#like why have they not cracked this code. and don’t tell me nothing like ‘you’re supposed to drink it when it’s cold’ idc

[merevide]

they should make a carbonated drink that doesn’t taste like straight acid when it’s warm. imo.

[aajjks]

nowhere (m)

synopsis. breaking up with him is not possible- ever.

warning: yändèrè bèhâvïöür, töxïc rèlätïönshïp dynämïc, töxïc!bf!köö, nön-cön kïssïng, sêxïst bf, cräzy bêhävïöür, ünhëälthy rèlätïônshïp.

disclaimer: this fic contains really triggering dark themes which can be triggering for a lot of people and honestly if you have a significant other that’s like him in the fic then please I’m begging you to leave. This is not something you should have to endure. Please leave. Also reminder that this is completely fictional and this doesn’t represent jungkook at all. This is just a toxic character that’s not him.

How do you tell your, frankly, crazy boyfriend that you want to break up?

You don’t know why you got with him in the first place maybe it was because he was really charming and soft? Respectful and patient? So how did everything change?

Why did he change? It’s like being with him now it’s suffocating you. he’s really clingy and he doesn’t know how to take a no. He does what he wants and you cannot bring it in you to deny him.

Because then the guilt tripping starts.

You don’t understand how a grown man can like him can manage to cry within seconds. You’re tired, it’s been two years- he’s a changed man and you don’t like it at all.

And now you want to break up with him. But you’re not sure on how to go about it. He’s going to be home soon, so you’re feeling really anxious.

Jeon Jungkook is a really sensitive man when it comes to you and your relationship with him, he clearly loves you but his love feels really toxic now.

You love him too but you just can’t ignore the obvious cracks in your relationship- you have to leave before it’s too late. Just as you are pacing around your shared homes living room, you hear someone entering the home code and you’re not surprised because you know who it is.

Ask the door unlocked and he answers you stop pacing around the large room, and before you can even greet him or look at him with focus, he’s calling out your name.

“Yn!!!! my love I missed you so so much!!”

There is the man you’ve been waiting for, and you don’t feel excited to see him, but rather you feel a burden on your heart. Jungkook looks good, he’s always looked good. He’s really particular about his fashion and how he looks.

Something you used to like him but now it’s kind of annoying. Maybe it’s because of the fact that he always wants you to praise him.

You force yourself to smile as he walks closer to you, before dropping his car keys at the nearest table. You wait for him to come to you because that’s how it always is.

He loves it when you welcome him, Jungkook immediately wrapped his arms around your body, his favorite part of your body is definitely your waist. His hands are always resting on it. His grip is definitely possessive..

When he leans in closer to kiss you, you actually manage to dodge it, you can’t help it you don’t want to be with him anymore and what is the point in beating the bush around..? The fear will just keep on fucking with your mind at this point.

Jungkooks gaze changes from affectionate to anger and a small glare is sent your way. You sigh, looking at him.. “jungkook..” you don’t even call him kook or kookie like you used to, and he notices that because he’s tilting his head like he’s confused.

“Yn.. what is going on with you? Why would you refuse my kiss?” Before you can speak. He asks you a question instead, he likes his lips looking like he is genuinely confused and clueless.

He knows how to play dumb.

So before you reply to him, you try to get his hands off your waist, you are actually not sure if you’re going on the right track by doing this but it’s now or never.

“Listen to me.” You look straight into his eyes, but you fail to get his arms off of you. “Jungkook I want to break up.”

You blurt the words out, your heart is beating like crazy right now, because he’s so close to you and his reactions are always over-the-top and unpredictable.

Nothing is the same anymore and it hurts.

“I don’t think we are right for each other and it took me some time to realize that but I’ve given this a lot of thought and I think that this is the best thing for us.” You breathe out when he doesn’t respond. He’s just staring at you with a blank expression.

His eyes are suddenly empty, and his lips are pressed in a thin line, his hands are tightly wrapped around you, it’s like he froze.

“Ugh… I’m so sorry to do this so suddenly, but I cannot be with you anymore” you feel a little bad that you’re being so rude about this but you have to be really blunt because if you’re not, he’s gonna think that you’re just joking.

Because he doesn’t want to take things that he doesn’t like to hear, seriously.

You have to be blunt with him, because he’s always gonna find a reason to dodge your questions or completely avoid what you’re saying.

“can you let me go please? I have to go pack my stuff up… I didn’t do it because I just wanted to tell you first.”

He is still not speaking and it’s getting even more awkward and intense because it’s like you’re talking to yourself, you try again to break out of his grip, but it’s futile.

When you give him a weird look, Jungkook begins to laugh, taking you by surprise. It’s your turn to be confused.

Your soon to be ex-boyfriend, laughing like you just told him a great joke. And it’s starting to piss you off because this is not a joke.

You want to be free.

“Jungkook!” You call out his name, and he just leans more close to you if that’s even possible and all you can smell is expensive perfume, and the scent of cigarette coming from him.

Jungkook doesn’t reply to you and you actually feel like you’ll go insane. If he doesn’t want to reply to you that’s fine why doesn’t he just let you go?

Your questions aren’t answered, but he takes you by surprise once again by pulling you in for a kiss- he immediately shoved his tongue in and you let him because you’re so shocked to even comprehend what just happened.

What the fuck is he doing?

You just broke up with him and he’s kissing you, like his life, depends on it. He’s rough, running his hands all over your back, sloppily kissing you, swallowing your breath away.

You try to push him off of you, but then you just give up when he doesn’t budge, maybe he just wants to kiss you for the last time?

So you let him.

His touch is really familiar and you’re definitely going to miss it. You won’t even lie about that but.. you remind yourself that this is for the better and you shouldn’t melt.

After what feels like hours, he finally pulls away when you try to push him away once again, because he’s forgotten that he hast to stop.

You feel like you’ll actually suffocate, because you are unable to breathe at all, “o-oh my God.” You pant out, finally managing to push him away because he’s also panting, so take the opportunity to remove his hands from you, and you immediately start to back away.

“ what the fuck is wrong with you? I just broke up with you and that’s what you do? You are not allowed to do this anymore… and I’m going away.”

You’re gonna stay with your friend for a while because you don’t have an apartment of your own because you have been living with your ex-boyfriend for the past two years.

This relationship was rushed. You did things with him way too fast. And now you’re regretting every single decision.

“what the fuck are you talking about? Yn… are you fucking stupid? Ha.” he suddenly takes your attention, and you watch him wipe the corner of his lips.

“we’re not breaking up. What the fuck is wrong with you? Do you think this is funny because it’s not- I just came back from a long day work, and this is what you do to me?” He stalks towards your direction.

You back away, and he takes a step closer to you.

“you don’t hold the reins of this relationship- I do.” he scoffs, looking at you, like you’ve grown two heads. “you cannot leave me.” he runs his hands through his long curly locks, looking all frustrated.

“Now shut the fuck up” he smirks, trapping you in. “ do you want me to punish you?” The wall feels so cold, and you actually feel terrified of him.

The look in his eyes right now is animalistic. He looks murderous.

“don’t piss me off- the only way you can break up with me is by dying and I won’t let you die so easily.” do you want to speak but no words come out of your mouth.

Not when he speaks in that authoritive tone, but it’s pissing you off because you’re not a child and he is speaking to you like you you’re one misbehaving child, and you deserve to be scolded.

He’s toxic.

“you don’t own me. I’ve had enough.” You try to argue back but it’s no use really because your words are falling on deaf ears.

He doesn’t even deem you important enough to listen to what you’re saying. “Shut up. You’re really asking for it.” He looks like you with a sickly, sweet smile.

“now… I am hungry, so serve me food. I had a very stressful day and don’t make it even more stressful by talking bullshit.”

you want to scoff but what is the use? There is really no way out of this relationship.- you want to cry right now… this is not the man you fell in love with.

Right now you see a monster standing in front of you, who has got you trapped between him and the wall.

There is really no way out.

“there is no way out yn. Make your stupid little brain understand that. Before I make you.”

[togamest]

-> first meeting: first sunset | 1,425 words. gn!reader, reader wears a bikini, alcohol consumption.

author’s notes: he’s so summer love, god. i’ll probably expand on this eventually but this is very selfship coded,,,also semi-inspired by @dearkiryu and i's convos abt him 🤭

you remember the first time you met jo togame.

you’d just gotten off the plane, the smell of the sea tingling your nose as you had bounded into the terminal, your carry-on in tow. you make it to your hotel without issue, and spread out on the bed, rolling around the soft sheets and smiling to yourself.

the beach had drawn you in quickly, pulling you by the strings of your bikini as you wander across the sand. a few chairs are set up, scattered across the beach in speckles of blue and white and teal. you’d sat for a long time in the spot of your choice, sipping on one of the beers in your cooler.

you’d been swiping through the matches in your phone absentmindedly, not really invested but interested to see where things go. you don’t even pay attention to what the guys look like; many of them look so similar. surf body, blonde curls, blue eyes. “yes, i get it, you live in california,” you mumble to yourself as you toss your phone in your bag, pulling your sunglasses over your eyes and settling back into the chair to drift off for a little bit.

a shadow casts over you, and you squint, looking up.

it’s a man. and he’s pretty.

you lean up, squinting. “can i help you?”

the man shrugs, moving out of the sun’s way and sitting on the chair next to you, the supports squealing under his weight. he was tall, muscles rippling underneath his skin; at least six feet with pretty braided black hair, wisps of it falling across the sides of his face. he’s wearing those translucent sunglasses, tinted orange as he leans over, wiggling his phone.

