#how did those two jailbirds miss?

[spawksstuff]

The De Completionist Checklist Part 14

1964

Note on the dates: I will mostly be going by when a show/movie was shot rather than its release date. Variety Magazine will be given first priority.

My score: 2 / 3

Need To Find: Slattery’s People - Question: Which One Has The Privilege?

Favorite Movie: Town Tamer

Favorite TV Show:  N/A

Favorite Quote (Exchange):

Conder: You go tell him [Rosser] to look at that fancy horse of his in exactly 10 minutes.

Guy (De): I’m not an errand boy.

<Very next scene>

Guy (De) to Rosser: That horse of yours, better go take a look at it.

<Which is funny enough but then>:

Rosser: What’s wrong with him?

Guy (De): How do I know I’m no horse doctor.

[dilfl0v3rss]

at last

summary: jailbird!ony is home at last

cw: public sex, driving with an expired license lmfao

word count: 2.9k

today was the day. you don’t think you’ve ever popped out of bed so fast in your life. quickly getting yourself ready so you’re not even a half a second late to your important meeting.

“i’m be out on around the twenty fifth mama”

it’s been three weeks since you heard that, and for those three weeks you’ve been planning nonstop. the first thing you did was calmly let all of your friends know that the first day he gets out is for you. feeling that you deserve it for keeping it together for so long. the second thing you made sure to do was get ony a whole new wardrobe, already knowing he won’t be able to fit his old clothes because of how big he’s gotten. but you still kept all of his old clothes just incase you wanted to wear them. the last thing you made sure to do was get him lots of gifts and to get his most important gift touched up. dedicating a whole week to getting your hair, nails, and feet done as well as a nice wax.

you made quick work of getting dressed, already having your outfit picked out days ago for the occasion. your entire house was decorated and you had everything ready for a nice dinner to be shared, feeling content with yourself as you skipped out the door.

his facility was about two hours and some change away, so you had plenty of time to think of what you will say when you are finally met with the love of your life. as you kept your speech engraved in your mind, you decided to turn some of his favorite songs on when you got close where they’re keeping him, wanting him to have all of his favorite things on his first day out. you were so nervous, but excited at the same time. it’s been so long since you were able to touch and feel this man without a guard breathing down your neck. to be able to lay with this man, and walk around the house knowing that he was near and not two hours away.

during your last visit you asked if you needed to come in to sign anything or say anything for him to be let out, but all ony told you was to be waiting in the car, so that’s exactly what you did. the car stayed running with i gotta find peace of mind by lauryn hill playing as you stood with your back leaning on the passenger door. you checked the time on your apple watch and before you knew it the doors were opening. the sight of this man caused a million emotions to run through your mind at once. you were in complete awe at how beautiful he was.

tall built frame adorning a shirt so tight you thought it might rip as well as some sweatpants that hugged his thighs a little tighter than they used to. the only thing that seemed to fit like it used to was his sneakers. you instantly rushed into his arms, forgetting whatever words you had planned as you cried into his chest. “missed you too mama” his deep voice brought vibrations to his chest as he rubbed up and down your back.

“m-m’so happy. i t-though i wasn’t gonna be able to push through, b-but i did it and now you’re coming home” your words brought a couple tears to ony’s deep brown eyes, letting them freely roll down his cheeks as he left light kissed on your head. the two of you stayed like that for what felt like forever before calming down and getting a good look at each other. ony was big, bigger than before. the clothes he wore when he came in barely fit him anymore. “you’re huge” you giggled as ony flexed his arms for you. “i know. you brought some clothes for me pretty?”

you gave him a quick kiss before leading him to the car, opening the back seat before handing him some bigger sweatpants. “i forgot the shirt” ony waved it off, instantly putting his handing on the bottom of his shirt and taking it off, letting the tight white tank top he had on be shown to the world. “s’long as i can take these tight ass sweats off. feel like m’wearing leggings or sum” the two of you laughed before getting in the car. you drove him to a nearby gas station so he could change before getting back on the road to go home.

as you drove you could feel ony’s eyes on you, moving up and down on your figure as he watched you focus on the road. you couldn’t keep a straight face, shyly smiling as you spoke. “whattt?” you whined, making him chuckle before laying his hand on your thigh. “you so beautiful ma. really missed you” his hand lightly squeezed your thigh before creeping up higher. thick tattood fingers brushing against your skirt as ony leaned over to plant kisses on your neck. you knew this was coming.

“papa m’drivingggg. you want me t’crash?” you whined before lifting your shoulder to remove his access to your sensitive neck. “y’look so sexy when you drive tho. lemme just-” he slowly moved his hands between your thighs, surprised to feel his fingers immediately meet the flesh of your pussy. you smiled to yourself as ony released a quiet gasp at the realization. “no panties? you driving me crazy” his dick jumped in excitement at the sight of you as well as the feeling of your warm heat, making ony anxiously glance at the time. he prayed you were at least an hour out, but you’ve only been driving for fourth-five minutes and he knew he wasn’t going to last. “pull over ma”

“what? why? you alri-”

“yea i’m good i just need you t’pull over real fast.”

you listened to his request, slowly merging to the right until you’ve reached the side of the road. there weren’t many cars out today so it didn’t take much effort. as soon as the car slowed to a stop, ony got out. taking two steps before reaching the back seat door. “come here pretty girl” you opened your mouth to complain, but it was caught in your throat at you caught sight of the big bulge in this man’s sweatpants. you made your way to the back before ony quickly sat you on his lap. “pa i don’t have tints”

“ion care. need you t’ride this dick ‘fore i cum in my fuckin pants” he pulled your ass up, having your upper body leaning over his shoulder as he quickly dug two of his thick fingers into you. you instantly melted at the contact, the sensation feeling foreign to your body since it’s been so long. you couldn’t even speak at the moment, settling for deep breaths and the prettiest moans as ony quickly fingered you.

“y’so fuckin tight mama. my pussy been missin me huh?” his deep voice rang in your ears as you nodded your head to his question. ony wasn’t satisfied with that though, quickly snatching his fingers from your entrance to leave a hard slap on your ass before thrusting them back into you. “talk t’me baby. wanna hear that pretty voice” he dug into you as fast as ever, making you have to stutter each of your words out as you tried to give the proper response. “m-missed y-you so-soo much d-daddy”

ony smiled at your response, quickening his pace as he let you move your hips and fuck yourself onto his fingers. “that’s what daddy like t’hear. want y’to make a pretty mess on my fingers. can y’do that for me princess?” the word “yes” was on the tip of your tongue, but never fell as you felt ony snatch your release out of you, loud gasps and moans flew from your lips as you leaked all over him. your warm fluids trickling down his arm before soaking onto his grey sweatpants, but ony payed it no mind. he slowly moved his fingers from you before guiding your body down on his dick.

“i’ll be gentle” he reassured you before slowly sliding you down onto him. inch by inch you whimpered as you felt the stinging stretch of his dick. “i know mama, i know. daddy sorry. shouldn’t have left you like this f’so long.” he wiped your tears from your cheeks, giving you light pecks on the lips as he let you adjust to his size. “m’here now. wont do it again ‘kay?” ony didn’t look for a reply from you, slowly lifting your hips before fucking you onto his dick. your eyes rolled to the back of your head as you let out a silent scream. it’s been so long since you’ve had his body against yours, his big hands roaming your body as well as his thick dick rubbing against your walls.

tears start fall again as you happily bounced up and down on him, diamond chain dangling from your neck as his initial at the bottom sparkled in the sun. “fuckkk ma” he groaned before shooting ropes of cum deep into you. it’s clearly been so long for him as well. the feeling of your tight walls so foreign to him that he couldn’t help but fill you up quickly, but that didn’t stop him. ony’s dick stayed hard as he picked up to the pace you just held, eventually bouncing you down on him harder as the two of your releases mixed inside of you. “i got a lot more t’give you mama. try to keep up”

you had picked ony up at around eleven, but didn’t get home until five. after the two of you finished showing how much you missed each other, your legs were too weak to drive. you tried to tell ony no since his license was expired, but he ignored you. “you gon kill us if you try to drive wit them jelly legs ma” he chuckled before taking the wheel. he didn’t last another twenty minutes before his fingers were deep in your pussy again, quickly fucking you as he drove. as soon as you were finished you saw his dick, hard as can be in his sweats. “can’t leave you like that” you’d said before quickly getting to work. sucking him so good that he had no choice but to slow down and eventually stop to take you to the back and give you the best head of your life as a reward.

ony carried you from the car to the house, chuckling and giving you many kisses all over your face. you quickly wiggled from his arms and stood in front of the door. “you ready?” you said excitedlyyy. ony gave you two thumbs up, taking a deep breath before nodding his head. you unlocked the door and walked him inside. the house was the same, but different. many pictures of you replaced with pictures of him as he looked at the frames adorning the living room walls. the kitchen looked exactly how he left it as well as the dining room. as ony looked around you quietly went to the bedroom to bring out his gifts and putting them on the couch as you waited for him to finish his inspection. “how you feel?” you asked, smiling from ear to ear on the couch.

ony’s eyes were filled with disbelief. this was something he dreamed of doing while locked in his cell for all those years. walking freely around his home, only footsteps away from you instead of miles. ony turned towards you, eyeing the gifts before making his was to the couch. “real good. what’s all this?” he lightly ran his hands on one of the boxes while giving you a confused look. “s’for you.” his brown eyes looked into yours, shaking his head as he caressed your chin. “you always so good t’me ma” your stomach did flips as he slowly moved his hand from your chin to around your neck, lifting you from the couch before giving you a sloppy kiss on the lips. this was the first time the two of you have gotten to really enjoy each others lips. tongues gliding over each other as spit kept the two of you connected.

ony’s free hand smoothed down your back, stopping at you ass to give it a tight squeeze. before you knew it, he had you turned around and bent over the front of the couch, giving him a perfect view of your beautiful body as well as the lovely home he’s been missing. “missed this” he mumbled as he freed his dick from the confines of his sweats. lining up with your tight entrances before thrusting in fully. as his hips met your ass, a loud cry left your lips. your body jerking forwards from his hard thrusts as ony pounded your pussy with vigor. “m’so proud of you mama. you held this shit down real well”

ony looked all over his house, taking in the very missed scenery. an idea popped into his head, making a devilish smirk appear on his face as he pulled out of you. “daddy m’not finisheddd” you whined, earning you a hard slap on your ass before ony turned you around. “stop whining baby. ima give you what you want.” with that he lifted you in his arms, kissing you as you wrapped your arms around his neck. “gon fuck you everywhere in here”

before you could reply you were interrupted by the feeling of his dick being pushed up your walls. ony bounced you onto him in the air, walking around the house until he reached the dining room table. he laid you down on your back before wrapping his inked hand around your neck. “need you to cum in every room. can you do that f’me mama?” his dick caressed your walls perfectly as he roughly fucked you on the table, each stroke kissing all the right places. your moans bounced off the walls as you repeatedly cried out in ecstasy. you’ve spent many nights dreaming about what the two of you would be doing when he finally came home, but no dream could ever amount to this.

“throw that shit back mama. make daddy cum” ony groaned as you repeatedly fucked yourself onto his dick. the two of you were now on the kitchen floor, having fucked each other silly in every other room in the house except the bedroom. your pussy was sensitive to the touch and ony was two orgasms away from shooting blanks, but neither of you cared. continuing to love on each other as if y’all haven’t been fucking for hours. “missed you. so. fuckin. much mama shittt” his inked hand landed roughly on your ass repeatedly as he watched your ass move on his dick. pretty brown flesh ricocheting off his abdomen as you took all of his inches. “missed you oh my goddd i missed you so much too daddy. don’t want you t’leave me ever again” you said as another orgasm ripped through you. you cried out as you shook on the floor, your release spilling onto the tile as ony picked up where you left off. “ian ever gon leave you again mama, trust.”

when you got to the bedroom that’s when things started to wind down. ony fed you slow deep strokes as he looked lovingly into your eyes. “i love you so much…..so fuckin much” he moaned as he wiped your tear stained cheeks. you didn’t know what to do with yourself anymore, just laying there and letting him take control as you cried happy tears. all those nights where you’d scream and cry were finally over as you leaned up to kiss his wet lips. “i love you more papa. cant believe you’re really here” you mumbled through kisses as you felt ony’s dick reach deeper into you. “oh my god onyyyy!” you moaned, back arching off the bed as you felt your release on the tip of your tongue. “go head baby, m’right there wit you” ony stroked you deeper and before you knew it, the both of your releases mixed together before slowly tricking out of you from the sides. the two of you stayed like that, taking each other in as you caught your breath.

“ima run us a bath aight?” ony mumbled before slowly pulling out if you and making his way to the bathroom. the two of you bathed together, washing away the sweat and fluids from your night before getting out and putting on some comfy pajamas.

“how you know what size i am?” ony chuckled as he looked down at the pajama pants he had on. he expected to be met with small clothes when he got home, but you made sure to get him right. “when i went to visit i noticed how big you got. just went two sizes up” he nodded along to what you were saying before tying his durag up and crawling into bed. you crawled in next to him, cuddling up to his side before throwing your leg over his. “still can’t believe this is real. like you’re really in this bed with me. it’s been so long baby.” ony could hear the sadness in your voice, looking down at you before tilting your chin up towards him. he gave you a loving kiss, taking your hand and laying it on his chest where his heart was beating. “feel that?” he asked.

“mhmm”

“good, ‘cause it’s real. i’m where i was supposed to be all those years, wit you”

ony stared down into your watery eyes. brown orbs mirroring yours as his began to well up too.

“i’m home”

[piebingo]

Some more young royals fanfic recommendations for you to enjoy

What lies within | chaptered | completed | by museraphoria

Wilhelm is barely fifteen when he becomes the sole survivor of a tragedy that takes the lives of his entire family. Lost between guilt and grief, Wilhelm finds himself wielding powers he never asked for, and forced to give up his only chance at a normal life.

As he attempts to pick up the pieces of his former self, his best friend Simon remains by his side, more than willing to embark on this journey with him. While Wilhelm trains to wage war on crime and injustice, his feelings for Simon start to change, and he soon must choose between living a lie or risking to lose the person who matters the most to him.

or, the Wilmon!Superhero AU everyone deserved

I don’t think I had ever read a superhero AU before so this was fun! I loved the way the characters were written and it’s one I definitely need to reread.

Oh love, tell me we’re not tragic | chaptered | completed | by starrystoryteller

"You got to be fucking kidding me," He sighs, his mom sending him a pointed look at his choice of words. He tries to twist his features into an apologetic expression but it's a lost cause as his eyes stay glued to the image on the television. He narrows his sight in on the youngest of the princes, eyes catching on the badly covered scar just under his eye. The Crown's attempt at covering up his mistake is futile.

an enemies to fwb to lovers wilmon fic

This is like the definition of idiots in love, where you just want to smash them together and make them see sense. I loved it.

You’re the cutest Jailbird I ever did see | oneshot | completed | by pagegirlintraining and TheAmberFox / @pagegirlintraining @the-amber-fox

If you asked Simon and Wille, neither of them could tell you exactly how they ended up inside a cell at the Bjärstad police department for getting in a fight with August and his friends. The thing is, neither of them is mad that they ended up there together. Will our two favourite idiots figure out by themselves why they are ready to smack people for each other or will it take some princely meddling?

They are the absolute cutest in that fic, and there’s one thing I enjoyed very much. Anything by those two authors (both separately and as a duo) is amazing and this is no exception.

You are unbreaking | chaptered | completed | by unfortunate17 / @unfortunate17

The dagger at Simon’s hip weighs more than it had when he’d first strapped it to himself this morning.

Wille gentles an arm around his shoulders, pointing out exotic birds and plants, explaining their respective habitats, their food habits. The vulnerable skin of his throat is unguarded, the tender flesh near his heart covered only by thin, white cotton. It would be quick, Simon promises himself, painless even. Wilhelm need not unnecessarily suffer.

“– back inside?”

Simon blinks up at him.

Wille’s shading his eyes, brows knitted together in faint concern as he looks down at him.

Simon feels himself flush. “Sorry, I missed what you said.”

Or, Wille is the second born son of Queen Kristina. Simon is the fool who marries him with the goal of assassinating him and bringing an end to the tyrannical monarchy. It doesn't go according to plan.

I was on the edge of my seat with this one. I love this kind of more medieval setting and the premise of that one?? Simon being there to assassinate Wille? Sign me UP. You won’t be disappointed.

I love the way you lie | chaptered | completed | by itsme_hi_imtheproblem / @iwouldnevergetintofanfic

Prince Wilhelm can't seem to catch a break. When he is pulled into yet another scandal through no fault of his own, he is desperate enough to try one last thing to salvage his image: A publicly staged fake relationship.

Simon Eriksson is a struggling young artist, trying to make a name for himself and tired of the obstacles he faces on his way into the music industry. He'll take any publicity at this point.

A pact is made. Strictly business.

What could possibly go wrong?

When done right (for my taste ofc, there’s no real right or wrong way in creativity and art!!), I love a good fake relationship. And this one is done super right imo. Erik is alive, and wilmon is full of feelings and I was too when reading.

You don’t have to hurt anymore | chaptered | completed | by wilmonxoxo

Running from his mother and her unattainable expectations, Wilhelm finds solace at his brother’s house in Bjärstad. It was there he found a sense of belonging, a sense of hope, that, maybe one day, he too could be brave like Erik and leave his tumultuous household.

It only took one night for the boy next door to catch his eye. The boy who lived in the house where screaming and fighting seemed to be a constant, who shooed away help like his life depended on it but seemed to crave it so deeply in his soft brown eyes.

“I just wanna be friends with you. Everyone needs a friend.”

"Bullshit.”

Because since the first night they met, Simon saw the way Wilhelm looked at him. It was the way this whole fucking town looked at him but worse. Like he was broken, weak, someone who needed to be saved by the cute, privileged boy next door even though he’d been protecting his family for as long as he could remember - even the one who was destroying them.

"Why do you say that?”

“Because I see the way you look at me, Wille."

Because I think I might look at you the same way and I don’t just wanna be friends with you, either.

This one was very interesting to read and pretty angsty (at least to me, I don’t read much heavy angst). I loved how important of a role Erik had too. Very interesting dynamics.

Other recs: part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6

[setzappersto-pew]

Holy Puns, Batman!

We all know and love the plentiful puns in Holy Musical B@man!, so I took the liberty of writing down all the puns or play on words. Was it a waste of time? Perhaps...but here it is nonetheless. The vast majority of puns were said by the villains, specifically Sweet Tooth, played by the wonderful Jeff Blim in his electric debut StarKid performance! 

First up is all the candy puns, as those are the most fun! Unless otherwise noted, all puns were said by Sweet Tooth. Of the 46 listed, there are 36 that had a corresponding candy pulled; I have put those candies in bold. 

"Well well well. Looks like you guys are up to your old Twix!"

"The Joker was a sucker!"

"It's been quite the Spree, hasn't it?"

"More like the peanut gallery"

"Kidnap the mayor and ransom him off for 100 Grand?"

