#how to choice blind rivets

[fixdex-fastening-technology]

❗️The advantages and disadvantages of 4 types of blind rivets are revealed, don’t make the wrong choice again!

read detail https://www.fixdex.com/news/blind-rivet-common-types-and-applicable-scenarios/

[hoiststowline]

winter of our youth

[prologue _ ao3]

Rubber soles slide across the drenched Earth, scrambling to stay upright as the rain plummets against the saturated ground. In a moment of aspiration, pivoting off to the left, it proves devastating to discover a flooded route that only swipes away more of your balance, hair matting against a sweaty forehead as the hike continues to incline. 

Whatever had been previously hot on your heels, or still was, could not be found in your hazy sweep of the area over your shoulder. Heavy breaths escape quivering lips, grabbing and pushing aside jutting branches and shrubbery as they enter your vision seconds too late. The weather hindered most of your senses, feeling that never-ending fear creep up from your stomach and settle heavy in your chest. 

The adrenaline is astronomical, as it's the only matter keeping you from falling flat on your face. Just as you find a sliver of safety, hoping that you are in a position to try and catch your breath, a gunshot fires too close to your location, piercing your eardrums enough your palms come to hold over the sides of your face. 

It was close, closer than you'd ever like to admit lest aloud. Your legs ached with each dig your feet made into the mud, muscles screaming as the uncertainty rings of just how long you'd been running. That paralyzing fear swallowed you whole, sprinting as far as possible in an opposing direction to the threat. Navigating an area in a blinding and disorienting storm would be your downfall, gasping for air as another shot echoes, shuffling around recklessly to pinpoint the problem. 

"What the fuck-" A breathless exclamation with no one to hear it, there is little left to do other than take off once more. Barreling into an open clearing as the sky erupts, a shout of thunder followed by a crack of lightning, fearful and exhausted eyes hurriedly scan the horizon, debating whether or not it was best to keep going or try to find a place to hide. Whatever you had seen had to have been the beginnings of a nightmare, a plea for help tearing through your throat as something rumbles closer, and it was not the present storm. 

Just as you turn to face your demise, something moves from behind you, and suddenly you're flat out on your back, a thunderous heartbeat pulses wildly within an unsteady chest, maneuvering a path up to pink-twinged ears as nothing could be heard beneath the sound of pelting rain.

Massive forearms slam atop the mud at either side of your head, water just missing your body as the looming shadow moves. A scream wishes to tear from your throat, building there as chapped lips tremble, but nothing comes together nimbly enough.

When you blink thrice, begging to awake from such a horrible nightmare, a voice echoes above you, lips hovering around the crown of your head. “Forgive me,” He rumbles, barely audible as one arm jerks back as a hand splays over a fistful of dirt. “Stay down,"

An obvious no wells in your mouth, a familiar sting of tears building behind fearful eyes. This shouldn’t be possible, an overreaching sense of disconnect slapping you across the face.

The robot above you goes eerily still as a stifled cry eventually pulls from your subconscious, having heard it over the pounding noise of rain. Rivets of water slide down his chest, an unnatural sheen as finally, slowly, he pulls back enough that you can glimpse cerulean eyes.

“You're frightened,” He says, nearly buckling under his weight. “Your heart rate is far too high—“

Thunder bellows again, to which you whimper, a flash of fight or flight kicking in, but such a feat remains faulty. “I-I-“ You start, bathed in the soft light his eyes provide. His brow furrows and an unchanging frown settles deep into his face.

He waits patiently, surveying you warily. A thought crosses that perhaps he’d gone about this wrong, though a thinly veiled moment presented him with few choices.

A hand that remains far too large for you to comprehend comes to cradle your side, leaning forward as if to stare you down. “What—?”

“Your heart.” This was far too exigent for you to comprehend, strange not even a feasible word to choke out within your internal dictionary at present. “Try to calm it's pace. You are safe-“

“Am I?” You squeak, anxiety festering and spreading up to your throat, suddenly unable to breathe. It’s the first set of words you’ve sputtered that weren’t stammered syllables of nonsense, your small voice presenting a tiny sliver of relief within the mech.

“Trust that you are safest beside me than any other option.” He says, tilting his head gingerly to the left. “You are not well, though I do not know how much reserve I have to get you to town…"

He’s talking to himself, at least in the latter, but you feel as if your heart is going to beat out of your chest, a whirlwind sweeping you up and spitting you back out. A sickly feeling returns and persistently remains, as glassy eyes roll back into your head, shoulders hitting the soaked Earth with a sudden thud.

Magnus thinks he’s off-lined you, the way he caught the white of your optics before they slammed shut. He had to have scared you so badly that your heart stopped, an exasperated grunt leaving his voice box as he stooped downwards to the ground. His audials strain, bumping against the damp cotton across your body, nearly wheezing as he finds himself begging for a simple beat to pass.

A curse leaves his tongue, lowering himself more, until he’s perching mere pounds of his weight onto your lower half, careful to support his upper at his arms. Finally, though staggeringly faint, he can hear the sound of a heartbeat, shucking himself away from the limp body as rain cascades down his outer plating.

He ex-vents loudly to no one in particular, heaving himself onto his knees as joints creak and give at such a sudden moment. He looks down, feeling an inkling of dread seep up into his chassis. I cannot just leave. He decides, lifting you off the ground with utmost precision, head lolling to the right as his spark sinks. Carefully, he holds you in one servo, cradled just below his chest, unamused at how little you weigh. 

Organics were unfamiliar territory for him, though in his seemingly endless hours of solitude, he took it upon himself to dive headfirst into the research of his current terrain. Until he could figure out how to repair his machinery and restore a proper signal, it was back to his damaged ship he'd return. 

Not wanting to jostle you, though some soreness arises as he stands to his full height, surveying the environment scrupulously. A mild thought passes of what you were doing so deep into the forest with the impending storm but opts to inquire once you've regained your strength. 

With this, he begins his journey back to base, azure optics flitting down to the small form leaned against his spark, and finally, a look of contentedness adorns upon soft features. It's particularly difficult to navigate through the dizzying land, exponentially so as he attempts to filter through the sound of rain for more foes. He's already broken the golden rule: stay out of the sight of organics, though he'd have to plead his case once he gathers his bearings. 

He was no rule-breaker, no, but sometimes he had to skate dangerously close to the edge, and here in lies his razor-thin consequences. Organics are anomalous to him, lest he'll have company as he continues to rattle his communication device, albeit unconscious. 

It remains a nausea-inducing feat, prying apart exhausted eyes that have been separated from reality for an unknown amount of time. 

You find yourself in and out of a state of consciousness, internally begging to return to numb slumber, yet a brush of goosebumps runs along your arms, a dormant urge that you are not alone. Forcing yourself to stay awake, you blink insensibly up at a distant red light, body achingly pliable and general vigor reduced to short erratic jolts of adrenaline. 

The harmless notion that you were safe kicked in, a lie that is too easily seen through, your clammy hands balling into loose fists. With a sprinkling of sporadic toil, you roll over onto one side, now facing away from that irritating flickering light. 

Your eyes move across the unfamiliar area, blanching instantly as the evening's events return to you in droves. That same massive figure sits with his back to you, struggling with something unknown as faint metallic clicks and clanks can be heard. Suddenly, you feel trapped, biting uncomfortably into your finger to quiet your cries as they surface.

Either this was a never-ending nightmare, or you were faced with a distorted version of truth, your brain unable to comprehend that such a being could exist. 

A soft sigh filters throughout the air, wildly unsure that it came from him. You faintly recall his deep voice and forbearing yet stern nature, though your fuzzy memory is not so much of a crutch you'd like to rely on now. A moment passes, horrified he's going to turn around and catch you staring, though he doesn't, broad shoulders slumping as if to shrink more in on himself. He looked displeased, though you couldn't see his face to verify your suspicions. 

You needed to get out of here. Wherever here was, though your legs still felt alarmingly weak, as your head spins mindless thoughts. Struggling to keep your volume at null, you shuffle off what you assume is the dashboard, sliding down until you land in a chair that is impossibly ten times normal size. 

A soundless gasp leaves your mouth as your eyes catch him beginning to move restlessly, curses in a language you would never understand buzzing from his mouth. You had to be unseen as quickly as possible, pushing off the edge of the chair as deftly as pounding bones would allow, making the drop with a soundless whump. 

Keeping close to the wall, you opt to figure out an escape route later, the only thing on your mind is staying out of his line of sight. Hidden behind the shadow of the dash, you watch with tearful eyes as he stands off the floor, easily doubling his height and then some. Sensitive ears catch the sound of gears churning and metal rubbing together gently as he turns, bright eyes headed straight for your previous spot. 

It remains unclear if it was because of your absence or another reason, you observe as his face falls slightly, a jounce of something in his shoulders. “Of course,” He drawls, silver hand running down the length of his face. “Something else to go wrong,” 

That, for some benign reason, yanks on your heartstrings. He sounded so defeated like you'd rather be anywhere else but beside him (though true, your emotions get the better of you for a fleeting moment). For how…inhuman he appeared, he still had struggles and one of the most persistent was you. 

He scans the space, listening intently for what you assume is the shuffle of your feet. Shakily, you release a breath you didn’t recall holding in, palms splayed out against the cool metal of the wall.

”I’ve only had my back turned for four kliks,” He muses as another beat passes causing you to pale, realizing he’s talking to you. “You are still here,” 

You were faced with two options, though neither indicated your liking. Reveal your hiding spot, or dodge him long enough until he gives up. Yet, something tells you he wasn't the kinda guy to just, stop looking for you, and while you relentlessly poured over pros and cons, it was all in dramatic vain. 

He's found you with no trouble at all but doesn't announce it nor peel you from the corner. You're frozen in fear, hands now placed over your trembling lips as he crouches before you, one hand steadying himself on the control panel to your right. 

"You are injured. Yet you try to run," He uses his head to point to the chair, unraveling your loophole too soon. "I have no intentions of harming you," 

Almost like a peace offering, he presents you with one digit, bent at the bottom knuckle as if you were holding another's arm for support. He eyes your wobbly legs and shivering form, understanding wordlessly that you are far from perfect health. 

"Hm." He mumbles, sitting back on his haunches, a wary look on his face. "This may be disorienting, but you must trust me. I would not have saved you if I did not have your best interest in mind," 

Trust? You want to erupt in laughter, but the knot in the bottom of your belly twists tighter to not agitate the literal metal giant in front of you. It was evident he hadn't hurt you yet, so the least you could hope was that he was telling the truth, your fingers slipping slowly away from your prickled skin. 

"Very well," He thrums, the austere look disappearing from his strong features, though nothing soothing comes to replace it. "What can I provide so you can at least come away from the corner?" It's mildly infuriating that Magnus finds himself entertaining such childish behavior. Yet, this remains his sole encounter with an inhabitant of Earth, and doesn't wish to deploy stoic and unfriendly conduct just yet. 

It remains that he feels a tad bit of guilt, though he would not disclose such upper-hand information so soon. 

"Wh-who are you?" It's so small, spoken as if rushed out in a single breath. That appears to be the first question you have, so he decides he'll play along if only to satiate your nerves. 

"My designation is Ultra Magnus," He replies, unable to pull his optics from the tear stains that litter your cheeks, wide eyes leaking fluid. "And what may I call you?" 

Magnus observes as you take three shaky steps out of the shadows, unimaginably tiny appendages flexing in and out of small fists. "y/n," You rasp, finding your throat to be dried and bristled with webs of irritation. 

Delight pulsates in his spark, a compact victory, though no outward reaction would convey it. 

"Magnus," You echo, and he's half-minded to prompt you of the first part, but he doesn't wish to back-peddle in his progress. "Please...can I just go home?" 

"Certainly," He says without missing a second, no hesitation. "I imagine I can do that," 

A mindless thank you stumbles past your lips, a notion that does not go unnoticed by the mech.

"Is this...like as weird for you as it is for me?" He mildly grimaces at such poor grammar but opts to answer your question with a single nod. 

"Not strange, but you are the first organic I've made contact with," You frown a tad deeper at his choice of terminology. "You're afraid, rightfully so."

"I...I'm sorry," You feel as if you owe it to him, feeling a warmness that radiates from him, layers of living metal. Your reaction was warranted, though you don't doubt you could have been an ounce nicer in a rushed state of delirium. 

"That is unnecessary," Magnus is sure you didn't intend this outcome when you planned your day. Though, he must say having an actual conversation for the first time in far too many rotations to count was satisfying. "Once you regain your strength, we shall go,"

Feeling unfathomably small, utterly drained, and exhausted, yet the word tumbles out from your mouth before you can stop it. “Promise?” You ask, meekly. 

Though the translation is lost to him, he can understand what you are asking him to comply with. He grunts, a sputter of his voice box, to which a single nod follows. “Yes,”

His finger falls back to his side, understanding he hasn't gained your trust just yet. Shifting so you aren’t trapped beneath his shadow, he taciturnly urges you to walk first, your brain forcing your legs to move. With unsteady steps, you ultimately pull forward and hobble away from the wall. 

You aren’t so comfortably fooled by his kindness, your eyes never leave him as you now move toward the center of the room. Briefly, you catch what he was working on while you were asleep, a hunk of metal with several wires protruding from each side. 

“My communication device,” Magnus says, only moving when you are a reasonable distance away from him. “I’ve been struggling to repair it.”

”Is there someone you are trying to reach?” When you look up at him, he appears uncomfortable crouching like that but doesn’t make any move to stand. “I...guess that's none of my business." 

As if he ignored you entirely, once you take one more step to the right, he opts to stand in full. Nausea floods you, staggering backward until your back hits the device. With a single oof,  more tears prick your eyes, threatening to fall. 

"Stay," He-Magnus informs you gruffly as if you were some kind of pet. "I have something to attend to, and then I shall see about getting you home," 

Your heart seizes, jumping up to your throat as he moves, your unashamed eyes bouncing up the set of long legs that attach to a blue and red torso. He is fucking terrifying, a dizzying enigma that you had little care to decipher. 

"Right," Spluttering distastefully, he slips from the room, a panel sliding over behind him to keep you trapped within four silver walls, a test to keep you at bay.

As if there was little else to go, you sink onto the floor with a bemused huff, chin in your hand as you stare down alien technology that just simply should not exist. Nothing within it appears to make any rational sense to you, a nagging thought relentlessly reminding you that this was all a dream. 

A bad one, though if you awoke any minute now, you'd be a happy camper. Contracting your fingers to regain feeling, your index comes to prod at a port that looks eerily familiar, but you are unable to place which cord exactly matches such an outline. You aren't left alone long, a gasp tearing from your lips as the door slides back over, his figure filling the doorway effortlessly. 

"I have a few questions," He says, and you discover you have little choice in the matter as he takes a painstakingly slow step into the room. Your imagination could be the most lucid thing in the world, and you're certain you could never create this unless you were-

"Am I dead?" You whisper, poking and prodding at your arms and legs, palm crawling upwards to smack your cheeks. Magnus hears your query, helm cocking gently to the right as he observes your once-over. 

"y/n," A chill runs the length of your spine, scrambling to stand and face the so-called savior. "You are not offline. Perhaps this has been too overwhelming," 

Magnus stiffens as you explode into a fit of laughter, head thrown backward, foundering over your own two feet. "You think?" 

It escapes you too quickly. You're feverish, lost in a comfortable position as you just presented the utmost sarcasm to an alien who could kill you. 

"I didn't, I-I'm sorry, I-" The switch up of your mood alarms him, unsure if he truthfully thought it was best to let you return home. With a hiss, you mutter to yourself. "Fuck. I'm a mess." 

"You did not offend me," He rumbles, strangely enough. "Your behavior is what is concerning me," 

Magnus did not miss the way you were previously enthralled with the communication device, fingers running along the protruding wires, and unplugged ports. You know something, and while he knows it would never be tonight, he is inclined to ask why at some point, if you don't hate him before this interaction is all over. 

He shouldn't care if you dislike him or not. You are not the reason for his impromptu landing on Earth, though it would be painful to implore your assistance in the matter. 

"I...just want to go home, crawl into bed, and pretend none of this ever happened." There you go again. "No offense," 

"Very well." Magnus turns, making a sweeping motion with one hand, gesturing you towards the door he just came from. "I shall get you home. The questions are not of utmost importance,"

No, you won't have the chance to interrogate me. The voice in your head blares, casting one last look at the machine behind you before walking towards the door. 

You're observant, Magnus notes. If he could conceivably gain your full trust, you may prove a good ally. 

"How are we getting there?" He has to control his gait considering your much shorter one, trailing behind you a few paces as you eventually exit his desolate base. Re-entering the greenery was a breath of fresh air, the damp ground sinking gently around the soles of your shoes. 

He knows how you are, but with how you reacted to his bipedal mode, you would likely not take the introduction of his alt-mode any better. "Er-" 

"What?" You hate how...congenial this has become. "Oh. I'll walk, I don't care." 

"We are far from town." He's looking to the left, avoiding your eyes. "It'd be a great journey for you to take without assistance." 

He's avoiding something, and just as you spin to ask what was so tied up in his tongue, there's a loud clunking noise that steals your breath. "What...the fuck." 

That'd be it, just another bizarre piece to a puzzle you were mentally splicing together, and just where Magnus was once standing, a sleek blue truck now sits. "It was to avoid you fainting again,"  The passenger door pops open, his painfully recognizable voice echoing from within the cabin. "If I attempted to explain myself, you'd likely think me insane," 

"Somehow, it gets weirder." You breathe, hand running down the length of your face in one unhurried swipe. "Dude-"

"Ultra Magnus." He promptly corrects, as if you'd forgotten. 

"Of course." Shoulders slumping, you cast one more look into the dense woods, thinking twice about darting off into them. He could and likely would simply catch you and then you'd have a robot-car-thing angry with you, and you weren't entirely sure that was the best move. 