“didn’t think i’d meet one of my matches so soon.”

you gasp, looking through your phone. sure enough, there he was, looking exactly the same as he did before you. except in his photo, he’d had brilliant green eyes.

the same ones that held your gaze now, with nothing but kindness behind them.

“s-sorry,” you manage to stammer out, embarrassment flooding through your system. “i didn’t think i would either.”

he chuckles, a deep rumble in his chest as he leans back. “don’t worry ‘bout it. did ya mind if i kept ya company for a little while?”

there’s something about him that pulls you in. it could be his voice and its lilting tone; perhaps his eyes? or maybe even the way he’s holding the same beer you’re drinking right now, as you look down and notice there’s one extra missing.

you gasp again. “did you steal one of my beers?”

he answers with a shrug, a smirk tugging at his lips as he cracks the can. “maybe.”

you huff, rolling your eyes. “you’re a piece of work already. jesus, accosting me where i can’t say no to you, and then taking one of my beers? you’re ridiculous.”

he doesn’t respond, but instead chooses to smile again at you. “yeah, but i’m hot, so sometimes i can get away with about ninety percent of that.”

“don’t talk yourself up so much. it’s egotistical.”

he takes a sip, smacking his lips. “that may be, but i like t’ go after what i want quickly. i like opportunity, y’know? and ya seemed pretty bored out here, anyway.”

he’s right, you are bored. solo traveling has its perks, but people watching can only get you so far. you hum, bringing your own beer to your lips. the chill and carbonation make you feel a little less nervous with every moment that passes.

“what’s your name?”

“togame. jo togame. you?”

you tell him yours, and he smiles again.

“pretty name for a pretty thing like you.”

well, that was something else. having a man come on so strong to you wasn’t unknown to you, but it felt odd every time it happened. like you were unworthy of such praise and attraction due to, well, you.

he relaxes after that, simply basking in the sunshine next to you, asking questions about where you’re from and why you’re here. you don’t answer him honestly, of course; he seemed fine, but you can never be too careful. he doesn’t chase after more answers, seemingly satisfied with the short responses you’ve given him.

what a weird guy.

ironically, it had been a long, relaxing day with togame; contrary to popular belief, he was quite charming. and his slight ego interested you deeply, to the point where he’s stood and offered his hand to take you for a walk across the beach.

your legs are warm as you walk beside him. there’s a smile plastered on his face, soft with the edges of his lips slightly upturned, his eyes gentle behind his sunglasses.

“so, what’re ya really here for?”

“what do you mean?” you take a sip of your beer.

he shrugs, placing his hands behind his head and leaning back just a hair, his eyes sliding shut. “dunno. jus’ curious.”

you hum. “curious, huh?”

his hand scratches the back of his head. he looks embarrassed, his eyes darting to you and away, as if he’s scared of what he’s about to say.

“someone like you shouldn’t be alone.”

you can’t tell if it’s sunburn or blush that’s making your face feel hot and red, and you scoff, rolling your eyes. “unfortunately, many people don’t tend to agree with that statement.”

you avoid his gaze. you can feel it sizing you up, but it feels nice. it feels like he cares; a stranger, whose taken you on silly errands of his own within hours of knowing only his name. you’d taken a risk, you know that; you know what could have happened.

but it didn’t. somewhere, some solo traveler god has you in their thoughts. and they’d sent him, with braided black hair and pretty orange sunglasses that do nothing to hide the way he’s eyeing you.

instead, he takes your beer, ignoring your protests as he places it on one of the tables between deck chairs. the look he gives you after fills you with dread. you know what he’s about to do. every neighborhood boy had that same look at every pool party you’d been to, when things got a little too laidback.

“jo, don’t you dare—“

he completely ignores you, choosing instead to pick you up like you weighed nothing. your vision goes awry, the world rolling around in your line of sight as he walks into the water, ignoring the battering of your fists on his back.

then, the cold water hits you, saltiness stinging your tongue and your skin as you gasp, hitting the wet, sandy floor of the shallows with an oof.

after some spluttering, you wipe your face and glare at him from where he’s standing, a few feet off to the side with a horrific grin plastered across his face. he thought it was funny.

let’s see how funny he finds this.

you stand up, clothes sticking to your skin as you shake your head to get the water out. then, you lean down, arms in the water.

he looks at you. “oh, seriously?”

his tone is too teasing to be serious, so you smirk, letting loose a spray of water that slaps him all over, particularly in the face. he staggers, removing his sunglasses as he splutters away, spitting the sand and salt out of his mouth. giggles erupt from your chest as you hold your stomach. you haven’t laughed like this in a long time. a very, very long time.

you ignore the forlorn feeling present there. there’s no time to dwell on those thoughts right now.

you had something right in front of you that could take your mind off of it.

you both play around in the shallows for a long time. so long, that the sun begins to set on the horizon, setting the ocean ablaze in shades of red, yellow and orange. togame’s hand is in your own by then, his chest pressed skintight against your back. you’d slid between his legs on the bench, right between his thighs, making yourself comfortable. your beer is long gone, having been finished hours prior.

you fold your fingers between togame’s, resting your intertwined hands against his thigh. you don’t want to leave, but you know you should. not to mention, you could work up the courage to invite him in by the time you arrived at your hotel if you ask him to accompany you.

“walk me home?”

he nods. “thought ya’d never ask.”

divider credit: @/cafekitsune networks: @interstellar-inn @themovingcastlez

disclaimer: DO NOT copy or repost my works for any reason. translations are acceptable, but please ask for permission first!

© togamest 2023-2024

[bless-my-demons]

Redamancy: Chapter Fourteen

Series Summary: What happens when your soulmate is a vampire that struggles to maintain a diet of trying not to kill you? Common sense says run for the hills, nothing is worth your life - but my heart is whispering why not, what’s there to lose?

Warnings: None… but the angst train has left the station

Notes: If you’re one of the sweet angels that left a comment on the taglist form, it makes my heart so happy - thank you! Please forgive me for the end of this chapter

Word Count: 1860

Series Masterlist

Reader

My entire summer was spent with the Cullens. Surprisingly enough, my mother didn’t protest it one bit, something about finally making friends. I was mostly monopolized by Jasper, but Alice had her fair share of stealing me away for girl’s nights with Esme and Rosalie.

Rosalie, talk about a tough nut to crack. I think at this point I’ve finally crested the mountain of hatred she feels towards her brothers’ “mortal liabilities” and I’m solidly in tolerable territory. She doesn’t outwardly mention her distaste anymore or avoid me like the plague, which I consider a definite win. I think Emmett is partially what wore her down besides Jasper’s lack of give a damn towards his sister’s opinions.

Befriending Alice has been as easy as breathing, she’s always there and might as well have Edward’s supernatural power of mind reading. I can tell her life has been lonely in the way she attaches herself to Bella and I, Rose isn’t the most social female and Esme is more of a mother figure than best friend. I’m grateful for her nonetheless, I’m not exactly flooded with friends myself - nor is whatever this thing is with Jasper an appropriate topic of conversation for anyone outside of this immediate circle.

Emmett has managed to become the older brother I wish I had and he takes that role incredibly serious for someone that’s always the comedic relief. Over the course of the last couple of months, I’ve figured out that he’s a big hugger, and a very good one at that. I’ve also noticed that he’s become my rock in a way - never backing down from a challenge, always hyping me up, and never passing judgement.

I still haven’t cracked the code for Edward. He’s quiet and shut off from the rest, not one for casual conversation or wasting time. And when he isn’t with Bella - well that’s wasting time in the worst way. Majority of our interactions are spent in comfortable silence, Jasper tells me it’s because I’m like a magnet in the way that my energy is calmer than most.

I like to think Jasper and I don’t make his family quite as nauseous as Edward and Bella do, but I know we have our moments… like his sisters insisting we sit apart for movie night because he most definitely cannot keep his hands to himself. The smug grin he had on his face along with his hands raised in surrender as his sisters berated him still makes me blush, damn him and his stupidly attractive smirk.

All summer long I’ve been waiting for the other shoe to drop, for him to realize that I’m human and he’s immortal, that I’m nothing in the grand scheme that is his life. It’s partially my fault for chickening out every time the topic of us rolls around, but my anxiety tends to get the better of me. God he is a patient man though, never pushing me and always in-tune to my feelings.

I’m absolutely head over heels for him but I can’t quite force those three little words of I love you past my lips. The confession simultaneously on the tip of my tongue and clogging up my throat.

Although he would disagree heavily, Jasper Hale is not a hard man to fall in love with. He struggles with his control from time to time, but when it comes to me - I can tell he’s different. He’s quiet in a way that’s patient and at-ease, instead of the closed-off way he was initially. His smile is softer around the edges, less forced than when he was trying for the sake of his adopted mother. His touch is instinct now, no longer robotic or unsure, but softer. He’s quicker to laugh, quicker to whisper sweet-nothings in my ear that make my cheeks hurt from smiling, quicker to reach for my hand when he needs an anchor.

I’ve never been more grateful for a split second of clumsiness on my first day at a new school.

