#let's face it they aren't go to the zoo kind of people

[wheels-of-despair]

Live A Little | A Worth It AU | Ralph Penbury x You | Masterlist

In This Edition: You join the gals on a mission below decks, officially meet Ralph, and have a crisis of conscience! Words: 3.3k

"Are you going to sleep all day?"

"Yes," you grumble into your fluffy pillow, wishing your aunt would move along and let you finish a wonderful dream about dancing.

"You can sleep when you get home, come on!"

You keep your eyes shut, clinging to the last wisps of your dream. You want to see his face. To know whose arms were wrapped around you, floating with you across the dance floor like you were weightless.

A smack to your rear plucks you from the dream world and drops you back into your cabin. The lights are on, and your aunt stands above you impatiently.

"Good morning, sunshine. Ready for breakfast?"

You groan and haul yourself out of bed. The next hour is spent making yourselves presentable. The hour after that? Eating a breakfast that, you have to admit, was worth getting out of bed for.

After a walk around the promenade, your aunt drags you to the swimming pool. You find the concept a bit odd, but how often does one get to swim aboard a ship sailing on the ocean?

You didn't really know what to expect, given that it was the first of its kind, but the swimming pool was fabulous. It was much larger than you'd imagined it would be, and over five feet deep. You happily swapped your dress for a rented swimming costume and spent over an hour splashing around with other curious ladies.

Titanic was scheduled to stop near Ireland to pick up a few new passengers just before midday, and it would be the last land anyone saw for days. You didn't want to miss it. You and Aunt Molly went to the deck and sat in the sun as you watched the ship approach the coast. You stayed there until time for lunch, then went below deck to have another wonderful meal. The time seemed to fly by.

Molly decided to stay and chat with the ladies after lunch, so you went back to watch the departure from Queenstown by yourself. It had grown windier, but you didn't mind the fresh air. You wrapped your arms around yourself and stared at the land in the distance, wondering if you'd ever see it again.

This may be your last grand adventure. It had been a wonderful trip, and you'd been lucky enough to experience a great many things that most people would never get to. But were you really ready to go back home and resume your normal life? To plan a traditional wedding and be an obedient wife and an attentive mother in the little town you'd grown up in? Forever?

"What are you doing up here all alone?"

You whip your head around to see Victoria, Georgina, and the girls from your table last night. Your face breaks into a smile.

"I'm just taking one last look at Ireland. It's the last land we'll see until we reach New York."

"How dreadfully boring!" Victoria laughs. "Come with us, we're going below to pick out a peasant for Nora!"

A girl in the back of the group blushes, and you recognize her as last night's loser; the final dance partner of Victoria's brother.

"Alright," you smile, falling into step as the group proceeds inside to the elevators. Victoria secures directions to the third class accommodations from the lift attendant - who warns her away from the unpolished people below - but she reminds him that she paid for the privileges of a first class passenger, and can go wherever she damn well pleases. You aren't sure if that's truly the case or not, but it seemed to convince the nervous operator. You split into two groups and ride the lifts down into the belly of the ship.

Victoria leads the way to the third class lounge with determination. When you enter, the room falls silent.

"Alright, Jane," Victoria orders, "Pick one!"

Jane scans the faces beginning to whisper, and points at a man you'd imagine to be Italian and in his 60s, sitting at a table playing cards. "That one!"

The girls giggle. You feel like you're in a zoo. Only, you're one of the animals. Every pair of eyes in the room is on the group of first class girls who'd come down to gawk.

"Go on!" Victoria grabs Nora's shoulders and pushes her forward. The girl stumbles at first, but finds her footing and marches right up to the elderly stranger, bends at the waist, and kisses him. She stands and wipes her mouth with the back of her hand, smudging her lipstick slightly, and returns to the group triumphantly.

They howl and cackle and congratulate her.

You wish you'd slept in.

The man sits there in a daze. You wonder what might be going through his head. A strange rich woman, just walking up and kissing you on the mouth? That surely doesn't happen every day.

A little boy, walking like he'd just learned how, wobbles toward the group and distracts you from your discomfort. You watch curiously, wondering what he's after. He reaches for Victoria's dress, which is covered with shiny metallic beads.

She sees him coming and leaps back with a squeal, snatching her dress out of his grasp. He giggles and wobbles faster, thinking she's playing a game with him.

Victoria keeps backing away, elbowing her way through the gaggle of other girls. When they spot him, they scramble and take off in the opposite direction, like the child is diseased. He pouts when they disappear from sight without playing with him. You wish you had something to give him; a trinket, a flower, anything to show the poor child that at least one of you is a human with a beating heart.

His mother rushes over to snatch him up, giving you a frightful glare, and you rush down the hall in search of the girls you'd arrived with.

"It's so disgusting down here, I need fresh air and a clean dress," is the first thing you hear from Victoria, who hasn't even noticed you were missing.

Everyone follows her back to the lifts. You bring up the rear. Nora the Loser is dismissed, and sent back to wherever the other girls competing for Ralph's affection - and a "heart-wrenchingly expensive" necklace, you'd recently learned - were spending their time.

You want to retreat and find a book, or go exploring on your own, but the devil on your shoulder tells you to stay. How often does an opportunity to observe the idle rich present itself, after all? Even if they are "heart-wrenchingly" horrible? Perhaps you'll write a book about them someday.

You step onto the promenade deck and breathe in the ocean air, feeling better already. The group walks in a slow circle around the ship, and you listen to the girls gossip about fashion and other passengers and the like. You didn't have a lot to contribute, but they didn't seem to mind.

Eventually, they stop for refreshments in the Café Parisien, a lovely room full of comfortable wicker chairs and ivy-covered trellises. When the gossip turns to white noise, and you take in the details of the decor. You've been to so many breathtaking places on your vacation, but somehow, this brand new ship seems just as wonderful as architectural wonders that have been standing for thousands of years. You could wander this ship for a lifetime and still not notice all the fine details.

"Hello!"

An enthusiastic voice breaks you out of your reverie, and you turn to face the smiling young man at Victoria's side. Right. Her brother, Ralph. The object of many young ladies' affections.

"Hello!" You can't quite match his tone, but you return his smile as best you can. He beams, like no one has ever said hello to him before. His big brown eyes twinkle with excitement, and you wonder if his dimpled cheeks are starting to hurt. It's absolutely adorable.

"Down, Ralph!" Victoria snaps. "She's not for you!"

His face falls, your heart pangs. The poor boy shifts bashfully and stares at the ground.

"It's nearly time to dress for dinner," he says quietly. "You said you wanted to pick out my outfit."

Victoria smirks. "Go to your room and wait for me."

He retreats without a word. You watch his slumped shoulders exit the café doors and wonder what happened to the happy boy who was dancing with different dames all night. He seems like a different person now. Why does he let her boss him around like this? Victoria turns to make sure he's gone, and then leans in conspiratorially. All the girls at the table mirror her.

"Do you want to know what tonight's task is?"

The girls hold their breath and wait.

"They'll have to kiss him! The last person to do so will have to go down below and invite a steerage rat to dinner in the lounge!"

The girls gasp and cover their gaping mouths.

"In public?"

"Where they'll be seen?"

"Oh, Victoria, that's simply wretched!"

"I know!" she says smugly, leaning back in her chair and popping a pastry in her mouth.

The girls giggle, but your excitement about being included is definitely beginning to wane. Is this fair to the man who will be chosen to be part of their spectacle? Could he refuse a first class lady? Would it be fair to Victoria's brother, who was being used for their amusement?

"Alright, let's go dress for dinner," Victoria orders, draining her glass and standing. Everyone else follows suit. "Wait until you see the awful thing I'm going to put Ralph in, you're all going to die laughing!"

You broke from the group to go back to your cabin and dress for dinner with Aunt Molly. You helped each other into fresh outfits and returned to the saloon for another exceptional meal that helped take your mind off the girls you'd escaped. They'd all gone to the À la Carte Restaurant, but you told them that you'd promised your aunt that you would join her for dinner. It wasn't a lie; you just didn't tell them that she would've happily sent you off with people your own age. But you didn't want to. You needed a break from them.

By the time the dessert plates were removed, you thought you might give socializing one last try. This was a rare opportunity for you, after all. And if nothing else, it would make you appreciate being ignored by the other girls like them when you returned home.

You excuse yourself from the dining saloon and return to the lounge, arriving just in time to see Nora pull Ralph to the dance floor. Last night's loss has clearly not disqualified her from continuing the game.

"There she is! You missed all the fun," Georgina pouts, pulling you into the chair next to her. "I stalled Ralph so Victoria could tell the girls about the new incentive she thought of during dinner: Take Ralph to bed and keep him out of Victoria's hair for a full twenty-four hours, and you'll get to spend the rest of the trip with us! Look how she's hanging all over him!"

Your eyes drift back to Ralph and Nora. He's telling her something, and she's laughing frequently and loudly. Touching him as much as she can get away with in public. It's all fake. He can see that, right?

"Does Ralph know that he's playing a game?" you ask.

"No!" Georgina laughs. "It's just a bit of fun. He's hopeless and pathetic. They're bored and loose. Victoria's a genius, don't you think?" You open your mouth as if to answer, and then think better of it. Georgina notices your change in mood. "Don't you realize how lucky you are? Other girls are willing to be defiled by him for a chance to walk the promenade with us. You got in free of charge!"

This is why you never fit in with the girls at home; because they're exactly like Victoria and her gang. Scheming wretches who only care about social status, or money, or the latest fashion, or today's gossip, or having fun at someone else's expense. They don't care about people, or feelings, or things that actually matter. They're just like your mother. You'd rather be alone than be part of this.

You get up without another word and exit through the nearest door. It's chilly out, but it's better than being in there. You walk until you reach an open section of deck and find a bench. You sit for a moment, staring at the bright stars. It's so peaceful out here.

You lie down, stretching out across half of the double-sided bench, and stare upward so that all you see is the night sky. The stars look so much clearer than they do at home. Is it because there are no city lights to interfere with them? Or has your world really changed so much, that even the stars look different now?

You lie there and ponder until you hear footsteps and giggling. Pick another bench, you beg silently. Just keep walking.

"Here we are," a man announces before two bodies come to rest on the other side of your bench. Do you get up and leave? Pretend you're not here? What if they notice you? Should you pretend to be asleep?

You hear them kiss, and wish you could roll off of this bench and land two decks below.

"Dearest," the girl purrs. "Do you think you could show me your stateroom?"

"My stateroom?" the man asks.

You know that voice.

"Yes," she breathes, probably in his ear. "I bet it's fabulous."

"But… but…" he protests.

"I'd like to show you something," she whispers suggestively.

"Wh-what would you like to show me?" he stutters.

"Shhhh. It's a secret."

His breath hitches. You wonder where her hands are, and wish you were literally anywhere else.

"D-don't you think we ought to get to know each other first?" he asks nervously.

"I know all I need to know, lovey," she purrs.

You sense a shift on the other side of the bench, like he's trying to slide away. He yelps. She laughs her stupid fake laugh again.

You scoff.

And then you freeze.

You didn't mean to.

