uncomfortable.

“Are you okay?” San asked.

You nodded your head. “I’m okay. You can keep going.”

San watched your face as he started moving his finger in and out of you. He could tell that you were starting to enjoy it. Your mouth parted as a soft moan came from your lips. He decided to take it further.

“I’m going to add a second finger.” San warned you. You let out a small ‘okay.’

San continued to lick at your clit as he added a second finger. You threw your head back as he stretched you out. It felt oddly good. San continued to watch how you reacted. He could tell when you liked something by how loud your moans were. He continued to make sure he was only causing you pleasure, not pain.

“Does it feel good?”

“S-So good.” You moan out. You could barely talk because of the pleasure. You felt him enter a third finger causing you to moan again. It wasn’t long before you felt a familiar pit in your stomach. “San, I’m close.”

“I know baby. Go ahead and cum. I’ve got you.”

You arch your back as San sucks even harder on your clit. Between that and his fingers pumping out of you, you reached your climax. You griped his hair as you moaned out his name. San almost felt like he could climax just from watching you orgasm. The way your eyes scrunched up. Your head was thrown back as his name came from your lips repeatedly. He would never forget the image.

San pulled his fingers from you as you came down from your high. You watched as he placed his fingers in his mouth before sucking them clean. When he released his fingers from his mouth, you grabbed his neck before pulling him to you. Your lips crashed in a messy kiss. You could taste him on you as you continued to kiss him, which wasn’t as disgusting as you thought it would be.

“How did that feel?” San asked as he pulled away from you.

“Amazing.” You answer still out of breath.

You run your hands down his chest as you make your way to the bulge in his jeans. His head falls onto your shoulder as he lets out a moan when you start palming him through his jeans. You were barely touching him, and he felt like he was going to cum. It was when you started to undo his pants that he stopped you.

“Not tonight.” He told you. “Tonight, is all about you. We can do that another time, okay?”

“Are you sure?” You ask. You could see how much he was straining in his jeans. He placed his hands on your cheeks as he raised your face to meet his in a kiss.

“All I want is to be inside of you.”

You blushed at his words. “Okay.”

You laid there as San got up from the bed. You weren’t ashamed as you watched him unbutton his pants. His length jumped out as he pulled his pants down his legs. You felt yourself almost moan at the sight of him. You had never seen someone so beautiful.

“How are you from this world?” You question. You smile as you finally made him blush for a change.

“You can’t just say things like that out of nowhere.”

“Well, it’s the truth.” You tell him. “You’re absolutely stunning.”

San sits on the side of the bed as he pulls you into another kiss. While he kisses you, he reaches over to his bedside table. He opens it and pulls out a condom. He pulls away from you for a second before opening the packet and sliding the condom on. He lays in between your legs once again as he kisses you. You stiffen when you felt his length brush against your heat. San pulled away before looking at you.

“Do you want to keep going? We can stop right now. I won’t be upset.” San assured you. You could tell he meant that, but you didn’t want to stop. You meant it when you said you wanted to be his.

“I don’t want to stop.”

“Are you sure?” He asked again.

“I am. Just be gentle.” You laughed. San kissed your cheek as he promised he would.

He grabbed your legs and wrapped them around his waist. “I need you to relax for me. I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Okay.” You nod at him. He waits until you relax some before he continues.

“Are you ready?”

“Yes.”

San lines himself up at your entrance. He waits before you nod your head at him before he slowly pushes into you. You clench around him as he stretches you. You burry you head into his neck. San continues to ask if you’re okay, even though your answer is the same every time. You’re finally able to relax enough for him to insert himself the rest of the way in.

He kisses your forehead as you try to adjust to him. “You’re doing so good, angel.”

“I don’t know about that, but thanks for the compliment.” He chuckles at your response. Even if you were in pain, you were still cracking jokes. You pull away from his neck and give him a kiss. His hand goes to the back of your neck as he deepens the kiss. As he kisses you, he feels you relax around him. You pull away and lay your head back on the pillow. “You can move now.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

San pulls himself back before slowly thrusting into you. It didn’t hurt as much then at first. The more he continued, the better it got. It went from pain, to an uncomfortable feeling, and finally to pleasure. Even if it was torture for San to go so slow, he would until you told him otherwise. He could tell it was starting to get better for you by the way your fingernails dug into his back.

“San?” You get his attention.

“Yes, my baby.” San looks at you.

“Can you go faster?”

“As you wish.”

This time San buries his head into your neck as he speeds up. He was trying to hold off for you, but he didn’t know if he could. You felt so good wrapped around him. And the moans that were coming out of your mouth weren’t helping him.

“You feel so good baby. I don’t know how long I’m going to last.” San groaned when you clenched around him.

You could tell that he was close because his speed picked up. You knew he couldn’t help himself. He wasn’t used to going slow, but you didn’t mind the speed up. As long as he didn’t mind the marks on his back from you.

“San, I’m close.” You moan out.

“Me to baby.” San’s hand made his way down your body. Your body jolted as his hand rubbed at your clit. You let out a loud moan as he brought you over the edge. “Cum for me.”

You threw your head back as you came to your climax. San was right behind you as he finally got his release. He sloppy thrusted into you as the two of you came down from your highs. San laid his head on your shoulder as he pulled out of you. You moan at the loss.

San was careful to not put all of his weight on you as he collapsed on you. You didn’t seem to mind as you wrapped your arms around his neck. You started to play with the hair on the back of his neck as the two of you laid in silence. That was until you spoke up.

“Thank you.”

He lifted his head up to look at you. “Thank me for what?”

“For being my first.” You answer. “I couldn’t have imagined it going anymore perfect than that.”

San felt his heart swell as he placed a kiss on your lips. You responded instantly. When he pulled back, you could feel a new emotion that you haven’t felt before. One that scared you.

“I think I’m falling in love with you.”

San felt his eyes widen as you confessed that to him. He then whined when he realized what you said. “I wanted to be the first one to confess.”

“Way to ruin the moment.” You laugh. San gasped at you.

“I ruined the moment?”

“Just a little.” You hold your hand up with your fingers almost touching.

“Take that back.”

“Make me.” You smile. You let out a scream as San’s hands tickle your side. You slap his hands as you try to make him stop tickling him.

“Take it back.”

“Okay!” San’s hands freeze for a moment. He leaned close to you.

“I didn’t hear you.”

“You didn’t ruin the moment.” You smile at him. He placed a kiss on your cheek as the two of you catch your breaths.

“I think I’m falling in love with you too.”

You pull your hair out of your clip as you walk in the locker room. Tonight, was one of the nights that Purple Kiss didn't perform. San wasn't the biggest fan of it. Since the two of you slept together, he didn't like you being at work without him. You brushed him off saying that you knew how to take care of yourself.

He begged you to let him at least come pick you up, but you told him no. You had a test in the morning, and you didn't need any distractions. San understood that, but he wasn't happy. He sent you a pouty face just to make sure you knew.

When you walk to your locker, you furrow your eyes. The lock that was on your locker was cut off and was laying on the floor. You rush over and open your locker. You dig through your bag. Your phone, wallet, and car keys are still in the bag. Nothing was stolen, so why did someone cut the lock? It was then you saw it.

There was a package laying on the bottom of the locker. You picked it up and opened it. Out of it fell a USB and a note that said play me.

"This is some horror movie level shit." You mumble. "Oh well."

You throw the package in your bag before slamming your locker shut. Watching that could wait until tomorrow after your test. And it did because you forgot about it.

You were lounging on the couch doing schoolwork and watching Gossip Girl when Chae come into the apartment. As she fixed herself a bowl of cereal, she turned to you.

"Didn't you want to show me something?"

You looked at her in confusion until it hits you. "Oh. Look at this."

You explained to her how your lock had been cut at work and how you found the package inside. You watched her as she opened the package.

"This is something you'd find in a horror movie."

"That's what I said." You told her. "Wanna watch it together?"

"Hell yeah I do."

You saved your schoolwork before closing it out. You put in the USB. On it was only one thing.

"The real San? Maybe it's one of his stalker exs." Chae told you.

"Only one way to find out."

You click on the video. The screen was black, but there was audio. You could clearly make out San and Wooyoung arguing.

"Have you seen the new girl?" San asked.

"The one that's out of your league?" Mingi responds. You could hear Wooyoung laughing before you're assuming San hit him.

"Why would you say that?"

"Seonghwa's girl said that she was way too smart for me." Wooyound said. He wanted you as well. You couldn't figure out why though. The girls that threw themselves at them were more attractive than you.

"So?"

"You have a worst track record than I do with women."

"She's different though." San told him.

"Which is why she would never go for you." Mingi told him.

"You know you guys are supposed to be my friends, right?"

"We are." Wooyoung said. "We're just being honest."

"I think you're wrong." San said. You paused the video before looking at Chae. It seems like she had the same idea you did.

"Is this going where I think it's going, is it?" You ask.

"I really hope not." Chae answers. "I really thought San changed because of you."

You hit play on the video hoping that the two of you were wrong.

"You know what this mean?" Wooyoung says. "A bet."

"Really?" San asked.

"You have one month to sleep with her."

"And if not?"

"You owe me $500." Your eyes widened at Wooyoung's statement. Is that why San tried so hard to get you to go out with him? You felt like you were going to be sick.

"Let's be fair." Mingi said. "You have to let him get a first date before the timer starts."

"Are you in on the too, Mingi?" Wooyoung asked.

"Yes, but I don't think he's going to even get a first date."

"I don't even know why you bet on these things Mingi. You always lose." Wooyoung said.

"Shut the hell up."

"Alright. Winner gets one grand. You in San?"

Please say no.

"You're on."

Chae closes the laptop as the video ends. You stare at your lap, playing with a string on your shirt. You felt your eyes burn with unshed tears.

"You can say I told you so. I won't be mad." You tell her.

"Come here."

When Chae pulled you into a hug, you let out a sob as you cried into her shoulder. She held onto you tight.

"I feel like an idiot."

"He's the idiot if he didn't realize what he was doing." Chae told you.

"I slept with him Chae." Chae eyes widened at your statement. She knew how important losing your virginity to the right person was to you. "I told him I loved him."

"I'm going to kill him." Chae threatened. She couldn't just sit around and what you cry over some guy who didn't deserve it. She's going to make sure he regrets ever talking to you. She's going to make his life a living hell.

"You're going to have to beat me to it." You tell her.

"Well, I did just watch this good documentary on how to properly hide a body without getting caught." You laughed at Chae's statement. You pulled back and wiped your face. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to confront him." You answer. "After I pull myself together."