• September 13th, 2005 • Forks HS •

Jasper

“A birthday party at your house?” Y/n asks, walking beside me before first period.

“Yes darlin’, I’m afraid my sister requires your attendance.” I continue to lead Y/n down the emptying hallway with a gentle hand on her back.

“I suppose I can spare you her wrath, but only if you pick me up tonight.” She glances up at me with a mischievous smile.

“Speak of the devil…” I mutter quietly while taking a deep breath, bracing myself for the quick footsteps approaching.

“I heard that!” Alice smacks the arm not around my girl. “I need your help.”

“Help with what?” Y/n asks quietly with a wrinkle in her beautiful brow, but I shake my head already knowing what my sister needs.

As Y/n and I stop at the bottom of the stairs, Edward and Isabella approach our small group as Alice vaults over the stair railing and skips forward in excitement, a neatly wrapped gift in her hands.

“Bella! Happy-”

“Shhh!” Bella stops her, the panic and embarrassment flooding from her almost drawing a laugh from me.

“-Birthday.” She finishes, quieter this time.

Bella flashes an exasperated look over Alice’s shoulder and I respond with a calming nod.

“Alice, didn’t I say no gifts?”

“You did, I didn’t.” My sister smarts back. “I’ve already seen you open it and guess what? You love it!”

Bella scoffs exasperated, but Alice interrupts her before she can object.

“You’re going to wear it tonight, our place.” At Bella’s hesitation she adds, “C’mon, please? It’ll be fun!”

Taking my que, I pull away her hesitation and replace it with a touch of acquiescence, gently in an effort to be inconspicuous.

“Okay, alright.” Powerless to my emotional regulation.

I notice a smile quirk the corner of Edward’s mouth, my brother exuding amusement - humored by our efforts to persuade his girlfriend.

A squeal of happiness leaks from my sister, “Great! I’ll see you at seven!” Spinning in our direction to make a quick getaway, we’re stopped by Bella.

“Jasper! No fair with the mood control thing.”

“Sorry Bella, Happy-“ but I let the sentiment die on my tongue at her exasperated look. “Never mind.”

Pushing my girl and gripping Alice by the elbow, I usher them away and towards class. I may be immortal, but a smart man knows when to let the women in his life win.

• September 13th, 2005 • Cullen Residence •

Reader

Waiting upstairs per Alice’s request to keep Bella company while she finished the final touches on decorations, roping my… Jasper into helping. Wondering over to where Edward and Bella are discussing a painting, I squint at who it contains.

“Is that, Carlisle?” Bella points out.

“Yeah, he lived with them for a few decades. He described them as refined, no respect for humans of course, but respect for the arts and the sciences at least.” He pauses, glancing between us before returning his eyes to the painting. “And the law, above all, the law.”

A shiver runs down my spine at the eerie way he explains the ancient vampires.

“Vampires have laws?” Bella’s tone takes on a rhetorical tone, but Edward answers nonetheless.

“Not very many. And only one that’s regularly enforced.”

“What is it?” The question comes from both of us this time.

“That we keep the existence of our kind a secret. We don’t make spectacles of ourselves. And we don’t kill conspicuously.” A sliver of panic runs through me as Jasper’s past flashes through my mind. “Unless of course you want to die.”

“You gotta stop talking about that. I can’t even think of someone hurting you.” Bella quietly and assertively tells him.

“Bella, the only thing that can hurt me is you.” As Edward turns to her, I gravitate towards the door to give them privacy. “I don’t have anything else to be afraid of.”

“That’s not true.”

“Victoria,” My mind immediately flashes back to the ballet studio, “She’ll come for me one day, Alice will see when she decides and we’ll be ready.”

Why had I not thought of that? Of course she’d come for us, the Cullens killed James because of us.

“I can protect you, if you change me.”

I try to contain my gasp, trying not to be obvious that I overheard her request. Her request to be changed.

“It’s time! It’s time, it's time, it's time!” Alice bounds into the room and I slip down the stairs before she can tug Bella away from Edward.

Jasper with eyebrows furrowed smooths a hand across my jaw to cradle my head as I step into his arms, sensing my clashing emotions. Alice interrupts him before he could ask why by bounding down the stairs and joining us.

I spin around to lean my back against Jasper as Edward leads Bella down to the living room, Carlisle and Esme are the first to greet them.

“Sorry about all this, we tried to reign Alice in.” Carlisle jokingly apologizes.

“Like that’s even possible.” Bringing Bella in for a hug with a sweet smile, “Happy birthday, Bella.”

Jasper’s hands find my hips and squeeze, I can tell he won’t let earlier go so easily, he cares too much for that.

Alice blindsides Bella with a flash of a camera, “Found it in your bag, mind?” She asks after snapping a picture of her and Edward together.

Emmett slides past us with a mischievous glint in his expression, causing Jasper to groan as his brother slides up next to Edward.

Nudging him, “Dating an older woman, hot.” Emmett teases.

Edward elbows him right back sharply to shut him up and I wince at the force.

“What?” He tries to play it off with innocence, but we all know he’s rather full of shit and I crack a smile at his antics.

Rosalie chooses then to rip the bandaid off and give Bella the first present of the evening, a small silver package. “A necklace. Alice picked it out.” Short and to the point, she steps away to rejoin Emmett causing Bella to smile.

Meeting our eyes across the room, she waves a greeting to Jasper that he returns silently.

Alice grabs a medium-sized present with a bow, “This one’s from Emmett.”

Bella shakes the suspiciously empty box and I try to cover my laugh at the look of confusion on her face.

“Already installed it in your truck.” He’s vibrating like an excited puppy, “Finally a decent sound system for that piece of crap-”

“Hey, don’t hate the truck.”

“Open Esme and Carlisle’s!” Alice thrusts the envelope into her hands.

“Just something to brighten your day.” Carlisle tells her as Esme steps forward.

“You’ve been looking kind of pale lately.” Esme hints with a smile.

Struggling to open the envelope, she finally tears through the paper.

But it isn’t the only thing that tears.

The droplet of blood that drips down her finger halts the breath in my lungs and the world feels as though it’s standing still. That is, until a thin arm wraps around my waist and my vision blurs.

Next

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[arabriddler]

Batmobile meet cute

Ed’s second run as The Riddler didn’t last long. The goons he hired with the little money he had tipped him off to the GCPD ( he knew he should’ve done this alone, but he saw The Joker and even Condiment King use goons… he’s new to this whole villainy thing.. so he’s learning ). At least he caught the Batman’s attention. ( or rather, Robin beaten him dropped him inside the Batmobile that’ll take him to Arkham. ) Except, There was someone there already. A short plump man dressed neatly even though he was beaten up and shackled. He recognized him, of course he did, he’s been keeping an eye on all the villains in Gotham, trying to figure out how they’d attract the Batman’s attention. This man, The Penguin, was different. He avoided getting caught, flawlessly, and worked in the shadows… Ed saw potential in him. Except… apparently even The Penguin gets caught.

“ First Time at Arkham?” The penguin asked suddenly. Ed looked up at him curiously, “ Second, actually…. What about you?” “ First.” “ you’re calm…”

“ well, I am after all insane. Excuse me for not reacting like a sane person would.”

the penguin didn’t address him again for the rest of the ride, but Ed kept staring at him. There was something… off about him.

After going through Arkham’s regulations, and settling in, Ed kept an eye at The penguin, his interactions and mannerism…. The man was a puzzle, and Ed loved puzzles.

“ you’re not insane.” Ed said as he sat opposite him one day in the food court, “ you don’t belong here. You shouldn’t be here.” the penguin smiled but said nothing else as he continued to eat his jello. Ed sat there the whole lunch period, but the man remained silent.

he kept an eye on him, thinking, trying to crack the code. He needed to gather more information, so one day he snuck into the guards room and looked into the Penguin’s record, which didn’t provide much except this one picture with the falcone staff and in the back was a little Oswald cobblepot beside a blonde woman… bingo. the next day, he approached the penguin again. “ Your mother worked as a maid for Falcone for quite some time…” Ed blabbered, “ after that period there were rumors in the streets about a new gang. The timeline tracks that it was yours. Your statement mentioned that you went mad with grief over losing your mother. You tried to cover all of Gotham with umbrellas, but that the Batman caught you and brought you here.” the penguin didn’t say a thing, he just blinked at him, listening. Ed spread his fingers, “ you didn’t go mad with grief, you pretended to. You’ve done all that fateful planning then suddenly something changed, related to your mother. You needed to come here… but why?”

Lunch period was over by then, the penguin said nothing except stand up and pat Ed’s cheek as he left him there.

He has to figure out this man’s deal.

Ed snuck into the records room again, this time he looked over the inmates records and tried to find if The Penguin is looking for someone here. He noticed, after all, that The Penguin keeps looking at the inmates, searching for someone…

He found it finally, the person Penguin is looking for, The holiday killer, Alberto Falcone. No wonder Penguin can’t find him, the man has his own luxury cell away from everyone else… of course! He’s a falcone after all..

He couldn’t wait to tell penguin about this, but before he could even get out of the records room, Arkham’s guards caught him.

this resulted in putting him in solitary for three days before releasing him. Tired and exhausted, he made way to his room. surprisingly, there was someone in his room ( he didn’t have a roommate, he tends to annoy them too much ). The penguin himself sat on the bed opposite Ed’s waiting for him.