If discovered, you planned on pretending to be asleep.

But two heads peek over the top of the bench at you. You're caught. Do you apologize, or go on the offensive?

"What is it that you know about him?" you ask. Offensive it is.

"Pardon me?" she asks.

You sit up. "This person you've shared a whole two dances with. What do you know about him?"

"Plenty of things!"

"Such as?"

The question seems to stun her. And of course it does; he's only a pawn in a silly little game, isn't he?

"The reason he's on board? His favorite course during tonight's dinner?" She stares blankly. "Here's an easy one: What color are his eyes?"

She glances at him before answering: "Blue, obviously."

You might laugh if the brown-eyed boy sitting next to her on the dark bench beneath the stars didn't look so crushed.

"Do you even like him?"

"Of course I do!" she insists, hand over her heart as if you've offended her to the very core.

"Then why don't you tell him what you're really after? Or would you rather wait twenty-four hours and let him find out on his own? Would that be more fun for you?"

You run out of steam when you glance toward Ralph and see the recognition dawning on his face.

"Nora?" he asks pitifully. "Is this a game?"

She scoffs and gets off the bench, stomping back toward the lounge. You and Ralph are left alone.

"I'm sorry, Ralph," you tell him gently.

His head hangs, and your "sorry" doesn't seem like enough.

"I'm sorry that they treat you this way, and I'm sorry that I didn't speak up sooner. It's not fair, what they were doing to you."

He shakes his head. "I should know better by now. No one will ever really want me."

"I'm sure that's not true," you argue.

"It is," he sniffles. "Everyone knows it. I'm annoying and pathetic and no one will ever want me. Even my own twin says so."

Twin? Victoria is his twin, and still treating him this way? Your heart breaks for the poor boy.

"I know that I haven't known you for very long, but would you like to know what I think?"

He peeks up at you curiously through his wet lashes, so you continue.

"I think you're a handsome young man with a big heart and a nice smile," you begin slowly. "One day, you will find someone who deserves you. And she won't give a damn what your sister, or anyone else, has to say about you. Because her love will be real, and that will be all that matters."

He ducks his head and wipes away a tear.

"And you're a terrific dancer, too," you add to lighten the mood.

"Thank you," he chuckles, as another tear streaks down his cheek.

"You've ruined everything!" The shrill voice of Victoria cuts through the night like a knife aimed directly at your eardrums.

A crowd has gathered to see who's ruined everyone's fun. Victoria and Georgina are leading the pack. They stand square-shouldered and glare like you've ruined their lives rather than a stupid game. You wonder if you should get up and curtsy.

"We trusted you!" "We treated you like one of us!" "This is what we get for associating with people who clearly do not belong in first class!" Their voices overlap, but you get the gist. They stand there expectantly, as if waiting for an apology.

You give them a shrug.

"Ugh!" Victoria spins and stomps back toward the lounge. Georgina follows, and then the rest of their herd.

You let out a slow breath when they disappear from view. Where do you go from here? You and Ralph sit in silence until you can't stand it anymore.

"Well…" you chuckle. "I supposed I should get to bed, before they decide to come back and toss me into the sea."

"May I walk you?" Ralph asks, trying to dry his eyes subtly as he rises from his side of the bench.

"You don't have to do that," you smile.

"A lady ought not be wandering alone at nighttime, even on a ship as grand as this," he says, puffing his chest out in an attempt to appear broader than he is.

"If you insist?"

He nods and holds his arm out. You take it gently.

"I'm sharing a cabin with my aunt on A-Deck."

Ralph nods in acknowledgement and leads you the long way around instead of to the door you'd both recently come out of.

The walk passes in silence.

"This is it," you say quietly, turning to face him when you reach your door. "Thank you for the escort, Mr… I'm afraid I don't know your surname."

"Penbury," he supplies with a sad smile. "But please call me Ralph."

"Ralph it is, then." You introduce yourself, thank him once more, and he leans down to kiss the back of your hand like a gentleman who hasn't just had his heart broken.

"Good night, kind sir," you whisper when he stands.

"Good night, lovely lady," he whispers back.

You step inside your room, close the door, and listen to him walk away before getting dressed for bed.

[moreespressoformydepresso]

I have been thinking about the au where the mentors possessiveness over their tribute save them so I got an idea on that by making the mentors possessiveness over their tribute more visible where they start arguing with each other Infront of the tributes about it maybe it's between pup and Persephone going: no lamina is the one who deserves to go home she's a lot more kind and better than the other tributes

Persephone: no mizzen is the one who deserves to win he's too young and has a full life ahead of him

And it's what gets the tributes angry And stop the argument by calling out how hypocritical both of them are being and how all the tributes are children who don't deserve to die and lamina and mizzen talk about how much coral and treech mean to them and that they too deserve to go home, none of the tributes deserve to die they are all just kids and a repeated pattern of this continues until the mentors get the idea

I feel like this could work even better if the mentors came to the conclusion that all the kids deserve to live by themselves? Just by virtue of realizing their friends care just as deeply about their tributes as they do about their own and slowly starting to see the way the tributes care about each other too because they're now paying more attention to tributes that aren't theirs. Don't get me wrong I love angry tributes and a few of them will definitely get pissed, I think it would be especially great for Lamina and Mizzen to get angry (because I see Lamina as overall emotional in every way, not just sad crying, and Mizzen is a kid so of course he'll be a little more open with his feelings), but in my head characters like Treech and Panlo would be more... defeated than anything else. Sure, there's resentment bubbling under their skin, pain and suffering and fear, but above all there's hopelessness. This knowledge that whatever they could try to do is futile because despite the Capitol's arrogance they're right about one thing: The kids can't escape. Not because they're not smart enough to though, like the Capitol thinks, but because they're a bunch of starved children in a zoo enclosure with guns pointed at them 24/7.

Anger can have impact, but I feel like absence of outward anger could be just as telling. So while some kids get mad, others... don't. They don't have the energy to. Lamina angrily comes to Treech's defence to Pup, and when Pup sees the way Vipsania seems to genuinely care for the boy despite using him like a tool and starving him for her own gain just days prior he realizes the truth and feels horrible for how mean he's been to Treech (both mentally and vocally). He expects the kid to blow up at him the way Lamina had, perhaps even more agressively so since Lamina is so sweet and gentle, but Treech just smiles at him awkwardly and tells him it's fine. His shoulders are obviously tense and he looks nervous, even a little wary and he clearly doesn't believe that Pup's being genuine in any way, but despite that he doesn't make a fuss at all. When Pup presses him, Treech just shrugs.

"But- I was horrible to you. Aren't you mad at me or something?"

"Mad?" Treech laughed humorlessly. Empty. "Of course I'm mad. But what's the point? It's not gonna change..." He gestured around the zoo vaguely. "This, is it? I-" He hesitated, shrinking in on himself slightly. "I'm just so tired... But it's fine, it's not like my feelings matter," he grimaced. "I'm going to die in a few days anyway."

And I feel like that attitude would be even more of a slap to the face for the Capitol if it comes right after anger. Seeing that these kids have been broken so badly by these so-called 'superior beings' that they don't even have the energy to let their resentment show... I don't know, I just love to explore the different reactions people have to hard situations and this is one of them.

Also wouldn't it be so funny if Harrington Sr witnessed this reaction and saw the youngest peacekeepers under his command during the rebellion in Treech? Especially when he says he's tired. Now that would be interesting to explore, especially given I have several fix-it AU's (and Even-More-Painful-Than-Canon AU's) where Pup and Treech are a couple (in the making).

Maybe I should post that fix-it HarringTreech + VipsaMina AU that's been collecting dust in my drafts for months now...

[pickingwinkles]

I've been tagged by @highponeystoney Thanks friendo!

1. Are you named after anyone? My maternal grandfather. yep I have nothing wittier to say

2. When was the last time you cried? Hmm. Today. I watched some people watch Return of the King on youtube (because that is the way in which i have chosen to fritter away my precious little time on earth) and I cried when they cried when they realised Frodo was leaving for the undying lands. basically i will cry any time i see anyone else cry even if i don't know what they're crying about. why aren't my sentences auto-capitalising on my laptop? Must I do everything myself? I am not cool enough to have non-capitalised sentences.

3. Do you have kids? I'm just going to go ahead and copy paste @highponeystoney 's answer here. No. Nor I do I wish to have any. Never had any desire. *waves to all the busy-bodies who told me I'd change my mind when I'm older*

4. Do you use sarcasm a lot? It depends who I'm with... there are plenty of people who just don't do sarcasm and I will pop it neatly aside for them. But I'm an Xennial and an Australian, it's kind of in my make-up. You didn’t survive teen-hood in the 90s without developing the skill of sarcasm. Also my sister used to call me Darlene (after the character in Roseanne) and I was obsessed with Daria. Make of that what you will.

5. What's the first thing you notice about people? Faces. General facial area. Mostly their chin or mouth because that's where I look so I can understand what they're saying

6. What's your eye color? Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrown

7. Scary movies or happy endings? Depends. I don't like jump scare horror movies, but I like to be scared. The best ones for me never show the horror and good ones of those are few and far between. I can take or leave a happy ending. I prefer a justified ending

8. Any special talents? I can play the nose flute

9. Where were you born? Melbourne baby! In Australia, not that Florida nonsense. So, just 20 minutes ago I was looking up airports and typed in MEL--you know, our airport code because we got it first because we are the best Melbourne--and Melbourne fucking Florida kept coming up first! Excuse moi! One: we are an actual state capital and two: just no. No offence to Florida Melburnians, love ya

10. What are your hobbies? *sigh* Reading, walking, crochet, doodling, playing drums, learning, painting, needle-felting, sewing, cross-stitch and aaaaaall the other things with all the supplies in all the drawers... i just like making stuff okay

11. Have any pets? My kitty cat. She cute

12. What sports do you/have you played? Sometimes I wish I still played something, or had someone to play tennis or something with. At school I played in the volleyball, (field) hockey, and soccer teams. Oh and I was a pretty good high-jumper too… until everyone else grew taller than me. In my own time I used to play tennis, played lawn bowls a few times, and sniffed around the local croquet club. And I've done a few short (5km) runs with so-called friends who made me run. Horrific. Hate running. Actually it was kinda fun running around the zoo...

13. How tall are you? I 163cm last time the doctor checked

14. Favorite subject in school? Art, English, Maths and Science

15. Dream job? Mate, if I haven't figured it out by now I never will. I don't know. The most motivated I am is doing things for other people (literally anything... false. almost anything) and faffing about making things look pretty. So something that combines those.

I was going to tag people... and I'm still too scared to tag people. Look, I am a socially anxious nightmare okay. Just, do the thing if you got down this far and you want to do the thing, yeah? And feel free to let me know if you like to be tagged to do these things, or tag me to say you did it if you like. Not that I get many but you know, if I do. I've lost track of what I'm saying. How did my battery drop down so fast? I gotta get a snack.