"How many licks does it take to kill you?" [reference to Tootsie Pop, with which Sweet Tooth kills Chilly Willy]

"Now quit your Snickering...” 

“...you Airheads."

"We've got a bat in our belfry, and if we ever want it to be Pay Day..."

"See, divided we rogues are just Runts...” 

“...but together we pack a Sour Punch.”

"Sorry Batman, but I'm no Gusher." - Penguin

"Godiva good plan."

"Haven't you and Batman enjoyed my latest batch of M&Ms? Murder and Mayhem, there they are."

"Aren't you a Smartie?"

"You're the one who's nutty if you think I'm going to the nut house, my Almond Joy Wonder."

"Bout time we candy coated this Robin's breast red!" - Joe

"We're gonna tear out your Jelly Belly!" - Gob

"You're not going anywhere, Miss Dawes. Gob, stop her [Gobstopper]."

“I'm the only jawbreaker around here." - Robin

"Hand me my Bazooka, Joe." [Bazooka Joe brand gum]

"And I thought I was a gumshoe!" - Robin [gumshoe is another word for detective]

"Your sugar high is over, Sweet Tooth. And you're right about to crash; into Arkham Asylum, that is. Get ready to trade your Peppermint Patty for a padded cell." - Robin

"Doesn't Candy here look good enough to eat? She's my little Sugar Baby!"

"Yeah, and he's my SweeTart!" - Candy

[Miss, did he hurt you?] "No. It felt like a Kiss." - Candy

"What do you say, S.T.? Should we kill him Now or Later?" - Candy

"I have plans for this little Chiclet."

"Take 5, boys!"

"Candy, be a Dove and tell my troops to advance on Gotham Square."

"It's gonna be a Hot Tamale in the old town tonight!"

"The Boy Wonder Ball!"

"Poor Robin. He risks his life trying to be Gotham's Lifesaver..."

"I've devised a little, a little Whatchamacallit, a death trap!"

"Feast your eyes on this: my nuclear Warhead!" [this isn’t a candy pull, but it is still visualized with a prop]

"It's going to be quite the Fun Dip!"

"Skittle me this: will Gotham forsake its heroes, or will its heroes forsake Gotham?"

"So unless Batman betrays you all and shows up at Gotham Square to save his little Nerd..."

"That's the sound of chaos Good & Plenty."

"What are these little Dots?"

"Do it, you Dum Dums!"

"Oops! Butterfingers!"

"Now he's Red Hot!"

"I'm gonna Crunch you in two." - Batman

"Oh come on, Batman. Gimme a break!" [Kit Kat]

"I've got one last treat for you Batman, and it's a real Whopper!"

I’m going to list the rest of the puns by who said them or at whose expense they were said, i.e. what the theme of the pun is.

Catwoman

"Enough pussyfooting, Penguin, and let's get the meeting started meow, shall we? “

“We better catnip this thing in the bud before that mouse with wings sends us all to the pound"

"I hate to let the cat out of the bag, but your two theme is a cat-astrophe!"

"What a positively purr-fect plan!"

"Oh hiss and vinegar, what are we supposed to do meow?"

Mr. Freeze

"Well, isn't this a cool crowd. It is so ice to see you all again."

"Because of Batman, my operations have been put on ice. My assets are frozen."

"Snow way!”

Poison Ivy

"I've been uprooted."

“Leave.”

Scarecrow

"He's giving me an awful fright!"

Penguin

General bird/penguin words like “chick”, “tweets”, “flipper”, “ruffle my feathers”, etc.

"You're a lame duck, and you know it!"

"I'm cock of the walk around here!"

“Fly the coop!"

"Let's get this jailbird back to the cuckoo's nest!" - Robin

Two Face

Every sentence that man says has “two”, “second”, “double”, etc., but they’re not really puns...he’s just staying on brand. So am I going to write down his entire monologue? Nah.

"Two Face, you deuce-bag!" - Poison Ivy

"Get your broke ass out of here, Two Face." - Mr. Freeze

Egghead

"Alright, you turkeys...yeah, egg-cellent!"

"Hey, what the deviled was that?"

"Scramble!"

"We heard you were hatching a scheme, Egghead" "But we've cracked the case!" "It's over" "Yeah, over-easy" - Batman and Robin

Calendar Man

"Now it's time to March to your death!"

"Looks like today's not your lucky day.” 

“Boxing Day is comin’ early!”

“I'm gonna punch you weaklings into next month.”

“Come at me, you April Fool!"

"Calendar Man, Your days are numbered!" - Batman

Honorable Mention

Sluggers and Matches, the gangsters played by Nico Ager and Jim Povolo, say this:

"We got lots more racketeerin' to do, yeah yeah yeah!" 

"Then it's a good thing I brought...my racket."

[dazzledamazon]

Misunderstood 7/?

She went to answer the door, checking the peephole first. Fuck. What were they doing here? Why? Why now? Rick was still in the shower. Maybe If she were fast enough, she could get them out of there before he got out. She never realized that every ounce of progress she’d made those few days, was becoming undone. Her ex boyfriend and new wife were on the other side of the door.

Taking a deep breath,”Hi! What are y’all doing here?,” she asked, with a smile through gritted teeth.

“We were passing through town on our way to see Laura’s grandparents. Figured since you couldn’t see us, we’d try to see you,” her ex said, as Laura, just walked in the apartment.

“Interesting decor. Early disaster?,” Laura snidely commented. “Bachelorette days make you lazy? Or did some of those criminals follow you back from your job?”

All of it was out of ear shot of her husband. But as soon as Laura spotted a photo of her with Harley,Boomer, Diablo and Weasel she called her husband over.

“I told you that reason she couldn’t come to wedding was because her boyfriend was a jailbird. Look it’s gotta be this guy,” Laura yelled happily, pointing at Diablo. “And this has got to be a pet right? Stray dog?,” pointing at Weasel.

“Look at this chick. One guess as to what she’s in for. Wonder what she charged?,” her ex mused. “And this oaf. He just oozes idiot.”

Rick, was just getting out of the shower, and heard voices. Harley had thrown a wedding invitation towards him earlier and said this was part of a big problem. He looked at it. Saw it was addressed to her. Filed the info away. Heard the name Laura and put on a pair of sweatpants. He decided to stay in the bedroom unless he felt he shouldn’t. Rick left the moment he heard the comments start about the photo. Knowing that things were going to get real ugly quickly. No one ever talked about them disrespectfully near her. Last time she knocked out two guards for just saying that Boomerang was dumber than his boomerangs. They were scared of her. She defended Rick as well. Those guards saluted him now. No one would tell him what went down either. Had to save her from getting arrested. He did the first thing he could think of.

“Missed me babe?,” he asked, turning her around and kissing her.

She was in shock. But quickly returned it. The kiss didn’t last long, mainly because they were interrupted by a clearing throat. They broke apart, but Rick refused to let her go, pulling her back against his bare chest.

“Who’s this? Fly by night? I’m Laura,” she purred, eyeing Rick’s shirtless chest and the rest of him.

“And I’m her husband. And her ex boyfriend,” her ex, cheerfully said, as Rick shook his outstretched hand.

“I’m her boyfriend Rick. You two just got married right? Why aren’t you on your honeymoon?”

“Just stopped in to say hi. To find out why she’s been avoiding coming home. Now I see why,” Laura said, running her tongue over teeth, trying not to drool.

Rick pulled her closer to his chest. He could tell she was about to kill the woman. Laura was making him very nervous. She kept staring at him like he was a soon to be conquest.

“Do you approve of her working around criminals and psychopaths?,”Laura snidely questioned. “I mean she’s probably screwing this one,” Laura said to Rick, pointing to Diablo.

Rick had to hold her back again, tightly wrapping one arm around her waist. The other grabbed one of her hands, kissing the top of it, “Remember murder is illegal. But I’d never disagree with it in this case,” he whispered in her ear.

She snatched the photo back from Laura angrily.,“That is my brother Diablo. And my FRIEND Weasel. And if I EVER HEAR YOU CALL HARLEY A HOOKER AGAIN IT WILL BE THE LAST THING YOU EVER DO! I’ll let Boomer take care of you,”she growled at them. “You aren’t good enough to clean up their shit,” she growled, trying to get out of Rick’s grip.

Rick kissed the top of her head proudly. He wished he could’ve recorded this for the gang. They’d have loved seeing their Miss Sweetness getting like this. Especially for them. No one ever did. He gripped her tighter to him, but really just wanted to let her go to beat this bitch. But knew he’d be bailing her out of jail. There was a lot of bad backstory.

“Are you going to let her talk to me like that?,” Laura asked Rick.

“Yes. I agree with her. This is one of the many things that made me fall in love with her. How much she loves her real friends,” Rick said,turning her face up to look into her eyes. “And how she treats them like human beings. Unlike you who doesn’t deserve that distinction,” he said turning a cold gaze towards Laura.

Her eyes widened in shock at Rick’s words. As did Laura’s. Her husband hid a chuckle and turned away to look at photos on the wall. Rick never spoke that way to anyone. Rick was the nicest guy. Unless you crossed him.

“Get the fuck out of my house. Don’t contact me in any kind of way. If you do… well… I do have a question for you. Have you heard of Harley Quinn? The one that was with The Joker in Gotham?,” she asked.

“Duh. Who hasn’t?”

The smile on her face was sicky sweet, “Bitch, contact me again and see this beautiful lady in this photo you called a hooker?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s Harley Quinn. A personal friend of mine. You don’t want a visit. Trust me.”

She cackled,” You don’t have the guts.”

Rick laughed,”Yes she does. Those two are tight. Harley is a bad influence.”

“You’re a former inmate. I knew it,” Laura said triumphantly.

“This one is a piece of work babe,”he said to her,” Im a Colonel. Special Forces.”

Her eyes stared daggers through Laura. The other woman, finally realized that the years of torturing her were over. She’d have to find another victim. Laura glared as she turned and stormed out of the door. Her ex stopped and looked at them.

“I’m sorry for all of this tonight. I never wanted this. You’ll always be my best buddy. If you ever need or want anything just call. Or just say hi. Um.. if possible maybe later could I borrow Harley? Laura scares me,” he said.

“When you come back I’ll see if I’ve thought of something. Be safe huh?”

“I’m glad you found someone who loves you like Rick does. You deserve the world. Love you buddy,” he said running out of the apartment.

“Love you too,” she called after him. “My friend.”

Rick’s arms tightened around her. She turned and snuggled into his chest.

“It’s never boring around you, that’s for sure,” he teased.

She started laughing as he led her to the sofa.

#Rick Flag x reader. #Rick Flag

[starrynite7114]

things you never knew: five

A/N: I’ve had this ready for a few days, no idea why I waited, but it’s here now! Enjoy this update! Hope you all are enjoying this story as much as I am!

TYNK: Characters one : two : three : four

Word count: 5856

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tagged list: @justahopelessssromantic : @ifoundmyhappythought : @carlaangel86 : @marvelmaree : @woahitslucyylu : @encounterthepast : @enamoured-x : @whyisgmora : @briana-mishell24 : @bribri-82 : @briannab1234 : @chibsytelford : @agirllovespasta : @twistnet : @everyhowlmarksthedead : @trulysuccubus : @jadert15 : @sammskellington : @cind-in-real-life : @mheart27 : @claytoncardenasbabymama : @sadeyesgf : @thickemadame : @summertimesadnesswithadashofsass : @gemini0410 : @robbosugdens : @elcococruz : @samcrobae : @sesamepancakes : @iambabyharry : @blackmissfrizzle : @nich0lasmatthews : @angelreyesgirl​ : @soamayansimaginez​ : @vicmackeybullshxt​ : @sheeshgivemeabreak​ : @1-800-imagines​

Thank you again @carlaangel86​ for making this for me! <3

Ailee groaned as Arthur tended to her wounds, laying on her side as he applied cream on the scars that she sustained with the whip that Theo used on her. It was a torture tactic in case she was captured by the enemy. He whipped her twenty five times every other week to build her tolerance. They didn’t hurt less, she just reacted less. The tears have stopped as crying upset Theo greatly. 

And she was exhausted.

Tears weren’t doing anything for her.

The only time she cried was when she would dream of Angel, praying and hoping for this hell to end.

“You’re progressing well.” She heard Arthur compliment her as he applied the cream on her back. “I don’t know how to help you Ailee.”

Arthur was a Maquina agent that Jin installed in Theo’s company. He made his way up after saving Theo’s life in a failed assassination attempt. He made his way up the ladder rather quickly and was now his right hand man. At times, Ailee was skeptical to trust him as he’s been undercover for nearly three years. Theo was charismatic and took care of the people he cared for, but he was also harsh. Though from their interactions, Theo always seemed to listen to Arthur’s advice. 

“You can’t.” Ailee felt the tear fall, running over the bridge of her nose. “I don’t know how much more I can take.”

“Don’t do this for Angel, he’s not worth it.” Arthur knew what Theo held over his sister’s head and it was despicable. He reported to Jin that Theo was threatening Angel’s life, but it seemed that he didn’t care much for Ailee’s boyfriend. 

‘The loss of his life would propel her to come work for Maquina.’

The way Jin and Theo played with Ailee’s life, not caring how much they hurt her, it was despicable. Family was an excuse both used to explain their actions, that they cared for Ailee, they loved her. But this wasn’t what family was about. At least by his definition. Manipulating Ailee to fight for their cause, it was despicable. 

“To me he is, Angel has been the only constant in my life that has never required anything from me besides being myself.” She gripped the sheet as Arthur stitched up her new laceration she sustained. 

“Angel wouldn’t want you to suffer like this.”

“No, but if I lose him, I would lose my grip with reality. He’s the only person holding me down.” 

“At least let me tell your brothers where you are so they can come see you.”

“No,” she choked out. “That would upset Theo and it might blow your cover.” She never felt so helpless before. The only way she could escape was to become what Theo wanted her to be. Theo wanted her to be perfect. To kill with no qualms, to be able to surpass John.

She knew that eventually he would ask her to kill John for what occurred with his father.

‘They would never be able to kill you. You’re the one thing that John and Vince will never kill. You have to become better than them.’

Maquina provides the base model for Theo. She knew how to hold a gun, to fight, to escape tricky situations and to adapt to her surroundings.

Now, Theo was perfecting the skills she learned at Maquina. To be able to kill with whatever surrounded her or her bare hands. To be able to roam in the dark with no guidance. To not fear death or anything she used to fear.

The one fear he couldn’t get rid of was losing Angel and he used that to his advantage. 

So many times Ailee thought that ending her life would make this nightmare end, but all she could think of was Angel, what would happen to him if she did end her life? Felipe and EZ couldn’t lose another person. That would be too much life lost for a lifetime. 

She had to hold on.

She had to withstand it.

For Angel she would.

===============

Ailee sat on her bed, Melody sitting in front of her. She was brushing her daughter’s hair, Alexander sitting at the head of the bed. 

“She has Angel’s eyes.” Ailee loved looking at Melody’s eyes, because it reminded her of Angel’s. Whenever she missed him most all those years ago, she would hold Melody in her arms, look into her eyes and feel at home again.

“Has he reached out to you?” Alexander questioned, watching how Ailee softly brushed Melody’s hair, making sure that she didn’t get the brush caught on her implant.

Melody has a cochlear implant that she had placed at four years old. She was born with congenital deafness due to a chemical that was induced during the pregnancy, Ailee’s pregnancy. Melody was a twin, but due to a drug that induced abortion, her twin died. Melody survived. 

Ailee was pregnant when she was arrested. She had found out that day and was going to tell Angel, she was four months along. Theo found out she was pregnant and due to his disapproval of Angel, gave her water that was laced with the drug. It was successfully worked on one of the babies, but Melody hung on and due to this, she developed the condition.

Thankfully, Melody was able to get the cochlear implant so she can hear. Her speech needed help, but Ailee had the best working on her.

A secret she kept from Angel all these years knowing that if her brother found out that Ailee had given birth to Angel’s child, it would place a target on her back. So she decided to pretend that it was a child she adopted in Europe, letting her stay with a family friend while Ailee racked up the bodies all around Europe. If she made herself look invincible, into the monster Theo wanted her to be, he wouldn’t fuck with her or Melody.

So she made the elaborate lie that she was adopted, when in reality, Melody was her and Angel’s child. Her brothers helped her cover her secret along with Jin. She didn’t mean to withhold Melody from Angel and she didn’t. Melody knew who her father was, she never hid that. 

“No, he won’t. Why should he?” Ailee hoped Angel didn’t reach out to her, there was no reason to do so.

“You know why you agreed to this, you wanted Angel to meet Melody. You didn’t agree to this at the farce of your half-brother possibly being here.” Alexander knew the truth. This was Ailee’s way to go home, so she fed the intel that Theo may be at the border communicating through the rebel group. It was a farce, a dangerous one at that, but once Melody met Angel, her conscience would be cleared and they could leave again.

This was the best way for Melody to be protected, by having Maquina around. As much as she despised the organization, she saw the benefits that it provided. By saying that Theo could possibly be around, Maquina would provide their agents and resources to assure that Theo doesn’t make any headway in America. It was a terrible farce but this was the way Melody could meet Angel. 

“I know, I just, he’s going to hate me.” And maybe she was frightened she would be rejected. From her understanding he had something going on with the rebel leader. The last thing she wanted was to disrupt Angel’s life. He was better without her, without her troubles and fallacies. 

“Angel could never hate you. He’ll be angry, but he won't hate you. He knows you did this for your daughter and not to spite him.” Alexander reasoned. “Or at least I would hope he didn’t.”

“This was a bad idea. I should have never come back.” Ailee places the brush down, Melody turning her implant back on. 

“Mommy, when do I get to see daddy?” Melody signed to Ailee.

“Soon baby,” she tucked her daughters hair back. “Mommy just needs a little more time.”

“Okay.” Melody said, nodding her head and getting off the bed. “Uncle Alexander, can we play?”

“Anything for you princess.” He stood up, almost following Melody out of the room before turning back. “You can’t keep him waiting Lee, Santo Padre is a small town. It’s not like you can deny her resemblance to him when he sees her.”

Ailee knew that, but she needed time. 

She wasn’t ready.

Well, when would she ever?

===============

“This is insane Ailee, there are no leads connecting Theo to anyone here.” Janine rolled her eyes. “Well, we all know why that is.” She smirked at Ailee who flicked her off.

“The customer is awaiting their latte.” Ailee reminded her.

“I don’t do scut work.” Janine scoffed, a playful smirk gracing her lips as well. “Carl, latte,” she ordered, snapping her fingers at her protege. 

Carl quickly came and made the latte for the customer, busying himself with other tasks while waiting for the next customers.

“Wow, it’s like you have him on a leash.” Oscar chuckled, shaking his head. He was glad this was implemented after his time.

“He just knows better than to argue with me.” Janine grinned. “So have you reunited with your boy toy?” 

Ailee rolled her eyes. “That’s not what I’m here for.”

“Of course not.” Andrew sat across from Janine, placing a coffee in front of her. “For you Bonita.”

“Bite me.”

“Where?” Andrew wiggled his eyebrows.