“ Well, Mr Nygma, I believe this is the start of a beautiful friendship.”

( background or Oswald’s perspective on this )

[ssinnerplazahotel]

╭──────────.★..─╮

*Chapter Eleven*

╰─..★.──────────╯

WC: 6k

Warning: 18+, age gap, smut, fluff, toxic elvis, manipulation, drug use, it’s the 50s/60s, dubious consent, painful-difficult-devastating-life-changing-extraordinary love

Pairing: elvis x black reader

Disclaimer: full of inaccuracies, inaccurate timeline, inaccurate depictions of Graceland, historically inaccurate themes and items

Masterlist: Prologue, Ch. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

You waited day after day for Joel to come back. You sat in the living room most nights hoping that the door would open and it’d be him.

You didn’t know where he was or if he was okay. You called Bibby to check on him and he told you that he’d called off work for an extended time. Bibby sounded more concerned about how many cars he had on the lot than he did about Joel.

You were worried sick and you had no one to talk to about it. You couldn’t talk to anyone, except maybe…

“Hello?”

“Aunt Dawn?” You felt guilty only calling now—now that you were alone.

She sounded confused when she responded. “Is everything okay?”

“Everything’s fine,” You said as you lit a cigarette on the front burner of the stove. “How are you?”

“I’m alright,” She said. “Are you sure everything’s okay?”

“Yes.” You sounded too unconvincing not to cave immediately. “I mean, things could be better.”

“What’s going on?”

“…Did you know that Jerry told Elvis where Joel worked?”

You took a drag from your cigarette as you waited for her response, although her hesitation was enough of one.

“I did,” She said eventually. “Why?”

“No reason,” You said. “I just thought you’d tell me.”

“Should I have told you?” Dawn asked.

“Not necessarily.” You felt like you were communicating in some kind of code. “He showed up there…at Joel’s job.”

“I remember.”

“That was when he invited us to Graceland. Remember?”

“I do.”

You fell silent for a moment. “I saw him one night…without Joel.”

Dawn shifted on the other line. “Did you?”

“I did.” Your voice threatened to crack as you held back tears.

She sighed, disappointed. “Does Joel know?”

“I told him.”

“What’d he say?”

“He left a few days ago. I don’t know where he is.”

“I’m sure he’s fine.”

“I-I know that you~ you’re close and he trusts you and I was just wondering if you could get in touch with him?”

“How?”

“…I don’t know.” You closed your eyes and leaned back against the counter. “I don’t know what to do.”

“There’s nothing I can do.”

“I know.” You outed your cigarette and dried your eyes as best you could. “I’m so worried about him, I’m trying everything.”

“I’m sure he’s alright, wherever he is.”

“You’re right.”

“Give him some time, okay?”

“Okay.”

You tried Joel’s parents, they said a few nasty things about you calling but ultimately told you that they hadn’t heard from him.

It had been an entire week before you saw him again. In retrospect, a week away wasn’t a huge ask. But that didn’t make it hurt any less.

You were getting back from visiting Sinclair when you saw his truck in the driveway. He was there, bent over working under the hood.

You pulled in behind him and killed your engine. He didn’t look up from what he was doing until you approached.

He stood up straight, squinting against the sun. “Hey.”

“Hi,” You said. You didn’t know what to say. “Is there something wrong with her?”

“Just needed some brake fluid.” He wiped his hands on a dirty towel.

“Where were you?” You asked.

“Bibby’s.” He shrugged. “You?”

“Sinclair’s.”

He sighed, looking down at his hands. “We should talk.”

You nodded in agreement. “Okay.”

He threw the towel down before dropping the hood of the truck. He gestured towards the porch and you led the way. You sat on the top step, Joel sitting one step down resting his elbows on his knees.

“That starter’s gettin ready to go,” He said, breaking the silence. “I shoulda changed it a while ago, it’s an old thing, so…”

Silence settled over the two of you again.

“I don’t know what I’m sayin,” He muttered, pushing his hair away from his face. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Say anything,” You insisted. “I’m listening.”

“I talked to him,” He said after a beat. “Elvis.”

“You did?” You asked, panicked. “What’d he say?”

“He called me at work,” Joel said. “…said Dawn told ��im to.”

For a moment you imagined how both those conversations must’ve gone, but you were more concerned with what Joel was saying. You wanted to lean forward and inspect his expression more closely. Was he upset that you talked to Dawn?

“He didn’t say much,” He continued. “I didn’t want to hear anything from him, but…he said Dawn was worried about you, s-so I came to make sure you were alright.”

You nodded your head.

“Are you?”

“Yeah, I’m alright.”

The silence that filled the uncomfortable beats between his words made it hard for you to breathe.

You wanted terribly to comfort him in some way but you couldn’t find the nerve as you watched him struggle to keep his emotions at bay. You’d never seen him so upset and it made you sick knowing that you were the reason.

“He said I should try to make things right with you and that it wasn’t your fault, but I don’t know if I can. I-It’s just…I-I guess I thought I knew who you were, who we were…but now it feels like I don’t know anything.” He fidgeted restlessly, trying to articulate his feelings clearly. “There’s this entire part of your life that you never told me about.”

“I couldn’t.”

“Because you still love him?”

“Because I couldn’t tell anyone.”

Joel met your eyes and you fully saw his expression for what it was. “Tell me now.”

You couldn’t bear the pain in his eyes. “I can’t.”

“Why?” He shifted towards you.

“I don’t want to think about that time in my life. When we ran into each other I had been trying to forget everything from before. Because it hurt too much to remember. I loved him and he hurt me.”

“Then why did you go back?”

“Because I felt…” Your pulse soared and your breath caught in your throat. You struggled to breathe but you still forced yourself to say the words. “I-I felt like he took something from me, a-and I thought I could recapture that lost part of myself somehow. But as soon as I was near him, I… I felt seventeen again. I didn’t go there with these intentions. I thought I could show him that I was in control a-and that I was happy and doing well—despite him.”

Joel remained silent as he watched you stumble through your explanation.

“I know I kept it from you but it’s the only thing I’ve ever kept from you. Everything else is real, I’m still me. What happened, it was my fault. But I swear I’ve never been more sorry about anything in my life.”

Joel’s expression remained hard, his eyebrows drawn—conflicted. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.”

You casted your eyes downward. You failed to combat your tears, batting them away uselessly.

“I don’t know if I can work past this.” He worried his lip as he spoke. He stared off in thought for a moment before a humorless laugh left his lips. “I keep thinking about that day…when I first saw you at Graceland with Dawn.”

That first day instantly replayed in your mind. You had relived the day so many times—hyper-focused on your interactions with Elvis. Your memory wasn’t too clouded by him to remember Joel, freshly eighteen, rushing out of the house to meet Dawn. He shook his head, as if trying to rid himself of the memory.

“I love you.”

“Tell me you don’t love him.”

“I love you.”

“This entire time you’ve been in love with him.”

“Can’t someone love more than one person?”

Joel’s eyes narrowed in hurt and he stood up from the steps. “Sure. Just not at my expense, that’s all.”

“I don’t know why I said that.” You rushed to follow him as he stormed into the house. “I love you, Joel. I choose you.”

“You choose me.” He chuckled humorlessly. He walked into the kitchen and snatched the refrigerator open to grab a beer.

“I made a mistake. I-I messed up and I’m sorry. I only want to be with you. I love you.”

He sighed and leaned back against the counter as he cracked open the beer in his hand. He tapped the metal cap against the counter with a distant expression.

“I need to think,” He finally said before straightening up and leaving the kitchen without another word.

You watched him go to the living room and drop into the crease of the sofa. He turned on the television and watched it in a slump as he gulped his beer.

You silently retreated to the bedroom with unshed tears in your eyes.

There was a distance between the two of you that grew as the days wore on. Joel spent most of his time at work. He’d leave early before you woke up and get in late after you’d gone to bed.

No matter how many days passed without saying a word to each other, Joel insisted that you keep up appearances with Sinclair and Marcus. He didn’t want them knowing about your issues, he didn’t speak about them to Bibby either.

You went along with it, for him. You didn’t exactly feel comfortable discussing it with Sinclair and Marcus either.

However, it didn’t make it any easier to tolerate his distance when he would suddenly speak to you and treat you nicely around them. It didn’t help that he kept up his image as a doting fiancé in front of your friends only to turn around and not speak a word to you.

No matter how much it hurt, you tried to endure—hoping that the two of you would eventually reach some state of normalcy.

“What?”

You kept your back to the door as you slipped off your shoes with tears in your eyes. Joel sighed before you heard him walk into the bathroom. He killed the shower and returned.

“What is it?” He asked.

You batted your tears away and stood to walk to the closet. “I don’t want to fight.”

“Who’s fighting?” He asked, following you to the closet. “Why’re you crying?”

You dropped your shoes and grabbed something to sleep in. As you made to walk past him he blocked you in with his arm. “You know why I’m crying.”

“I don’t,” He argued. “I thought we had a good night.”

“What, a good night of you pretending that you want anything to do with me?” You narrowed your eyes and pushed past him. You threw your pajamas down on the bed before turning to the dresser to remove your jewelry. “It was a wonderful night if you consider that a good time.”

“I was just trying to~”

“It doesn’t matter,” You said, snatching your earrings out. “I can’t take this anymore.”