[ridiasfangirlings]

Hi Ridia pls give some Mikosaru love. MikoSaru go on dates but always end up ruined (eg thrown out of zoo cus miko scares the animals, miko destroys cutlery cus of his enormous strength or they have infinite bad luck where everywhere they just end up attacked by random strain, can add on ) So saru believes he's cursed and not allowed to be happy but Miko proves him wrong by trying to at least make one date successful. (with help from parents KusaTotsuMunaAwa). Pls let them end happy. ((:

If anyone's going to have infinite bad luck on a date it's definitely Fushimi (actually Mikoto probably wouldn't be much better either). Like say they've gotten together and are even willing to be seen together in public and all that. Mikoto's not much of a date person but Totsuka's probably all 'King, you have to take Fushimi on dates' and he tosses out all these ideas for where they could go. On Fushimi's end he too isn't much for dates but the alphabet squad and even Munakata are there to encourage him (let's face it, left alone Fushimi and Mikoto's 'dates' would probably consist of Mikoto sleeping on a couch at the bar while Fushimi sits next to him playing on his PDA, romantic these two aren't). Fushimi doesn't even know where you'd take someone like the Red King on a date and he's caught off guard when Mikoto shows up one day when Fushimi's off shift and tosses a couple tickets to the zoo at him like 'here, let's go.'

Unfortunately all their 'normal' dates don't end up going very well. When they get to the zoo all the other happy couples and families around them immediately part like the Red Sea because everyone's intimidated by the sight of this scary red haired gang leader guy walking around (Mikoto isn't even paying attention to their stares and just smokes calmly while Fushimi is looking at everyone around him with dead fish eyes, like why this). They pass by the petting zoo and end up causing a commotion as all the small dogs in the zoo surround Mikoto and roll over to worship him, meanwhile Fushimi has been swarmed by rabbits and baby goats that want to love him and also eat his hair. By the time Fushimi fights them off he's lost sight of Suoh, only to discover him later half asleep inside the lion exhibit with the rest of the pride and not even Mikoto can explain exactly how he ended up there.

Fushimi decides they aren't going anywhere stupid like the zoo again, Akiyama suggests that why doesn't he take Suoh-san to a more low-key kind of date location like the planetarium. That actually goes fairly well at first, other than Mikoto nearly falling asleep during a tour presentation about constellations, but then suddenly the planetarium is randomly attacked by a Strain. Ten minutes later the Strain has been subdued but Fushimi's been turned into a very angry flying squirrel so that's pretty much the end of that date. Later they try a fancy restaurant recommended by Kusanagi, it ends with Fushimi scandalizing the waiter by asking for everything plain and Mikoto setting a tablecloth on fire when the diners sitting behind them complain a little too loudly about Fushimi's lack of etiquette in requesting special dishes. Hidaka suggests an amusement park but Fushimi gets sick on all the rides and a Strain shows up again who gives Fushimi the hiccups for three days straight.

By now Fushimi's kinda given up on the date thing, like when the squad tries to encourage him to choose a new date spot Fushimi just sighs and mutters that it's pointless to try isn't it. Munakata tells Fushimi that one should never give up so easily and Fushimi clicks his tongue and says it's obvious isn't it, this is the kind of thing that happens when he's happy and he shouldn't have even bothered in the first place. Meanwhile over at Homra Mikoto's actually kinda troubled as well, like he doesn't mind all the shit that's gone down on their dates but he knows Fushimi's the type of person to beat himself up about it and Mikoto's not good at comforting so maybe they're not very compatible after all. Kusanagi and Totsuka exchange a troubled glance and sigh as Mikoto lies down on the couch and just stares off into space.

Some hours later the bar is oddly empty when Fushimi shows up. Mikoto's still on the couch, he opens one eye and wonders if Fushimi's here to give up. Fushimi clicks his tongue and says accepting reality isn't giving up, the fact that their dates were disasters should be a sign. Mikoto sighs and grabs Fushimi by the waist, dragging him down onto the couch while Fushimi gives this indignant squawk. Mikoto says that he didn't care about the dates anyway and Fushimi didn't really either, right – it's this that's important, the two of them. Fushimi pauses and then mutters that he didn't really care about them either and Mikoto grins, keeping his arm around Fushimi as he tells Fushimi to relax with him for a while. Fushimi tries to protest at first that he has to get back to work but he's noticed that no one's been calling him on his PDA at all so he supposes a short nap won't hurt, resting his head on Mikoto's chest as he relaxes against him. (When they wake up there's a meal and drinks for both of them set on the table courtesy of Kusanagi and no one enters the bar the whole time, Kusanagi figuring he could afford to shut the bar for a couple hours to give the two of them some time to enjoy their date, while Munakata and Awashima hold down the fort at Scepter 4 in order to be certain no one interrupts Fushimi and Mikoto this time around.)

[serafilms]

nct dream + obscure love languages !

↳ pairing — nct dream x gn!reader

↳ genre — fluff; headcanons; gender neutral reader

↳ warnings — mentions of food and cooking (in haechan's and jaemin's)

mark !

words

now i'm not exactly talking about words of affirmation per se

more in a poetic old school way

like he might write something in the lyrics of a song that just subtly references you and your relationship

so when he shows you parts of it you're like :')

emotional

he probably also sends you little poems and just ramblings that he writes when he's bored or can't sleep or is just in a creative mood

just little things that explain how he feels in ways that he wouldn't be able to just say out loud

not just about your relationship but about him and the way he thinks in general

it's like a little window into his soul

and it always feels as though he's sharing with you a part of him that he doesn't like to show

it's a way for him to let you know he cares about you

he is entrusting in you his heart, soul, and all his deepest feelings

please show him this love back

renjun !

if you think for a damn second this man does not make art for his s/o then you are wrong

it’s a perfect way for him to express how he feels

and so whether it’s a digital art piece, a watercolour painting or just a little sketch, he will make something while thinking of you

he really likes drawing on you too

like you’re just sitting side by side bored out of your minds

and he’ll pull out a pen and just start doodling little things on your arm

renjun classmate au where he draws on your hand in class

he will also make origami for you sometimes

like little paper hearts and cranes

sometimes he doesn’t even think of you while doing it

he’ll just do a little drawing and then just send you a photo or give it to you when he sees you

but the fact is whether he was thinking of you or not, it means a lot that he’s sharing this side of him with you

you keep every single one

there’s a section of your room dedicated specifically to renjun’s gifts

jeno !

sharing new experiences

jeno strikes me as the type to like trying new things, but only really with people he cares about

because really, it's the people you're with that makes an experience special

and so his way of expressing his love is to share these experiences with you !

it shows he's comfortable around you and that he loves you enough to want you to be apart of the memories

expect a lot of outdoor dates

even little things like trying a new restaurant or taking walks to explore the city

travelling to each other's hometowns and other places

going camping, hiking, nature things

going to karaoke or the zoo or the aquarium

maybe even something like bungee jumping if ur a dare devil 😈😈😈😈😈

he introduced you to biking too and now every week or so you two go ride bikes to different places

you kind of hate it

but it's a lot more fun with jeno

haechan !

food

and cooking

haechan likes to cook food

it's not really a secret or anything

he's not like a big professional chef or anything but it is something he likes to do to show you he cares for you

whether it's making you breakfast, or eating ramen with you

or going for a midnight snack run at the nearest convenience store or taking you to his favourite restaurants

he loves food

he likes to baby you and spoon feed you too

it's like his job to make sure that you eat enough and eat right

he also really likes seeing the look on your face when you like the food he makes or recommends to you

it fills him with joy to know you appreciate and enjoy the same things he does

but there's more to it than that

there's a story behind every dish he makes and every restaurant he takes you to

and he likes to share each part of him with you by showing you all of it

all he wants is for you to do the same 🥺

jaemin !

sharing

i know it sounds sort of lame or vague but bear with me

because i feel like this would be how he shows his care for other people

jaemin is a bit more introverted than most of his members and there are times where he has bursts of energy, and times when he just needs to recharge

there are more obvious demonstrations of his affection which come when he's feeling more energetic

like he'll baby you (see: jaemin + jisung)

feed you food and his drinks or make you share a plate of food with him

he also is a big fan of sharing clothes with you

if you're cold he will aggressively pull you into his coat and zip it up

he makes you wear his clothes a lot

will pull a hoodie over your head when you least suspect it

he just wants to share the little pieces of his life with you

and that's when you know he cares

chenle !

teasing you

chenle is a playful guy and sort of a rascal too

so as opposed to sweet nothings and cheesy lines, he likes to feed you jokes and teasing

it's all in good nature and he's always careful to make sure he doesn't hurt you or offend you

but he just really likes the reactions you give him when he pinches your cheek or boops your nose

gives you affectionate nicknames to tease you

"sweetums," "honey sugarplum," "noodles," "poop hands"

ok yeah so idk but you get the vibe right?

but yeah he'll poke fun at you and the thing you do sometimes

he sometimes worries about making you upset but it's rare that he'll ever cross a line or hurt your feelings

the lighthearted tone and kiss he usually gives you afterwards eases any harshness of the words

and when he does hurt you he's so apologetic and regretful afterwards that it's impossible to think that he meant what he said

bc he really does love you and this is just how he expresses it

jisung !

physical touch, but make it shy

he's not super comfortable with physical touch and affection and neither are you really

you were both too shy to initiate it so it just was not really something that you did

but that's not to say that you guys didn't want to

eventually jisung gathered enough courage to hold your hand in public once

and then it grew into shy cuddles, light pecks, playing with each other's fingers

aggressive pda is not your thing

and you two aren't really the type who always have to have their hands on each other either

but like little things like jisung grabbing your hand

or you playing with his hair

the actions themselves are so light but tender and filled with care

you'll probably never reach a place where you'll be making out in public etc

but physical touch will always be a way for him to show his love

[melonthesprigatito]

So The Other Night I Had A Funny Dream About Word Girl:

(Obviously I cleaned it up a little and ironed out some details to make it readable, but this is basically the gist of what happened)

So basically, Rhyme stormed into the zoo and took hostages. (yeah, I know. Her again. I've daydreamed about Rhyme and Reason so much that they've wormed their way into my subconscious.) The authorities freaked out because a hostage situation is super serious, and Word Girl was freaking out because she's never really had to deal with a hostage situation before???? And Rhyme's super dangerous when she's angry, so what's she supposed to do, talk her down? 

When she arrives, Rhyme. looks. PISSED. She's stomping around, kicking hotdog stands, looking like she wants to murder someone. She sees Word Girl and says that if she doesn't give her what she wants, she's gonna smash up the zoo and everyone in it.

So Word Girl floats over to Rhyme to ask what her demands are. 

And Rhyme says, with stone cold seriousness: I want to pet a penguin. >:(

Word Girl: what

Rhyme: You heard me. I want to pet one of the penguins! 

Word Girl: That's it?! You caused all this trouble and scared all these people just for that?! 

Rhyme: Yee!

Word Girl: But why???? Hostage situations are for when the bad guy wants to be given millions of dollars or nuclear launch codes or something!  And you're going to waste your demand on something so... harmless???

Rhyme: Well, Reason doesn't want us to steal live animals anymore after the jewels/mules incident so I couldn't just steal a penguin and they don't let you pet animals at the zoo anyway so I thought it was the perfect illegal thing to demand! 