You put the USB and paper back in the envelope before taking a long, warm shower. You do what you said and pull yourself together. You put on some makeup and a cute outfit. He didn't deserve to see your tears. He doesn't deserve to see how much he hurt you.

"Kick his ass for me!" Chae yells as you leave the apartment.

You make the drive over to his place. You weren't sure if he was home or not. You had his spare key though, so you would just wait. You had half the thought of being petty and trashing his apartment. You knock on his door and wait a minute. The door opens revealing a half-asleep San. His smile bright when he sees it's you.

"Angel." He pulls you into a hug. He places a kiss on your cheek before pulling back. "What did I do to be blessed with your presence?"

You roll your eyes as you pull the envelope out of your bag. "Something happened at work last night, and I wanted to show you."

"Did someone hurt you? You should've let me come-"

"Calm down. No one hurt me." You interrupted him. "Except for you."

"What did you say?"

"Nothing." You smiled. "Anyway, my locker was broken into. Nothing was stolen, but I found this."

You hand the envelope. He opens it before looking at you. "What is this?"

"A video that I want you to watch." You answer.

San looks at you questionably. You weren't acting like your normal self. You were shutting yourself off from him like you did when you first met. But he did what you asked and played the video on his laptop. You didn't move as you watched him. As the video ended, San reacted similar to you and just stared at the black screen.

"Let me help you out here." San looked at you when you started speaking. "(Y/n), let me explain. This isn't what it looks like."

"I'm sorry." San told you.

"I don't want an apology. I want an explanation." You raise your voice. "Was I a fucking bet?"

"At first yes." San said. That was all you needed to know as you turned to leave. "But I told them I didn't want to be a part of it anymore."

"And I'm supposed to believe you?"

"It's the truth." San told you. "After the first date, I realized that you were some one-night stand. I wanted to get to know you. The more I found out, the more I fell for you. Nothing I ever told you was a lie."

"Our whole relationship is a fucking lie!" You yell at him. "Were you ever going to tell me?"

San was quiet for a moment which answered your question. You run your hand through your hair as you blow out a frustrated sigh.

"I should have listened to everyone when they said to stay away from you."

"(Y/N)-"

"I never want to see you again."

"Please don't do this." San begged. You could see the tears start to form in his eyes. "I love you."

"You should've thought about that before you broke my heart."

“Are you sure you’re okay to do this? I can still pick up your shift.”

“Chae, I need the money.”

It has been almost a week since you had your breakup with San. You were trying to heal from the whole thing, but San was making it very hard. First it was phone calls. Then it was texts. You ended up blocking him on everything possible, but he still would give up. He never showed up to your place which you were grateful for. You know you couldn’t avoid him completely since he performs where you work, but you were still going to try. He did; however, send some sort of apology gift every day. Flowers and food would be at your doorstep every morning. He was persistent you would give him that.

“How much longer do you have?”

“2 months.”

You were so close to graduating. But in order to graduate, your fees had to be paid. Paying that on top of rent and bills had you struggling a lot. You and Chae go half on paying rent. You were even able to pay your half this month. Chae said that it was okay because she knew how hard you were working, but you still felt bad. You just needed to hold up for two more months. You know this wouldn’t be the end of your money issues, but it would help. You already had a job lined up for after graduation.

You looked at the time on the wall. “I’ll talk to you when I get home.”

“Okay. Love you.”

“Love you too.”

You threw your phone in your locker before slamming it shut. You open the new lock you had bought and placed in on the locker. Hopefully this time someone wouldn’t break into it. You didn’t have much to lose at this point either.

You start your normal routine of pulling your hair up before walking out of the locker room. It was quiet at the moment since the bar had another hour before it opened. Hongjoong had texted you earlier asking if you would because he was having some car trouble. You told him that you would come in early to set up the bar. Especially when he said that he would do his best to keep San away from you.

You listen to the DJ setting up his playlist as you polished the drink glasses all while you ignored the security guards. You knew that they were friends of San’s. You didn’t know if they knew, but by the way they were looking at you, San told them. You didn’t want any questions.

You were almost done setting up the bar when someone past you. You turn to see Hongjoong with a towel finishing up the glasses. You give him a smile which he returned.

“New hair, Papa Smurf?”

“You know. I had some mild life change, so I decided to change up my look.” You let out a laugh at his reason for dying his hair. “How are you doing?”

“I’m doing great.” You lie. He looked at you with raised eyebrows.

“The truth please.”

“What do you want me to say? I found out my first love only got with me for a bet. I can’t even afford my tuition anymore. And I have to make an A on my next exam, or I’m not even going to graduate.”

The two of you jumped when loud music started playing. People were starting to be let into the bar. Hongjoong couldn’t respond to you as people started to line. You put on a fake smile as you started to serve people their drinks.

You heard the familiar screams of the crowd, so you knew what was coming. You took a deep breath as you willed yourself not to look up and to keep serving. You didn’t know what would happen if you looked at San. Would you get sad and cry? Or would you get angry and yell at him?

You bobbed your head to the music as you polished some glasses. You get a small break while Purple Rose performs because everyone wants to watch them. You felt someone staring at you, so you looked up. You made the mistake of looking up towards the stage. Your heart dropped as you made eye contact with San. He was looking at you the whole time. His eye contact never waivered even after you looked at him. He wanted you to know that you were the only person he wanted. Even if you didn’t want him anymore.

“Hey, Princess!” You turn to see Yeosang standing next to a new guy with black hair. You smile wide as you walk over.

“What can I get for you sweetheart?” You question. Yeosang motions to the new guy next to him.

“This is Jihoon. I’m training him.”

“Hello Jihoon. I’m (Y/N).” You hold your hand out for him. He shakes your hand mirroring your smile.

“Nice to meet you.”

“Tell her what we need.” Yeosang nudges him.

“Um, a round of tequila shots.”

“Coming right up.” You walk off to fulfill the order. You come back with a tray full of tequila shots and lemons. They had salt at the table, so you didn’t have to get any. You hand the tray to Jihoon before sending them off.

“Thank you.”

You get back to working completely ignoring San singing. You didn’t want to look at him again. You just wanted to forget him. Why was that so hard? He hurt you, so why do you still love him?

You didn’t notice that the band had finished playing until Hongjoong had pushed you to his side of the bar. You didn’t realize why until you saw San walk up to where he normally stands next to you. You watched the two argue before someone got your attention.

You something wet hit your arm causing you to look. Some guy had spilt his beer all over the bar, you, and some girl. The girl shrieks before walking off to what you assume is the bathroom. You grab a wet towel and start to clean up the mess. That was until the drunk man grabbed your wrist.

“What’s a pretty thing like you doing behind the bar?”

“What the fuck do you think?” You question. “Working. Now let me go.”

You try to yank your arm away from him, but he had a tight grip on you. One that was starting to hurt.

“I can show you a better way of making money. Especially with a body like that.”

“You wish. Let me go.”

You motioned for security to escort him out. That was until you saw a flash of black fly towards the man. You watch in shock as San punches the man so hard, he fell out of his seat. People gathered around as they watched San repeatedly punch the guy. Security and Red arrived and pulled San off of him. Security pulled the drunk guy out of the bar while Red yelled at San.

“What the hell is wrong with you?”

“He was assaulting your employee.” San yelled back at him. You looked down as the two men looked at you. Red started to understand why San had become so violent, but he still couldn’t have something like this happening in his bar.

“That’s why we have security guards.” Red told him. “My office now.”

Red shoved San as he didn’t want to listen at first. San looked at you one last time hoping that you would look back at him, but you didn’t. Your eyes stayed glued to the ground. That was until Hongjoong got your attention. He watched you nod at him before walking off for a break. He waited until you went to a safe area before walking off with Red.

You make your way to the employee bathroom. You turn on the cold water before splashing your face with it, trying to calm yourself down. You don’t understand why San was acting like this. He shouldn’t be acting hurt when he was the reason all of this happened. Even if he was regretful, he couldn’t change what he did. The only reason why he talked to you was for a bet. You knew that could’ve changed somewhere along the way. He could’ve ended things after you slept together, but he didn’t. He stayed with you for 3 weeks after that.

After drying off your face and sitting in the locker room for a good 10 minutes, you got up to continue your job. You pat Hongjoong on the back as you past him letting him know you were okay. You continued to put on a brave face as you served people for the rest of your shift. Last call was an hour later. Everyone got their last drinks before you two started to clean the bar. As you were cleaning, you heard someone clear their voice from behind you. You both turn to see Red standing there.

“You mind if I borrow you for a moment?” Red asked you. You turn to look at Hongjoong. You didn’t want him to clean up by himself.

“Go. I’ll handle it.”

You took at deep breath as you followed Red to his office. He opens the door letting you enter first. You sit in the chair in front of the desk while he sits behind it. You decided to speak first.

“I’m sorry about what happened earlier.”

“You don’t need to apologize.” Red told you. “It wasn’t your fault, but someone does have to deal with the consequences.”

“What do you mean?” You asked.

“You know my rules. No fighting in my bar. Now, do I fire the guy who makes me money? Or the girl who I pay to work here?” Your heart dropped at his questions. He can’t fire you. You need this job.

“Please don’t.” You plead. “I need this job.”

Red looked unbothered as he shrugged his shoulders. “Not my problem.”

Red pulled out an envelope and handed it to you. You opened it to see your paycheck. You scoff as you look back up at him. He really was firing you for something you didn’t even do. You stood up from his chair as you made your way out of his office. Red said something as you opened the door.

“I’m sorry, (Y/N).”

You turn to look at him. “Go fuck yourself.”

You slam the door shut before you walk to the locker room. You hurry over to your locker before pulling your stuff out. You were going to let anyone in this bar see you cry. You could hold it in until you got to your car. You throw your bag over your shoulder as you exit the building. You walk over to your car but stop when you see who’s leaning on the driver’s side.

“What do you want?”

San turned to look at you. “Are you okay? He didn’t hurt you did he.”

“No. I’m pretty sure the only one hurting me is you.” You respond. San’s shoulders dropped as you said that.

“Can we talk? Please.”

“I thought me blocking you was my answer to that.”

“You know me. I’m stubborn.”

“That you are.” You tell him. “Let me start by asking you something.”

San looked excited to talk to you. “Ask me anything.”

“Why do you keep hurting me?” You ask him. You could see him deflate when you ask him that.

“Angel, you have to understand that hurting you was something I never wanted to do.”

“But you did, and you keep doing it.” You blink, feeling the tears hit your cheeks. “Using me enough apparently. You got me fired San.”

“What?” He looked at you shocked.

