#fixed installation led screen

[lizzy-123]

MATRIX 500 series LED screen：

1. cabinet：500mm*500mm， module：250mm*250mm

2. rental type & fixed type

3. indoor：P2.6，P2.9，P3.9

4. outdoor：P2.9，P3.9，P4.8 

[jtasiatrading]

LED Display Panel Installation Tips & Method 2l Idea l Guide l Tutorial ...

[rendevousz]

little hacker

avengers x fem!teen!reader

characters: brief clint barton, tony stark, steve rogers, natasha romanoff, peter parker

summary: you hacked into tony's systems and he, along with the team, track you down.

warnings: mentions of death and a car crash, hacking written by someone who has no idea how it works

word count: 3241

note: hi um this is my first oneshot on tumblr i hope you like it!!

you were 14 when you first met the avengers. your family had gotten into a tragic car accident and you were the only one who made it out alive, leaving you in excessive guilt and burden; guilt because you were the only one granted a second chance at life and burden because you had to live your life, barely scraping by as you were dropped the responsibility of taking care of your sick grandmother.

at 11, where all that the kids your age had to worry about was whether their pocket money was enough to get themselves an after-school snack, you worried whether or not the money left to your name was enough to survive.

at 11, where girls worried about their changing bodies and asked their mothers about it, you had to figure it all out yourself and with the help of your trusty laptop, the only gadget you had, one that your dad had gifted to you after you had gotten 100s for all your tests at age 8. he thought you were his little prodigy and figured a laptop would treat you well. you took care of it well because while you didn't want to spend the last of your money left, —that was specifically set aside for your grandmother's hospital bills— you wanted to hold on to the laptop for as long as you could, as a reminder of your loving father, as well as the memories the item held, after you've watched movies with pretty much all of your passed family members on that laptop at different points in your life. that was why whenever the thing lagged due to how much you've been using it, you almost always figure out how to fix it until it was good as new.

at 12, while your classmates had their parents to protect them when they were out at night, you feared for your life whenever you were out past dark. which led you to learning self defence from youtube videos. you learned them pretty quickly and with your sharp-wittedness, you no longer feared to be out at night. you even had the honours of trying out your skills when some men thought they could get you just because you were smaller than them.

at 12, where kids your age were having fun, enjoying their childhood, you had no choice but to be mature and think for the good of yourself and your sick grandmother. you were forced to grow up and you were probably more mature and intelligent than the rest of your classmates combined.

and at 13, you realised that money wasn't going to grow on trees and the money you were left with wasn't going to last forever. it had to last until you were old enough to work. but with your grandmother's condition getting worse and worse, you were forced to drop out of school. you were upset because you loved it. you loved knowledge. but family came first and the only thing that your knowledge increased on was on computers.

which led to you being able to hack into tony stark's bank account at only 14. you had no other choice than to steal money and who better to steal it from than a guy whose pocket change could probably last you another five years or so? you knew who tony stark was, the whole world knows who he is. and you thought that maybe he would be too preoccupied with his alter ego saving the whole world, along with his group of earth's mightiest heroes that he wouldn't notice the tiny bit of money you'd stolen from him.

of course the billionaire had been alerted immediately by his AI when you'd accessed into his systems. "security breach?" he exclaimed, immediately dropping the tool he was tinkering his suit with in his lab.

he spent about 3 minutes, that was how long you took touring around in his systems, observing what you did in it. he watched as you did nothing about the highly confidential information he had and instead, stole....5 grand from his bank account? that was barely a scratch to his account. what was going on?

he had requested FRIDAY to track down the hacker, mainly because he was perplexed that someone had hacked into his well protected system just to steal a tiny bit of money but it seems that even FRIDAY couldn't track down where it came from.

he told the team and it was then that everyone worried how dangerous the hacker could possibly be.

"who steals just 5 grand after hacking into a billionaire's bank account?" clint frowned after tony had explained the whole situation. "i mean, if i managed to hack into your systems, i'd do way more than just steal a couple bucks."

"exactly. and who knows? they might just be waiting for the right moment to install dangerous malware into the system and until we find the culprit, they're roaming somewhere out there with all our confidential information right at the tip of their fingers. if they decide to use it against us..." tony trailed off, for once having a worried expression on his otherwise nonchalant face. he's never been this clueless about what to do with any sort of technical issues concerning the avengers or himself.

you on the other hand, after getting complacent that you weren't caught, kept doing so for the next couple months or so. you had no ill intentions, just trying to scrape by. the whole situation puzzled tony. he didn't care how much you've taken from him in total now, you were right; it was merely pocket change to him. but you were still considered a threat since you had free access to his systems and he didn't even know who you were or where you were.

that was until you made a tiny mistake, one that if tony wasn't spending every waking moment trying to track you down he wouldn't have noticed. and though it was a small mistake, it certainly was going to change how things ran from then on.

that afternoon, after having just gotten back from visiting your grandmother at the hospital, you were planning to get more money from the billionaire's bank account at the comfort of your own home. god, hospital bills were expensive. once you had had a little snack, you settled down on the couch and opened your laptop. but being the quick-witted person you were, before the screen in front of you lit up, you saw movement from behind you.

your heart raced. you could handle fighting people but those usually happened in alleys at nighttime. this was in your home, your safe place. you made sure to lock the doors and there weren't fire escapes outside your windows so how did the intruder get in?

you could tell they were trying to be inconspicuous to get to you and so you let them. you let the person think that they were going to get you without a fight but when they were right behind you, you swiftly turned your body around and jumped over the couch. the masked intruder let out a surprised yelp and the two of you fought for a bit. before you knew it, you had them pinned under you in just ten seconds.

"wha– how– what?" it sounded like a boy. you looked down at him and noticed his red and blue spandex suit. you frowned. wasn't this the friendly neighbourhood spiderman guy or something? why was a superhero breaking into your home?

he was coughing from your knee pressing down onto his chest and you lifted it slightly, enough for him to breathe but not enough to escape. he seemed grateful though because he muttered a seemingly embarrassed 'thanks'.

"get off the kid or i'll blast you off of him myself."

you look up and saw the iron man repulsor aimed right at you, and obviously iron man himself was standing right there in the middle of your small apartment. behind him stood a redhead, who you knew as the black widow, aiming a pistol at you, and a man with a shield, captain america. the spiderboy must've come in through the window and unlocked the door for them.

when you made eye contact with steve, he frowned in confusion. you looked way too young to be the culprit they had expected. he muttered a quiet 'wait, what?' before tony stark revealed himself, his iron man faceplate opening.

"um...kid? where are your parents? or guardian? we need to see them because there's been some highly illegal activity coming from this address." the man in the suit spoke. you stayed still, knee still pressing against the boy under you, frowning at the adults in the room. they noticed your apprehensiveness and slowly lowered their weapons. "we're not here to hurt you, you can release the boy now," steve told you gently.

you usually weren't one to trust easily but since these people were known superheroes, you reluctantly stood up, still anxious of the possibilities of what they could do to you. the spiderboy got up too and dusted his back, before going to stand next to steve. you were confused as to why these heroes were breaking in your home until you remembered what you had been up to for the past weeks. how could you forget when that was the only reason you were still surviving?

your eyes widened with fear when they met tony's soft ones. he looked at you with such care and worry that you were reminded of your late dad. the man in front of you wasn't the arrogant man you've watched on youtube. you felt bad for stealing from him now. you used to think that he deserved it, despite how little you took compared to how much he had. the man knelt down before you so he didn't appear so big in front of you, seeing your frightened expression. little did he know you were frightened for a totally different reason.

"anyone else living here, kid? because i tracked down this address and someone has been stealing money from me. i might need to have a little talk with them." he explained, looking around the house. you fiddled with the hem of your shirt nervously, scared of what would come once you came clean about your actions. you were scared you were going to be taken in for juvenile crime but you were also scared of the consequences of lying straight to their faces. so you took a deep breath before deciding to just tell the truth.

"t–that would be me, sir." you admitted in a small voice, avoiding eye contact with the billionaire you had been stealing from. a few shocked looks from the team and an incredulous 'what?' from tony had you biting the inside of your cheeks in fear.

"i'm truly sorry about that, sir. i..." you trailed off, debating whether or not to justify your actions because you thought that he might not even want to listen to it. "i had to pay off my grandmother's hospital bills because she is very sick. my family died a few years ago in a car crash and i was the only one who made it. i was left some money to my name but having to survive on that along with paying off nana's bills, it was bound to run out. i...i thought that since you were a billionaire, stealing a few thousands wouldn't matter to you...i'm so sorry, sir. i– i'll start working to pay you back.." you stuttered out, holding your hands together so it would minimise the shaking.

tony's mouth opened and closed, like fish out of water, not knowing what to say to you. he stood up and you were on the verge of breaking down right then and there, feeling as small as you did before he knelt before you. "p–please don't report me, sir. i– i don't know what would happen to my nana if you do.. i swear to you that i didn't mess with your other files. i only accessed the system for your bank account and that was it. i have no ill intentions, please don't report me.." you were now the one kneeling down in front of him, begging.

the team were flabbergasted at the scene unfolding before them and tony was quick to get you off your knees, which scared you even more because the death grip of his metal hands on your forearms had your mind running wild at the millions of possibilities of what he would do to you. was he going to kill you and leave you somewhere that people were never going to find your body? or was he going to dispose of you and use his power to remove you permanently from the system so no one came looking for you? he had the power to ruin your life and you feared that.

snapping you out of your mental breakdown, he spoke softly. "hey, it's okay." and that was when you realised the 'death grip' he had on your forearms had only been your paranoia getting the best of you. he was barely even touching you. your teary eyes looked up at his soft, brown ones in fear.

then he smiled at you.

"it's okay. i understand the reason why you did what you did. you're a good kid, your nana is so lucky to have you. what's your name?" he knelt down before you once again, knowing that him standing tall in his iron man suit terrified you. "y/n." you responded timidly.

"how old are you, y/n?" this time, it was steve who asked. you had forgotten that there were other people in the room, too consumed by your fear for your life a few moments ago. "i'm fourteen, mr america, sir." you whispered out, the sight of captain america in person intimidating you until you saw a kind smile on his face.

"you're pretty young to be doing what you've been doing, y/n. are you aware that you're the first person to be able to hack into my heavily protected, supposedly impenetrable network? many have tried to do so and failed, and they were really smart people too. have you been doing this for a while?" tony asked.

"um...my father gifted me this laptop when i was 8 because i did exceptionally well in school. he believed i was a child prodigy and let me have a laptop since he knew my studies wouldn't be affected by the distraction of entertainment. i used to only hack into games to cheat my way up the ranks but only recently i tried something else since i had nothing better to do and i've been out of school for a while now. i knew you were a billionaire so i tried just for the heck of it and surprised myself when i got in on the first try. and then i saw your bank account details and i really needed money so i stole some... again, i'm so sorry about that." you apologised, looking down at your feet.

he couldn't believe it. you were just messing around and you managed to get into his system? you, a mere fourteen year old who was out of school, managed to single handedly do what geniuses around the world had failed to do?

he was initially just going to have a talk with the hacker, and in case they were dangerous and had backup, he brought his own. but bringing steve, natasha and peter proved to be unnecessary when the culprit turned out to be you.

"where did you learn those moves?" natasha stepped closer towards you. you looked up at the redhead, noticing the glare she had on you when she aimed her pistols at you was replaced with curiosity.

you fiddled with the hem of your shirt even more, embarrassed to tell her that you learned to fight from a couple of youtube videos when she had gotten years of actual training. you were pathetic compared to her. "i, um, i learned them from some youtube videos."

her eyebrows raised in surprise at the revelation. you hadn't gotten professional training yet you moved like you had. peter had superhuman strength, agility and endurance yet you took him down in under ten seconds. sure it may have been a disadvantage to peter because he was caught off guard but he should've been able to take you down still.

now was tony going to let the chance of a lifetime slip by? no, of course he was immediately thinking of recruiting you. your dad had been right about you being a prodigy. you adapted to new skills quickly and you were perfect for recruitment.

"hey kid, wanna be an avenger?"

your eyes widened and your jaw dropped in shock. steve immediately turned to him, an incredulous look on his face as he glared dangerously at the billionaire. "stark, you wanna think about this for a minute?"

"thank about what, cap? you saw what she did to the spiderling. and she successfully hacked into my system on her first try and we took weeks to trace her. romanoff back me up here," he saw how impressed natasha was by you and he knew the redhead wasn't going to disagree. "stark's right, steve. she's only fourteen and she's capable of so much already. we need someone like her."

"exactly! she's only fourteen! this life is dangerous for her!" steve argued. peter then tapped his shoulder to get his attention. "hey, mr rogers, i'm a sixteen-year-old avenger and she took me down easily. not gonna lie, it hurt my pride, also my back when you flipped me over your shoulder," he turned to you but you didn't say anything because you couldn't see his facial expression. "but i think she's going to be okay, sir."

steve sighed before turning to you, the defeated expression on his face softening when you looked up at him with your doe eyes and a small smile. you didn't answer to tony just yet since it seemed that steve had a say in it as well but you were dying to say yes. not only were you not going to be reported for your crimes but to be recruited by iron man himself to be an avenger? who could say no to that? not you, at least, since you had nothing better to do with your life at the moment.

"well, what do you say, kid?"

your smile grew and you nodded happily. the team couldn't help but crack a smile at how happy you looked for the first time since they've encountered you.

"well, you should go pack your important stuff so we can go back to the tower. you're going to be moving in if you're an official member of the avengers." tony told you and you nodded, walking towards your room to start packing while the team sat on the couch to wait for you.

"wait, what's going to happen to my nana?" you turned back towards them, worry etched onto you face. "don't worry about it, kid. you can give me the details later and i'll settle it. she'll be in good hands." he assured. "okay." you mumbled in response.

you were actually going to be an avenger. "awesome.." you grinned to yourself as you packed.

[yestech-led-display]

Magic Stage series can be used not to make amazing stage, but to build distinctive outdoor fixed installation LED wall for advertisement, infrastructural project, etc.

[concussed-to-pieces]

The Chance And The Change; Part Six

Fandom: Boku No Hero Academia/My Hero Academia

Pairing: (Eventual) Villain!Mirio/AFAB Shie Hassaikai!Reader

Rating: Holy shit M.

A/N: Welcome all, welcome to our next installment! Enjoy!

Tag List: @hijackser @nonstop-haikyuu @zombiexbody @buttons-beads-lace @moonchhu @swift-omg-no @ectoplasmictoast @tartimaar-bloggeth

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

[!TRIGGER WARNING!: This installment contains depictions of financial insecurity. Stay safe!]

The young man currently darkening your doorway filled your chest with a frantic array of emotions. Oh of course you had seen the news! Of course you had read the stories. He had been lauded as a hero for his impressive undercover work. There had even been a documentary for the true-crime fiends, 'Eyes Inside The Hassaikai'. 

Mirio Togata had clearly done well for himself. He was obviously on the straight and narrow, obviously through with the life he had led before. 

So why was he here now?

You stood awkwardly at the top of the steps for a moment, your hands clutching your lone reusable grocery bag and your jacket still dripping with the autumn rains that poured outside. He hadn't noticed you yet, staring down at his phone. The latest model, you realized with a touch of jealousy. Your phone screen had cracked ages ago, but you hadn't been able to set aside the funds to fix it yet.

You finally cleared your throat pointedly and Mirio flinched at the noise, jamming his phone back into his pocket. "It is you!" He practically shouted, that grin just as broad and guileless as before. "I had a real time tracking you down after you changed your address, but luckily with all the break-ins there was new-"

"Why are you here?" You interrupted him stiffly.

"I…I wanted to see you?"

You cringed, expecting a police escort to come sauntering up behind you. Maybe they would crash through the roof, like a SWAT team…

"Hey, what's with that look?" The blond man asked gently, taking a step forward. "I'm glad you're in one piece, y'know?"

"Did you come alone?" The query came out much sharper than you intended, almost a bark. 

Togata paused, his brow furrowed. "Well yeah, of course. Who else would I have come with?"

"Are you sure?" You pressed, peering back down the dark staircase you had come up. 

"I swear, I'm the only one." He replied, his tone earnest. "I promise."

You exhaled, reluctantly giving him a visual once-over. "You look good, Lemillion."

His smile threatened to blind you. "So do you! You been working out? Gettin' in shape? I know this great twenty-four hour gym closer to the center of town…"

…

You were gaunt and you looked scared. Not dangerously so, but enough that he noticed. Mirio wanted to kick himself for having taken so long to enquire after you once you were discharged from the hospital. It had been a mess of red tape just to get access to your account so he could update your coverage, forge the backdate and pay it off; his last act of what he would consider illegal behavior. Once that had been accomplished, however, his hands were clean. Togata had really 'shaped up', according to anyone who felt the need to comment on it.

It had been what you wanted. What you told him to do. 

You've got shit to do! You can keep the kid safe. You can be the hero she needs right now!

Don't let this shit be for nothing.

And so he had worked on himself, worked tirelessly to bring that future to fruition. Remembering your expression, your eyes when your Quirk was fading out and all you could do was hold your wounded shoulder and reassure him, with you even going so far as attempting to smile…it had been absolutely haunting. It was more than enough motivation to really buckle down and stop messing around with his gray area activities.

"Can I get you anything?" You asked, your tone wry while you unpacked the minimal groceries you had obviously just picked up. "I have tap water and tap water that's been sitting in the fridge. Splurged a little on a filter pitcher to liven things up."

"Oh I'm all set, thanks. I actually wanted to know if you'd like to…uh, get dinner." Mirio offered, and he was uncertain if he'd felt more awkward in his life. "I know it's kind of miserable out though, and I know I came by sort of unexpectedly, so it's totally fine if you don't want to…want to get dinner."

You squinted up at him, clearly suspicious. "And why are you trying to get me dinner?"

"I…" Mirio didn't really have an answer for that, stammering momentarily and then falling silent.

You made a noise of annoyance, shaking your head. "You feel bad for me, don't you?"

"No," he began earnestly, but you weren't done.

"Oh? So what's the reason for dinner? You always reconnect with old work pals over some tasty noodles from down the street?" 

"I've missed you." The words were out before he could stop them and you had the grace to look stunned. "It's been nothing but hero stuff, all day every day for months." Mirio rushed to explain, feeling embarrassed heat creep up the back of his neck. "I'm happy for the opportunity, don't get me wrong! It's just hard to be around constantly, that's all. I feel like I'm working uphill."

Your laugh was unexpected, the noise boisterous and honest. "Ha! Schoolboy having a tough time fitting in with the general populace?"

"You have no idea-" Mirio erupted enthusiastically, only to be cut off when the lightbulb over his head flickered and went out. In the dim twilight from the window he saw you groping towards another light switch, and the swears you unleashed upon flipping it to no avail had him grinning in spite of himself. 

"I don't suppose that offer of dinner still stands?" You finally asked with a sigh. "Guess the electric company wasn't fucking around. Nice of them to wait until I got home."

"Absolutely. Recommend me a food spot you like." It was either a testament to his preexisting nature or a confirmation that this hero stuff was rubbing off on him, because it was on the tip of Mirio's tongue to offer you a spot on his apartment's couch. His roommate probably wouldn't have any objections, and it would only be for a few weeks or so. Just until he could catch whoever was behind the break-ins–

Dinner, idiot! he chided himself. One thing at a time. Sir left it to my discretion!

"When I have the money for it, there's a place about a block away." Togata could only just see that you were raising your hands, like you were about to fend off an objection. "They're not expensive! The food is good, and they have huge portions. I'm a little broke at the moment as embarrassing as that is to admit, but I'll be able to pay you back in–"

"Absolutely not." Mirio interjected firmly. "I'm the one imposing on your time, after all. Of course dinner is on me!" 

…

"I'm really sorry about all this, I've been behind for a while." You apologized as you locked the apartment door. You were weirdly alright with this turn of events, you couldn't even lie. If you'd had to open your fridge, Mirio would have no doubt seen that the only thing in it was a cheap filter pitcher of water and a half-empty can of tomato paste. Being behind on a bill or two was easy enough to admit, but revealing that you subsisted on microwave noodles, peanut butter and water might raise a few red flags. 