"You still do not trust me," He sounds disappointed as if you were inadvertently affronting him. "Trust that this is better than navigating this environment. And we do not know if what was chasing you last night is still at large," 

The memory sacks you hard in the stomach, that same feeling of fear and dread that slithers up your ankles and claws up to your neck. Something was chasing you last night and you still wanted an answer to what that was-

But it seemed either Magnus did not know, or was not going to tell you. "Come. I still have some questions, and I am certain you have some as well," 

"I hate this, you should know," The rigidity leaves your sore muscles, urging you across the mud as you shakily step up onto the ledge just below the cabin. Looking inside, you catch the clean interior, and high-tech console that descends with a GPS. 

"You do not have to explain," It's eerie, and though you do not know it, Magnus can feel your fingers tremble as they wrap securely around the handle on the inside of his door. "I will get you home safely, and I am hopeful it will display a level of trust." 

A cursory thought passes as to why he talks like this as if this isn't the last time either of you will interact, but with a burst of courage, you heave yourself into the leather seat, the door closing over just as quickly to seal your fate. A fast rattle off of your address sends him into an engine turnover, idling for half a minute before he begins through the saturated grounds. 

"First," Magnus starts, and you catch how his interior mirror moves as if to address you. "You cannot speak a word of this to anyone. You are the only organic I am in contact with, so I will know it was you,"

A veiled threat, but you offer a nervous laugh in reply. "If anyone would listen, I doubt they would believe me. They'd blame my daydreams on alcohol," 

"I am serious." It's firmer, more stern. "You mentioned a...promise, earlier, correct?" 

The word sounds foreign to him, but he seemingly understood it in your several moments of weakness. "Yes?" 

"Promise me then." As if he failed to recall it, your seatbelt clicks across your lower waist, gentle but unyielding. "Do I have your word?" 

"All yours, Magnus. I promise not to tell," Your hands slide underneath your thighs, sitting on them to prevent your curiosity from touching something you weren't supposed to. 

"You're being sincere." He muses as if he didn't believe it himself. "You may ask a question now if you'd like." 

"I...all of them seem pretty dumb now." Catching that now you were rolling on toward the main highway, another matter pressed forth with priority. "I suppose I owe you a proper thank you. For saving me, I doubt I'd been as lucky if whatever that was caught me." 

A beat too long passes, and you think he's upset with you for some otherworldly reason, but he brushes you off easily. "Nonsense. You owe me nothing, think nothing of it." 

"You can take the next exit, it's a bit shorter than cutting through town," You offer, feeling a bit of calmness wash over you until his next query knocks the wind out of your sails. 

"What were you doing in those woods, y/n?" It's the second time he's uttered your name, and it sounds so structured as if he wanted to pronounce it perfectly. "It is no place for anyone at that hour, let alone in that weather." 

The snarky comment rises like a weapon in your mouth, but a sensation to just be vague about it all appears as a better route. "I like to go there from time to time to get my mind off things." That's just blatantly untrue. "Didn't realize the storm." 

Magnus could point out the many holes in your story, the lack of transportation how you even arrived there, the fact it had been raining all afternoon into the evening, and much much more, but he decided to humor you for the time being. 

"Hm." He says, but nothing more. 

The rest of the ride unravels into an awkward silence, another ten minutes of brutal airless words until he eventually pulls onto your street. He rolls to a stop in front of your driveway, the door swinging open as your seatbelt retracts. Another intruding thought passes that you likely should not have given him your address, maybe a fake one or even the mall-but he always appeared to be one step ahead of you. 

"I shall make sure we were not followed," He says, mirror following you as you slip from the seat. "You are safe, rest assured." 

"S'all about trust, right?" You reply, standing on that step once more. "Somewhere, in my subconscious, I trust you. You kept your word,"

Goodbye seemed harsh, so you opted to pat his dash clumsily before pacing down onto the asphalt. Without another word, the door shuts over, much softer this time, as you begin up the driveway clammy hands stuffed inside jeans pockets. The front steps were daunting, the ache returning to your joints as you took them slowly, vacillating to the front door with a dizzying amount of thoughts overcrowding your mind. 

You can feel a set of eyes on you, and when you turn to look over your shoulder, that blue truck is gone, disappearing as if it was never really there. You could trust your better judgment, but you also remember the three beers from last night as well. With a heavy sigh, you unlock the door, pushing it open before briskly closing it over behind you, spine slamming onto the wooden surface with little mercy. 

This was so insane, an unimaginable nightmare and silly daydream as you descended onto the floor, mud-caked clothes being put off for another moment to gather yourself. The chaos was extremely inordinate, but some part of your warped memories recall that Magnus wanted this friendship to continue. He never spoke it verbally, but you could pick up on the clues well enough without his forwardness. 

A bath, and then some hot tea. Or the other way around, or maybe a Tylenol, just to prohibit the migraine you could feel creeping to the front of your brow bone. 

[thetypedwriter]

All the Light We Cannot See Book Review

All the Light We Cannot See Book Review by Anthony Doerr

This probably wasn’t the lightest novel to choose to read on my honeymoon, but at least it was enjoyable. Lightest both in terms of girth and weight (my suitcase could barely fit anything else), but also in terms of subject matter. 

All the Light We Cannot See is a novel set during the rise and fall of WW2. It mainly follows two main characters, Werner, an incredibly smart German orphan who finds himself at one of Germany’s elite school where they train him in the Nazi ideology, and Marie-Laure, a blind French girl who finds her world thrust upside down with the German invasion of Paris (her home) and the subsequent events that follow. 

Heavy, right?

I don't usually love war books, not because they’re not interesting or important, but because they sit heavily on my heart. All the Light We Cannot See was not an exception. 

In addition to Werner and Marie-Laure, we see other characters and their motivations, Marie-Laure’s father, her uncle, Werner’s sister, a man on the hunt for a valuable jewel called the Sea of Flames.

All these characters intertwine with Werner and Marie-Laure, weaving an inextricable web where even the smallest choices create a large, rippling effect for others. 

All the Light We Cannot See also experiments deliberately with time. I tried to explain the plot to my now husband on our trip and found that it was difficult to relay.

The novel starts with a chapter centering around Marie-Laure hiding in her home in Saint-Malo as bombs and fire erupt around her. You then transition to Werner and his fellow German soldiers who are shooting off said bombs.

Then, in the very next chapter, Marie-Laure is five years old, Werner is a child in a rundown orphanage and the war is ten years off. 

Instead of taking the whole novel to reach back up to the climatic moment of the opening chapter, Doerr continues to alternate between these two timelines, effectively making a future present and a past present.

These two presents eventually meet two-thirds of the way through the novel. From there, the book becomes chronological until the end. 

I’ve never read a book with an intricate timeline that worked as well as this one did. While it was hard to elucidate upon, it was never confusing to read about.

Doerr did an excellent job of maintaining clarity while also crafting invisible threads that pulled tighter and tighter and tighter until it formed a knot towards the end. 

Other than the pacing and the characters, the book was beautifully written. Very introspective and thought-provoking without being pretentious or verbose.

It contained a multitude of historical details without making me feel like I was reading a textbook (an issue I have with a lot of historical fiction). 

I could get into the nitty-gritty of the plot, but you probably already have a decent idea of what it contains and how it ends. Chronicling the lives of Werner and Marie-Laure during this intense time of human history was a fascinating read, especially seeing the juxtaposition between them.

Doerr’s decision to include a main character who was blind was also an interesting choice that gave this book a fresh perspective that was much needed amongst the saturation of books similar in nature to All the Light We Cannot See. 

Including the characters, timeline, treading lightly of burdensome subject matter, and the prose itself, this novel was one that I ingested from the beginning and stayed riveted throughout the entirety of the story. 

Recommendation: As a whole, I enjoyed All the Light We Cannot See, but definitely believe that there is a time and place to read it. Some of the details are horrific to imagine, let alone realize that they occurred. Tread with caution, but also don’t miss out on a great book with a lot to offer and teach if you are up for it. 

Score: 7/10

[the-influx-of-film]

****The following does contain spoilers****

John Wick Chapter 4: Movie re-cap and analysis

Film directed by Chad Stahelski

Hardships of Friendships

The fourth instalment of John Wick is a culturally diverse motion picture, accompanied by a riveting storyline and an array of new characters. The action painted throughout the film is thrilling and necessarily excessive. And Keanu Reeves brings forth a captivating, energetic performance, accompanied by his cool, careful and determined demeanour. The soundtracks compliment and elevate these performances.

Throughout the film, we also delve deeper into John’s life, exploring more of his past connections with old associates and, face new challenges alongside him, especially regarding friendships.

Loyalty is tested with some friends, while loyalty is never questioned with others. Shimazu Koji, the manager of the Osaka Continental Hotel, was one of John’s friends whose loyalty we never question throughout the film. One of the quotes which stood out was actually from Koji. He said, “friendship means little when it’s convenient.” If we inverse this quote, Koji implies, friendship means a lot when it is inconvenient. It is this which is reflected in the film. John is in trouble with the High Table, and has very few loyal friends left. This is why he turns to Koji because he is desperate and knows Koji will be there to provide service and safety. Koji conveys to John that despite the bad blood he brings to Osaka, his loyalty lies with him. Koji is also quick to defend Wick when his daughter warns him of John’s destruction, demanding she respect the long-time connection between her father and his old friend. Here, the audience identifies Koji as a trustworthy character whose only motivation is keeping an old friend alive and helping him in his journey to freedom. We know this because John doesn’t hold a marker up against Koji. Koji’s loyalty to John contrasts to the actions portrayed by some other characters in the film.

On the other hand, loyalty is tested between old friends. The Marquis Vincent de Gramont, who represents the High Table, is responsible for this occurring in the film. The Marquis is a smart, but evil character, who does everything in his power to stop John’s antics and regain order within the underworld. In this case, he employs Caine, an old associate, and friend, of John Wick to make a difficult choice. Vincent discovers a weakness here and takes advantage, encouraging Caine to choose between killing John or, the High Table murdering Caine’s daughter. The audience senses Caine’s hesitancy when he finds out who he needs to kill, but accepts the job. Like John, Caine is also forced back into a world he once also left. Also like John, Caine is a fantastic fighter, even with the added disadvantage of being blind. Despite them being pinned against each other, they ultimately work together to kill the Marquis de Gramont, even if it was unintentional. John didn’t end up shooting his last bullet because Caine shot his bullet first, injuring John quite badly, causing his inevitable death. However, before John dies, Marquis stepped in to shoot John, John still had a bullet, shooting the Marquis and hence Caine was free and his daughter now safe. So, John also played a role in sacrificing his life for Caine when the Marquis decided to step in, ego and all. This interpretation was confirmed by Chad Stahelski himself in an interview, according to Screen Rant: https://screenrant.com/john-wick-chapter-4-director-chad-stahelski-interview/

Perhaps John made this sacrifice because he knows the power of loving another human being, and how that love motivates you to be a better person. Hence why he ultimately didn’t want to rob Caine of experiencing that love, or his daughter losing it. This contrasts to Akira who loses her father, by the hands of Caine, who is seen attempting to seek revenge in the final scene of the film. But this is another can of worms with the potential of further exploration.

The themes friendship, consequences and death go hand-in-hand in this film. Friendship and the loss of that are set up at the beginning of the film when Charon is murdered by the Marquis in front of Winston. Charon always remained on the sideline amongst the chaos in the hitman world. However, was a consistently loyal friend to Winston and John. Charon also brought a sense of calm to the films, whenever John entered the lobby. He looked after John’s dog at one stage and helped fight against the High Table when it was announced as deconsecrated. Throughout the franchise, the audience has grown fond of his respectable and humble manner as well. This is yet another loss John has to endue while he continues to grieve the loss of his wife, Helen. So, this isn’t the first time things have become personal for John, but it is the first time a friend has died for John’s actions. Don’t forget Winston’s beloved Continental Hotel getting bombed down by the Marquis too. It is here where the audience understands that this might be the time John is forced to stop and evaluate; meeting his fate from the High Table. Charon’s death casts a dim light on John’s future, as John and the audience are left hurt when he is sacrificed. So, despite the sheer will John has exhibited throughout the franchise, he may be incapable of going any further.  

The ideas of friend and enemy are blurred in this film, and at times conflate to represent the never-ending chaos in the underworld. John and Caine’s friendship has reached an unforeseen tragedy, being pinned against each other but, they have similar motivations because they are fighting for the ones they love, Caine fighting for his daughter’s life, and John fighting to live to remember his wife. Some friendships are less complicated in the film, like the one between John and Koji, while others are tragically taken away from us. The loss of Charon was a shock to us all. RIP Charon… and Lance. 

[very-grownup]

Tonight on Anime Girls' Night we hit the episode of Monster where you finally hear the entire Nameless Monster story and Tenma's attempted assassination of Johan with the library fire.

One of the live action anime adaptations that's brought up is Guillermo del Toro's interest in doing Monster and how unnecessary it would be, because there's nothing really to adapt, it's in many ways a straightforward mystery thriller that just happens to have been a serialized comic. It's probably the least cartoony of Urasawa's work, with very few characters occupying that extreme Tezuka Star System area.

But the same could be said about how unnecessary it was to adapt the manga into an anime. It's probably one of the most faithful anime adaptations I've seen. None of the little story nooks are dropped, you could compare panels with screenshots and find little deviation.

I was riveted by tonight's episode. Unlike the recent adaptation of Pluto, Monster is a workmanlike anime. It's no big budget years in the making series of mini-movies. But I was enraptured and then tense, holding my breath in the final moments, even though there's no actual narrative tension for me as a viewer.

The Nameless Monster section was done with animation just different enough from the regular narrative to be striking, given enough motion that the Nameless Monster looks a bit flipbook in his animation. The choices of what to animate and how, instead of just leaving it as static illustrations, walks a line between funny and unsettling that doesn't leave you feeling horrified when you reach the final line, but simply ... weird. The subtle wrongness of the book is conveyed while also being fully 'yeah that sounds like a kid's picture book'. The repeated elements are key there, as is the dedication to what you know would be a full page where the only text is the eating sounds.

The part of the episode in the library builds dread and tension with very little action but well-timed cuts between Tenma hidden with his sniper rifle, Johan in the wings, and Schuwald before the audience. A large portion of the episode is Tenma not shooting but it's effective as hell.

As everything goes to hell, something about the animation on Schuwald's pale blind eyes evokes the techniques used at the beginning of the episode for the storybook, seeming to tremble, the only mobile part of his stunned face.

[bricksandmutualaid]

Comrades,

Today was a monumental day in the ongoing saga of educational absurdity, and by “monumental,” I mean completely brain-meltingly stupid.

I got detention. Twice.

Why, you ask? Did I pull the fire alarm for fun? Set off a homemade smoke bomb? Start a full-blown rebellion against the tyrannical rule of Mrs. Flynt?

No. I turned on the eyewash station for someone literally splashed in the face with chemicals.

Yeah. Let that sink in.

So there we are, Chemistry class, scene of the crime. We’re doing some experiment involving ammonium chloride dissolved in water—riveting stuff—when a classmate fumbles their flask, and BOOM, face full of chemical solution. Now, I’m no expert, but I’m pretty sure the correct response to chemicals in your eyeballs isn’t stand there like a deer in headlights, but rather flush that nonsense out immediately.

But plot twist: Mrs. Flynt—who, I should add, is married to the ASS principal (oh, the nepotism) —has this dictatorial policy where anyone who touches the eyewash station gets detention. Yes, you read that right. Using a literal safety device meant for emergencies is somehow a punishable offense in her little dystopian dictatorship.

So what does the poor, splashed-in-the-face student do? Panic—because they don’t want to get in trouble. They refuse to turn on the eyewash station.

At this point, my brain had two choices:

Let them potentially go blind because of some Kafkaesque school rule.

Be a decent human being and turn the damn thing on.

Naturally, I chose option 2. Because, y’know, basic human decency and all that.

So, the girl rinses her eyes, doesn’t go blind (yay), and just as I’m starting to think “Well, maybe common sense will prevail and Mrs. Flynt won’t actually punish someone for preventing an ocular disaster”, I hear it—

“To the principal’s office. NOW.”

Oh, but it gets better. I walk in, and the ASS himself (a.k.a. Mr. Flynt, Fascist Fuckface) decides that not only do I deserve one detention for saving someone’s vision, but when I point out how mind-numbingly stupid this rule is, I get a second detention for “talking back.”

Sir, if enforcing a literal life safety rule is talking back, then go ahead and slap a big ol’ WANTED poster on my forehead because I’m officially a menace to academia.

And you know what? I told him to his face that if this situation happened again, I wouldn’t hesitate for a single second to do the same thing. You’re welcome, society.

After the absolute buffoonery that was today, I called my dad, and guess what? He’s coming home in a couple of weeks! Now, granted, I could do without his libertarian rants about the free market fixing everything (spoiler: it won’t), but honestly? I’d rather hear about the gold standard for three days straight than deal with another round of Flynt family fascism.

He also told me he was proud of me for doing the right thing, even knowing it would get me in trouble. And I gotta say… that felt pretty damn good.

So yeah, moral of the story? The education system is broken, I have two detentions, and I’m still the only person in this school with a functioning moral compass.

[jeepknowledge]

How to Install Suparee Jeep Headlights on a 2018 JL Wrangler

How to Install Suparee Jeep Headlights on a 2018 JL Wrangler

Upgrading your Jeep's headlights can make a world of difference, especially if you’ve been dealing with dim or inadequate stock lighting. Suparee Jeep headlights, known for their durability and superior brightness, are a fantastic choice for your 2018 JL Wrangler. In this article, we’ll walk you through the step-by-step process of installing these headlights, ensuring that your ride is both stylish and functional.

Introduction to Suparee Jeep Headlights

Suparee is a trusted name in the Jeep community, offering high-performance headlights designed specifically for off-road vehicles. Their headlights are known for providing enhanced brightness, durability, and modern aesthetics, making them a popular choice for Jeep enthusiasts.

So, why should you consider upgrading to Suparee headlights? For starters, they significantly improve night-time visibility and give your Jeep a rugged, modern look. If you’re someone who loves taking their Wrangler on adventures, Suparee headlights are a must-have upgrade.

Understanding Your 2018 JL Wrangler’s Stock Headlights

The stock headlights on the 2018 JL Wrangler are adequate for standard driving conditions, but they fall short in off-road environments or when driving at night. They lack the brightness and precision that aftermarket options like Suparee provide. By upgrading, you get better illumination, which is essential for both safety and style.