“Someone had to pay for your stupid actions, and once again it was me.”

“I didn’t- Why would he do that?” San questioned. You shrugged.

“I don’t know.”

“I know you’re struggling. Let me help you.”

“No, San.”

“(Y/N)-”

“Please leave me alone. I’m begging you.”

“Is that really what you want?”

No.

“Yes.”

“Okay.” San sighed. You could see his tears match yours. “I won’t contact you again. But just know that I never lied to you, not once. Especially when I say I love you. And that won’t change.”

“Goodbye San.”

“Goodbye Angel.”

#ateez #ateez scenarios #ateez reactions #ateez san #san #san imagines #san reactions #san scenarios #kpop #kpop reactions #kpop sceanrios #kpop imagines #imagines #scenarios #reactions

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freshlyrage · 10 months

Text

Running Like Water

Chapter 1

pairing: Javier Peña x OFC (written as xReader)

fic warnings: Explicit Smut (18+ MDNI) language, strained family relationships, mentions of drug abuse, discussions of insecurities and body image issues, daddy and mommy issues, first few chapters are flashbacks to high school, they WILL NOT be explicit just fluff.

fic tags: Best friends younger sister, Life-long crush, Friends to lovers, Unrequited love, slow burn, Push and Pull, Small Town Dynamics, Secret Relationships, latina MC, Fluff and Angst, OFC!Jessica Alba face claim, sorry Lorraine I'm bringing you into this, Time jumps, 2 year age gap, pre-canon

Fic Summary: Andrea has loved Javier since she was a girl in pigtails, yet he has always been off limits. Andrea's older brother Frankie makes sure Javier never crosses any lines, which was an easy task considering Javi's relationship status with long term girlfriend Lorraine. Somewhere, the lines blur.

A/N: Hi tumblr, I decided to also upload on here so heh Hi! It was mentioned in the tags but Ms. Jessica Alba is my face claim for Andrea my beloved. I do have little pinterest boards but I feel like I could also post my inspo pics on here too hehe. Anyway my pinterest is maribari11. My Running Like Water Boards are titled;

Before 1985

Genie and Frankie

1985+

Lor.

Diaz House

First ten chapters are being slowly uploaded on here but can be accessed on ao3. Enjoy :)

word count: 3.3k

Andrea was fifteen, thirteen, twelve and twenty one in his basement. In 1977 Andrea was only thirteen. Her brother, Frankie was fifteen and most definitely couldn’t be bothered hanging out with the girl. She was a bit awkward and interested in things he wasn’t. Deep in his rebellious phase, skipping church and frequenting smoking pot at Genevieve's house. That bitch. Andrea would mutter when she would roll her car into the dirt driveway.

She used to pick fun of Andrea and Andrea wasn’t one to just “forget” about something like that. Having Frankie around definitely pushed that potty mouth that they wouldn’t dare use around their mama. Having been the one of the only Puerto Ricans within a 3 mile radius, mom would take them to church trying to follow along with the differences in words between the way they spoke on the island and how their preacher from Mexico preached.

Melissa Diaz, single mother with too much money for her own good. The largest home in their neighborhood, courtesy of her grandfather who wrote Melissa’s name in his will. He struck big with oil in the 30s and his only alive relative was his little one Melissa, who wasn’t so little. She was already pregnant with Andrea at the time and obviously dropped her life in Miami as a struggling single mom for sudden Texas luxury.

They were also one of the few people in the neighborhood who didn’t like the ranching lifestyle.

Melissa wasn’t into that, she opened up her boutique in town and let the money pile that way. But it was lonely, for Andrea at least. She had friends in her sixth grade classes of course but it was never close enough to be invited out when they would leave school on Fridays and walk to Genevieve's (bitch) dads ice cream parlor. Despite Frankie’s new habits, maybe once a month he’d take Andrea out. And he had taken her out that summer.

The fishing rod sound was comforting, down the hill and a sharp left into town. “Frankie! My legs are too short to keep up.” Green short overalls and a baseball ring t-shirt. His back was facing you and you grip the handles, lean forward but it still doesn’t make you as fast as him. You mutter curses under your breath like your mama could hear.

The town came into view, the shops, moms shop and the police station smack in the middle. The police of Laredo, who mama very much disliked after she was pulled over for having Frankie in the front seat when he was six.

Genevieve's beetle parked in front of the ice cream shop, the speed increases and you can’t help but groan with annoyance. You follow him any way knowing you will be ditched for the next 2 hours, I can just ride back home now.

You don’t though. You follow him before the two of you park our bikes by a post, you two hadn’t had your locks because one of the two of you usually would stay out with the bikes, (it was always Frankie) while the other (you) bought ice cream. With Ice Cream you and your brother would walk your bikes to a bench. Sit for a bit and eat ice cream, it was the time where you two actually enjoyed each others company. Frankie is eyeing the car, “Stay here, I’m going to see if I can catch Genie.”

You give him pleading eyes, “No Frankie, this isn’t fair.” You look around anxiously at the thought of being alone in the street next to two pricey bikes. He laughs and shoves your shoulder before walking into the shop. God, you hate this phase he’s in. He’s totally in love with her and she was older- seemed like she just wanted to be around him to smoke. You look out at the town surrounding you. Summer classic, just so busy this time of year. You watch as 3 girls leave mom's shop, bags in hand. Teenage boys laughing over something near the bar that was closed.

“Andrea?” A deep voice comes from behind you, deep voice? You turn, your pigtails practically slapping against your face. You blink rapidly as the boy approached you. He looked your close to brothers age, but with one of those awkward puberty staches. “Sorry, your Frankie’s sister right?”

You nod, looking down at the bikes, still confused as to why he was talking to you. Or how he knew your name, or why he was getting so close. “You should know that your brother owes 30 cash for a few ounces, has been avoidin’ me” His steps even closer and you can’t hold both bikes at once, Frankie’s bike drops to the floor. Shaking your head, you already had a fear of boys, let alone teenage boys. Now one is close to you asking for money you for sure did not have.

“That’s not my issue dude.” You squeak, and grimace, you really couldn’t have looked weaker than at this moment. Twelve years old in overalls and pig tails. The tween quickly retrieve a blade from his pocket.

With quickness and without any time for thoughts you step away from the bike.

Fuck this.

The boy crouches down and stabs the wheel and the scream you let out is nothing short of embarrassing.

Is no one seeing this?

In a split second the kids face is on the ground, pushed as he stabbed the wheel.

“What the fuck is your issue?” A voice growls, not deep like the prick on the floor but definitely a voice of someone awaiting puberty. Your eyes flash up from the sight-seeing the voice, reaching down and grabbing the collar of blade boy, turning him on his back. “Get the fuck out of here.” He shoves the kid further into the concrete and now people were paying attention.

Yet still, no sign of Frankie, who was probably already smoking with Genie in the back of the store.

The guy with a smudge of sidewalk dirt on his cheek runs away from the 14-year-old vigilante, abandoning his weapon.

The boy had a familiar look, like you’ve seen him in school. A grown look to him already to which his voice contrasted. Your face flushed red when he reached down to grab the bike, “Are you okay?” He stood straight, tall. You nod embarrassingly quick, wishing for a moment that you hadn’t looked so young.

“Yes I-”

“Javier? What the fuck happened to my bike?” Frankie steps out of the shop, Genie behind him, her hair in its perfect voluminous state. The small crowd that formed from Javier’s quick action had already desolated.

Javier, Javier.

Javier scoffs, “You left your little sister with your bike and some kid nearly mugged her.” Frankie’s eyes widen, looking at you, your fear and embarrassment broadcasted on your face. He closes his eyes for moment, pinching the bridge of his nose. Cursing under his breath. He takes a few steps forward, disarming the bike from Javier’s grip.

“Dillan…” He grits. Frankie puts his hand on your shoulder, Javier stood to your left shaking his head. “Shit, Andrea I’m sorry,”. Frankie turned to look at Genie. “Would you mind driving us to Javi’s”

She agreed instantly and by the grace of God we somehow fit the bikes in her small car. To your benefit, you and Javier peeled next to each other. You just couldn’t help but crush immediately. Frankie explained that Javier’s dad “Chucho” used to fix bikes, he probably had a replacement wheel there. He also apologized over and over, Genevieve laughing at how apologetic he was. And Chucho fixed his bike out in the driveway. So you stayed in Javier’s basement for hours. But like always, you felt like an outsider.

A bit too young to be in that crowd. They spoke of things you couldn’t relate to yet. But you were occupied, a gaze on Javier seemed to be the only interesting aspect of the night. And your assumptions were right-well almost right...

Javier was fourteen, turning fifteen in August and he was at your school but just in the 8th grade. Its something you two shared in common, you were both a year older than everyone else in your grades. It was the summer going into 7th grade which meant Javier was joining Frankie at Laredo High School in a matter of months.

And again, to your advantage, it became a constant routine.

Biking to Javier’s basement, you, Genie and Frankie. You didn’t complain despite still feeling out of place, you finally had people to hang out with. And for mama, she was ecstatic that her two kids were actually hanging out together. They would joke about things you hadn’t experienced yet. “Cover your ears Andrea,” Genie jokes as Javier described hooking up with one of Genevieve's friends. She was definitely too old for Javi. God do all 8th graders “hook up”.

You were also quick to realize Genevieve wasn’t all too bad, it sure seemed she grew a bit since her playground bully days. Yet you still managed to be the butt of every joke in Javier’s basement.

“Do you even have friends in school?” Frankie leans into his knees, passing his blunt to Javier. The pass was always skipped over you because you were too little. Surprisingly, you actually agreed. Your eyes narrow at Frankie as he tried to dig at you.

“Leave her alone, I mean you’re here hanging out with your twelve-year-old sister, so you really are no better.”

You couldn’t help it. You were doomed when he beat up that kid Dillan. You couldn’t help but blush at anything he said. It was classic. Little girl crushing on one of her only friends just because he was nice to her. The whole thing just grew deeper with time as you all got closer. As Javier proved himself to be the only one on your side.

Slinging an arm over your shoulders as you all walked home the following summer. It was all friendly to him but you knew Genevieve could read your face.

That face when you're trying to be serious to avoid smiling ear to ear from being so close to your one-time-knight in shining armor.

Though, you never really saw Javier during the school year. It wasn’t surprising, you weren’t even in the same school building during his freshman and sophomore year. You also had to accept that it was just a summer thing, enough time would pass where Javier would be shocked every time he saw you. During his sophomore year you had not seen him those whole nine school months. Not even with all the quinceañeras and town events. You just never saw him, even when you would deliberately bike past his house. You would always see Chucho though. He’d wave, you’d return it and then look straight ahead, oh my god I’m such a creep.