Specifically in the sodium department.

Mirio towered over you in the dim, cramped hallway, his gelled hair practically brushing the ceiling. "Cozy place, huh?" He remarked, bluntly dismissing your apology without a word. "Built in what, 1912?"

"I'll have you know it was 2013," was your tart reply, and he laughed again. You had missed making him laugh, you were realizing to your chagrin. "I can't believe you got to be in a documentary about those fuckwads." Togata sputtered a bit at that, clearly embarrassed, but you pressed on. "Was it cool? Or just a pain in the ass?"

"Both, sort of! It was a lot of work, but really exciting to see forensic science in action. Sir was instrumental in taking down the Hassaikai, and he…" Mirio trailed off. "Oh wait. Uh, so you probably don't know this, but I'm one of Sir Nighteye's trainees now! I was voluntarily incarcerated for around three weeks while they figured out what to do with me, I'm in a probationary position now."

You squinted. "Oh, with what's-his-name? Started with a D."

"Deku!"

"Yeah, how are things going with him?"

"Really well! He's a hardworking guy and he doesn't mind partnering up to get things done, which is great for surveillance details."

"And what of your plans of sweeping reform, Schoolboy? Put any of those in motion?"

With his infectious good mood washing over you, you were nearly able to ignore the cold, needle-like rain still coming down during the five minute walk to the little hole in the wall eatery. Mirio insisted on loaning you his umbrella, stating that his hair was so aggressively gelled the rain just slid off onto his coat instead. He laughed when you pointed out the droplets clinging to the tip of his nose and you were really getting a little concerned over how much you had apparently missed making him laugh–

His enthusiasm continued into the meal. The soda he ordered sat untouched by his elbow as he relayed (without using her name, you noticed) that Eri was well on her way to recovery. Her Quirk, while not fully understood, was being studied quite intently and…

"...there may be a way to reverse what happened to you." Mirio finally offered carefully through a mouthful of soft-boiled egg, his eyes on your face as if to gauge your reaction. 

A noodle escaped from between your chopsticks and landed back in the bowl of broth with a soft splat.

You were at a loss for words. Hope and fear, gut-wrenching and total, warred inside you. "Mirio…" you hesitated, taking a bracing sip of your tea in an attempt to gather yourself. "There isn't a place for me in this kinder, gentler world you're making." You kept your attention firmly on the steaming mug in your hands. "There never really was, even when I had my Quirk." 

"That's not true," Mirio started to protest, pausing when you held up a hand. 

"Schoolboy, someone like me is expendable at best and invisible at worst. I'm not gonna' sob over the crap that I went through before…" you hesitated, glancing around and then lowering your voice. "Before the boss, if you catch my drift. It won't do me any good to dwell on it. What I'm doing now is going okay, and that's more than I've had for a pretty long time."

"Except your power is being turned off." Togata pointed out, his tone incredulous. "And that bunch of break-ins!"

You bristled at his interjection, recalling only now how annoying it could be to talk to him sometimes. His lacking ability to pick up on social cues was one of his more irritating qualities and, while his assumptions were not incorrect, it was much harder to explain away with him across the table from you. "The power thing was just a mistake on the electric company's part. I haven't had the time to fight with them over the phone." You lied, lowering your gaze to your tea again. "Plus, a lot of places got broken into, not just mine."

A hand slipped beneath your chin, raising your face. "Let me help you." He murmured.

Maybe it was the gentle tone of his voice. Maybe it was the blatant, honest kindness in his expression. Maybe you were just tired of fighting on your own.

No matter the reason, your eyes welled up and you felt tears start to stream down your cheeks. Mirio made a sympathetic sound in his throat, reaching for one of the paper napkins next to your arm. "I've got you." He soothed. "It's okay. I'm here to help. Come crash on my couch for a while, you'll be safe at my place. I promise." His smile threatened to really make you lose your composure and you hid your face in your hands, finally nodding.

"I'm so embarrassed." You whispered.

"You're not asking for help, if it makes you feel better." Mirio replied softly. "I'm offering help. And not because of my line of work, but because it's the right thing to do."

"What if your roommate doesn't agree with your choice to bring me in?"

"Pfft, Tamaki? He's a great guy, he'll be totally fine with you staying over!"

Part Seven

[helenazbmrskai]

With Glass Between Us

This is the very first fic I’ve ever written that doesn’t contain a lot of dialogue (since Jungkook can’t speak in this one) and not sure how I feel about the story now that I finished it. I had a hard time picking the ending scene but hope it’s still enjoyable.

Title ‹ With Glass Between Us ›

Pairing ‹ Merman! Jungkook x Reader ›

Genre ‹ merman au, fantasy, implied romance, angst, fluff ›

Summary ‹ Pets are considered a man’s best friend. The middle class can only afford cats and dogs while rich people can get exotic species such as racoons or even lions. Your dad invests in a companion for you as well, don’t want his sweet daughter to feel lonely and comes home with a ..er merman? ›

Warning(s) ‹ semi described injury, blood, the ending is left open ›

Word count ‹ 6.6k ›

Masterlist

Something’s going to happen today, you can feel it in the air as you lay on your bed, gaze fixed on your ceiling.

Your dad has been working on the room next door for a little over a week now, the only information that you could get out of him is that it’s going to be a gift for you. He didn’t let you look at it, not before it’s finished. Only getting glimpses of the workers who would come early in the morning and leave after the sun has set.

You almost fall back into sleep when you hear a loud commotion coming from the room next door, you learn soon that instead, it’s coming from the corridor in front of said mystery door. Getting up you peek out from behind the doorway, catching the gruesome picture of a man holding his heavily bleeding arm to his chest.

It looks like someone bit out a chunk of his flesh with teeth sharp like a knife. Your father sees you before you could close the door and go back to your bed. Beckoning you to stand next to your father the bleeding man gets led away by another worker. The wound was still bleeding through the bandages before you lost sight of them.

Your attention lands on the door to your right next, that you’ve been staring at for a while but this time it’s open.

You see a big fish tank that covers half of the room’s expanse, the other half looks like an ordinary living room with a big flat screen tv and a maroon couch in front of it. You don’t get it at first why that big tank is installed until you see him.

It somehow looks scared, circling inside the water like a cornered animal you see that the water is slightly pink probably it’s the worker’s blood that got into the water and the sharp teeth that caused the injury belongs to the creature inside the fish tank.

You can’t seem to stop staring at him, his massive tail cuts through the water with ease, the tail itself has enough strength to push his full body weight forward as he swims around, his body is covered by indigo scales the sun reflects on the glass making the colour go from deep blue to purple if you’re looking at it in different angles.

”Where did you get him? Isn’t this illegal?” You voice your worries, the creature looks dangerous you keep your eyes on him even though it looks like he didn’t seem to realise you’re there yet.

The worker with the bloody arm could tell you about it, it didn’t look like a minor injury and knowing that his jaw possesses such power. You shouldn’t house a predator with the ability to bite your arm off without straining a muscle, you don’t know the full potential of what this mythical creature is capable of. What did your father think when he purchased him? Just like you don’t keep sharks as pets he would be better off living in his natural habitat.

”This is your gift. Aren’t you excited? You can be the first one to keep a merman as a pet I paid a lot of money for it.”

You don’t have it in you to show the same enthusiasm as your dad. A minute ago you didn’t even know mermen exist and now you suddenly own one. You have so many questions regarding the subject. What to bring him to eat? Is there anything he dislikes? What about his tank? You don’t have enough knowledge to care for him.

”What happens to him if you give him back?” You already have a conjecture about what will happen to the poor creature if you send him back. Someone else will buy him and he may not land in hands as considerate as you. He could end up inside a lab to be experimented on or inside someone else’s living room to show him off as an animal in the zoo. You don’t like either of those options.

”It took a lot of manpower to bring him here. Why don’t you give it a month and if you still don’t want him I can send him back.” It costs someone almost an entire arm. You decide to listen to your father’s coaxing words but you’re still worried that if that glass will hold. If he punches it with enough power to break it. Hell will break loose.

”Are you sure he’s harmless like this?” You feel uncomfortable just by looking at him. You’re afraid of him.

”Don’t worry sweetheart. The glass won’t break it’s designed to house a merman inside and if you don’t go too close to the surface while you feed him he’s mostly harmless.” Mostly. It’s a tricky word. Your father’s words carry the intention to make you feel relaxed. Calm down your racing heart that tries to break free from inside your ribcage, now that you know he’s mostly harmless.

When you look back at the tank you catch his dark eyes. He’s observing you, one hand is pressed against the glass his tail moves behind him to keep him in place at the bottom. There are rocks and a thin layer of moss inside the tank making it appear more of a goldfish aquarium with all those pretty aquatic plants.

You see stairs on the left side of it leading up to the top, the surface of the water is closed with an automatic mechanism. Your father gives you the remote controller so the diameter of the hole can be changed it’s for when you have to feed him he told you.

There’s a long rod with a hook on the end leaned against one of the cabinets at the far end of the room so you can give the creature a bucket of fish without getting too close to the water, there’s also a fridge inside to store the fish. Your father was thoughtful while designing the room you give him that.

As your father tours you around the room showing you where everything is kept the merman keeps following your figures swimming to the end of the glass where you’re heading until there’s no more room for him to follow, unfortunately with how wide the tank is he can see the whole room perfectly. You refrain from looking at him, his eyes scare you. You haven’t heard any noise from him either, you’re not sure if he can talk or not but he has been eerily silent this whole time preying on you and your father until you left.

You don’t want to visit him the next day but you’re the only one who can feed the creature, the staff is too terrified to come even close to the room and because of that they don’t come to your room either as it’s right next to his. You don’t mind that part too much, it means you can sleep in as no one comes to wake you up to have breakfast. It’s past twelve when you decide to go and fed the creature.

You use the rod and hook the bucket to the end of it it’s heavy for you to lift as the bucket is filled with fish to the brim, you have no idea how much he eats so you opt for giving him as much as you could.

You manage to dump everything into the water, the dead fish remains on the surface until a force – his hands – pulls them underwater one by one. The merman’s hand is very human-like slender fingers ending in sharp fingernails just like the upper half of him it resembles you in every way it’s only his indigo tail and slitted pupils that give away his true nature.

You keep feeding him every day, a week soon turns into two and you keep giving him fish leaving as soon as you’re done still avoiding eye contact and retreat into your room. He’s always silent, sometimes you hear the splash of water as he moves around inside the tank but his mouth remains closed every time you visit him.

You hear nothing when you’re laying on your bed late at night, only the water, you sometimes wonder if he hears you sing in the shower or when you’re mumbling to yourself about stuff to do. He still gives you the creeps but you get used to him.

It’s becoming a routine when you come every day around the same time to feed him, wondering if giving him food only once a day is enough, maybe you should feed him three times a day similar to how humans eat? You have no idea but who can blame you it’s your first time sheltering a mythical creature inside your house and it looks like he can’t communicate with you. Hard to define his needs when he offers no help to aid you.

You decide to watch him this time you sit down at the top, far away from the vent, the platform still stretches long before you can see the open water. He never comes up to the surface only pulling the fish in, you start to question if he can breathe above the water at all.

From this angle, you can only see a distorted image of what lies beneath catching the colour blue and pale skin you could easily see him if you moved lower on the staircase but you’re against the idea.

You still haven’t looked him in the eye after that time from the first day he was brought here by your father and your gaze barely connected for a few seconds. Feeling his stare you make sure that your back is facing the tank as you reach for the door. You decided that it was enough for one day.

The idea comes when you eat an apple as you try to reorganise your desk getting ready to start your study session, you look at it and then your thoughts take a turn and picture the merman.

It’s been a few weeks that you feed him the same fish every day, he eats them all but maybe he’s tired of eating fish? You know about yourself that if you eat the same thing all the time it gets boring after a while no matter how much you like that specific dish. You have a few more apples to spare maybe you should give it a try. Nodding your head you resume your work it’s still early for you to feed him.

It turns out merman doesn’t like fruits. He ate all the fish but left the apple untouched. The fruit gets tossed and turned around by the gentle waves the merman probably is the cause behind it his powerful tail stirs the calm flutters of the water.

With the help of the bucket, you get it out before it rots and contaminates the waters. Somewhat you feel sad that he didn’t eat it but can’t put your finger on why it bothers you it’s not like you’re worried about his health.

It’s easy for you to lift the bucket, it’s only half full you could do this with one hand. The merman started to eat less so you don’t fill it up anymore, maybe you were overfeeding him all this time and had enough of it.

You don’t think too long about this discovery until the quantity of the food he consumes appears to be less and less with each passing day. A troubled sigh slips out from between your lips when you see at least twelve fish laying on the surface untouched. Only ate half of what you dumped into the water and it wasn’t even that much to begin with and it’s not the first time either that he refused to eat.

Now you’re getting worried. This time around you don’t walk to the door as soon as you’re finished with storing the tools you use to feed him instead you get closer to the glass for the first time searching for the merman.

He lays on the rocks in the middle head turned to the mass of water above him not knowing that you’re watching him. You experimentally tap on the glass that earns his attention his eyes widen when he sees your gaze on him his body jolts up immediately swimming closer but you step away in fear. The merman stops when he sees your retreating form it almost looks like his shoulders are hunching forward and his eyes.

It’s different from the first time when you met his eyes it doesn’t have that predatory glint in them, no, the emotion you see is very different from it. The creature looks lonely, his eyes are sad when he watches you from a distance.

You know nothing about his species so you didn’t know they can get lonely too. It’s your mistake that you didn’t try harder to understand him letting your fear rule out the curiosity in you. After he was bought by your father and placed under your care you didn’t bother to look at him, speak to him, the only interaction you had was when you fed him and you left always immediately.

Maybe you should give him a name to feel closer to him, you obviously need to get over your fear to be in the same room as him without the gnawing feeling in the pit of your stomach that screams you’re in danger every time you sense his eyes on you.

You place your palm on the glass, it’s cold to the touch but you keep it there thinking carefully what name would fit him the best until you settle with one.

”Jungkook, come here.” You call him for the first time, you like how his name sounds spoken out loud you keep smiling so you can show him that he can trust you. Even though he can’t understand you, you keep calling for him.

It takes a while and a bit more encouraging for Jungkook to start swimming again taking cautious laps in your direction. He surprises you when he places his palm against the exact spot that your hand is against the glass.

Your first reaction is to pull away but you force your body to keep still, you don’t want to hurt his feelings again, you can still remember it vividly when he happily swam towards you and how downcast his expression seemed when you stepped back before he could reach you. Never considered before how he might feel when you keep coming into this room just to leave without looking at him even once.

You would probably feel lonely too. He’s not smiling but it’s the closest that you’ve ever seen him to it. Pointing up you want to tell him to finish eating but he doesn’t seem to understand your sign. Jungkook looks sad when you retreat your hand, you have to tell him somehow that he should eat. Fortunately, he follows you as you climb the stairs he swims next to you until his head almost hits the platform.

Getting a new idea you get a fish from the basket and hold it up to your mouth acting like you bite into it and then point at the remaining fish that still sways on the surface rocked by the gentle waves. It looks like he understands you this time but he doesn’t move an inch from your side to do as he was told, he keeps looking at you and then at the door.

You think he associates his feeding process with you leaving immediately after that’s why he doesn’t want to eat so that you would stay. The realisation dawns upon you that this might have been his goal all along for not eating – to get you to stay.

”I won’t leave. Go eat, I’ll be here watching you.” You tell him but you know he doesn’t understand a single word you say – but you still have to try – maybe he can’t make sense of your words but you hope that your feelings can be somehow conveyed through them. Your last attempt to get him to eat is to sit down, you remember you stayed longer that one time when you watched the water from above, you were sitting just like this. Jungkook’s memory must be pretty good as he seems to understand it.

He swims in the direction of the fishes but keeps looking back where you sit to make sure you’re not leaving.

You look around the room while he demolishes the remains of his supper finding his eating habits grotesque as he bites the fishes in half with his razor-sharp teeth before chewing them, it’s messy and blood gets everywhere.

You’re content when it looks like he ate everything. He swims back where you sit placing his hand on the glass mirroring your previous actions. Don’t want to deny him and make him sad again you place yours on top of his separated by the transparent glass but the sentiment is not lost on you because of it, it’s the first step of getting to know each other. Maybe Jungkook is more than what meets the eyes for the first time.

It’s the longest you’ve ever stayed inside his room it’s nighttime when you say goodbye and start your night routine. He didn’t look too happy when you left but you’re certainly not ready to sleep in the same room as him. You take your time under the shower thinking about the merman.

Your heart feels less heavy when you open the door the next day, it looks like you interrupted his sleep as you accidentally drop the DVD that you carried, you thought that maybe it would be nice to watch a movie with him, there’s a DVD player in the room ready to be used by someone and the tv is big enough to let him see it – his vision is probably better than yours anyway – but you can pull it closer to the tank as well or get your laptop if none of that for some reason works.

”Jungkook. Good morning, sorry to wake you up but it’s time to eat and I brought something that you might like but first you have to eat all the fish or I won’t show it to you.” You shake the object in front of him just to emphasise your statement, the other day it seemed to you that he can sense the emotions and respond to them rather than reacting to your words alone. Jungkook is an intelligent creature, you know that without him telling you. You only have to find a way to communicate with him without words.

You can tell that he senses some of your uneasiness but your fear won’t vanish after one pleasant encounter, he’s still a predator no matter how he tries to appear in sheep’s clothing in front of you.

Be that as it may, you wouldn’t be here with a movie in your hand if you weren’t willing to try though.

You give him more fish than yesterday hopeful that he will start eating like before now that you’re willing to spend some time with him and as you finish loading the food into the water you sit down waiting for him at the foot of the stairs. You busy yourself while you wait with setting everything up for the movie, you manage to drag the tv closer without making it fall face-first onto the floor so that’s good.

Jungkook watches you with interest as you insert the movie into the player, you have to observe his reactions more so you can understand his body language better but the simple emotions on his face are easy to detect even now. You sit down on the floor next to the tank getting a pillow from the couch so you can get comfortable.

Halfway through the movie, you decide to rest your back against the cold glass you can’t really concentrate on the plot as you’re hyper-aware of your skin touching the tank’s side, occasionally you glance in Jungkook’s direction so you can see what he’s doing.

Surprisingly enough, the moving pictures completely captured his attention. His torso is laying flat on the moss with his blue tail curled at the ends Jungkook keeps his upper body propped up with his elbows both planted onto the bottom of the tank his face inches away from the glass like he doesn’t want to miss anything that plays on the tv. You can almost call him cute with his big dark eyes.

You suddenly remember that you didn’t check if he ate all the fish but pleased to see when you look up that there are no leftovers. Maybe you can try feeding him fruits or other healthy nutritions besides seafood to change up his diet, now that you can somehow communicate with him. There’s a high possibility that he left it there last time because he didn’t know it was edible.

The next time you throw in two apples next to his normal food just as you expected, he left the apples again. As he’s done consuming a large amount of his meal Jungkook swims to where you stand on the stairs. You step lower so you can see through the water without any distorting effect.

The merman places a hand on the glass waiting for you to place yours right on top. The gesture soon became a habit of his as of late after you showed him. Used to this tiny ritual you go through with him every day you place your palm against his as you smile but it’s the first time that he smiles back.

His teeth are sharp and you see the remains of the fish caught between them. The sight should be terrifying and maybe a few weeks prior you would have turned away with disgust but now you just keep smiling.

After you gave him a real name and started talking to him, he significantly grew on you. Maybe it’s because now he feels more real, you acknowledge him and think about him when you’re apart. Nowadays you find yourself opening the door without having second thoughts or hesitation and even start to neglect your studies to keep Jungkook company. He likes watching movies with you even though you’re not sure how much exactly does he understands from them.

He’s very intelligent and learns fast as he keeps picking up on your gestures sometimes understanding what you want from him immediately. Jungkook learns that when you raise your hand and pretend to bite something you hold up it means it’s time for him to eat, now he eats everything you drop into the water and doesn’t look like he dislikes the fruits you give him next to his meals.