“What?” Joel asked, his voice nearer.

“This!” You faced him. “I can’t take this. Constantly feeling like I’m being punished by you. I don’t want to feel like this anymore.”

He remained silent and you sighed, defeated. You turned to continue getting undressed. You slipped the rings from your fingers and unclasped the necklaces from around your neck before reaching back to unzip your dress. You fumbled with the zipper, huffing in aggravation when it got jammed. “Can you~”

“Yeah~”

“It’s stuck~”

“I see.” His fingers replaced yours on the zipper and he worked out the kink before gliding it down your spine.

You expected him to step away then but he didn’t. He slipped the fabric of your dress from your shoulders and let it pool around your feet. You turned your head to look at him and found his eyes already on yours. The sudden change of pace took you by surprise and for a moment you were touch-starved enough not to care. However, another thought consumed your mind the moment it entered it.

“What happened?” You asked just as his lips grazed yours.

“What?” He asked, his eyebrows twitching in confusion.

“What changed?” You didn’t feel exposed as you stood in your underwear—searching his eyes for the truth. “I thought it was a part of the act, I thought you were just dedicated to the role of a delicate fiancé because you didn’t want Sinclair and Marcus to suspect anything. But I see now that the entire night you’ve just been buttering me up to sleep with you.”

“Are you serious?”

“I want to know what put you in such a good mood that you’d suddenly look past everything and fuck me. Or should I ask who?”

“….I can’t believe you’d even ask me that.”

You pressured him to answer. “Something changed. What is it?”

“Maybe I just feel like it.”

You crossed your arms. “Can we talk?”

He shook his head. “No.”

“No?” Your eyebrows drew together slightly.

“No,” He repeated. “Because I still feel the same.”

“How do you feel?” You asked in a whisper.

His jaw tightened once again and he fell silent, not answering.

“We can talk to someone.”

“I don’t want to talk to anyone.”

“It could help,” You insisted. “We could talk to someone licensed to deal with this kind of thing.”

“I don’t want to talk,” He said firmly. His hands trailed around your waist and he pulled your body against his.

You shivered and parted your lips in a silent gasp as he kissed your neck, then your collarbone. “…J-Joel~”

He silenced you with a kiss—his lips moved against yours intensely for a moment before he pulled away. You were overwhelmed by his touch. He stepped forward until he forced you onto the bed, littering your neck with heated kisses once again.

Despite the way your body reacted you wanted to stop him—you didn’t want things to happen like this. The longer you went without actually talking about your feelings the more the distance between you seemed to grow.

He was finally speaking to you after days and you wanted to take the opportunity to discuss what really mattered.

“Joel.” You tried again, pressing your palms against his chest.

“Don’t ruin it,” He said breathlessly as he slipped his hand between your legs. “It’s okay.”

Your brain short circuited and you moaned brokenly. It wasn't okay, nothing was okay—but it felt good.

You swore in discomfort when he entered you but it was brief.

A sensation washed over you that caused your lips to part in a silent scream. His movements weren’t gentle or even familiar. You hadn’t seen this side of him. In all the time you had been together he had only made sweet love to you. This was something else entirely.

You felt like there was nothing tactile holding you to the earth as he fucked you so far into oblivion that you didn’t care if you ever felt grounded again.

You couldn’t register much outside of the intensity of the moment, but you felt Joel’s warmth deep inside of you when he came. He collapsed beside you and for a moment there was only the sounds of your labored breathing. He sat up eventually, tucking himself back into the jeans that he never took off. “You okay?”

You nodded, weakly pushing yourself into a sitting position. “I’m fine. I’m just gonna…”

“Yeah…okay.”

You stood from the bed and walked to the bathroom on unsteady legs. You cleaned up and slipped your bathrobe on before going back into the bedroom. When you returned, Joel was still sitting on the edge of the bed.

You sat with your back against the headboard, pulling your knees up.

“I’m sorry if I~”

“It’s okay.”

He nodded, looking off for a moment. “I’ll stay.”

He knew you too well. “Okay.”

He stood and walked into the bathroom. The shower ran for a long time before he returned. He didn’t say anything as he discarded his dirty clothes in the hamper and joined you in bed.

You fell asleep in his arms, and when you woke the next morning, he was gone.

*

“I’m leaving.”

“…Oh?”

Joel stood across the living room watching the rain pick up outside. He kept his arms folded across his chest—guarded. But something about his tone was more vulnerable than you’d heard in weeks.

You met him in the living room, sitting sideways on the couch so that you were facing him. He kept his back to you but continued when you didn’t respond.

“I‘ve been making arrangements.”

“What arrangements?”

“Bibby offered me a job in New York. It’s more behind the scenes and he’d pay me more for relocating.”

You waited for him to continue but he didn’t this time. “New York?” You prompted.

He faced you then—you couldn’t dissect his expression. “The offer just became solid today.”

“And you…don’t want me to come?” You asked, fearing that what you were seeing was reluctance.

“No, I don’t want you to come,” He said, confirming your doubts. “I’m sorry.”

“Joel…I-I know things haven’t been the best between~”

“That’s an understatement~”

“We can fix it.”

“It can’t be fixed. You…you broke my heart. Do you understand that?” You stood and tried to speak but he cut you off and continued. “You made your decision, now I have to make mine.”

“You’re running away? Just like that?”

“What am I supposed to do?”

Panic and anxiety swelled in your chest at the thought of Joel leaving you and moving to New York.

“You’ll have time to figure everything out. We don’t have to rush into selling the house.”

Your eyes burned with tears. “We don’t have to…”

He avoided your pain filled expression. “I have to.”

You could tell by the tears threatening to form in his eyes that the decision wasn’t one that he’d come to easily.

“I’m gonna tell Bibby I’ll go.” He sighed as he walked away. “It’s for the best.”

Elvis called you to apologize upon hearing the news from Dawn—you had been drinking your sorrows like usual when you answered the phone.

“Dawn told me what happened,” He said. He sounded remorseful. “I-I didn’t mean f-for things to turn out like this. I’m sorry.”

“Why are you sorry?” You tried to sound sober, instead your voice was flat and shallow—and still obviously drunk. “It’s my fault.”

“I shouldn’t have pressured you,” He said. “I tried to tell Joel that it wasn’t your fault~”

“Of course it was my fault,” You snapped. “God, why are we even talking about this?”

“I feel horrible.”

“I’m sure you do…”

You sighed as silence settled over the line. You closed your eyes, waiting excruciatingly for him to say something.

“Maybe you should stay with Dawn in Memphis until you get things sorted out for yourself again.”

“What’s staying with Dawn gonna change?”

“I can put you up in your own place if you come back.”

“No.”

“Birdie~”

“I can’t go back to Memphis.”

“I’m worried about you.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re drunk at eleven in the morning, honey.”

You glanced halfheartedly at the time. The curtains were still drawn and the house was cold and silent. It could have been any hour.

“I hate when you do this.”

“What?”

“You go around creating all these problems and swoop in to fix them like you’re the good guy.”

“…Can I do anything?”

You wished there was something that could be done about the miserable feeling in your gut. Your chest hurt from the amount of cigarettes you’d gone through and you were nauseous from the vodka-doused wine concoction you had going.

“I should be alone,” You said. “I deserve to be alone.”

“You made one mistake.”

“It was a lot of little mistakes that led up to one big one.”

“That still doesn’t mean you deserve to be punished,” Elvis argued.

“My life is ruined.”

“How can you say that?”

You struggled to internalize your emotions, picturing them retreating to a small corner in the back of your mind instead of erupting outwardly. You wanted them to go back inside until they were nothing, until they couldn’t hurt you anymore.

“What can I do?”

“I figured it out on my own before, I’ll do it again.”

“You don’t have to.”

“Yes, I do.”

“I’ll take care of you.”

“I’m not coming back to Memphis.”

“Why not?”

You couldn’t believe you had to explain.

“Because I don’t want to get caught up in your bullshit again, Elvis,” You said. “I don’t want to fall into the same routine. The fighting, the constant back and forth—it’s fruitless and repetitive. I want to actually live my life. That’s why.”

“You can live your life,” He said. “I’m not gonna lock you up once you get here.”

“Sure.”

“…It could be different this time.”

“‘Could be?’”

He fell silent for a moment. “It can be different.”

You waited for him to continue but he didn’t. “I don’t want to play those games anymore.”

“No games, then. No fighting—I mean it.” His voice was low and sincere. “Come back to Graceland.”

You shook your head. You wanted to, of course you did. You were in love with Joel but you loved Elvis all the same. It hurt—it made you feel fickle.

“I can’t.”

“What’s stopping you?”

You couldn’t tell if you were awake or dreaming when Elvis showed up at the house in the following days. He had made his appearance discrete, you didn’t know it was him when the black impala pulled into the drive. It was late and he came alone—only him and his driver. He didn’t say anything when you let him inside. You shut the door and leaned back against it as he stood before you. He seemed out of place and too grand for the room.

You must’ve flinched when he moved towards you, or retracted in some way, because he stopped. It was silent and you refused to meet his eyes. The silence was tense, like the air after a bad fight.

“What do you want me to do?” He asked when the quiet became unbearable.

“You shouldn’t be here. It’s not right.”

“I came for you.”

“You shouldn’t’ve.”

He didn’t respond, instead he turned and walked further into the house. He noticed the boxes full of your things crowding the living room.