It just became devastating when you were going into high school. You had gotten taller, maybe prettier. But you think it was just the fact that you were 15 now. He hadn’t truly seen you since you were 14. Back when you still had to patch your knees from typical middle school rough housing.

That year he was gone, 1979, he came back briefly just to leave again at the very start of the summer. Attending a summer police camp, for boys. In turn, Frankie spent the summer working and Genie (who was finally your brother’s girlfriend) was taking summer courses at a beauty school.

No, absolutely not, is what you tell Genie when she asked to dye it blonde. You did give in with a haircut and your once long mane now only reached just below your shoulders. “Layers, it makes you look more grown up. Getting you high school ready.” She gleams as she chops your hair in her classroom.

Luckily, despite all of your older asshole brothers jokes, you weren’t completely socially inept.

In that Javi-less year you had met with some girl’s you played lacrosse with. Liandra and Monica. And they really kept you busy that summer. The three of you went swimming and Monica would drive you all around town. They were surely some characters, Monica a bit of a spaz, older than you of course. Javier’s age. Liandra was tougher and much more athletic than the rest of the girls on your team.

It was late in summer, end of July. That familiar feeling was settling in every time you would pass a store with a sign that said Back to school sale.

In your final beach trip with your girls you had come back in Monica’s car like you always did, in shorts and your bikini tops.

7-11 was your haven, steal a few candy bars and pay for Slurpee’s. “God, your tan line.” Liandra grabs your shoulder with her cold hand as it was just gripping her drink. You wince at the feeling.

Gritting your teeth, “Yeah, I just catch sun a bit more.” The cold air of the store nipping at you, goosebumps rising. Monica curses as the slushie overflows, Liandra shoves her in annoyance.

“Mujer, tienes que poner la tapa primero. Tapa ¡primero!” Liandra says very seriously, earning a groan from Monica. You laugh, sipping your cherry flavored slush. The flavor so sweet and concentrated, how you liked. Your eyes fall to the ground as your friends argued in Spanish. You could understand them of course but speaking it, oh that was a whole different story. They thought it was so funny to leave you in a room with their family members to hear you struggle.

An elbow digs into your bare rib. Your eyes snap up at Monica, annoyance prevalent in your face. “Hot guy, older… staring at you right now.” She speaks out the side of her mouth in the most cartoonish way ever. Your eyebrows screw together as you try to slyly look to your right, red straw between your cherry-stained lips.

A familiar pit in your stomach forms, one you would get just a summer ago or when you would bike passed his house and see his truck in the driveway. Your eyebrows shoot up as Javier stands near the refrigerated drinks, a confused look on his face.

He looks so much older; he was taller and his hair. God, he would be 17 by now. Or 16? It isn’t august, he’s still 16.

“I thought it was you.” He laughs walking towards you, not helping the throbbing in your chest. You could hear the girls stir from behind you. His smile doing the thing. When the corners of his eyes crinkle and you could barely make out the color of them. Has he been working out?

Fuck of course he has, he’s been training. Where was he all year?

“Shit, I feel like I haven’t seen you since last summer.” Without letting you think he pulls you in for a hug, too distracted by his scent and hold to realize you were just in a bikini top. His large hand flat on your upper back, stinging the mixture of burn and tan you had received from being by the seaside.

He lets you go but still has a hand on your tanned arm. You try not to focus on the touch and instead speak. “Uh- yeah where have you been all year.” You blurt, fuck did you sound desperate? Obsessed? You were. You had kind of been worried sick. Worried that something was wrong although you knew deep down that Chucho just wouldn’t just go on with his day if there really had been an issue.

He laughs, rubbing the back of his neck. “I know, I know. Chucho sent me to that High School for law and justice last year. Lived with my uncle out there” Your eyes widen, that was in Houston. Chucho really let him leave all year-and then for summer?

He laughs again at your reaction, “I know, I’m back now, going to finish junior and senior year at Laredo, it was pricey keeping me over there. I’m here again” He smiles, he hasn’t stopped since he realized it was you. He always looked at you with that sort of gaze, you wanted to believe it was adoration. And his voice, oh my god when did it get this deep. His eyes fall to the girls behind you.

It snaps you from your Javier Peña daze.

“Oh- that’s great. Sorry-” You awkwardly look at both girls by your side. “These are my friends, Monica and Liandra we play on the varsity lacrosse.” They both are ogling him and you mentally roll your eyes. It’s just the way they are.

Javi crosses his arms and nods, a smirk playing on his lips. He puts a hand out and ruffles your hair. Your cheeks immediately warming at the act, “Freshman on varsity, maybe I’ll stop by some of your games, right ladies?” He crosses his arms again. They both nod, Monica laughs snorting along with it.

Oh my god…

Still a smile playing on his lips, staring down at you. Tall, fuck when did he get so-“Listen, I have to go home to dad but I’ll see you around school, yeah?” He says it like he means it, like he wants to see you around. Like he’s hopeful.

Or maybe you were just making it all up in your mind.

He waves a goodbye to your friends and leaves empty handed, the brass ship bell rings as he goes.

Monica wraps her arms around you and makes a fake moan into your ear. You cringe again pushing her off, “You have to be joking who in the world-”

“Javier, he’s my brothers friend” You brush them away and walk to the register. Taking your change out, 60 cents for a large like always. Monica groans and Liandra puts down her own change, covering for Monica. It was “pay-back” for all the rides she provided you guys.

“He’s so sexy oh my goodness Andrea.” Liandra gushes. You look at her from the side of your eye for a moment, knowing he surely wasn’t her type. She liked those big buff knuckle heads. You smile and thank the cashier before you all exit the store before loading the car.

You do see him in school. He never really sees you, maybe he’s tries not to. Within the first month of freshman year you had seen him in the hall with a new girl at least 4 times. You had heard he was a bit of womanizer, a sweet talker. And he was charming with you so you could only dream of how sweet he was when he was really flirting.

“You wish that was you, don’t you?” Monica laughs from your left, your eyes widen. She caught you staring at him walking with another girl. Truly, shamefully, you weren’t paying attention to the girl he had his arm around but instead the way his ass looked in the jeans he wore. Your cheeks flushing red.

“I’m good.”

You lied. You would walk home nearly everyday with tears pricking at the corner of your eyes. You had a lot of alone time that fall, You had a lot of time to just pine over him now that you had to see him everyday. You wondered most importantly, if he’d ever want you, maybe not now but soon. Before he graduates, You also wondered if he was hooking up with those girls. God, he had gotten so popular when he came back. And you just watched.

You did a lot of watching. You watched Genie and Frankie nearly break up over dinner at your house. You watched Monica get a boyfriend only 3 months into high school, and you watched Liandra have her first kiss at a party.

You watched everyone else have experiences, you could only just watch.

#javier peña #javier peña x ofc #javier pena fanfiction #javier pena x you #javier peña smut #ao3 #fanfic #javier peña narcos #javier pena x reader

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thecreaturecodex · 10 months

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Princess Galatea Cypress, Lady Whitemarch

“Legend of the Cryptids - Caella reg.” © Applibot Inc, accessed at the artist’s gallery here

[The yang to General Abdalla Aulorian’s yin, this character is definitely @strawberry-crocodile‘s darling, the main NPC in the one-on-one Pathfinder game she’s running for me. The stats and flavor-text have been written with her approval. I find it delightful how we both brought a lawful evil, deeply resentful, character to the table, but they both have very different approaches and personalities despite that. Like Abdalla, I do intend to have more stat blocks of Galatea in the future, but she has changed less so far in the game.]

Galatea Cypress CR 12 LE Humanoid (human) This woman is statuesque, with blond hair reaching down to her waist and piercing indigo eyes. She is beautiful and youthful, but her face is as hard as the sword on her hip.

To Galatea Cypress, to love something is to control it. Her father, who doted on her and followed her whims until a runaway wife soured his mood. Her brother, who can be guided and manipulated like a dog. Her servants, who follow her orders on threat of punishment. And most of all, her wonderful toys, glimmering porcelain automata that obey her to the word. And anyone and anything she cannot control? Well, they can be discarded or destroyed.

Although Galatea is a skilled duelist, she typically fights with her rapier only to toy with an opponent or to put something out of her misery. She’s used to getting her hands dirty; in a fit of pique when she was fourteen, she stabbed her father’s prized stallion to death. Still, she prefers to stay in the back ranks, using spells to debilitate and distract enemies until she can finish them off, or one of her allies can do it for her. Galatea’s most treasured minions are her squad of porcelain soldiers and her right hand monster, the sahkil Baetrachulltchum (but call her Betty). Galatea would not hesitate for a second to sacrifice any or all of her followers in order to save her own life.

Galatea is the eldest daughter of one of the most powerful families in the Whitemarch province of Taldor, giving her the titles of Princess and Lady Whitemarch. Because of her gender and the Taldan legal code, she has no claim to her family estate, and has always felt deeply bitter towards her younger brother. She currently schemes for ways to usurp the power of her house, or at least redirect its wealth and prestige to supporting her projects alone. She is terrified of death because she has a sickening certainty about where her soul will go when she dies. As such, she is experimenting with combining construct and living creatures, with the ultimate goal of living forever in a magnificent porcelain body. Most of her humanoid testees/victims have not survived her ministrations, but rumors of a captured Chelish officer, a tiefling woman who survived a great fall with only a shattered ankle, have given her the idea for her next experimental subject.

Porcelain Construct (Simple Template) Galatea’s favorite medium for crafting constructs is porcelain. These creatures are beautiful and easy to control, but are somewhat more fragile than the average construct. “Porcelain construct” is a simple template that can be added to any creature with the clockwork subtype. A porcelain construct loses its vulnerability to electricity, and does not need to be wound. It gains vulnerability to sonic damage, and is treated as a crystalline creature for the purposes of shatter, shout and similar spells and effects. A porcelain construct uses the Craft (ceramics) skill instead of the Craft (clockwork) skill, but otherwise has the same cost and construction requirements.