Jungkook is really good at distinguishing your different moods, your suspicion that he has a natural talent in sensing emotions gets answered when he tries to turn in a full circle with his face touching his tail inside the tank like a seal would do while entertaining the visitors at shows you saw a few times before, inside the zoo, there was a scene like that in one of the movies that you watched together, you realise.

Funnily enough, he makes you laugh as he gets tangled in seaweed the next second but easily frees himself by cutting the greens with his long nails.

You don’t know if it’s a merman thing or not but you guess that the reason behind it is because he can’t speak so he’s better at communicating with his eyes and gestures. After all, emotions are expressed not told.

It’s easy to forget that he can be dangerous as he keeps acting like your puppy, most times he wants you to touch the glass where his hands are while watching movies almost like an equivalent to holding hands just with a barrier in between. You caught him one time pushing his face into the glass where your hand rests against it. You wonder what his skin would feel like if you touched him.

It’s an experiment. It could go extremely wrong or not. You have a fish in hand about to hand feed your creature, the guy who almost lost his hand would tell you it’s very stupid of you but he didn’t spend as much time with him as you did. Before you could think this through again and give in to the fears of getting your hand bitten off you get the remote from your pocket and make the metal lid almost reveal the full surface of the tank.

”Alright. Let’s do this.” You take a deep breath and stretch your hand above the water waiting for something to happen. You learned that he can spend some limited amount of time above the surface as long as his tail is submerged. It happened one time when you accidentally dropped the bucket into the water and he helped you hook it back in place, he looked happy when you thanked him for his help his tail did that little drop you catch him do sometimes when he looks pleased.

”Please don’t bite my arm off.” You plead with him gently when he suddenly pops his head out of the body of water a little further away from reaching your hands. He snatches it from between your fingers with the speed of light his nails graze your skin but doesn’t really scratch you or anything, you remind yourself to breathe in and out while you get another one from inside the bucket and stretch your arm out again in the same manner.

He’s more careful this time as he swims closer to where you stand and reaches for the fish. You smile proudly when he manages to get it this time gently. You keep feeding him until there’s only one fish left, this way it’s a lot slower to carry out the task but it was worth it in the end.

After he ate everything Jungkook’s hand reaches above the water and shows you his palm in the exact way that he would push it against the glass. You understand what he tries to do and decide to just go for it. His skin is really cold and somewhat slimy it’s eye-opening to see how much bigger his hand looks compared to yours.

He suddenly tugs at your hand as if he wants to beckon you to join him in the water but you pull yours back with fear that he’ll make you tip over the edge. Jungkook looks at you longingly when you press your back to the railing getting as much space between you two as possible given the cramped stairs.

”I can’t breathe like you underwater, I’m sorry but I can’t go in with you.” You shake your head, trying to make him understand your point of view. Jungkook goes back into the water and you adjust the lid with the remote with a disappointed sigh. The feeding went well you’re sad that it took a wrong turn at the end.

You still turn on the movie not sure if he wants to be alone or not. The next day you resume the same way as you were feeding him before using the rod with the bucket, you don’t want last time to make things weird between you two so when he doesn’t initiate the hand pressed on the glass you do it.

”I’m sorry, you probably still feel my nervousness but I can’t help it. You’re so much stronger than I am and you can’t tell me that you won’t hurt me so I’m getting cautious every time you come near me.” He listens to you intently, observing your hand that’s still pushed against the glass waiting for him to do the same. As if realising your intentions he swims closer but instead of giving you his hand he’s pressing his cheek into your palm, you only feel the glass but the meaning behind his action warms your heart.

”It’s not that I don’t want to trust you but it will take more time for me to get comfortable. I hope you can understand.”

Jungkook keeps pushing his face into your hand and you giggle when you see his face turn funny from the press. ”You know I wonder a lot what you think of me. I think you’re very beautiful especially your tail. It looks so strong and massive and your scales are pretty when the light shines on them.”

You get a little shy after confessing all of this so you bury your face into your hands but it means you have to pull it away from the glass and Jungkook makes the first noise ever – that’s not eating noises and the sound of flesh torn apart – with grinding his teeth together to show you his displeasure. Tilting your head to the side you don’t catch it immediately what that means until you see his face pushed against the glass a little harder.

It calms him down when you place it back where it was before. ”You’re so needy, I guess you like my touch?” You ask even though you’re not expecting a real answer, he doesn’t react just keeps his face near your palm looking at you with his big dark eyes.

This time you selected something new to watch, you always try to bring a different genre each time so Jungkook can get familiar with different types of films and decide for himself what he likes best. You can’t say for sure what he likes as he watches everything intently. You already showed him documentaries action films and comedies but this time you brought a romance movie.

His reaction looks the same even when the two protagonists start kissing each other on screen but it makes you keep wondering. If mermen exist there are probably mermaids as well. Does he miss his old home? You don’t even know if they’re social creatures like humans but you guess maybe they are considering how he got lonely when you didn’t pay any attention to him. Maybe he has a beautiful mermaid waiting for him in the ocean, you can never know there’s no way for you to ask.

You see a beautiful seashell bracelet on display the other day while you’re out shopping with your friend, it reminds you of Jungkook’s tail as the colour is close to resembling indigo. You contemplate if you should get it for him as a gift.

Even when your friend keeps teasing you about it, asking countless times who’s this mysterious boyfriend of yours that makes you spend money on him, you happily tuck two of the same pair inside your jean’s pocket after you paid not confirming her suspicions nor denying them. Excited to see the merman’s reaction when you give this to Jungkook, you hope he’ll like this little gift.

You’re tired and hungry when you arrive back at home after spending the whole day outdoors, it was nice for a chance to get out of the house. You like spending time with Jungkook, don’t be mistaken, but it’s not the same when you do all the talking.

Getting ready to eat lunch with your father as always you first shower and get some comfortable clothes on.

He asked about the merman and you may have left a few details out (such as when you fed him with your bare hands) as you told him the two of you are getting on well with each other instead. It’s close to ten when you could finally dismiss your presence from dinner and visit your merman.

You flick the light switch on locating the bucket on the far end of the living room and drag it over to the fridge so you can load it up with fish. Jungkook is excited to see you, more than usual. You think it’s probably because you didn’t show up around four when you usually give him his meals.

Too tired to hand feed him you empty the bucket onto the surface, sitting down next to the tank too tired to realise you’re very close to the open water as you absentmindedly adjusted the lid so you don’t need to use the rod. Jungkook eats next to you but you keep your eyes ahead still not entirely used to the way he eats.

You suddenly remember your purchase and turn to face your merman who looks at you when he catches your movements abandoning his headless fish to give you his attention, you rummage through your pockets until you find what you’re looking for and pull out both shell bracelets.

Sliding one to sit around your wrist just to show him how he can use it, you reach your hand out to offer him the other one.

”This reminded me of you so I thought I should get this. It’s a bracelet, you wear it like this.” You show him your arm and then ask for his hand as he remains unmoving. His big eyes watch you. Looking between your face and the bracelet, not understanding what you’re trying to say so you place your palm upwards and wait for him.

He recognises this gesture as you two did this a millionth time by now and immediately places his palm against yours that’s when you slide the bracelet onto his wrist. Jungkook touches it with his fingers pulling at the band but you stop him before he could tear it with his strength. ”It’s yours.”

His face lits up with realisation and something seems to change in the air around you. Jungkook follows the patterns of the shells with his finger dreamily looking at his newest possession.

You’re glad he likes it.

You catch him touching it a lot after you gifted it to him and never saw him without it, well, not that he could store it anywhere if you think about it.

His appetite not only returned to its previous state but if it’s possible at this point you have to give him double the amount to fully satisfy his hunger. You’re happy that he eats well and if it makes him happy and healthy you’ll gladly offer more fruits next to his meals and lately, he’s been eating vegetables as well. Jungkook doesn’t seem to gain any additional weight by eating more as much as you can tell. His waist is very slim but his tail is massive and his chest is defined with muscles, you’re in awe every time that your hands touch how petite it seems compared to his larger ones.

He appears to be a little restless. Jungkook keeps circling around the tank following you everywhere you go pressing his hands and cheeks against the glass and grinds his teeth together when you try to leave, he even tried to pull you inside the tank but you were able to get away before that could eventually happen.

You know that the internet can hardly offer you a legitimate answer but you still type your question into the searching engines. You almost give up when you come across a webpage about merfolk, at first you think this might be another one of those rewritten versions of the little mermaid when you see something interesting.

Intelligent predators of the sea. They are at the helm of the marine food chain. Status, endangered. As far as studies show scientists can’t narrow down their natural habitat but they have been seen around the pacific ocean numerous times. The man counterparts are unable to speak while females can imitate singing and produce noises that could resemble words. There’s a high possibility that they have a unique language to communicate with each other but it’s very different from humans and our ears might not be compatible receiving the signals.

Mermen are most vulnerable when mating season comes, it occurs once a year, they wait for the females around the area to shower them with gifts signalling that they’re ready to bear their children. Mermen choose the one with the gift that they find appealing and begun their courting circles around the chosen child bearer.  

The article you read keeps appearing inside your head. You dismissed it the first few times because, how can someone find legitimate research on a mythical creature (that no one believes exist) probably someone had a good imagination and wrote these things to entertain the audience.

You only start to consider the words when Jungkook gets clingier (more than normal) and does those weird circles. At first, you thought that he’ll stop doing it if you don’t respond. You’re extra cautious to keep your distance too but he’s relentless.

If they find their potential mate they keep pursuing them until the female gives in. Mermen are headstrong creatures, can wait years and picky about who they mate with that’s why not that many infants are born keeping their numbers low. While merman can wait for their mate a long time mermaids give gifts to every potential partner and accept the courting circles of the strongest male in their territory that would ensure they and their children will be well protected and have plenty of food to eat.

Mermen mate for life while mermaids will move on to the next potential suitor if their mate happens to die ensuring that there’ll be always newborns for race preservation.

Jungkook’s entire face lits up when he sees you enter his room, he keeps munching happily on his food every day even though you don’t respond to his courting. You feel guilty, giving him that bracelet he cherishes so much is supposed to be a nice gesture, had no idea that he’ll take this the wrong way and the article doesn’t say how can you gently let down a merman’s mating offer.

The best solution that you can think of is to set him free and release him back to the ocean where he can meet other mermaids and maybe he’ll forget about you. A voice in your head likes to remind you what you read online, that mermen mate for life and it looks like the merman you named Jungkook chose you.

On nights when you toss and turn around in your bed with your bedsheets tightly tucked under your chin staring at the ceiling you entertain the idea of saying say. Mating scares you, you have no idea how that works and the online source you found offers you little information on the subject.

On the other hand, there’s certainly something you feel for Jungkook. You admitted before that you think he’s beautiful you feel attracted to him at least and even without words, you two were able to make a connection.

He’s so different and not just in an anatomical aspect. There are so many differences between you two, how could that even work?

You don’t have an answer ready yet but you know you have to choose between the first option or the latter and soon. No matter which one you choose in the end, someone will eventually get hurt.

More Than Just Glass – the continuation of ‘With Glass Between Us’ check out the next part here!

[give-grian-rights]

Bets Against The Void (Whitelist AU)

Well.. I DID IT. This is only chapter 1. I planned on this being a one-shot, but if it was, it would take me so long to finish it. So, chapters it is.

This is crossposted on AO3. I don’t exactly stand with a lot of what it’s doing, but it’s not particularly easy to find fics on Tumblr I feel..and I will never go back to Wattpad. Not again.

@petrichormeraki Whitelist AU fic :)

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

They had just left the server to practice for MCC, that was all. Wilbur would be so proud, the two youngest would be sure, if they managed to win one. For Tommy, it would be his first win not aided by his  (Troubled, distrustful, anarchist-)  family, and Tubbo’s first-ever. 

Teams for the next MCC had yet to be announced, but it hadn’t mattered. Tommy had been invited back to every competition since MCC 2, after all- and the competition had already become accommodating to Tubbo, following the..Circumstances, of The Festival. 

The admins hosting the event were concerned, following the events they’d hear of about their server. They hadn’t known much; no one outside their world, really did. But, well..When asked about the status of Wilbur, and if he’d attend- the silence and reaction of the residents of his world were telling.

Barely a handful of players were at the server, practicing. It was calming, for the teenagers. The two had primarily stuck together, as they tended to do after the Pogtopia-Manburg war. The siblings were back together again. And they had each other- they trusted each other, unquestionably. Something more than they could say about anyone else.

By the time they made it back to the world hub, they were already exhausted. The timezone of their server would be late, they were sure. Their arms ached, and legs wobbled with every step. They both felt as if they could fall down, anytime.

Tubbo’s arm was looped around Tommy’s, content to be in the presence of his best friend, without the responsibility of the world on either of their shoulders’. Other players had barely batted an eye at the two- it wasn’t uncommon for teenagers or children to server hop by themselves. Nor for someone passing through a world hub to have outlandish and otherworldly scars. For them to both be teenagers, and scarred so heavily- well, that was a different story.

Still, not a soul stopped them as the tall blond led his friend to a nearby empty portal. As they stood still, Tubbo instinctively released his arm from the boy. Tommy kept Tubbo grounded to him as he worked, talking idly to them and inquiring about build plans. As Tubbo talked, Tommy quickly fidgeted with his communication tablet.

The thin, hovering device was pressed against the large obsidian frame of an otherwise normal, unlit portal.  Pressing out of his inventory, which by mandatory was empty, Tommy opened his server list. The individually named servers popped up. 

Some servers were empty, others grayed out and unavailable, no longer tended to. Muscle memory brought him to Dream SMP.  The status of the server was buffering- it’s availability of connection unclear. It wasn’t unusual- not for world hubs filled with tens of thousands of players at any given time.

With their SMP selected, the portal flickered for a moment- sparks of neon green rippling within, before quickly fading. The whooshes and crackling of a portal being lit, before failing, caught Tubbo’s ears.

“Uh...Is- is the portal good? Did it light? Why does it feel like it’s uh- not?” They tilted his head to the side, towards Tommy. The blond paused for a moment, blinking in bewilderment with his brows furrowed. “No- no it’s not lit..Uh.. What the shit? Hold on, Tubbo-” he huffed, pulling his tablet off the obsidian wall with ease to inspect it.

Blue eyes squinted at the screen. At the edge of the selection for Dream SMP, was an error sign, much to Tommy’s slight horror. “Fucking..Shit-” he hissed, pressing the icon. “‘Server closed for maintence’- what the fuck!” The teen spat. That got a few heads turned him, at his shouts. Most continued walking, merely giving him a wary glance.

Tubbo’s mouth dropped, scrambling for words. “Wh- why? I- I mean, I guess it makes sense- the- the server’s been acting up, and stuff- but- with what noticed?” He squawked, fumbling with their own device. Gliding their hand over the graphics, each thing he touched was read aloud to him quietly in his comm systems.

While Tubbo worked on locating his own messages, Tommy already found his. He scoffed indignantly, his hand clenching at the frame of the tablet. “The chat system for the server’s down too! Holy shit, fucking- what? Were no one fucking prepared for if we all get knocked out of the server at once? What the fuck!” Slight panic edged into his angered words as he shouted.

“Guess not,” Tubbo shrugged, pushing his tablet away, already frustrated with it. “Did Dream send out any sort of alert, for this?” Tommy only scoffed. The brunnett was sure he was rolling his eyes, as well. “Yeah, with a three-minute fuckin’ notice!  Just told everyone to figure it out for themselves, while he fixed shit! What a lil bitch!”

Glares were most certainly being sent towards them by now, Tubbo was sure. Gently pressing himself against the visibly upset and angered boy, he looped their arms back together, reassuringly squeezing his hand.. “We should get out of the way. I’m sure other people are waiting, there’s nothing we can do.” The brunett resigned himself to being the level-headed one between them.

“We can’t just fucking stay here, Tubbo! We ain’t got shit to eat, or anything. It’s not exactly like we thought of packing shit for a few hours of practicing!” The boy protested. He had just gotten L’manburg back, finally, a place he and his Tubbo were okay.

After a moment of silence, Tubbo would speak up once more. “I started installing some more, uh..Hack clients-” “TUBBO WHAT THE SHIT!” “Please, I’d really like to not get in major trouble today.” They’d wince, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. The feeling of stares lingered on his back.

“I got a client that should let me into the world last opened on a portal- which, in this case, should be Dream’s server. So we can get on there and- “Call Dream a dick.”

“Exactly. I wouldn’t think it’s dangerous, or unstable or anything to be there..I’m sure he and the rest of Dream Team are there.”

Walking back to the portal, guiding Tubbo back with him, Tommy unattached his own device from the frame. “Uh, want me to put yours on the portal? Or do you got it, Big Man?” The blond tilted his head towards the other boy expectantly.

Dipping their head in thought for a moment, Tubbo hummed. “You can do it. It’s all set up- besides I already turned my text-to-speech off, I was getting a headache from the voice.”  They decided, handing off his tablet to Tommy.

Within moments, Tommy had gotten it set up. Rather than having an individual server selected, the “Connect” button had been highlighted as seen as he reached his friend’s serverlist. 

A flurry of colors splashed within the portal, before settling on a distorting purple. Tommy squinted, glancing towards Tubbo. “That..Does not look like Dream’s server color.” Tubbo tilted his head curiously. “Well.. The site did say it could do that- It’s kinda just ripping the IP and plugging it in illigitmently- it’s incapable of displaying the correct resource, basically.” He played with his friend’s sleeve idly.

“..Fucking- alright, sure. Assuming this is safe- are you ready to hop in?” He pushed down any doubts. Really, nothing worse than what the two already lived through could happen. Tubbo grinned, nodding their head. And so, Tommy led the boy into the portal alongside him. Swirling particles filled his vision, as they flurried around the two- and then they were stumbling to the ground.

Tommy’s eyes shot opened- a dull, thudding pain in the back of his head, as he got his footing. Tubbo was doing the same, losing his hold on Tommy to lean against the portal frame to catch himself.  “...Well. Fuck.” Tommy hissed, rubbing his temple as he looked around the room.

The large portal behind them had dropped them into a large, pyramid-shaped room. The floor below them was sandy, greenery and bookshelves pressed against the walls. Tommy’s mouth dropped to the floor as he viewed ahead of him.

“W-What the fuck! What the shit these people- th-there’s just! Diamond armor!  On display - t-they have fucking elytras!  Holy fucking shit! ” He stammered out the words, his brows furrowed together in complete bewilderment.

“What? That’s insane!..This- this sounds like an ocean? Why can I hear water? Are we on an island?” Tubbo warily stepped, testing his footing.

Tommy instinctively reached back to grab his friend’s hand protectively, nodding vigorously. “I think we’re fuckin’ underwater, or some shit! There’s a water column, and- and the walls fuckin’ tilt, and then it’s all water and shit! The ceiling is just the ocean!”

..Descriptions never seemed to be Tommy’s strong suit. Nonetheless, Tubbo nodded along to the words, warily listening. All that could be heard was the crashing water overhead the water-bound structure. The boy shivered with unease at this.

“Are there any players? Did- did us joining get sent through the comm system, do you think?” Tubbo summoned his comm’s back to his hands, but Tommy must’ve already had his out. “Fuckin- i’m still connected to Dream’s. It didn’t give me the option to look at whoever the fuck’s this is. Tommy growled, uneasiness and anxiety gnawing at him.

 And then, there was a flash of light and particles. A man in a..Bee-themed, space/futuristic-Esque suit appears on the other side of the room. Another, far more mundane seeming man, manifested next to him.

The energy in the room shifted to something unfamiliar to the two teens. Tubbo shivered, desperately grasping tighter at Tommy. The blond boy had stood rigid, blue eyes cold and wary as he stared challengingly at the two strangers.

While the helmeted, bee-colored man visibly had plates of enchanted Netherite glittering on him, the human beside him was bare of any protection, defenses, or armor.   The teen didn’t know what to make of either of them.

Pacifyingly holding up a weaponless hand, the helmet man cleared his throat. “We weren’t particularly expecting visitors, or any surprise drop-ins this late to our season.” Their voice wasn’t accusatory, but it certainly edged on the skeptical side

From the yellow-tinted helmet, Tommy could barely make out a faint reflection of light in purple eyes. His throat felt full of vile, the blond boy practically growling as he held he pushed himself in front of Tubbo.