Benefits of Suparee Headlights for the 2018 JL Wrangler

Improved Visibility: Suparee headlights offer up to 300% more brightness compared to the stock headlights.

Enhanced Aesthetics: They give your Jeep a sleek, modern look with LED lights that are more attractive than the traditional halogen bulbs.

Durability: Suparee headlights are built to last, made from tough materials that can withstand the elements, making them perfect for off-road adventures.

Tools and Materials Needed for Installation

Before you dive into the installation, gather the following tools and materials:

Suparee headlights (make sure they are compatible with the 2018 JL Wrangler)

Flathead and Phillips screwdrivers

Socket wrench set

Pliers

Electrical tape

Pre-Installation Preparations

Park in a Safe Place: Make sure your Jeep is parked on a flat surface with plenty of room around it to work.

Disconnect the Battery: Safety first! Always disconnect the battery before working on any electrical component of your vehicle to avoid accidental shocks.

Step-by-Step Guide to Installing Suparee Jeep Headlights

1. Removing the Jeep Grille

Begin by popping open the hood.

Use a flathead screwdriver to remove the plastic rivets securing the grille.

Gently pull the grille away from the vehicle.

2. Removing the Stock Headlights

Use a socket wrench to remove the bolts holding the stock headlights in place.

Carefully disconnect the wiring harness from the back of the headlights.

3. Installing the New Suparee Headlights

Position the new Suparee headlights where the old ones were.

Reconnect the wiring harness, ensuring it’s properly aligned.

Secure the new headlights with the bolts you removed earlier.

Wiring and Electrical Connections

Wiring the new headlights is straightforward. Most Suparee headlights come with a plug-and-play harness, making installation a breeze. Just connect the new wiring harness to the existing one in your Jeep. Be sure to double-check that all connections are snug to avoid flickering or malfunctions.

Testing the New Headlights

Before reattaching the grille, test the new headlights. Turn on your Jeep and switch on the lights to ensure everything is working correctly. Adjust the beam alignment if necessary, so it illuminates the road effectively without blinding other drivers.

Troubleshooting Common Installation Issues

Headlights not turning on: Double-check the wiring connections.

Misaligned beam: Adjust the headlight aim using the adjustment screws.

Flickering lights: This could be due to a loose connection or incompatible wiring, so make sure everything is securely in place.

Why Suparee Headlights are Worth the Investment

While Suparee headlights may be more expensive than some other aftermarket options, the benefits are clear. They offer superior brightness, better durability, and a stylish upgrade for your Jeep, making them worth every penny.

Maintaining Your New Suparee Headlights

To keep your Suparee headlights in top condition:

Clean them regularly with a microfiber cloth and headlight cleaner.

Avoid moisture build-up by checking seals periodically to ensure they are intact.

Legal Considerations for Headlight Modifications

It’s essential to check your local laws before installing aftermarket headlights. In some regions, overly bright or misaligned headlights can lead to fines or failed inspections, so make sure your Suparee headlights meet the legal requirements.

User Reviews and Feedback on Suparee Headlights

Most users rave about the brightness and longevity of Suparee headlights. Many Jeep owners note how easy the installation process is and how much safer they feel driving at night.

Where to Buy Suparee Headlights

You can find Suparee headlights on trusted online platforms like Amazon or directly from Suparee’s official website. Be sure to purchase from a reputable seller to avoid counterfeit products.

Conclusion

Upgrading to Suparee headlights on your 2018 JL Wrangler is a no-brainer if you want better visibility, a modern look, and durable lighting for your adventures. The installation process is straightforward, and the benefits far outweigh the costs. Get ready to hit the trails with confidence, knowing your new headlights will light the way!

FAQs

Are Suparee headlights waterproof? Yes, Suparee headlights are designed to be waterproof and weather-resistant.

Do I need professional help to install these headlights? No, you can install them yourself with basic tools, though professional help is always an option if you're not comfortable.

How long does the installation process take? The installation should take about 30 to 60 minutes, depending on your experience.

Will these headlights fit other Jeep models? Suparee headlights are designed for various Jeep models, but always check compatibility before purchasing.

Are Suparee headlights street-legal? Yes, as long as they are properly aligned and meet local regulations for brightness and beam patterns.

[nehametal]

Nickel 201 Screw Manufacturers In India

In the world of fasteners, selecting the right material is crucial for ensuring durability and performance in various applications. Nickel 201 screws are one such option, renowned for their excellent resistance to corrosion and high-temperature performance.

Introduction

Nickel 201 is a commercially pure wrought nickel, offering exceptional corrosion resistance, especially in reducing environments. Its low carbon content makes it suitable for applications requiring high ductility and resistance to embrittlement. As a result, Nickel 201 screws are highly sought after in industries where these properties are essential.

Product Overview

Nickel 201 screws are fasteners made from Nickel 201 alloy, designed to hold objects together securely. These screws are used in a variety of industrial and commercial settings due to their unique characteristics, which include excellent corrosion resistance, thermal stability, and ease of fabrication.

Specifications

Nickel 201 screws have several key specifications that make them stand out:

Specifications

ASTM B 160 ASME SB 160

Standard

IS, ASTM, BS and all International Standards

Length

3 mm to 200 mm

Size

M3 – M56 | 3/6″ to 2″ | Custom Sizes

Type

Hex Head Screw, Socket Head Cap Screw, Socket Set Screws, Anchor Screw, Blind Rivet, Concrete screw, Threaded Screw, Steel Shoulder Screw, Panel Screw, Machine Screw.

These specifications make Nickel 201 screws an excellent choice for demanding applications requiring both strength and flexibility.

Benefits

Nickel 201 screws offer several advantages that make them a preferred choice in various industries:

Corrosion Resistance: Nickel 201 is highly resistant to corrosion in neutral and reducing environments, making these screws ideal for chemical processing and marine applications.

High-Temperature Performance: With a high melting point, Nickel 201 screws maintain their structural integrity even at elevated temperatures.

Ductility: The low carbon content of Nickel 201 ensures that these screws remain ductile and resistant to embrittlement, even after prolonged exposure to harsh conditions.

Ease of Fabrication: Nickel 201 can be easily fabricated, welded, and formed, allowing for versatile use in custom applications.

Biocompatibility: Nickel 201 is considered biocompatible, making these screws suitable for certain medical and food-grade applications.

Applications

Nickel 201 screws are used in a wide range of applications due to their unique properties:

Chemical Processing: These screws are resistant to corrosive chemicals and are used in reactors, heat exchangers, and storage tanks.

Marine Industry: Their resistance to seawater corrosion makes them ideal for shipbuilding and offshore oil platforms.

Aerospace: Nickel 201 screws are used in components exposed to high temperatures and corrosive environments.

Electronics: Their conductivity and resistance to oxidation make them suitable for electronic connectors and components.

Food Processing: Nickel 201’s non-toxic and corrosion-resistant nature allows for use in food handling and processing equipment.

Call to Action

If you’re looking for fasteners that combine exceptional corrosion resistance with high-temperature performance, Nickel 201 screws are the perfect choice. Their versatile applications and robust specifications make them a valuable addition to any project requiring reliability and longevity.

To explore more about Nickel 201 screws and how they can benefit your specific needs, contact us today for expert advice and competitive pricing. Our team is ready to assist you in finding the perfect solution for your industrial and commercial requirements.

[bruhstation]

I did not believe that you're able to sink lower and lower into the depths of depravity but what do I even expect from a blog that vehemently shames sex workers and puts nsfw content on the public tags of children's show. yes, call people who are rightfully calling you out on your bigotry "fucking morons" instead of sitting down and thinking about how privileged you must be to be able to not only be able to freely turn a blind eye to an ongoing genocide but also directly generalizing palestinians who are calling out for help "scammers". sure. you and your piece of shit blog are a fucking enabling tar pit and I hope you're forever ashamed of yourself.

you kept raving ON and ON about palestinian scams but what weight does your words have from someone who "refuse to take sides on this conflict"? you ever brought up how sick the existence of these """scammers""" are for using the pain of palestinians for their own gain? or more simply -- you ever talked about the horrific ongoing genocide in palestine or go out of your way to actively reblog GFM posts from verified sources? of course not! and you never will, because you are siding yourself with a genocidal settler colonial state through your insistence of being ""neutral"". you call everyone that's helping palestinians "gullible morons" without properly constructing a paragraph on why you are able to think this way. this is no war. no conflict. this is genocide straight up we're dealing with you nitwit

one of the articles you just included here has THIS as the headline.

"here's some facts you utter dolt" you moron. you absolute buffoon. do you seriously think a year of genocide and torture and imprisonment is all some, I don't know, psyop created by palestinians? a long-running joke? you either fell for the easiest zionist conspiracy of all time or willingly sided yourself with a terrorist state by claiming that you're "not taking sides"

you're including an article that refers to this ethnic cleansing as "israel vs hamas". wow

how evil must you be to not only believe BUT ALSO INCLUDE an article that imagines such a ludicrous scenario about how a country who's been ravaged by a genocidal state for 76 years straight is possibly lying and making up their own tragedy? their own grief? my GOD youre either ignorant or cartoonishly evil at this point. deepfakes of missile strikes and tanks razing through neighborhoods? families in rubble? dying children and people with their body parts missing? you think they're able to deepfake it?

you're believing the words of some guy living in a country that actively funds and supports this genocidal ethnostate? but I thought you said you're "neutral" on the "conflict"! hm! curious!

here's the part where I'd say that you are too comfortable living in your own bubble of ignorance but you are ALSO too stubborn to listen to people trying to hammer in some common sense into you so hell what do I know. what can you even do.

and of course like you've done with woodland-scenics -- I expect you to block me at best and publicly shame me with your riveting choice of words at worst. you said you'll make a public spectacle out of anyone who's "abusive", so that means I can do the same as well, no?

Lmfaoooo wow what a gullible fecking moron! They SERIOUSLY believe that some random person is legitimate without checking the facts. You’re also fine that these scammers on r on multiple platforms, with the same fake stories n stolen images. They even contact minors, because they don’t know or care who u r. U r giving into someone U DONT KNOW!

Here’s some facts u utter dolt -

https://apnews.com/article/artificial-intelligence-hamas-israel-misinformation-ai-gaza-a1bb303b637ffbbb9cbc3aa1e000db47

https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/sacramento/news/fbi-warning-charity-scams-may-exploit-public-generosity-during-israel--hamas-conflict

https://www.reddit.com/r/Scams/comments/1bprbxq/am_i_being_scammed_from_a_fake_palestinian_account/?rdt=56490

https://www.tumblr.com/shadowfoxsilver/748402505145303040/scammers-pretending-to-be-palestinian-v6

https://www.reddit.com/r/Scams/comments/1ff0faq/are_tumblr_palestinian_gofundmes_legit/?rdt=35344

If you want to donate to Gaza relief, stick to stuff like THIS - (or u can donate to individuals on https://www.kiva.org or similar sites.

Believing or donating to randos could hurt you, curt hurt others, and it does nothing for the REAL folks in Gaza who need support.

[cercandodiscrivere]

Selfish needs | jay (okja) x reader

words | 2.5k

warnings | 18+, NSFW (thigh riding, explicit language), porn with lots of plot. severely un-beta'd.

snippet | “You selfish little thing” one of his arms came around your hips to keep you still, fingers squeezing so tight you let out a surprised yelp. “I come home from a mission, exhausted, and all you can think about is sex”.   

There was something addictive about being a member of ALF’s group.

Nothing in life could compare to the post-heist elation pumping through your veins, when you were out of breath running away from the black chalk – all that time spent coming up with detailed plans often culminating in a dopamine-filled chase thought the streets. 

For the past ten months you had learnt how to push yourself to your limit, starting to appreciate the trembling in your limbs when you finally reached the comfort of the safe houses after every mission (riveting in the deep feeling you just did something good yet illegal and still got away with it).

You had never done anything similar before, manifesting your unhappiness towards the government with quiet protests and cardboard signs – but now you knew how a simple protest could never compare.

Excitement wasn’t all there was, though. 

Ten months had also been more than enough to learn both the good and the bad of fighting for a rightful cause. 

Sure, you were satisfied with the outcome of all of your plans, but even in the midst of your elation, ‘caution’ had remained your favorite world. After all, you were still part of what your current government (thanks to Mirando’s influence) had called a ‘terrorist organization’. 

How blind can one be. 

Your friends had strong principles, but if all terrorist looked like the group you were living with right now, wars would be far easier to win. Thanks to the black chalk, ALF members were no strangers to dark times: you win some, you lose some. Lately, however, your group had been living an all-time-low. 

If you had less respect for Silver’s ideals – and more guts to go against the group’s unspoken rule of minding your own business when it came to his life choices – you would tie him up to a chair and force him to eat something (anything, just enough that he would start to feel more like a human being and less like a catatonic, slurring lunatic). 

Some nights you could find him walking up and down the corridors of your base, talking to himself, muttering about injustice and unsustainable practices in food production. He was so pale you could easily mistake him for a ghost, plaguing the whole compound with his presence: what you once thought was an admirable sense of discipline now scared you to the point of not leaving your room in fear of seeing that miserable apparition.

These last days Blonde had worked more as a babysitter for his partner than a functioning member of ALF. Not that you blamed him, you wouldn’t dare to, but that meant having one less focused member on the field during dangerous heists. 

K was… weird. Loyal in the way only someone who has something to prove can be, you knew from the get go that he would have followed Jay through burning flames. Passionate, yes, but blind to any possible danger. 

If it wasn’t for Red you would have gone mad weeks ago. She was the reason you were there in the first place: the one who found your work online and decided to ask you to join ALF, giving you a new life purpose (together with a plethora of politically-unapproved teammates and a few bruises). With her it had been almost too easy to go from colleagues, to friends, to sisters. Sometimes it felt as if she could read your mind, understand your worries before you yourself could coherently form them: and yet, she would often brush them off. Years in the midst of the fieldwork had given Red more than enough assurance that nothing bad could happen – after all, she had already lived the worst days and survived. She had so much experience with ALF she now believed she knew better than to concern herself with troubling thoughts (and maybe that was the right way to go at it, but her soothing words had lost their charm after your first beating). 

“You are worrying over nothing” she would say after you confessed your doubts. “Once we were working in a zoo in Indonesia and something just like that happened, but…”. The stories would always end with the ALF saving the day. Bruised, beaten to a pulp, starved – but alive.

And yet, you worried. 

Sometimes Jay would decide to pull you out of the field (it wasn’t that uncommon in your team, for once in a while someone had to check the situation from a remote location to keep the others informed) and that would feel much worse. As a matter of fact, ever since your relationship with your leader had deepened, you found yourself far from the center of the chaos more often than not. It didn’t matter that you were in constant communication with your friends - you couldn’t see them or their surroundings if not on a small computer screen, too far to be able to help if everything went south. 

That week had been particularly excruciating: the group had managed to sneak into a congress on industrial production methods a couple of states over, leaving you behind to keep an eye on Mirando’s movements in New York. 

You were expecting them to be back in the early hours of the morning – so it had been pleasantly surprising to see them step foot inside the safe-house a little before midnight, exhausted but satisfied. The mission had been a success, even better than what they had hoped: K had managed to hack into the conference’s computers, so that hundreds of people were shown a video of the cruelty of animal abuse instead of a demonstration on how to increase meat production. By the time the black chalk had swarmed the place, your friends were gone and safe. 

Being able to hug them again was a huge relief. 

After a brief talk, Silver and Blonde had disappeared inside their shared room: the former looked better than usual, the excitement for their newest success managing to give him enough strength to skip up the stairs. Watching them retreat on the second floor, you hoped Blonde could use the occasion to force him to eat something filling without a fuss. 

Too tired to remain awake for more than a quick chat, Red and K had soon followed the couple and opted to go to their respective quarters: that had left you alone with Jay – finally alone. 

In the beginning, when to his eyes you were nothing but the newest addition to his little group, your relationship with Jay had been limited to official ALF meetings and brief encounters in the hallways. For a while you had thought him almost unfeeling, harshly judging the detached way in which he orbited around the group without actually interacting with anyone besides K. 

Then one night (after you had shared a celebratory bottle of wine) Red had told you what had happened between the two men. The mistranslation, the beating, the overall big mess that the Okja mission had been: nonetheless, it didn’t look like K held his expulsion against his leader. If anything, that mishap seemed to have brought them closer – and even if at the time the thought of having such a short-tempered leader had made you somewhat uncomfortable, at least that proved how Jay was as imperfect as any other human being. A real man, not the cold and collected creature you had thought him to be. 

From that moment on you had kept studying him. 

When you got your first in-mission-beating, you caught a glimpse of fear flash underneath those clear eyes. When a journalist wrote a small article about Mija (‘the girl that lives in peace with her superpig’ announced the title, accompanied by a picture of a smiling child and her ginormous friend), you heard his relieved sigh. 

Putting aside the praising words of your friends, you had observed how he moved around the safe house, discovering just how blind you had been judging him as cold. He was meticulous to a fault, almost as worried as you – and yet reckless, for he would put himself in front of a firing gun if that meant saving one of his teammates’ life.

What you had’t noticed was how the more time you spent trying to understand him, getting closer and closer to the man himself, the more he felt the same pull towards you: the interest was mutual. You tended to his wounds and he tended to yours. In the end, going from collaborators to something more had been incredibly easy.

Crouched on top of his legs you were now listening to his recount of the mission, the quiet sound of his low voice managing to calm you for the first time in the whole week. It was an evening ritual you two had shared time and time again – sitting together (with you ending up over him more often than not) while he spoke about plans and missions.  

You had missed that – from the tender way he absentmindedly patted your hair to the soft smell of cleanliness emanating from his suit. All the tension you had felt during the week was gone, dissipated by his mere presence. Having Jay’s hands on your body once again was spurring something inside of you: a deep need that made his words blur together, your mind too clouded to be able to concentrate on what he was telling you.  

In the fog that had taken over your thoughts, you still heard Jay call your name. “Is everything okay?”.

Heat pooling in your lower abdomen, you tried to nod and focus on him. You were wearing nothing but your old oversized t-shirt and a pair of underwear – too thin to ignore the friction between your clothed cunt and his pants. 