Galatea Cypress CR 12 XP 19,200 LE Human aristocrat 1/wizard (enchantress) 12 Init +6; Senses Perception +8 Defense AC 18, touch 14, flat-footed 15 (+2 Dex, +1 dodge, +1 deflection, +4 armor) hp 48 (1d8+12d6) Fort +4, Ref +7, Will +12 Offense Speed 30 ft. Melee +1 rapier +9/+4 (1d6+1/18-20) Special Attacks beguiling touch (7/day, Will DC 20, 6 rounds), shape emotions (12 rounds/day) Spells CL 12th, concentration +18 6th—greater dispel magic, greater heroism, serenity (DC 21) 5th—silent crushing despair (DC 19), dominate person (DC 20), mind fog (DC 20), rapid repair 4th—charm monster (DC 19), dimension door, fire shield, silent hold person (DC 18), overwhelming grief (DC 19) 3rd—inflict pain (DC 18, x2), lightning bolt (DC 17), suggestion (DC 18, x2), silent touch of idiocy 2nd—bear’s endurance, cat’s grace, demand offering (DC 17), disfiguring touch (DC 16), invisibility, oppressive boredom (DC 17), scorching ray 1st—charm person (DC 16), crafter’s fortune, disguise self (DC 15), mage armor (already cast), magic missile, shield, unprepared combatant (DC 16) 0th—daze, detect magic, light School—enchantment (manipulation subschool) Banned Schools: divination, necromancy Statistics Str 10, Dex 14, Con 8, Int 18, Wis 12, Cha 17 Base Atk +6; CMB +6; CMD 26 Feats Craft Construct, Craft Magic Arms and Armor, Craft Wondrous Item (B), Defensive Combat Training, Dodge, Improved Initiative, Poison Use*, Scribe Scroll (B), Silent Spell (B), Spell Focus (enchantment), Weapon Finesse Skills Bluff +20, Craft (alchemy) +14, Craft (ceramics) +14, Diplomacy +19, Disguise +13, Heal +5, Intimidate +26, Knowledge (arcana, planes) +16, Linguistics +8, Perception +8, Ride +6, Sense Motive +5, Spellcraft +17 Languages Abyssal, Celestial, Common, Draconic, Infernal SQ bonded object (amulet of spell cunning), enchanting smile +4 Gear headband of mental prowess +2 (Int, Cha, Intimidate), amulet of spell cunning, circlet of persuasion, tunic of careful casting, poisoner’s gloves, vambraces of defense, +1 rapier, cloak of resistance +1, noble’s outfit, signet ring, 500 gp worth of nonmagical jewelry, alchemist’s lab, masterwork potter’s tools, surgeon’s tools, 1500 gp worth of miscellaneous poisons, spellbook (prepared spells plus planar binding, geas/quest, lesser planar binding, magic circle vs. good, magic circle vs. evil, magic circle vs. law, magic circle vs. chaos, eagle’s splendor, fox’s cunning, make whole, cantrips)

*Poison Use can be taken as a feat. The prerequisites are Craft (alchemy) 3 ranks.

#galatea cypress #lady whitemarch #pathfinder 1e #npc #monster girl summer #in this case monster is definitely in the moral sense #for now

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theresattrpgforthat · 1 year

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I run a D&D club that is constantly getting new members, and we’ve recently hit a budget of some kind. I wanna buy some non-D&D RPGs for the club as

a) I don’t wanna support Wizards of the Coast,

b) D&D is REALLY complicated if you don’t have any pre-existing TTRPG knowledge whatsoever,

c) I wanna diversify the Club’s RPG portfolio and give an opportunity to turn it into a TTRPG club rather than just a D&D Club, and

d) I wanna give people who aren’t able to find a group the ability to easily start their own groups, as each of our groups has 9 players each minimum and I don’t think our GMs can take further weight.

In any case, the main issue I’m encountering is finding TTRPGs that aren’t just easy to play if you know nothing about RPGs, but easy to RUN if you know nothing about RPGs either. I also want at least 1 fantasy option so people who are attracted to D&D for the fantasy element can still access that. You have any recommendations?

THEME: First Time GMs

Alright, so I did some very intentional things here, in the hopes of making this helpful. Most of the games on this list are games I’ve played myself, so I know something about how they run. (There’s 1+1/2 games I haven’t played on this list but I have read the rules).

I also made sure all of the links were to physical copies of the books, because I find being able to flip through a book and read a physical copy of it helps me learn better, and I assume it’s easier to share a physical book with a club than it is to share a PDF. That being said, if you can get a PDF copy when you order the physical copy, I highly recommend doing so.

AGON, by John Harper.

John Harper has a reputation for good games - but more than that, they also make games that are easily contained within one-session chunks.

As Greek heroes, the players will go to various islands in a search for glory, as the players attempt to win enough favour from the Gods in order to be able to return home. Each island can be run over the course of a session, with a structure of suggested signs and events for each island.

There’s enough room for an adventurous GM to stray from the script (or even write their own islands) but for first-time GMs there’s a lot of tools to set you up for success. Not only that, there seems to be a big love for Greek Mythology out there, so this game shouldn’t be a hard sell! The best part is that this is the parent of the PARAGON family of games, so if it's a hit, you can go on to introduce games like Endeavour (Star Trek), Ruins of DOOM (dungeon-crawling), and Starbones (Pirates!)

Pugmire and Monarchies of Mau, by Sandy Pug Games.

This game uses a ruleset that’s basically a slimmed-down version of 5E, so it’s great for folks who don’t want to stray too far from D&D. It’s a fantasy setting with the twist that all of the players are Dogs or Cats: and (personal highlight), animal breeds that have inherent strengths and weaknesses feel much less racist than D&D races.

There’s magic, relics, and inherently opposed groups in these games, such as the Cult of Labo Tor, a group of rats that descended from the same rats used laboratories, and thus consider their true role to be of experimenters and scientists. There’s also plenty of adventures, expansions, and supplements available for GMs, such as The Great Cat Conspiracy, an adventure in the Pugmire Rulebook, with pre-designed adversaries, lore, and tips and tricks for the new GM.

Visigoths vs. Mall Goths, by Lucian Kahn.

This is a neatly-packaged rpg about teens in malls with playbooks and a list of pre-written adventures. What I think makes this stellar for new GM’s is all of the tools it gives you - the playbooks have all of the character choices laid out for you, so it’s easy for players to get a grasp of who they’re playing. There’s a map of the mall, so the table can look at the different locations for both inspiration and planning.

On the GM’s side, there’s information about each of the stores in the mall, including the store clerks, who they know and like, and whether or not they are romance-able. The adventures have handouts and key NPCs so the GM knows who to focus on, while containing roll tables so that the outcome isn’t the same every time. Finally, there’s a track that will progress every time the players move on to a new scene, and because the mall has a closing time, everyone knows when to start wrapping things up and bring the adventure to an end.

Best of all, you can’t leave the mall - so even if the players start to deviate a little bit, they can’t go completely off the map!

Mausritter, by Losing Games.

This is a little game with a focus on dungeon delving, but as mice. The link above is for the physical box set, which includes cards to help the table with bookkeeping, a toolbox of resources to help the Game Master create mouse-scale adventures, and an adventure module called Honey in the Rafters.

Mausritter is cute, but don’t let this game fool you - as mice, the characters will find themselves greatly outclassed by most things they go up against. It will take creativity and resourcefulness to get out of the dangers they find themselves falling into. For game-masters that want to challenge their players, while keeping character creation and management simple, this game is rules-lite with a lot of potential.

ARC: Doom Tabletop RPG, by Momatoes.

Rules light, tension heavy, that’s ARC. This game is designed with first-time game-masters in mind. ARC has a really interesting system called a Doomsday Clock, that will tick down towards a doom that the Heroes will want to prevent. It has the ability to run for one session or a short campaign, and it provides a step-by-step breakdown for the game master in helping them construct the story for the rest of the players. I love step-by step layouts like this, because they provide a concrete place to start and bring the GM through each step of the Clock.

The character creation is also broken down into steps, with easy-to-read text that helps players sort out their stats and skills, while also helping them answer some questions about their character’s personality along the way. This game can also happen in any setting, so you could run a fantasy campaign and a science-fiction game using the same rules! For GM’s that are worried about memorizing a lot of lore, this looks like a game that only needs as much lore as you need for the moments you’re experiencing in play - although if you want oodles of lore, I don’t see much stopping you either.

#dnd #tabletop games #first timers #indie ttrpgs #asks #game recommendations

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captainsophiestark · 6 months

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Untouchable

Platonic!Bobbi Morse x Reader

Masterlist - Join My Taglist!

Written for Fictober 2023!

Fandom: Marvel

Day 17 Prompt: "I never said it would be easy."

Summary: Bobbi Morse needs her best friend's help defending their record as the baddest bitches SHIELD's Ops Academy has ever seen.

Word Count: 2,103

Category: Fluff

Putting work into an AI program without permission is illegal. You do not have my permission. Do not do it.

I sighed as I settled into the cocoon of blankets I'd built in my quarters at SHIELD, a bowl of popcorn resting in my lap and my favorite show on my laptop. After running around the world almost dying for a month on a mission, I'd decided to take my first full day back at SHIELD HQ to rest, and absolutely nothing else.

At least, that had been my plan, until my best friend practically broke down my door barging into my room.

"Thank goodness you're back!" she cried, urgency in her tone. I just stared at her, bracing myself for whatever the hell she'd come in here to tell me. "We have a situation."

"Barbara Morse, I just got back from a month long mission-"

"Two new Ops recruits just beat our time on SHIELD's toughest obstacle course."

I stopped mid-sentence, popcorn and show forgotten as I stared at Bobbi and tried to process her words.

"Impossible," I finally decided, scowling. Bobbi nodded sympathetically.

"It should've been. Our record's held for years. But it just got beaten, by two barely-not-teen boys, no less. I don't think I have to tell you we can't let that stand."

"Damn right we can't," I agreed, setting my popcorn aside and throwing the blanket off of my lap. I stood, closing my laptop and going to my closet to change out of the pajama pants I'd been living in ever since I got back. "Give me like five minutes and I'll be ready to go."

"I'll go get the Quinjet ready to take off. Ops academy here we come."

We did our secret handshake that we'd come up with in our first year together at SHIELD academy, then separated to accomplish our missions. I made it out of my room in four minutes, jogging through the hallways to get to Bobbi faster. A few people waved to me and welcomed me back, but I didn't stop to chat. Bobbi and I had a new mission of peak importance to take care of, and we couldn't let anything get in our way.

For a long time, the SHIELD Ops obstacle course had been the end-all be-all of class credibility, outside of actual class rank. Recruits were expected to attempt it in pairs, and only the absolute best could make it through at all, let alone with any kind of speed. Bobbi and I had trained like maniacs until we'd blown the previous record out of the water, going down in history as the two best agents to ever take on one of the academy's hardest challenges. We coasted on that reputation for the rest of our academy career, and people still seemed impressed by it even though we'd left the academy long behind us.