“You’re packing?”

“He’s selling the house.”

“Where are you gonna go?” He faced you when you didn’t answer. “I want to help.”

You were offended. “I don’t need your help.”

“I don’t care if you need it or want it, birdie, that’s the thing,” He said, frustrated. “I don’t want to spend another year wondering what the hell happened to you. So you can go anywhere in the world, alright? Just let me make sure you get there.”

“You say that like it’s so easy.”

“I don’t care if it’s easy, I care if you get there in one piece.”

He had neared you again, taking slow steps until he stood directly in front of you.

“Do you want me to take you to Dawn?”

“No.”

“Wilmington?”

“No.”

“Where? Somewhere around here? D’you want the house? I’ll get it for you.”

“No, Elvis.”

“Then what?”

“I don’t know. None of this feels real.”

You didn’t move away when he reached out and took your face in his hands. He made you meet his eyes, searching yours for a moment before his lips were inching towards yours.

You spoke before your lips met. “Not here. Please.”

He sighed and pressed his forehead against yours. His thumbs stroked the apples of your cheeks. “Tell me what to do.”

You closed your eyes, your hands moving to clutch the front of his shirt. You knew better than to give in to him so easily, but you were vulnerable. You wanted him to make you disappear. “I want it to be like it never happened…like none of it ever happened.”

“Okay.”

“It’s not okay.”

You were crying now but Elvis wouldn’t let you pull away. He dried your tears with the pads of his thumbs.

“Why can’t it be okay?”

“We can’t~”

“We can do whatever we want.”

You pulled away enough to really meet his eyes. He was being serious.

“Why did you come here, E?” You asked, suddenly grounded enough to question his motives. He was always that way—calculated and two steps ahead.

“I was worried about you.”

“And?”

“And I was hoping I could convince you to come back to Memphis with me…as my girl.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means I’m choosing you, birdie. If you’ll let me.”

You weren’t sure how to react. There was a part of you that was elated enough to cry, but it was overshadowed by the crushing feeling you had that he’d let you down. He’d get you back to Graceland and you’d be back in a predicament that you had escaped—for hardly enough time to matter. You still loved him just as much as you did a year ago—if not more after rekindling.

You had pulled his hooks out but you hadn’t gotten out of arm's reach. One wrong move and he’d sink them right back in. The scariest part of it all was that you almost longed for him to do so. You wanted the satisfaction of watching it all happen before your eyes, slowly and painfully. You wanted him to tear you apart, bit by bit, and leave you broken—you wanted to do it for the thrill of watching something crumble so perfectly.

“You don’t want me.” You meant it as a warning—no one deserved to put up with you.

“You’re all I want, little bit.” He tapped your chin. “I’ll prove it to you if you come with me.”

He laughed in a nervous way when he said it—his expression genuinely hopeful.

“You don’t have to,” He said in the wake of your silence. “Like I said, anything you want. Anywhere you want to go.”

You didn’t say anything. For a while you stood there silently deciding what your next move should be. You didn’t have anything to lose, your pride and dignity had been exerted and you were feeling hopeless.

“…Can we leave now?”

“We can leave right now.”

You packed your clothes in your luggage and Elvis helped the driver put them in the trunk. You left your key and engagement ring on the counter for Joel, you wanted to leave a note but there was nothing to say.

“We’ll send somebody for it,” Elvis said in response when you asked about the rest of your things. “It’ll be out in time.”

“Okay,” You said as he led you out of the front door. You paused, looking around the house. It wasn’t lived in anymore, but there were traces of your life with Joel all throughout the place. From the barely there wine stain on the middle cushion of the couch to the knick in the wooden frame of the door from when you moved it in. You were saying goodbye to a life that had barely gotten started. Elvis stopped when he noticed your hesitation.

“Hey,” He said, making you face him. “I got you, okay?”

“Okay,” You repeated.

He kissed your forehead and led you out of the house once and for all. You climbed into the back seat of his impala, trying not to think about anything too much. If you did, you’d have a breakdown.

“It’s only an hour flight.”

“Flight?”

“Yeah, it’s quicker.”

You must’ve looked uneasy—he asked you if flying still made you nervous.

“I don’t do it enough to get past the nerves, I guess,” You said. “It’s fine, I’ll manage.”

“I’ll just give you something,” He said, reaching into the pocket of his slacks and retrieving an amber, 10 dram pill bottle. “It should help.”

“I’ll never see this house again,” You said, looking out the window longingly. “Nothing’s ever going to be the same. It’s over.”

“Take this.” He turned your head and dropped the pill into your mouth. “Hold it under your tongue.”

“What’s going to happen?”

“Don’t worry, darling, I’ll take care of you.”

He put his arm over your shoulders and kissed your temple. You leaned into his touch and closed your eyes, swallowing your bitter saliva as the pill dissolved under your tongue.

“Am I a horrible person?” You asked sometime into the drive.

“No,” Elvis responded. “You can’t help who you love, can you?”

“No.”

“Do you love me?”

“Yes.”

“Then don’t beat yourself up about the situation. It had to happen.”

“But Joel~”

“He’s a kid, birdie. He’ll get over it.”

It didn’t matter what Elvis said, or that he had seemingly convinced Jerry of the same thing. You knew Joel, and you knew that he’d take time to work through his feelings. You knew that a part of him would never fully heal.

You wanted to feel bad, you did feel bad deep down past the artificial calm spreading over you. You got to the airport and the two of you were escorted directly onto a private plane. Things happened fast, which you were thankful for.

“You okay?” Elvis checked as you took your seats, keeping your hand in his all the while.

“I’m okay,” You said. “Are you?”

“I’m perfect now that I’m with you,” He said, bringing you with him when he sat down instead of having you take your own seat.

You looked over your shoulder to be sure the cabin was empty and the plane suddenly jolted into motion. Elvis laughed at your expression and put a protective arm around you.

“Aw, birdie,” He said. “It’ll level out eventually.”

“Not helping.”

“What do you want me to do?”

“Distract me.”

The hand of his free arm traveled up your thigh and he kissed your cheek. You knew what the sudden influx of ‘harmless’ kisses meant. Once upon a time, you favored this particular tell of his the most.

“I think I know what kind of distraction you need,” He said, kissing the shell of your ear.

“On the plane?” You squirmed away from his touch, laughing prudishly at the thought.

“Haven’t you heard of the mile high club?” He asked, unbuckling the front of your coat and pushing it off your shoulders. He maneuvered you so that you straddled him, letting the coat fall to the ground.

You protested but you leaned into his touch when he kissed your exposed collar bone. You would’ve stopped him had the medication in your system not loosened your ambiguity—leaving you feeling light and euphoric. His touch erupted into a thousand tingles against your skin and you were practically vibrating with desire.

“People do it,” He said, kissing your neck. “Something about the altitude.”

You looked over your shoulder again, trying to stop him. “Elvis…someone might see.”

He stopped, looking up at you with a lustful expression. “There’s no one but us until we land, baby.”

You laughed but the sound was immediately cut short by a moan when he slipped his hand under the skirt of your dress.

“…This is wrong,” You weren’t focused on the words as you said them, all you could focus on was the way his fingers grazed you through the thin material of your underwear. “I want to do the right thing.”

“Does it feel good?”

“Yes.”

“Then it’s right.”

He sat back in his seat, his hands rubbing your thighs before traveling up your sides and back. You released a low groan as he fingers pressed into your taught muscles. He massaged the tension out of your shoulders and kissed you slowly. Your eyes fell shut and you leaned into him.

“It’s okay,” He reassured you, one arm securely around your back while the other worked out the knot in your neck. You hadn’t realized how tense you were.

You ran your fingers through his hair, scratching his scalp the way he always liked. You weren’t satisfied with the low groan he released and shifted to apply more pressure to his growing erection. The sound he released when you moved your hips was satisfactory. He took your face in his hands and looked at you.

“I love you,” He whispered, his voice almost lost in the mechanical hum of the plane’s engines. “I won’t ever let you go again. I promise.”

“You love me?”

“Yes. Don’t ask me why.”

“Why?”

“Because I can’t tell you all the reasons.”

You kissed him again. “Is this real?”

He wrapped both arms around your torso and hugged your body against his. “It’s real.”

“Feels like I’m dreaming.”

“You aren’t. You’re here, with me. Be here with me.”

You opened your eyes. He looked at you with an intensity behind his expression that made you shiver—the world fell away like it always used to. It was familiar and all thoughts that weren’t concerning him vanished. You felt like you were falling in love for the first time all over again.

You didn’t notice that he’d unbuckled his trousers and freed himself until you felt him prodding at your entrance. You tensed initially but relaxed as he pushed your panties aside and entered you. You whimpered at the stretch—groaning when he was fully seated inside.

You stayed that way for a while, connected and unmoving until his hands eventually continued roaming your body. His breath mingled with yours as he thrusted to meet your movements, making your toes curl in your shoes. You were instantly on the verge of peaking—in every regard.

“Can I, please?” You trembled against him, your abdomen constricting as you anticipated your high.

“Why would I say no?” The pleasure was too intense, you didn’t know whether to chase it or run away. Elvis groaned as you finished, following with a suppressed grunt—your name growling deep in his chest.

He swore under his breath, grabbing your chin with his clean hand and kissing your lips. “You’re adorable.”