“It’s too early for you two to behave this way.” Oscar rolled his eyes, shaking his head. 

“You’re just jealous because I’m taking your boyfriend.” Janine flipped him off.

“I’m good, I got Olivia.” Oscar blew her a kiss.

Janine chuckled. “You going to fight her jailbird?”

Ailee laughed, shaking her head at her team. Oscar was the first to join her group of misfits, meeting during training. Janine was the second to join, being assigned to the team by John. Olivia joined next, Ailee wanted her best friend to take care of all of her IT needs. Andrew was the last to join. Ailee met him during one of her visits in a Maquina training facility in Germany. He caught her eye and she immediately made him a part of her team. 

Young. Hungry. Talented.

That's what she looked for.

“I can take on baby Reyes.” Oscar scoffed. “Prison can’t teach you my skills.”

“They don’t teach dick sucking in prison?” Janine caused a roar of laughter to break out between the team members. 

Ailee was thankful that she had Oscar, Olivia, Janine and Andrew. They made this life so much more bearable. 

The bell above the door rang, indicating a customer came in. They heard Carl and Iya greet the customer, but they didn’t hear a reply. Ailee looked over and cussed under her breath. 

“We need to talk.” Angel’s eyes were trained on her, it was like he had tunnel vision.

Ailee saw Andrew and Oscar made a move to get up, but she stopped them.

“It’s fine, sit.” She looked at Angel. “Can it wait?”

“No, you don’t look busy to me. Besides, I think you owe me an explanation.”

“About what?

Angel cackled. He threw the folder that John and Vince gave him last night to the floor.

“Where’s my daughter?”

Janine, Oscar and Andrew all saw how Ailee’s face changed and immediately dispersed. Angel waited for Ailee to make a move. He could stand here all day. She was lucky he didn’t wake her up in the middle of the night.

“Follow me.” Ailee made her way towards her office, Angel following suit. As soon as they were both inside, Ailee closed the door. “Who told you?”

“You’re not even going to try and deny it?”

“For? You already know.” Ailee walked behind her desk, sitting down on the chair. “Who. Told. You.”

“Does it fucking matter? Cause you should have fucking told me.” Angel spat out. “You weren’t even in fucking jail Ailee, you were free, raising our fucking child without me!” 

Ailee knew it was awful of her to keep Melody away, but she couldn’t bring her to Santo Padre. She feared for Melody and Angel’s life. Maybe her decision was questionable but she did what she had to do as a mother. 

“I don’t expect you to understand my decision, but just know I made the best decision for her.”

“Why? Cause I’m that much of a fuck up? You didn’t even give me a fucking chance to fuck up!”

“No, Angel,” she immediately felt her heart clenched. She always believed Angel would be an amazing father. It was never about him. “You would be an amazing father, I just,” Ailee sighed. For once, Angel saw his Ailee, not this cold person that he’s been seeing around town. “Theo already killed one of them, I couldn’t risk bringing Melody here. He would know she was your kid and kill her.”

Hearing the confirmation from Ailee hit differently. Sure she wasn’t in jail. Sure she didn’t suffer as he thought she did, but she suffered in a different way that he still couldn’t fathom. He thought his family was a work of art but Ailee’s family took the cake. His girl lost one of their kids and she had to suffer through it alone. She raised their kid on her own. But she could have come to him, he would have protected her and their daughter.

“You should have come home to me Ailee. I could have protected you and our daughter. I would do anything for you Lee.” Angel felt the tears building in his eyes. Years of shame, disappointment, regret, frustration, sadness and anger were resurfacing for both himself and Ailee. They looked at one another, studying one another. Ailee was the light of Angel’s life, the person who made him feel that he was worthy. That no matter the life she could have elsewhere, she always chose him. And he would never fault her for that. If she wanted to stay with him, he would selfishly accept her. 

Angel was the light of Ailee’s life. 

During her time of darkness, as cliche as it sounded, he was her angel, the reason she kept fighting. When she was a child, he would sneak out with her, teach her how to play baseball or any other sport she wanted to learn. He would take her to watch the shining stars in the dark desert with no lights taking away their shine. When she suffered under Theo, he pushed her to live, to not kill herself because once she was able to escape, she would be back in his warm embrace. It kept her breathing. She felt like an idiot relying so much of her sanity on Angel, but she was the one person who didn’t like her due to her ability or what she could bring to the table, he loved her because she was Ailee. 

He was the love of her life. 

She was the love of his life.

Yet obstacles always came in between them.

But Ailee was content.

As long as Angel was alive she could live without having him, without being around him. She could live knowing that he was safe, at least from her demons.

Olivia opened the car door, letting Melody jump down the car. She smiled, holding out her hand towards Melody, which she gladly took. She had taken Melody out for some brunch while Alex was in Los Angeles handling business with Sierra. Parking in front of Carniceria Reyes was risky, but it was eleven in the morning, the shop was usually busy and she saw no bikes in sight. 

She was in the clear. 

“You think mommy will like her waffles?” Olivia asked Melody as they walked across the street.

EZ had caught sight of Olivia’s car, he gave her back a questioning look as he saw the child with her. He’s never seen the young girl before. She turned around and EZ felt his stomach churn. He recognized that smile, it was the same smile Angel had, the one he shared with their mother. He muttered some excuse to his father as he followed Olivia and the young girl. 

They entered Ailee’s cafe, which was called ‘MR cafe’. He didn’t know what the initials stood for but it was a catchy name. Following them inside, he saw how the employees warmly greeted the young girl along with Olivia. His eyes narrowed at the man hugging Olivia.

“Livy, Janine was being mean to me earlier, she said I had to fight the jailbird for you.” Oscar pouted.

Olivia laughed. “No, but you know you’re not my type.”

“What? Tall, dark and handsome? How is that not your type?” Oscar shook his head. “Now you’re just hurting my feelings.”

“More like obnoxious, arrogant and a clown.”

“Ooh! Burn!” Andrew let out a booming laugh.

Melody walked over to Olivia after retrieving a cookie from Carl.

“Mommy?” She looked at Janine.

“In her office sweetie, but,” before Janine could advise the young girl to wait, she bolted towards the office with the waffles in hand.

“Don’t worry, I got her.” Olivia walked away following after her with EZ following after Olivia. He passed by Andrew, Janine and Oscar since they thought he was heading to the restroom. EZ looked harmless to them, despite the kute. 

Olivia could hear the raised voices then, but before she could stop Melody from opening the door, she opened it. Her eyes immediately landed on Angel, her lie coming out before she could think.

"Oh, that's so odd, mommy isn't he-"

Melody ran straight to Ailee, hugging her leg. Angel looked at them, dumbfounded by the scene. The beautiful little girl looked up at him and when she studied his face, her eyes widened, hiding behind Ailee.

"I'm just gonna," Olivia nodded her head and made her way outside. EZ, who had seen them from across the street, was right behind her.

"Who was that?"

"Fuck me."

“She, please don’t tell me.” EZ knew that Olivia or Ailee would never keep something this enormous from them. They wouldn’t hide the existence of Angel’s child.

“EZ, it wasn’t my secret to tell.” Olivia grimaced, hugging him immediately. “This was on Ailee, I would never have crossed that line.”

EZ wrapped his arms around her. As much as he wanted to go inside for moral support, this was between Angel and well, his girls.

Angel looked down at Melody who was gripping her mother’s leg along with the plastic bag in her hand. She didn’t seem frightened of him, she just looked shy. Ailee had her hand on Melody’s head, placing a hand on her mouth to keep her sob from coming out. This was something she always dreamed of, Melody finally meeting Angel. She wiped her tears, squatting down to Melody’s level.

“Baby, I thought you and Auntie Ollie were having brunch?” Ailee questioned.

Melody looked at Angel then back at Ailee. “We did, I brought you waffles.” She signed back to her mother, marveling Angel. Lifting up the bag, Ailee took it, placing it on the desk behind her.

“She,” Angel paused remembering John and Vince’s words from last night. “Your brothers told me she could talk.”

Ailee stored that into memory. It was her brothers who told Angel. 

“She’s very shy, she just learned how to talk last year and she’s still getting used to it. She was born deaf and had an implant placed last year.” Ailee explained. “Baby, it’s okay, you can talk in front of daddy.”

Angel gave Ailee an incredulous look. How could Melody possibly know he was her father? 

Ailee saw the look on his face and sighed. “I never hid your existence from her. She always knew you were her father and she recognizes you from the pictures.” She looked at Melody who was looking up at Angel, marveled at the fact her father was finally in front of her. “Say hi to daddy Melly.”

Angel crouched down beside Ailee, wanting to give Melody the space she needed. He felt the tears escape his eyes, but he didn’t fucking care, his daughter was right in front of him and he felt like he saw his mother. Melody tilted her head, unsure why her father was crying. Her small hand reached up to him, wiping the tears escaping his eyes. Angel let out a sob, slightly startling Melody, but she kept her hand on his face.

“Hi daddy.” Melody closed the distance between them, wrapping her little arms around Angel’s neck. The tears wouldn’t stop falling for Angel, Ailee crying as well when she saw father and daughter together. Angel wrapped his arms around Melody, he never believed in love at first sight, but he did now. He fell in love with his daughter at first sight. 

“Hello Melody, you’re so beautiful mama.” Angel relished holding her. Looking at Ailee, he saw how she was trying her best to stop crying, but Ailee was awful at that. Picking up Melody, she was so light, it didn’t even feel like anything. Ailee stayed crouched down, trying her best to calm herself. He pulled her up, pulling her into his other arm, kissing the top of her head. “I got you baby, I got both of you.”

Their moment was broken when John and Vince burst into the room. Ailee glared at her brothers, obviously knowing of their betrayal.

“Oh man, is that my phone ringing? Might be my son, you know, your nephew, who needs me in his life.” John made a uturn and left the room. 

“That’s not fair, I don’t have a son to use as a scapegoat.” Vince gave his sister an apologetic smile. “I’m your favorite brother?”

“Leave.”

“Te quiero mucho mi hermana.” Vince left leaving the family again.

Angel looked out and saw EZ with Olivia. Looking at Melody, he gestured for his little brother to come in. Ailee looked at Olivia who gave her an encouraging smile.

“Melody, this is Tio EZ, he’s daddy’s brother.” Angel informed his daughter.

“She knows about EZ.” Ailee confirmed. “She knows about your whole family.”

Melody turned to face EZ. “You’re on Auntie Ollie’s phone.” She looked at Olivia who gestured for her to be quiet. 

EZ chuckled, tears streaming down his eyes. Much like Angel, he saw his mother as he looked at her. He couldn’t believe Angel had a little girl. He knew Ailee’s return was going to bring so many answers, yet, he felt like it was going to bring more questions as well. Angel told him about Ailee’s past, how she was a government agent. He didn’t fucking believe it though. Ailee could barely kill a fucking spider before much less a human being. He thinks it’s completely fabricated and there was something else.

But the lie was so elaborate.

“Can you take Melody? Ailee and I have much to talk about.” Angel handed Melody to Olivia. “And we need to talk as well Liv.” 

Olivia eyed Angel curiously before nodding her head. 

“Sure, we’ll be right outside.” 

Ailee stepped away from Angel, sitting back down behind her desk. Angel waited till the door was closed before he turned to Ailee. He didn’t want Melody out of his sight, but he didn’t want her to be in here for this conversation.

“I just want to make it very clear that I’m not letting Melody out of my sight. I don’t care what you do, what you think, but she’s my daughter and I intend to be with her whenever I can.” Angel started off. “And you’re coming as well.”

“What?” Ailee was confused by his words. 

Angel chuckled. “We have a daughter together, Lee. I’ve always told you you were it for me and nothing has changed that. Though, it appears we have much to talk about.” 

“You have a child, that’s that.” 

“Oh no mi dulce, I know that, but you’re staying with me or I’m staying with you, I don’t give a fuck how it works, you’re not leaving my sight.”

“Don’t be ridiculous Angel, that’s impossible. You have to work and so do I.” Ailee hated how simple things always seemed to Angel. There was always a simple solution for him, but he never thought of the consequences or what had to be done to get to his simple outcome. 

Nothing in life was simple. 

“And? That’s not my concern. When you’re home, we’re all home together.” Again, so simple for Angel.

“No.”

“That wasn’t a choice.”

“I’m not discussing this, you’re out of your mind. I was gone for five years Angel, I’ve heard you’ve moved on. Let’s just keep it this way. You are more than welcome to see Melody but otherwise there is nothing between us.” Ailee put her foot down. It was better this way. Her and Angel were just a thing of the past and the only thing bringing them together was Melody.

Ailee hates herself too much to give herself to anyone. Angel would never love her if he found out what she did while she was away. He wanted an innocent girl, untainted. Not a jaded government agent who had more scars and baggage that she would like to admit.

“I’ve moved on? You’re the one parading your dildo around here. I’ve never moved on, and I never will, not from you.” Angel was livid. He moved on? Was that an excuse for her boyfriend?

“Alexander isn’t my boyfriend.”

“Could have fooled me.”

“Look, I don’t want to argue, I got shit to do today and the last thing I want is for Melody to hear us arguing.” She lowered her voice. “We should take her to meet your father.”

“Not right now, I just, I want her to myself.” Angel sighed. He should introduce Melody to his father, but he wanted some time with Melody first, to get to know his daughter.

“Okay, whatever you want.”

“We’re staying together.”

“Okay Ignacio, whatever you say.”

===============

Olivia walked in her apartment, the smell of smoke was immediately apparent to her. She rolled her eyes, knowing Angel broke in her damn apartment again. It’s not like she didn’t have any security cameras, of course she did, the place was rigged. But Angel also had a key to her place.

“Ignacio, what did I say about breaking in?” Olivia closed her door, locking her door. 

“How could you not tell me Liv?” Angel questioned, crushing his cigarette butt on the ashtray that Olivia conveniently left out for him. 

“It wasn’t my secret to tell.” Olivia sighed, sitting beside Angel on the couch. “I, I wanted to tell you, I really did, but Ailee didn’t want to. She said you made a life of your own and you didn’t need her.”

“She’s a pain in the ass.” 

“She’s your pain in the ass.”

Angel chuckled. “Yeah, yeah she is.” He slid the folder over to her, Olivia giving him a confused look. “Guess you also kept that you worked for a government agency.”

“Yeah, you know this, I do apps for various government agencies.” Olivia shook her head. “Why are you here?”

“So, when are you going to tell EZ that you’re a part of Maquina?” 

Olivia looked at Angel then, making her sigh. She let out a string of cuss words under her breath. She stood up and began pacing in front of Angel. “Who told you?”

“Just like Lee, didn’t even try to deny it.” Angel let out a small laugh, hardly amused by this whole ordeal. “You knew the entire time where she was, yet you never told me.”

“Angel, I wanted to tell you, I truly did, I just,” Olivia couldn’t even find a good excuse. There was no good explanation of what she did to Angel or EZ, but she had her reasons. “I had to respect Ailee’s choice, my loyalties will always lie with her. “I can’t tell EZ, not yet. I will eventually, especially with Maquina being so close to home.”

“Close to home? Maquina is in our home.” Angel lit another cigarette, the stress getting to him. “I don’t want to break my little brother’s heart since you kept such a big secret from him. I wanted to tell you that I know and I think you should be the one to tell EZ.”

“And I will.”

“When Liv? When are you going to tell EZ?”

“Soon, just not right now.”

“No better time than the present. This week seems to be the week of letting the cat out of the bag.” Angel sighed. “I’m not here to force your hand, you want to tell him, that’s on you. But tread carefully. Can’t promise you that the other members won’t mention it in front of EZ.”

“I’m sorry Angel, for whatever it's worth, I’m sorry that you found out like this.” Olivia didn’t want Angel to find out in this way. She was obviously never on board with keeping Angel in the dark, but she had to understand Ailee’s reasoning. Ailee was her best friend and she wanted to support her in any way she could. 

“Would Ailee have ever told me about Melody?” Angel knew she wouldn’t. 

“She wanted to, but she was afraid.”

“Of what? She knew how devoted I was to her.”

“It’s not about you.”

“Then what is it? Theo? Fuck her brother, he can kiss my ass. Her whole fucking family is a nightmare.” 

“Theo is a different beast Angel, I get that you don’t think before you do shit, but with him, you have to. You can’t be impulsive since he’ll count on that. I’m sure he knows Ailee is back in town, it won't be long before he makes his play.” Olivia knew that Theo always knew Ailee’s moves. He’s kept on track of her all these years. Maybe he didn’t know all of her moves, but he knew enough to make it dangerous. 

“I don’t give a fuck, let him come. I’m ending this shit, he’s not going to hurt my family, never again.”

===============

“Are you going with your uncle?” 

“To the brothel? Yes. Don’t wait up.”

“I try not to.” 

Alexander walked out just as Ailee stood up. She looked at her and saw a message from her uncle. Sighing, Ailee changed her clothes and made her way down the stairs. She saw Alexander and Melody in the living room. Quickly, she said goodbye to her daughter, late nights were not odd to Melody. 

Making her way to the coffee shop, she found her uncle waiting at the back of the shop, inside of his Mercedes Benz.

“Are we using my car?” Ailee questioned.

“We can use mine, Dave will drive us.” Dave has been her uncle’s bodyguard, driver, best friend and confidant for twenty-eight years. He didn’t trust anyone more than Dave. Even Ailee trusted him. His tough exterior was such a farce, because once it was the two of them, he would have tea parties with her, sneak her some cookies at night and even read her a book. She figured Dave was what a father should be, something she only saw on movies and television shows.

It was pathetic.

“Uncle Dave,” Ailee greeted him warmly.

“Fuck you both for coming to this god forsaken town. It’s unbearably hot.” He opened the door. “Hello to you too sweetheart.”

Jin and Ailee laughed, sliding inside the car. Dave closed the door, sliding in the driver seat. As they made their way to the brothel, Jin discussed the plan with Ailee.

“From my understanding, the Reid family is through and through racist yahoo’s who want to serve and protect the country by patrolling the border, illegally.” Jin provided background information. “Cole has been working with them, but he doesn’t seem very impressed with their lack of discipline.”

Ailee laughed. “None of them have ever served in the military. What made him think that they were going to be good foot soldiers? Their racist cause is their main agenda, having to shoot people of color is their whole purpose in this whole ordeal.”

“Gracie, have you spoken to Angel?” Jin knew it was only a matter of time before the two spoke again. They always gravitated around one another. He was surprised she was able to hold back this long when it came to talking to him. He knew that she made a few trips to Santo Padre, but she always left, wanting to assure his protection over anything. 

“No.” A lie, but she wasn’t required to be truthful to her uncle. She had to dig into this deceit that was placed ever since her supposed incarceration. Jin hardly told her the truth, why should she?

Great family dynamic.

“Why did you have Alexander bring Melody here?” Jin questioned. He didn’t feel comfortable having his granddaughter so close to the border with Theo around. They never understood Theo’s obsession with Ailee. Maybe due to the fact that he was an only child. Or maybe it was due to Ailee’s ability. Regardless, they were not big fans of Theo’s idiocracy.

“Why is this a question? Melody wanted to see me. Is that a crime?”