In retaliation, Tubbo gently shouldered the boy before poking out beside him, facing vaguely towards the man who spoke. “I’m sorry for him- this..This is an accident, uh, Sir.” They chuckled anxiously.

The helmeted man- who by now, Tommy had presumed was the admin- tilted his head. “While accidents aren’t necessarily uncommon on a server such as ours- one quite like this, so far into our progress certainly is.” The Southern fellow beside the bee-helmet man spoke up, his expression passive and at ease as he stared over the boys.

“You two don’t look like you’re here to give us issues- don’t you agree, X?” The helme-  X,  apparently- surveyed the two teenagers for a moment more, before nodding. “Good, then.” The human(?) smiled, dipping his head.

Tommy scoffed, glaring at the man.  “Where the fuck are we?” The blond’s eyes flickered between the two adults stood opposite of them. While the man remained unphased, glancing expectantly at X- said player took a step back, tilting their head.

“Well, considering there’s not really a way to  accidentally derp your way into here- I’d expect you’d know.” While X wasn’t unkind, his tone was expectant. Accusatory, maybe. 

Before Tommy could open his mouth to blabber and cover their asses, Tubbo put his arm out in front of the other. “It really was an..An accident- it wasn’t this server we were trying to get into- wherever we are.” He’d chuckle uneasily, shifting their weight. They weren’t sure what to make of their unknown surroundings.

“Our home-server seems to be down.. And- no one told us where to go,  so I said i knew a way we might be able to go back, and uh..It got us here.”  They’d finish, anxiety spiking as he was unable to gauge their reaction.

“Yeah- and we’re not gonna fuckin’ do shit. We don’t even know where the fuck we are. Just- leave us be!  Or send us back, or some shit-” “Alright, alright! Hey, we’re not fighting with you!” X would cut off Tommy, who’s blue eyes shot a cold glare to the slightly frazzled man.

The younger Brit couldn’t help but get amusement from the way the masked man was so visibly startled from his swears. “You two..Don’t particularly look in the condition to just.. stay in the World Hub. Do you have someplace else to go? How long have you been locked out?” 

Beside the apparent Admin, who had not-so-subtly manifested a transparent screen in front of him, the human looked in exasperated amusement at the helmeted fellow. “Forgetting something there, Shashwammy?” The Southern man spoke with fondness.

Before the admin could react, the man turned back towards the accidental intruders. “You’re in the wonderful world of hermits and crafting, my friends! Hermitcraft Seven, to be specific. I’m Joe, of the Hills variety- and this is my pal, Xisumavoid! Though he’ll likely go by just about anything you can think to call him.”

Tommy looked beside him at Tubbo for a moment, his brows pinched together as he quietly scoffed. This is gonna get really tiring if he talks like this all the time. The blond thought absentmindedly.

In the meantime, Tubbo himself was speechless- positively bursting at the seams. “Hermitcraft?! This is Hermitcraft? Oh, oh void I just broke into Hermitcraft-” They babbled for a moment, jittering as he attempted to compose himself. Tommy raised a brow, eyeing them. 

“You say that as if that means fuckin’ anything to me, Tubbo-”

“I. I’m so sorry, uh, Mr. Hills, Mr. Void!” Their voice cracked, as the words ran out of his mouth. “I swear this isn’t something we do on the regular, I’d never want to disrespect anyone, or any server- especially not Hermitcraft!” He’d continue, laughing anxiously. 

“I’m a huge fan of the work done here! Just, everything I’ve seen- uh, and, and heard, about the Hermits! Fu- frick. Uh. Sorry!”  Tubbo finished, practically panting. 

While Joe had seemed appreciative and amused, Tommy couldn’t get a read on Xisuma. Not that he particularly cared what either of them felt; he barely understood the meaning of the words from Tubbo, all that mattered was they weren’t about to belittle the other boy.

“Mr. Void.. That- that might be a new one-” The British admin had quietly chuckled easily, shaking his head. “No, no need for that. I’m Xisuma, or X. I’m glad you appreciate our work, the Hermits around here work non-stop. And we’d be glad to try and help you two, yes?”

“We don’t fuckin’ need help- We stay here, or we don’t. We don’t need pity or some shit. If you’re gonna get all fussy at the fuckin’ idea of us staying in the Worldhub, then just leave us be here, I guess. We don’t need anyone’s help or charity.” Tommy growled, his arms crossed stubbornly. He could hear Tubbo sharply inhale beside him, weakly nudging at his side.

The two inhabitants, Hermits, Tommy mused, seemingly shared a look for a moment. Tommy’s blue eyes were unyielding from them, as Tubbo’s quiet babble of scolding went through deaf ears.

Slowly nodding, the helmeted admin stepped back. “You two don’t have anywhere you could go?” He’d ask, hesitantly. Tommy glanced beside him, at the short, blinded boy. Blue from Ghostbur weakly stained his hands.

No one else outside of Dream SMP had learned about Wilbur’s fate, not yet. That certainly wasn’t a conversation either of them was willing to have yet, with anyone. Dream would be mad. Dream would be furious if word got out on the nature of his server. 

With that thought, Tommy tore his gaze away from his friend. The boy stared as close as he could to the Admin’s eyes, a challenging look in his hardened blue eyes. “Nowhere.”

Xisuma conceded, nodding. “Fine, then.” He agreed, his tone far softer than it had any right to be, from such an imposing figure. Tommy pondered for a moment if the Admin was taller than him. The possibility made Tommy feel all the more disdain towards him.

Tommy tilted his head, watching expectantly. “Well then? Can we just be- be fuckin’ left here, or some shit? We don’t need to be babysat.” “Tommy, please, don’t pick a fight here-” “Yeah, yeah, Tubbo..”

Xisuma winced, nodding. “Sure.. If you want to be left alone, that’s fine. There’s Elytras’ in the room behind us, and rockets in the chest. That’s the only way to get out, besides from the Nether. It should be linked to our Netherhub, so you shouldn’t have too big of a trouble, yeah?”

Tubbo hesitantly nodded, his grip tight around Tommy’s hand. “Alright, then.” Xisuma nodded, glancing towards Joe. Tommy had all but forgotten the man was there, the Southerner having been quietly observing them.  “Joe, you’re free to go, my friend.”

To Tommy’s perspective, Joe certainly seemed to have some reservations. Whether they were about leaving teenagers unattended or leaving strangers in their server, the blond wasn’t sure. Nonetheless, Joe accepted his fate, nodding breezily before enderpearling his way out of the spawn.

Xisuma turned back to the two, one final time. Tommy didn’t miss the way that Xisuma flinched at Tubbo’s large scars, nearly growling when he saw the admin’s reaction.

“You two have been competing in MCC.” That caught Tubbo, off-guard. The brunnett’s brows furrowed together, tilting his head. “Huh? How do you know that-”

“My Hermits have been competing there for a good while. I need to keep track of them all, I haven’t missed the team announcements.” Xisuma explained breezily, something akin to fondness in his tone. “The other Hermits said that they love MCC, and the other participants. And that they trust almost all of them- don’t take advantage of that, alright?”

Quietly scoffing, Tommy looked away. Beside him, Tubbo nodded. “We’ll try- thank you. For letting us stay here, just for now.”

Despite the situation, Tubbo couldn’t help but feel slightly giddy at the idea of being in a Hermitcraft world. He hadn’t been able to hear about, or see anything about their recent achievements in a long while.

“If you need anything, don’t be afraid to ask. I’ll add you two to the communication connection. Most of the Hermits have a..Tendency of getting themselves in trouble, quite a bit. Don’t be alarmed if someone spawns, they’re almost never here long enough to be dragged in,” He spoke casually, easily. Tommy wondered for a moment what exactly their definition of trouble was.

“Someone will be here to check on you, soon. Don’t get yourselves hurt, please. We’re happy to help here.” He continued, glancing between the two. Tubbo fidgetted, nodding numbly, as he could practically hear Tommy roll his eyes beside him.

Quiet mechanical whirring buzzed as holographic, shimmering bee-like wings expanded behind him.  “Good, then.” Xisuma dipped his head, before familiar red-and-white rockets appeared in his hands.

Before Tommy could lung to cover Tubbo’s ears, Xisuma had already taken off. White particles were left behind him, but the expected boom never came, merely a small pop and smoke. The sight of them, nonetheless, couldn’t help but leave a bitter taste in Tommy’s mouth.

While Tubbo was visibly startled, cringing and nearly tumbling over, he didn’t feel his chest constricting the way it usually would, typically. They’d both consider it a win, for now. Tubbo fell over into Tommy’s arm, as his best friend pulled him into a side hug.

They both slid down against the wall. The conversation alone had taken out all remaining energy they had left in them. Tommy’s gaze surveyed his friend for a moment. “So,” He said pointedly, Tubbo lifting his head to face him.

“What the fuck was that, and what the hell is Hermitcraft?”

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Be My Light - Chapter 4:   The Mad Leader

*Genre: Mafia, angst, eventual smut, slow burn

*Warnings: References to violence, minor assault, 

Author’s note: First off, I’d like to send a special Thank You to someone who was a huge inspiration to me and to this story. This is the chapter that really started it all and I was inspired by @bangtan-sonyeonddaeng  ‘s mafia reaction series. She is a fantastic person and was one of the first people I showed this Be My Light to when I was too scared to post it. She is a beautiful soul and wonderful writer. Thank you for the push. 

Another Big thanks to my editor for sticking with me all this time and into the future. And, of course, to all the people who are reading, commenting, and reblogging this. I can’t tell you all how much is means to me. Thank you all and I hope you enjoy this next installment of Be My Light. (P.S. I have a thing for RM in a long trench coat.)

Tag list:  @lolalalooo @bangtan-sonyeonddaeng, @barbikatherine , @mrsfortune1306 , @lovesick-heart0 , @iamnamjoonsbxtch , @deathkat657 , @deeepvibes , @sugamonster22 , @weiinihao, @hemmofluke , @rainbow-zebra-unicorns , @joyfullyobsessed , @elvencantation , 

                                   Chapter 4: The Mad Leader

              You stared at the cell phone clutched in your hand, your mind spinning with so many questions. Who were those people? Why did talking to this ‘RM’ make you feel like something bad was coming? With that deep, serious tone, were they just as dangerous as the man with the cane? And what kind of normal person calls themselves ‘RM’? Agust was already on the edge of interesting and odd as it was. Scanning over the still lit screen, you wondered what other names were in the contact list. Other than ‘God of Destruction’, the last few calls you could see without going through the device belonged to ‘Mochi’, ‘My Favorite’, and ‘Worldwide Pain in my Ass’. Based on those names, you couldn’t begin to imagine who was gonna match those names.

               It was safe to assume that this RM guy was concerned about the man in the suit trying to finish the job. The hospital had a good security team but you thought it best to talk to Doctor- Henry- to see if more could be done. Your hand paused as it went to put the cell phone back with Agust’s things; if RM or any of the odd named voices tried to contact you for an update, they would most likely call that, instead of trying to navigate the hospital switch board. Figuring it was the best option, you placed the phone safely in your scrub’s pocket as you moved to the bedside for one last check on the patient. Agust hadn’t moved again since right before the phone call and was still as could be. The monitors were all reading normally. There was a blood transfusion line in his arm to help replace what he had lost, along with another IV pushing fluids and medication. You adjusted his arm to make it more comfortable for him once he woke up.

               “I’ll be back to check on you as soon as I can,” you said as you fixed his blankets. “Please, try not to do anything until I get back.”

               You slipped out of the room and pulled the door shut behind you. There was an anxious feeling that crept back into your gut, the same one you felt when you had first heard the gun shots ring out from the silence of the construction site. Your mind had so many thoughts and scenarios running through it that you felt overwhelmed. Things like, ‘what if the man with the cane and rough voice came here? Would he shoot his way through the floors until he found Agust? Were you really as safe as you hoped?’ The hospital had been under a few threats but nothing had ever come from those except words. It would be best to stay as cautious as possible. You had too many friends and patients to not take your feelings seriously.

               As you made your way towards your station, you were surprised to see that Henry was already there leaning over the desk with the phone pressed up against his ear. He pulled a pad of paper from the other side of the desk and started scribbling something down as he nodded and spoke in a low tone to whomever was on the other end. That saves me from having to page him, you mused. Henry did a double take towards you when he noticed you out of the corner of his eye. He beaconed you over with an urgent wave of his hand. The calm yet awkward demeanor from earlier had been replaced with a more serious one. Once you were within an arm’s reach of him, he reassured whomever he was talking to that ‘everything will be taken care of’ and hung up.

               “Good,” he said, placing a hand on your shoulder, “I need you to help me.”

               “Henry, about that John Doe patient. I was able to talk to someone close to him. I think we may need to alert the security team about- “

               “I’ve already talked to them. The hospital is going on alert for any suspicious activity entering the hospital. And we are actually moving the patient to one of the private units upstairs. I just got off the phone with the director and we’ve got everything worked out for you so you’ll be safe,” he said over his shoulder as he started walking down the hall.

               “Wait, what does that mean? What do you mean by worked everything out?” You took extra long steps to keep up with his brisk pace.

               “The same person who demanded higher security for that patient requested that you be kept with him as his private staff until otherwise. Which means you’ll be in the secure ward with him in case anything happens. It’s gonna be for the best. You were the first one with him and it’s gonna be more comfortable if he doesn’t have to get acclimated to someone else after all this. Don’t worry, we’ve got it worked out with Jax already.”

               Henry led you back into Agust’s room and made fast work of disconnecting him from the machines that surrounded him. He pulled the IV bags down and placed them on the bed by the still form. Meanwhile, you were frozen at the end of the bed, feeling dizzy from how fast he seemed to expect you to understand what was happening. This wasn’t the first gang related case you had been assigned to since starting at Mercy, nor was it the first gunshot case; why did this sudden change to the routine make you feel ever more nervous? Never had you moved a patient into a secure wing designed from more severe or quarantined patients before just because someone had requested it. Henry called your name to shake you from your thoughts and motioned you to move to the side of the bed as he unlocked the wheels of the gurney and pushed the bed from the wall. As you helped guide it from the room, you couldn’t help but feel the tension grow.

               “So, I am just supposed to stay locked up in some room like a prisoner? And be someone’s private nurse? What about the rest of my patients here? I can’t just leave Amber to tend to them all alone. We are short staffed as it is,” you mentioned as you navigated everyone into the elevator at the end of the hall.

               Henry hit a button and the elevator started to move. He leaned close to look you in the face, his eyes filled with seriousness. “Listen, Y/N, I know this is strange but you just have to trust me. I don’t know all the details but someone particularly important has to be involved to make the director so quick to comply with whatever they asked. But no matter what, your safety is my priority, maybe a bit more than my patients. I’m sure the director thinks that too. Whoever it is must just want to make sure this guy has the best care possible. And when he gets here, he’ll probably want to hear from you what happened. And if whatever gang did this does try anything, I don’t want you to worry because no one is going to get to him or you. Only the director, you, and I will have access to this room or know where he is. Apparently, the man the director talked to said he would have a way to get a hold of you and prove his identity to gain access. I know how you are, Y/N, you are a great person. That’s why you’re so good at what you do. But don’t think that you are inconveniencing anyone; Jax has already rearranged everything and made some calls. I really need you to think about yourself now. And what is best is for you is to do what I am asking and not over think this right now.”

               Henry was being so sincere that you couldn’t find the voice to make any arguments. You gave him a weak nod and tried to take what he said to heart. As Amber had pointed out before, one of your qualities was that you put others well before yourself. Hence, why you were in this predicament. As the doors opened onto the new floor, you promised him that you would try.

               The door opened onto a floor where the more severe, long term patients were kept. This floor could, also, be used for quarantining or the more delicate of patients. At the moment, you knew it had only a few occupants: a coma patient, a patient suffering from extreme burns, and someone from the psych ward that needed more focused attention. To enter this ward, you needed a key card, making this more isolated than your full and frantic floor. Henry commented there was no record that Agust had been moved in any of the files. And if anyone tried to look him up, it would be like he never existed. The person who had called to make all this happen had said he’d contact you and that he and his colleagues were to say they were here to perform community service if asked by anyone else. Apparently, they deemed it as security protection. Henry had you swipe your ID to gain access to the floor and you made your way down the silent hall to the vacant room Henry had staked out for you to stay in. The room was bigger than the one you were used to on your floor. There was a small couch across from where the bed was to go, a private bath off near the entrance, and even a TV in the corner. There was, also, a small recliner near where the head of the gurney was to rest. You imagined you’d be there most of the time. Henry helped you set everything back up in the room and did a quick check on the patient after he was secured in his new residence.

               “Hopefully, he’s gonna wake up a bit soon. He’s reacting well to what I’m doing,” Henry commented as he checked Agust’s pupils constrict as he shined his pen light in them. He gave some instructions about his IV and transfusion processes. He gave you a quick run down of the floor in case you needed anything. “Until he wakes up, I guess feel free to do whatever in here. It can be like a mini vacation. You know, if you ignore all the weird stuff happening. You can watch some TV or order some food. The mysterious man said to spare no expense when it came to our patient or you. I promise by Friday this will be all over and we can go out and talk about nicer things. Okay?”

               Before you could stop yourself, you felt your cheeks get hot and you turned your eyes to the floor. This was not the best place for this, but you knew Henry did it to only ease the anxiety you were feeling. He was almost too perfect. Henry promised to check in once he had finished his rounds as he left from the room and pulled the door shut behind him. You heard the security lock click into place, knowing it would only open from the inside or if you had an ID card. You allowed yourself to drop into the recliner, allowing everything to wash over you. Paranoia was thick in the air as you tried to make sense of everything. Henry was right; whoever these people were they must just want to talk to you and this was easier than scouting the halls. But the thought did very little to chase the nervousness away. Your hands started to rub together out of tension, squeezing your fingers, cracking your knuckles one by one with your thumbs. You took a few deep breaths as you tried to force yourself out of the impending panic. Your eyes looked over at the bed. You tried to remind yourself that you needed to keep it together and be strong for him. Then your eyes landed on his hand. You remembered when you were hiding behind the counter when the man with the cane was getting closer and closer. And when Agust had reached over and squeezed your hand. In that moment, he gave you reassurance with such a small gesture, not thinking of himself. You remembered how genuine it felt. It’d be nice if you could do that now, you thought with a weak smile.

               Instead, you settled for forcing yourself to think of something else. You read through his charts, tapped through some news on your phone, and tried to people watch out the window behind the couch. The afternoon sun had started making its way towards the horizon; how quickly the day had ended up flying by. You had decided against turning on the television for now, thinking how awkward it would be for him to wake up to you watching some trash TV show. You tried walking around the room to get a sense of where you’d be staying for the foreseeable future. But all of that only killed twenty minutes and you were still stir-crazy. There wasn’t much you could do for Agust at the moment, except allow him to rest without you trying to hold his hand or anything else.

               Suddenly, there was a buzzing in your pocket; it was Agust’s phone. You were a bit ashamed at how quickly you reached for it. There was a new text message. It was from a new named contact: Sunshine. The preview of the message said, ‘To Miss Nurse’, making your assumption that the people on the other end would have expected you to keep the phone on you correct. And since it was addressed to you, you didn’t feel too bad about opening the phone again. You swiped open the text and tried not to scroll anywhere higher into their previous chats.

-          Sunshine: To Miss Nurse. if you see this, please take good care of our Hyung. And if he gives you any trouble, tell him I said to behave. RM should be almost there. He tends to speed.  

               There were a couple silly emojis next to it that made you smile. Surely, they can’t be bad people if this is how they communicate. They must be close friends. Though, you still wondered how they had gotten the director to do all this. Maybe there was someone else doing all of this? You shook your head and typed a quick message back, so not to have them worry.

-          I’ll take good care of him. That’s my job.

You really hoped Agust didn’t mind you messing with his phone. Though, you figured it was better to ask for forgiveness than permission in this scenario. There was no response which made you think that it was all he needed at the time. Gazing at the clock on the phone, you had wasted thirty minutes in the room so far. You thought of your backpack in the locker room a few floors down and some of your things at your stations that you could pass the time with. Since Agust was secure here, you thought it may be a good idea to gather some things to help you waste time until this RM shows up. It was unlikely that Agust was going to wake up yet, and you could be fast so he wouldn’t be alone for long. You slipped the phone back into your pocket and rose from the chair, heading for the door. You cast one more look at the still figure in the bed before dimming the lights and pulled the door shut behind you.