He patted your thigh and you stood, unsteadily.

“Stay,” He instructed before going into the bathroom. He returned with a damp towel, wiping his hands clean before helping you. “Take ‘em off.”

You laughed as he slipped your panties down your legs, holding his shoulders as you stepped out of them.

“Uh, uh,” He said when you reached for them, pulling them away. “They’re mine.”

“What are you gonna do with them?”

“Commemorate the moment.”

You finished cleaning up before retaking your seat. The last of the flight blew by—the two of you clinging to each other the entire time. Before you knew it you were arriving in Memphis. You saw all the cameras but it still took you a moment to realize what was happening.

“Elvis,” You said as you took in the scene outside the window of the plane. It was dark but the lights illuminating the runway made everything clear. “What’s happening?”

“We’re going home,” He said smugly. He stood with you but you sat back down. “Come on, baby.”

You shook your head. “You go first.”

He laughed, taking your hand and helping you out of the seat. “Let’s go together.”

“E.P.?” Sonny showed up—his eyes found yours briefly, but he looked away immediately. “Car’s ready.”

“I’m not gonna stop this time, straight there,” Elvis said to him before glancing you over, tapping your chin fondly. “Let’s go, little bit.”

Your stomach turned with anxiety. “W-What if they don’t like me?”

He shrugged. “I guess we’ll all just lay down and die.”

You couldn’t help but smile as he kissed your cheek and led you off of the plane. At first all you could hear were voices, but soon all sounds were replaced by your heart hammering in your ears. You would’ve froze, if it weren’t for Elvis’ arm wrapped protectively around your shoulders. You had feared the look on people’s faces when they saw the two of you together—now, however, you couldn’t make out anything aside from the wild flashes.

There were numerous barricades up to keep the crowd at bay, but there was still security to stop the few desperate freelancers that slipped through. Everything happened so fast—one minute you were there being photographed by dozens of people and the next you were in the back of the car. Elvis signaled the driver and the car lurched into motion.

“You okay?” He asked, helping you out of your coat and hat.

“So intense,” You said, heaving a sigh when you were free.

He reached over to place your jacket on the seat behind you. “You’re not too shook up, are you?”

You smiled and leaned into him. “A little.”

“Well, it’s over now,” He said, putting his arm around you. “You’re safe and sound.”

“Yeah, but…” You hesitated but quickly overcame your unsureness. “I still need something to calm my nerves.”

“Is that so?” The smirk on his face deepened.

“Mhm.” You don’t know if it was the rush of the paparazzi or if you were still riding some high from your activities on the plane. Regardless of the reason, you wanted him again—right then and there.

He laughed when you placed your hand on his inner thigh. He reached into his pocket and retrieved the small pill bottle. “Best I can do for now.”

You pouted as he opened the bottle and shook a pill out. He bit it in half, prompting you to open your mouth before placing one half on your tongue. You were already buzzing from the half before the flight. “Is that the best you can do?”

He glanced at the driver through the partition as he grabbed a bottled water from the cup holders. “I don’t want to disturb our friend.”

You followed his gaze, taking a swig from the bottle after him. “I think he’d have a good time.”

He didn’t pull away when you kissed him—blindly taking the water and capping it off before dropping it on the ground. His hand hooked onto the bend of your knee and pulled you closer. You were practically straddling him as the two of you attempted to consume one another.

“E.P.?”

He barely pulled away. “What?”

“10-12.”

“Okay?”

“Colonel doesn’t want any photos.”

Elvis sighed glancing up in aggravation. “Tell the Colonel that there’s nothing he can do about that.”

“But~”

“Straight through, boss.”

The driver nodded and put the partition back up. Elvis groaned, pulling away with a final kiss on your cheek.

“Pull yourself together, dirty bird,” He said, helping you back into your coat. “We don’t want to let these people see you on your knees for me just yet.”

“What does the Colonel think of all this, E?”

You hadn’t thought to ask. With everything happening so quickly you barely had a chance to process what was going on, let alone form any questions.

“Don’t worry about the Colonel.”

You didn’t like that response. You knew people would be opposed to the idea, but you weren’t prepared to face the Colonel. You didn’t want to face him.

“He doesn’t know,” You said. “Does he?”

“He will soon enough,” Elvis said. “Along with everybody else. You said no secrets.”

“I didn’t expect this…he’ll never allow this.”

“I don’t need anyone’s permission to be with you.” He blindly straightened his hair and slipped a pair of shades on despite the late hour. “I didn’t bring you all this way to hope for his approval.”

You stopped him when he leaned in for a kiss and he opted for kissing your neck instead.

When you finally arrived at Graceland the streets outside of the gate were flooded. There had to be at least a hundred people gathered—some were holding signs, some were holding cameras, and some were holding back tears. They stood shouting at the car as it inched through the ruckus. You tried to get a better look at what the signs were saying but Elvis stopped you.

“Don’t pay them any mind, doll,” He said, putting his arm over your shoulder. He pulled you into his side and kissed your temple. Something hit the window, startling you and making Elvis lean forward to snap at the driver. “Can’t they get somebody to clear the goddamn gate?”

“I think they’re trying.”

“Tell ‘em try harder.”

While Elvis went back and forth with him, you peaked outside again. You immediately wished you hadn’t when you caught a glimpse of what was written on the signs.

“O-Oh my god,” You stammered under your breath.

“Birdie.” He took your face in his hands, forcing you to look away. “I told you not to look.”

“Oh my god~”

“Don’t worry about them, honey, they’re just stuck in their ways~”

“‘Stuck in their ways?’”

He shushed you, trying to meet your eyes. “Don’t let them see you cryin. They’re gonna have to come around, like everyone else.”

You shook your head, willing your tears away. “I knew this would happen. They hate me.”

“They can’t hate you,” He said. “They don’t even know you. It’s just how it’s gonna be at first.”

Another object slammed against the window—you clung to him. “I’m scared.”

“You don’t have to worry, darlin, we’re gonna pull right up to the door…” His voice started fading into the background and the sound of the chaos outside took over. “You hear me?”

Your body nodded reflexively but you couldn’t focus on anything but the crying, screaming faces of the people outside.

“Keep your head down and I’ll lead right inside and upstairs. How’s that sound?”

Another disconnected nod.

“Talk to me, baby.”

“…That sounds fine.”

He reassured you again that everything was okay as the car eventually got through the crowd and was able to stop.

When you got out of the vehicle you could hear the cameras flickering in a frenzy but you kept your head down as he led you up the steps. You expected the chaos to die down once inside, however you were met by an angry Colonel.

“Elvis Presley~”

“I’ll deal with you in the morning,” Elvis said, attempting to lead you upstairs.

“You get her out of this house, immediately!”

“What?”

“You heard me!”

“This is my goddamn house!”

You closed your eyes as they shouted back and forth.

“This, what you’re doing, it’s…it’s suicide,” Parker said, he was practically fuming. If you had looked up you would’ve been met by his harsh glare. “If you insist on keeping the girl, I will be forced to leave you.”

“Then I’ll be forced to let you go.”

“After everything I’ve done for you?”

“Everything you’ve done…go upstairs, birdie.” He looked at Jerry. “Take her.”

You let Jerry lead you upstairs, his hand barely gracing the small of your back as he did so. When you got to Elvis’ room he let you in before following behind. You walked over to the bed and sat down. You couldn’t get the images out of your head.

Jerry walked over to the minibar in the corner and poured you a drink. Something dark and straight.

“I shouldn’t.”

“It’ll take the edge off at least.”

You took the glass. You stood as you took a sip, setting it on the bedside table so you could remove your coat.

“He should be up any minute.”

“Thank you.”

He smiled briefly and was gone. You took some time to walk around the room. You entered the closet to find numerous items of women’s clothing. The tags still hung from them as if they were either brand new or never worn. It made you think that he had prepared in advance for your arrival. He must’ve not had a doubt in his mind that you’d come back with him.

The bedroom door opened and you were met with Elvis’ fired up expression when you left the closet.

“Elvis,” You started. “Calm down~”

“Do not try to reel me in right now, birdie~”

“It’s okay.”

“How can you fucking say that?”

You walked over to him. “I’m sorry. I-I just~ I don’t want you to be upset.”

He sighed as you hugged him, noticing the empty glass on the table. “Jerry fixed you a drink?”

You looked up at him. “What if he’s right? It’s not worth it.”

He shushed you, sitting you down on the bed. You waited for his response but he fell silent. He removed your shoes and guided you to lay down. You stopped him before he moved away.

“Don’t leave.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

He laid down and took you in his arms.

“What’s going to happen, E?”

“I have no idea.”

[ateezreactionsandscenarios]

Kinktober Day 25 - DILF

Pairing: Kim Hongjoong x Reader

Genre: Smut

CW: None, just some bog standard smut.

Word Count: 3813

Summary: You’ve been hired by Hongjoong, a single father, to babysit his son, but falling for your new boss wasn’t exactly what you expected to happen.

Prompt List               MasterList           Kintktober 2022           Buy me a Coffee

You stood at the door of the address you had scribbled down on the small piece of paper in your hand, your nerves started to get the better of you in this moment, it was only a babysitting job so you had no idea why you were so nervous but it was that bad you almost walked back home. 