“Are you sure? We can go to sleep if you want”.

This time you shook your head, shifting on his lap in a way that (you hoped) was nonchalant enough to hide the real cause of your distraction. Usually you wouldn’t restrain yourself – Jay’s needs often matched yours, and even in the rare cases they didn’t nobody would get offended by the other’s refusal – but that time was different. He had just come back from a long and stressful trip: you didn’t want to keep him awake even more than needed. 

You could wait. 

“I’m fine, but we can still go to bed if you’re too tir-” the words died in your throat: quick as a wink, Jay’s hand glided under the hem of your shirt, stopping on the damp fabric over your (already wet) cunt. 

He chuckled, shaking his head as if amused by the revelation. 

“You selfish little thing” one of his arms came around your hips to keep you still, fingers squeezing so tight you let out a surprised yelp. “I come home from a mission, exhausted, and all you can think about is sex”.  You wanted to apologize, reassuring him that you didn’t want to pressure, but he shushed you once again. 

Tongue clicking, he shook his head. “You go around, telling everybody how worried you are, and yet you seem to have only one thing on your mind” he taunted. You were used to him like this: Jay liked to be in control, always - and you gladly let him do as he wanted. The idea of him having that power over you made you feel free, finally able for once to stop being drowned by anxiety.

“Unfortunately, tonight I’m too tired to help” he said. His grasp tightened for a moment, pushing your flush against him, then loosened again. You nodded: it was understandable. Prepared to put the whole situation behind you and go to sleep, his next order took you by surprise. “Stand up and take off your panties”. 

Confused, you still did as he commanded, looking at him with wide eyes. As soon as the thin piece of cloth touched the ground, Jay pulled you back over him – except this time you found yourself balanced on one of his thighs, the roughness of his pants against your bare slit making you groan. His hands went to catch your hips again, nudging you back and forth ever so slightly. “You’ll have to do all the work yourself” he explained. With that, he stopped his slow movements.

It took you a second to understand what he meant – a second too much, as one of his hands landed a punishing smack on your ass. The hit didn’t hurt, but you gasped regardless, not expecting it. “I said I’m too tired to help” he repeated, impatient. “Show me how badly you want to come”. 

Jay bounced his leg just once, teasing: you pressed your palms flat against his chest to steady yourself, starting to rock your hips down onto his pants, the harsh material brushing against your clit. A slick trail followed your erratic movements, dampening the black fabric: if he the wet stain bothered him, he said nothing about it.

Letting you get off as you pleased, Jay was now leaning against the back of the chair, arms hanging limply at his sides: head tilted upwards, he could make the perfect picture of disinterest – and yet, under those heavy eyelids his clear eyes turned black with arousal, smug gaze fixed on your trembling figure. Realizing you had complete freedom over the pace you could set, you groaned, moving faster. 

You couldn’t stop thinking about what it would feel like to have him inside you, the way he would stretch you open. You were so wet he could slip inside you in one go – but you knew that wasn’t going to happen. Tonight all he wanted was to be able to see your face in bliss just like that, moaning on top of his thigh, desperate to get off.

However, even if following his wishes was all you wanted, you needed more.

Pressing your forehead against his shoulder you started mumbling a confused mix of his name and please, not even sure yourself of what you were asking him precisely. 

It was incredible how a single week without him could leave you so desperate. 

With a sigh, Jay’s arms came once again around your hips. “You want to come?” he asked, the low tone of his voice sending shivers down your spine. As you nodded, tears started pooling around your eyes, your quivering body incapable of keeping itself upright anymore – let alone moving at the speed you craved. 

“Look at you” he cooed. “So helpless. You can’t even do something this simple by yourself”. Always so prim and proper (the perfect representation of what the collected leader of ALF should be), hearing Jay speak like that brought you even closer to the edge. A little gasp jumped in your mouth as he started to rock you harder up and down his thigh, bouncing his leg ever-so-slightly to follow the erratic movement of your hips.

Suddenly it was too much: the feeling of his gaze on you, the lewd noises you couldn’t contain, your empty cunt clenching around nothing still frantically rubbing against the rough material of his elegant trousers.

You shut his eyes tight, trembling and calling out his name. With a sob, it all spilled over at once. 

Body completely numb, you collapsed on top of Jay. He had started petting your hair again, just like he did when he recounted his mission, peppering you head with little kisses. Exhausted, you were muttering thank yous, face still bruised on the crook of his neck, trying to calm your breathing and come down of your high. 

“I know, I know” he mumbled. You felt his arms holding you closer – a sweet embrace, different from the bruising one he had used just moments ago to keep you balanced on his lap. “I missed you too”. 

[thatgirl4815]

I loved your color meta, especially how it separates positive and negative tension.

What are your thoughts on the gold light, what we associate with mafia light, as the sun?

It struck me, even though it is artificial, it was invoking the clean, bright light of the sun to pierce through the insidiousness of that scene, through the dankness and oppression. Kinn comes in and he's haloed and Porsche could have been conned into thinking he was an angel. But we slip back into the green, the sludge, jealousy, sickening feelings, faltering feelings until we have that blissful moment when we're almost blinded by how it lights them up. Almost as if to say, their love is the one good thing in this utterly thankless world.

IDK if it's intentional but what do you think about the scene being devoid of both of their own colors? As if this fight is something that is being placed into them rather than organically coming from them?

Hi and tysm!! :) I'll start by saying I love everything about what you said here. "Their love is the one good thing in this utterly thankless world" = 😭 Breaking my heart anon (in the best way possible). I apologize if I end up going on a little bit of a rant here, but this ask is so fruitful that I just can't help myself...

Gold

I think the symbolic relevance of the sun is really intriguing because the sun takes on so many meanings; I definitely see many of them at play here. The sun is generally a positive symbol, as it reveals the truth and lays sins bare for all to see (a connection that may/may not be intentional with all the actual mirrors in this scene). I'll always come back to that one riveting shot where it shines between KP and lights up the entire screen, almost consuming them entirely. I do think there is some real weight to that shot, perhaps more than I originally thought, because--when looking at the gold as a purely emotional symbol--it suggests that though there is danger (green) all around, there is also the overwhelming love and attraction (gold) they feel for each other. And, mingled with all that love and attraction, there is truth. This shot is where they meet each other's gaze, height for height. No words between them. They're just looking, and beyond their expressions, that light is all we are left to make sense of.

The sun could also correlate to a cosmic, universal power, and that is, in my mind, how gold connects to the mafia specifically. The duality between gold as a symbol of truth and positivity versus gold as a symbol of overarching, external power (more negative) is one of the reasons why they might've chosen it for this scene in the first place. We see it and we are instantly reminded of what it has meant in other scenes: a symbol of the mafia, an institution working independently of and often against KP's relationship. But, in my opinion, we're meant to see a transformation in its meaning in this scene. Unsurprisingly, the sun often represents growth as well, and I'd argue that in this scene we see growth between KP as they (at least temporarily) work through a threat to their relationship. They both speak foully to one another, and Kinn apologizes and pulls Porsche back. They stand in that light and it washes over them as Kinn's guilt is displayed and Porsche's forgiveness is given right back.

Red & Blue

Onto your other questions. It is definitely intentional that KP's respective colors are not shown in the scene, and I agree with you that it is likely to do with the fact that this conflict stems from forces outside of themselves. The gold-mafia relationship is one way in which these external forces are represented, as is the green *danger* light. Vegas is the one causing all of the mistrust in their relationship, playing into Kinn's vulnerabilities and trust issues when it comes to past relationships. The choice to leave out blue and red could also work in favor of KP's reconciliation in this scene. To represent blue and red distinctly would be to separate them in a way, when this entire scene builds towards their coming together, not pushing apart. Including these colors at all would've implied that the conflict was coming almost solely from Kinn and Porsche themselves rather than the outside. Kinn's trust issues have always been caused by forces outside of himself (being in the mafia and all), so in a way, I think that including both of their colors would've formed an unwelcome separation.

Finally, I was thinking about it a bit more on it, and I do wonder if there is some significance to the correlation between the colors green and gold specifically. Their symbolism overlaps when it comes to growth: like plants and the sun. Could this be a way of saying that in order to really grow, there must be some conflict? That trials are inevitable, but they are necessary stepping stone towards growth and a blooming relationship? I might be getting too in the weeds here (pun intended), but I think it's interesting to compare the colors and how they're used.

As promised, I rambled quite a lot haha. I hope that answered your questions? At the very least, this was very fun for me to ponder, so thank you for that! 💕 And as always, if anyone else has thoughts about these colors or anything else, I'd love to hear them!

[amazinglyegg]

Random headcanons for Paladin Danse because I love him (based on these prompts by @/silentshayshores-2 !)

How do they feel about people shorter / taller than them?

Danse is used to being taller than basically anyone else due to being in power armour 24/7. He's also just very tall (I used to hc him as short but it seems like the general fandom consensus is Tall Danse) so he doesn't mind people shorter than him. Taller than him, however? Catch his fight-or-flight reflex kick in the second he realizes that. He has been trianed to fight people / creatures taller than him, so he's not scared or amything, but it's rare anything other than a supermutant or a deathclaw is taller than him. He'll warm up eventually.

Their sexuality?

Canonically he's multisexual and I agree with that. Demisexual bisexual with no real preference

Preferred weather?

Very sunny days, little to no clouds in the sky. He likes being able to see clearly and the heat never bothered him too much, especially not in compared to rain or snow.

What's their sleeping schedule?

In theory, 11pm to 5am. In reality? Probably more like 2am to 5am, the rest of the hours spent tinkering, reading, or just laying there in the dark staring at the ceiling. Out in the field he takes turns with whoever he's travelling with. Has fallen asleep in his power armour in the past. Scribe Haylen and knight Rhys have a silent agreement not to wake him up when he does

How's their cooking?

He knows cooking well on a survival level. Purifying water, scavenging, making sure food is safe to eat. He can make meals out of basically anything found in the wasteland, from mushrooms to bloatfly to questionable canned meat. He learned this even before he was taught in the Brotherhood, it was the only way he survived on his own for so long before moving to Rivet City. Cooking for taste? Not so much. He IS a fast learner, but he'll always put safety and preserving rations over taste factor, even when you have enough food to spare

What's their sleeping position?

When he's in a sleeping bag or sleeping around others: on his side, legs partially drawn and arm resting under his head/pillow. When he's alone he will fall asleep on his stomach, starfish spread out, probably drooling. Doesn't let anyone see him sleep like that, though.

Who do they go for comfort?

Cutler used to be his number one, and the person he confided most in. Since then, while he definitely has some friends, he's not close enough with anyone to talk to them. Even if he was, he feels as if he needs to be perfect in front of everyone to be seen as a good leader, meaning he'll rarely if ever open up. He's talked to Haylen a few times, but always apologizes after.

Something small that they enjoy?

Standing at the edge of the Prydwen, watching the sun rise. He always wakes up in time for it, and it reminds him of how far he's come, and how lucky he is to be in the Brotherhood

How do they feel about physical contact by others?

He's built high walls and is very closed off in general, making most close interactions with others somewhat awkward. Even things such as pats on the back or bumping into others on the hallways stopped being common since he was ranked to Paladin. Did I mention that he's been a Paladin for ten years? Danse is too touch-starved to know what to do, and ends up silently pushing others away with his awkwardness around the whole thing. He refuses to let himself lean into most gentle touches out of fear of letting his guard down and being seen as weak (see: who do they go for comfort) but if you manage to break down those walls and give him a real, warm hug? Expect him to burst into tears immediately

What is enough to bring them to tears?

See: above. Also, the crushing guilt of feeling as though he failed his team. He'd never dare cry in front of others but in the rare times he's sure he's alone and won't be disturbed he'll let it out, blaming himself and probably getting drunk. Other than that, he has a soft spot for orphans and got teary-eyed reuniting Billy with his parents during the Kid in a Fridge quest

Biggest pet peeve?

Rude people, especially people who talk over him during a conversation. He expects to be listened to when giving orders, so somebody shutting him up by talking over him or blatantly ignoring him in a conversation is a big sign of disrespect.

How well do they take care of themselves?

He never got the chance to have good hygiene until he got to the Brotherhood, meaning while he's completely fine with getting dirty / being unable to get clean / etc., he deeply appreciates personal hygiene when available. Showering, brushing, flossing, sometimes even moisturizing and going all-out. When it comes to mental health or self-care? Not so much. He has a habit of putting other peoples needs above his own, and especially after blind betrayal he becomes a little bit too self-destructive for his own good. He'll easily exhaust himself attempting to prove his own worth via working for hours on end, ignoring sleep, food, and even water until someone steps in and stops him

What's something they like that may be surprising to others?

He really likes children! The easygoing ones are always nice to be around and the closed off / mean ones are a challenge to win their trust. He has a soft spot for most children (especially squires) and is often caught showing them his armour / weapons, or even giving them piggy back rides when he thinks nobody is looking (we all see you, Danse)

Do they consider others family?

The closest thing he's ever had to a family is the Brotherhood, but that's mainly formality rather than actual family. He's been through so much with Recon Team Gladius that he might as well consider them family, but deep down he truly doesn't know what family means. He has nothing to base it off of, and thus he really doesn't consider anyone family.

Any bad habits that they have?

He smokes, but only rarely, and never as a social act. It keeps his hands busy and his mind quiet when he starts to overthink. He also has a habit of giving people the silent treatment when he's mad at them. He'll still do any work he has to do with them, but his conversations will be even more formal (and awkward) than before, and at any slight mention of their arguement he will find an excuse to leave. Give him enough time and he'll muster up the courage to apologize, but it's tiring to wait until then

What's their idea of a perfect vacation?

Danse generally doesn't like regular vacations, since he doesn't like being away from work for that long. Taking the Saturday off to go fishing or something is probably the closest he'll get to a proper vacation, and the most enjoyable for him

Do they get lost easily? Will they ask for directions if they are?

Danse's sense of direction is... alright. Not notably bad, but not amazing. He is good at not acting like he's lost, however. He'll keep calm and collected the entire time and act like he totally meant to take that three day detour in the wrong direction, totally. He will ask civilians for directions when he gets lost, but judges their character harshly before deciding whether he trusts their word.

How well do they accept advice?

Danse doesn't like being criticized, especially by people he's not close to. He's big on standing by all his orders, so comments on his choices make him think the person commenting is questioning his leadership. When it comes to friends or close teammates, he ends up either taking criticism way too harshly, or doing what he does with most comments and ignores it. He'd much rather learn from his mistakes than be called out

How much do they swear?

He isn't particularly against swearing, but it depends on the circumstances. He'll swear often in general (usually terms like "(god)damnit" or "what the hell") but very rarely swears while directing at a person, either talking to them or about them. He'll only curse someone out if he's really angry. He's very lenient on letting others swear

Is there anything they're bad at?

Other than holding a casual conversation? He's fairly bad at anything that takes fine motor skills. He's tried picking up hobbies like drawing or knitting, but he doesn't like working on such a small scale. Also has absolutely horrible handwriting, mostly due to not learning how to read until he was at least a teenager, but that doesn't help his case

What's their morning schedule?

He has a good internal clock that wakes him up early every morning. If he's on the Prydwen he'll exercise, shower, brush his teeth, shave, whatever, and go eat breakfast. If he's on a mission he'll usually skip exercising and clean himself as best as he can and check over his supplies, power armour, and their plan for the day. He likes having the mornings to himself

Any past injuries?

He has plenty of injuries and scars across his entire body. Most notably his eyebrow scar was from a fight with raiders alongside Cutler, several months before they joined the Brotherhood. Cutler was the one who gave him stitches. He has a gunshot wound in his shoulder, deep scars on his thigh from a Yao Guai and permanently messed up knuckles from punching things (people, or inanimate objects). His injuries become fewer and farther between the more he uses his power armour, but that doesn't protect him from everything.

[127-mile]

Alice in the land of horrors.

Pairing: player!Jaehyun x player!fem!reader.

Genre: Alice in Borderland, strangers to lovers / fluff, angst, mature content.

Warnings: Violence, blood, explicit and non-explicit deaths, injuries, survival games, weapons, smut (oral (male receiving), marking, riding, unprotected sex (be smart kids), coming inside).

Plot: Welcome, as you might have noticed, the world as we know has changed after yesterday's total blackout. To survive, you will have to participate in life-size deadly games or you will be disintegrated. Be ready to kill, to sacrifice what you love the most in order to survive. Good luck.

Jaehyun is one of the few survivors in town, and unlike you who are more than willing to hurt and kill to find your way back to your family and roommates, he is a little more fragile when it comes to this. But together, you make a pretty good team.

Word count: +12.4k.

A/N: You don’t have to know the show or the manga to read, see this as big escape games. I am not using the characters from the show, so no spoilers about them. 

Chapter one: Meeting the lonely soul.

You do not know why you are here, you just needed some fresh air, you were not expecting to stumblr across a game zone. You watch, head cocked to the side, wondering what the game was that night. A man steps out of the play zone, he is covered in blood, and even from your place across the street, you can see how bad he is shaking. For a second, you wonder how he can still walk. He whispers something between his teeth, and when he walks past you, he does not even realize he pushed you, nearly tripping you on the sidewalk.

After a few days in this world, you know there is no need to worry about someone else, and yet, you turn around.

"Do you need help?" you ask, and it takes a minute for the man to realize you are talking to him. He stops, and he looks at you. In his eyes, you read nothing but hear, sadness and so much fatigue that your heart breaks a little. In this world, it's everyone on their own, and yet, you approach him, and put your hand on his shoulder. He flinches at the sudden contact, but after a few seconds, he relaxes and looks into your eyes. "Are you okay?"

The man shakes his head, and his eyes fill with tears, and you find yourself confused for a moment, not knowing what to do with the stranger. "So much blood." he whispers in such a low voice that you have to bring your face close to his to hear him. His smell is metallic, the smell of blood, and sweat. "I did not mean to do this." he says in a slightly louder voice, and you take his hands in yours, not worrying about the blood. "You didn't have a choice. We don't have a choice, we have to survive."