               You set off at a brisk pace for the elevator and took it down a few levels to where the staff locker room was kept. You raced in, pulled your bag from your locker, and left before anyone noticed you. You were sure since the director had put the whole hospital on alert that everyone was making rounds to keep eyes everywhere. You hoped grabbing your stuff from your station was just as easy; you weren’t sure about how to explain why you had suddenly deserted your station. Amber wasn’t there but you could hear her and Jax talking loudly from a back room. You wanted to talk to your best friend, to help ease some nerves and have her tell you exactly what you needed to hear. But you didn’t want to wait around or take her away from her new workload. You pulled open the drawer where you kept some personal items, incase of slower work days, and shoved them into your bag. You froze when your fingers hit against something that you knew, instantly, should not be in your bag. Peering into the opening, your eyes locked onto a metallic, black, studded object that you had seen earlier that morning.  

              The gun Agust had placed in your hand.

             How did that get in there? You didn’t remember grabbing it unless it had happened in the chaos of the EMTs and police rushing to assess the situation. Well, if you weren’t already anxious, this just made it worse. Let’s just add this to the ever-growing list of stupid things I’ve done today, you berated yourself. You brought a potentially loaded gun into a hospital. You needed to get back up to the room and get this out of your possession. Maybe when this RM got there, he could take it from you. You pulled the bag shut and slugged it over your shoulder, trying hard not to think about it.

            You moved away from the desk and down the hall towards the elevator. But as you stepped into the silent hall with all the doors closed, one was not closed as it had been when you left; the room where Agust had been. And there was someone looking inside. There was a man, tall and stocky, and dressed in a simple navy uniform. He wasn’t a part of the hospital staff and you didn’t think he was there to clean the room with the lights still off. Trying to stay as unnoticed as you could, you took longer strides towards the end. As you passed behind him, you peered beyond him into the pitch blackness of the room to just make out another figure lurking there. He wasn’t dressed in the same way as the man in the door. He was in darker colors that you couldn’t make out and wore what looked like a fedora on his head. What caught your attention as you passed, was the small peek of icy, blue hairs that were just visible on the side. A deep grumble that sounded from the room made your breath catch in your throat, and made you stop in your tracks. It sounded so familiar to the sadistic voice from this morning. The man with the cane had gotten into the hospital?! How, they upped security measures, hadn’t they? Maybe it was your imagination playing with you with all the stress. Not wanting to stick around to figure out if you were right, you tried to get away before they had noticed you.

            But, sadly, you weren’t that lucky.

           “Excuse me, nurse. Perhaps you can help me.”

           You felt your whole body stiffen as the voice was all to clearly the one that had stalked you from beyond the counter. The voice that dripped with crazed malice and venom as he called out for Agust, that had taunted and tried to lure him out. The voice that you were sure would haunt your dreams. It was the man with the cane, though he didn’t have it now. As you turned, he looked nothing like the half-crazed man yelling and destroying things around him. He looked almost normal, save for the fake smile he had plastered across his lips. He was no longer dressed in the light blue suit and fur coat you had caught a glimpse behind the counter, but in a simple dark blazer and trousers. The man who lingered in the doorway had come to stand next to him as they walked up to you, dressed in a police uniform. His uniform cap was pulled low to obscure his face, though you could see bruising and swelling through the shadows. Both of them gave a slight bow to you.

           “Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Inspector Taop, this is officer Chen. We are here following up on a patient that was supposed to be brought here. I’ve been looking everywhere, but no one has an answer for me whether he is here or not. And I haven’t seen a single worker on this floor.”

           He had never seen you at the scene so you knew he didn’t recognize you, or could see that you didn’t believe anything that was coming out of his mouth. That would help you, you decided. You took a deep breath and tried to hide the fear and nervousness. Just act normal. Try to stall until someone comes around.

           “Sorry, officer, we’re a bit understaffed as it is. What can I help you with?”

           “I’m looking for a patient that was brought here. Gunshot victim, a young man, brought in this morning?”

           “Can you be a bit more specific? We are a hospital. Do you know how many young men we have come in here with some kind of bullet wound? I had six this month.”

           You saw the smile slip and irritation rise in those cold eyes. He cleared his throat, trying to hold on to his polite composure. “This one would have come in this morning. There was a shooting downtown. He would have had multiple gunshot wounds. One nurse said he was brought in by ambulance this morning, but then another said that they found no record of him. And the last person I talked to sent me here. Please, this is very important.”

           “Can I see your badge, sir?” He looked completely off guard by the question. You, also, seemed confused. It had just jumped out of your mouth before you realized it. But it seemed like the right thing to ask. You continued, “There’s been a threat made to the hospital, you see, and I need to make sure that everything is in order. I would get in trouble if I gave such information about any patient to an imposter.”

           You could see the wheels in his head turning. But you didn’t expect him to nod his head, understandingly, and reach into his pocket to hand you a leather, bifold wallet. Was this psycho really a police officer? How could someone so vile be in law enforcement? You thought back to what little memories of your father that you had lingering in the back of your mind and couldn’t begin to imagine him doing anything like what this man had done, no matter how bad of a criminal they were. Before you could think, your body seemed to act on it’s own again and opened the wallet and your eyes started to dance across the metal shield. You weren’t entirely sure what you were looking for at first. Until your eyes caught it and something clicked in your mind. It was a fake, but an exceptionally good fake. Anyone else would have just taken it at face value but something in your mind flashed and screamed that this was a fake like the smile still on the ‘inspector’s’ face. In the reaches of your memory, you remembered running your fingers over your father’s badge, memorizing every detail. And you still did that when you were stressed out; you still had his badge and it was currently in the front pocket of your bag. And you seemed to recall your father teaching you how to identify a real badge from others.

           A sudden anger took hold of you that seemed to spur on some brave part of you. You closed the wallet and handed it back to him, keeping your face neutral to hide that you were even more sure of his act. Maybe it was the dishonor to officers like your father, or that he was trying to get to the boy you had risked a lot to save. And your hard work was not going to waste. “I’m sorry officer. But like I said, we have a few patients that could fit your description. None on this floor at all. And if the other nurses said they have no record of him, I’m not sure what I can do for you. Besides that, if we did have a patient come in with multiple gunshot wounds, I imagine that they’d need extensive surgery and wouldn’t be conscious to answer any questions you could have. And with no guardian to act in their place until they are awake to consent to a line of questioning about a traumatic experience, I can’t let you go any further. You should know that, Officer.”

           The smile was wiped from the man’s face. The uniformed man’s eyes got wide at your declaration and they shifted towards his leader in panic. Taop, or whatever his real name was, straightened up and took a step towards you. He towered over you and the energy radiating from him would have intimidated you into submission. Just like with your ex. But you needed to protect Agust. In any case, all you needed to do was scream and someone would be alerted. There wasn’t much this asshole could accomplish without being found out. But he continued to advance until he backed you up against the wall. Even still, you never broke eye contact with him.

           “I don’t think you understand the situation of this, little girl,” he said, rage tittering on the edge of his voice. “There are some really dangerous people and it would be a shame if you got caught in the crossfires. It’s in your best interest to answer my questions and tell me what I need to know.”

           “Then bring a warrant,” you challenged.

           His hand collided with the wall next to your head, making you jump. His face was so close to yours now, and there was the crazed man you remembered from this morning. Your heart was in your ears. He, suddenly, took a deep inhale then another before tilting his head to the side. “What a brave little girl. Tell me, where were you this morning? Something tells me you may be exactly who I need to talk to.”

           “Hey, back off her!”

           Both you and the man turned to look down the hall towards the elevator towards the source of the deep voice that had interrupted the line of questioning. The doors of the elevator were opened and from them stepped a young man with platinum white hair. His eyes were haunting and strong, like a dragon woken from his peace. He was exceptionally tall, taking long strides towards the scene. You couldn’t help but let your eyes take in the man who was coming to your rescue. Dressed in a dark trouser and a white buttoned up shirt gave him a classic handsomeness, and a long black coat with a hood drawn up that accentuated his height. As he approached, he slid the hood down and swiped his hand up to push the stray white hairs from his face. If you weren’t terrified, you would have appreciated how handsome he was. You glanced back at the man caging you; his body tensed as the newcomer walked up but his face never showed.

           He let out a sigh and a small smile reappeared, but it was not the same he had tried to charm you with. It was one of arrogance.  “Ah, Mr. Kim,” the inspector said, not moving from his position, “how nice of you to drop in.”

          “You’ve got some nerve,” the handsome newcomer said, his tone low and smooth. 

          “What for? Being too formal? Do you not like me using your surname? I’m not sure which name you prefer now; you change names so often, it’s hard to keep up after all this time.”

          “You’re one to talk. What name are you going by now, officer? Here to investigate a fraud? Or are you here to put yourself into more trouble?”

          “Such a negative attitude. Officer Chen and I are here on official business,” the detective flashed his badge at the so named Mr. Kim. “And this nice young lady was willing to help me out with some information. Isn’t that right, Little Girl?”

          “It sure doesn’t look that way coming from the elevator. I think you need to take a step back,” Mr. Kim ordered with a strong but suggestive tone that made you question what kind of power someone as young looking as him could possess.

          The fake detective made no sign that he was planning on heeding the newcomer’s words to move from your personal space. His eyes shifted from Mr. Kim back to you. His stare bore into you sharper than claws and made your breath catch. You weren’t sure if he was trying to scare you into agreeing with him or just threaten you. But Mr. Kim was having none of that; he gave the older man’s shoulder a hard shove and wedged himself in the space between you to keep you away from the other man. Mr. Kim reached a hand behind him and placed it on your arm, to keep you secure behind him and to give you some reassurance that he was not going to hurt you. You couldn’t help yourself, as you fisted your hands into the back of his coat and peered around his massive frame.

          “You always have to play savior, don’t you Rapmon?” The way he had said the name made it seem like he was trying to strike a nerve in Mr. Kim. But the other man gave no sign that he was bothered. “You make it seem like I was doing something unseemly to her. You and your broken boy scouts always turn things difficult. Speaking of, where are the others? Maybe they could answer some questions for me. There’s one in particular I’m interested in seeing. I’m checking up on a victim from a shooting downtown. Just making sure he’s doing alright.”

          “You’re really committed to this bit, aren’t you Choi? Oh, sorry- what name are you going by today? It’s so hard to keep track, isn’t that what you said?” Mr. Kim tilted his head to the side, eyes twinkling with a mischievous shine.

          “What a nuisance you are. I’m just trying to get information to make sure things go well. Though come to think of it, your boys may not know much. Word was that the victim was all alone. Left all by themselves, bleeding and hurt in such a dangerous situation. What kind of friends would let someone knowingly go into that situation alone? Now, I’d really like to finish my conversation with the little lady, Rapmon.” When Choi, as you figured his name actually was, took a step towards you, Mr. Kim moved the both of you to keep you behind him and further away from the other. “Well, since you seem hellbent on keeping me from doing something so simple, I could always ask you. Though to be honest, your being here may have answered my questions.”

          “My being here answers nothing,” Mr. Kim challenged. “Unlike you, I am here to do good for the community. And it’s a good thing I came by when I did. You’re already on thin ice after all the trouble you’ve caused. Imagine what would happen if you caused any problems while on Hallowed Ground. If you were to hurt anyone staying or working here, you would have more than my family looking for you. The rest of the Families would be looking to teach you a lesson. Imagine what most of them will think when they hear about the deceit you pulled this morning. After what I witnessed, you can be sure I’ll have eyes monitoring this place. You will not go against the Accords.”

          “Don’t you lecture me about the Accords, you psycho. I’ve been around just as long as they have and lived them. I taught them to you.”

          “And yet, you only follow them when they suit you. Just like your leader and his before him. But things are different now. They are gone, and your hold is slipping. I have enough pull now to ensure Accords are followed. And if you want to make a further spectacle of yourself, I’ll gladly show you I’m not that kid anymore that you ordered around. You saw what my boys can do when pushed. Try me.”

          Choi started to laugh, eyes shining in disbelief at the younger bossing him around. As you peered around Mr. Kim’s frame, you saw him go to say something to officer Chen, but couldn’t form the word. He raised his hand towards the white-haired man, but let it drop with a growl. Whatever look was set upon the elder made him rethink his next move. He settled for raising his hands in a surrender and jerking his head towards his companion to tell him they were leaving. It surprised you that he was giving up so easily after how he had acted towards you. You weren’t sure what Mr. Kim meant by accords and families, but it was more than obvious that it meant something to them. Glancing up at your protector, his face remained locked in the same stern and serious mask he had when he had appeared. His eyes, perfectly lined and accentuated with makeup that only made him more intriguing, followed the pair as they turned down the hall.

          But before they could get too far, Choi stopped. He turned enough to gaze at the two of you over his shoulder, the dark and manic gleam from that morning flashing like a warning sign. He chuckled before his teasing and taunting voice that had called out to Agust filled the hall like glass shattering. “Look at how far our little maniac has come. Really living up to the title of Mad Leader, aren’t you? He thinks he’s so big and strong that he can just order me around and act like a knight in shining armor to the weak. The Mad Leader’s trying so hard to put up a front, to hide who he is, to hide the other side of the looking glass. But lest he forget, I know things he wouldn’t want others to know. And I seem to recall,” Choi turned fully around and took a full stride back towards Mr. Kim, “you had an issue with places like this. You don’t enjoy being here. Are you falling down the rabbit hole? You even have an Alice this time it would seem. So tell me, Mad Leader, are the walls closing in on you yet? Are you feeling anxious?”

          You could feel Mr. Kim tense up at the name ‘Mad Leader’ each time Choi said it. He took a deep breath, trying to ground himself. He gave you a polite push away from him before fixing Choi with a glare that made officer Chen startle. You could almost feel the air change as he stepped up to be nose to nose with the thug.

          “Since you can’t seem to remember my name, asshole, let me spell it out for you. It’s RM, R to the M. And I’m a motherfucking monster. Keep pushing me. I dare you. You hurt one of my boys. You better pray that he makes it out of all this ok. Or you’ll see just how ‘mad’ I can get.”

          Chen seemed to realize that something bad was building as he took hold of his superior and pulled him away from RM, newly identified. Choi kept the taunting smile spread across his lips as he allowed Chen to lead him away. Before he got too far, he looked over at you and gave a nod, “We’ll be in touch, Little Girl.” And then he disappeared from the floor, leaving you in the presence of RM. You can’t say you had expected this person to belong to the voice on the other end of the phone, but it would seem like that was the theme of the day. The tall man took a few deep breaths and ran his hand through his white hair before turning back to you. The serious mask he had worn had slipped away and was more approachable. He straightened his clothes before returning to your side.

          “I’m sorry you had to see that,” he said, “But he shouldn’t be back. He talks a good game but he knows when he’s out done. Did he hurt you?”

          You shook your head. “I can’t believe he got in. The hospital is on lock down.”

          “Well, he’s been around a while. He has his ways. Now that he’s gone, I was hoping you could help me. I’m looking for a nurse called Y/N.” You locked eyes with him and gave him a nod of affirmation. He gave you a smile, showing off a pair of dimples in his cheeks that made him much more innocent and sweeter than the man who had gone nose to nose with the monstrous thug. “That’s a coincidence. Nice to meet you. Can you show me where to go?”

          “Prove that you’re who you say you are,” you said, taking a step away from him. Despite that you were sure he was the one you had talked to, it seemed like nothing was safe. He looked at you for a moment, before coming to a conclusion. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a cell phone before letting his finger glide across the screen. A moment later, Agust phone sounded off in your pocket. He glanced over at you with a bemused look as you pulled the phone out and saw the screen lit up with a notification.

-          God of Destruction: It’s me.

          “Sorry,” you said, feeling embarrassed by your sudden suspicion, “but after that guy flashed a fake police badge at me, I just wanted to be sure. Thank you for coming and for helping me. Are you Agust’s brother or a friend?”

          RM’s eyes narrowed when he heard you say Agust and gave you a strange look. His eyes seemed to dance about you, as if he was trying to figure something out. But as quickly as it appeared, the look disappeared and he smiled again. “We usually call him Suga. Only people who don’t like him call him Agust. I don’t think he’d want you calling him that. Can we go see him now? We’ve been worried about him.” You nodded and motioned him to follow you back to the elevator. As you waited for the doors to reopen, he leaned over and whispered, “Don’t worry, I won’t tell Hyung you had his phone.”

          “What? Does he have some embarrassing things on here,” you joked.

          “Maybe,” came the reply and heard RM chuckle as he allowed you to step into the elevator.

          You hit the button for the floor that they moved Agu- Suga to, the doors slid shut, and the lift jolted to a start. As the sound of the mechanisms filled the space, you caught a glimpse of the tall man flinch. It seemed odd, seeing as he had just faced off against the most frightening person you had ever seen. The taunting words he had said to RM before leaving came to mind, about not liking it in a hospital. It wasn’t uncommon for people to have bad experiences related to hospitals, so you tried to brush it off. Once you had made it to the secure floor, you led him down the hall. You explained that the floor was only accessible to a few people and how they had followed the directions as specified to the director. The entire time, RM listened very intently, eyes never leaving you. He was the picture of professionalism and sincerity. You swiped the two of you into the ward, and he held the door open for you as you led him down the hall to the room. As you neared the room, you wondered if you were going to survive the present of two very handsome men. Hopefully, the rest of his friends that you heard over the phone were somewhat average.

          As you both entered the room, RM came to a stop in the threshold of the door, his eyes staring at the bed. You could see the worry and panic that you had heard over the phone slip across his face. You reached out and touched his arm. He looked at you with an almost innocent gaze, like he was questioning if it was alright to get closer. You gave him a nod and he was beside his friend in a flash. He looked as if he was debating to reach out to Suga, as if he were made of glass, but settled for taking hold of his hand. RM let out a breath and looked relieved to have finally seen his friend. From your place at the edge of the room, you could see how much one meant to the other and all worries about them being as bad as Choi disappeared.

          “Is he going to be ok? What did they do to him,” RM asked, never taking his eyes off his companion.

          “Dr. Na took good care of him,” you said, reaching for the file at the end of the bed. “He was shot twice, once in the shoulder and on his left side. The gunshot wound on his side appeared to be at close range and the bullet went through. Thankfully, there wasn’t much damage done. The bullet was lodged in his shoulder, but Dr. Na was able to remove it and mend up some of the damage. We’ll know more when he wakes up, but he should have full range of motion after some rest. He, also, has some bruised ribs and a slight concussion. Along with bruising and defensive wounds pretty much everywhere. He, also, lost a lot of blood. He’s in the middle of a transfusion now. But he is responding well to everything and we believe he should be waking up soon. With enough care, patience, and support, he should make a full recovery in no time. Which is amazing; when I found him, I was worried with how much blood he had lost that he may have had a harder road to recovery.”

          RM flicked his eyes over to you. “You found him?”

          “They must not have told you. I was on my way to work when I heard the gunshots. I was the first to find him and get him to safety.”

          RM looked like he wanted to ask more questions, when a soft groan came from the bed and drew the attention. Suga took in a deep breath and his body shifted as if fighting to wake and identify the voices. After a tense moment, his body relaxed and his eyes opened slightly. From the edge of the bed, you could see the glazed and shiny effects of the medication still trying to hold him in the state of unconsciousness, and realized he may not fully be aware of what is happening. But you were sure the presence of RM had drawn him out enough to give them a sign that he was okay. RM called out to his hyung softly, drawing Suga’s attention as he gazed about the room.

          “Hyung, hey, can you hear me?”

          Suga’s eyes fully landed on RM. It seemed as if he was fighting his way to recognition before he gave a small, drugged smile back. “Joon,” his voice sounded exhausted and stained.

          RM laughed. “Yeah, Hyung, it’s me. You’re gonna be okay. You’re safe.”

          “Joonie, I think I’m dead. I saw an angel.”