Word Girl: *long suffering sigh* And if I refuse your... frankly underwhelming demand you're gonna destroy the zoo anyway?

Rhyme: Yeah, that's kind of the point, isn't it?

So Word Girl flies over to the zoo keepers to see if that's something that can be arranged. They bring out one of their cutest penguins and Rhyme's practically giddy with excitement when she sees it.

Rhyme: Does he have a name?

Zookeeper: He's called Tux...?

Rhyme, squeeing: Hi, Tux! :D

So Word Girl and the Zookeepers supervise Rhyme as she's petting their penguin, you know because she's a supervillain and they don't want her trying anything and hurting one of their animals.

The hostages aren't even scared anymore, everyone's just watching this hardened criminal cuddle and make kissy faces at a penguin for a solid thirty minutes. The penguin is entirely unbothered by the situation. 

And then, just like that Rhyme's stands up, frees the hostages and willingly let's herself get arrested like: "Ok, I'm done! You can take me to jail now!" 

Word Girl is like "what the swear word just happened" and as she's taking Rhyme to jail it suddenly occurs to her that Reason was nowhere to be seen the entire length of the situation. Which is strange, because shouldn't he have been running after her to stop her from doing such a stupid, crazy thing? So of course, Word Girl asks where Reason is and Rhyme is like ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

In jail, Rhyme is giggling to herself in her cell and Amazing Rope Guy (who watched the news report of the situation on the Warden's TV) is like "I can't believe you actually took hostages and threatened to kill them! What were you thinking?!"

Rhyme says, "What, you though I was being serious? I wasn't actually gonna hurt anyone! I was only acting scary because the bigger the scene I made, the more attention I would draw! Everyone would be looking at me instead of... elsewhere! Hehehehehe..."

An hour later, Rhyme busts herself out of jail (and she breaks Amazing Rope Guy out too because why not) and she meets Reason at their lair. Reason shows her all the cash, valuables and plushies he stole from the Zoo's gift shop. Turns out the entire "hostage situation" was just a planned diversion created by Rhyme so Reason could rob the place blind while everyone was focused on her. The Villains Society are impressed by their ingenuity.

Bonus: 

Exposition Guy: HEEEEELP! THE RHYMING GIRL HAS TAKEN HOSTAGES AT THE CITY ZOO!!! Wait, is the police station?

Hostage: Are you serious?! You're tied up with us! How could you possibly think this is the police station?! You said it yourself, we're at the city zoo!

Exposition Guy: Sorry! Force of habit! 

Also, Rhyme deliberately played up the angry supervillain persona. But... she was kinda bad at it? She couldn't bring herself to actually be angry, she was just too excited to hug that penguin. Like, it was fairly obvious that she was pretending. So she's stomping around going "Grrr!" and at one point she stomps too hard, and the ground shakes so she's immediately like "Oh crap, I overdid it!" 

And while she's waiting for Word Girl to show up, she kinda admits to the hostages that this is the first time she's ever taken hostages before and they're like "It's okay, we've never been hostages before. So we're all new at this!" 

My headcanon for why Rhyme never rhymed in this scenario is because she couldn't think of a word that rhymes with penguin and she didn't want to be caught in another "I can't fight back until I find something that rhymes with purple!" situation so she just abandoned the rhyming entirely for this crime.

[letgraysonsheart]

Your long day is over now

Dick's hanging upside down. For some reason he can't remember why or: a new one shot for the F1 au!

TW: car accidents, hurt/comfort (for additional warnings check ao3)

Read here on ao3 or continue below

(Parts of this fic and its dialogue is heavily inspired by the important conversation that I hope was had after Romain Grosjeans crash in the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix, and especially comments made by Daniel Ricciardo after said race. I did not watch that race live myeslf, but I saw the live tweets and the outrage afterwards. In real life theres real guys out there racing. A lot of it for our entertainment. They deserve more than being treated as "lions in a cage for people going to the zoo." as Pierre Gasly once stated.)

He doesn't understand. 

There is so much noise. Unfamiliar noise that's muffled in a weird way. There is smoke and dust and... and everything is upside down. His nose stings, the telltale sign of a fire.

His shoulder hurts.

“-ickhead!” 

Someone's yelling. There’s... a hand? In his field of vision, out of nowhere, waving.

There’s a face too, poking between the halo and the ground and why, why is he upside down?

“You alive, Dick?” 

The face, it’s Jason. He’s in his race suit. Dick can spot the green of the Cards. But he’s not wearing his helmet. Why is Dick wearing his helmet then?

“Dick?” Jason, again.

He tries to answer, but fuck, his head hurts. 

“I’m alive,” he manages to croak out at last. 

Jason’s face relaxes, some of the tension falling. Good. Good, Jason shouldn’t look like that. All scared and worried. They aren't supposed to be worried about each other, he's pretty sure. 

“They’re going to get you out of here,” Jason promises, voice remarkably soft compared to how loud he has to be speaking. There is so much noise. 

Also, out of here? That's what Jason had said. Dick looks around. Yeah, he’s in his car. Hanging from his belts, judging by how tight his chest feels.

There’d been a race. 

He was gaining on the lead. On Jason. He wiggles his limbs a little, just to check. Just to be sure they’re all still there and still in function. 

“Why am I upside down?” Dick finally manages to gather the breath to ask. His voice sounds all weird, and his helmet is so tight against his head. Is it always like that?

Jason frowns at him, brows furrowing together. He reaches out with his hand, towards Dick, and oh. Dick wiggles, his arm pulling down towards the ground thanks to gravity.

Jason grabs it. Jason, his brother who’s not his brother, who left, came back angry and betrayed, is holding his hand.

Dick can feel the pressure around it, how Jason squeezes it with a firm hand. The glove can’t hide the trembling, but Dick doesn’t know if that’s him or Jason. Or both.

“You’ll be okay, Dickie,” Jason states like it’s set in stone. 

Then something grabs Jason’s attention, outside of the car, where Dick can’t see. It makes his brother turn away. He sees Jason’s mouth move but is unable to hear what is being said.

As quickly as he lost Jason’s attention, Dick gains it back again.

“The paramedics want to get under here,” Jason explains. “To make sure you’re fit to flip the car back, I think.”

Yeah, that makes sense. 

“You have to let go of my hand, now,” Jason tells him.

Oh. Yeah. Dick loosens his grip, which had grown quite tight without him noticing. 

“I’ll see you on the other side,” Jason says, moving to shuffle out from under the car again.

“Promise?” Dick can’t help himself.

Jason freezes his whole upper body out from under the car. He looks up at Dick again.

“I promise.”

Dick nods and lets Jason go. 

Jason is barely out before the paramedic is there, talking to him, and asking him all kinds of questions. 

Is he hurt? He doesn’t know. 

Does he remember? Some of it. If he tries really hard.

How's his neck? Sore. Okay, he thinks. Normal sore. Like he went a bit too hard in all the turns in the first race of the season.

Somehow he manages to get her to clear him for flipping the car back again.

After that, it’s a flurry of motion. Suddenly he’s upright again. The sky above him and the car under him. There’s smoke. The medics are on him straight away.

They’re extracting him. Not even letting him contemplate getting out himself. Carefully removing his helmet while someone holds onto his jaw. Fitting a neck brace on him, even if he’d confirmed no neck injury before they flipped the car. They’re strapping him to his car seat.

He's never been lifted out of the car like this. Only seen it done for practice. 

Quick and efficient the medics and marshalls work. Practiced a thousand times over for scenarios just like this. They move him from his seat to the compression blanket, to a stretcher. Wheeling him away and into an ambulance. 

“How are you doing, Grayson?” the medic from earlier asks, by his side as the ambulance takes off to the medical center. 

“Don’t send me to the hospital,” Dick rasps back. 

“I’ll take that as a positive sign,” the medic responds, “but we’ll let the medical center doctors be the judge of that.”

Not exactly the answer he wanted, but he’ll accept it. His head hurts too much to argue. 

“What’s your name?” he asks her. He’s seen her around before, at drills or in passing. He’s having difficulty focusing on her now though, the woman above him is just a red blob.

“Kory,” he hears her reply though, “Kory Anders.”

“Nice to meet you,” he tries to reply, but he's unsure if his words come out at all. There’s a shout, loud but somewhere he can’t place.

It all goes black, anyway.

-

Tim’s shaking. 

He can’t help it. The adrenaline from the race is still rushing through him. Now it's topped off with the fear of hearing Dick had crashed. That it had been a nasty one. The race was red-flagged. They were all sent to the pits. Gar, his radio engineer, had been short and weird over the radio as he called him in.

By the time they were exiting their cars, the scene had been replaying on the broadcast screen. It was the first thing he saw, after jumping out. The screens were right in his face. Showing images Tim couldn't fathom they were allowed to. Not so close after. Not when things were still so unsure. 

They show Jason, on the ground by the upside-down car. Moving to talk to Dick, Tim assumes. He hadn't even known Jason had gotten out of the car.

Then there's the worst: Dick, getting lifted out of the car. Too far away to show any faces, but close enough to see limp limbs and how the medics were rushing.

And the fucking replays of the crash itself. Over and over again.

Tim had felt angry. Angry and upset and scared. When he'd managed to force his eyes off the screen he’d managed to motion with his arms at the screen. Then he'd yelled at a camera before Bart had been there to drag him away.

And now he is stuck in the paddock. Waiting for anyone at all to give him any news. Sitting on a stupid plastic chair, not knowing if his brother is alive. Not knowing if he in 20 minutes has to jump back into the car and finish the race. The fucking FIA can't even decide that.

“Tim,” Conner is suddenly by his side. Still in his racing suit, just like Tim. “You okay?” the other driver asks, as Tim feels him sit down beside him.

“No,” Tim replies honestly. 

“I yelled at the media,” Conner confesses, like it’s a secret he can’t keep in any longer, “I- They just wanted a comment. I ignored that. Instead, I said how disgusted I was with the broadcasting. That it’d never been so disappointed..”

“Thanks,” Tim says. “I yelled too,” he adds. Because it’s true, and he doesn’t know what else to say.

“They’re all assholes,” Conner replies. “They’ll probably spin it in any cruel way they can.”

Tim breathes, long and slow. So does Conner, by his side.

“They never should’ve shown those fucking images, we don’t even know-”

“I know, Conner,” Tim interrupts. He can’t bear to hear it. 

“So no news?” his best friend questions. 

“No news,” Tim sighs. “Just that he was alive when they pulled him out.” 

“No news is good news, I supposed,” Conner says. It makes Tim snort.

“We both know that isn’t the case in our sport.”

His best friend doesn’t answer that. But he doesn’t leave either. Just joins Tim in the silence, ignoring the media doing everything they can to catch a glimpse of them. Of anyone.

"Do you think the race will start again?" Conner asks, then.

"Conner," Tim says. "Honestly, I have no idea." 

They both know he isn't just talking about finishing the race.