"Survive? But what is the point of surviving?" you do not really have the answer, and no one does to be honest. All you know is that everyone wants to live, that survival is once again the most important thing. "We all have a reason to survive, and you have to find yours. Once you have it, killing won't seem so bad, trust me." your family and your roommates are the only reasons you've done so much harm since you found yourself here, and it is your family and roommates who will push you to go through the other games.

"Where are you staying?" you ask him, and the man seems to think about it for a moment. "Nowhere. I rest when I can, and where I can until the next game." he whispers, and you sigh as you look around. Other players are also exiting the game zone, and all of them are covered in blood as well. But neither is in the same state as the stranger, they all knew they had no choice than to do whatever they did in there. "Come with me."

"Why?" he asks, and you understand his hesitation, you would have done the same if some random stranger had offered to follow them. "I have no reason to hurt you. Killing each other outside of the games won't help us end it, or to find a reason for everything that happened." you say, poiting to the deserted city around you. "We have to stay together, and help each other as much as possible." the man sighs, and he nods. "My name is Y/n, by the way."

"Jaehyun." he answers.

Chapter two: Three of Spades.

"Where are you going?"

You jump when you hear Jaehyun's voice, and you turn to the man whose eyes are still half closed. When he sits up in bed, the blanket slips off his shoulders, and you grimace when you see the bandage covered in blood. Three days before, when you met him, the blood he was covered with was not only that of other players, but also his. He cut himself while passing through a broken window, and it was difficult to stop the blood from flowing without the help on any medical skills. But you did it. After he passed out.

"My *visa* ends today." you say, and that seems to be enough for the young man who sits up on the edge of the bed, ignoring the sudden nausea that threatens to make him throw up. "What do you think you are doing, young man?" you ask narrowing your eyes, and he shrugs his shoulders before growling at the throbbing pain. "I am coming with you." you shake your head, laughing softly, and you take your backpack which you swing on your shoulders. "Your visa does not end for two more days, so you are going to stay here and rest, you'll have plenty of time to find another game later."

*visa: the visa, and the number of days left on it is what allow you to stay alive, you have to play to earn more days, or you’ll be killed.*

"I don't want you to go alone." Jaehyun mumbles and sighs. "Jaehyun, it's going to be fine, I'll do everything I can to come back after the game. I'd rather you stay here and get some rest." The young man pouts, but it is not enough to change your mind. "Eat something, and drink a lot of water. You cried like a baby yesterday, you need to rehydrate your body." the mention of the night before is enough to make Jaehyun blush prettily. "That's a low blow."

"Whatever, see you later." you walk down the stairs to the back door of the shopping mall you found yourself a few hours after waking up alone. You are not one to steal, but you thought that the mall was the best place to get food, a bed, and items you could need. It is huge, and even if other survivors could break in in the middle of the night, you feel quite safe in there. At least, you had a pharmacy on the floor below when you brought Jaehyun back. You do not know if he would still be alive without it.

The door is locked from the inside, and you get the padlock off of the only chain you found to keep the door closed. The air outside is warm and stuffy, and the sun is slowly setting, which means the next game is about the be announced. It only takes a few minutes for you to find the first light signs showing the way to the new game zone. And when you finally get there, beads of sweat are sliding down your spine. You frown.

You are in front of a theme park.

Several players are already waiting on the other side of the security gates, their eyes riveted on their phones, impatiently for the registrations to close and the rules to be given. You go through the gates, and you hear the little click as you pass the lasers that will prevent you from going out before the end of the game. You avoid the curious looks of some of the players, and you pick up a phone.

Immediately, the facial recognition is done, and on the screen, you see that your visa is at 0, and you also see the card. Three of Spades. The cards of Spades show that the game will be a physical one, and the number indicates that the difficulty level is three. It's good, you've had worse before, it will certainly be a snap, you think.

Behind you, you hear footsteps, and when the last phone is retrieved, the speakers sizzle around you. "Registration is closed, wait for the rules." the mechanical voice says, and you take a big gulp of warm air. You are startled when you feel a hand resting on your shoulder, and when you are ready to attack, Jaehyun turns around to face you. "What are you doing here?" you ask, and he shrugs. "I told you, I don't want you to play alone."

"Fucker." you mumble, you should have tied him to the bed frame. The mechanical voice comes back. "The purpose of the game is to run away from the mascots. Find the exit to the park before the mascots find you, and you will clear the game. The game ends when all the players are dead, or have escaped. You have 30 minutes." Jaehyun sighs as he digs his hands into the pocket of his jacket. "See, it's only a little race, it was a good idea to come." if the countdown had not started, you would have gladly slapped him on his injured shoulder to make his regret his words, and all of his decisions.

Before all the players start running, all the phones ring one after the other, and you frown, looking at the screen. A mesage is displayed there. "Weapons are strewn around the park, you can use them." you bite your lower lip while turning your head towards Jaehyun who seems much less confident. "If we have weapons, the mascots have them too." the young man growls, throwing his head back, and with one accord, you both start to run.

Running is not a difficult task, what is difficult is running in the heat. "Have you been here before?" Jaehyun asks you, and you nod. "A few times, but when I was very young." you know the park has had changes done since you were a child, so you can't trust your memory to find the exit. "We should find the park's map, and grab one or two weapons just in case." Jaehyun is okay with that, and he sidesteps an attraction whose lights make him blind several times.

Suddenly, the loud music from the park rings out, and that will make the game much more difficult. You will not be able to hear if anyone is approaching you, be it another player or a mascot. You hate that the organizers of the games have thought of every little detail to make your life as difficult as possible. "Here!" Jaehyun screams and you join him in front of a massive wooden sign where a map of the park is hung. "We are here." Jaehyun begins by placing his fingers on the map. "And we have to go there."

"It's way too simple." you comment with a frown. It is a simple straight line, with the attractions on either side of the main path to the exit. "That's what the mascots are armed for." Jaehyun mumbles, and yes, he is right. "25 minutes left." the mechanical voice echoes above the music, and you both look at each other. "Let's go." you start running again, and you stop only when a few weapons are in your way. Jaehyun grabs a machete and you grab a simple knife.

You do not do guns, too scared to miss your target and hurt an innocent. In a way, you are all innocent. The players never asked to be here, and the mascots are also probably players who ended up on the wrong side of the games.

The sounding scream makes your hair straighten out on your arms, and before you stop to look at where the scream is coming from, Jaehyun takes your hand to stop you from doing so. "We don't have time. We have to get out." it's not the Jaehyun you saw when the game ended last time, he is completely different, more determined. Maybe he has finally found his reason to survive, his reason to kill. You will ask him later, if you can get out of the park in one piece.

"Fuck."

You stop immediately when a mascot comes between you and Jaehyun. Of course, he noticed that you were no longer holding his hand, and he turns around, his eyes wide open. "Leave, Jaehyun, I'll take care of it." you say, and he shakes his head. "Jaehyun, for fuck's sake." you mumble, and you know he can't hear you. The mascot is heavily armed which makes your little knife look absolutely stupid and harmless.

The mascot pounces on you, and you avoid several stab wounds. You try to stab it a couple of times, but the mascot is way too fast for you. Fucking hell. When the mascot's knife blade cut your t-shirt, and your arm, you hiss heavily. "I liked this t-shirt." you whisper. On the other side, Jaehyun is also struggling with a mascot, and for a second, you wonder if you are not being traced because of the phones, to make the game easier for the mascots.

"Duck!"

A man's voice echoes behind your back, and though you are not quite sure he is talking to you, you drop onto your knees, so that you are out of sights of whatever he is planning on doing. Immediately, an arrow passes over your head and sinks between the two eyes of the mascot who collapses, mouth open in a silent cry. "No need to thank me!" the person with the bow says, and when you turn, he is gone.

What the fuck. But you should not be surprised, some people take more pleasure in hurting the people around them than trying to survive during games. But at least he most certainly saved your life.

"Y/n, come on!"

Jaehyun is safe and the mascot attacking him is on the ground. It is not dead, just unconscious. You nod, ignoring the burn in your arm from the cut, and follow Jaehyun. You see two players on the ground, dead, blood covering the asphalt. "We are almost there!" Jaehyun says, breathless. You are really wondering if you will be able to run to the exist. Your lungs are aching, screaming in pain, and your mouth is so dry and you wonder if you'll also ever be able to speak again in your life.

"Help me! Help me!"

Your head, and Jaehyun's, turn to another player. He is pinned to the ground, a mascot crushing him witl all its weight, a sharp weapon against his throat. "Jaehyun?" you ask, but the man is already running towads the other player who is in danger. He takes his machete and without hesitation, he hits and hits and hits. He doesn't watch where he hits, but only stops when he hears the heavy sound of the body falling to the ground.

"Thank you." the player says in a low voice. His face is covered in the mascot's blood, and the three players jump when the music stops and the attraction lights go out. "10 minutes left." you search for Jaehyun's hand, and when you find it, he intertwines your fingers before giving it a little squeeze. "Go."

Jaehyun starts running, and without a word, you follow him. Unfortunately, in the dark it's much easier to get lost, but you don't get lost. You do not know how, but soon you see the sign indicating the exit of the park. "Finally!" of course, you do not claim victory too soon, you know a mascot could be waiting for you, but no. There is nothing. There is no one other than the players who already made it out.

"Game clear." your phone screen indicates, and you pass the exist security gates, to drop to the ground, ignoring the sharp pain in your lower back. You bring your legs back to your chest, and nestle your face in between your knee, trying somehow to catch your breath. "You're injured." Jaehyun says, poiting to your arm, and you shake your head. "I don't care. We'll see later."

"Thanks again for helping me man." you hear someone say to Jaehyun, and the man doesn't say anything, he is probably smiling. Yes, he has found a reason to survive and kill, but that doesn't mean he won't seek to save the people closest to him. And you appreciate that. Because without Jaehyun, you most likely would have ignored the player about to have his throat slashed by the mascot.

"Let's go home." Jaehyun says, helping you up and you nod. Home. It's a word you would not have thought to hear in the middle of a world like this. You look at your phone, and sigh in relief when you see that your visa has gone from 0, to 3. Which means you have three days before playing, or being killed by whoever is behind these games. Jaehyun is at 5 now. Good for him. Good for the both of you.

Even though you told Jaehyun that he didn't have to fear the other players outside of the games a few days ago, that does not stop you from looking over your shoulder. It's certainly selfish to think that way, but you do not want to be followed to the mall. There are enough space for other people, but you do not want to be on guard every time you close your eyes, because some players, of course, are there to make the most of it. They want blood during, and after a game, and you do not want.

"Is your arm okay?" Jaehyun asks, breaking you out of your trance. You nod, only nothing that he has not let go of your hand. "Yeah, it's okay, the wound has stopped bleeding, so it's probably not that deep." perfect, because you feel too tired to stitch yourself up, and it's not that you do not trust Jaehyun, but with his hands constantly shaking, you do not want him to push the needle where it should definitely not go.

"I'll desinfect the wound when we get home." he says, and you resume your silent walk back to the mall. As usual, the surroundings are silent. You wonder where the players are, where they rest in between games, because there a still a lot of them, and you have not had the opportunity to see them outside. "We should find another padlock to lock the door when we leave." Jaehyun mumbles as you push open the back door and shrug. "Some players keep the weapons given after the games, they will still be able to break it no matter what."

You go up the stairs to the decoration store where you found refuge when you were still alone. At least it gives you the opportunity to have beds and blankets to sleep on, even if the store is constantly bathed in a rather unpleasant heat. "Sit down and take off your shirt." Jaehyun orders, and you obey without saying a word. You sit on the edge of the young man's bed, and take off your dirty, sweat-soaked, blood-stained t-shirt to throw it away. You won't need it anymore.

Jaehyun sits down next to you as he opens the first aid kit which he puts on his lap. He pulls out the disinfectant, and a bandage, and he goes to work. "I never asked you, but what were you doing before the world turned to shit?" you ask, teeth clenched, so as not to think about the burning sensation that crosses your arm when Jaehyun pours the disinfectant directly onto the wound.

You hiss when he cleans the wound, and surprisingly, his hands do not shake as much as usual. "I was working in my parents' bookstore. I started studying law, then they talked about selling the bookstore I basically grew up in, to travel, so I decided to take over." you nod, watching him wrap your arm in a bandage. "And do you like? Working there?" he puts the first aid kit on the bed and admires his work. "It is not as exciting as being a lawyer, but I always loved books, so yeah, I'm enjoying it."

"And you?" Jaehyun asks, and you lie down on the bed, your good arm slipped under your neck, and immediately, Jaehyun imitates you. Your arms are touching, but you do not comment on it. "I worked in an elementary school." you say. "No what I dreamed of, but at least, it allowed me to earn some money to work on my dream. I was not alone, to be honest with you, it's a dream my roommates and I shared ever since we were little." Jaehyun closes his eyes, but he nods, still attentive. He drinks your words like a thirsty man.

"What is this dream?" you gently shrug your shoulders, also closing your eyes. "It does not matter anymore. We are never going to leave this place, and you know what sucks the most? It's working my ass off for years, and I will never get the chance to spend my damn money." he laughs softly, and you smile at the sound. "You know, someone told me that I needed to find a reason to survive, to make the killings easier. But I also think that you should always remember the reason you chose to survive, to just keep going, to not lose hope." you turn your head toward him, and you observe his side profile. "That's some wise words. I wonder who is this person."

"I'll introduce her to you, if you want. She always finds the right words at the right time." he whispers, and you roll your eyes. For a moment, he remains silent so much that you wonder if he has fallen asleep, but suddenly, he turns on his side to watch you. "I never said it before, but thank you. Thank you for helping me that night. You saved my life." You too, turn onto your side, and reach out to place a lock of hair behind Jaehyun's ear. "You do not have to thank me. It was the right thing to do."

Jaehyun shakes his head, biting his lower lip. "No, it wasn't. You could have walked away, but you didn't. And to be honest, I don't know where I would be without you." you let your fingers wander over his face, and even in the darkness only cut off my a flashlight, you see the way his cheeks take on a soft pinkish hue. "You know, at first, my reason to survive was my family, even if we have not seen each other in a long time, but now, I realize that you are my reason to survive. I want us both to win, and to find a way out of this hell."

You do not know if it's because of the days you've been alone in this place, the constant sadness in your heart, or some other reason, but when he says these words, you lean in, and put your lips against his. It's a terrible idea, you think, but before you have time to step back, Jaehyun kisses you back. He puts his hand on your cheek, nibbling your lower lip. You open your mouth and he takes the opportunity to slip his tongue inside, playing with yours. What was meant to be a simple, sweet kiss turns into something more languid, more desesperate. You kiss like you need this to be able to breathe.

You sit up slightly, and you pass one of your legs across Jaehyun's hips to straddle him without ever breaking the kiss. You rest your hands flat on his chest, and when you finally end the kiss to catch your breath, Jaehyun's cold fingers wander over the burning skin of your back. You slep your lips down Jaehyun's neck, kissing and biting the skin hard enough to leave traces that will bloom into beautiful shades of purple. "Do you really think of me as your reason to survive?" you ask, mouthing at his jaw, and he nods. "Yes."

"Good."

"Can I?" you ask after sitting up, your fingers playing with the hem of Jaehyun's t-shirt. He nods vigorously and helps you take off his shirt. Jaehyun has a god-sculpted body, and if you had the time, you would spend hours worshipping his body, leaving kisses and marks on his skin. But unfortunately time is not something you have, at least your time is not unlimited. So you kiss his shoulder, his collarbone, and you slowly go down his breastbone to his navel.

"You are beautiful, Jaehyun." he opens his mouth to answer, but you bite the skin above his navel, and his words come out in a long moan. You smile softly, you appreciate this kind of reaction, and you particulary want to hear more. When you look down, you notice the tent in his pants, and poor boy, he probably feels really uncomfortable right now. "Can I?" you ask, once again and he nods his head, he doesn't trust his voice to speak anymore, he is afraid of being betrayed once more. Cute.

You remove his belt which you swing from the bed, and you unbutton his pants to bring them down with his underwear, just enough to bring out his hardening member, hitting against his toned stomach, leaving a shiny trail of pre-cum on his skin. Slowly, you run your tongue down the side of his cock, along a vein, and he inhales sharply. You look up, and you see that he's closed his eyes, and his hands are on either side of his body, fists clenched, he does not know what to do. He does not know if he is allowed to touch you.

You run your tongue through the slit, and he bucks his hips. "Eager?" you ask, and he makes a needy sound. "What do you want?" your voice is low, and when he does not respond, you stop and sit up. "You have to answer me, otherwise I won't know what you want, Jaehyun." you explain, and the boy sighs. "Touch me, please." he is so polite, you think, taking the head of his cock in your mouth, rolling your tongue around. You swallow the beds of pre-cum that ooze, but you do not take the time to appreciate the salty taste before going down more on his cock.

You go up, and pull the cock out of your mouth with a wet pop, pressing your lips together. You open your mouth slightly, and you let a drop of saliva fall on his member before jerking him off slowly. You are not the teaser type, but you do know, with Jaehyun, you want to do it. You want to see him fall apart in front of you. Another moan escapes his lips as you take his cock back into your mouth, relaxing your throat to take it a little deeper, caressing with your hand what you cannot fit.

"Fuck." Jaehyun whimpers, and finally, he puts one of his hands in your hair, gripping it to force you further down his cock. You feel the head of his cock against the back of your throat, making you gag a little, but you let him, you let him take some control. But not for long, you are also not one to give out your control. You fondle his balls, and he tenses up suddenly, trying to get you away from his cock. "Stop, stop, or I'll cum." he says, breathless.

When he releases his hold on your hair, he sits up, while continuing to stoke his cock with your hand, and tilts your head. "So what? Don't you want to cum?" you ask in a small voice, and he nods so violently that you wonder if he hasn't hurt himself. Although you begin to notice that he does not seem to be against a little pain. "Yes, yes, I fucking want it, but not now."

"Oh, you don't think you can go a second time if you cum now? How cute." Jaehyun's cheeks turn as red as his chest, and he looks away. "Of course I can." he mumbles like a brat who can't stand hearing that he can't do something as simple as cumming two times in a row. "Then show me."