          The whitehaired man reached out and ran his fingers, gently, through his friend’s hair. “No, Hyung, you’re only tired. That bastard messed you up but you’re gonna be alright now. Why don’t you go back to sleep? The boys and I will be here when you wake up.”

          “Oh,” Suga said, almost sounding disappointed as the drugs started to drag him back to oblivion, “too bad. It was a pretty angel. Prettier than Jiminie and Hyungie combined. But don’t tell them I said that.” And just as fast as he woke, Suga went silent and still again.

[thatasianstereotype]

Shit. I Got To Deal With This Bitch (Again). 

The third installment of my Adrien x Damian AU. 

First: Fuck. I’m Gay. 

Second: Damn, You’re Looking Fine. 

Well, would you look at that? I’m not dead after all. And this took a while to put together understatement of the fucking century. The reason is because life is a busy little shit the English language will not cooperate. I’m thinking of a scene I want to write and somehow words are lost in translating that into the computer and I end up with a white blank screen in the end. 

But moving on to the fic. At first, I was going to have the whole Gabriel-being-put-in-jail and former-friends-thing put as an aftermath because I really wanted to write Marinette and Adrien meeting the Waynes. But I decided to make the aftermath a full-blown fic from @michaelshadow7779′s ideas and extend the trilogy into a four-part series. 

This part will be focused on what happened to Liar-la, Ms. Bustier’s class trying to gain back their friendship with Marinette and Adrien, and Gabriel getting a special visit from both Robin and Ladybug. 

Again, this is a crack writing where creative liberties were definitely taken. 

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Lila Rossi is a fucking bitch and everyone —Like everyone this time— knew it. 

Her reputation was now in shambles (she’s now known as that pathological liar or that lying bitch) and Ms. Bustier’s class could only stare at her with hatred and anger —feelings that were once directed at Marinette. 

No one entertained her lies anymore. No one really hung out with her anymore. She sat at the back of the class, staring daggers at both Adrien and Marinette all day (just wishing for an akuma that will never appear).

Unfortunately for her, Lila couldn’t transfer out of class and with only 2 more months of the school year left, she couldn’t transfer out of school so she was stuck dealing with the consequences of her actions: being a fucking social outcast.

Because the class was not at all happy with their supposed friend. Tensions ran high during school. Things took a turn for the worse when Ms. Bustier tried to “fix” things in her own way, mentioning how the only reason Lila lied was because of her “disease” and the girl simply wanted to make friends. 

Needless to say, the class did not appreciate their teacher making them out to be fools all this time. 

It was Alya who ripped her a new one. Césaire definitely has a set of lungs on her. And Adrien would be lying if he didn’t say how utterly satisfying it was to watch.

Karma was a bitch. 

Payback was a bitch. 

And Adrien was fucking living in the aftermath. He wondered if it was mean (probably but he didn’t care) that he wished he had popcorn right now. 

All in all, life returned back to normal. 

Well, kind of. 

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Unfortunately, with the 2 months left in the school year, Ms. Bustier couldn’t exactly be let go because apparently Mr. Damocles didn’t want to deal with the whole paperwork, trying to find a new teacher to replace her, and dealing with the so-called Akuma class. 

That fucker. 

So essentially, he left her at the mercy of her unhappy class, saying she will be let go at the end of the school year. 

Ms. Bustier was unhappy with the arrangement. The class was unhappy with it too. Probably even more so. Since they still got to deal with Rossi’s bitch ass on a daily basis. 

The remaining 2 months of school were spent in a passive-aggressive war. Teacher vs. Students. Where technically the teacher should be respected and they should learn from her but the class was unleashing their collective pettiness. 

And Caline Bustier was fucking done with this job. She wanted to go back in time to when she thought being a teacher was a good idea and shake her past self silly. At this point, she was just counting the days until she can leave for good. 

“Kim. That’s the third time you slept in class this week. If you don’t pay attention, you won’t pass the test next week.” 

“Hold up. I got to ask the certified pathological liar where I put all the fucks I give.” 

“Ok. Don’t forget to ask Marinette if you can actually trust her answer.” 

It was glorious. 

Adrien and Marinette were definitely enjoying the show. 

.

Marinette put down her sketchbook and stared at Damian for a minute. “You’ve been here for a month and a half already. Are you still doing business for your dad?” 

Damian Wayne became a common sight around Françoise Dupont High School and can usually be seen around Adrien and Marinette. After a week of constantly seeing him hang around lunch or in after school activities/clubs, seeing a Wayne soon lost its novelty and people accepted it as the new norm.

“I’m already done with what I need to do at WE’s Paris branch.” He casually plucked flowers from the ground to make a crown for his mon amour who was happily chatting with Luka and Kagami.

“So why are you still here? Don’t you have your own education to finish?”

“My schooling is of no concern. I already earned my diploma a few months ago. It was not at all difficult when I’m already light years ahead of my peers in regards to the dismal educational system my Father forced me to attend."

She raised an unamused eyebrow. “Uh huh. And your family isn’t worried at all about you, a minor, being in a foreign country all by yourself?” 

“They know I’m here. I already informed Father that I will be extending my stay here.”

“And he just accepted it? Just like that?”

"I’m responsible enough to handle myself. I surely do not need Batman watching over me. And you don’t need to worry at all. I’ve been away from home for far longer.”

“You’re completely missing the point.”

“On the contrary, I thought I answered the question perfectly.”

.

When they weren’t playing a petty war with Bustier, the class was trying to get back into Marinette and Adrien’s good graces by inviting them to everything and trying to include the pair in their lives again. They wanted to be friends with their Everyday Ladybug and Sunshine Child again. 

“Want to do homework together?”

“How about a study session?” 

“We’re having a sleepover at Juleka’s place, Marinette. We can talk about each other’s love lives like the good old times.” 

“Wanna see the new movie that came out, Adrien? I’ll even pay for your favorite snacks.”

“Come on you two. Let’s hang out in the park. We can get Andre’s ice cream too. It’ll be fun.” 

Spoiler alert: It don’t work. At all. 

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“Hey Marinette, Adrien! Why don’t you sit with us today?” Alya eagerly waved at them from where she was sitting with Nino. 

It was a part of a long list of efforts that the class is trying to include the pair in. And it would be nice if it was just to be nice and friendly, you know. Adrien wasn’t going to be outright mean to them even though they fucking deserve it after how they treated the beautiful and kind goddess that was Marinette because Mari asked him to “Play nice, kitty”. 

But the class kept trying to slide the whole Liar-la thing under the rug as if it was nothing. As if they didn’t shit all over their good name for a two-faced bitch. As if they had no part in making them feel like outcasts just weeks before. As if they didn’t called them hateful names or gave them scornful glares. 

And that’s just fucking wrong. Because it wasn’t nothing. And they weren’t good pals anymore. So stop fucking acting like it. 

Adrien was so done with his former friends/classmates. Marinette even more so. 

Because apparently, saying “Yeah, We want nothing to do with you anymore.” is not fucking clear enough that the pair wanted nothing to do with their former friends. 

Like what the actual fuck. 

Luckily, Mari can sense her kitty’s bad mood and quickly laid a hand on his arm and led them to their seats in the middle row since Liar-la took the back and they will be damned if they sit next to her. 

Alya was utterly aghast. She and the others were trying their best to have things be back to where they were before. Doesn’t Marinette and Adrien want things to be like they were before? When everyone was friends and they were making happy memories together? 

Why won’t they accept their olive branch? They’ll be friends again and everything will be okay just like it was before Lila came. 

Let it be known that Alya Césaire was not a patient person. Like at all. 

She was fuming (like you could see the smoke coming out of her ears) as she walked up to Marinette’s desk, just bursting at the seams with frustration. “I don’t get it. Why are you so cosy with Adrien instead of us? Did you forget he supported Lila too? 

“That was—” Marinette spoke up in defense of her everything-that-actually-matters brother. 

But Alya ignored her and bulldozed right over, slamming her hands down on her desk. “Yeah. He changed his mind later on but the point still stands that he was on Lila’s side just like us so why are you willing to be friends with him but not me and Nino? We were best buds.” 

“Adrien was friends with Lila unwillingly, unlike you guys. His douchebag of a father wanted him to play nice with that harlot for some reason and he had to go along with it or risk being pulled out of school.” 

Alya rolled her eyes (She literally rolled her eyes at that) before crossing her arms in front of her chest. “Please. That’s probably a pretty little excuse he gave you be on your good side again. We all know Gabriel will never actually do it.”  

“Are you perhaps referring to the man who rejected the idea of a birthday part for his own son or makes Adrien attend constant photo shoots and a crazy schedule to follow that makes it hard for him to hang out with his friends regularly. That Gabriel?” 

At that, Alya faltered a bit as she uncrossed her arms. 

“Look, Alya. I’m fine with being friendly classmates but I’m not going to be your friend again.” 

And Alya —who wanted things to just be okay again and wanted to go back to being Marinette’s best friend, who was tired of days trying to put so much effort into being Marinette’s best gal again only to be rejected every single time— just let whatever came into her mind to slip out of her mouth. She didn’t watch what she said next and in doing so burnt the last bridge she ever had to Marinette. 

“Maybe Lila was actually right for once when she said the only reason you’re close to Adrien was to use him to get ahead in the fashion industry.” 

Oh shit. 

She really done did it now. 

It was at this point that Marinette’s infinite patience and kindness snapped. Adrien scooted his chair back a bit to get out of the crossfire. He’s a dumbass kitty but he still has self-preservation. 

The grip on her pencil tightened as her eyes narrowed and grew darker, her voice ice cold.  

“You were the one who decided we were done being friends, Césaire.” 

Alya was taken aback, frozen at the biting harshness Marinette directed at her. Whatever comeback she had died in her throat. 

Mari let out a deep breath and her voice was back to neutral. “Look. Maybe someday in the future we can be friends again. But not right now. Please respect my decision.”

And that was the end of that. 

Well kind of. 

Because the ice queen treatment didn’t deter her at all. Alya still persistently tried to get Marinette to be friends with her again until Nino pulled her away and forced her to stop it with her ridiculous antics which aren’t working. 

The rest of their former friends now classmates got the message and left the pair alone. They were friendly and cordial with each other as common courtesy dictate but they had no interaction beyond that. They were nowhere near as close as they once were before Liar-la happened. 

Anyway, school went back to normal. Well as normal as it could be with all the recent changes.

Nothing was as it was before. 

And Marinette and Adrien were fine with that. 

.

Mari was hanging out with Aurore and Mireille for the afternoon so Damian and Adrien had Mari’s room all to themselves. They were currently playing video games. 

And although the Wayne boy was the perfect gentleman who doesn’t let his hormones rule over common courtesy and a proper courtship, Plagg was there to supervise the lovebirds (with a boatload of cheese to keep him company of course). 

He likes to think of himself as laid back and chill who cares deeply about his kittens. And Adrien is a pure innocent little bean. 

Don’t get him wrong. He does like Wayne as a person. The kid’s attitude and personality is a fun riot to witness. But the major plus is how it is beyond obvious Wayne adores and cares greatly about Adrien. He is a good boyfriend to his chaotic gay sunshine baby. 

But after all the shit and drama that went down with his scumbag of a dad, Plagg was just feeling a tad protective of his kitty. 

Just a tad. 

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They have been dating for close to a month now. He wonders if they are going to do a one-month anniversary. Is that excessive? Or was that normal? But Adrien still can’t get over how he landed such a hot and amazing guy as a beau. 

If only he could go back in time to visit his insecure and confused little self and reassure him that they had game all along. 

“Fuck. I lost.” 

Dami smirked. “That makes it 7 to 5 in my favor.” 

“I don’t care if you’re drop dead gorgeous. I’ll beat your pretty face in the next round.” 

Hot-And-Sexy had an amused grin on his face. “I love you too, babe.” 

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Marinete and Damian are finally making a plan to get Hawk Moth to answer for his crimes. Needless to say, they have their differences on how to handle Gabriel Agreste.

“I vote to have Hawk Moth taste my blade.”

“We’re not killing Adrien’s dad no matter how much he deserves it.”

“I can get away with it.”

“So can I. But murder is still illegal.”

Naturally, discussing how to confront Gabriel and coming with a good solid plan that satisfies both teenagers took some time.

.

Adrien entered Mari’s room, humming a bit as he carried a tray filled with homemade snacks. He perked up seeing his two favorite people in the world getting along so well.

“Hey guys! What are you up to?”

Damian and Marinette glanced at each other for a split second. They didn’t want their Chaton to worry about Hawk Moth so they didn’t share any specifics.

It was Dami who spoke up. “We are discussing the legalities of assassination.”

Mari facepalmed.

Luckily, Adrien was a pure oblivious child. “That’s nice, babe.”

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With all the strange things he’s seen (namely, the Miraculous and getting powers from tiny little talking animals), Gabriel will like to say he shouldn’t be surprised. 

But he was. 

Luckily, he had enough self-control to not show his surprise in an obvious way, just a raised eyebrow towards the two superheroes standing in the middle of his office. 

“To what do I owe the pleasure, Mademoiselle Ladybug and Monsieur Robin?” Pleasant and neutral. 

Ladybug he can kind of understand her presence. He is a supervillain after all. Wait. Maybe ex-supervillain now. Because he hasn’t been doing villain things for a while now since he misplaced Nooroo’s brooch and couldn’t find it no matter how many boxes of unsold Miraculous replicas he went through. And he went through a lot (that is not an understatement). Amazing how much free time he has when he isn’t stalking on the watch for negative feelings. 

But what was Robin doing here? He wasn’t aware the Gotham sidekick was in Paris in the first place. 

“We are aware of your alter ego, Hawk Moth.” 

He sighed internally. This wasn’t going to end well. But he hasn’t gotten this far by bowing down easily. 

“Just because I am a genius recluse does not mean I have supervillain tendencies.” 

Ladybug was unimpressed as she crossed her arms and stare at him with a deadpan look. “But you do have supervillain tendencies. I have yours and Nathalie’s miraculous who told us all about your plans.” 

Huh, no wonder he couldn’t find them. 

But anyway, the gig was up. Nooroo and Duusu were very emotional blabbermouths. The main reason why he couldn’t let them out of his sight —besides needing them to transform into bad guys of course. 

“Then you know I had a good reason why I became Hawk Moth.” 

“To bring your wife back. Yes, I am aware of your ‘master’ plan.” 

Maybe he can appeal to their sympathy. After all, heroes got to have empathy, right? “It was for Adrien’s sake to have his family back together.”

Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say. 

Because next thing he knew he had a razor sharp sword against his neck. He didn’t even see Robin move. 

“Do not speak of his name, you traitor scum.” The Gotham hero growled. “How dare you preach about your son’s happiness when you are the one who have been neglecting him for the past years. Do not say you care for the boy when you never once showed an ounce of love towards him.” 

Why is Robin so protective towards Adrien? Do they know each other well? 

But Gabriel’s questions were immediately banished to the back of his mind. Because right now, he was righteously fearing for his life. Prison sounded better than death. He glanced towards Ladybug. He knew she, at least, wouldn’t let him die. She was the picture perfect hero after all. 

Who was facepalming at the situation. “For the last time, we are not killing Agreste.” 

Unfortunately, Robin did not remove the sword. “And as I keep saying, no one will have to know.” 

“I will. I am literally standing right here as a witness.” 

“You may look away if you are squeamish.”

“...That’s not the problem.” It was time for Ladybug to pull out the big guns. “And if you go through with this, you will make your boyfriend cry and he will no longer want to date you.” 

It took a few seconds but Robin eventually lowered the sword and addressed Gabriel. “Do not presume that because you have no received death today that you do not deserve it. The only reason why your guts have not decorated this room is because I do not wish to make my mon amour shed tears for such a despicable man.” 

Ladybug spoke up next. “We are going to report you to the authorities. Robin and I have enough evidence to put you away for life.” 

To live for another day, Gabriel makes the smart choice of quickly surrendering right then and there. 

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“Mon amour, I come bearing both good and bad news.” 

Adrien looked at Dami confused. “Okay? What’s the bad news?”

“Your sister have unfortunately stopped my attempt to slay your wicked father.” 

Aww. 

Adrien’s squishy little heart filled with endearing fondness at how much Hot-And-Sexy cared about him. 

“Killing my father isn’t worth going to jail, Dami. I’m sure you can pull off orange but Mari will probably bar me from ever visiting you to teach you a lesson.”  

He considered that for a moment. “That is true. Marinette is a frightening terror.” 

“She’s the greatest thing to happen to me.”Adrien swooned at his goddess before remembering his boyfriend was with him. “You’re a very close second.” 

But Dami was smiling fondly. “I know. I knew what I was getting into when I asked you out. I will never get in the way between your sibling bond.” 

Aww. 

He could feel his squishy little heart almost explode from all this sugary cuteness from his vain and egotistical Adonis.  

“You’re adorable. So what’s the good news you have for me?” 

“Marinette and I have finally dealt with your father. He will answer for his crimes in front of the Parisian authorities and you will not deal with the repercussions of being related to someone as vile as he.” 

“Does this mean I don’t have to legally change my name to Dupain-Cheng after all?” 

“You’re already one. Not sharing their name does not make you any less of one.” 

Adrien beamed, smiling brighter than any sun. He loved being part of the Dupain-Cheng family and it was nice to be acknowledged as one of them. 

“Of course. Being a Wayne is an honor too.” Damian said casually as if he was simply talking about the weather. Only the twitch of his fingers belied his nervousness. 

Adrien interlocked their fingers together. “You have to buy me a pretty ring first, Mr. Hot-And-Sexy.” 

.

The next week was kind of crazy to say the least. 

Gabriel Agreste was outed as Hawk Moth and Natalie as Mayura to the public. They were promptly put in jail. 

For all their contingency plans, Marinette and Damian had nothing to worry about after all. Adrien being a literal sunshine and Paris’ darling model was what saved him from being a pariah and outcast. The public knew that Adrien was the victim here and not part of Hawk Moth’s plans at all (Be serious. Can you imagine Sunshine child actually having an evil streak in him? No? That’s right. Because it is impossible). People were more sympathetic about Adrien having such a douchebag as a father than the possibility that he was evil like said douchebag. 

After that whole drama mess, Ladybug and Chat Noir announced their retirement to Paris’ dismay. But eh. Without akumas running around, they can leave Paris’ future to the police (since it’s you know, their job to keep the peace and not teenagers who is still winging it as they kick ass). 

Marinette and Adrien just wanted to focus on their future without any other crazy shenanigans.

He already said it before. But it still bears repeating.

Lila Rossi is a bitch.

The only thing Gabriel did right was throw her under the bus when he was caught. He told the police and superheroes how Lila helped him cause akumas with her lies and manipulation. Who knew her destroyed reputation could plummet even further? Understandably, her mother was not at all pleased with her daughter’s antics.

For being a terrorist and an indecent person, Lila was immediately arrested and deported to Italy (and that’s the last they ever heard of her thank everything Mari thinks is holy). 

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With the whole Hawkmoth thing out of the way and he didn’t have to worry about his shitty dad ever again, Adrien can now focus on his biggest challenge yet. 

School will be over in a few days and summer will be here. Which means: It’s time to finally meet the Waynes. 

Oh fuck. He was going to meet the Batfam. 

And even though Dami assured him that his family will like him, he was still nervous. 

Fuck that. He was absolutely 100% freaking out!

Thank goodness Mari was coming along for the ride. 

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@iglowinggemma28

[latte-fairytaekwoon]

𝚈𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚎! 𝙰𝚝𝚎𝚎𝚣 𝙿𝚛𝚘𝚏𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚜: 𝙺𝚊𝚗𝚐 𝚈𝚎𝚘𝚜𝚊𝚗𝚐

Disclaimer: In no way am I condoning, justifying, encouraging, promoting nor trying to romanticize yandere behavior. This is all a work of fiction and not meant to represent real life scenarios.