Many had tried to break our record, and none had ever succeeded. One or two people had come close, but on the whole, our record seemed absolutely unbeatable. If two new recruits had come in and done the impossible, then they must've been incredibly impressive agents. And they also had to be stopped and reminded of Bobbi and I's supremacy immediately.

Bobbi brought the Quinjet in for a landing at the Academy not twenty minutes after she'd first burst into my room. The two of us marched through the hallways shoulder to shoulder, heads held high like we owned the place. And after graduating top of our class, we kind of did.

"Alright, let's see just what these two pulled off," I said, Bobbi and I slipping into one of our old classrooms and accessing the records for the obstacle course. I put their replay up on the projector, then went to take a first row seat in the auditorium with Bobbi.

"You should've brought your popcorn with you," she said. I laughed, but the laughter quickly died as the replay began.

These two first year recruits hadn't just managed to beat our record by a tenth of a second or two. They'd blown us out of the water by three whole seconds. Practically an eternity. And even worse, based on the end of the video, they clearly thought they were the hottest shit that SHIELD had ever seen as a result.

I swore loudly in the empty classroom.

"That was insane, Bob! How the hell do you expect us to beat that, especially since we haven't done this course in forever?"

"Hey, I never said it would be easy. But we have to do it, Y/N. We can't let this stand."

I groaned, rolling my eyes up to the ceiling before huffing a big sigh.

"Yeah, you're right. Do you want to do a few practice runs before we get an official timed one?"

"No, I don't. I think we go warm up in the gym, do a couple practice exercises in there, then go outside and crush that obstacle course and show everybody who's boss."

I nodded. "I like that plan. Alright, let's do this."

Thankfully, our favorite training room from our time at the agency was still here, and even better, empty. We did some stretching and warmups, ran through a few of the movements we'd need on the obstacle course, and then headed outside.

The dew of the morning still clung to the grass in the yard of the academy, and recruits ran in tight formation all around. Others trained on some of the smaller obstacle courses, or did pushups and jumping jacks. I elbowed Bobbi and nodded across the yard when I found the recruits who'd broken our record stretching out under a tree, preening like peacocks as their classmates surrounded them.

Bobbi and I shared a grin. They better enjoy it while it lasted.

"Agent Morse! Agent Y/L/N! This is a nice surprise."

Bobbi and I turned to find our absolute favorite instructor staring at the both of us, hands on her hips and a smile on her face. Agent Bailey was five foot nothing, but her strength, attitude, and experience made her seem larger than life. She was by far one of the most respected instructors across all of the SHIELD academies, and she was the only one Bobbi and I had really stayed in touch with. She'd even had us back once or twice to speak to her classes, when we weren't away on a mission.

"Agent Bailey! It's so good to see you!"

"It's good to see you two, too. Now, what brings you both back here? Don't tell me someone else poached you to speak to their class instead of mine?"

"No, don't worry. We would never," I said, giving her a bright smile. Bobbi nodded, then continued.

"We're actually back to reclaim our record on the obstacle course."

Bailey smiled, and clearly this wasn't a surprise to her at all. She started walking towards the start of the course, motioning for us to follow her.

"I figured as much. I wondered how long it would take the two of you to get back here once you heard." She stopped at the beginning of the course, hands on her hips as she surveyed us both. "Good. Those two who broke your record need to be taken down a peg. Their arrogance is going to get them killed, in the field if not here. They're in their first year and already think they're untouchable."

I frowned and glanced over at the tree where we'd spotted the agents in question earlier. They were still stretching, but they'd noticed us now, and were looking in our direction. I gave them a sickly sweet smile before turning back to Bailey.

"I'll time you both and make it official. Don't fail me now, you two."

With that, Bailey turned to take her place as an official administrator for the obstacle course test. I hopped around a little, bouncing on the balls of my feet and shaking out my arms. Then, I turned to Bobbi.

"You ready to do this?"

"Oh yeah. Those punks are never going to forget our names."

We high-fived, then turned to face the obstacle course, crouching a little, ready to launch forward as soon as Baily called start.

"On your marks!"

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a few recruits wandering over to watch us, looking confused. They'd be looking on in awe in a few minutes, if Bobbi and I had anything to say about it.

"Get set!"

I took a deep breath in before letting it out, the distractions fading away. The course ahead and my partner beside me were all that mattered. Laser-like focus and efficiency was the order of the day.

"Go!"

Bobbi and I launched forward into the course, two women on a mission. We worked like a perfect machine, almost reading each others' thoughts as we launched over one obstacle and stopped to help the other right behind us. We didn't hesitate at a single challenge, and every time my muscles felt a little tired or a little upset at what I asked of them, I pushed right through. There was no room for hesitating, or slowing down, or pausing. No room for error.

After dancing through a few portions that tested agility and literally swinging through a few others that tested strength, Bobbi and I reached the final challenge, a massive wall that we had to scale before our run could be deemed complete. We hit it at a dead run, Bobbi launching upwards just ahead of me and holding out a hand to help me reach the first level. I used the momentum and her help to make it to the second level, and we continued steadily, working in perfect sync as we neared the top.

A button to stop the time sat waiting for us at the top, with Agent Bailey standing right behind it. Bobbi and I had to hit the button at the same time, or the clock would keep running. It was the final piece, the final test of how well we could work together and remain in sync even through exhaustion.

I made it to the top, turning back to hold out a hand for Bobbi. I pulled her up while she climbed, and as soon as she made it to stable footing, I turned on my heel and ran for the button. I could feel Bobbi a half step behind me, closing just in time as I reached out my hand.

As one, our hands slammed down on the button, Bobbi's already on top of mine as we made contact. The button lit up to tell us the clock had come to a stop, and we both looked to Bailey with hopeful, expectant looks.

All around us, as the world outside the obstacle course came back into focus, the recruits training in the yard stood staring up at us on the platform. I noticed the two boys at the front of the crowd, watching Bailey with bated breath as intensely as me and Bobbi. A moment later, Bailey raised her arms and shouted:

"We have a new course record!"

"YES!"

"LET'S GO!"

Bobbi and I screamed and jumped up and down, immediately wrapping each other in a tight hug. I laughed, a joyous, almost disbelieving laugh, and when we pulled apart Bobbi was absolutely beaming at me.

"Agents Morse and Y/L/N have set a new record by a margin of two point seven seconds."

"HELL YES!" I screamed. Bailey gave us each a small smile, then her face dropped back to her usual no-nonsense baseline.

"Their time and a replay of their run will be posted and available within the hour. Everyone else, back to your exercises! You're not here to stand around all day!"

Slowly, the crowd of recruits started to disperse. The two boys who'd held the record for all of a few hours stared up at us in awe until their instructor came to pull them away. I shot them a wink and a wave.

"Nice work, partner," said Bobbi, smiling as she leaned in and bumped her shoulder against mine. "I guess we've still got it."

"Of course we've still got it. We're the dream team, absolutely unbeatable."

We shared a smile. After a second, Bobbi sighed, stretching out her arms and taking a few steps towards the easy way down from the platform we'd climbed up to.

"So, wasn't it worth it that I dragged you out of bed this morning?"

"Worth it? Yes. Enough to make me stay up and about when I've been in a safe place to relax for the first time in a full month? Hell no."

"Mind if I join you in your relaxing? I'm not due to ship out for another mission until the end of the week."

I smiled. "Sure thing. But I'm not sharing my popcorn."

****************

Everything Taglist: @rosecentury

Marvel Taglist: @valkyriepirate @luv-ghostie @songbirdcannabe

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alienisticxo · 1 year

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Before the Fever - Chapter Eleven

{Master Chief x Reader series - TV based}

{A╱N} okay, so a scene here was the scene that inspired this entire series! i actually had that written out before i even began to write the series 🥲

i was listening to a slowed version of a song, and imagined that little scene taking place to it because I'm hopelessly in love with MC. i’ve added a link within the fic of where to start the song if you’d like to listen to it while you read it! (it's bolded and underlined!) but if not, i still hope you enjoy and put it to any song you'd like!

getting to the romance part has been so much fun and i cannot thank you guys enough for really sticking around and showing my lil fic this much love between ao3 & here. also, sorry i kept thinking i was getting to real romance and then just weaving more story instead up to this point lol.

{gifs by thraxusboorman}

enjoy & thank you as always ♡

Chapter Eleven - Before the Fever

Silence hung in the air as both The Master Chief and myself stared after Kai-125, our eyes glued to the door as though she might come barreling back through it to stay on the run with us. When it was safe to say she wasn’t returning, I finally spoke up.

“How long are we staying here?” I posed in the quiet, glancing down at the clothes in my hands.

“Not long,” John huffed, setting the briefcase on the table in front of the couch. “Cortana, what information did Halsey manage to gather on this thing?”

“Mm..” She calculated for a few seconds, undoubtedly accessing files. “Not much. She only knows what she and Miranda have collected from you both directly. According to the blood samples, you share some facet of DNA with {Y/N}.”

We both immediately faced her, a snap reaction to the news. My face twisted into a slight cringe. I couldn’t see his countenance, but I was sure it held a similar expression.

“You’re not related. No, that would be weird,” she laughed.

It was easy to notice how we both eased up at once, but neither of us laughed along with her.

“It seems to be some part of your biochemistry, potentially the reason both of you harbor the ability to mentally transcend to the Halo via contact with The Keystone. This trait.. It’s extremely rare. One in millions. She was of course searching for its provenance and functionality, along with the reasoning behind why {Y/N} arrives there so effortlessly when you seem to struggle.. But that was.. interrupted.”

“How did we manage to find each other?” He simply asked her. “Doesn’t that seem… strange?”

“I can only offer the mathematical equation.”

She parted her lips to speak again, but then quickly closed them.

“That was rhetorical wasn’t it?” She asked. “You’re not actually looking for the odds.”

He gave her a knowing look before his eyes caught the briefcase on the table again. I wanted to ask about the woman on The Covenant ship, though no one believed that she existed. She knew about The Keystones, she knew where they took her and how. That was another element to this entire situation. If the DNA was one in millions…

“I’m going to clean up,” I voiced softly instead, pointing behind myself before turning to find the bathroom.

I needed to get settled before I delved into any of this information. But as usual when they spoke to each other, they were unfazed by anything I said.

“We have to move, get to Eridanus..” John spoke, seeming to cut himself off.

“Chief, I know the plan was to get in and get out, but I do believe now that you have the Keystone, it would be wise to stay. At least until morning. They’ll be searching everywhere they believe you might turn up— Eridanus II included,” Cortana stated. “If enough time passes within both here and Reach, chances are they’ll have already searched the area.”