You take his cock back into your mouth, and you hollow your cheeks, making him roll his eyes into the back of his skull. You bob your head quickly, resting your hands on Jaehyun's thighs, you moan, the vibration causing the young man's hips to buck. You feel him close, you know it's only a matter of second, so you dig your fingernails into the skin of his thighs, enough to draw blood, and that seems to be enough. His stomach contracts, and with a long moan, he cums deeps in your throat.

You inhale through your nose, and you swallow all the salty cum before sitting up. The vision offered to you is heavenly. Jaehyun has his eyes closed, he is out of breath, panting, his chest is rising and falling rapidly. Beads of sweat stick his hair against his forehead, and damn it, it turns you on to see him like that, so fucked out from a simple blowjob.

"Welcome back."

After several minutes, Jaehyun opens his eyes. As for you, you are sitting next to him, your fingers threading through the hair of the man who looks up at you. "It was awesome." you laugh softly before putting your hands on your thighs. "Do you think you can go for a second round?" It's not really the question you expected to hear from Jaehyun, seeing how he reacted earlier, but you nod nonetheless. "Of course."

You get out of bed, and take off your last pieces of clothing, and Jaehyun takes the opportunity to completely remove his pants and underwear to throw them out of bed. Before he can make a move, you straddle his hips once more, and he bites his lip when he sees you in that position. "Do you like the view?" you ask, and he nods. "A lot."

You rub your heating core against his cock which come to life once more, and you smirk, resting your hands on his chest. Jaehyun can feel the wetness against his member, and he can't wait to feel what it will be like once he is inside. "Don't tease." he whines lowly, and you sigh, tilting your head. "I never said I was going to do it." and he remains silent. You stroke his cock to full hardness, and with your right hand, you hold it straight to nudge it against your clit.

And finally, very gently, you ease his cock inside you, dropping onto his cock inch by inch, biting your lower lip to muffle any noises you could make. Maybe you should have stretched yourself a bit before, because Jaehyun is thick, but you are way too horny, you did not want to wait any longer. Jaehyun chokes on a moan when he feels the wet and hot walls around his cock. You let your first real moan when you bottom out. "Oh fuck, yes."

"You are so big, Jaehyun." you say under your breath, closing your eyes. You roll your hips when you finally get used to the stretch and let your head fall back. A small yelp escapes your lips when Jaehyun sits up, his torso against your chest, and his fingers digging firmly into your waist. He kisses the column of your throat, biting the skin like you did so well earlier and you bring your arms around Jaehyun's neck, playing with the hair at the back of his head.

When you get tired of the too slow pace, you bounce on his cock, Jaehyun's lips crashing onto yours for a kiss that's nothing delicate, it's full of teeth and tongues, with saliva coating your chins, it's disgusting, but you don't find it in you to care. All you want is pleasure, all you want is to taste this sweet sweet release.

Jaehyun's pace gets faster and faster, and you grip your shoulders, nestling your face in the crook of his neck. "You are so fucking hot." he whispers close to your ear before nibbling on your earlobe and you begin to feel that heat in the pit of your stomach. It's quick, you kknow, you it is not your fault, you had to watch Jaehyun get lost in the pleasure of a blowjob, and wait for him to come back to his senses after that, so if it someone's fault, it's Jaehyun's fault.

After two or three minutes, Jaehyun's rythm begins to become irregular, it's sloppy, and you hear his breathing getting shorter and shorter. He is close too. "Are you going to cum?" you ask and he nods. "Me too. Come on, cum in me." the both of you moan together, and Jaehyun makes you lie down on the bed, slipping your legs over his shoulders to fuck you deeper, and way harder. He is reaching places he had not reached with your last position, and when he rams against your g-spot over and over again, you see stars behind your eyelids.

You roll your eyes, your thighs starting to shake as Jaehyun bites your ankle. "Y/n, Y/n". he repeats your name like a mantra, and when you finally climax, your walls contract around Jaehyun's cock, and he is cumming too. Your mouth open with a silent moan as you feel the ropes of hot cum against your walls. Jaehyun does not stop his thrusts, but he slows down, riding his high, letting your legs fall back onto the bed.

"Fuuuuuuck." you let out and open your eyes when you finally feel like sensations are coming back into your limbs. Jaehyun drops down on you, but he catches himself on his hands to avoid crushing you with his weight. He kisses you softly, and you kiss back, but you spend more time breathing into each other's mouth rather than kissing, far too exhausted to do so. "That was fucking mind blowing." you say in a soft laugh.

"I agree." Jaehyun whispers, placing a simple kiss on your cheek before sitting up. He pulls out, and you grimace when you feel the cum dripping onto the sheet. Jaehyun drops down beside you, running his fingers through his damp hair, trying as best as he can to catch his breath. "Thank you." he says, and you roll your eyes. "Idiot."

Chapter three: Five of Spades.

When you wake up the next morning, you are in Jaehyun's arms, your head resting on his chest and for a while, it does not look so bad. For a while, you forget everything about this world where you have to kill to survive, where you have to earn the right to live. You know you have three days before your visa expires, and yet, when you begin to regain consciousness, to remember your situation, Jaehyun's situation, a weight drops on your stomach.

You have to play, and you do not know how long you will have to continue playing and if you have a chance to reunite with your family, and your roommates.

For a minute, you think back to that morning when everything changed.

You think back to when you woke up, all alone. You remember getting up from the bed, surprised you had not heard your alarm, only to notice that your phone had stopped working. You thought your roommates had played a trick on you, and you came out of your room to give them a piece of your mind.

You remember that feeling in the pit of your stomach when you found the rooms empty, despite their things being in their usual places. The strangest thing was finding their phones, their shoes, things they should have taken of they were out.

But that feeling was nothing compared to walking in the street. The street was so quiet, it was honestly scary. For a second, when you stopped in front of your parents' house, you wondered if this was all just a bad dream. Maybe you were sleeping, you thought, walking into the house, the door of which was not locked. But no, you were not sleeping. You were well and truly awake.

You were alone.

And you will never forget this feeling of abandonment, loneliness, anger and sadness.

"A penny for your thoughts?"

You snap out of your thoughts when you hear Jaehyun's deep, sleepy voice, you look up at him and see that he is watching you, his brows furrowed, he looks worried. Have you started to share your memories? Have you started to rehash your memories you tried somehow to bury in the depths of your mind, out loud? Probably, yes. "Nothing really important." you whisper, shrugging your shoulders. "Just a few memories, I guess."

You feel extremely vulnerable for some reason, and you do not like that feeling. You would not have minded that normally, but here, in this world, you can't afford to be vulnerable, to be weak when you have to be strong enough to survive. When you have to be strong for the both of you, when you know Jaehyun is always on the verge of breaking. What you can understand, of course, we are not all made to live in a world where death reigns supreme.

"You want to talk about it?" he asks, rubbing his eyes with the palms of his hands, and you shake your head. "I'd prefer not to, if you don't mind." you whisper, and Jaehyun nods, of course he understands. "What do you want to do today?" you are trying to change the subject, you do not want Jaehyun to worry about you any longer. You both have to focus. "Do you want to rest? look for answers, or find another game?"

Jaehyun runs his fingers through your hair, and you close your eyes to the touch. "You know, I noticed something yesterday when we finished the game. Several of the players all had a stamp on their hand, you know, the kind you have at a nightclub." you nod as you sit up in bed, it's true, you just didn't really have time to talk about it last night. "Do you think they're like, a group?"

He sits up too, the blanket slipping off his shoulders, and giving you the opportunity to see the marks you left on his body, and you smile briefly. He really looks like a work of art. "Seeing two people with the same stamp, that's a coincidence, but 7? That's a lot, so I think there must be a bunch of survivors, gathering together. Maybe we should look for answers? They will definitely be at the next game."

"It's a good idea, but we'll have to be quiet and discreet, okay?" what you do not say is that you do not want Jaehyun to get hurt, you do not want to lose him. He told you that he found a reason to survive in you, and you would be lying if you said it was not mutual, but you do not want to say it out loud. Maybe you are afraid that he will laugh, and explain to you that he only said that in the heat of the moment, not because he meant it.

"Discretion is my middle name." he says, and you roll your eyes, laughing softly. "You are an idiot, Jaehyun." he smiles with a certain pride. "Yeah, that's what you told me last night."

While Jaehyun is preparing breakfast with the products you found in a small grocery store, you take the opportunity to take a shower. It's not luxury, just a water bottle stuck in a shower stall in the gum on the top floor of the mall, but it's already something. You get rid of the sticky feeling between your thighs, and when you hear a noise, you immediately freeze. "Jaehyun?" you ask in a low voice, and the noise you heard resume. It's a metallic sound, like someone knocking on the pipe.

You grab your towel, and you quickly dry yourself off before putting on clean clothes. The noises have stopped, but you do not feel confident, you are afraid to get out of the shower, wondering what the fell is going to be waiting for you on the other side of the curtain. But you have no choice, Jaehyun might worry if you take too long, and you do not want him to venture into the mall if you are no longer alone.

When you push back the curtain, you heave a sigh you didn't know you were holding back, when you see that you are alone, and that nothing has changed. You quickly leave the showers, and the gym to go down the decoration store. What if... What if this was just a way to waste your time while they went after Jaehyun?

Your heart skips a beat as you start running around the store, and when you find the breakfast abandoned, you nearly crumble on the spot. "Jaehyun?" you ask in a panicked voice. "Jaehyun?" your voice is louder this time, and when a hand lands on your shoulder, you are ready to attack, or cry, you are not sure. "Hey, you're shaking, what's wrong?"

Tears run down your face as Jaehyun walks around to face you. He opens his eye wide and without waiting, he pulls you to his chest. "Hey, everything is fine, I am here." he whispers, rubbing your back. "I-I thought something happened to you." you answer between sobs, and he shakes his head; "I was off to get something for breakfast, I didn't mean to scare you, I'm sorry." he says, placing a kiss on top on your head. "I'm so sorry, I won't do it again."

When you feel calmer, you take a step back with a long sigh. "It's no't you, Jaehyun. I heard noises when I was in the shower, so when I didn't see you, I thought something had happened to you." you mumble, and he smiles tenderly. A tenderness that you had not yet seen on his beautiful face. "I don't hear anything here, maybe it was rats? Who knows. But I'm fine. You are fine. We are fine, so there is not need to worry, I promise."

Before night falls, you and Jaehyun exit the mall. Despite what you said the day before, he still found a padlock to put on the door before going out, and you watch him, rolling your eyes. "It's an added security." Jaehyun mumbles when he sees you do it, and you shrug. "Yeah, or another reason for a player to force it open."

"Anyway."

Jaehyun takes your hand in his, intertwining your fingers and you walk into the city center. You do not yet know where the next play zone will be, but you know it's only a matter of a minute or two before sings appear to show you the way. "Do you think we're right to go there?" Jaehyun asks. "That we will see these people with the stamp on their hands?" you shrug your shoulders, inhaling a gulp of air, it's cooler than the days before, and that makes walking and breathing much easier.

"I don't know." you begin, looking around for a sign. "Whether we see them or not, as long as we get home in one piece, that's all that matters." you do not care to see someone and have answers, all that matters to you is your safety. If you had been alone, you certainly would not have been looking for any kind of answers, but Jaehyun is here, so you have to adjust. "You're right." of course you are.

"Oh, look!"

You look where Jaehyun is pointing, and you smile thinly when you see the first glowing arrow. As you walk, the arrows are more and more numerous, and in no time, you find yourselves in front of an apartment complex. The hallways are outside, which gives them the opportunity to see what is going on. There is a glass door through which you can see a single player.

"Let's hide." you whisper when you hear voices behind you. You hide behind a car, as useless as phones, and you watch the new players. They are 5, or maybe 6, they all speak with big movements of their arms, which allows you to see the stamp on the back of their hands. "They are here." Jaehyun says under his breath, and you nod.

When they have all entered inside, you come out of your hiding place. "We're going to have to wait for the game to end if we want to learn a bit more." you explain, and that's the problem, you do not know how long the game is going to last. Or if the players will come out alive.

"Learn a little bit more, about what?"

You turn when you hear a voice that is unknown to you, and you swallow hardly when you see a man who is not unknown to you. This is the man who helped you during the tag game in the them park. The one who shot an arrow between the mascot's eyes. "May I know what you are looking to learn?" he asks, and you shake your head. You do not trust him. Yes, he saves your life, but that does not mean you are going to talk.

"You don't want to tell me? So what about you, maybe you're more inclined to talk?" Jaehyun shakes his head, standing next to you, arms crossed against his chest. He does not shake, he does not look down at the man, which is a pretty drastic change. "Ah, that's too bad, because it looks like you were spying and talking about my friends." he explains by showing his hand on which is the same stamp.

"You should go inside, the game will start soon." you say, and the man grins. He is attractive, you cannot say otherwise, but you are not sure that his personality is as attractive. "You are right." rather than going toward the door, he approaches you, and without waiting, he grips your wrist to pull you towards the door. "Maybe this will make you speak." he says.

"Stop!" Jaehyun screams, walking towards you to prevent the man from dragging you into the apartment's lobby. "Jaehyun, help me!" but it's too late, the apartment door opens under the force of the man, and you find yourself pushed inside, in the middle of the other players who look at you with curiosity. Jaehyun tries to open the door, but it is suddenly blocked.

"Registration is closed."

The mechanical voice rings out, and your blood freezes. Jaehyun's too. He is outside. You are inside. You will be forced to play without him.

"Fuck." you both say at the same time.

"Take this, you are going to need it." The man takes the last phone from the table in the middle of the room, and he throws it on your lap. You get it back, and you have no choice but to let the facial recognition do its job. You still have three days on your visa, but before you can look at the card, someone else speaks. "Johnny, who is this?" you look up at the man, Johnny, who shrugs.

"I found her outside. She looked bored, so I offered her to play." he replies with a laugh, and you frown. Why didn't he tell them you were watching them? "You are such a good man." someone says in a giggle. So finally, you get back to your feet.

"Five of Spades."

A spades card. It is going to be a physical game, like in the theme park, but a little bit more complicated. The television hangs on the wall in the corner of the room, and the rules appear as the mechanical voice begins to speak again. "The time limit of the game is 30 minutes. There is an unlocked apartment in the complex, the safe zone. Find it to clear the game."

"That's it?" someone asks, and you shove the phone in the pocket of your pants. "It's a five, Doyoung, we're not just going to have to find a stupid door." Johnny mumbles, and you agree. No game is that easy, what's the point? You take one last look over your shoulder, and Jaehyun is still there, watching you. You wave to him, and you leave the lobby.

"The game begins now."

The players who belong to the same group, get together, probably to talk about strategy, and the player who was here alone, goes on his own. So you do the same. You do not care about any answers, or to know which group they belong to, all you want now is to win the game, and return to Jaehyun. And maybe to hit him for coming up with such a stupid idea. Well, he just mentioned the stamps, you practically came up with the idea.

You go up to the first floor, and you begin to try to open the doors, one after the other. There are 8 doos on each side, making 16 on each floor. There are 5 floors. 80 doors to open, and only one to allow you to win the game. It's not going to be easy, especially if you are all alone, what you hope is that the players will also try to open the doors, to make it easier for you. For everyone.

You try to open the next doors, but without success, they are all blocked. It's way too easy, so you stop with your hands in the pockets of your pants, and though you have a limited time, you wait. Something is going to happen. An explostion? A flood? Electrocution every time someone puts their hand on a doorknob? You do not know, but you wish you did. You wish you could be in the organizers' heads, to know what to expect.

"Oh fuck!"

You turn when you hear a voice, followed by gunshots. There, that's what you were talking about. It was too good and easy to be true. You open your eyes wide when your gaze falls on a person whose face is hidden by a horse mask. What the fuck, you think, but not for too long, especially when you see the weapons that the horse person is carrying. Guns, knives, and even a fucking crossbow.

When the person raises their gun, you start to run, maybe it's suicidal, but you try to turn every handle as you pass by, but they all resist. Rather than turn, you rush up the stairs, and you go upstairs. On the second floor landing, you find a bloody body, that of one of the players in the group. "Oh shit." you mumble as you continue to clim. You stop, placing a hand over your mouth to listen if the horse person is following you.

"Hey! Stop!"

You stop when you hear Johnny's voice behind you, and you turn. "What do you want? We don't really have time to talk, if you have not noticed yet." you say, and he rolls his eyes. "If you want to survive, and see your little boyfriend again, you're going to have to help us." you scoff, going town a step to be closer to him, but still higher. "And why would I do that? You forced me to play!" Johnny shrugs. "If you help us, not only will you find your boyfriend, but I won't tell the other, and our boss that you were spying on us."

So they have a boss, you think, biting the inside of your cheek. "And how can I trust you?" you ask, and Johnny sighs. "I have no reason to lie to you. The others don't know about the spying thing, and trust me, the two of you are safer together than with us." so he is not the one in control of this group, that's good to know, but he might be lying to you. "Ok, what should I do?"

"Jungwoo is checking the second floor, Doyoung is taking care of the third. Mark is going to do the fourth, so you should check the fifth floor." you nod, then you fold your arms against your chest. "What about the person with the mask? Have you seen the weapons they have? We have no chance of survivint if we cross their path." Johnny listens when he hears a screm, but he does not say anything about it. "They are not alone. There are two of them. And don't worry about them, the others and I, we'll take care of them. We'll keep them on the first floor so you can find the safe zone."

"While you are trying not to get yourself killed, try checking out the doors to the first floor. I did the right side, but did not have time to do the left side." Johnny nods, and you go your separate ways. He comes down the stairs, and you turn on your heels to go up to the top floor. Once upstairs, you are out of breath, but at least you haven't seen a human horse in your path. This is a good thing.

"20 minutes left."

"Come on, you can do it." you whisper to yourself. "For you, and for Jaehyun." yes, for you and for Jaehyun who must be scared to death outside. You'll find a way to apologize properly when you get out of there, it's a promise you make to yourself. You come out of the stairwell, and you begin to check the doors to one side. Non opens. You stop briefly when you hear a gunshot, or a scream, but do not take the time to check around. Johnny is tall, and strong, and he will be able to take care of a human horse. At least, you hope so.