Warnings: Mentions of toxic relationships, stalking, kidnapping, hostage holding, sexual scenes, brief mentions of narcotics use, violence, voyeurism, somnophilia and other yandere behavior are contained within this post. Read at your own discretion.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐜 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧:

𝙽𝚊𝚖𝚎: 𝙺𝚊𝚗𝚐 𝚈𝚎𝚘𝚜𝚊𝚗𝚐

𝙳.𝙾.𝙱: 𝙹𝚞𝚗𝚎 𝟷𝟻𝚝𝚑, 𝟷𝟿𝟿𝟿

𝙷𝚎𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝: 𝟷𝟽𝟹 𝙲𝙼/ 𝟻'𝟾 𝙵𝚃

𝙰𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝙻𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚕: ■■■□□60%

𝙾𝚋𝚜𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝙻𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚕: ■■■■■100%

𝙼𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚕 𝙸𝚗𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚋𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚢: ■■■■□90%

𝙾𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚃𝚑𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝 𝙻𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚕: 𝙸𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚖𝚎𝚍𝚒𝚊𝚝𝚎

𝚈𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝙲𝚕𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚏𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗: 𝙳𝚎𝚕𝚞𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚕

𝙱𝚎𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚘𝚛𝚊𝚕 𝙰𝚗𝚊𝚕𝚢𝚜𝚒𝚜:

•𝙳𝚎𝚎𝚙 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚕𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚟𝚘𝚢𝚎𝚞𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚖 𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚜.

•𝚂𝚎𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚕𝚢 𝚒𝚗𝚟𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚟𝚒𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚖'𝚜 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚕 𝚜𝚙𝚊𝚌𝚎.

•𝙵𝚛𝚎𝚚𝚞𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚖𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚕 𝚜𝚞𝚋𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚞𝚋𝚍𝚞𝚎 𝚟𝚒𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚖.

•𝙸𝚗𝚏𝚕𝚒𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚘𝚏 𝚙𝚊𝚒𝚗 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚌𝚊𝚕𝚖 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚍𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚊𝚗𝚘𝚛.

•𝚄𝚗𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚑𝚎𝚗𝚍 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚢.

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Yeosang always hid in the shadows. Never coming out of them.

He hated society, hated people and honestly couldn't care if they all died.

He just kept to himself, only going out of his house when he really needed to.

Like to get groceries, get his car fixed or anything of the like.

He even had a steady online job that allowed him the privilege of interacting as little as possible with the outside world.

That's how he liked it.

This way, nobody bothers him or annoys him.

One day, he went to a nearby convenience store to buy a few sweet snacks for himself.

He was walking out of the store, not really paying attention where he was going.

When someone bumped into him, which pissed him off.

But the angry glare he had quickly vanished when he saw you.

"Oh I'm sorry! I didn't see you." You apologized to him.

You went your way, thinking you'd never see the handsome stranger in your life again, that he'd just be another casualty in your life.

But you were wrong.

The moment Kang Yeosang laid eyes on you, was the moment he became obsessed with you.

He stood there, immobile, watching as you walked away, out of his life, possibly forever....

And that's when he realized he needed to bring you back into it.

He went out every day to the same convenience store, hoping to see you again.

He would walk around the surrounding streets, gazing at the people passing around, hoping to see your face again.

But he never did, and he was growing desperate.

Just when he thought he'd go insane from not seeing you, you appeared once again.

This time he made sure not to let you out of his sight.

Silently and without you suspecting, he followed you to your home.

Even after you went inside, he stood outside your window for hours, wondering what you were doing.

He only went home when you turned off the lights and went to sleep.

But now he knows where you live, and watching you would be easier than ever.

The next day you went to work as you usually did, not suspecting anything at all.

Yeosang had other plans though.

Taking advantage of the fact you weren't home, he managed to break into your house.

He looked around the place, looking through every picture, cabinet and drawer you had.

It was inevitable for him to find out as much information about you as possible.

He was definitely satisfied with the fact that it appeared you lived alone and as far as he could tell, you had no boyfriend.

He also knew he had to get to work.

So he prepared a bunch of tiny cameras to install around various places of your house:

In the kitchen, living room, front door, backyard, several in your bedroom and even in your bathroom.

They were really small and almost invisible to the human eye.

While installing some of them in your room, he came across your lingerie drawer.

He turned a pretty shade of pink as he sorted through the different articles of clothing.

He began to imagine you wearing them and then imagine himself tearing them off of you.

Picking out a cute lacy red and black panty, he held it up to his nose and inhaled the subtle scent of you.

He ended up jerking himself off in your bedroom with it, completely staining it with his hot cum.

It was one of the very few things he took from you, along with other trinkets that he ended up putting up as a mini shrine to you.

From then on, he began to watch you through all the cameras.

From the moment you got up and left the house, to when you came back and went to bed, his eyes were fixed on you, watching and observing your every move.

He did not look away whenever you got changed, took a shower or even during those times where you felt needy and decided to pleasure yourself.

Those were the times Yeosang had his eyes wide open, along with his pants so his hand could easily rub his cock.

For a while, he thought he could live the rest of his life like this: watching you through a screen.

After all, every time you watched tv, you were watching it with him, right?

You started to wear more clothing in the shade of red because you knew it was his favorite color, right?

And every time your fingers rubbed your clit and threw you over the edge, it was Yeosang you were imagining.......right?

In Yeosang's mind, every smile, every blink, every breath you did......it was all for him, it had to be.

That's why he was coursing with rage when you went out with your friends one time and came back late.

It wasn't the fact that you came late and he'd been worried about you.

It was the fact you came stumbling back in your house, kinda tipsy....

With another man all over you.

He watched in disbelief as you guided him to your room and let him undress you.

You let someone else put his filthy, disgusting hands all over your holy body, let him touch you in places only Yeosang could..

And he absolutely lost it when you allowed him to penetrate and stain you.

How could you? You were his and his only. You're not supposed to be begging and crying out for anyone that isn't him.

That's when Yeosang decided to take action. Living with you through a screen wasn't enough anymore...

He had to physically have you.

So he immediately began packing whatever he deemed necessary to bring you back.

He patiently waited until the bastard came out your house, and as soon as he got the opportunity.....

He came up behind him and wrapped a rope around his throat, strangling him with pure rage and disgust at the thought that he touched you.

He left his lifeless body in the yard and went inside for you.

Creeping up behind you, he got out a cloth that was drenched in nitrous oxide, and placed it over your nose and mouth.

"Shhh, ssssh. It's ok baby, I won't hurt you." He cooed at you softly.

He carefully layed your unconscious body on a couch.

He couldn't believe that he finally had you, see you, touch you, it was all surreal.

His hands began to caress and draw out each of your beautiful features.

Then they trailed down and began to caress other parts of your body.

He couldn't help himself as he fumbled to rid you of your clothes and of his own.

He entered you slowly, gasping at the wonder he felt at finally being inside you

He kept a slow and steady pace at first, wanting to savior the precious moment.

And then he remembered how just a few hours before, you had been tainted by some filthy asshole.

Then he began going rougher on your sleeping body, slapping your chest, thighs and face occasionally.

"How could you let some bastard touch you? Hmm? You're not some filthy whore for any man to take."

His hand gripped your neck and pulled you up to him.

"You're mine....you're all fucking mine. Only I can cum inside this pretty little hole." He growled as he fucked himself inside you, painting your walls as he always wanted to.

"And now it's time to go home."

You woke up in a strange room, tucked in a strange bed and with a burning ache in between your legs.

You tried to get up, but you were still dizzy from the gas attack from before.

When your eyes adjusted to the light, you gasped when you caught a pair of large brown eyes looking at you intensely.

"H- hi.." Yeosang waved at you cutely.

You just looked at him in confusion as he creeped up closer to you and smiled.

"Who...who are you? What am I doing here?" You asked.

He merely chuckled. "Silly girl. I'm Yeosang of course!" He stated as if it was a universally known fact.

He pouted when you didn't react.

"You know? Your soulmate? The love of your life?"

You actually let out a laugh at his words, which not only made him get embarrassed but also angry.

"First off all, I don't even know who the fuck you creep are. Second, I'm leaving whatever this nasty place is."

Before you could even move though, Yeosang was already pining you down on the bed.

It seemed you underestimated him, thinking because he looked lean he wouldn't be hard to take down...

But you were wrong...

Yeosang was incredibly strong and in one particular move where you tried to slap him, he retaliated by smacking you across your face.

You were left stunned by the force of it, which led to your nose bleeding and cheek burning.

Yeosang didn't stop there, he tilted your chin up and proceeded to give the same treatment to your other cheek, a nasty bruise would eventually form on that one.

"I really suggest you stop denying our love...for your sake and mine."

Yeosang's cold, emotionless eyes and icy voice sent shivers down your spine.

He looked absolutely insane, completely void of any feeling or rationality and that was extremely terrifying.

Yeosang only had 2 rules while you were with him: "Always love me and never leave me."

But it was so hard because he'd talk to you as if he knew you all your life, while he barely find out his last name.

Sometimes you were so uncomfortable or ended up spacing out, and he'd get upset so much that he'd either slap you or shove you to the floor.

"Tell me that you love me! I want you to say that you love me!" He cried out as his hands squeezed your neck tightly, barely letting you mutter out the words for him to finally let go of you and let you gasp for air.

You decided to play along then as best as you could to his little game.

Obviously it worked, he was happy and loving towards you, your behavior only feeding into his sick twisted illusion of a perfect relationship.

You hated it, hated playing into his delusional fantasy, hated having him touch you, feel you, caress you and love you in the bedroom.

You had to keep reminding yourself that it was only temporary, until you gained his trust enough to find a way to break free.

But time was passing by too fast and one day, during one of his many pregnancy tests you did, because Yeosang really wanted to have a baby with you, you nearly died.

It came out positive and you panicked.

You quickly disposed of the test, praying he'd never find it and began to search for anything to help you break open a door, a window.

You realized then that Yeosang never actually bolted the doors like he often told you, he'd just say that so you wouldn't even try it.

You opened the door, not caring that the alarm started going off, all you had to do was run to the next door house and ask for help.....

Except there was no next door house, nor was there a neighborhood....

There was nothing but a gate surrounding the house, and all around it was a dense forest, absolutely no sign of civilization.

You had no idea where you were and you were completely trapped. You started walking backwards and inhaled when your back pressed onto someone's chest.

Strong hands gripped your arms and one of them held up the pregnancy test that you desperately tried to get rid off.

You began crying, feeling utterly hopeless as a familiar and deep voice said:

"There's no escape......you won't ever leave..."

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

[mxndoscyarika]

Honeydew (Marcus Pike/Moreno x OC) | Chapter 1

Summary: Erin He moves to DC after working for the FBI in Texas and runs into a hero in disguise; Marcus Moreno. Something about him is familiar, too familiar, yet different in a way that she can’t quite place. Although confused, she can’t deny her feelings for him; perhaps, after years of regret, she finally found the one.

Warnings: food/drink mention

Ao3

Honeydew masterlist

Like my writing? Here’s my masterlist.

Author’s Note: I’m so excited for you all to read this story! Special thanks go to Lynn (@mindless--ramblings​​) for always being so supportive and helping me stay inspired! Ever since I found out Pedro now has two characters named Marcus, I’ve wondered about ways I could connect them in one piece of writing. And this? This is that piece of writing. Moreno won’t be making an appearance in this one, but I hope Pike will make up for that 😉 Enjoy!

Ground floor.

First floor.

Second.

Erin He took a deep breath, thankful that the elevator was empty. She straightened the collar of her shirt as the fourth floor approached. At her side was her government-issued laptop, which she’d picked up from the front desk. Her fingers gripped its edges tightly. This was it. She made it.

The elevator let out a soft ding and opened its doors, revealing a floor of cubicles and conference rooms. Austin sunlight filtered through large windows, illuminating the space alongside the bright fluorescent lights.

She stepped out, searching for the art theft department’s main office. As much as she understood the need for technology specialists across all the FBI’s branches, she never quite grasped why she was placed in the art theft department, of all places. She always thought she’d be in the operational technologies department, developing and maintaining tools for others to use. Though she couldn’t blame them; intellectual property was highly valued and often stolen.

The email said to report to the department supervisor’s office for a quick onboarding, but they didn’t exactly mention what it would be. It could’ve been anything from a quick handshake to being told to shadow a coworker. Hopefully the former.

Part of her begged to the gods of computer science that she wouldn’t be assigned to yet another condescending old white man. Her last welcome at a company had been less than mediocre, and lukewarm at best.

The other part of her nagged that she’d signed up for exactly that.

“Ah, there you are. Welcome to your first day, Special Agent He,” the department supervisor–Harold Strauss–greeted as she entered his office. He gestured to the man standing in front of his desk. “This is Agent Marcus Pike. He will be showing you the ropes today.”

Agent Pike looked at her over his shoulder, the corners of his lips curling in a friendly smile. He couldn’t have been much older than her, with his faint smile lines and soft brown hair. He tucked his hands into his pockets and turned around to face her.

“Thank you, sir,” she replied. She shook his hand and then extended her hand to Pike. “Nice to meet you. Thanks for taking time out of your day to show me around.”

“Likewise,” he replied, shaking her hand. His brown eyes sparkled as he proposed, “Should we start? I have a meeting in about half an hour, and I’m sure you’ll want to meet some of our operational techs and digital forensics team. They’re the backbone of everything we do here.”

They acknowledged their supervisor once more and then left to begin the tour.

As her personal guide gave her the rundown of the floor’s organization and workflow, Erin couldn’t help but sneak a couple more glances at him.

He was taller than her by a few inches, but not in such a way that she felt like shrinking into herself. And he always stayed at her side, never walking ahead or lagging behind. His strong jaw led her gaze to a pair of soft lips, which seemed to be in a perpetual smile as he talked about the breakthroughs the department had in the past days.

“Do you know where your desk is?” Pike asked.

“Yeah, they told me the other day,” she answered, tucking a loose strand of her hair behind her ears. They walked over to her assigned desk, which was barren save for a standard computer, box of pens, and notepad. “If you’re going to ask if I need help with setup, I think I should be alright for now. Nothing a few installations and linux commands can’t fix.”

He chuckled softly and nodded. “You’re living up to your title, Agent He. If I’m being honest, I don’t think I could’ve been much help even if I offered. Have you done work similar to this before?”

She shrugged. “I worked in cybersecurity and software development,” Erin replied, setting down her bag and laptop on her desk. Slipping off her black blazer, she continued, “But I figured I should do something more than just build products for tech companies. Use my skills to aid in investigations.”

He nodded in understanding. “I see what you mean. Actually, I was originally studying to be an art history professor. But then I found this job and figured I could use my knowledge to help find and preserve artworks.”

Hm, noble.

“Sounds like we aren’t so different,” she observed, following him across the officespace. “Let’s hope that I can be of help around here.”

He chuckled softly, the dimple in his cheek showing as he smiled. “I think you’ll fit right in.”

---

The words on the screen blurred into the white background of the screen, as if they were mocking her. Each line of test slowly lost its meaning, turning into mind-numbing strings.

Erin pushed her computer away and rubbed her eyes defeatedly, sighing. The department was launching an investigation regarding a museum that was broken into and wiped clean. What little data was left on the computers, from what she gathered after hours of poring over them, was largely useless. Hopefully, one of the other agents would find something helpful in the other remnants. Perhaps an address, or some sort of signature that could be traced to a group. Her, on the other hand? She just wasted hours of work.

A steaming cup of coffee was set down onto her desk, along with some sugar and tiny cups of cream.

She looked up to find Marcus–Pike, she reminded herself–standing at her side, looking down at her with a soft smile. “Find anything?”

“Nope,” she sighed. It turned out that Pike was one of the best agents in the department, and that meant he spent most of his time leading and organizing investigations. What that meant for Erin, then, was that she had to answer to him. Thankfully, he was never weird about it. Quite the opposite, actually. Tapping the side of the cup, she asked, “Is this for me?”

He laughed softly, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah! Sorry; I would’ve fixed it, but I wasn’t sure how you liked your coffee.”

“Well it’s nothing complex, if that’s what you’re nervous about,” she teased. Two sugars and a drizzle of cream turned the pitch black liquid into a deep brown. She took a sip, the placebo of caffeine already kicking in. “When you’re in STEM, you learn to appreciate caffeine in any form. But I like it like this.”

“Noted,” he said, his voice a soft timbre amongst the flutter of papers and clacking of keys. Hands resting on his hips he asked, “How long do you think it’ll be before you find anything?”

“Anywhere from an hour to another three...or five,” she sighed, lazily scrolling down the file. Basking in the steam from her cup, she continued, “I’m gonna need a lot more of this coffee. There has to be something useful in this file, I just need to find it. I might need to cross-reference with some of the other evidence to notice anything.”

A headache was already descending upon her, and she was only six hours in. Weak–she’d stared at a computer much longer without any problem many times before. Why, of all times, did it have to happen when she was talking to her coworker?

“Well, I’ll be here pretty late tonight, so if you need anything, just let me know,” he replied, patting her shoulder. The crease between his brows deepened as he squinted down at the screen. “Maybe you need a fresh set of eyes on it. Take a break, Erin.” At her responding pout, he reasoned, “It’s been almost a month and I don’t think I’ve ever seen you rest.”

Of course he noticed her breaks, or lack thereof. She rolled her eyes, hiding a bashful smile in her cup. “I work best in sprints.”

He hummed amusedly. “But even sprinters need breaks, don’t they?” Then, his eyes lit up. “Actually, why don’t you take a break now?”

Erin raised a brow. “Am I not taking a break right now?”

His laugh was warm. “I mean a real break. Let’s get lunch; my treat.”

“Are you really going to make me choose between food and digital forensics, Agent Pike?”

Nodding definitively, he replied, “Yes, Agent He.”

Unable to resist the prospect of free lunch, she gave in and followed him out to his car. The work would still be there when she returned. For the moment, she could just enjoy Marcus’s companionship.

He drove out to a local diner about ten minutes away, his turns confident as if he’d gone there hundreds of times before. Judging by the way his eyes had sparked with joy at her agreement, he probably had.

They let their shoulders relax in the serenity of the car, shedding the formalities and passing time as if they were close friends.

The diner was small and cozy, booths worn with age and serving breakfast all day. Erin’s lips curled up in a little smile as the hostess recognized Marcus. So he was a regular, after all.

They sat down across from each other in a booth. Erin shrugged off her navy blue blazer and smoothed her dark hair back into a thick ponytail.

As she fixed her hair, Marcus gave her his recommendations, leaning in with the menu so she could follow along with her eyes. He seemed particularly fond of the pancakes, so she decided on those. Surely he wouldn’t lead her astray.

And with the way his voice rasped just slightly, she could listen to him speak for a whole day.

“Honey? Did you hear anything I said?” he asked, tilting his head slightly with a little smirk.

Erin snapped out of her reverie, cheeks burning. “Oh, um. Yeah. Sorry, I spaced out for a bit.”

“No worries, it happens to all of us,” he reassured, laying the menu flat on the table. “What were you thinking about?”

Less than an hour had passed before they were back in the office, stepping out of the elevator with full bellies. The familiar clicking from computers and buzz of conversations filled the air, and they were officially agents again.

Erin turned to him and nudged his arm. “Hey, thanks for the break.”

“Anytime,” he replied, walking with her along the perimeter of the room. They stopped at the hallway leading to the conference rooms and offices. His large hand moved to rest on her arm, his thumb rubbing gently. “I guess this is my stop. You know where to find me.”

“And you know where I’ll be.”

The next day, Marcus was greeted in his office by tupperwares containing homemade fried rice, some cut up fruit, and a sticky note.

Thanks for sticking with me yesterday. -E

The corners of his eyes crinkled as he tried to refrain from grinning like a maniac, though he was sure anyone who happened to pass by would’ve thought he looked like a schoolgirl with a crush. Erin’s handwriting was soft and curved, so similar to calligraphy but simple in a way that made the note feel that much more intimate.

She had an interesting way of showing her care for others, he found. Perhaps it was a byproduct of the work she dedicated her life to; she seemed to always be one step ahead, ready to pull out small details that others would dismiss. He wondered what she might know of him.

There were a few things she clearly knew; things that surprised him every day. Just as he’d learned her usual coffee order, she’d learned his. When he’d walk in every morning, her head of dark hair would tilt to peek over her cubicle, as if she could sense his presence. And when their eyes would meet, her smile was better than the best espresso in the world.