“Easy Gracie, I was just wondering. I thought you wanted to keep her away from Santo Padre.” Jin didn't want to upset her, but he was also looking out for his granddaughter. Though he figured Melody was safe since they had more than fifteen Maquina agents around as of right now.

“Yes, but, I can’t live in fear. If Theo wants to harm her then I will have his head on a silver platter before he can do so.” Ailee sighed. “Why is he such a concern? Theo has not made noise in years. Backing lowly European groups is hardly any of our concern.”

“It’s Theo, you never count out a Kane. He’ll want his revenge and make people pay for what occurred with his father. We need to be ten steps ahead to assure he cannot pull a fast one on us.” Jin never counted out Theo. He did not like to be an underdog, did not like to be the second best. He had to be the best. He remembered when Theo expressed interest in joining Maquina and it was an immediate no. The way Theo was, Jin knew that training him and giving him permission to eliminate people would be too powerful of a task for him. “Grace, what did he do to you?”

“Besides killing one of my children? The details are not necessary, just know that you perfected whatever he wanted to do.”

“And what’s that?” Jin hated it when Ailee compared him to Ailee. He did everything for her own protection. She thrived under Maquina and without it, Melody wouldn’t be able to hear. There was a tiny amount of guilt that ate at him, that if he didn’t set her up, Theo wouldn’t have been able to take her child from her. 

“A killer with no moral code.”

[marithlizard]

Thoughts on RWBY v8c8, “Dark”

Do you ever find yourself hoping that a rumored Horrible Plot Twist won't happen for the sake of the characters you care about,  but at the same time halfway hoping it will because So Cool and Elegant and it fits with all the foreshadowing in the credits?

Yeah.  Time to find out.

- I thought for sure the fireball would be Cinder!  But no, and the hard-light cells  don't even look damaged. How long are the jailbirds going to be in there?

- Two scenes that start out with black-screen-with-audio-effects in a row  suggests less "atmospheric dread" and more "it was not easy to get this thing done at all in the  middle of a pandemic, okay?" - Orange veining. Welcome back, Nora. Klein is a reassuring sight to wake up to.   (Speaking of cool plot twists I was on the fence about, I really thought we'd find him working in the mines, heigh-ho  heigh-ho to SDC slave labor we go.) -Whitley helping to carry Penny!  He really is on board now, I'm glad. - Bombing run?  Is Atlas bombing its  own streets to try and clear them of Grimm? - Annd May took off with the ship so they're trapped here with the lights out in a classic horror  movie setup.  (I don't blame her, of course.  RWB have no plan and  if the world's going to end, you want to be with your people.) - what the - what WAS that?  It looked like a giant version of one of Salem's jellyfish tearing an Atlesian airship apart with long ropy red tendrils.  Very possibly was. - "Believe it or not, I am above drinking in the dark."   Nobody believes you, hon, but that's okay. - Klein doesn't even answer her.  Ouch. - WHITLEY YOU GO, BOY   I didn't realize they had drone pilots, but I still should've thought of that many episodes ago (and so should Weiss). With Jacques out of the picture, they can commandeer all the SDC resources to help.   Nice!

- There is of course the question of where to evacuate the crater refugees *to*.  How long a range do those cargo ships have?  The next closest settlement we know about is likely Argus, and I think Maria said something about their stolen ship barely making it at the end of v7.   Still it's an avenue worth pursuing - even camping in a frozen wasteland beats a Grimm army. - Time for the traditional "team splits up to go exploring in the dark" phase.  I'm rewinding every few seconds now to squint at all the backgrounds, but tbh I was no good at spotting the Hound last time.  Never would've known it was there in most of episode 2. - Lovely little pep talk from Blake.  All the sweeter because they don't get much interaction onscreen. - (rewind rewind squint squint where is it is it in the hall shadows) - RT not even pretending the computers don't run Microsoft Windows. 

- YEEEEEEEEEK - (I wish I hadn't seen the preview bits. Unspoiled, there would have been 3x more EEE in that yeek. ) - Rewind to watch Blake's ears fold  down in sudden  terror.   Nice touch. - Klein  and Willow, equals for the first time, sitting in awkward silence.  And his little frown when her reaction to a crash and breaking glass is not to look around but to reach for her bottle. - (I regret a whole lot of wasted potential for Qrow this arc, but I think most of all I regret him never getting to meet Willow.   They would understand each other in a way no one else in the cast can, and he could have offered her hope.) - Oh,  shut it, Weiss, he's doing great considering the circumstances, and your own default attitude is set to High Snark. Which I don't mind, but  pot-kettle. -  Still so effing creepy.  It sure doesn't look like a Hound right now,  more of a  gorilla.    And Blake successfully not freezing up and taking it on!  It's good seeing her get to be badass here, since she missed out on the Nucklavee and didn't fight the Apathy at all. - "Take the girl". It's repeating its orders, I had trouble making the words out at first.  - Ruby, in contrast to Blake, is frozen to the spot and doesn't even aim her weapon as it charges at her.  She's really at a low point right now.  And oof, there goes her Aura just from a TACKLE.  It didn't even hit her! - It's noticeably more efficient taking Ruby.   Was Oscar its first mission? It's much more smooth and quick about the shapeshifting now, too. - Weiss  taking precious seconds to alert Klein.  That actually shows considerable presence of mind;  it would've been completely natural to just charge in, but she was thinking about the civilians she's responsible for.  Good show. - oop, there goes Willow. She tried.   I don't think she can have ever been a Huntress herself, as cool as that would've been.  (I would have *loved* to see her rediscover her hereditary power to conjure defeated foes...and use it to summon a Jacques.) - Penny's exaggerated puppet-movements,  with arms held out wide from her body and stiff clanky-machine noises.  Oh dear. Maiden powers going out of control are just what we needed. - Is Weiss starting to summon a Nevermore there?  That's a beautiful shot!

- we're only 8.5 MINUTES into an almost 18 minute episode - It's holding Ruby more carefully than it did Oscar, too.  It hasn't hurt her any more than necessary. - wha?  OHH of course it's here for Penny.  But it grabbed Ruby first because her scent was on the lamp?  Or because Penny was dormant  and it couldn't sense her?   - ouch - what is that Grimm.  An antlion? - oh,  Nora repeating Blake's words. *sniffle* There's still no light in her eyes. - Weiss it's above you, have you  not watched any horror movies - So Willow did pull herself together a bit.  And she's putting all the cameras she installed to spy on Jacques to use, nice!   - I TAKE IT ALL BACK AHAHAHA  wow, it's good to be wrong sometimes - GOOD JOB WHITLEY - Blake asking important questions.  Seriously what is that thing based on, I'm having horrible DA:O flashbacks - she continues to badass - Now that's how I expected the Hound to treat Ruby, instead of that inexplicable gentleness.  Theory probability continuing to rise. - rewind rewind did it just grow a third arm out of its back?  It did. Grossly.   - Annnd what will come climbing back in the window? - Well, it's not Summer. -  It can't be Clover.  It *can't* be Clover, we saw his body for several seconds at the start of the volume.   - ...It's a faunus,  he has wolf-type ears.  Nobody we know.   - Ruby's silver eyes must have mostly taken it out already, if that was enough to finish it off.   And Grimm dust dissolves and floats up into the air like disproved theories. -  Oh, hi, Cinder. You're kind of anticlimactic.   But I wonder what you meant by "my turn to ask for something".  Is she going to demand Watts build her something? - The hardlight walls are gone now, so I'm guessing Qrow and Robyn escaped after all.  And probably took Jacques with them, more's the pity. Overall a really good action episode, though I'm left still wondering why the Hound was so gentle with Ruby.  And what the writers have in store for the revealed fate of Summer, and those ominous credits,  that could possibly live up to the fan ideas.

Oh, yeah, and also - where ARE they sending those refugees?  If Whitley just programmed the planes to fly them up to Atlas, that doesn’t seem safer...

[kutemouse]

Caught (Part One)

Disclaimers: All “Save Me” webtoon and BTS MV/highlight reel/film references and plots belong to BTS and BigHit. All pictures of Kim Taehyung belong to BTS and BigHit, I just edited them for my header. The picture of BTS came from Vogue Japan, I just edited it for my header.

A Note from Kutemouse: I know, I know, this has been a long time coming, and I’m so sorry it took so long for me to post this!! I’ve actually had it written for a while, but today was the first day I was able to get up and do some stuff. Pregnancy is rough! Oh, that’s right, if you haven’t seen it yet, I made a Big Announcement earlier today that explains why I’ve been so inactive lately, and also explains my plans for the future.

Age Recommendation: 21+ (this is NOT one for youngsters, kuties, and is MOST DEFINITELY NSFW)

Genre: Mafia!AU w/ BTS, Jailbird!AU w/ Taehyung, Yandere!BTS

Warnings: Not many warnings for this part, kuties. Swears, I guess. Unsupportive SO? Kidnapping. Use of chloroform.

Word Count: About 3k

Summary: Kim Taehyung was the absolute love of your life… until he became a murderer. With him serving a life sentence in prison, you were finally free to live out the rest of your life however you wanted. Just when you thought you were at the top of your game, ready to take on the world, Taehyung reappears like a monster not even your worst nightmares could dream up. He gives you a year to fall in love with him, but now the question is, can monsters even be loved?

Master List

Tag List: @chocolatewolfuniversitytrash​ @btssmutheaven​ @taemaknae​ @rebeccawoodrow​ @sassysaxsolo​ @iconicgguk​

If you want to be added, just lmk!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

Caught (Taehyung Series, Yandere, Smut, Angst) Part One

We were skipping class in the school greenhouse, enjoying the humid warmth and the earthy smell wafting from the plants. We were talking, I forget about what. What I remember most is fiddling with his large, rough hands, intertwining my fingers between his over and over again. I remember his deep laugh that seemed to rumble through the recesses of my soul. I remember glee blooming in my chest whenever he grinned at me. 

His tone was teasing, mine was indignant yet flirtatious. Again, I forget what we said to each other, but I clearly remember those two words. “Kiss me.”

I gaped at him. “What?”

“Kiss me,” he repeated.

I hesitated. “Here? Now?”

Taehyung leaned down, tilting his head, until his lips hovered over mine. I felt each of his exhales on my skin, practically heard my heartbeat speed up.

“Kiss. Me.” It was barely a whisper, yet it resonated through my body, down my spine and throughout my limbs.

Without another word, I pressed my lips to his, melding them to fit his, a thrill running through me at his appreciative groan.

He pulled back, his inky eyes somehow growing darker. “I love you, baby girl.”

I sat up, gasping. Blood rushed to my head, making me see stars. With a groan, I covered my face with my hands.

“Sweetie?”

My fiancé, Lee Chanwook, rolled over and peered at me. “You okay?” he asked, his voice husky from lack of use.

“Yeah. Fine. Just had a dream, go back to sleep.”

“You sure?”

I nodded. He rolled over, his breath growing deep and even as he fell back into the reaches of slumber. If I could be so lucky. I hadn’t thought about Kim Taehyung in… well, it had to be almost a year now. Or two. I wasn’t sure.

Either way, my life moved on without him after shit completely hit the fan. My aunt and I agreed I shouldn’t transfer schools, since I only had a month or so left til graduation. I graduated alongside Chaeyoung, who seemed to be my only friend after Taehyung got arrested. She held my hand tightly the entire ceremony, only letting go when I was called to accept my diploma.

As soon as I graduated, Aunt Sunhee and I moved into her place in Busan. It was a tidal wave of change. Compared to my mom’s cramped, two-bedroom apartment, my aunt’s large house was a mansion. She recently obtained a position as COO of a large company and applied for custody of me immediately after.

Before we moved, I found my aunt’s letters my mom had hidden from me. My aunt had tried to call me multiple times but was never able to reach me. She even flew out to see me a couple of times, but all it took was my mother calling me at school and telling me I needed to stay at a friend’s house for me to stay away. I guess my mom was scared she would lose me.

Yet that’s exactly what happened in the end. My aunt paid for my mom to go to a rehabilitation center, but after only a few weeks, the center called my aunt letting her know my mother had disappeared. Aunt Sunhee called the police and even hired a private investigator, but my mom was nowhere to be found. I succumbed to the realization that she was probably dead. I didn’t get out of bed for weeks afterward.

A year and a massive amount of therapy sessions later, I decided I wanted to do something with my life. I was already attending university to obtain a business degree, but I hungered for more. My aunt got me an internship within her company, and I learned a lot just by working under her. Four years later, with a bachelor’s degree in hand, my aunt hired me as her executive assistant, and I took a year off before going to graduate school to both work and plan my wedding.

I was introduced to Chanwook at a company get-together. He was the son of one of my aunt’s business associates, and he caught my eye almost immediately. Mostly it was the way he was the exact opposite of the boy I hadn’t been able to get my mind off of. He was a stickler for the rules, had a great relationship with his parents, and never, ever did anything that would cross the line or damage his flawless reputation. He was kind and funny, but there was no wild or daring side to him. At the time, he was exactly what I needed.

He helped me forget about Taehyung. In the years before then, whenever I had a spare moment for my mind to drift, Taehyung’s wide, boxy grin and deep voice would float into my thoughts. I spent days wondering what went wrong. When had he become a murderer? At what point did he crack? Why hadn’t I noticed sooner?

Chaeyoung and I kept in touch, and I heard some details of Taehyung’s trial from her. I heard he was sentenced to life in prison without parole, due to the one count of murder against him. It would have been two, but Taehyung’s dad’s body was never found. No one was even sure he was dead.

I spent many nights staring at the ceiling, thinking back to the night when Namjoon got that frantic phone call from Taehyung. When Jungkook wouldn’t let me see him. When he completely disappeared for that entire week.

I had no doubt he killed his father. I don’t think he did it maliciously or intentionally. I think he found the strength inside of himself to fight back, and it ended in a death. It didn’t make the murderous act any less horrifying, but it did make me wonder just how deep the darkness inside Taehyung ran. Was he really the monster the media made him out to be?

Aunt Sunhee caught me one night poring over article after article covering Taehyung’s trial. “Y/n, you can’t keep doing this,” she said, placing a gentle hand on my shoulder. “You need to move on with your life.”

It took a long time, but eventually, I stopped surfing the internet for mentions of Taehyung’s story. My conversations with Chaeyoung grew few and far between until they stopped completely. Memories of Tae’s smile, his voice, his laugh, his lips, faded away. I even changed my last name to “Park” both so I’d be recognized as my aunt’s relative, and so no one from my past could find me. Four long years later, I was finally free of Kim Taehyung.

Or so I thought.

Apparently, my damn subconscious didn’t want to let him go. I rubbed at my eyes, trying to wipe away the image of his smiling face. I never imagined that, years later, he would still be haunting me.

I got out of bed, wrapping a robe around my body before stepping out onto our apartment’s deck. The cool, four-in-the-morning air roused my senses even further awake. I stayed like that until the sun began to peek over the edge of the horizon, thinking of Kim Taehyung and our shared past.

“Hey,” Chanwook said, coming up from behind to wrap his arms around me. “Have you been out here all night?”

“Not all night,” I replied. “Just since I woke up from that dream.”

“Mmmm,” he hummed sleepily in response. “Was it a good dream?”

I bit my lip, mulling his question over. “No,” I finally said. “It was more like a nightmare.”

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

That afternoon, I yawned as I re-read the same sentence for the umpteenth time, willing my brain to focus. “You look like you need a cup of coffee,” my coworker, Lisa, said.

“That would be nice,” I murmured in response, still trying to focus.

She stood and grabbed her purse. “I’ll get yours with an extra shot of espresso,” she said.

“Just so you know, I absolutely adore you.”

She blew me a kiss accompanied by a cheeky wink. “I know. Be back in fifteen.”

With the promise of caffeine on the way, I sat back in my chair and rubbed my temples, telling myself I’d get back to that report later. My cell phone began to buzz, and I picked it up, frowning at the unknown number.

“Hello?”

“Miss Park?”

“Yes, that’s me.”

“Hello, my name is Choi Yeonjun. I’m a representative of the company Bangtan Enterprises.”

“Never heard of it.”

A chuckle came through from the other end. “That’s because we’re a small start-up just breaking into Seoul’s business world.”

“And what does that have to do with me?”

“Miss Park, we’ve been made aware of your extraordinary skills and experience. Your aunt is COO of her company, correct? And you’ve been working under her for how long?”

“Well, if you’re including my internship, about five years now.”

“Excellent.”

“Mr. Choi, what is this about?” I asked as politely as I could.

“As a start-up company, we’re in need of experienced people to help run it,” he explained. “We’re prepared to offer you the COO position here at Bangtan, which comes with your own office, and we’ll double your salary.”

My mouth dropped open. “Double?”

“Double.”

I shook my head in an attempt to pull myself together. This opportunity was huge. I’d been accused of exploiting nepotism in order to get where I was today, but this could be my chance to prove all my naysayers wrong. I could show them I was entirely capable of forging my own path.

Still, I wasn’t going to just jump at this. I pulled my keyboard towards me and searched Bangtan Enterprises. Only a few results came up, but they confirmed my hopes into reality. Bangtan Enterprises was indeed a start-up, but it was based on a very profitable idea and, from the looks of it, had already lined up some high-end clients.

“And you said you’re based in Seoul?” I asked.

“That’s correct.”

So I’d either have to move there or split my time between Busan and there. I chewed my lip, wondering what Chanwook would think. “Your offer is very generous, Mr. Choi. May I have some time to think about it?”

He chuckled once more. “Unfortunately for you, you are not our only candidate. You’re our first choice, but there are others who are willing to start as soon as tomorrow.”

I clenched my phone. “No! I mean, that’s fine. I’ll take it.”

I knew I might regret it later, but this was a hell of an opportunity. Besides, it wasn’t like I signed a contract. I still had time to back out.

“Excellent. We’ll send you an official offer via email. When is the earliest you can start?”

“Don’t tease me, Mr. Choi,” I said playfully. “I thought you said my competition could start tomorrow.”

“That may be true, but—”

“Well, anything they can do, I can do better. I’ll send you my plane’s arrival time.”

“We’ll have a car waiting.”

I swiped off the call, anticipation flooding through me, causing a burst of excited energy to run through my veins.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

“You what?” Chanwook gaped at me.

“I said yes,” I replied nervously. I just told my fiancé about the new job, and he seemed to think it was great up until I said I accepted.

“Sweetie,” he groaned, placing his hands on my shoulders. “Are you serious?”

I frowned. “Yes, of course I am. I wouldn’t joke about something like this, Chan.”

“Well, you’ll just have to tell them you can’t take it anymore.”

I scoffed. “And why not?”

“Because we have a great life here. You make plenty, I make more than plenty. Why do you need another job?”

“Maybe I don’t need it,” I retorted. “Maybe I want it.”

“Want to move away from here? Miles away from your friends, your family?”

I scowled at him in response.

He sighed. “Y/n… answer me honestly. Is this about your mom?”

I snorted in disgust. “Seriously, Chan?!”

“It’s a valid question! Are you sure you don’t only want to go to Seoul to see if you could find her?”