You do not want to have to kick his dead ass for not keeping his promise.

You walk over to the other side, when you hear a voice that overcomes the noises around you. "I have it! I found the door!" in a way, not saying where the door is, is a good idea, although you think the human horses know where it is, but on ther other hand, you have no fucking idea where you have to do to be safe. You leave over the deck of the balcony that separated the corridor from the void, and you see ap erson running towards the stairs.

It's not on the fourth floor.

A hand grips your leg and forces it to the other side of the balcony, and a cry strangles in your throat at you try to catch yourself at the edge. "Help, help:" you scream, hoping to get the attention of one of the boys. When you look up, you see a bit of the horse mask. It's the end, you think, when you feel the burn in your arms from holding on. You won't be able to last long in this position, and there is no way you'll survive a fall from a five stories apartment.

Jaehyun, you think. Poor Jaehyun to whom you have promised so many things to help him better endure the idea of this world without faith or law. He is going to be alone, and that's what bothers you the most. You are his reason for surviving, so what if he loses you? You refuse to think about it, fat tears rolling down your cheeks.

This is not the way you saw yourself dying. A fall from an apartment's balcony, that's not how it should end. You try to pull yourself up, but it's impossible. "Hold on, Johnny is coming!" a voice scream, just below you, and you are grateful, you really are, but it might be too late. "I'm out of strenght already." you say in a sob. "I know that, but you have to hold on. Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and think about something else." the voice tells you, and you shake your head. "I can't."

The horse person disappears from your field of vision, and what your hear next is the sound of a fight. You bite your lower lip, hard enough to make it bleed, but at least, the metallic taste in your mouth helps you stay grounded. "Hey, grab my hand!" it's not Johnny watching you, but a man with long red hair. "I can't do it." you whisper, and he shakes his head. "Of course you can! Come on, I won't let you fall. Never."

Another gunshot sound makes you freeze, your arms straining even more, and you begin to shake dangerously. Did the humain horse kill Johnny? Is the red-haired stranger next? So if he is, you are next too. It is nly a matter of seconds before you fall to your death.

"Come on kid!"

Johnny is there, and although he is hurt, he is alive. You would not have thought you would ever be grateful to see him alive after he forced you into the game. The two men bend down, and with a little effort, they manage to pull you up, and put you back on your feet. "It's okay, you are safe. Open your eyes. Look, you made it." the man says, close to your ear, his hand resting on your shoulder. "We have to go. They found the door."

"10 minutes left."

The human horse is sprawled on the ground, and you do not know if they are dead or not, but you do not have time to think about it, Johnny grabs your arm and forces you down the stairs to the second floor. All the other players, those who are still alive, are fighting against the second horse, in front of a door which must be the one enclosing the safe zone.

You feel like the figh goes one for hours, as you stand there, still, watching them. But no, it only lasts five minutes.

"5 minutes left."

One of them manages to push the horse back far enough so that everyone can rush into the room. "Jungwoo, press the button on the right, I'll take care of the left." in the room, which is quite small, there are two buttons facing each other on the walls. For a chance to win, you need two people to press at the same time. Which means, that being the only survivor is completely unnecessary. Although the spades card is a physical card, it is also a group work card. Without a group work, no victory.

What you also understand is that the safe zone will not be safe until the buttons are activated, because the second horse enters, and swings a knife that cuts the hand of the boy named Jungwoo. He falls to the ground, pressing against the wound, a long, painful sob escaping his lips. "Oh, god damn it!" Johnny growls, rushing towards the horse to punch them, while trying not to get stabbed. "You! Press the button!"

You nod, and you walk over to the switch with a nod from the other boy, you flip the switch. A ringing sound is heard, and the horse drops their weapons.

"The players cleared the game."

The moment the sizzle in the speakers stop, the collar around the horse's neck flash, and it explodes. The collar, but not only, the head of the horse too, covering the walls and the players with blood.

"You may leave the play zone."

The players look at each other, and with one accord, they leave the room. They descend the stairs in dad silence, ignoring the blood on the stairs, and the scene they all just witnessed. The human horse was not just a person here to kill you all, but a player. Like in the park during the tag game.

Johnny is the one who pushes the door of the apartment complex, and he lets out the players one after the other, making sure they are feeling alright. When it's your turn, you stop beside him. "Thanks for saving me. Again." you say, and he nods. "Y/n!" you head turns to Jaehyun who runs towards you and engulfs you in a long hug. "My god, I was so scared!" he whispers, his lips against your neck, and you wrap your arms around his waist, refusing to let him go.

"Stay safe, you two." Johnny says before joining his group to leave the play zone.

Now, the visa on your phone indicates 8 days. You have 8 days before playing, or dying. 3 days longer than Jaehyun.

Chapter four: Seven of Hearts.

For four days after the game, you did not leave the mall. You only came out of the store to collect food, and to shower, but otherwise, you were lying in bed, glued to each other, whispering sweet words to each other, or naughty ones. For four days, you cut yourselves off from the world, you stopped thinking about the games, the visas, and the blood that is becoming more and more difficult to clean up.

But today, you can no longer pretend nothing is different. Today, you have to go out.

"I am coming with you." you mumble while lacing your shoes. Jaehyun, who is pulling on his hoodie, shakes his head. "You are not coming. You still have 4 days." you get up from the bed, crossing your arms over your chest, daring Jaehyun to see anything. "I am coming." when he opens his mouth to speak, you raise your hand to silence him. "Last time I told you not to come, and you still did. It's my turn. You know you'll see me there, even if you leave without me."

Jaehyun nibbles on his lower lip, at a loss for words. "We are stronger together, Jaehyun." you know this is not true, that although teamwork is sometimes recommended, being together can be a weakness too, most of the time. "If you hurt yourself there, I swear to god, I'll make you pay for it." he mumbles through greeted teeth, and you smile, victorious. "I'll let you do it."

"I hope it won't be a physical game, I'm exhausted." Jaehyun says, closing the door behind you. You wait for him, reaching out your hand to him, and he chuckles softly, taking your hand in his. "Exhausted? You've spent the last few days sleeping, there is no reason for you to be exhausted!" Jaehyun whines loudly, and you bite your lower lip so as not to laugh. "You have exhausted me. You are insatiable!"

"You are hot, it's not my fault." you say in your defense, and you start to walk. It's later than usual, so the arrows are already there, showing the way to the next game zone. It's further than usual, but you don't mind. It bothers Jaehyun a bit, sicne it's the last day on his visa, and he is worried he won't be able to take part in the game.

"Everything will be alright." you say, squeezing his hand when you feel him tighten. "We'll be there on time. Win the game together. And go home together." he nods, though unconvinced, and you stop in front of the game zone. "The botanical garden?" you ask, frowning. "You already came?" you turn your head towards Jaehyun. "Yeah, with school when I was younger. It's pretty cool inside. But I wonder what kind of game they are going to give us."

"Maybe taste the flowers, and find which one is poisonous, and will slowly kill us if we can't find the antidote in another plant?" you ask, and Jaehyun narrows his eyes. "Hey, if we get out of this and make our own game world, we could use your idea and make some money out of it." you laugh softly, yeah that's not gonna do it. "The player already wants to surpass the master? You surprise me, Jaehyun."

Jaehyun opens the double glass door, and you walk inside, thanking him with a small kisso n the tip of his lips. The entrance is nothing unusual. There is a counter in the middle, pictures of plants on the walls, and a strong smell surrounds you. The lights are dimmed, and the heat is much more important than outside. This is what it takes to keep the plants alive, you think, taking a new phone, followed immeidately by Jaehyun.

"Seven of Hearts."

You both look at each other, frowning. You never had a heart game. The heart card being a psychological game. And seven? You never had such a difficult game either. "It's going to be complicated." you whisper. A post-card is places on the table next to it. "Take wathever items you want." and on the table are placed weapons of all kinds. "Look." Jaehyun nods to show you the headphones on another table. They are connected to a collar, which will certainly prevent them from removing it, glasses and a microphone. Perfect to communicate between each other.

"Oh, hi."

When you hear a voice, you turn to the new player. He looks young, really young. His lower lip is bleeding, and he looks like he has not slept in weeks. You frown, tilting you head. "Are you sure you want to play this game? It's a seven of Hearts." you say, and he shrugs. "I've already walked through the door, so it's too late." he walks up to you, and picks up a phone. You take a look and see that like Jaehyun, it's his last day to play.

You are about to ask him how old he is, and how long he's been here when the mechanical voice rings out. This is also when the door bursts open, on a clearly breathless person, and when your gaze lands on the new player, you sigh heavily. "Johnny." the man puts his hands on his knees, bending down, trying as best as he can to catch his breath, and when he hears his name, he straightens up, smiling. "Hey there! Look time no see."

"Registration is closed." the screens light up, and the speakers sizzle. You take a headphones, and you put it on. When you turn your head towards the boys, you see their names. Jaehyun, and the boy, Hendery imitate her. Johnny is the last one to do so, whisteling at the technology.

"The time limit is ten minutes. One player becomes the wolf, and the rest of the players become the sheep. The wolf must avoid the sheep's gaze. If the wolf has eye-contact with a sheep, the sentor reacts and the sheep becomes the wolf. After a new wolf is created, the sheep cannot become the wolf for 3 seconds. Once the time limit is reached, the wolf clears the game, and it is game over for the sheep. Attempting to remove the collar will result in a game over."

You and Jaehyun look at each other, it's a game where there will be only one winner.

The design of the wolf appears on the side of Jaehyun's headset, and on one of the screens, the symbol of the wolf is posed on the photo of Jaehyun who raises his head with a frown. "But I don't want to be the wolf!"

"Excuse me?" the boy, Hendery, asks. The two of you turn your heads toward him, and when Jaehyun's gaze meets Hendery's, he becomes the wolf. "Sorry." that's all he says before he starts running towards the botanical garden. "What are we doing?" you ask, and Jaehyun shrug. "I have absolutely no idea." if you don't know what to do, Johnny knows what to do. "Come back here, you little shit!" he shouts, running after the kid in the garden. "We have to go too, we can't just stay here."

You don't have much time, so you get going. The botanical garden is hot, and very humid, it is very unpleasant to be in this place. Through your headphones, you hear Hendery's plowed breathing, and his complaints every time he walks on the roots of a plant. "Kid, come back here!" Johnny says, and you bite your lip. Johnny is not alone, he's got a whole bunch of people around him, so you know he will not take pity on Hendery. He will not take pity on neither of you.

You cannot speak without taking the risk of being heard by Johnny, although for now, as sheep, you do not risk anything. "You go this way, and I go this way." Jaehyun says, and you nod. "We'll meet up after." you do not want to leave him, especially if it's your last time with him, but you have no choice. "Hendery, where are you?" you ask, in a voice you want soft, unlike Johnny who growls regulary into the microphone.

"I deserve to live, I am the youngest!" Hendery pants, and you sigh. You hear his voice clearly, he must be close to you, you think, looking around. "You don't deserve anything at all! What's the poing of letting you live, if you're going to get fucking killed tomorrow in another game. We can play. We have to survive, you don't, you're too young." Johnny mumbles, and in a way, he is not wrong.

You hear a rustling sound behind you, so you turn around quickly enough to see Hendery dig his foot into the tall grass to hide. You approach silently. "Hendery?" you whisper, and the boy is stupid, so he looks at you, making you the wolf. "Y/n, it's your turn now." Johnny says. "I saved you twice, I can't do that another time, I have to go back to my boys, I'm sorry."

"Jaehyun? Jaehyun where are you?" you ask, but you hear nothing but silence. Even the other two boys are silent, perhaps to make the hunt easier. "Jaehyun, please answer me." you start to panic, what if Johnny had killed him to have one more chance to making it out alive? Your blood runs cold, and you begin to run through the garden.

"5 minutes left."

"Jaehyun please, tell me where you are." you say in what sounds like a sob. You have to see him. You have to see him one last time and give him the role of the wolf. "Jaehyun." you whisper, but again, you ahve no response. What you do not know is that you are close to the man, much closer than you think, but he just refuses to say anything, he even hides when he sees you.

"Do you remember when I told you that you were my reason to survive?" Jaehyun's voice is finally heard, and you sigh in relief. "I meant it. Not only did you give me reason to survive, you also gave ma safe place to stay. You healed me, you fed me, and you loved me." you continue to run, you have to find him. "You have me more in a few days than anyone in my entire life, and for that, I want to thank you."

"Jaehyun, tell me where you are! We can find a solution, we can both live!" you say in a quick voice, and he laughs softly. "We can't, Y/n, it's a game where there is only one winner. There might be a way to win together, but we don't have time to find the solution." out of the corner of your eye, you see a bridge that connects two parts of the garden, and you head for it.

"You had a reason to survive from the start, Y/n. Even if you did not find me, you had a reason to play, and to win. I didn't. You deserve to live." he says in a weak voice, so full of emotions, and your heart breaks. "Jaehyun, please, I'm begging you, tell me where you are, stop hiding." you say in a sob, tears streaming down your cheeks.

"1 minute left."

"You have to live, you have to find a way to leave, and find the people you love. Do it for me, please." when he closes his mouth, your gaze finally falls on Jaehyun. He is sitting on a bench, with his head back, looking up at the night sky through the glass ceiling. "I can't life if you are not here." you say as you approach. When he hears your voice clearly, he smiles, looking at you. "You won't have a choice. You are the only person who deserves to survive. To win. You deserve the whole entire world."

"20 seconds left."

"I love you, Y/n. Thanks for everything." you walk up to him, and notice that he too, is crying. But he is also smiling, as if he is happy. Happy to know that you will be able to live.

"5 seconds left."

"Close your eyes, my love." he whispers, and you obey.

You do not see Jaehyun's collar flashing red, but you it. You hear the detonation. Well, the three detonations that echo from every corner of the botanical garden.

"I love you too, Jaehyun."

"Game clear for the wolf."

[dragonsareourfuture]

Mello/GN! Reader — Shower Thoughts

I’m reading the death note manga for the first time and I recently got to that part where Mello’s just kinda. Waitin’ outside the shower for Halle bc they cant talk anywhere else without being heard by bugs. I think its really funny but I couldn’t help but imagine that same scene happening with someone with a completely different personality. So have a small thing I wrote about it. Basically the reader likes to be annoying and uses humor to deflect from serious situations. I’m not self-projecting what do you mean.

“So.” You haven’t shut up since Mello pointed the gun to your head. It’s like he’s forced you to spit out an essay of the dumbest shit he’s ever heard and you were giving him material for an ‘A+’. He has no idea if this is your way of panicking during a stressful situation or if you just like to irritate him. He just knows he’s annoyed as all hell and has the power to silence you…but he wouldn’t do that. He needs you to get to Near. Unfortunately. “How was your day?”

His eyes bore into the sink, as if willing the faucet to start up and fill the room with water so he can drown. “Are you fucking kidding me right now?”

“You’re right, you’re right. I guess that wasn’t the best question, huh? Sorry.”

Mello hums. He’s staying as still as he can. It’s not like he thinks that any movement will prompt you to talk again, but that’s what the paranoid part of his brain is telling him. Silence. He just needs a few moments of silence—

“Ah, shit! Soap in my eye! I got—ahhh fuck – I got soap in my eye…”

“Great. Think you can suffer any more quietly?”

“Wow. No sympathy.” You pout, and the tone in your voice is genuinely upset. Most likely because he’s not playing along and not because you’re so offended that he’s being cruel to a poor, soap-blinded person. “Gevanni wouldn’t treat me this way.”

“If he could hear you I’m sure he’d want to blow your brains out, too.”

You bark with laughter. Mello hears a soap bottle fall.

“Aren’t you so cute! I certainly don’t mind if you stay here a little longer, yellow Mello! We could build you a nice lil’ pillow fort in the bathtub.”

Mello’s rubbing his temples, letting out a labored sigh. He is legitimately getting a headache from you. He thought that was just something people claimed happens when they’re being dramatic but he is actually getting a headache. But again, he needs you. And you’ve been an incredible help thus far. Despite your mannerisms and attitude, you’re actually a pretty serious and loyal person when it counts. These are all things Mello tells himself as he’s counting down from one hundred – and old anger management trick that he was forced to learn back at Wammy’s. He has found that it has little effect.

“Hey,” you call, as if bothered by the short bout of silence in the room. “I’m- shit…I’m sorry, okay? I don’t like this situation either. But I guess…I’m trying to make it a little better?”

For once, you let only the patter of water on porcelain fill the room. He can almost hear your breathing, and it sounds calculated. Mello’s headache wains.

“Thanks.” It’s all he can think to say. He knows you mean well, he always has. “I appreciate the effort.”

Your relieved chuckle bounces off the walls. It’s a sound Mello is happy to hear.

“M’glad.” And he can tell you are, as the smile you wear can be heard in your voice. “I’ll be done in a minute, I promise. I just gotta wash my hair so I’ll give you a play by play of what I’m doing so you know just how ‘almost done’ I am.”

“(Name), please don’t—“

“I’m grabbing the conditioner.”

“I swear if you—“

“I’m squeezing some onto my hand.”

Mello can feel his headache creep back into his skull. “I literally have a gun and you’re gonna make me wanna—“

“I’m putting it on my hea-AHH!” your riveting narration is interrupted by a screech when Mello punches the shower curtain right next to your face. “JESUS!”

He goes to tell you off when his eyes flit to the bathroom mirror and his words are caught in his throat. The sight that greets him is different for two different reasons. The first reason makes the second reason even more curious. Firstly, Mello has learned to accept that his face will never look the same again. His eyes wander around his left side, trace the pattern of the scar melded into his flesh like a searing reminder of how he’ll always be stuck where he is, never progressing, never rising above. But the scar has more than mental drawbacks; it also limits the physical movements of his features. Its stiff, like stone has begun to creep over the expanse of his face. So why, then, was he just able to smile so effortlessly without even noticing?

As annoying as you are…you’re the most fun Mello’s had in a while.

“Alright, I’ll stop! I’m sorry!”

“Yeah, Yeah. Just hurry up.”

“Oh right, we’ve gotta deceive my boss in a few.”

Mello snorts at how nonchalantly you say it. “I doubt he isn’t aware of us already.”