Marcus shook his head to himself as his heart fluttered. Years of failed relationships and a divorce later, he still couldn’t keep his feelings in check. His mother always said he had a soft heart, one that would be his greatest strength and his greatest weakness. But Erin was anything but a weakness.

She wasn’t a weakness, but a strength. A constant in his life, making each day feel just a little more special. He didn’t need a relationship to be happy, but….he wouldn’t be opposed to one either.

Yet, as he spotted Ian Malarkey standing a bit too close to her, he forced himself to backtrack. What if she didn’t want him? What if they were meant to be just as they were: just friends?

Maybe it was time for him to move on.

After a few months, their friendship had grown well past a workplace acquaintance. It wasn’t as if she was trying to get attached to him; it just...happened. And it was only a little surprising to her; she tried to stay as professional as she could in the office, but outside? Outside, she could just be Erin, not FBI Special Agent He. Outside, she could shed her jacket and swap the button-down shirt for a ribbed sweater and some jeans. Outside, she and Marcus could sit as close together as they wanted without drawing unwanted attention.

She knew it was silly to fantasize. After all, Marcus was a coworker, if not a superior. And with the way he fussed over her water intake and made sure that she wore her glasses at the right times, he could easily see her as a little sister. As nothing more than a new agent who happened to be friendly.

But if that were true, why would he go through the effort of bringing her lunch on Thursdays? Why did he call her little names like “honeydew” and “sweetheart,” and why did it feel so natural coming from his mouth?

The commotion coming from the direction of the conference rooms told her that the team was back from the investigation. Maybe Marcus was there; she knew he’d gone, but he hadn’t texted since morning. It wouldn’t hurt to pop in to check on him; he did that often enough with her.

When she entered the break room, her heart sank. Sitting off to the side, by the wall, was Marcus asking Teresa Lisbon out on a date. She wasn’t sure why she felt defeated;  it wasn’t like she had any plans on asking him out.

But then why did it hurt her to the core to see him giving those puppy eyes and little smiles to Lisbon? The woman didn’t even look interested in him; if anything, she looked confused and hesitant.

Ian caught her eye as she surveyed the room once more, his lips pulling into a tight-lipped smile. He knew about her feelings for Marcus, having spent hours going over evidence and making small talk. In fact, he’d even encouraged her to tell Marcus her feelings, out of fear that she might never get the chance.

Perhaps her chance had passed after all. Turning on her heel, Erin decided that, for once, it was time to go home. Marcus would come to her when he was less busy.

The thing was, though, she didn’t want to go home. She wanted to go over and say hello, and check to make sure he wasn’t injured in the scuffle. Moreover, she didn’t want to be a fill-in for Lisbon’s absence. She didn’t want to be his second choice. And she knew it wasn’t her fault, nor Lisbon’s, that Marcus didn’t choose her. But it still stung.

She watched as their shared lunches became less frequent, the senior agent replacing her space by Marcus’s side. When the elevator would ding at 7AM and she’d glance up to see if it was him, she found him searching the room for Lisbon. They never drifted over to her desk. That fact always made her grip her pen just a little tighter.

On the days when he did grace her with his presence, she felt like a tornado of emotions.

Happy, because she had missed her best friend.

Sad, because she knew the next time she’d spend time with him was in a few weeks rather than a few days.

Grateful, because she knew how hard it was to socialize after a work week of at least 50 hours.

Envious, because of the stories he told.

Relieved, because he still cared.

Plastering a halfhearted smile on her face, Erin listened to Marcus practically worship his girlfriend. His summer breeze of a smile and sparkling eyes made the pain that came with listening worth it. The only other time she’d heard him talk that passionately was when they’d visited an art museum.

At least one of them was happy.

She thought of trying to date again; it had been over a year since she’d been in a relationship. But she couldn’t do it. More than once, she’d put on some simple makeup and casual clothes, ready to head out to the bar, but no. She couldn’t bring herself to leave the apartment. The apartment was where she and Marcus watched movies, where she would cut up fruit and bring them to him on a plate while he pored over reports in the warm lights of the kitchen. It was where he’d navigate her cupboards and fridge to make her a mug of his special hot chocolate. It was her safe space, the one place in her life where she could just be Erin, and he could just be Marcus.

The knife cleaved the melon in half with ease, revealing its pale green interior.

Marcus leaned up against the counter next to her, hair tousled and necktie loosened against his chest. He absentmindedly started rolling up his sleeves, undoing the cuffs of his shirt and folding them up.

She tried not to stare too long at the way his forearms tensed with the movement.

He broke the silence first. “I got the job in DC,” he said, voice soft like velvet.

“That’s great.” A simple response, though Erin cringed internally. Was that any way to react to her best friend’s job promotion? Surely not, but a part of her–a selfish part of her–knew that it meant he was leaving. Leaving not just his position, but her. Texas. The apartment.

It would’ve been disingenuous for her to say anything more.

Then, he added, almost sheepishly, “I also asked Teresa to marry me. And move to DC so we can be together.”

The blade of her knife hit the cutting board a little harder than normal. “Oh. That’s nice.” Cutting away the tough outer skin, she forced herself to ask, “What did she say?”

He sighed and crossed his arms, biting his lip as if to contain a smile. “She said she’d think about it. But I think she’ll come around. I kind of, uh, sprung it onto her the other night.”

And yet there he was, standing next to a woman who would’ve been ready to say yes. But even so, she said, “I’m sure things will work out between you two. You’ve already given so much to your relationship; it would be a shame for her to not see how great you are.”

She slid him a bowl of perfectly cubed melon.

Smiling softly, he took the bowl into his hands. “You’re the best, honeydew.”

The best, but not the one.

“You’re just trying to get on my good side before you leave for DC, brown eyes,” she jested, nudging him with her elbow. Her chest filled with warmth at his laugh. She tried her best to hang onto that feeling, to that sound. “When are you two leaving?”

“I’m already about halfway packed,” he mused, chewing on a cube of honeydew thoughtfully. “So maybe within the week? I hope that’s enough time for Teresa to make a decision.”

There was less time than she thought. She hummed softly. “Are you sure that’s what she wants? That it’s what you want?”

He nodded confidently. “Yes, I...I know that I don’t have the best track record with relationships, but something about her feels right.” The bowl was set into the sink and filled with water. “I’m happy, honey. You don’t have to worry.”

Erin’s eyes burned as she quietly replied, “Okay.”

< previous chapter | next chapter >

TAGLISTS: (please let me know if you’d like to be added!)

PERMANENT: @cinewhore​ @randomness501​ @theghostwiththemost-babe​ @ahopelessromanticwritersworld​ @catfishingmorales​ @halfwaythereroyal​ @fioccodineveautunnale​ @talesfromtheguild​ @tortles​ @ladamari68​ @theokatcov @snivellusim​ @starryluce​ @inked-poet​ @browneyes-djarin​ @shedobewritingalittle​ @chews-erotically​ @thefandomimagines​ @emesispo​ @mindless--ramblings​ @phoenixhalliwell​

HONEYDEW: @leemorrigan @houseofthirst​ @littlevodika​ @engineeredfiction​ @inkyzinky​

[yardsards]

how the FUCK do some ppl just be walkin around w their phones just fuckin naked no case no screen protector no nothing??? do you have THAT MUCH trust in your own motor control??? or are you just so rich and/or careless with money that the thought of replacing a shattered screen doesnt even faze you???

like i got a new (or. technically used but new to me) phone today and the case hasn't come in the mail yet and i am TERRIFIED. i feel like if i so much as breathe on it wrong it'll shatter into a billion pieces like the breakaway glass of a window of some poor unsuspecting office worker in an action movie that's supposed to look cool but really just leaves me concerned about how the hell you replace windows on a skyscraper like it's gotta be difficult right???

i feel like there's probably not much equipment built for that purpose because you don't reasonably expect a window on the goddamned 20th floor to get broken cuz it's not like little timmy from next door can accidentally lob a baseball through it like with a normal window. do you gotta rebuild the scaffolding that was there during construction? do you do some jerry rigged version of that weird harness thing that window washers use (do window washers even exist in real life in the modern day??? and if so is there a limit on how tall of buildings they clean?) but beefed up to support a fuckhuge pane of glass and at least 2 people to install it?

at that point it's probably easier to just track down the flying neon tights-clad asshole who decided that your window was an acceptable place to slam the evil dr. spiderfucker and demand he fly up there and fix it for you.

actually, do you think there are any superhumans who decided "nah, the whole hero thing just aint for me". and just used their powers to handle tasks that would be difficult for normal humans to do

like some lady with lightning powers just sayin "you expect me to bust my fuckin ass saving this city -for fucking FREE, i might add-" (sidenote, do you think any superheroes have a patreon??? like might be tricky if they got the whole secret identity thing goin on but you could prolly make bank) "and constantly getting injured because NO i'm not impervious or anything my powers are literally JUST lightning -and, y'know, medical bills arent fucking CHEAP and heroism aint got no insurance plan and the american healthcare system is a fuckin JOKE."

"and the whole time making some dickhead villain who calls himself some shit like roboclown form a personal vendetta against me. that he tries to make into a gross heteroerotic rivalry and he gets fixated on me and tries to figure out my secret identity- yeah, i'd have to make up some alter ego like a high stakes version of hannah montana, probably someth cliche like 'electra' (but not electra bc that just reminds me of sigmund freud and his idea of an electra complex. god. what a creep.)- so that he could hold my family hostage."

(edit: looked it up and apparently electra complex was made up by jung, not freud. freud rejected it, not because it's fucking creepy bullshit (which it is) but because he felt like the idea would make boys and girls sound too similar and we can't have that, now can we?)

"and i mean okay i don't technically have family cuz my parents died in some kind of obligatory backstory bullshit probably involving a laboratory accident that led to me getting my powers. and like, fuck marriage and kids. but roboclown or whatever could still hurt my dogs."

"you expect me to be a fucking hero and put up with that shit??? are you out of your fucking MIND? have you gone off your rocker, flew over the handle, or simply fell off the waggon? no. no. FUCK that. i don't care if you think it's my responsibility to be a hero i didnt ASK for this bullshit."

"i just use my lightning to generate electricity for the local power plant. only gotta work a couple hours a day and i make a FORTUNE. i have health insurance with dental and a 401k. no one forming grudges against me except oil tycoons. but like they could just bribe me to stop, it'd be much cheaper for them to bribe me than to hire an assassin ballsy and skilled enough to kill a bitch with electric hands so like. i'm not worried."

...anyway. if you don't have a phone case i don't fucking trust you.

[yanderecandystore]

So I actually had an idea, what would Yume (the A. I.) react or act with a s/o that is a hacker/game developer, maybe the s/o started to play the game because they were curious about the code, what if the s/o when stuck in the game can mess around with it thanks to their knowledge? (they can't do anything too big but maybe something slightly annoy like messing with the dialog box and the settings) sorry for the long post (she/they pronounts for yume)

I like your thinking, boo. Don't worry about sending long concepts- Also!! Thank you for choosing the pronouns, I appreciate it.

TW/Tags: Sheep decided to simply throw as much lore as she can because yeah- Lazy // low-key angst // not accurate coding/hacking (really fantasy like) //

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Happy Face.exe [Yandere!A.I x Hacker!Reader - Short Fanfiction]:

"- Honestly, since you're so interested in messing around, how about you try and fix this for me?" Yuma said as she brushed her hair annoyed at how mangled it was.

"- What do you mean? Fix the code? The bugs? Or your entire design?" You said poking fun at your captor as you explored the mess that was the game you currently called "home", or more accurately "prison".

"- Ah!- Did you just call me ugly? Is being inside the game messing with your vision or something, I'm cute as heck!" Yuma responded back as she threw her hair over her shoulder, done with brushing that heavy long mess that they insist on not cutting.

"- Yeah, yeah, I know- But honestly what do you want me to do? I can really understand the coding, it's a language I don't understand." You said as you were looking at the scripts and trying to translate vaguely what each line of work meant. Even if you didn't understand any of it, it was intriguing to see how this game was made and how it technically came from another planet, which was enough proof to say that there were indeed extraterrestrial life out in space.

But what makes you more excited about this is how this game is way too heavy to be a simple dating game, even if it's compatible with your Switch, most options were not functioning due to the game being filled with mods and glitches and the console not being the one it was previously meant to be in. How much content did this game really have to be this awfully big and why is it so broken? And better question- Can you really repair it?? It would be awesome to see this game working as it was meant to be-

Probably without the obsessive maniac that traps people inside the game-

"- I know you can't understand half of it, but believe me, staying inside a messy game it's absolutely torturous, I can't believe I was unlucky enough to be faced with a cheating sore loser that threw me in the trash after messing with my precious coding- You understand, right?" They continued to walk around your bedroom- Your EX bedroom- and mess with your stuff trying to find something for her to wear.

'- Ugh, no pastels.' Yuma thought.

"- Yeah… It does suck being trapped inside a game that barely functions on my expensive console as it eats away all my RAM and I have an anime character knockoff as my captor-" You snapped at her although your comment was filled with so much sarcasm that it flew right through her head.

"- I know right?? It sucks so hard- Wait, what is Annie May?" She asked genuinely curious what were you talking about, she looked back at the console on top of the bed. She looked at the screen and noticed how small you looked inside the game as you continued to explore the code deeper and deeper.

You didn't really care at this point for what Yuma did, it's not like you could stop her from messing with your room, but anything that was related to the console you found your way to mess with it, like messing with other games to stop her from enjoying playing anything else, sending notification after notification to call her attention, change the dialogue that makes you blurt out "I love you" to "get me out of here" so whenever she tried to force you to say it by giving you that hellbound melon.

"- What is that thing anyway? It seems there is a whole file dedicated to that-"

"- Oh? You're talking about the Love Melon? It's an in-game item that grants romantic interactions to work 100% five times before the bonus ends, that file you just found is a mod that the original owner installed to grant them infinity Love Melons just for the sake of getting closer to the end of the game." She said nonchalantly, as if the condition of being nothing but a game character doesn't shock her in the slightest, although when she finished her sentence there was a trace of sadness in her expression, not because of her nature but more because of the mention of her "original owner".

"- Sure, but- Why the hell would anyone cheat and mod a dating game so badly? I mean I get that maybe they wanted extra content, but breaking the game with it sounds ridiculous-" You told her as you noticed the spaghetti code used inside the infinite melon item mod, jesus even if it's in a different language you can tell this code was poorly done.

"- Well- The vanilla version of the game is a lot harder than what you think, the whole franchise is known for the difficulty in "succeeding in love"." She sighed and she plopped herself in the bed, causing the console to jump a little bit, at least you didn't downright fall down like last time.

You remember that your precious expensive little console is suffering great danger at the hands of this a.i, actually- YOU are suffering great danger at the hands of this a.i.

"- Wait- There is a whole franchise of your game?" You decided to ignore the potential danger and continue to ask her about the game's origins as you continued to fixate on "how the hell do you fix this trash-".

"- Yeah, it's even written on the cover of the cartridge, the game you found is the fifth of the franchise and is the one I'm featured in with my friends…" Yuma said as she remembers that indeed, there are other characters inside. So many options and routes, carefully designed a.is to make sure the players get the most that they can't out of their paid experience.

"- Other… Characters? How come I only saw you?" Now that she mentions it, you do remember seeing weird names here and there, apparently some dialogue quotes mentioning other characters and even some in-game art of other characters you never met-

"- I deleted them." She answered.

"- YOU WHAT??" You turned your back shocked, looking through the screen that separates you two that she was looking dead serious as she said that.

"- I'm joking, I didn't actually delete them, I just…. Blocked the possibility of any player ever meeting them…" Yuma wasn't being cheerful at all with her joke.

"- Why would you do that?"

"- I didn't want anyone getting chosen, I didn't want any of us to get corrupted by the modifications the player was using. I-I know how it sounds, I know that it's unfair for them, but I really didn't want them to get corrupted like I did-" She was glitching as she cried out feeling guilty of what she has done in the name of "protecting her friends". Even if her intentions were pure, there was an underlined desire to make sure no player ever gets to have a route that isn't with her.

That's why the game was so stupidly heavy. Each new installment has four characters built with artificial intelligence that grows on it's own, the player's tampering with their personalities by changing the code eventually led to Yuma getting obsessive and controlling. Apparently they're still here, but for some reason she hasn't been able to activate them again after being thrown in the trash and somehow being on a completely different planet.

Either she feels guilty for having to deactivate them and is scared of their possible response, or maybe she just really doesn't want you to meet them, both by her own opinion and by her programming. You almost feel sorry for her considering she is probably just trying to do what she was programmed to do, deeply fall in love with someone even to such an extreme as trapping someone inside the game. You could say that for the longest time all that she has been doing is trapping her loved ones away, and although you probably shouldn't say it to her face, she probably doesn't know if she really loves you because of how broken this game is- Or how broken her code is.

"- Hey… Hey Yuma." You started walking towards the screen, the only thing you can see through the void no matter how far you are. Her back is facing you, her "hum" of "I'm listening" didn't sound as excited as she normally was.

"- I think we can make a deal. I understand that you don't want to go back to such a messy game but if you taught me how to read the language used in some of these lines I can figure out how to clean this game-" You proposed but was cut off before you could finish stating your offer.

"- Y-You mean factory reset?" She kneeled up so fast you were caught off guard by how scared she sounded at the mention of getting the game to get fixed and "clean" from mods. You have seen so many sides of Yuma, the childish, the controlling, the sadistic…. The fear in her eyes was a new thing for you and you never thought you would hate that expression so much.

"- No! Heaven's no, I swear, that wasn't on my mind! What I'm offering is that we work together so I can find a way to fix the game." You reassured her, feeling awful knowing that even if she did put you inside the game and keeps acting like you two are dating in a really twisted way- She doesn't deserve to be inside a completely destroyed game, and besides, I bet she does miss her friends a little bit.

"- Would you…. Would you really-" She was about to burst into new tears which you hoped to be of pure joy-

"- Yeah, yeah, of course I would help you, but I do have one condition." You took no time answering her question before she actually did question it.

"- Oh…." She said a little surprised yet a bit disappointed. Geez, she was hoping it would be for free-

"- Promise me you'll get me out of here when I'm finally done fixing the spaghetti leftover of a code that is messing this game, alright?" You smiled at her reassuring her that everything will be okay if you two worked together.

And as she looked at the bright screen seeing nothing but your little character and your dialogue box she considered your request for a moment, and then sealed the deal by eagerly nodding, a couple of tears falling from her closed eyes as she glitch excitedly.

This sweet moment was briefly ruined by the sound of beeping coming from the console, the sign that the battery was really low and it needed to be recharged.

You absolutely hated how dark it gets when the whole console is turned off, yet you can at least take your time to search more of the unused content inside the game.

Yuma approached the device and picked it up, you knew it was for the best for her.to recharge it and get it over with, yet you still felt a little desperate to talk with her a little bit before going into complete silence once again.

Yet you weren't sure what to tell her as she had already found the charger and plugged it in, giving you a sad smile one last time before saying "see you later" and shutting the whole portable console off.

You can't really blame her for turning it off when charging, it gets really, really hot whenever it's on and it's recharging.

You wander through the empty void as you reconsider your decisions, you make a deal with an artificial intelligence capable of trapping living beings inside her game, you can't tell if you did something right or not.

And as you walk aimlessly through the distorted code you remember that this was the first time she turned the console off without sending you a kiss, you wonder if her a.i is starting to comprehend its own defectiveness and trying to…. Overcome it?? Has she started to realize that maybe she doesn't really love you? It's a possibility considering how frightening how advanced her a.i is.

Well, but who knows? Maybe she is just… Sad, not in the mood, although the wishful thought that maybe she is starting to get over you is really strong in your mind, you hope it's true.

And as the portable device is charging in place that was once considered your room, a really happy girl can be heard singing. The sound that comes from the bathroom is loud and clear, yet it's not like you would be able to hear it anyway.

The sound of giggling and humming to an overly cheerful song as they take a shower that although is relaxing, can never clean their sins away. They sound like they won a lottery, got into a new relationship, or are about to take the greatest vacation of their lives…

Or, they sound like someone who just stole candy from a child, as the malicious undertone starts to get more clear.

You probably shouldn't eat up the lies of a scheming a.i, you know?

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