“No, that’s not the reason I want to go to Seoul!”

“Then why?”

“Because! This is something that I earned, that I did on my fucking own. In fact, this will be the first and only thing that’s mine alone.”

“That’s not true.”

“Isn’t it? My job? Came from my aunt. My business degree? My aunt’s money. This apartment?” I said, gesturing around the room. “Your money.”

“So what?”

“So I want something for myself. We don’t have to move to Seoul, you know. I know your job is here, and I’d be willing to make the commute. You know, stay four days there, three days here, or something.”

Chanwook scoffed. “Do you even hear yourself?!” he shouted. “We are getting married! Planning on starting a life, here, in Busan! If you want a job based on your own merit and not because your aunt took pity on you, then find one here.”

I was rendered entirely speechless for a good few moments before I was able to gather myself back together. “I cannot believe how unsupportive you’re being,” I said through gritted teeth. “I’m taking that job. It’s your choice whether you’ll let that affect our relationship or not.”

“Fine!”

“Fine.”

I turned and grabbed my suitcase before stomping out the door, intent on going straight to my aunt’s. If Chanwook was going to be a total ass, I didn’t want to be around him. Thankfully, Aunt Sunhee wasn’t there to ask prying questions when I entered the house with my spare key. I walked up to my old room and hopped on my computer to search for flights from Busan to Seoul. This was my dream. And nothing, nothing at all, was going to stop me from achieving it.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

I walked briskly toward my destination, my heels clicking on the airport floor. As promised, a car was waiting for me, along with another passenger in the backseat. “Miss Park,” he said, extending his hand towards me as soon as I buckled up.

His voice sounded familiar. “Mr. Choi?”

“You can call me Yeonjun,” he said, his blonde hair falling over his left eye.

“And you can continue calling me Miss Park.”

He tossed me a smirk. “So, the boss would like to speak with you,” he said easily. “Nothing to be nervous for, he just wants to get to know you. However, he has an important meeting to attend over on the other side of town for which he’s requested your presence.”

“So this car is going straight there?”

“No, you’ll switch to his car once we get to the office. That way, you’ll have time to get reacquainted.”

I frowned. “Reacquainted?”

Yeonjun chuckled. “I meant acquainted. Slip of the tongue.”

“If you say so.”

We spent the rest of the ride in silence, something I was surprised over. I thought he would want to go over my contract or something, but I supposed that would all come later. The driver pulled the car into a parking structure, causing the interior to instantly darken.

“There it is,” Yeonjun said, pointing. A sleek, black SUV sat in the middle of the road, effectively blocking our way. “Go on. Mr. Kim is waiting for you.”

A shiver ran down my spine at the mention of my new boss’s name. Thoughts of Taehyung rushed through my mind, but I shoved them away. Kim was a common enough last name. I stepped out of the car, pulling my suitcase from the trunk before walking towards the SUV. Yeonjun did not follow. After stowing my luggage in the trunk, I opened the side door and hopped in.

A figure sat on the bench across from me, his face covered in shadow. “Mr. Kim? Hi, I’m Park Y/n,” I said, extending my hand. He did not take it.

“I know who you are,” he said, his voice an eerily familiar deep tone.

“Oh, of course you do. Yeonjun said you wanted to get to know me… What would you like to know?”

“I know everything about you already, baby girl.”

I narrowed my eyes, trying to see through the darkness that covered his face. “S-Sorry?”

“I said,” he replied, leaning forward. The light caught onto his inky eyes, causing me to gasp. “I know everything about you already, Y/n.”

I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Kim Taehyung was leaning towards me, a smirk dancing around the corners of his mouth. Sure, he looked slightly different. Older. More mature. He had definitely filled out, and his hair was now a complimentary jet-black falling attractively into his dark eyes.

“Hey baby girl,” he said, his smirk widening. “You lost?”

My body suddenly jumped into full-blown panic, and I grabbed at the car door’s handle, shrieking once I realized it wouldn’t open. Taehyung forcefully wrapped his arms around me, pinning me hard to his chest, clamping a hand tightly over my mouth. “None of that now,” he hissed.

I bit him, causing him to yelp, and continued trying to escape, fumbling at the lock that stood between him and my freedom. Taehyung pulled a handkerchief and a bottle from his jacket pocket, putting a dab of whatever liquid was inside on the cloth before clamping it over my mouth. His chuckle came out as more of a wheeze as he held me to his chest. “Damn, baby girl,” he said. “I hoped I wouldn’t have to resort to this, but here we are.”

With each one of his words, my field of vision grew smaller and smaller until my eyes rolled into the back of my head, and I felt myself falling into a state of unconsciousness not even the fear of death itself could fight off.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

Part Two is Here! 😉

[csigeoblue]

Buñuelos Pt. 3 - Joe Cruz x Pregnant!Y/N Dawson (Chicago Fire)

Part 2: http://csigeoblue.tumblr.com/post/180524350896/struggle-antonio-dawson-x-reader-chicago-pd

“Mamita, it’s time to open those beautiful eyes.” Joe sat by Y/N’s bedside cradling one hand in his. Y/N groaned opening one eye slightly.

“Are you here to tell me we can go home today? Sí no, pues let me sleep.” Y/N sighed closing her eyes again but paying attention to Joe. He smiled.

“Someone shot you and two days later you’re begging to go home? Sorry mi amor, but the doctor said I could take you out to the patch of grass by the front doors this afternoon if you take it easy on him.” She scoffed playfully.

“Please like Will Halstead could really keep you from taking me outside when I want nothing more than to leave here. He said the baby is fine and that I’ll need to take it easy for a bit. I’m going to be taking it easy for the next three months anyways... I don’t see why I can’t do nothing from home.” Y/N huffed the last part to herself.

Joe rolled his eyes as he stood up and gave her a kiss on her forehead.

“Baby Dawson you’re wish is my command.” Y/N looked skeptically at Joe who looked like he had a trick up his sleeve. He bowed and then stepped outside for a few moments when he came back it was with a wheelchair.!!!

“No way.” “Uh-huh.” “Are we busting out of here!?” Y/N watched as Joe peeled back the sheets and take out her IV.

“Baby Cruz, are you ready mijo? Mommy is gonna make you a jailbird!” Y/N laughed and got comfy in the wheelchair. She was a little winded from moving around but she felt alive at the prospect of sneaking out of the hospital.

By the time they made it to the car, she was sure someone had to have noticed her missing from her bed. Generally people don’t just misplace a pregnant woman. Her heart raced in excitement when she clicked her seatbelt as Joe ran around to the driver’s side.

The moment they pulled out of the parking lot passing ChicagoMed’s entrance, low and behold Will Halstead sprinted out the door waving his clipboard at them. He didn’t seem too annoyed so that’s good, she thought. Another thought came... how come we didn’t see anyone else try to stop us....

“Cruz, did you fake this while escape to make me feel better?”

“Are you telling me you think I am not bad enough to break you out? Okay yes, I cleared it with Halstead and Antonio.”

“Thank you.”

[myrecordcollections]

BB King

The Best Of BB King (ABC Label)

@ 1973 US Pressing 

****

In spite of 1972 being one of the stalest years in the history of popular music, the spate of reissues from all the major record companies and countless minor ones picks up more speed all the time, and the results (uneven as they are) are generally encouraging. All four of these albums represent attempts both at recapitulating the contributions of three black titans and cashing in on the belated widespread recognition of those contributions. Curtis Mayfield had a long string of hits with the Impressions but it took Super Fly to make him a household name. Ray Charles may have been bigger in the late Fifties and early Sixties than he is now, but he was more vital then, too. His earlier work deserves the endless repackaging. As for B.B. King, I can still remember the first time I saw a couple of kids in a department store line, audibly opting to chance $3.50 on an album called Lucille because some Limey speedfreaks had made it hip, and I’m sure that both they and I are glad they did, but B.B. King’s career didn’t begin when the royalties began pouring in from flash guitar covers and he was invited to tour with the Rolling Stones, so a thoughtful collection of vintage King is imperative.

Ray Charles doesn’t have as many hits these days as he used to, but he’s more renowned than ever before anyway. He’s become something of a national institution, like the Duke Ellington of R&B; even Pres Nixon has made an official declaration of Charles fandom. But the Pres ain’t exactly the type to do back-flips for “What’d I Say” or “The Right Time,” and Ray’s been hacking his way ever deeper into the tissue veldts of MOR for a full decade now. He still makes a good record every once in a while, but in his prime he was raunchy enough to split your skull and rock you into fundamentalist frothing fits. He created rock ‘n’ roll as much as Berry or Little Richard or anybody; he practically drew up the blue-prints for an entire era of gritty Stax R&B, and nobody ever wrenched their way deeper into the soaring terror of the blues. If you want to hear him really rip the joint apart and put it back together again with a cry, go back to those great Atlantic sides. The essence is on three albums: The Genius of Ray Charles. The Genius Sings the Blues and The Greatest Ray Charles. Or, for a fantastic overview, Atlantic’s four-record compilation The Ray Charles Story. Ray’s move from Atlantic to ABC made him rich and, initially at least, the musical rewards were probably as bountiful as ever and an idiomatic breakthrough besides. In search of a buck-grabbing formula, ABC sent him through albums like The Genius Hits the Road (“Georgia on My Mind,” “Mississippi Mud,” “Carry Me Back to Old Virginny” etc.), and miraculously he came up with brilliant, deeply soulful amalgams of gospel roots and mainstream pop. But the real turning point was a record called Modern Sounds in Country & Western Music, which was released about 12 years ago, at which time it promptly became the Number One album in America and changed the face of the milder strains of radio pop as irrevocably as his early work had done for rock ‘n’ roll. All through the Sixties the marriage of C&W to blues or bluesy euphemisms reigned, and whether you picked up on Glenn Campbell or Lee Hazelwood or any one of the rest of the multitude exploiting this new form, it all began with Ray Charles.

Ray himself exploited his innovation till the power of the original purveyor began to pale, and not everything on All-Time Great Country & Western Hits is great. But enough of the prime is here to make it worthwhile, especially if you haven’t picked up any of the many previous Charles reissues. “I Can’t Stop Loving You” was his first big move at this amalgam, and it’s still as tearfully puissant today as it was in 1961. Add the occasional C&W standard rendered in R&B style fully as uncompromising as any early Charles (the boiling “You Are My Sunshine” being the earliest and most potent example here), and you have a record as profound and essential as anything out today.

Lots of people think the Super Fly soundtrack the best soul album of 1972, but those unfamiliar with the Impressions owe it to themselves to discover what Curtis Mayfield was up to in the times before the most vital expression of black music was almost forced to deal with heroin death. “Freddie’s Dead” is already a Seventies standard, and His Early Years with the Impressions is a fine reminder that Mayfield possessed a consistent gift for creating hits destined to become classics all through his career. The vocal harmonies of the Impressions could be as mellow a balm as anything by Smokey Robinson and, like Robinson, Mayfield was never saccharine.

In fact, this late rehearsing of his past achievements impresses you firmly, even if you missed it first time around, with the fact that Mayfield was a groundbreaker in the nascent status of black popular music as a direct expression of the changes in black consciousness. When “Keep On Pushing” was a hit it was fairly easy to find shadings of meaning in its lyrics which formed as clear a link between the oldest gospel message and something far more topical, as it was to revel in the perfect evolutionary link between the purely musical freight carried out of church and the AM soul stylings which reached their summit in the mid-Sixties.

“It’s All Right” illuminates the same historic junction, and “We’re A Winner” takes it out of the realm of ambiguity, straight across the threshold of blatant backbeat radio anthem. Meanwhile, if you’re only familiar with things like “Gypsy Woman” in the eviscerated cover versions of white fluff-boys, get ready to be moved to the shoals of your soul by a whole other, more masterful and authentic type of vocal dramatics.

Again, the packaging is pretty bland, and another caveat is that lots of this stuff has been observed in the original albums selling for far less in bargain bins around the country (plus the fact that lots of those original packages were a joy in their very crassness, like that great Keep On Pushing cover observed among Dylan’s most conspicuously prized possessions on the Bringin’ It All Back Home jacket). But if Super Fly was your introduction to Curtis, you’ll want to make a point of picking this up before his pre-soundtrack solo albums, which qualitatively fall way below both what preceded and followed them.

B.B. King has in his belated flush of success become almost as frustrating for the aficionado of the Real Shit as Ray Charles. B.B. plays Vegas now, no fault there, and hits both the colleges and TV talk shows. So he’s finally out of the scuffle, at late long last. Unfortunately, his music has also gotten less interesting with each successive album. Vintage King wasn’t just something for punks to prove they could tell a good blues guitar solo from a bad one; it was stark, evil stuff. Troubled and troubling.

The difference between these two B.B. albums is the difference between chills and chips, between hearing a raw edge that makes Back in the Alley more than just a good colorful title, and satisfying your curiosity about how B.B. King would work in the context of a standard Leon Russell Hollywood camp meeting. And it’s not just a matter of backalleys vs. proximity to pop-stars: There is just no way a cut from the legendary Live at the Regal album, which molded countless Sixties guitarists and stands alongside things like James Brown at the Apollo as one of the all-time classic in-person R&B disks, there is no way something like that is not gonna shut down a pleasantly perfunctory session cut at Cook County Jail two or three years after Johnny Cash made it both righteously hip and fiscally sound to jam for jailbirds.

Actually, the chronological distance between the two albums is not all that great. Back in the Alley begins in 1964 and leaves off just short of where The Best of B.B. King picks up, but the difference in mood and meat is sufficient to make the choice clear, even if Best Of does have the incredible “The Thrill Is Gone.” It’s the fine line between a man playing with total commitment to an audience he has probably had for years which can savor his peaks and bear an off night, and a man playing for people who’ve been sold his legend and will love anything because they know they’re supposed to. But you don’t have to be any kind of connoisseur to tell the difference.

Rolling Stone 1973

[fluffy-lee-boa]

All Tangled Up (an ego tickle fic)

hello hello! here i have my first fic for all you wonderful followers~! there’s like 6 of you now lol

this one’s got lee!illie and ler!yancy, since the two need more content ;-;

hope you like it!!

Illinois has been reluctant to bring Yancy along on such a dangerous mission. Though, as he considered the other’s past, and how long he’d been stuck in a cell, it quickly became apparent that a trip like this would be good for the both of them. It must have been ages since he’d seen nature. Heck, even just hearing the poor guy talk about how much he loved trees showed how much he’d missed stuff like this.

So he did his best to find the easiest and least deadly route down the the cave system he’d been meaning to look through, working slowly through the jungle environment so Yancy wouldn’t fall behind. They were making their way down a slight incline, so Illinois had to guide the other on just how to navigate without slipping.

“So youses do this sorta thing all the time, huh?” Yancy asked, leaning against a larger tree to catch his breath.

Illinois looked back, smiling coolly, even after their long hike so far, “As often as I can... You're lucky I already had all this planned out before you showed up-“

Yancy snickered, though before he could come up with a response witty enough, the sound of rocks sliding beneath them caught both of their attentions. Illinois froze up as the ground began to slip out from underneath him. I guess he should have been more careful, but he had been a little distracted by Yancy’s question, and the excitement of being out and about with a friend, for once.

He fell with a yelp, the rocks carrying him down into the deeper parts of the ravine and out of the jailbird’s sight. The latter instantly gasped, rushing forward to help.

“Illinois!”

Once Yancy reached the bottom of the hill to make sure he was ok with minimal scraping, he skid to a halt as his eyes met the surprising sight.

Illinois was currently struggling to break himself free from a web of vines and branches that he had managed to get caught up in on the way down. He was visibly embarrassed at how difficult it was for him, especially with his positioning. He was rolled up, his arms stuck flat at his sides and hovering a few feet above the ground.

“That’s a lot of vines...” Yancy muttered, and the adventurer sent him a flustered pout.

“I can handle it.” He insisted, squirming around like a caterpillar, “I just need to reach my knife-“

“Don’t you worry a tiny little hair on that head a youses-“ Yancy cut him off, pulling out his own knife from his boot and stepping over to cut him free, “Yancy’s got it all taken care of...”

Illinois seemed huffy, but he relented and let the other make his way over.

Yancy gave a short whistle as he looked over the multitude of tangles and tree vines, wondering where he should start. He tried to go for one that would be the closest to the source, and he reached out to try and work his hand under a particular vine that was wrapped around the other’s hip.

Illinois instantly tensed up at the feeling, giving a sharp and brief exhale. Yancy, of course, noticed the odd reaction, his face falling into a frown of concern, “I didn’t hurt you none, did I-?”

“Mph- No-“ Illinois forced out, though there was an obvious blush on his cheeks.

Yancy smirked as he realized what had happened, but shrugged, going back to try and pull the vine again. Though this time, following a hunch of sorts, he dug in a little more into the archeologist’s hip.

“-Hehey!” Illinois whined, trying his best to squirm free and away from the feeling.

Yancy snickered, “What’s the big idea, Illie? I’m barely touchin’ ya~”

Illinois gave a gruff sigh in response, but he had to bite back most of his laughter, “...Yahancy, don’t you dare-“

It didn’t seem to spur the other, and he brought his other hand up to dig into both of his sides at the same time, “Don’t I dare what...?”

“You know whahahat!” Illinois tried to growl, but it ended with a high-pitched giggle that Yancy instantly latched onto.

Yancy decided to prolongue the other’s embarrassment a little longer by purring, “Why? Is someone a little... ticklish?”

“Shuhut uhuhup!”

“Well you’re gonna have to get outta those tangles somehow, aren’cha?” Yancy scoffed in mock offense. He instantly went to scribble in between the vines by his hips to get to the hollows, and the dam finally broke, “Maybe you can wiggle your way out, ya cutesy little worm-“

“StohOP! YAHAHANCY! JUST CUHUT ME LOOHOSE!” Illinois laughed out, pulling fruitlessly and arching in his bonds.

Yancy pouted at being cut off again, “But youse got such a nice laugh~! And I’m pretty sure I overheard you don’t mind all the teasing...”

Illinois balked, as he hadn’t expected Yancy to be so spot on with this stuff. He blushed, his mind totally overrun with a flustered feeling, especially when the other started scribbling over his stomach. And, lo and behold, there was a sudden soft sound of giggling. An adorably light giggling, accompanied by basically all of Illie’s muscles totally giving up, leaving him a melty puddle tied up in the plant life around him.

Yancy gasped dramatically, like only a theater kid could, and crouched down so he could smirk up at Illinois, “Looks like I hit the jackpot, eh?”

Illinois weakly shook his head, his eyes pleading as he craned to look up at him, “Ahanywhehere else...”

There was a pause as Yancy took in the moment, feeling a little cocky now that he’d bested Illinois, before he listened and pulled away. Then, to rub it in, he looked the other over teasingly, “Anywhere, you say? That’s a lot of places to choose from, Illinois. Any suggestions?”

He skittered his fingers across his thighs, making Illinois buck, “Here, maybe?”

Illinois quickly shook his head, making Yancy snicker and “Ah-! Nononohoho!!”

Yancy feigned a scoff, before he moved to his ribs, teasingly light as he scribbled, “Here~?”