“’Us’?”

“That we’ve been conspiring.”

“Oh, right,” you chirp happily, but a tense pause follows. “For a second you made it sound like…”

“Like what?”

“Pshh, I don’t know!” you do know. “Now I’m about to get out so look away or I’ll throw soap in your eyes.” Ah, changing the subject. A classic method of avoiding embarrassment and a tactic you’ve grown so used to using it’s practically an unconscious choice by now.

But luckily, Mello doesn’t seem to want to dwell on it either. He instead focuses on your last sentence, responding by clicking his tongue against his teeth. “We’re both adults here.”

“I know that! I’m concerned that if you get a look at my godly self you won’t be able to control your adultly urges.”

“’Adultly’s not a word.”

You’re able stick your tongue out at him once you pop your head out of the shower, grabbing a towel from the rack.

“Taking the high road, I see.”

“Oh, shush. I never take the high road.” You flick water at Mello as you step out of the shower. “Alrighty. Time to go pretend to be a hostage while you threaten my boss. Oh, clothes first!”

“I’ll be here.”

After sending an affirming thumbs up, you exit the bathroom, a swirl of steam trailing behind you.

He’ll be here…It honestly is a shame he can’t stay here any longer. But it’d be suspicious. Near would find too many connections between the two of you. But…there are ways to avoid that happening.

Mello finds himself seriously considering the bathtub pillow fort idea.

[digitalworldbound]

day six: separation

summary: a sequel of sorts to "unexpected". hikari has to tell takeru the news.

tw: brief discussion of outcomes of a pregnancy

The examination table was uncomfortable. Her gown hung loose over her thin frame, something Hikari considered a blessing when she was able to wrap it around herself to keep the doctor’s cold hands at bay.

“What brings you in today?” Hikari’s doctor seemed kind enough. He flipped through her file, skimming his eyes across her vitals and symptoms. His smile reminded her of Jou, though he lacked the existential dread that was a trademark of her senior. Amongst the posters of glowing mothers and anatomical diagrams, her doctor looked downright cheerful. Her stomach churned.

“I think I might be…” her voice trailed off. White splotches formed around her knees where she had pressed them together. She couldn’t bring herself to look at the doctor, shame coloring her cheeks.

The doctor hummed in acknowledgement. “Well, your blood test does confirm that you are, in fact, pregnant.” Hikari flinched. It didn’t make sense. She had convinced herself that the pregnancy test she took at home didn’t count; the box itself said it was only ninety-seven percent accurate. Statistics had always been on her side, so why were they failing her now?

He gave her a few moments to collect herself before breaking the silence once more. “Would you like to hear your options?”

Hikari’s laughter sounded forced and hollow. “Options? Like what? Choosing between which family member murders me when I tell them?”

“Depending on what you choose, you may not have to tell them. Legally, you are an adult and can choose your favorable outcome of this…situation” Hikari’s wild eyes and quivering lip stirred something in the doctor’s stomach. She looked so small on the table, so young. Her file said she was nineteen years old, but the girl in front of him was heartbreakingly frail.

“You may not be able to control how your family will react, but you can decide what happens from here on out.” The doctor leaned against the sterile counter, clipboard pushed aside. “Firstly, you can choose to carry the baby to full term. After you give birth, you can either keep the child or sign it up to become adopted by another family.” He paused. Hikari wrapped her arms tightly around her torso, eyelashes clumped with unshed tears.

Clearing the lump in his throat, the doctor continued. “As of right now, you are only about seven weeks along. If you don’t like your first two options, there is still enough time to get an abor- “

“No, please.” Her voice was hoarse, cracking as the weight of her responsibility hit her.

He watched as her tears riveted down her cheeks before excusing himself politely. There wasn’t anything else he could do for her; it was her choice.

-

It was well past dinner time when Hikari tip-toed into their shared apartment. With all of the lights off, she could pretend that she was alone. With the lights off, she could ignore the plate of food that had been waiting for her and her boyfriend’s shoes by the door. It was time to tell him.

Takeru’s voice seeped out from underneath their bedroom door. “I don’t know what’s happening! That’s why I’m calling you. She won’t tell me anything, Miyako. Please, please, help me out.” It could have been the distress in his voice or the ultrasound crumpled in her hands, but Hikari’s eyes burned. Initially, she hadn’t wanted to burden him. A basketball scholarship and creative writing major would be abandoned for her. For them. Takeru would happily give up his dreams and hopes if Hikari so much as asked. She loved him so wholly and completely that she couldn’t bear to tell him the news; he would give up everything for her.

His footsteps traced the outline of their bedroom. She imagined him running his fingers through his hair like he did when he was frustrated. Miyako’s answer must have been vague, as Takeru’s voice rose to a new decibel.

“If it’s just a stomach bug, why has she been avoiding me? She won’t even let me touch her!” Takeru’s voice cracked. He was damned if she told him, he was damned if she didn’t.

Blood pounded in her ears. Though Hikari did her best to stay quiet, the hinges on the bedroom door gave her away. Blond hair whipped in her direction, her heart splintering.

His eyes puffy and bloodshot, Takeru was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. It was so unfair that he was his prettiest when he was distraught. Sniffling, he pulled her limp body to his chest. A shiver ran through her body as Takeru’s tears dampened her fringe. “Please.”

He knew that she had heard everything. Playing dumb was no longer an option. His voice trembled, his heart beating so fast, so erratically that it scared Hikari.

She relished in his warmth for a moment, letting her arms circle around her stomach. Once she told him, there would be no taking it back. It would hang between them, it would ruin everything. He loved her, even now. His heart solely belongs to her, and Hikari was about to crush it.

“Takeru.” It could have been the way her voice shook, or how she pushed him away. Regardless, his eyes were on her. The concern etched into his features nearly unraveled her. A lump crawled into her throat, a fresh wave of tears spilling over onto her cheeks.

Words spilled out of her. They didn’t make sense to her, but Takeru was kind. He listened so intently that it made her skin crawl. When the words finally dried up, she couldn’t bring herself to look at him. “Hikari, I don’t understand.” Slowly, he inched towards her as if she were a feral cat.

She wanted to run, but his hands held her firmly in place. He didn’t say anything else, choosing to press their foreheads together. His hands were shaking, his eyelashes clumped together. And yet, he was so gentle. He wanted to make sure that she was okay.

The ultrasound was crumpled before she handed to him, but his grip could have torn it in half. “Hikari, I don’t understand.”

Her tears dripped into her palms as she held her face in shame. “I’m pregnant.”

A sharp gasp shattered her heart. It’s best if he leaves, she reminded herself, but she wanted nothing more than for him to stay. Selfishly, wholeheartedly, she wanted him with her.

Then, she was flying. Her eyes fluttered open to meet his, blindingly bright and full of promises she wasn’t sure he would keep. He spun her around and around until the smallest of giggles mingled with his own.

Setting her down, his hands found hers on her stomach. The doctor had told her that her bump wouldn’t be visible for another few weeks, but Hikari held his hand firmly in place. Takeru didn’t speak, lips trailing kisses across her face and down her neck.

“Takeru, I’m scared.” With his blind hair tickling her chin, it was hard to gauge his reaction.

He hugged her tight, snuggling further into her neck. “I’m terrified,” he admitted. “We’re so young, and there’s still so much that I want to do.” Hikari tensed. This was it.

“But,” he cupped her cheeks in between his palms, planting a kiss of reassurance on her lips, “I love you. You are the thing I am most sure about. This baby is an extension of you; of us. I’ll do whatever I need to take care of you both for the rest of my life.” A pair of thumbs wiped away her fresh tears. “That is, if you’ll have me.”

A gasp, then a pair of hands pulling closer. “Yes,” she whispered against his lips.

[tanakavox]

A look into the multiverse chapter 5

Soooo. Due to post limit im gonna have to reblog this post with the rest. Just tell y'all when you wonder where the rest is lol. Anyways intro for Winter is done by ExiledDarkness. Everything else is all meeee! On with the post.

A flash of light blinds everyone in the room. As it dies down, Winter Schnee is shown to be standing in the middle of the room.

"Winter?!" Weiss exclaims in shock. The rest of the cast, except for Qrow who groans in annoyance, keeps silent as Weiss explains to Winter about the situation they're in.

Winter nods. "I see. How interesting. I usually wouldn't do something like this but it appears that I have been given no other choice."

"Yeah, that seems to be the case with everything going on in my life." Jaune says while scratching his head.

The screen's light flickers on again and shows a boy setting up his computer and putting a helmet on his head. The sound of the computer starting up is heard.

"Link start!" With those words a flash of light appears with lines of color streaking across the screen.

"That voice sounded familiar …" Winter muttered to herself

"What was that Winter? Weiss asked, turning to her sister.

"Ah. It's nothing"

"Ah. Sword art online." The boy thinks to himself, sighing wistfully. "It's been a while since the beta. Wonder if they change anything?

A man in his early 20s with white hair looks and sees that ads plague the area around him.

"Oh c'mon guys, really? That's just disgusting." The man said to no one, his disgust at the ads was apparent.

"Yeah, seriously. That's just annoying. Qrow said with a grimace.

"Active Adblocker" A screen appeared in front of the young saying it was 29.99 for the Adblocker DLC. The man chuckled darkly. "I'm gonna burn this F***r to the ground.

"Please do!" Nora said a manic grin on her face.

The scene cuts to Blond man with long hair being tackled by a pig, the man blonde groaning in pain.

"That's Sun." Blake said almost immediately.

"How can you tell? Yang asked.

"I just know."

"Well he just got his ass kicked by a pig." Jaune said, laughing a bit

"Wow, Congrats. You were defeated by a pig." The white hair man was there looking down at Blonde unimpressed.

"F**k you man, that's like a pig from hell! The blonde cried, looking at the boar in terror.

"Really?" The white hair man smirked, and picked up a rock and threw it at the boar's ass killing it. It exploded into shards and a screen showed the exp he had got from killing it.

"Wow. This either that blonde guy sucks that bad or the other guy just that good." Mercury said with a grin.

"My god." He gasped with a shit eating grin on his face. "I've stumbled across the most powerful weapon in the game"

"Stop" The blonde whimper.

"The Mithril Pebble of pig smithing!"

"Please stop."

The white hair man takes a deep breath of air as the Blonde groans.

"My god, this sounds like something Whitely would do." Weiss said with an annoyed look.

"For you see, long ago, this pebble was forged in the fiery pits of tartarus,by the grand blacksmith of Lucifer himself. In a time before the world began…

The blonde facepalm as his party member continued. The sun had started to fall when the white haired man was finishing up.

"And thus, Mardoza, Guardian of the pebble, fell to his knees, and passed from this world, leaving behind the mighty weapon. For he knew... that one day, it's power would be required once more.

"Are you done?" The blonde asked.

"Yes." But then he whispered: The legacy of the pebble lives on.

"I have a feeling you get beat up a lot in real life." The blonde snarked.

"And he's using it as some kinda power fantasy cause he can't be that cool in real life." Yang added.

"Shut up! Here I have power!"

"Right, anyways, I've got a pizza coming, and I'm gonna meet up with some friends later.

So thanks for the quick tutorial on pig slaying and the not so quick tutorials on…. rocks…Shirou Yuki?" The blonde slowly wording out the other's username.

"Hey,no problem. I had fun taunting you." Shirou said with a grin. "Ballsdeep69"

"Yeah that's Sun." Blake said, shaking her head. "Only he would come up with such a dumb name."

Meanwhile Winter had a good idea who Shirou Yuuki was, but didn't want to say anything until she was 100% sure.

Ballsdeep69 laughs a bit. "Yeah it's uh, it's just a joke name. Just a character to dick around with while I get a hang of the game. I'm gonna make my real character later."

"Yeah yeah. No, I get it."

Shirou and balls look at each other awkwardly for a while when Shirou breaks the silence. "So uh...your pizza?"

"Right,right logging out." Balls swipes the air with his right hand and goes to log out but notices something odd.

"Hey,Shirou?" Balls called out. "Um, Totally noob question, but how do I log out?

"Are you serious, man?" Shirou asked exasperated.

"Yeah, Really dude? How hard is it to logout?" Jaune asked just as exasperated.

"Hey this Nervegear man. I can't Alt-F4 this sh*t.

Shirou sighs. "Alright fine. It's right…" He looked at his menu screen in confusion. "Here?"

"Oh thanks, player's guide." Balls deadpan.

"No it's here. But it's just blank."

Balls turns back to his menu and something catches his eye. "Oh wait, something scrolling Across mine. HahahahahahahaHAHAha"

"I get it." Shirou said with a frown.

"Wait, Wait, there's more. Ha."

"Riveting."

"Wait so they can't log out? What happened?" Ruby asked the rest of the confused viewers

"Eh no worries I'll just take the nervegear off like SO!" Balls reaches around his head and tries to take it off to no effect.

"Hey, dumbass, It doesn't work like that." Shirou sheerned. "The Nervegear disables your motor function so you don't move around in the game. Don't you remember all those videos of the beta testers?

The clip on Dustube plays, A man walking around in nerve gear is marlouving at the tech is shown. Someone, a friend of his walks up and offers a greeting to the man and he mistakes his friend for a troll and goes to pummel his friend into the ground.

It goes back to Shirou and Balls.

"So many lawsuits." Shirou muttered.

A few of the viewers had a good laugh at that.

"Uh, Do you feel tingly?" Balls asked before the two were transferred from mellow they were in a city square.

"No. Why?" Shirou asked casually. The two looked around and it seemed that other players were being teleported into the city square.

"What the hell is that?" Balls asked, looking at the sky going red.

"Well, I believe some people call it a Hexagon? Ain't 100% on that, gonna have to check my sources." Shirou snarked.

"Man f*ck off."

"I like this guy." Mercury said with a grin

The sky started to seem like it was starting to bleed.

"And The sky's bleeding" Shirou observed, not seeming to really care."

"Yeah, they are really pushing for that M rating." Balls repsoned on caring as much as Shirou.

"Wow the sky bleeds and they don't even care." Winter said.

"Probably because they know it's a video game, Ice Queen." Qrow reposned

A hooded figure appears flooding in the air. A wave of dangers fills most of the players in the area.

"Oh it's a person." Expect for one player.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I am Jaune Arc, Head programmer!"The figure greeted."

"Jaune made this game?" Ruby asked, looking towards the blond.

"Nice Vomit boy." Yang said slapping Jaune on the back. Jaune grunted a bit but smiled towards Yang.

"Welcome to the unparalleled online Sword art onli-" Jaune was interrupted by the player being to talk frantically among themselves. Jaune tried to get them to focus their attention on him by muting them, but ended up muting himself.

"He knows he muted himself right?" Balls asked.

"Give him a minute." Shirou mutters. Jaune unmuted himself.

A few laugh at Jaune's mistake as the Blonde himself facepalms at his mistake.

"Alright. Just realized what happened there. It's very funny. But right now, serious time. How many of you have seen Tron?" He was met with complete and utter silence. Jaune looked over the crowd and was met with blank stares, not counting Shirou. "W-what seriously?! None of you have seen Tron?! " Jaune asked, completely baffled. "I was really banking on that."

"Seriously?! No one had seen Tron?" Jaune all but screamed.

A few viewers didn't want to admit to not seeing Tron either.

Jaune cleared his throat, and proceeded to wing the entire thing. "Much like the world of warcraft, none of you are here by choice anymore. Unlike WoW, however, your being held here by me, not by a need to escape your empty f*cking lives. There is no longer any way to log out of Sword art online. If someone on the outside attempts to log you by removing your Nerve gear, well… Has anyone seen scanners?

Jaune once again looked and was once again met with silence.

"Uh Scanners. It's a movie…. Seriously?! He grumbles to himself about how the people here had no class and pulled up a clip of a man's head exploding. "Okay. That was from Scanners… and basically that.

"First Tron, now Scanners?!" Jaune facepalm.

"You just trapped god knows how many people in a video game, and you're worried about what movie they haven't seen?! Weiss retorted. Jaune flinched and wisely kept quiet.

The crowd gasped in shock.

"Finally seeing some gears turning, making progress."

"Why would you do such a thing?!" One player cried out.

"Stephen? Stephen is that you?" Jaune asked happily "How are you enjoying that advance copy?"

"I'm playing it with my family!" Stephen repiled.

"Oh, that's right!" The hooded figure laughed. "Happy birthday Timmy!"

Little Timmy began to cry.

"Aw, They grow up so fast." He said, sighing. " Cherish these moments Stephen. Cherish these moments. So as I was saying, the only way to keep the nervegear from going Gallager on your grey matter, is to make your way through castle Aincrad and beat Sword Art Online!"

"So you want us to beat a MMO?" A random player asked.

"Essentially."

"F*CK YOU!"

"That is the correct response when someone says to beat a MMO" Ren said.

"Is it really that bad?" Oscar asked and he receive a loud

"YES!"

"WOAH! Getting a lot of hostility here. Do not appreciate it."

"Well honestly!" The same player began,"When was the last time you heard of someone beating Everquest?"

"When was the last time you heard of someone playing Everquest?" Jaune fired back. There was a slight pause.

"That's fair."

"Everquest…. That's a deep cut." Qrow said, sighing thinking back.

"Anywho, for all you guys that wanted to play as girls, and you know who you are," Despite not seeing his face they could tell Jaune had a huge grin. "I've got a surprise for you!"

A mirror appeared in everyone's hands and a light filled the city.

A young boy, no older than 14 was where Shirou was. He still had the white hair and was wearing the same clothes but was more lankey and shorter than the man who was once there.

"Shirou Yuuki?" The boy turned and a familiar face was shown.

"Whitely?!" Weiss cried out at the sight of her brother.

"I knew it was him." Winter said. The username gave him away, Not only is it the username for when he goes on forums, Shirou Yuuki has the same meaning as his real name.

"How do you know what username he uses when he's online? Weiss asked her sister, a question that went unanswered.

"You're not a girl!" A fat player cried out.

"And you're not 17!" Another skinner one also cried out."

"I'm okay with this!"

"Me too!"

"LOVE KNOWS NO GENDER!" Someone shouted out.

"A wise seminent. Ozpin said sipping his coffee."