-

In the end, Dick escapes with a sprained wrist, bruised ribs, and a hell of a concussion. They tell him he was lucky. Dick isn’t sure. Most drivers nowadays walk away from their cars broken into multiple pieces without a scratch. Maybe at worst, a sore neck. 

But that doesn’t mean he isn’t thankful. Cause he is. He wants to live. 

He's at the hospital now, close to the track. He's pretty sure he would've ended up here anyway. Yet they tell him it's because he blacked out while they were driving him off the scene. The on-track doctors didn’t want to risk anything. 

He hadn’t been out for long, he woke up again right before they were loading him into the helicopter. 

“We had to skip the medical center,” Kory had said when she saw he was awake. He was grateful to see her familiar face. 

He’s never been flown like that, with the helicopter, before. A day of many firsts. Even if he knew accidents like this were a possibility, he never spent too much time actually thinking about it. He knows the risk and accepts it, but it doesn't mean he thinks about it. 

Apparently, it was the concussion. Paired with stress and low hydration, it caused the blackout. 

“So my brain isn’t about to like, leak out, or something?” he had asked the hospital doctor once they got him settled.

The doctor smiled, “No - no, your brain is still intact. Just got a bit of a wack.”

He isn’t sure that’s such a positive thing, but they don’t seem to be worried.

Bruce arrives not much later. By then Dick’s already had both his wrist and ribs wrapped, and gotten a precautionary MRI for his head. Also a thousand other tests. He has no idea what they're for.

His father arrives like he usually does. In a blaze of loud words and stress as Dick is settling back into bed after his scan.

“Dick,” he breathes more than says. Like he hadn’t actually believed Dick was okay before now.

“Hi,” he replies. 

Bruce has a chart in his hand, probably napped it out of some poor doctor's hands.

“You all caught up?” Dick asks, mentioning with his good hand to the chart. Bruce smiles a little at that, but it looks worn and tired.

“Yeah,” his father says, and drags a chair closer to Dick’s bed. “Alfred wanted to know too.”

“I’m sorry,” Dick says, even if he still is unsure of what really happened. 

He does remember, however, how hard he was pushing. Taking every corner with everything he had. He'd been pressing Jason in front of him for all that he had. He remembers Wally, telling him, yelling, about tyre pressures and sliding and close calls.

“Don’t be. It.. it was the curbs. They.. were too damn high. Just like we tried to tell them.” Bruce says, and Dick can see that the older is trying to reign in his anger. Those poor track officials. There's gonna be one hefty discussion about the track after this.

Still, it's weird that Bruce is so quick to pin it on the track. He usually isn't afraid to comment on Dick's driving mistakes. Or anyone else's, for the matter.

“I was pushing very hard too though,” Dick says, unsure of why he’s even defending the track. Not letting it go. “I wanted to win.” 

“It was.. risky,” Bruce ends up replying, “but let’s not... Let’s not delve into that now.” 

So they will later, Dick thinks. Bruce has gotten better. Better at containing his emotions, and his lessons, for the right time and right place. It has helped, raising multiple kids, Dick suspects. Still, Bruce isn’t a man you cross or a man you disappoint, without feeling it in the aftermath.

Yet he isn't always the best in an emotional situation like this either. Maybe that's it. Maybe today's emotions are too much compared to Bruce's anger at Dick's risky driving.

“How’s Tim?” Dick asks, familiar with his little brothers' worry from smaller accidents. On top of that, he's also familiar with how Bruce's mind can work. Getting so focused on one thing he forgets everything else.

“Worried,” Bruce says. “He uh- he was angry at the media. Yelled at the camera.”

Now, that is something to worry about. Tim is usually calm and collected, even if he’s a little anxious and prone to fall into deeper pits. He doesn't lose his anger like that. 

“Shit,” Dick starts, but Bruce isn’t finished.

“Actually, he wasn’t the only one.” For a second, Dick fears Bruce lost it too. That all the news channels are gonna play Bruce Wayne losing his mind over and over again. That they're going to be up to their neck in media work the rest of the season.

“Conner Kent had... Quite a few words for the media too. And your old friend Harper too. Even harsher, actually. He’s always had a bit of a potty mouth that one.”

Dick can’t be bothered to tell Bruce that he and Roy aren't close anymore. That Roy somehow chose Jason in a choice Dick wasn’t even aware had to be made. It’s touching though, that Harper apparently talked to the media.

“What- what did they say?” Dick’s surprised there’s such an outrage.

“The media showed scenes from the accident and replays before we could release anything on your condition. It was already playing as the drivers got out of their cars at the red flag, it... was the first thing many of them saw.”

“That’s... irresponsible,” is all Dick manages to say. He imagines his colleagues piling into the pits, full of adrenaline with pits in their stomachs. That is a feeling he knows.

Stepping out of their cars only to see the accidents replaying, maybe scenes of the aftermath... That must have been terrifying. He then thinks about Alfred, at home. Watching the broadcast. 

An anger blossoms in him, too.

Bruce nods, in agreement. “Both Roy and Conner talked to the media shortly after. Full of adrenaline. Showing their disappointment in how it was handled, said they were disgusted.”

Dick feels overwhelmed by the support of his colleagues, especially since it isn't from two he talks to a lot. Conner is Tim’s best friend, but still. They didn’t have to do that. The emotions in the paddock must have been heavy, and the accident must have looked bad. 

It churns in Dick’s gut, and he’s actually happy he hasn’t had to see it himself yet. 

There’s still a thing he and Bruce haven’t spoken about, and it's going to be painful. But Dick has to ask.

“And Jason? I took him out, right?” the words come fast, almost all strung together, “he was there. Afterward.”

Bruce nods, again. 

“Yeah, when your car launched off the curb it was close enough to tag Jason. Pushed him into the gravel, where his race ended. First, he was mad. Yelling over the radio. Then he realized..,” Bruce trails off. When Dick looks up at his dad’s face, Bruce’s eyes look far away. His mouth is in a thin line. “He jumped out of the car. Ran over to you. He wasn’t supposed to do that.”

Yet Jason did. They’re supposed to stay in the cars until given the all-clear if there isn’t an emergency. Any real danger. Fuck, the crash must have looked bad if it made Jason that worried. 

He’d looked worried too, Dick recalls, when he’d crawled under Dick’s car. Even if his time hanging upside down in the car is a bit of a blur, Dick remembers Jason’s face.

Jason, who Dick has barely spoken to all season. Jason, who he might have squared a little bit up with as the races have gone past. Jason, who still is his little brother but also isn’t anymore.

Jason who had promised Dick he would be there, in the aftermath. Like he meant it. 

“Tim’s on his way,” Bruce is the one who breaks the silence first. He’s pulled up his phone, Dick realizes, probably answering messages. “He was a real trooper and gave a short interview. Just to show the fans you're alright.” 

A real trooper, huh. Dick’s not sure about how he feels about his little brother taking on media duties. But then again, if Tim said yes... 

He takes Bruce’s change of subject for what it is: the end of their talk about Jason. That doesn’t mean he can’t push Bruce some more.

“So, you think I’ll be ready to race in two weeks?” He asks, already feeling his well-practiced shit-eating grin take over his face. Bruce sighs, loudly and tired, but Dick can see how the corner of his mouth is pulling upwards. 

So maybe they avoid talking about Jason anymore. And avoid talking about how bad that crash could’ve been. Instead, they argue about racing, free practices, and cars. Maybe that isn’t exactly healthy coping, but they’ve never been about that. 

He knows Tim will force him to see their psychiatrist. Probably try to get Bruce to go too, sooner rather than later. But now? Right now, he can sit with his dad and argue. Make fun of him.

All of that while continuing to avoid thinking about how the sport he loves almost killed him.

[jackson--t]

The silver tooth

This is a very small 'spinn off' from my story 'hasta mañana' on AO3. Where Heahmund has fun dragging the handcuffed Ivar in a restaurant and Ivar tells Heahmund the story about his silver tooth. Happened some hours after the arrest. Might post this on AO3 aswell.

Words: ~ 2200.

Pairing: Ivar x Heahmund.

Ivar stared at Heahmund, the corners of his mouth pulled down slightly. Heahmund could see that the boy had briefly let his bright eyes slide down to the handcuffs that Heahmund had tightened under the table to keep at least one of the Mexican brat's hands fixed; it was only when the bright eyes turned sullenly and extremely angrily on Heahmund's face again that Heahmund raised his eyebrows.

"This is humiliating." Ivar snarled, but Heahmund only snorted.

"How is it more humiliating than being chained in a car, huh?" Heahmund replied; he waved to a waitress who nodded slightly at him while Ivar clicked his tongue lightly.

"Is this some American way of taking your prisoners out to dinner? What kind of shit is that?" the boy hissed venomously.

Heahmund smiled broadly. "We've been driving across the desert for several hours, and the turf where your Mexican ass belongs is just a little far away. And since you scum can't be left alone in the car - later someone will think you're a whimpering dog that has to be freed because I would have left the air conditioning off - you'll just have to eat with me. I think I'm even nice. They wouldn't even let something like you knock on the glass door."

Ivar bit his lower lip so hard that the skin turned slightly white where his incisors sank in lightly. Anger, Heahmund could see it exactly, and he loved it. They had had a long trip since Heahmund had arrested the drug lord's son - but as it was in the foothills of the Mexican desert, the nearest police station was not just around the corner.

Heahmund had known that people had reacted terribly shocked to his and Ivar's arrival - but he couldn't see himself sitting in a car with that bastard for 24 hours without eating or drinking anything. Especially since the tormentor put his damn feet down on his dashboard every two hours, the crappy white sneakers that Heahmund already hated on principle. The fact that they hurled racist expletives at each other every 20 minutes added to it. Until Heahmund had discovered this dinky little diner on the outskirts of a small desert town and had decided to make Ivar look really stupid for his own amusement and encouragement.

He knew that people knew who Ivar was. They knew rumors, like ghosts, spoken in whispers behind street corners. And even though Heahmund, as an annoyed cop, smelled treachery behind every Mexican face, he had still decided to make this stage out of sheer amusement. And he loved Ivar's hate-distorted face, the rapidly creeping blush on his cheeks as people kept staring at him. Almost like a lion in the zoo.

"I'm not hungry." Ivar growled; his lip had by now released, but his eyes were still narrowed in anger.

"Then don't eat. I honestly don't give a shit if you have something in your stomach. You're half a shirt anyway.", Heahmund replied amusedly, ordering something to drink and eat. Fortunately, the waitress spoke English; he would never have had the nerve to ask that damn bastard for a translation. And even though the waitress turned to Ivar with slightly red cheeks and asked him in a shaky voice in Spanish what he wanted to eat, Ivar didn't look away from Heahmund's face; hate, so much hate. Heahmund's limbs were tingling. The tension between them had increased since the car ride.

"Sólo agua. Eso es todo.", Ivar muttered hoarsely; the waitress nodded and disappeared. Heahmund watched her go, interrupted only by the slight snort that came between him and Ivar. The boy jutted his chin slightly.