He hesitated, and I slowed my trek to the shower, trying to figure out which set of clothing to redress in if he did decide to listen to her.

“You’re right,” he finally rasped under his breath, but he didn’t seem too thrilled with the idea. “We’ll stay. Just until morning. We can’t waste time here. I have a plan.”

There was the rest of his previous statement– There was a new reason to get to Eridanus now. After a few seconds more, I heard Cortana sigh, seeming leery of whatever intel she suddenly had.

“John…” she voiced.

But by the time she could continue on, I found myself behind the bathroom’s closed door, staring at the same stunning view of the galaxy through its own window. If there were lights to be switched on, I didn’t need them with the natural light of the stars, moons and suns that it offered.

There was a large tub just in front of the window, a shower stall in the corner. While the room itself wasn’t that large, between the decor and the lavishness of it all, it was luxe enough that I wasn’t sure if I should have actually taken Laela’s offer to clean up. It made me wonder how many people they’d surely ripped off in order to garner so much wealth. I’d heard of Soren in the streets, an ex-Spartan gone rogue. While I’d never met him, he’d garnered much respect throughout Rubble, especially amongst pirates.

Setting the folded pile down on the counter, I stared for just a few moments more. I finally had some time alone, and maybe given the circumstances, that should’ve scared me. But I still felt safer than I had in the last hiding place I’d found. That was probably because I was now on the same side as the Spartan, as opposed to resisting him and all he stood for.

Filling my lungs with as much air as possible, I held my breath and counted to five before exhaling again slowly.

What a mess I’ve gotten myself into.

After a beat, I began to undress, eyes still glued on the twinkling stars ahead. Once my drabby clothes were in a pile at my feet, I dared look in the floor length mirror beside me. I was covered in bruises, more than I had expected.

It was no longer just Doctor Halsey’s experimentation that I focused on. Bruises from being kidnapped and held captive on The Covenant ship still remained. I hadn’t taken a good look at myself since I’d been rescued, too withdrawn to do anything other than go through the motions. I wondered how horrific they must’ve looked when they were fresh.

My eyes trailed from my feet, up to my waist, and then to the small, dainty pendant I wore around my neck. I’d almost forgotten it was there, hidden under my shirt, just barely passing my clavicle. It was a gift from my mother when I was still a child; the only thing I had left of her aside of the blood in my veins and maybe the shape of my eyes, if I remembered correctly. My fingers grazed the silver crescent moon lightly as it caught the starlight. I was suddenly extremely glad I hadn’t lost it in all the chaos that surrounded me lately.

————

“It’s the only way,” I stated, hoping to leave Cortana no room for argument.

“It’s a suicide mission. You can’t do that.”

Still too much room.

“I can. I will.”

“Bringing The Covenant to Eridanus is not going to pan out the way you think it will.”

“It’s a dead planet, Cortana. No one else will get hurt in the process. No more losses to be had. If we have any chance at retrieving the second Keystone, finding out what the hell they’re meant to do.. it’s this way.”

“No one else— just you,” she retorted, not even beginning to touch the rest of my statement.

“If they’re after the Keystones, they must be involved with something greater than what they seem. The Halo has to be something meaningful to them. We have to figure out what they really do. Not just for me, not just for {Y/N}. At this point, for the sake of humanity, too. This is the only way.”

That was the real mission beneath it all. While the programming they’d done to me hadn’t been holding up, the objective was still clear.

“And you’re going to bring it back to Doctor Halsey? After everything that’s happened?” she asked, full of derision.

I knew I’d made her decide who she was loyal to, and that ended up being myself over Halsey, but now wasn’t the time to exercise that.

“Not Halsey, no. But I’m sure Keyes and her team can piece together what’s needed. She’s extremely capable. More trustworthy than her mother.”

“Well, she’s been burnt by her just as badly in a whole other way.”

“Imagine that,” I mused flatly, staring at the briefcase on the table.

Cortana was silent. I was silent. It was then that I noticed {Y/N} was gone, slight panic gripping me before my recollection of her leaving filled my head again. Looking back at Cortana for a few more seconds, I crossed the room and finally began to shed the layers of my Mjolnir.

I was stuck here for the night.

“Chief,” the A.I. began, the seriousness in her tone returning. “I was designed to take full operational control of you to optimize both your physical and mental performance. To become the ultimate soldier Doctor Halsey wanted to create to win the war— and beyond. To strike fear into any enemy. Now that it’s something I don’t want, I’m worried for you. This is an extremely high risk mission, one I’m not sure you can complete without the rest of Silver Team.”

“I can’t drag them into this more than I already have. We’re a team, but this is personal. They deserve to know what happened to us. But they don’t deserve the backlash of whatever this initiates.”

Her frown was evident as she took another step closer to me.

“I have the utmost faith in you, John,” her voice was soft, emphatic. “You know that, right? I wouldn’t have chosen you over her if I didn’t. My trust in you is implicit.”

I glanced over at Cortana while I continued to set pieces of my armor down, the undersuit I wore feeling like a heavy second skin in the casual setting we found ourselves in. Holding her gaze, allowing the smallest ounce of vulnerability I despised showing to dimly shine through, I nodded once.

It was hard to believe, some days. She had a stubborn and sarcastic streak, not unlike her creator. But deep down, I felt just as connected with her as I may have with a human, if connection were in my repertoire. Cortana lived in my head 24/7; a neural implant like no other, and though we had our ups and downs, though I’d tested her and god knows she tested me, I knew over anything else that I could rely on her.

She’d proven that to me time and time again without much in return.

“But there’ll be one of you.. And more than likely hundreds of them,” she continued. “I know you’re The Master Chief, the hero among us all, but.. even with your augmentations, you’re only human.”

Her features were full of anxiety. Smart A.I.’s really did seem to feel. I wondered about her sometimes. It made me question my own ideals on the matter. What was scientific and factual seemed more like made-up guidelines, the more time I spent with her.

“You were outnumbered on Rubble before in a surprise attack, taking immense damage in battle without the rest of Silver Team for backup.”

“I was there,” I said gruffly, not wanting to recall that {Y/N} contributed to that as well before Cortana spoke up again.

“All it took after that was a Gravity Hammer to have your HUD screaming at me. Repairing the damage in such a short amount of time without losing you altogether was complex, and…”

Was she… about to cry? Could an A.I. system do that? She sounded overcome with pure emotion.

“Terrifying,” she exhaled.

“I thought you didn’t do sentimental,” was all I could say, completely thrown by what was happening here.

“Chief, I don’t want to control you; replace you. The more I saw what was going on with Doctor Halsey.. the more I got to know you and see your humanity— the thing that makes you so unique.. the less I wanted it. My directive was to do just that, especially in the case of losing you. It’s not that I’m not able to achieve what I was designed to do, not at all. It’s that I don’t want to. I don’t want to have to. We can’t lose The Master Chief. We’d be lost without you and all that you already are on your own. I don’t think that’s something Catherine accounted for.”

My head spun. I was suddenly glad I went with her decision to stay the night on Rubble to gain some clarity for what was ahead. She wasn’t designed for sentimentality, for feelings in general— that seemed to be something Halsey loved taking from anyone and anything she could.

But this was sure as hell something.

I saw Cortana in a different light then.

Unable to take my eyes off of her as I tried to grasp what I was able to, I realized she was more human than she let on. More human than I felt, most days. This felt like a surprise attack all on its own, though I know she didn’t mean it to be. Years worth of brainwashing told me not to believe a single thing she told me. In a matter of moments, she somehow unraveled that.

What was going on?

“Cortana…” I began, wanting to piece my now scattered thoughts together in a decent response for her.

But before I could start, she disappeared again without so much as a breath in my auditory cortex.

“Cortana?” I asked quietly, unsure of what had just happened.

Silence.

That worried me more than it should have, until I turned around.

————

“Maybe she’s tired,” I offered gently, running my hand back through my hair.

Of course I had no idea what the real reason for her sudden absence was, but it sounded like it could be true. I didn’t want to intervene on yet another private moment between the two, and so I tried to change the subject.

“What is she exactly, anyway?” I finally posed. “I know she said she was a form of artificial intelligence… But.. she seems so.. real.”

The Master Chief simply stared at me, setting down a final piece of the armor he’d been taking off while I was showering, leaving him in nothing but the black undersuit he typically wore back on Reach— the less menacing ensemble. The one that allowed me to see him as a man, not a machine.

“Smart A.I.,” was all he said, lifting his chin just a bit. “Halsey’s. Well.. She was.”

I thought about it for a moment, but it only seemed to kick up more questions. I wasn't savvy in the ways of such advanced tech, but I supposed a 'smart A.I.’ was different from an average one. Walking around the couch and trying to focus on what I was trying to say, I tugged the sash to the black, intricately designed robe I now wore just a bit tighter.

What was underneath was enough to make anyone who wasn’t used to wearing such articles blush. It wasn’t until I slipped it on that I realized it was a {F/C} night dress, with thin straps for ‘sleeves’ and coming just down to about mid-thigh. I frantically searched for any indication of pants, but there were none to be had other than a pair of underwear that seemed to match.

Even the outfit “for the next destination” contained a slick, thin material of black pants and a top I wasn’t sure was going to cover enough skin. I wasn’t used to wearing something so.. elegant, or sensual— to sleep in, especially. But one look at Laela told me that was the norm for her no matter who was around.

I was thoroughly embarrassed just wearing it. Let alone around John. But it was comfortable, the robe was soft; and it did feel good to not be as drab as I hadn’t realized I looked or felt.

“Where does she.. come from?” I finally asked, sitting in a plush chair next to the couch and instinctively rearranging the robe to cover my legs and as much of myself as possible.

“She’s in my head,” he stated, his eyes trailing over me with what looked like curiosity of his own.

He said that as though he knew I wasn’t going to believe it, and in any other situation, I might not have. But after everything we’d been through, I felt like that was the only logical explanation.

“Your head? So she just manifests whenever she wants to? Or do you summon her?”

It seemed like he was waiting for her to appear at any moment. When she didn’t, he sighed and stepped closer toward me.

“It’s both. She likes to show up unannounced a lot of the time. Sometimes I tell her to leave me alone. But when I need her, she’s always there.”

“That’s kind of nice,” I smiled. “Like a built-in companion. A friend.”

He stood for a few seconds, seeming to contemplate what I’d said before easing down onto the couch just beside my chair.

“She’s not built for friendship. Or companionship. She’s a tool to be implemented.”

But something told me he didn’t believe that one bit.

“Do you trust her?” I asked, my tone airy, holding a slight smugness to it.

He stared out of the large window, not looking at anything in particular to my knowledge, but I could tell he was pondering over my question.