“Nohoho!! Nohohowhere!” Illinois responded amidst deeper laughs again.

Yancy tutted, shaking his head, “Well I have to go somewhere, and this looks as good a place as any- Unless you wanted me to go back to that adorable tummy a’ youses.”

Illinois shook his head, his face a bright red hue as he cackled. He couldn’t bring himself to speak again, so Yancy took it upon himself to take it as a response. So he gently worked his hands under the vines winding around his ribs, squeezing lightly and making Illinois squeal.

Yancy hadn’t noticed that amidst all the thrashing and wriggling, the vines had started to strain, and every time he dug deeper in between his ribs and back around to his sides, it only got worse. So as Illinois continued his escape attempts, he was none the wiser.

Yancy was sitting underneath Illinois now, simply scritching away at anywhere along his torso that he could reach, and cooing incessantly. While a part of Illinois couldn’t stand it, he also hoped it would last.

With one final jerk from a teasing wiggle against his abdomen, all the vines simultaneously snapped, sending Illie falling atop the other.

Yancy found himself trapped under the much more imposing figure, who took a few moments to recover and stop his endless giggling. Though, despite Yancy’s rushed apologies, the tables turned rather quickly, and the jungle was once again filled with laughter.

[lamiasluck]

All I Want for Christmas Is...

(This is based off my previous Illinois and Yancy thing. So read that for context!)

Summary: It's wintertime and coming close to the holidays. Yancy and everyone else in the prison have lots of plans for celebrations! Though Yancy finds himself all alone every time visitation day rolls on by. Illinois on the other hand... is just as lonely. Harsh winters meant there were little adventures to be had. More often then not he had to stay at home with nothing to do.

Maybe it's finally time for the two to reconnect again.

Characters: Illinois & Yancy

Words: 1772

Chapter 2 

Read on AO3!

-

It was that time of year again. Thick blankets of snow covered the outside as far as the eye could see. For Yancy, that meant that everyone was cooped up inside the prison with little to do. For Illinois, that meant he had to stay in his house with absolutely nothing to do.

The adventurer let out a heavy sigh as he lay in bed. Winter was by far his least favourite season. There were few places to adventure, and besides, staying outside in these conditions left him at high risk for hypothermia. So he stayed at his house by himself. Sure, occasionally he went to a bar to socialize, but that got boring quickly. He needed more, needed a thrill. He had no choice but to wait this out. Day by day, hour by excruciating hour.

Being alone in a cave was one thing. Being alone in a house was another thing entirely. He wasn’t feeling the holiday spirit, that was for sure.

A sudden weight placed on his chest made him open his eyes, where he met face to face with his cat. Ellie, a black cat with golden eyes, stared unblinking at her owner and waited.

While cute, Illinois knew exactly what Ellie wanted. Food. He stroked along her back and closed his eyes again. “Just five more minutes...”

“Mrrow!” roared Ellie. Her tail swished around with impatience. She firmly placed her paws on his chest and kneaded his shirt, hard.

Illinois jolted awake at the sensation. “Alright, alright I’m up!” he sighed as he stood up. Ellie was already dashing to the kitchen, meowing in victory. The snow meant she couldn’t go out either, which was a shame considering she loved the outdoors as much as he did. Perhaps she became antsy from that fact. Illinois knows he feels the same.

There was nothing planned for today, much to his frustration. He had no one to talk to either. Besides Ellie, of course, but he couldn’t get an exciting conversation out of her. He hasn’t had an adventure partner in a while now that he thinks of it.

His last partner was Yancy.

His brows furrowed as he thought about the convict. Oddly enough he began to miss his loud attitude. An attitude like that could liven up his place.

-

Yancy never minded the snow. Sure, he had to stay inside, but that was never too big of a problem. More often than not, he and the other prisoners found ways to entertain themselves. They sang festive carols, decorate the prison with little things the guards gave them, and tried their best to keep a jolly attitude. The holidays held a special place in their hearts, to say the least. Though Yancy didn’t have as much to look forward to compared to the others.

Around this time of year allowed another opportunity. Extended visitation periods. When Yancy sat by the tables at lunch, he heard everyone talk about who’s going to visit them. Family, significant others, friends… Everyone had someone to look forward to. All except him.

Sometimes there was envy blossoming in his heart whenever he heard them talk, but he’d never show it. A smile and a strong voice could do wonders for his act. No one suspected a thing. So whenever Yancy went back to his cell, all alone, he had the time to reflect on his situation. Maybe he should ask for a cellmate. Perhaps it was simply the company he was missing.

The last cellmate he had was Illinois.

Nothing surprised him more than the fact he actually grown to miss that bastard. Maybe it was his previously mentioned loneliness, maybe he got attached too quickly, but a part of him felt like he didn’t have anyone else to talk to. Not like how he and Illinois talked, at least. There was no inequality between them. The other prisoners respected him as a leader, but that meant there was always a sense of superiority between him and them. Illinois definitely didn’t respect him as a leader. That pissed him off at first, however later on it just felt like they were friends.

Christ, has he never had a friend before?

When Illinois gave him that flip phone all those months ago, he made sure to hide it well. Usually that meant hiding it under his pillowcase, rolling it in his sleeve instead of his cigarettes, and so forth. He hasn’t used it yet though, hasn’t come up with a reason to. This couldn’t be considered a good reason probably ---what was a good reason to call?--- but there was no harm in being self indulgent every once and awhile, right?

Illinois’ number was the only thing the phone had. Why Illinois gave him such an old phone was a mystery to him, but then again, he probably gave all his adventure partners a phone like this. Once the lights were off and the guards eased up on their patrol, he snuck out the phone and called. As the phone rang, he began to regret his decision more and more.

Damnit, he’s probably busy. Why the hell did I call? I should hang up-

“Hello?” Illinois’ voice was staticky in the phone’s speakers, breaking him out of his thoughts. Yancy felt his stomach drop upon hearing it.

Too late to back out now. Yancy cleared his throat, keeping his voice low in order to not be found out. “Uh... hey freebird. How’s it goin’?”

“Yancy?” Illinois sat up from his position on the couch. He turned off whatever program he was barely paying attention to, fully focused on Yancy’s sudden call. “I didn’t think you’d call.”

“Yeah, well...” Yancy pressed his lips together in a tight line. “I just wanted to check up on youse.” He bit his tongue as soon as he said that. No, that sounds weird. I don’t give a shit about him. “I didn’t know if your dumbass died or somethin’.” Saved it.

Illinois laughed through the poor speakers. “I could say the same to you, jailbird. I’m surprised someone hasn’t put you in your place yet.”

“You’s the only one that came close, and we both know how that went.”

“Yeah, I kicked your ass.”

“As if!” Yancy quickly covered his mouth, staring wide eyed at the cell bars. Once the coast was clear, he spoke again in a more hushed tone. “Youse lucky I didn’t kill ya.”

More laughter. “You believe whatever you want… but in all seriousness, is there any reason you called? Sorry to burst your bubble, Yancy, but now’s not a good time for adventuring.”

“Oh, sorry." Damnit, I knew this was a bad idea. "Was I only supposed to call youse for adventurin’?”

“No, I just didn’t think you’d call for anything else.”

“I just wanted to talk to ya, freebird,” Yancy blurted out. He shut his mouth tight afterwards, but it was too late.

“Is that so?” The speaker could mask the genuine shock in Illinois’ voice. Though he pick pick up his charm easily. “Sounds like you fell in love with me~”

“Right, right ‘cause me callin’ youse means I wanna suck your dick. Youse shut your trap.” Yancy couldn’t roll his eyes harder even if he tried. However, there was a certain nostalgia within their bickering. “Nice to hear that youse didn’t change.”

“Nice to hear you in the holiday spirit.”

Yancy snorted. “Yeah, we’s got a whole thing goin’ on ‘ere,” he said, changing the subject. “What youse doin’ for Christmas, freebird? Got a big adventure where youse like, find Santa or somethin’?”

“Find Santa? What the hell, Yancy?” Illinois whispered to himself with a confused expression. “Well, no, I don’t have anything planned. I’m probably gonna stay at home-”

“By yourself?!” With furrowed brows, Yancy sat up in a mix of shock and confusion. He glanced at his cell door, but the guards finding him out was the last of his worries now.

Illinois always spent his holidays by himself, but why did he feel so bad about it now? Yancy’s tone sounded concerned. It made Illinois feel much more alone than he already did in his house. Nonetheless he continued to his mask his worries. “Well, yeah…? Who would I be with?”

Yancy rubbed the back of his neck as he frowned. “I dunno I thought youse would have some broad wit’ ya.”

“I haven’t had another partner after you left.”

He sputtered when he heard that. “Oh, now who sounds like they’s fell in love?!”

“It’s not like that, don’t get your hopes up,” Illinois laughed. “No one wants to adventure right now.” This time of year must be a real buzzkill for every adventurer because it certainly wasn’t his fault. How would pass up an opportunity to adventure with him, after all? “Maybe you can come over and spend Christmas with me. Promise I’ll make it worth your time~”

He considered it. He really, really considered escaping again. But it’d be too much trouble all for one guy. “I can’t, the others want to celebrate together. It’d be nice though.” He didn’t care about Illinois that much, it’s too risky. “Maybe youse could visit though.” Unless…

“That wouldn’t end well.” Like a burst bubble, Illinois tried to pop his idea immediately.

“Youse don’t know that.” However, he wasn’t having any of that. This was just as, if not more risky than escaping again, but it wasn't impossible. “Yeah… actually I could make it happen.” While in his train of thought, he heard footsteps approaching. “Oh, shit someone’s coming. I’ll talk to youse soon, Illinois.”

“What? Wait, Yancy what are you-” It was too late. Yancy hung up before he could get another word in.

He recently escaped from that place months ago. Returning there was the last thing he could ask for. What was he going to do anyways? Stroll in there like normal? As much as he believed his conscious was squeaky clean, on paper he was an ex-convict. Which he still thought was utter bullshit, however his ---very valid--- opinion didn’t matter in jail. Maybe Yancy could break him out again, but he really didn’t want to stay there again. That would be a lot of trouble for one guy.

Within the chaos of questions was a familiar feeling. A buzzing thrill of adventure. Possible adventure, sure, but it gave a thrill nonetheless. Yancy was a man of surprises, and Illinois was a man that loved mysteries. So put he the phone down and decided to pack it in for tonight, waiting eagerly for another call. For once the lonely silence didn’t phase him.

[santoteez]

In The Bronx- Hongjoong (6)

Part: 6 of 7

Genre: Drugdealer!Hongjoong, Drugdealer! SeonghwaAU, Eventual Fluff

Word Count:  2.5k

Requested: no

Warnings: MC is a black female, swearing, Hongjoong’s brother is inspired by Mingi, mentions of abuse and police corruption

NOTE: This fic does NOT, in any way, shape, or form, portray the way I view any member of Ateez nor does it depict their true personalities or actions. This AU is just that. An AU.

Santana stared at the window, watching the snowfall onto the streets. It had now been 3 months since Hongjoong was taken into custody, but she remembered that day like it was yesterday.

*flashback*

The address Seonghwa had sent was to the new warehouse. The location was noticeably smaller, but the crew resumed their work as if nothing happened. As they suspected, the old place was raided. A raid in which nothing was found, damaging the Coca Twins’ credibility. They tried multiple times to convince the police of Seonghwa’s involvement, but with their lack of home security cameras and the solidity of Seonghwa’s alibi, it was impossible to incriminate him. They were several people (all of who were friends of Hongjoong’s) vouched for him being at his “job” at Panera. There was even video footage. Of course, the video was several months old, but the police didn’t need to know that.

Santana and Minjoon were escorted to the back office upon arrival. Seonghwa locked the door when they walked in, gesturing for them to sit. This office was much more put together, with brand new furniture and white carpet.

“How’s he looking?” Seonghwa sat down behind the desk.

“He hasn’t slept, that’s for sure,” Minjoon said. “I feel like shit. Has he always been that tired and I just never saw it? So many times he could’ve gotten killed while I was sleeping.” He ran his hand through his hair.

“Don’t think like that. That’s the last thing HJ would want. It’s the reason he never told you. He wanted you to have the childhood he didn’t.” Seonghwa said, shutting down Minjoon’s worries immediately. “Anyway, I called you over here because I found out-”

He was interrupted by Santana’s phone ringing. “Someone’s calling me private.”

Seonghwa stood up. “Answer it. It might be him.”

Santana answered. “Hello?”

“You have an incoming call from an inmate at Sing Sing Correctional Facility. The inmate calling is *Kim Hongjoong*. To accept the charges and connect the call, press 5.”

“It’s him. It’s him!” Santana shouted, dialing in the number. The phone went silent for just a second until she heard Hongjoong’s voice.

“Baby, I miss you.”

“HJ, I miss you too.” She sighed in relief.

“Listen, is Minjoon there?”

“Yeah, he’s here. So is Dragon.”

“Yeah? Put me on speaker.”

“Okay.” She removed the phone from her ear and put it on speaker, the hustle and bustle of the prison filling the silent room.

“Minjoon. Dragon.”

Seonghwa walked over to the other side of the table. “We’re here.”

“I need y’all to listen to me. Bianchi is crooked, man. The public defender, too. I spoke to her earlier, and she said she wanted me to confess to the Paredes case for a reduced sentence.” His voice was muffled from speaking directly into the receiver.

“Is he nearby? Is that why you’re whispering?” Seonghwa asked.

“Yeah,” Hongjoong said, much clearer now.

“Don’t say anything else. Luckily, that’s why I called Santana over. I’m already ten steps ahead of you.”

“Minjoon, you listening?”

“Yeah, what’s up?

“Keep going to school. Remember you wondered why I forced you to get your license but never let you take the car? This is why. Drive yourself, and drive Santana to work. If there’s a party, I’m not telling you to not go because that will raise suspicion BUT make sure Santana and Seonghwa know where you are. For fuck's sake, buy a portable charger because I know your phone dies every other second. And wash your damn clothes! Coming here to see me in a shirt I saw you in two days ago. I don’t spend money at the mall for you to walk around musty.”

Minjoon rolled his eyes. “This is also not the time to talk about this, but alright.”

“You should get going, HJ. You’ve been on the phone for a while. I’m sure you’re almost up. I’m gonna head up that way to see you in the morning. We’ll talk then.”

“Alright, bro. I’ll see you then. Santana, take the phone off speaker. Lemme talk to you real quick.”

Santana placed the phone to her ear. “Yeah?”

“You know I love you, right?”

“And I love you.”

“I don’t have much time, but I had to tell you that. I know you never wanted to be with a jailbird, but I need you to hold me down while I’m in here. Even if you wake up one day and think I’m gross and disgusting, please don’t leave Minjoon alone. I know he’s over there saying he’s grown and shit, but he’s just a kid and I don’t want him doing this alone. Please, tana.”

“I wouldn’t leave either of you. No matter how long it takes, I’m gonna be right here.”

“Let’s go, inmate. Time’s up.”

“I’ll come see you as much as I can! I love you.” Santana shouted.

“I love you, too,” Hongjoong said before the call cut off.

*end*

Three months later, she kept her word. Every day, she was dropped off to work by Minjoon, who picked her up after doing homework or before heading to a party. She’d attend his games and ignore the ridiculous claims that she was his girlfriend. Although she didn’t need it, Seonghwa provided them with money and the occasional grocery shopping. Santana and Minjoon visited Hongjoong as much as they could and waited for his call every night. Minjoon got a weekend job at the local diner, cursing himself for not thinking of getting a job before.

Seonghwa continued to run the warehouse, as well as collect evidence on Bianchi and Sarah. Turns out, the pair had been terrorizing not only the neighborhood of Soundview but the entire borough of The Bronx. Everyone Seonghwa spoke to knew at least three people who were fucked over by them, and each of those three people know more people. Upon his findings, Hongjoong refused to work any further with Sarah and requested to hire his own lawyer for the trial. Seonghwa found the best lawyer in New York City who, after carefully reviewing his evidence, decided to request a mistrial due to police corruption.

“Are you ready?” Santana asked Seonghwa. The day of the trial had finally arrived, and they were about to head into the courtroom to hear Hongjoong’s fate.

“I should be asking you. You look like you’re about to jump out of your skin.” Seonghwa laughed. “He’s gonna be fine. We’ve got a solid case. C’mon. Minjoon, we’re going in.”

As the trio was about to enter, they locked eyes with the Coca Twins. Daedae and Nunu turned their heads quickly as their eyes averted Santana’s worried gaze and Seonghwa’s icy glare.

Once they were all in the courtroom, the bailiff addressed them.

“Please rise, the honorable Judge Johnson is now presiding.” A short, black woman entered the room. “You may be seated.” He said once she was seated.

“Case #157, Claremont vs. Kim. The charge is attempted murder.” The bailiff handed Judge Johnson the case folder.

“Mr. Kim, how do you plead?”

Hongjoong’s lawyer spoke up. “Not guilty, Your Honor. As a matter of fact, the defense requests a mistrial due to police corruption and tampering with evidence.”  

Gasps and murmurs were heard throughout the courtroom and the Coca Twins looked at each other in despair.

“On what basis do you support these claims, Attorney?”

“The defense team and I have conducted a private investigation along with Mr. Kim’s longtime friend, Park Seonghwa, which was approved by the lieutenant and commander. Over the course of three months, there has been evidence collected which proves that the arresting officer, Carlo Bianchi, has been wrongfully incriminating the people of The Bronx alongside his partner, Anthony Manganiello, as well as District Attorney Sarah Fawcett. May I present to the court Exhibit A.” A surveillance tape was pulled up on a TV. “Here, at 10:40, we have my client, Kim Hongjoong, exiting the Claremont residence. Note his calm demeanor and lack of a weapon. This behavior is not common of an individual who’s just failed to kill the persons they intended to. Here at 10:50, we see Officer Bianchi arrive at the scene. Not only is he out of uniform, after reviewing the schedule with the lieutenant, it has been confirmed that Bianchi was also off the clock. We see him walking through the same gate my client just walked out of, touching it without gloves and therefore tampering with what is supposed a crime scene. So, if Officer Bianchi responded to a call as severe as attempted murder without his partner, off-duty AND without securing the crime scene, who could’ve possibly dispatched this call? Easy. No one. See, the police were never called and an official report was never made. In the eyes of the law, there’s no possible way Bianchi could’ve known of the crime or gotten there so quickly.”

Santana's mouth fell agape in disbelief. This was far more than she had suspected. There was evidence even Seonghwa had failed to tell her.

“Exhibit B. The injuries inflicted on the Claremonts. Here we see the shoulders of Timothy and the hands and wrists of Clarence. All badly bruised and tattered. There’s only one problem. Here are the hands and arms of my client.” She pulled up another picture. “This photo is an enhancement of his mugshot. His hands have not one sign of strenuous activity, much less indication he beat anyone up. These pictures were taken less than 24 hours apart. According to the medical examiner, in order for those injuries to have been made by Kim Hongjoong, there would have to be some type of defense wounds on him as well. Do you know who did have signs of a fight visible to the eye? Officer Bianchi. The same man who arrived at the Claremont residence almost instantly after my client, as well as the man who falsified a police report for a crime that did not take place. They entered my client’s house without a warrant and slammed him into the ground in front of his girlfriend of almost two years, possibly scarring her from such a traumatic event. May I also mention, Your honor, that this isn’t a first offense. In our investigation, we have discovered dozens of citizens who were victims at the hands of Officer Bianchi and DA Fawcett. Here are our findings.” The lawyer handed Judge Johnson a folder.