"Do you seriously think women like her go for cops?" he said; Heahmund raised his eyebrows. He'd had a hard time getting used to Ivar's hard Spanish accent, even if it did sound exciting in some way. Like everything else in this country. But Ivar was something very special. Something very special bad that Heahmund had been working towards for years. Capturing the son of the Ragnar Lothbrok, the ghost of Mexico, was a brilliant job. He just had to drive this little bastard safely to the precinct, that was all.

"All women like cops."

"They don't."

"They sure do."

"Tss, as if! Especially on you foreigner. Women don't like traitors."

"Women don't like criminals."

Ivar leaned back slightly in the seat; his bright eyes slid over Heahmund's face, then he gave a light snort of laughter.

"Besides, I don't think you’re into women," Ivar said, and Heahmund fixed the stare of his eyes on him. The young Mexican raised his eyebrows slightly, and Heahmund snorted.

"What did you just say?"

"I said you don't like women. You're looking at me like-" Ivar interrupted; the waitress brought the drinks. And just as she was about to set the glass of water down in front of Ivar, Heahmund lightly bumped the tray with a movement, and the glass of water fell. The waitress apologized, while Ivar pressed the back of his head against the padded bench and stared angrily at Heahmund.

"Oops. My mistake. Well, the good water for the poor boy!  Get another glass, will you?" Heahmund said with a smile, and the waitress nodded after removing the grossest dirt. Ivar's eyes literally glowed as Heahmund looked at him again.

"You're an asshole."

"And you’re scum. A chilled drink like that does a world of good," Heahmund retorted; he took a big gulp from his glass of cool iced tea and tried his best to cover a wide grin in his mouth as he saw Ivar's eyes narrow.

"I hope someone shoots you soon," he said.

"You can wish for that when you're in jail, Goldy."

"Why you fucking cop call me Goldy?"

"Because of your skin."

Ivar's mouth dropped open, then shut again; his eyes swept once down Heahmund's body, and he nodded deprecatingly at the cop.

"Racist."

"With you and your family gladly."

"Oh, that was clear. I swear you're going to regret this," Ivar growled. He didn't move away when the waitress placed a new glass of water in front of him while Heahmund got a plate of food. Heahmund immediately started eating, and he noticed after a while that Ivar was looking slightly out the window. The boy did everything but look in Heahmund's direction, and chewed lightly on his lower lip.

Heahmund knew he was hungry. Since the arrest, which had been half a day ago, the boy had eaten nothing and drunk very little. The water glass was half empty, and there was a reflection of the slowly setting sun in the slightly milky glass. Heahmund stared at the glass for a while, then back at the food. He left a little left over, and after a while pushed the plate over to Ivar. "If you want, eat. You Mexicans don't throw anything away and make tacos out of everything."

Ivar's eyes rolled upward, and he snorted deeply. "Can we maybe do without your standard cop jokes about us for a change, huh? A little more civility? One could almost think you're a cop from the gutter.", Ivar snorted, and before Heahmund could take the plate away from him again, he pulled it over to him with his free hand. It wasn't much - but it was already too much by Heahmund's standard. This little rat didn't even deserve the water that was next to the plate.

Ivar ate hastily. And only when Heahmund paid the waitress and unchained Ivar from the bar under the table again, the bright eyes briefly turned to Heahmund, who took the extremely unruly boy hard by the handcuffs and led him away. It did not escape his notice that a deep shade of red was traveling down Ivar's cheeks, up to his cheekbones. He gripped tighter, even as he heard Ivar's slight snort accurately.

Heahmund chained the boy to the open window of the car door, with one arm, and with a soft exhale took a cigarette from his bulletproof vest a few feet away. It took him a while to find his lighter among the guns, pepper spray and other things, but then he lit the cigarette and took a big drag from it. Only after a while did he feel Ivar's burning gaze on him; he turned his eyes to the boy and nodded. Ivar had leaned back against the car door, his arm contorted so that he could stand reasonably well, before nodding to Heahmund as well.

"Can I bum one?" he asked, and Heahmund laughed lightly.

"Aren't you still too young for that? And more importantly, why should I?"

Ivar rolled his eyes and heaved a sigh; his bright eyes pointed at Heahmund's bulletproof vest. "Come on, I can't take another eight hours in that car with your fucking aftershave up my nose. Please."

"If you keep your sneakers off my dashboard, then yeah," Heahmund snorted; he fumbled again for the cigarettes and raised his eyebrows in annoyance.

"Sure."

He lit Ivar's cigarette. Because of the fact that they were a little closer due to the restricted movement, Heahmund could see the fine scar that stood out on Ivar's caramel-colored skin on his cheek; he also smelled it again, that damn sweet smell of copal and lavender. He wrinkled his nose slightly; something silvery flashed at him as Ivar took the first, deep drag from the cigarette and expelled it gleefully into the lukewarm air.

He had seen that silver tooth the first time he had arrested Ivar. With the roar the boy had put on, it had been hard to miss; besides, it was the tooth next to his first four incisors, quite conspicuous. Heahmund took another drag from the cigarette, then nodded over to Ivar, who eyed him the same way. The setting sun bathed everything in a warm light, which reflected perfectly like melted honey on Ivar's face.

"The tooth, that silver one." Heahmund said; he leaned against the car beside the boy, emitting a puff of smoke.

Ivar raised his eyebrows. "What about it?"

"Is that fashion? Or is that some...Mexican bullshit you guys like to do. Like your fucking tattoos."

Ivar snorted. "You have one on the back of your neck yourself, I've seen it. And no, it's not bullshit, fucking asshole." The boy shifted his position slightly; Heahmund knew that the handcuffs were actually a much tighter fit, because they left marks on Ivar's relatively thin wrist.

 "What is it then?"

Ivar was silent for a moment; he fixed his gaze on the setting sun, and again expelled a light haze of smoke.

"It's a gift. I was traveling in Mexico City once, must have been two years ago. A girl almost got hit by a truck she hadn't seen, and her parents were standing too far away. When I pulled her aside, I hit my head on a hard stone wall. My tooth fell out."

"Must have been a baby tooth." Heahmund said as two pairs of narrowed eyes locked onto him; Heahmund laughed lightly. "It's fine, sorry."

"Anyway," Ivar continued; "anyway, the little girl's parents were so grateful to me that they offered to correct it. The father was a dentist. It's white gold, it was worth more than the damn practice. He said actually he had wanted to save that silver tooth for a specific occasion in his own life. But he said his daughter's life was absolutely worth it. And I've had that tooth ever since. It always reminds me of what happened there."

Heahmund exhaled. For a moment, he didn't know what to say - which was extremely rare in his life. He had arrested Ivar to get to his father with him. He wanted to bust the whole family, this whole cartel - but he hadn't expected anything like this. And he wondered for a moment if he should even believe Ivar, because after all he was part of this corrupt and violent family. This merry-go-round of violence and drug dealing, of murders and illegal activities.

But when Heahmund turned his gaze to Ivar, who was still staring towards the sun, the back of his neck prickled slightly. He saw exactly the slight bulge under Ivar's skin at the mouth, the tender bulge, a clear indication that the boy was just running his tongue over the said silver tooth, obviously thinking back to that experience. So, scum could also do good.

Bright eyes locked on Heahmund, and the two looked at each other for a moment. The rays of the sun made Ivar's eyes seem almost silver, and Heahmund's throat went terribly dry for a moment. Pure silver, beautiful, wild silver. Forbidden silver.

"Once I see your dirty sneakers on the dashboard, I'll kick them out the window myself," he said darkly, and Ivar clicked his tongue.

"You would miss me, asshole."

"Tss. No more than you miss rats after they bite you."

"Charming, cop."

"Shut up, dirty little bastard, and you keep your mouth shut on the ride. I don't want to hear a word."

Ivar snorted slightly, and as Heahmund released his handcuffs from the door and almost roughly shoved the boy into the car, their eyes met again.

"Not a word, bastard."

"Pendejo, you fucking gringos are all the same."

That damn accent. Heahmund almost had to bite his fist as he walked to his side of the car to stop the tingling and fire in his veins. After all, he could never and would never allow someone like Ivar to get too close to him.

@youbloodymadgenius (ehm was it really everything written? 😂🙈)

[willow-salix]

(Fluffember prompt: Name)

Day 4 of isolation on Tracy Island 2.0

"I don't care, you're coming with me," I told the love of my life, who wasn't looking very happy about it. 

"Why me?" he whined, and if you've never heard John whine before, or don't actually believe he's capable of it, let me assure you that he is very capable and it's very pitiful. But I am immune (mostly) and continued to stand my ground. 

"Because I can't leave you alone with them, you can't stand up for yourself and they can't be trusted."

"That's not true! I can…" he saw the look on my face as I mouthed 'mattress' and trailed off, admitting defeat. "Fine, but just the one shop."

Now, I know they say never take your husband shopping, but I honestly, TRULY thought that mine would be an exception. He's the organised one, he's the sensible one, the one that correlates all the data and sorts out all their problems. 

How wrong I was. 

It was actually quite pleasant to be alone for a few hours, it hadn't been that long since I'd made my less than dramatic return to the island but since the world was nowhere near normal we hadn't had that much time to ourselves lately, so I was going to take full advantage. 

"What do we need to get?" he asked in that long suffering tone that all husbands adopt when faced with the prospect of a trip around a shop with their woman. 

"Not that much," I assured him. I was lying. 

"Show me," he ordered, knowing I was lying. Must work on my 'believe me' voice. 

I lifted up the list, which unfurled itself into something roughly the length of Alan and watched as his eyes tracked its descent. I also watched the life drained out of them as he faced his doom head on. 

"Really?" 

I nodded, folding the list back up again. "It won't be that bad," I promised him. "It's one massive shop, we should be able to find everything there."

"Why didn't you take Virgil instead? Why must you torture me?" 

"Because you're my man and it's your job, plus I want to spend some alone time with you."

"I can think of much better ways to spend alone time," he grumbled under his breath as he steered the plane towards the landing strip. I declined to comment. 

                 ***

"Now, whatever you do, don't wander off," I reminded him, looking up from the list where I had sensibly been highlighting different categories of products so we could hit the different areas in order. 

I almost laughed when I saw that my poor, put-upon man was slumped against the plane, hands in his pockets, eyes downcast like he was fully expecting the grim reaper to show up any second and whisk him away from my evil clutches. Keep on dreaming, boy. 

"I'm not Alan," he sniffed. "Or Scott, I don't wander off, you wander off."

"I do not!" 

"You're the one that didn't tell me you were going to look at the meerkats when we went to the zoo."

"Babe, it's meerkats, you should have known I'd wander off to look at them, that's just common sense. I didn't need to say it."

He looked at me like he thought I had no idea what common sense even was. He's probably right, since I agreed to both marriage and staying on the island again. 

"Come on," I held out my hand, wiggling it in invitation, "it won't be that bad."

He sighed and took my hand. "I'm going to regret this, aren't I?" 

"Probably. Now, masks on, sanitiser at the ready, grab that trolly for me and let's do this thing."

                        ***

You know how it is when you're mostly in a shopping daze and can't focus on anything but getting in and getting out as quickly as possible? Like you're so focused on the list and making sure you don't forget anything and trying to locate the actual items you need versus the ones you suddenly want and can't do without? That was me. 