“I do,” he finally said.

“Then she’s a friend,” I nodded once.

“Do you trust me?”

His eyes caught mine then, throwing me off-guard all over again.

I immediately reached up for the pendant around my neck, fidgeting with it absently. I’d told him I trusted him on The Condor. He knew I trusted him. There was no denying it any longer. Was he just making sure?

“I do.”

“Are we friends?”

I blinked a few times, eyes drifting around the room. What was the correct response here?

The truth, I supposed.

“I.. hope so.”

It was then that I realized I caught him off-guard with my response, too.

“A.I. doesn’t feel,” he pointed out instead, steering clear of the subject as he looked back through the crystal clear glass. “They don’t have the same traits as humans. They learn, but they never really feel things the same way we do. She isn’t real.”

But something seemed to be nagging at him as he said it. As though he was trying to convince himself of that little tidbit rather than me.

“She seems pretty real to me,” I expressed quietly. “Speaking of what’s human and what isn’t.. I never asked. What’s it like? Being a Spartan?”

I pressed a smile. I could see he was worn down. I didn’t want to stress him out any more than he already was. We were hunkering down here for the night and there was no reason to make it uncomfortable or stale. If there was a time to pick his brain, it would be now.

John turned to face me completely then, a faint smirk on his lips that drove me right into insanity inside. I had to remind myself to breathe.

“What’s it like being human?” He responded.

A small, curt laugh escaped me. Probably the first laugh I’d had since I’d left Rubble the first time.

“You’re human, John,” I assured him. “There’s no doubt about that. I don’t care what they’ve done to you. I can see it, underneath all that armor and suppressed emotion.”

Maybe it was the hour, the lack of sleep, the astronomical amount of stress, or just the fact that we were in a safe, comfortable space for once; but I felt more compelled than ever to be open with The Master Chief. To be honest with him. To comfort him the way I’d intended.

“I wonder sometimes.”

“Don’t you do human things at all? Even just the little things?”

“We eat, sleep. Sure.”

I chewed on my lower lip for a moment, my line of sight moving to the stereo system Laela had mentioned earlier. I looked over the selection on the holographic screen absentmindedly, trying to trudge through the mass amount of questions on my mind in order to find any of the important ones instead.

“How long have you really been without the pellet Cortana mentioned?”

“She was right. Not very long.”

“When did they…” I trailed off, not wanting to upset or offend him.

“For as long as I can remember. Since I was a kid.”

“So.. you haven’t really experienced things without it? Like, the way the sun feels on your skin after a string of rainy days, or a really good book.”

His expression hardened a bit as he leaned forward on his elbows, shaking his head.

“I don’t have much time to read, if you can believe that,” he joked.

Another soft laugh escaped me. Has he really joked with me before?

“And here I thought you guys were just lounging around by a pool all day waiting for another mission.”

John breathed the faintest of laughs, and I couldn’t help but smile myself. I suddenly wanted to do nothing but try to make him laugh. It was something terribly beautiful that I wondered if he even knew he was capable of once I thought about his situation.

But I continued to think, letting it sink in that he hadn’t experienced much on a deeper level. It was then that I immediately turned and reached for the stereo between us, leaning over the arm of my chair.

“You know what..”

I navigated through the screen, searching for any song I recognized. Music was different among different planets, and I wasn’t sure I’d find anything at all.

He looked at me quizzically, and I peeked over at him and smiled again before continuing my search.

“Ah!” I finally gasped, coming across a title I recognized very well and gearing it up.

“Music has got to be one of my favorite things ever,” I mentioned.

He sat up straight again, and I could see the interest in his features.

“This is a song from my home planet,” I began. “One of my favorites, actually.”

My voice was quiet, my line of sight following his once more to the view through the window. I still wasn’t sure I’d ever seen anything more striking, except maybe the way John looked as he contemplated the sprawling galaxy before us.

His profile was still and illuminated in a purple and blue hue from the cosmic clusters just beyond us, his eyes glossed over from the exhaustion and no doubt the newfound overwhelm of emotion. He was riddled with knicks and scars, some apparent and some hiding behind his stubble. But nonetheless, he was stunning. A god among men. It became so clear to me so quickly and all at once that I had to take a deeper breath, steady my head from spinning and pull my focus from burning through him.

Dragging my eyes off of his face, I looked back to the stereo and swallowed thickly, delicate fingers moving through the air that was the screen.

“I can’t remember the last time I listened to music.. We’re not very creatively oriented at the UNSC.”

A soft laugh escaped me again as I shook my head and started the song, turning to face him again, not filtering or dismissing my feelings this time.

Another joke. Maybe he was warming up to me after all.

“I couldn’t have guessed,” I smiled.

But when I watched him this time, I could see the millions of thoughts running across his mind as he continued to stare out over what felt like the entire universe.

He was absorbing the music as it played, dramatic and reverberated. He was feeling every note, every bend. I almost wished I could experience life with such a fresh set of eyes. On bated breath, I watched him intently, studying him. With slight hesitation, I dared bring him out of his trance as gently as possible.

“… Do you like it?” I found myself whispering just loud enough for him to hear against the music.

My tone was intense, as though the world depended on his opinion.

My world did.

“It’s beautiful,” he responded, slowly turning his head to look at me.

My existence caught fire. The song shifted, slowed down. It was almost unbearable, how strongly all I wanted to do was enjoy the moment with him. To be part of a beautiful memory that he would have forever. With another small smile, I stood up and held out my hand to him.

John looked at it, brow furrowing slightly. It wasn’t hard to see that he had reservations about my subtle invitation. He had barely heard music, and it probably felt as though asking him to dance was more intimidating than following an order to head straight into battle without a plan.

Or giving a hug, apparently.

Trying to lighten his trepidation, I held his stare.

“C’mon.. I know The Master Chief isn’t scared of a little dance.”

“I don’t dance,” he responded curtly.

“Correction. You didn’t dance.”

With that, I leaned down and took his hands into mine. I attempted to pull him up the best I could, but I knew the large Spartan must’ve been humoring me by standing all on his own. Without skipping a beat, I lead him in a dance with my own small amount of knowledge in the medium.

There was no need for a step counted, know-who-leads dance. I just wanted to spend the time, let him feel the music, and feel it as vicariously as I could.

Swaying gently, I quickly forgot about my reservation in the clothing I wore. I stepped up closer to John, guiding one of his hands to the small of my back as I did the best I could to rest mine behind his broad shoulder, too short to latch my entire arm behind his neck.

I held his other hand in mine, the closeness to another human, no matter how un-human he seemed sometimes, something entirely too foreign to me. It was almost terrifying. If I hadn’t wanted it with him so badly, allowed myself to feel the massive amount of feelings I had toward him now with no holds barred, I would’ve run in the other direction.

Though I wasn’t exactly sure of his standing with me, the fact that he didn’t oppose any of my actions clued me in. In that way, I could only imagine how he felt.

“It’s not as complicated as I was expecting,” he offered, looking down into my eyes, closer than he had ever been to me before in such an intimate way.

“That’s a good sign,” I assured gently, feeling something akin to an excited nervousness. “You’re comfortable.”

We danced a bit longer, the slow rhythm of the music leading the way. It was suddenly far too easy to get caught up in the moment, and I could tell he must’ve been in the same mentality when he held me out before lifting his arm to spin me around.

I was so wrapped up in him, the gesture hardly shocked me. It only felt.. natural. Right.

I imagined we looked like a portrait against the view behind us as I spun once more, being led back into his arms with a slight sense of urgency that wasn’t there before. We danced along the room slowly, no more words between us, just the emotion of the music holding us captive within each other.

And as we spun and crossed the floor in the sparkling light of the vastness around us, for the moment, I forgot about Doctor Halsey. I forgot about Cortana. There were no orders being held over John’s head, and there was no Keystone or Halo to discover. No parents, no Covenant, no Blessed One, no other Spartans. There was no one trying to keep us apart. It was simply John and I.

John and {Y/N}.

Selfishly, I wanted it to last forever. It wasn’t until our eyes finally met again, that I could tell within the depths of my soul that he wanted the same. But to live a normal life seemed not in the cards for him. It wasn’t something I’d ever ask of him, either.

To think so far ahead after a minute or two of dancing together felt odd to me. I didn’t understand the impulse I was feeding into emotionally; the connection and willingness to be connected we suddenly shared so openly and unequivocally with each other. We’d gone from lukewarm to burning hot in a matter of a few musical notes.

But the way the music drifted in and out, creating the atmosphere we were so gladly stuck in, seemed to heighten the moment. The warmth of his large frame against mine was something I suddenly never wanted to lose, or forget, having only ever felt the warmth of his hands through my clothing before thanks to the armor he wore. Every second of our new encounter was being committed to memory.

Saved for eternity.

How could I ever forget the way his hands felt in mine? The way his lips seemed to curve upward ever so slightly as I spun beneath him. How, no matter how far away we traveled from each other in our dance to swing out slowly, we were still always touching in one way or another, connected, eager to return home.

Home.

It struck me then.

John felt like home.

Whatever that was, whatever I’d imagined it to be, it was all right here. Not with Astra, picking pockets. Not on Niacadus, wishing my parents would return. It was with The Spartan I’d once so stupidly felt so much hatred and disdain for.

My eyes never left his own once that realization struck. The moment was powerful, holding more passion than I’d experienced in a lifetime; the music lending more of the sensation to the situation. The song slowed down even more, and as it did so, I felt myself begin to dip backwards, John’s arms holding me, strong and safe— capable. Our gazes were locked on one another’s, simply feeling, feeling everything, all at once, new and otherwise.

My gentle hand finally found his neck as his face drew closer to mine. There was no turning back from this point. I knew it, I knew it in my mind and in my heart as it fluttered with excitement behind my ribcage. I knew it in my bones and the depths of my soul.

I wondered what he was thinking, deeply wished I could read his mind.

Slowly, carefully, my fingers grazed around the back of his neck, encouraging him to come closer, to stay closer. His skin was warm, my fingertips sending signals throughout my body as my other hand held him behind his shoulder once more. My breath hitched in my chest with every inch he closed between us.

I felt his grip tighten just slightly against my frame as though he too felt the gravity of the situation. As though he too knew how this one little gesture would seal our fate; close the space and time between us forever, irrevocably so.

His handsome features were so beautifully unbearable in such close proximity, that my eyes began to close, lips parted just so.. ready, waiting, for his acceptance of my final invitation to lay everything bare to each other—

Once, and for all…

-x-x-x-

Tags: @grimistangel, @guiltgoldglory ♡

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