At this point, the Coca twins are sweating through their suits. Sarah’s face was beet-red, and the court was at the end of their seats, as was the jury.

“My final, and possibly most incriminating piece of evidence. This is video footage from DA Fawcett’s first meeting with my client before he blatantly refused to meet with her and requested a switch.”

The lawyer played the tape and the jury watched in disgust as Fawcett’s spiel about Hongjoong as well as the people of the Bronx was exposed for all to hear.

“Note how DA Fawcett makes her stereotypical belief of Bronx citizens clear to Mr. Kim. A true defender of justice shouldn’t see race, background, or education as a factor when trying to portray the truth. As Mr. Kim stated in the clip, he was nowhere near the crime scene, as building management provided us with surveillance that shows Mr. Kim entering his apartment at 8:30am, exiting at 2:50, and returning with his younger brother at 4:00pm. May the jury keep in mind he is his brother’s legal guardian and only known blood relative. Since Mr. Kim’s arrest, Kim Minjoon has had no other choice but to step up immensely and, with the help of his sister-in-law Santana, find a job to help support himself, since my client was his only source of income and the sole breadwinner of the house. This entire ordeal has caused the Kims are great amount of pain, and all for naught. It is, for this reason, we request a mistrial and demand that Kim Hongjoong be released to his loved ones immediately.”

The judge took a moment before saying, “I will appoint a recess in the time I take to review the evidence given to me. Jury, your verdict will not be needed. I thank you for your time and you will be compensated. I will call you all back when I have made my decision.”

The recess lasted almost an hour, in which Santana and Minjoon went to grab a bite to eat. They brought back a sandwich for Seonghwa, despite him insisting that he wasn’t hungry.

“You may all re-enter; the judge has made her decision.” The bailiff called.

“Let’s pray this was enough,” Santana said, rubbing her hands nervously.

Seonghwa placed his hand on her shoulder. “It’s enough.”

They once again sat behind Hongjoong and his attorney as the judge addressed the court.

“Before I make my decision known, I would like to address DA Fawcett. Sarah, I am utterly disappointed in you. The great people of the Bronx have time and time again been prejudiced against. Discriminated against. Been robbed of opportunity. And called liars and thieves and burdens. And this instance is no different. May I remind you, you’re in the courtroom of an impeccable Bronx citizen. You wanna charge me of a crime too? It is for this that you, as well as Officers Manganiello and Bianchi,  be placed on UNPAID administrative while this evidence, as well as the list of witnesses, are further investigated. As for Mr. Kim, given the evidence delivered today in this court, I hereby declare this case a mistrial and order that he be released from custody effective immediately. Mr. Kim, on behalf of the judicial system, and from one Bronxite to another, I sincerely apologize. You are a good man, and from what I can tell, you’re an amazing boyfriend and you’ve raised your brother to be a well-mannered, poised young man. I wish you nothing but the best. Court adjourned.” She slammed her gavel, getting up from her chair.

The court erupted into cheers, Santana tearing up almost immediately. Three long, hard months. It all came to a close in a matter of hours. Hongjoong turned around and motioned with his cuffed hands for her to lean forward. When she did, he trapped her lips into a tight liplock, eliciting oohs and aahs from the onlookers.

“I’ve wanted to do that every time I saw you for the past three months.” Hongjoong looked deeply into her eyes.

The guard came over with a smile and uncuffed him. “Good going, kid. Remember our talk?”

Hongjoong nodded, smiling and rubbing his wrists. “Absolutely. Thank you, sir.”

He shrugged. “Just looking out for someone that reminds me a lot of myself.”

The courtroom had long emptied out, and the trio waited for Hongjoong to emerge from the courthouse, sans the jumpsuit. When he walked down the steps in a black coat, jeans, and sneakers, Minjoon broke into a sprint.

“There he is! I wore clean clothes today, just for you.” He said, gesturing to his suit.

“As you always should. That’s how I raised you. “Hongjoong said, pulling him into a tight hug. “I’m sorry, lil bro. For everything.”

Minjoon shook his head. “You did it all for me. I understand now. Now, I’m gonna go to college, be somebody, and I’ll pay it all back. But for right now, let’s go home.”

Hongjoong laughed. “Couldn’t” have said it better myself.”

*STAY TUNED FOR THE LAST CHAPTER!!*

[v01d-ch1ld]

Diary of a Psycho Clown Girl pt. 2

It was different the first time I went to stately Wayne Manor but I endured. Alfred greeted me and I thought that Mr. Wayne’s father answered the door so I embarrassed myself there when he gave a look like “poor confused thing” and Dick was laughing like a psycho. I made it inside and took off my shoes because I immediately did not want to put footprints on tile that expensive looking. This was just the mudroom and I was embarrassed about breaking anything. We got into the living room and it was enormous. A full mantle, fireplace, several black leather couches, paintings, hung swords, guns, hunter’s trophies decorated the room lavishly and I thought I had just stepped into a fairy tale palace. Dick showed me to the Entertainment Room where there was a pool table, poker table, fuse ball, ping pong, darts, chess, and about every board game known to exist. Dick said that if we went out to one of the garages there was air hockey but I was content with teaching Dick how to play pool. Well, I thought I was going to be teaching him but he made it clear that he had skill and that we were in competition. It was a tough game but I won because he missed his called pocket on the eight ball. Shame. Well, that means that I get the last cookie the next time Alfred brings us some! We were playing music on the speaker and eating pizza and playing video games on the flat-screen when something red and black barreled into Dick knocking him over the sofa and onto the floor and knocking down the curtains. They fought in the mass of fabric while I laughed and laughed. Alfred came running because he heard the crash and so did a black-haired man in his late thirties. Mr. Wayne himself! I hid behind the couch.

               “Jason! Dick! Get out from underneath those drapes now! You know better than to roughhouse when we have guests over!” Alfred chides the boys. Every so often a hand can be seen grabbing at something, the only thing giving away whose hands it was being size. Bruce was looking on mildly amused. Alfred had no way of separating and Bruce is too much of a moron at parenting to stop them so looks like I have to fight. Shit, this is not how good first impressions are made.

               I jumped over the back of the couch past Bruce and Alfred and grabbed hold of one of their torsos and dragged them out of the curtain. This was a 12-year-old. Jeez, I stopped being that hot-headed when I was 9.  I shoved him over to Alfred and reached under the curtain where Dick was hiding from me. I grabbed his ear and he wailed. I take him out from under the drapes. I dig my fingernail into the center of his lobe.

               “Richard Grayson! How old are you?” I scold. I’ve had to do this to kids on the street that were fighting like kids before.

               “Sixteen! Ow!” He squeals.

               “And how old is your brother?” I ask again in the same tone. You know it. The one your mom uses on you when you have been being an immature pain in the ass and its before 5 PM so she can’t have her Chardonnay yet. That one. The one that promises punishment.

               “Thirteen!” He screams a little when I pinch harder. I smile.

               “And as his elder brother he looks up to you to set an example. You are also older and expected to act like an adult sometimes. He is smaller than you and that makes it easier for you to hurt him when you fight like that. Besides you are brothers! Do you have any idea how much that should mean to you? That’s family. More family than I’ve got anyway. SO, TAKE CARE OF IT AND DON’T FIGHT YOUR BROTHER!” I yell at him. He looks guilty. Good, he should be, picking on his brother like an asshole. I release Dick’s earlobe and then look at Jason who is smiling at me from behind Alfred’s legs. I wink at him.

               “Well that was interesting.” Bruce says after a while. “And you are?”

               “Rebecca Napier, sir, Dick invited me over for the afternoon he said you were okay with it.” I say nervously. He could have me charged with assault for what I just did.

               “I am. Now that that’s over I am going to have my video meeting with Lucius I will be back down for dinner. Oh, and Dick you have good taste in friends.” Bruce smirks before he walks out. Alfred leaves soon after but Jason stays.

               “Why’d you tackle me like that!” Dick asked harshly.

               “Because you invited your special friend over and I asked to meet her and you said no!” Jason said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. He continued, “But, I didn’t think that when I did meet her I would know her. Hi Becca!” Jason greeted me like an old friend and then it all came back. I was helping him scam people on this one street but there was a gang member who found out that we were doing business on his gang’s turf so we had to escape and I distracted them so he could go. I secretly gave him the money because I knew that I was going to end up killed or taken back with them and forced to work for them so I wanted Jason to be okay for a while.

               “What’s up Jaybird?” I smile and we high five. It was good to see him again even if our relationship was a brief one. We lived together for 3 days and then I had to work off a debt to the family. Which actually wasn’t that bad. They didn’t make me do anything that was illegal really, they just kind of made me into a maid/bartender and sometimes I would help them sell marijuana. That was the only really bad part. It got me into a bad habit. I only smoke that good good on the weekend though. And sometimes I still do the family favors and they pay pretty well once they know you and respect you.

               “Happy to see someone that I recognize.” Jason says looking at me intently.

               “Bruce is filing the papers to adopt him. He isn’t enrolled in school yet but he will. He will be in 7th grade.” Dick says.

               “Dude when I knew you on the streets I thought you were way older than you are.” I say confused.

               “Good that’s probably why I survived so long.” Jason said. “How is it over there?”

               “Same old, same old. My roommate got arrested so I now don’t have enough money for rent. I have to pick up some extra work and maybe pull some slight strings.” Jason immediately knows what I mean and Dick, bless him, his completely in the dark.

               “No! Don’t do that! It’s too dangerous. I’ll ask dad if he can help you.” Oh no. That’s Jason’s commander voice. The one that used to get other kids his age to follow him as he took them through raids in convenience stores, selling to the black market, even when he first started scamming. He was stubborn and refused to take no as an answer.

               “NO! I am no accepting charity from Bruce Wayne! I am fine by myself you don’t need to get involved, Jason. I’m the older one here let me take care of myself.” I plead.

               “Wait just what are you talking about?” Dick interjects. I give Jason a look and he glares back.

               “Drug dealing. We are talking about drug dealing. If she can’t get money legally she deals drugs for a local gang. She has been doing it since she was 12 and I was 9.” Jason says monotone. I scowl. Dick looks like he’s in catatonia.

               “How did you know that I’ve even done it that long?” I’m irate at this point.

               “I would see you when I was in the alleys squatting and I would see you selling. You gave me a twenty once. I bought food for myself this other kid I was squatting with.” Jason said.  Well fuck. Dick finally unfreezes.

               “DRUG DEALING? You’ve sold drugs! But why? I know you have a job?” Dick.exe has stopped working.

               “Sometimes it isn’t enough. Especially when they up my rent.” I shrug. A dark look washes across Dick’s face.

               “I’m telling Bruce.” He stalks off. Shit.

 Five hours later and a very stern “You’re staying here” from Bruce along with a two-hour argument over why he “cannot condone a minor living orphaned with another minor in an apartment in that part of town, nor her dealings with the local gangs or the crimes she commits to support herself.”  Bruce was less than happy that his son brought a low-level drug dealer to his house but he understood why I was doing it, now at least he is happy that I never have to do it again and that he could still do some of his night job while the sun’s still up.  Even if that meant he essentially unofficially adopted another kid.

 I have a family again. Home. I have a home.

Note: When Becca says Jaybird its a play on the word jailbird and Jason’s name when Dick says it it’s because Jason is Robin

[outlawnurse]

He Insists - Chapter IV

A RDR2 Modern AU Written by: @ninja-nurse, Inspired by: @heart-of-gold-outlaw and with Special Thanks to: @ceruleanchillin @teumessianfox and @letsloveimagines

Warning: Language, Spoilers

Introduction | Chapter I | Chapter II | Chapter III | Chapter IV | Chapter V

Dutch sat in the tent with Hosea and Arthur. "Those Pinkertons were looking for me.  They had my wanted poster.  How did they know where to find me, Dutch?"  Arthur asked, angrily. "I don't know."  He sighed. "Cait said they were going to offer me a deal." The two men looked at him. "Freedom for us," he hesitated, "if I gave him you." Dutch rubbed his forehead, "Would you have taken it?" "Of course not, Dutch."  His brow furrowed. Dutch sighed. Hosea shook his head, "What are we going to do, Dutch?  They're obviously on to us, and this little visit was a little too close for comfort." "We just need to lay low.  We can't have anymore attention brought down on us."

"I think there's a rat."  Arthur blurt out. "Arthur."  Hosea said with caution in his voice. "How else would they have known about the Blackwater job?  How would they have known where to find us all the way out here, huh?" "....and who do you think it is?"  Dutch asking, knowing the answer. "Micah has been nothing but...." "Son," Dutch started. "No."  Arthur snapped, "Don't 'son' me.  There is something about that man that is rotten, and if you don't trust me, trust Cait." He looked at the man. "She's terrified of him.  She doesn't trust him.  She jumps out of her skin if he so much as looks in her general direction."  Arthur kept his voice low, "The girl knows every goddamn thing that happens to us.  What does she know about him?" Dutch sighed, rubbing his forehead, "I don't know, Arthur, but..." "Can you just.... Can you at least keep a closer eye on him?"  Arthur asked, sounding exasperated.   Dutch nodded, sighing.

Arthur kept his eye on the woman, worried about her after the ordeal. "What are you doing?"  Abigail asked, walking over to the girls, who were working behind Pearson's wagon, "Where's Mr. Pearson?" "We're making dinner tonight."  Sophia looked up, "We're going to celebrate my sister's stupidity." "Stop."  Cait shook her head. Sophia laughed, "You got arrested for pulling a gun on a federal agent... in eighteen ninty nine...  Why don't you just try robbing a bank while you're at it?" Caitlin looked at her for a minute, before bursting into laughter, "Maybe tomorrow me and you can go hit a stage coach!" Abigail shook her head at the two, laughing, glad to see the two getting along again. Arthur smiled to himself, seeing the girl enjoying herself.  His smile faded, as he saw Micah lean on the table, as Sophia stepped away.

"How're you doing, jailbird?" Caitlin's eyes shifted up, meeting with Arthur's first, then looked to Micah, "What do you want, Mr. Bell?" "I want to know why you hate me so much." She didn't answer. "Your lovely sister doesn't hate me." "My sister doesn't know you like I do, Mr. Bell, and I'll thank you to stay away from her." "There has to be a reason." "There is." "...and what would it be?" She looked at him, holding the butcher's knife in her hand, tightly, "I can't tell you why, but I can tell you this...  Be fucking nicer.  Help out a little around here.  Would it kill you to maybe go hunting once and a while?  Do a couple of chores?  The horses could use a good grooming and feeding." "That's Kieran's job." "It's everyone's job." "I don't need to worry myself with chores, Miss Marston, I am a stone cold killer." "You, Mr. Bell," she leaned into him, "are not intimidating." He looked at her, standing tall, "I've been nothing but nice to you and Sophia." "You tried to choke me to death when I first got here." "...but I didn't." "Because Arthur threatened to shoot you!"  She gasped. "Why are you so protective of him?" "Because he deserves to be protected."  She grumbled, returning to her food preparations. "...and I don't." "No, Mr. Bell."  She slammed the knife down on to the table, "You do not.  You don't deserve to be protected.  You don't deserve to be liked.  You don't even deserve to be breathing the same air as the rest of this camp.  I know who you are.  I know what you've done, and I know what you're going to do.  You are not a good man, Mr. Bell." "Because your little lover boy, Arthur Morgan is?"  He scoffed, angrily, "He's robbed just as many banks and trains and stages as I have.  He's killed just as many men as I have.  He's got a mean streak in him that sends shivers down my spine.  You're precious cowboy isn't the saint you paint him to be." "I know who he is." "Well, what's he got that I don't?" "Besides my attention?"  She hissed, pointing the knife at him, "He's not a fucking rat.  I know what you did, Micah." He stared at her, not knowing what to say. "There is still time for redemption though."  She glared at him. He swallowed hard, clenching his teeth. "Stop feeding them information."   "How did you..." "How did I know?"  She scoffed, "I'm from the goddamn future, Micah.  I know everything." "How?" "Oh, my God.  I can't with you anymore.  Just stop being a fucking asshole all the time."  She yelled at him. He balled his hands in fists, walking away. Caitlin slammed the knife down on the piece of meat on the table in front of her, "God, I fucking hate him." Arthur smirked, proud of the girl, who seemed to be toughening up in her time with the group.

"What was that all about?"  Sophia returned. Caitlin rolled her eyes, "Nothing." "You know...  He's not so bad once you get to know him?" "I'm sure Hitler had a good side too, but that doesn't mean I want to spend time with him." "You're being dramatic." Caitlin stepped closer to her sister, whispering, "He killed Arthur." Sophia just looked at her. "Yeah."  Caitlin turned back to the food in front of her, "You know, the deliciously angry looking cowboy standing against the tree that has the most gentle kisses.  The man who is the reason that we had a family to come from.  Him.  Micah is going to kill him." "What does that even mean?" "Arthur sacrificed everything to save John.  He is the reason John, Abigail, and Jack got away from Dutch when he lost his shit.  He is the reason they were able to have a life and a family." "I thought John was killed by Pinkertons." "He was, but... not until years from now, and Jack survived.  Jack did his thing and he started his family, and here we the fuck are, so maybe stop hating him for two minutes just because I fell for him, and thank him, but don't actually, because we shouldn't really tell him what the future is.  If you want to hate someone, hate Micah Bell.  He deserves to be hated." "Honestly, he's not really that bad." Caitlin just looked at her. "Wait, did you just say you kissed Arthur?" "No."  She turned back to preparing dinner. "Goddamn it, Caitlin."  Sophia rolled her eyes.

"Goddamn it, John Marston!"  Abigail yelled. The girls looked up, as the man stormed off, they looked at each other, then back at the man.

"You're just like him, do you know that?" Caitlin shrugged, "The apple doesn't fall that far, I suppose." "What's with you?"  Sophia glanced at her, before returning to making food, "You're... different." "Prison changes a person."  She said, dramatically. She laughed, "Oh, my God, you're so fucking weird."

***

"I need to get out of here for a while."  John looked at Arthur. "Do you want to go swimming?"  Arthur chuckled, "Oh, wait..." "You're not funny." "I am."  Arthur nodded, "Come on.  We can go fishing.  Do you want to bring Jack?" "No." "John." "Arthur, please.  Can't you just be a friend for once?" Arthur looked hurt. "I'm sorry.  I just..." "It's fine."  He pat the man on the back, "Come on."