So it took me a few minutes to realise that I'd lost John. I don't know how it happened, I don't know when and I couldn't say in good faith that he hadn't been kidnapped by aliens, it was that kind of day. 

He'd shuffled along behind me, pushing the cart into which I was throwing all manner of things that I could tell he thought were useless and unnecessary. How little he knew. 

"You can put some things in too," I reminded him as I tossed a loaf of fruit bread over my shoulder towards the cart. He didn't answer. The bread landed on the floor with a soft flump. 

"John?" I turned around but he was gone, the cart too. 

"What the heck?" Where was he? I fumbled in my bag for my phone. Where was it? Why was I losing everything important today? I had a sudden mental image of my phone sitting on the coffee pot where I'd propped it while making breakfast, I'd been watching YouTube videos and needed both hands…

"Damn it." I didn't have my comm with me either, I only ever took that out with me when I wasn't home. Which would be now… "DAMN IT!" 

In my defence, I hadn't thought that I would actually lose him. I thought he was more sensible than that. 

I retraced my steps, going back down four aisles to the place I knew for certain I'd last seen him behind me, pushing the trolly like it was a protective force field against shop workers and old people that didn't know the meaning of social distancing and kept getting up in his face asking him to reach the high shelves for them. 

"John?" I called, sticking my head around the corner. Nothing. 

"Bugger."

Where the heck could he be? 

"Jooooohhhnnnnn!" I yelled a bit louder, starting a full sweep search, marching down the center gap between the aisles and glancing down each one. Nothing. 

"Excuse me, young lady."

I skidded to a halt, almost flattening an older man. 

"Hi, yes?" 

"Have you lost someone?" 

"Yep. Lost, one gorgeous ginger dumbass, if found please return to the witch in aisle 26." The man looked at me like I was crazy, but I'm used to it. 

"Oh, I thought you might be Mrs Tracy."

"No, Grandma's at home."

He gave me a funny look and I stared right back, I didn't want to be impolite and just walk away but yeah, kinda on a mission here, Grandpa.

It was then that I heard it, a voice coming over the tannoy. 

"Can Mrs Tracy please come to lost property at Customer Services."

It's a little surreal to hear someone calling you when you don't expect it and it took a few moments for it to register and my brain to process the information. 

The old man looked at me again, head tipped to one side. 

My brain clicked over. 

"Shhh…ugar! That's me! Lost husband! Thank you," I screamed over my shoulder as I hot footed it to the customer service desk. 

"Hi," I gasped, slightly out of breath (it's a very large store) "you…called," I gestured up to the ceiling and circled my finger like that would make sense to anyone but me. "Tracy…" I slumped, panting. 

"Oh," the lady at the desk finally lost the blank look on her face, figuring out what I meant. "He's in the lost child room."

I frowned, the what now? 

I dutifully followed behind the counter and through the door marked 'employees only'. 

"A customer found him standing alone in the bread aisle looking confused and lost so they alerted us."

She pushed open the door to a cheery yellow room with dancing clowns on the walls that looked like they wanted to eat my soul. 

"I'm sorry, I think there's been a mistake, I haven't lost a ch-" I stopped dead, blinking to make sure I was indeed seeing this correctly. 

"Where have you been?" John demanded. 

He was sitting forlornly on a chair that was so small it looked like it should have belonged in a doll house. His knees were higher than his chest. Some helpful soul had given him a colouring book but he'd ignored it although he was wearing a sticker that told me that he had been a super brave boy. 

"You left me!" 

"I did not!" 

"I turned around and you were gone! I tried to call and Scott answered!" 

"My phone's at home."

"I know that now! Because you abandoned me!" 

"I…I…" I splutted, not knowing what to say to that. 

"May I suggest a leash next time," the woman from the counter said as I dragged him to his feet. I couldn't tell with her mask on, but I'm pretty sure she was smirking. 

"Babe, you're fine, it's just a mega shop." 

"It's hell."

"You're being dramatic." 

"I'm never coming shopping with you again," he grumbled as I thanked the lady and towed him back into the shop. 

I have no idea where he lost the trolly, neither does he. I bought him a sausage roll in the cafe to appease him, leaving him there with his phone while I shopped on my own. Some things are just not worth the hassle. But I do know that next time someone calls my name in a shop, I'll pay attention. 

[dontreadthistrashgarbage]

Pt.3

Seyoon was unpacking all the late night snacks he had gotten onto a blanket at a secluded rooftop. Hearing footsteps he looked up to see Guerin, who looked different than usual. She didn't appear to be wearing any makeup, had her normal stud earrings but had a cute black mask with a white sharp toothy grin. She was dressed in joggers and a sweatshirt with the hood up. He cocked his head at her as she approached.

"I know, I look like shit. But it was late and I'd already gotten ready for bed. You can't expect me to spruce up after that." Guerin guessed at his expression.

"You look fine. Cozy. It's just different. Also you're late." He shrugged and patted the blanket next to him, sitting as he leaned against the wall behind him.

"I got lost..." she grumbled, "I've never been great with directions." She sat down in the spot he indicated, looking over the spread he had brought, "Good grief I thought you just wanted tteokbokki."

Seyoon smiled automatically, "You said you hadn't eaten, and I know how much you like food so I thought I should get some options." Guerin leaned her head in his direction and offered a wry smile under her mask, unable to argue with his logic. "Besides, I got this for us too." He pulled out an additional bag, from which he drew two paper cups, a bottle of soju and two cans of beer.

Guerin raised her eyebrows and sat up straight, "Oh we're drinking too?"

"We have to. It goes well with tteokbokki, fried chicken and jajangmyeon." He shrugged nonchalantly as he began opening everything up and handing Guerin some chopsticks. "Although it's blueberry soju. I thought you might like that."

"How did you figure that?" She asked, sneaking a piece of tteokbokki and pulling her mask to her chin to eat it.

"Well you said before you liked Grapefruit and Plum but I couldnt find it, so I thought blueberry was the next best option." Seyoon shrugged, separating the cups and pouring soju into them, handing one to Guerin and offering his as cheers.

She laughed in response and took her shot, "Honestly I dont know how that train of thought lines up but you aren't wrong." She watched as Seyoon refilled the cups and couldn't keep the grin from her face, "You really went all out for this, it's awesome. Thank you."

He shrugged again, looking up at her and their eyes met briefly before both looked away to select food options, "Food makes things better." He said simply.

"Cheers to that." They both took another shot and then ate in silence for a while.

"So... how are you?" Seyoon asked awkwardly, unsure of how to broach the subject.

"I'm fine, all things considered." Guerin said almost mechanically, "I keep telling people that."

"Okay... but how are you really?" Seyoon asked again, leaning back to look at Guerin. She sighed and set her chopsticks down and didn't speak for a moment.

"Well. What do you know happened?" She asked finally.

"I know you were attacked by that crazy lady. I know you were arrested but you were cleared because of video evidence. I know that she is being charged by the company. But I also know you haven't been with HEET lately." He trailed off.

Guerin reached over for one of the beers. Seyoon cracked it open and put it in her hand, grabbing his as well while she took a sip, leaned back against the wall and looked up at the sky.

"Yeah. We were worried something might happen again. So part of our plan included recording any more altercations that might occur. Self defense laws are tricky and it's usually one person's word against another. Plus as a foreigner, and a big one, we knew some witnesses might not provide unbiased information." She paused and took another sip, "The boys were so brave, they did exactly as they were supposed to. That woman had some gross stuff in that present too. Police said it was unwashed underwear, a vial of blood, another of spit..." she scrunched her nose, "stuff like that."

"Sounds like you guys have the law on your side." Seyoon said, waiting for more information.

Another sip and pause before she spoke, "Yeah, we do. We're able to press charges. The company is suing her. She might see jail time. They even made me go to the hospital to make sure they had a medical report for the court."

"Wait medical report?" Seyoon looked over at her, surprised, "What happened?" Now that she had pulled down her mask and he was looking closely he saw the cut and slight bruising at the corner of her mouth as she smiled dryly and tapped her cheek.

"I let her hit me. I figured if she looked unharmed and I was injured it would go better for us too."

"You're crazy." He sounded almost admiring as he leaned in closer, "Let me see that, does it hurt?"

"It's fine, I've been hit in the face many times, and she's probably the smallest adult that's ever taken a swing at me. It doesnt hurt at all. OW WHY?" She flinched and cried out as he poked the bruising.

His eyes widened and he let out a snort of laughter, "Doesn't hurt at all?"

"You little shit." She laughed and smacked his hand away from her face, "Of course it'll hurt if you press a bruise."

He giggled again, "Sorry. It does look like it hurts a lot. You should maybe stop letting people hit you in the face."

She laughed, "Well it hasn't always been a choice, this one was though."

"So... there's more right?" He asked after their laughter had subsided.

Guerin avoided his eyes by taking a longer drink from her beer, "Yeah. There's been some blowback. Some false stories have gotten out and theres some people that claim I'm making a bad name for HEET or that I was the one who started it, that I instigated a fight or was being rude to a fan. There's quite a lot that demanded I be removed as manager, actually."

"So they caved?" Seyoon asked disbelievingly.

"Well. Kind of?" Guerin sighed, "I've been temporarily removed. Right now with the case going and the false information it's actually less safe for HEET to be around me in case someone tries to target me. So until things are officially able to be released..." she stopped talking abruptly blinking rapidly, trying to hide it with another long gulp of beer. "It's not like I've been fired. I'm grateful for that. Another company would probably have written me off as more trouble than I'm worth. They have me doing other work right now but... I liked my job. I loved my boys, and looking after them." She couldnt hide the tears running down her face now, and didn't bother to try.

Seyoon floundered, watching her face then looking around before seeing napkins and hurriedly handing them to her. She smiled and thanked him, dabbing her cheeks half heartedly before giving up and chugging the rest of her beer through her tears. With an unconvincing smile she looked at Seyoon, "So that's what I mean when I say all things considered. I'm fine."

He didn't saying anything right away, pulling his long shirt sleeve over his hand, he leaned over and dabbed at her face to dry it. She started to pull away, shocked, but he reached out with his other hand and held her in place. "Hold still." She didn't fight back, he was so close and so handsome she couldn't help but feel somewhat transfixed, despite her stomache dropping and heart pounding, all she could do was freeze until he let her go. He picked up his chopsticks, selected a large piece of fried chicken and put it to her mouth, which she accepted without complaint.

"It's okay to be sad when bad things happen. You don't have to lie to everyone." He paused and added quietly as though he wasn't sure he should be saying it, "You don't have to lie to me."

Guerin choked, "Oh my god." She swallowed as soon as she could and laughed, "Are you using lines on me to seem cool? Is this a drama?" She laughed again.

"Yah." He protested, "I was just trying to be supportive."

Guerin laughed again then fed him some tteokbokki, "You're as adorable as a cicada." She said and pinched his cheek.

"I am so much more handsome than some bug." He protested around the food in his mouth.

"Of course you are." She put a shot of soju in his hand, cheersed and downed hers. He followed shortly.

"Thanks though." She glanced at him, "It means a lot."