***

They stood on the river back, "I just don't get Abigail.  Things have been really good between us, you know?  I mean, sure... It was a shock when those girls got here, but...  It's been good.  She's always got to find something to nit pick about." Arthur snickered, "Women." "Speaking of."  John looked at the man. "What?" "You've been getting a little cozy with my little Caitlin." "You're little Caitlin," Arthur laughed, "has eleven years on you, Marston." "She's like two hundred years younger than you!" "Two hundred..."  He shook his head, "John, relax." "I just want to know your intentions with her." "My intentions?" "Do you love her?" "John," Arthur shook his head, "stop.  She saved my life.  She's a good girl.  I'll admit, I'm keen on her, but a girl like her would never be with a man like me.  I'm not good enough for her." "No one is good enough for those girls."  John admitted, "I overheard Mary-Beth and Karen talking about the two of you.  They said they saw you kiss her." "I kissed her.”  He was honest, “I didn't...  it’s not like I..."  He cleared his throat, "You know what?  I'm not talking about this with you." "She's my blood, Arthur.  I have a responsibility to her... to keep her safe." "To keep her safe from me?" John looked at him, "That's not what I meant." "None of this matters anyhow.  We don't know how long she's going to be here.  It'll only hurt both of us if we..."  Arthur squirmed, "I don't like talking about this with you." "Yeah."  John sighed, "This was a bad idea.  I'm sorry." "Sure."  Arthur nodded, "That was a nice salmon you caught earlier.  Shame she got away." "Yeah."  John replied, "I want to bring something to Pearson so he gets off my back." Arthur let out a small chuckle. The two men spent the rest of their fishing trip in silence.

*Horseshoe Overlook, New Hanover*

Caitlin looked up, hearing the two argue. "He's an adult, Susan."  Dutch said, "He can make his own choices." "We all know what he's going to do." "You need to let him decide for himself."  Dutch said, suddenly getting quiet.  He smirked, "Besides, I think with your new... guest... I think he may surprise you." She shook her head, lifting the envelope for Dutch to see, "I hate this girl.  I've always hated her.  She breaks his heart over and over again and he keeps going back to for more." "The boy is loyal to a fault."

"Ain't that the truth." Caitlin grumbled to herself, suspecting she knew what they were talking about.

"I'm not giving it to him."  She shook her head. "You have to." "I don't have to do anything."  The woman turned, calling out, "Cait!" She looked at her, "Yes, Miss Grimshaw?" "Susan, leave the girl out of it.  She's got enough going on as it is."  Dutch sighed. She handed her the envelope. Caitlin tilt her head, "...but it's for Arthur." "Do what you will with it."  She said, "Give it to him.  Don't give it to him.  I don't care, but I will not." Caitlin shoved the letter into the pocket of her apron, "Where is he?" "He went fishing with John."  Dutch offered. She nodded, "Well, dinner will be ready shortly."

Susan knew what she was doing when she handed that girl the envelope.  She had a knack for reading people.  She knew Caitlin was in love with Arthur.  She knew Caitlin had to know about Mary, and the trouble she caused for the man.  She could tell Caitlin had a dark side to her.  She's already see the woman's loyalty and passion for protecting the family.  Moreover, she'd seen the girl's temper.  Susan smiled, knowing she had someone to do her dirty work for her.

***

The group celebrated Caitlin's return from her one night stint in prison in typical Van der Linde Gang fashion.  Food, alcohol, singing, and dancing were in abundance.

Arthur leaned against the tree, his arms crossed, as he watched the group. "You alright there, Arthur?"  Karen stood beside him. "Sure."  He answered, without looking at her. "You look sad." He looked at her, "I'm fine, Karen." She shrugged, watching as Caitlin danced with Sean, "You should ask her to dance." "I don't dance."  He said, firmly. "Not even for the woman you love." "I don't love her." "Do you want to know how I know you love her, Arthur?"  Karen put her hands on her hips, "I never told you who I was talking about.  You just knew." "Stop."  He shook his head. "Come on, you old mope."  She hit him playfully, "Dance with me, and show the love of your life that you are capable of having fun." He sighed, "Fine." She curtsied to him, as he put his hand out to her. He held her hand delicately, as she put her other hand on his shoulder.

Caitlin looked toward the man, as she danced with Sean.  Their eyes met, as he twirled Karen.  She smiled at him.  She felt her heart jump in her chest, as she watched the corners of his mouth turn up, and though it was too dark to see with the shadows of the fire dancing across his face, she knew his cheeks were red.  She lowered her head, blushing herself. "Why don't you go to him, love?"  Sean said, quietly. "Who?" "Arthur Morgan."  The Irishman chuckled, not too drunk to notice she'd been looking at him all night. "Why would I do that?" "...because you love him, so ya do."  He twirled her around, pulling her in close again. "I don't love him." "Oh, but you do, love."  He insisted, "I can see it in your eyes... The way you look at him... You've been in love with that man for a long time, eh?" Her brow furrowed, her step slowed. "It's alright, love."  He slowed to keep in step with her. "His journal was in my family since he..  I couldn't help reading it.  The pictures...  He's so talented, and handsome... It's strange, right?  That I would fall in love with a man who'd been dead for over a hundred years." "Love is a crazy thing."  Sean said, "I personally think that the two of you would do well together.  He needs someone that makes him happy, and I haven't seen the man smile that much since I've known him as he does when you're around." She lowered her head, smiling to herself.

The man had just enough alcohol running through his veins not to care about the consequences of his actions. "Ma'am," he gruff voice all but caught in his throat, "may I have this dance?" Sean smiled. She blushed, putting her hand in his outstretched hand, imitating a sweet southern belle accent, "Well, yes, you may, kind sir." "Well,"  he pulled her quickly, close to himself, his hand on her hip, "I don't know that I would call myself a kind sir, with the thoughts I'm having about you right now." "Arthur Morgan!"  She feigned shock, "Why whatever do you mean?" He swallowed, "Was that too much?" She cocked her head back, laughing, drunkenly, "Arthur, always the gentleman, even when you're trying to be naughty." He blushed. She rest her head on his chest, as Javier played a slower song on his guitar.  She felt him wrap his arm around her tighter, holding her close.   He smirked, feeling her sigh deeply against him, "Why would someone like you be interested in someone like me?" She looked up at him, "Really?" He just looked at her. "Arthur, you may have made some questionable life choices, but...  You really are a good man inside, and a fine looking one on the outside." He laughed. "Arthur, to be honest...  This is going to sound... weird, but..."  She hesitated, unable to look at him, "I fell in love with you years ago." "What do you mean?" She sighed, "Your journal..." "You read my journal?"  He sounded offended. "I mean, you were dead, so...  I didn't think you'd mind." He looked at her for a minute before laughing. She chuckled, resting her head against his chest again. "Well, no I suppose I wouldn't have." "The drawings...  They're wonderful." He grinned. "Where did you learn to be such an artist." "My mother."  He told her, "She taught me to read and to write and how to draw." "She sounds like a fine woman." "She was." The two danced quietly, for a few minutes. "What did you save me from?" "What?"  She looked up at him. "Why didn't you want me to collect that money for Strauss a while back?" She swallowed, finding no harm in telling him now, "Tuberculosis." "Tuberculosis?"  He repeated her words. "The man was sick...  He...  I don't know the details, but that's how you got it.  At least that's what you thought." "...in my journal." "...in your journal."  She sighed, "You were so sick...  There was no way you could have defended yourself when..." He looked at her. "I know you don't think much of yourself, Arthur, but I do." "I ain't a good man." "You are though.  You're a good man who did some bad things, but you've done some good ones too." He just looked at her. Caitlin's eyes shifted, as she caught a glimpse of her sister out of the corner of her eye. "What is she doing?" Arthur looked, sighing, "Micah." "She better not."  Caitlin snapped. "You really don't like him." "Neither do you." "I have a reason."  He looked at her, "I think even more so when I see how much you don't like him.  I'd love to know what you know about him." She just looked at him, sighing, "I don't want to ruin this moment talking about Micah Bell." "That's fair."  He sighed.

Arthur bowed awkwardly to the woman, as the song ended. She laughed, as she curtsied him. He smiled, thriving on the affection he got from the woman.

Micah stood beside the woman, as she stood watching her sister laugh with Arthur, "She's a little hot headed that one, isn't she?" "You have no idea."  Sophia rolled her eyes, "She always was." "I don't understand why she hates me so much."  He spoke softly to her, testing her to see what she knew, "I am not a bad person." "You're an outlaw." Sophie looked at him, "You're not really what I would call a good person, Mr. Bell." He shrugged, "Do you know?" "Know what?" "The things she does... about... all of us?" She shrugged, "Some.  I was never really into our past like she was.  She was closer with Grandpa Arthur and our dad...  I mean, Jesus, the more I get to know John, the more I realize that she's just like him, so it's no wonder." Micah snickered. "She would feed on all those old stories.  Who knows how many of them are even made up or exaggerated?" "Was I in any of them?"  He stood tall. She shook her head, lying, "Not that I know." "Oh."  He seemed disappointed, "I don't get what she sees in that sad cowboy anyway." Sophia looked at him, shrugging, "She sees him for his goodness, I suppose." "His goodness?"  The man laughed, "He's a vicious outlaw!" "That's what I tried to tell her!" "Eh, I wouldn't worry about it too much.  I imagine you girls will go back where you came from soon enough." "I hope so." "You know, if you ever want to get out of camp, I wouldn't mind riding into town with you.  We could get a couple drinks at the saloon and eat some real food... maybe sleep in a real bed?" "Thanks for the offer."  She nodded, only half disinterested. He smiled at her.

*The Next Morning*

"What's that?"  Sophia asked her sister. "It's a letter." "...because you've made so many friends in the last month we've spend in the old west?" "It's not for me."  She made a face at her sister, "It's for Arthur.  Miss Grimshaw gave it to me to give to him, and I forgot about it." She nodded, "I'm going to go see if Mr. Pearson needs any help with breakfast, are you coming?" Caitlin nodded, "I'll be right there."

She looked at the envelope, as she walked toward the lit lantern in the tent, "I'm sorry, Arthur."  She took the glass off, holding the envelope over the fire.  She looked at it for a few minute, the flame threatening to scorch the paper.  She pulled it back, cursing herself, "Damn it."  She blew out the flame, leaving the tent.

Arthur sat on the edge of his cot, slipping his boots on, "Miss Marston, how are we this morning?" "I'm well, Arthur, how are you?" "Is something wrong?"  He noted her tone. She held out the envelope to him, "Miss Grimshaw gave this to me to give to you yesterday, but... I forgot." "Thank you."  He looked at it, then up at the girl, as she turned to leave. "Yep."  Caitlin walked away, but stopped, sighing, looking up to the sky.. He looked at her, curiously, as she turned around, "Are... you ok?" "That's wasn't the truth."  She admitted, "I don't want to lie to you.  You..."  She sighed, "I have to keep enough from you, you deserve the truth when I can give it." He furrowed his brow. "It's from Mary."  She told him, "I wasn't going to give it to you.  I was going to burn it, but...  That's not fair to you." "I appreciate your honesty."  He nodded, looking at the envelope. She nodded, "I just ... I didn't want to see you get hurt." "She's not going to try to kill me, is she?"  He joked. "I suppose not, unless you can die of a broken heart." He didn't know what to say to her. Caitlin took a quick breath, "Well, there you are, so... I'd better get to work before..."

"Miss Marston, I think there are some dirty dishes and utensils over here with your name on them, and the chickens need to be fed.."

Caitlin still looked at Arthur, pointing to the woman, "...before that..." "She really is a great woman."  Arthur stated. "I don't doubt that."  Caitlin sighed, "I just don't know what's harder: quitting my job as a nurse to run the Marston Ranch by myself for the last few years or working for Miss Grimshaw." He let out a little chuckle, as the girl started to walk away, "Miss Marston." She looked back at him, digging her hands into the pockets of the white apron covering her blue skirt. "Caitlin."  He walked over to her, "I wanted you to know that...  Well, what I mean is..." She raised her eyebrows, curiously. "I care about you."  He gestured toward her, "I know you probably won't be here forever, but...  I wanted you to know that." "I care about you too, Arthur."  She felt herself blush, "I want nothing but the best for you, and know that if I'm gone tomorrow that..."  She looked up at him, feeling herself become emotional, "I just want you to know that you are good enough, Arthur.  You've done some bad things, but that doesn't make you a bad person.  You're a good man with a big, loving heart...  I know you love Mary, but...  I've been in relationships like that one, Arthur.  Don't let her continue to hurt you.  You deserve better, whether you think so or not, and I'm not saying that I'm better for you than her, but...  I love you without wanting to change you." He just watched her walk away.  He swallowed down a lump in his throat.  He looked at the envelope, "I'm sorry, Mary..."  He placed it carefully against the woman's picture that he kept by his bed.  He looked at it for a moment, before leaving his tent.

To Be Continued.......

[deathgatesideblog]

The DGC Anime, Part 1

So let’s figure out what DGC would be like as an anime.

(Cut because it’s PRETTY LONG)

Basics:

The theme/opener would be a narration (think Avatar: The Last Airbender) explaining how the Sundering happened and the Patryns and Sartan hate each other. As each world is mentioned, you see  images associated with them.

       Arianus: a dragon-ship, the Kicksey-winsey, and maybe the High Realms?

     Pryan: lots of greenery (with a dragon or two blending into the background), the citadels, a tytan

     Abarrach: a corpse that doesn’t look like a corpse (so it’s fresh) but has a creepy phantasm behind it (also you can’t see the Sartan hair, so I guess it’s bald?), the Fire Sea, Kairn Necros

     Chelestra: an iceberg with… something… inside it… and the iceberg gets a little smaller each episode until all you see are red red eyes…. Surunan, maybe just a shot of the ocean?

Nexus: spires and pretty forests and stuff

Labyrinth: the River of Anger, the Final Gate, lots and lots of bones (possibly being gnawed on by horrifying monsters)

Vortex: idk, a big room, I guess?

*****

Someone would have to figure out Sartan and Patryn runes so that the spells make sense. I do not envy this person.

*****

Character designs are important. Each world and race has a slightly different style. I like to think that Patryns in the Labyrinth wear things like furs, leathers, and low-quality cloth in colors that help them blend into the background. Geg fashion is inspired by the 1800s and early 1900s, aka the Age of the Factory. The Kenkari need to look like butterflies. Humans on Chelestra can be kind of Polynesian-inspired.

Haplo: It’s apparently traditional to garb the hero/protagonist in red and blue, so let’s start him out in a very dark navy shirt and the most blend-in-everywhere brown pants imaginable. And bandages, of course. As the series progresses, he gets to wear lighter blues and maybe a bit of red. If he stays in an elemental world a long time, he keeps his basic color scheme but starts dressing like a human of that place to better blend in… until he gives up pretending he’s not a Patryn, that is. (It would be kind of funny to give him a trace of jailbird orange because he ends up in so many prisons, but I somehow can’t really imagine him in something like that.)

Alfred: He canonically has a pretty dumb, fancy outfit, but I can work with that. It’s purple, but the shirt beneath his coat is off-white. White is the color most associated with the Sartan, but Alfred is a bit, well, off for a Sartan (Zifnab might have a different shade of off-white in his design too). As the series progresses, he loses his frills and stuff so that he looks a bit more influenced by Sartan and/or Patryn styles. Also, it is very important to me that his eyes are the exact same shade of blue as rune-magic/Patryn tattoos to symbolize that 1) he has rune-magic, 2) is in fact obscenely powerful, and 3) has an affinity with the Patryns.

Hugh: Does not wear black because that’s the Kir color. He could also potentially wear dark blue at first because he’s the decoy protagonist. After his resurrection, maybe he could wear very dark purple to symbolize how Alfred has negatively affected him.

Bane: He needs to look nothing at all like the king and queen. 

Marit: In flashbacks, she and Haplo wear typical Patryn garb. In the present, she’s kept the colors and general style, but the quality of her clothes is nicer. Less fur, more fabric. Practical hairstyle. I know it’s long on the one canon picture we have of her (though you could argue that cover art isn’t particularly canon), but maybe short or just shoulder-length? Also weapons.

*****

There are only six seasons. We skip over Elven Star almost entirely. On Abarrach, when Alfred asks Haplo if he found any Sartan on Pryan, Haplo gives like a three-sentence summary of important things we need to know, adds that it was awful and Alfred should be glad he didn’t have to suffer through it, and then we move onto the good stuff. There can be a few more flashbacks when Xar visits the citadel to explain anything more.

*****

Footnotes can be those little pause-things where chibi versions of the characters explain stuff. I don’t know what they’re called. However, we shouldn’t need footnotes about timekeeping because let’s just pretend that everyone uses days and years to avoid confusion, okay? Because the canonical timekeeping systems just confused me.

*****

That’s it for now. Next time I’ll ramble on about my thoughts for the musical score (I do not know much music theory).

Oh wow, what an excellent surprise! These are some really cool thoughts, allow me to add some of my own!

Theme/opener: I like the idea of the first opener being a narration/backstory kinda thing, but I have to also hold out for that classic Anime OP packed with symbolism and showcasing the characters fighting and junk. So gotta have some of those types of openings after the first hypothetical season.

Character designs: I really really did the Geg’s fashion/society being based off Industrial Revolution kinda stuff. Another route you could go is more steampunkish (and you’d have precedent, considering how the video game portrays Drevlin– not that you really want to use the video game for anything, but you feel me, lol) but that’s already kinda based on that time period anyway, so *shrug*

Haplo: iirc Haplo’s usually wearing a white shirt with brown pants and a vest, but heck, man, this is an anime, and more complicated costumes are kind of par for the course. Red-and-blue is a fitting color scheme, certainly.

Alfred: Here’s where anime’s proud tradition of ridiculous outfits can truly shine. Make me proud. Canon-wise he literally spends the whole series in that outfit, and I think it would be kinda funny to reflect that by having him wear the exact same coat all the time but in different colors, to suggest that he’s using the exact same pattern every single time. I think no matter what happens with the rest of his outfit, the coat’s probably staying. He just likes it a lot, okay??

Hugh: I like the idea of dressing Hugh up as a decoy protagonist, very appropriate. To me, his outfit is less important than what his hair’s doing, honestly, lol. He’s got a beard with a braid in it!! That’s cool!! And in the fifth book/season, when he’s depressed, he would look really sloppy and not taking care of himself.

Marit: LOOKS NOTHING LIKE THE ONE IMAGE WE HAVE OF HER, FIGHT ME, IN WHAT WORLD IS CHESTNUT HAIR BLONDE ANYWAY???? But yeah, pretty much what you said :P

Skipping Elven Star: Interesting idea. I mean, sucks if you happen to like that book, but I’M not going to argue with that, certainly, and it definitely seems like it’d be possible to do… You’d miss out on a lot of the setup, and you’d have to rearrange some things, especially concerning Zifnab, which could get messy, but I definitely think you could do it effectively. 

(Relevant addition to this conversation: Hand of Chaos feels like the kind of season you get when the animators are waiting for the manga to get ahead so they make a filler arc. Except it’s not quite a pure filler arc. But it’s disjointed enough from the rest of the series to kind of feel that way. You get me?)

Little chibi characters explaining stuff in lieu of footnotes: OH MY GOODNESS CUTE (would also fit great for bonus episodes, or those little end-of-episode previews that are sometimes a thing)