He playfully shoved her and stole her chopsticks, which started a whole new bickering fit.

Charlie had been working up the nerve all morning to talk to her boss. It was a privilege to be allowed to be so hands on with animals and she didn't want her boss to think she was taking advantage... but it was such a cool opportunity. She had to at least try.

"Byun Minsoo-ssi." She lead off tentatively. The lead vet looked up from her paperwork. Perhaps she looked stern simply from Charlie's point of view but it was just as believable that she was no-nonsense in everyday life as well.

"Yes? Charlie-ssi?"

"I have a friend who is a manager for an idol group, she is friends with a group called A.C.E and I wondered if they could come behind the scenes to meet some of our animals?" Charlie ventured cautiously.

Minsoo paused for a moment before speaking "A.C.E? Your friend knows A.C.E? And they want to come here?" Her attempt to play it cool was poorly hidden and gave Charlie confidence.

"Yes! I'd like to invite my friend Guerin and A.C.E to come and see what we have. I think it would be an excellent opportunity to promote the zoo and educate on the importance of conservation!"

The normally serious Minsoo beamed at Charlie, "That's an excellent idea. Let's get in contact and organize something."

Charlie did a mental fist pump and hustled off to message her friends.

Deciding to keep the visit informal allowed the planning process to go more quickly. Approval from the higher ups and organizing with Beat Interactive took a few days. Guerin has been allowed to come as a personal guest for Charlie and A.C.E who requested she tag along. Guerin, never passing up a chance to visit the zoo, happily accepted. Charlie hoped it could provide her friend with a genuine mood boost. Guerin tended to internalize her negative emotions but Charlie could tell she wasn't her usual self.

"We'll do formal filming in the behind the scenes areas, but then we'll allow you to do your own self cam work throughout the areas of the zoo the public has regular access to." Minseok explained as A.C.E got last second touch ups.

"What animals are we seeing today?" Asked Chan excitedly. They were in the vet and quarantine areas so it was unpredictable what had been planned for them.

"It's a surprise." Charlie said, the most excited A.C.E had ever seen her.

Byun Minsoo would be taking the lead in speaking for the cameras but suggested Charlie stay by to help handle animals and manage the guests. Minsoo might be strict but she was fair, knowing Charlie wanted to do this with her friends she wasn't going to exclude her.

Guerin was hanging back with Minseok as preparations were made. "Noona do you know what we're gonna see?" Chan tried to wheedle from her, pouting slightly. Guerin stared pointedly away from him.

"Don't pull that cute stuff on me, I can't tell you." Of course she knew what animals Charlie was working with, she couldn't let some aegyo spoil the surprise. Chan pouted more and shook his shoulders in a small tantrum.

"Alright that's enough." Minseok stepped in before Guerin could cave, he redirected A.C.E to the main area so they could begin filming. The recording started with a tour of the facilities, showing equipment and how to accommodate all the different animals they had based on type and size. They explained the importance of training animals to participate in their own veterinary care voluntarily then showed them a video example of a mountain lion presenting for a blood draw, and a gorilla opening it's mouth for its teeth to be examined, or a macaque presenting its arm for an insulin injection. Minsoo continued to talk about the research and breeding that the zoo participated and how it was vital for conservation efforts and how it benefitted animals in the wild.

The boys were perfect guests, asking questions and reacting well. They saw a few animals in the quarantine area, new to the zoo and waiting to be introduced to their new homes. The last area they were taken to was for longer term housing for animals that couldnt be in the usual enclosures. A spot had been sectioned, layered with blankets, plushies and other toys. The boys, perplexed, were instructed to go in and sit down with Minsoo while Charlie disappeared momentarily. She returned with an inauspicious crate, facing it away from A.C.E she opened the door and sat with Minsoo, both grinning for the surprise.

Two young tiger cubs tottered they way out, mowing. The trepidation left A.C.E as they all exclaimed in amazement and adoration. Minsoo and Charlie showed A.C.E how to bottle feed them, then let them take turns.

"Their mother was a first time mom, and she wouldnt take care of them." Minsoo explained as the boys cooed sadly, "It's not unusual for that to happen with new mothers even in the wild. But since we are here we made the choice to step in and help raise them." Once the babies were fed they were left to roam and play. One clambered into Jun's lap and fell asleep, the other playing with a toy with Donghun and Byeongkwan. Jun couldn't control his face, his amazement and joy at being chosen as he got everyone's attention and pointed to the sleeping kitten. Seyoon and Chan scooted near him to pet the sleeping animal. Charlie couldn't stop herself from grinning, Guerin knew at least part of it was Jun's reaction and not just the cute tiger cubs.

Once it was time to say goodbye to the kittens, A.C.E did their formal goodbye with them and the filming for behind the scenes ended. The rest of the staff and guests got an opportunity to greet the tigers as well and once Guerin had her turn she flagged down Charlie as the babies were taken back to their enclosure. After a brief talk with Minsoo who let out a restrained laugh and nod, Charlie and Guerin went to a series of smaller tanks on the opposite side of the room, Guerin returning with her hands closed suspiciously.

"We have one more animal for you to meet." Charlie said with a chuckle. Donghun was the only one with the good sense to he suspicious.

"This is one of my favorite animals." Guerin said with a grin, uncovering her hand and showing a large male Madagascar Hissing Cockroach sitting placidly in her hand. All five boys instinctively recoiled, Chan and Jun exclaiming in surprise. A.C.E's reaction elicited chuckles from most of the staff if they werent busy being disgusted themselves.

"It's okay guys. They're harmless!" Guerin said holding it up. Donghun and Jun recovered the fastest, still looking apprehensive and surprised respectively. Chan was behind Jun, leaning around him curiously but still looking fearful. Beyongkwan, eyes wide, didnt move forward so quickly and Seyoon was the furthest away had a very subtle terror that could only be read in his eyes.

"They're really cool, they're called hissing cockroaches cause they hiss!" She gave the cockroach a light pet down it's back which caused it to take two steps forward and hiss quietly as it protested the contact. The boys jumped again. "So insects dont have lungs, they breath through small holes along their body called spiracles. These guys have evolved to force air out of those holes to make a hissing sound that they use to communicate to each other or even predators! Their mouths are too small to bite us so they're harmless!" She was so enthusiastic in the explanation it couldnt help but draw the boys curiosity. She explained how to tell males from females and how most cockroaches are pests at all and how vital they are to the environment. Eventually Donghun worked up the courage first to touch it when offered. Jun became somewhat enamored and greeted the insect before he touched it, but jumped when it hissed before laughing at his own reaction. Chan actually opted to hold it and Byeongkwan even moved forward but Seyoon stayed in the back.

"Come on Hyung!" Chan called to him, looking more closely at the cockroach.

"I'm just looking at stuff over here you guys go on without me." Seyoon said, pretending to examine equipment near him.

"It is kind of cute." Jun admitted, petting it again, still jumping slightly when it hissed.

"On a scale of Seyoon to a Cicada how cute is it?" Donghun joked causing Jun, Chan, Byeongkwan, Guerin and Charlie to laugh.

[trickylittlegod-a-blog]

Cayleigh Elise's Spoopy Fun Starters (Edited)

“What the fuck was that!?”

“Why? Why does any mythical creature do anything weird?”

“That was lame. Very relevant. But still very lame.”

“Welcome, brethren. I have found my fellow screamers.”

“That's South America to your right, and that's uh…R'lyeh there on your left.”

“They're dead. You realize that? This is technically necrophilia.”

“I'm gonna go hide under a blanket with some chocolate and have some fun there.”

“I don't know why I clapped.”

“Caves are kind of like the Earth's assholes, and who knows what's hiding inside of them?”

“The lesson here? Uh, don't be a little asshole!”

“That's not a real baby! Run!”

“Forewarning, it's gonna get gross.”

“I hope you aren't eating. If you are, you might wanna put down your food.”

“Get your head out of the gutter! Not that kind of doll!”

“You think that if I come face to face with eyeless, noseless, drooling Magoo back there, I'm gonna care who the fuck put it there!?”

“You heard me right. Someone thought of this.”

“Oh, I look so pretty right now.”

“You must be a robot. And if that's the case, I await your inevitable takeover. Please don't delete me.”

“That was a joke for all you people who think I'm a narcissistic asshole.”

“I don't think this is going anywhere good.”

“If that isn't fucked up, I don't know that I wanna be on this earth anymore!”

“Carry scissors. Just don't run with them, for the love of all things DUH!”

“How much bigger? This much bigger. Like, Jurassic Park bigger…Like, liopleurodon bigger.”

“It's not your mama, but you can keep crying for her if you want.”

“People like that are kind of horror stories in and of themselves.”

“This may be the most cringe-inducing three minutes of your day.”

“Just a friendly reminder that even when you're trying to treat yo' self, death is always around the corner.”

“I will be on vacation, not scaring the shit out of myself.”

“Is anyone else a little…itchy?”

“I'm just gonna say, I would have already quit at this point. Too much prep work for me.”

“I'm gonna go with the Ouija Board Rule and say it's probs a bad idea to burn it.”

“Just say no to Satan, kids!”

“I guess the dead brother truly was…a holey man.”

“Not like in a sexual way. More like in a ‘I'm gonna suffocate you by sitting on you,’ kind of way.”

“Turn on the lights. Dance your anxiety away, and…Be fabulous!”

“If you got that reference, you're probably as old as me. Or older…Sorry.”

“I've got enough nope in my life without a demon death wish, thank you very much!”

“There is a dead centipede on the ground, and I'm gonna cry.”

“And that is what we shall call her! The Bloop!”

“No seriously, they did. They called it The Bloop.”

“DUH, HELL IS AN ENDLESS PIT OF DEATH AND FIRE!”

“Dammit, there goes plan B. I was totally gonna make a shrine to a creepy possessed doll.”

“Cool. I've always wanted to suffocate and freeze alone in the vacuum of space.”

“If I saw that coming towards me, I'm sorry, I'm probably gonna shit my pants.”

“No. They're not wondering that at all. They're being eaten.”

“Yeah, I'd say that's kind of a jerk move to subject people to a possible death via possessed doll.”

“I feel like this is a thought all mothers have with their children.”

“Am I right, or am I right? Sometimes you're just right!”

“I will refrain from elaborating further, because my goal is not to make you throw up.”

“And you just had to touch the pretty little light!”

“Let's just say that if you saw a body shot of her on Tinder, you would be swiping right.”

“If that doesn't scream serene, I don't know what does!”

“Just because she's left you alone, doesn't mean she's not dangerous.”

“Surely that just makes her exotic.”

“I'm sorry. I just realized how stupid I am.”

“Surprise! I hate babies!”

“Imagine that in your windpipe. Yikes, and ouch, and also…That's what she said.”

“I hear some chanting in there…”

“…Not my ideal way to go out.”

“This sounds like a demonic, less fun version of an invisible petting zoo.”

“Are you comfortable yet? Good.”

“Okay. Really starting to think we should put the house up for sale, guys.”

“No one knows, you dingus. He disappeared.”

“Why!? She's going to eat you!”