“Come on, get a grip it’s not like you’re going to die.” You quietly say hyping yourself up. With a deep breath you calm your shaking hands and knock on the door. Small shuffles could be heard from the other side before the door handle started to fidget and open. You were taken aback seeing as no one met your line of sight but upon looking down you were greeted with a bright eyed toddler. 

“Why hello there.” You coo kneeling down to his height. 

“Are your parents home.” 

“Daddy!” The small child shouted out while padding off in search of their father.

“Sungho, what did I tell you about opening the front door.” The father lightly scolded the child that was now in his arms as he approached the door. 

“I’m sorry about my son, how can I help?” The man chuckled. 

“Are you Mr Kim, I think I spoke with you on the phone about the babysitting job.” His eyes widened a little almost as if he forgot about the whole thing. 

“Oh yes, Y/n right? Of course come in.” He said stepping to one side letting you in through the door and placing the child back down. 

“Go on and play for a little bit, daddy needs to speak to this nice lady for a few minutes.” And with a small nod from the child he was gone. 

The man opened the door to his, by your guess, study. You were in awe at how organised he seemed to be, nothing was out of place, files organised alphabetically and the calendar on his desk was colour coded. 

“Take a seat.” He gestured to the two small armchairs in front of you. 

“You have a lovely place Mr Kim.” You state breaking the silence. 

“Thank you and please call me Hongjoong, I don’t feel the need for formalities.” You nod feeling slightly lees tense but still a little on edge. 

“Have you ever had a babysitting job before?” 

“No this is the first one I applied to, I’m in university so I needed to fond something to make a little bit of money on the side and I love kids so why not make money from something I love.” Your statement made him smile, you were honest and he liked that a lot and from the brief interaction you had with Sungho moments earlier he could see you were genuine about you like towards children. 

Hongjoong ran through some questions with you he felt would be important, stuff like if you have a criminal record, if you drive, if you can cook, ect and your answers were ticking all of his boxes. 

“Well Y/n, you seem to be a perfect fit for the job and I’d love to take you on, but there is one more test you will have to go through.” Your heart sank a little, you were so close but what if you messed it all up with this next test? 

“I might like you but we need to see if Sungho likes you, after all he’ll be the one spending the most time with you.” You sighed a little in relief, you were great with kids so you were confident that Sungho would love you. 

Following Hongjoong into the living room you see Sungho dancing in front of the TV to baby shark and your heart completely melted. 

“Sungho, Y/n is here to play with you for a little bit while I made some phone calls, be good okay.” Sungho smiled up at his father before focusing his attention on you pulling you by your hand to play with him. 

The next half an hour consisted of you dancing with Sungho and playing various games he thought up with his toys. Hongjoong on the other hand had not made any phone calls in that time, he spent the half an hour sitting in his study with the door cracked open just enough to hear your interactions and it was safe to say he was very happy with what he was hearing, Sungho hadn’t stopped giggling a squealing with excitement since he left the room. The sounds did make his heart ache a little, he missed hearing his son laugh like this, being a single father was difficult especially with a job as demanding as his own, he was just glad that right now Sungho was happy and he was able to whiteness it. 

“Daddy!” Sungho shouts running over to Hongjoong who’d just emerged into the room. 

“How’s my little champ doing, are you having fun?” Sungho nodded excitedly pointing in your direction. 

“My monster just beat her robot!” A chorus of explosion sounds came from Sungho as he tried to tell his father about the epic battle the two of you just had. 

“It was a pretty close fight but my robot wasn’t strong enough.” You laugh raising your hands in surrender smiling at Sungho who was still reliving the game. 

“I’m going to say you had fun with Y/n, is that right?” Hongjoong asked kneeling down to Sungho. 

“Loads of fun!” 

“Would you be happy then if I asked Y/n to come over and play with you while I’m at work?” Sungho’s eyes lit up as he tugs lightly on your sleeve, pleading eyes looking up at you begging you to agree to play with him more. 

“I’ll take that as a yes.” Words could not describe the joy you were feeling and for once you couldn’t wait to start working.

~

A month had gone by since you’d started babysitting Sungho and so far it was the best decision you’d ever made Hongjoong and Sungho made you feel welcome and like they’d known you for years, it was no chore watching Sungho and if anything you found yourself being more excited than him when it came you your shift. The job had it’s perks, you were paid to be a child, you were paid any petrol money if you decided to take Sungho out for the day and Hongjoong let you have free roam of the apartment letting you help yourself to anything at any time. The other benefit of the job that you soon came to notice was apart from your boss being incredibly handsome (which you were sure to take a mental note of the minute you met him for the first time.) he was also very generous and caring towards you, even when he had a day off and didn’t need you to babysit for him he invited you to go to the park with him and Sungho or simply come over for a movie day, he treated you more like a friend than just some girl who babysat his kid a handful of times a month.

Today was another day where Hongjoong had invited you out with him and Sungho, they were planning on going to the park and then for some ice cream but all morning Sungho had nagged and nagged his father asking if you were going with them until he gave in and called you. Walking down the woodchip path towards the small play area your ears were met with cheerful shouts and the sound of small footsteps. 

“Y/N!” Sungho came running up to you clinging to your leg like a small koala. 

“How are you little guy? Where’s your daddy?” You ask picking him up and lightly pinching his cheeks making him laugh hysterically. 

“Mister over here has been nagging for you all morning.” Hongjoong laughed seeing you walk up to him. 

“He refused to do anything until I at least called you.” You giggle turning your face back to the small child.

“Were you pestering daddy again.” Sungho nods with an expression full of victory. 

“Good.” You set him back down and watched as he ran off to play with some of the other children in the park. 

A few moments go by and you and Hongjoong got yourselves caught in deep conversation while Sungho was busy playing. 

“Hongjoong, can I ask you something?” His head tilts a little waiting for you to ask. 

“Please tell me if I’m over stepping any boundaries here but I was wondering where Sungho’s mother is, I’ve never met her so I was just curious if she was still in the picture.” A sigh left Hongjoong as his eyes dropped a little looking over to his son who was oblivious to the current conversation. 

“I’m sorry I shouldn’t have asked.” You quickly say reading how he reacted. 

“No, no it’s okay you’re bound to find out one day anyway. Me and Sungho’s mother split up 2 years ago, it was pretty  messy we were always arguing and in the end we thought it was best to go our sperate ways. I guess it was good timing I’d rather us have split when we did than any later, Sungho doesn’t remember any of it so to him all of this is normal. She was going to have full custody of him but after we got around to finally having a civil chat she agreed to co-parent with me, having him for 1 week at a time.” 

You were surprised as to how comfortable Hongjoong felt telling you all of this, it was a sensitive subject and he was still hurt about it even if it was a tiny bit. You nod in understanding placing a comforting hand on his arm. 

“You’re a great dad Hongjoong, Sungho talks about all the adventures he’s been on with you both in real life and in games.” He laughs at the mention of the games he plays with his son, some of them replaying in his head. 

“He’s a good kid, in an ideal world I’d spend every minute of every day with him, but hey we don’t live in an ideal world so I’ll make the most of what I have.” Your heart was aching for him, you wanted to wrap your arms around him and tell him everything will be okay, but right now you didn’t feel like over stepping another boundary today. 

“Thank you Y/n, really.” you look at him confused, what had you done for him to tank you? 

“You’ve made Sungho really happy over this last month, he loves spending time with you and honestly so do I.” Hongjoong placed a hand lightly on your thigh before looking at you again. 

“So thank you Y/n, for making him and me happy.” His sincerity had you all choked up you would have started crying if it wasn’t for Sungho running over to the two of you. 

“Can we get ice cream now?” He asks with a pouty lip and big eyes. 

“Of course we can champ, come on then lets go.”

The walk back home was a short one but with all the playing and the crash from his sugar high Sungho was wiped out so you offered to carry him on your back the rest of the way home and that’s where he fell asleep, drooling a little on your shoulder not that you minded at all. You set him down on the couch watching as he stirred in his sleep before curling up into a ball and settling. 

“Shit is that the time?” Hongjoong whispers to himself grabbing Sungho’s backpack and filling it with a few things. 

“What’s up?” You ask going over to help him. 

“Sungho’s mother will be here to pick him up in 15 minutes, I didn’t even realise it was that late.” You were both thankful Sungho was asleep because that meant you could pack his things for him undisturbed and before you knew it there was a knock at the door. 

“I’ll get it.” You said placing a hand on Hongjoong’s shoulder before walking off. 

“Hi, Sungho is sleeping but come on in.” You said answering the door to the woman who you guessed was the mother. She looked a little puzzled but followed you anyway. Smiling at her sleeping son she turned to you. 

“I’m assuming you’re the famous Y/n that Sungho has been telling me about.” You felt a little blush cover your cheeks, you knew he loved having you around but to talk about you to his mother was something else. 

“Yes I am, Hongjoong hired me a month ago to watch Sungho when he’s at work and he’s been a pleasure, he’s such a good kid.” You were pleasantly surprised as to how nice she seemed, even if Hongjoong didn’t exactly paint a very good picture of her to you earlier that day. 

“Come on champ, Mom’s here to pick you up.” Hongjoong cooed gently nudging his shoulder to wake him up but only having minimal effects. 

 ~

Now with Sungho gone for another week the apartment felt too quiet now and you weren’t used to it. You decided to stick around a little longer to help Hongjoong tidy up all of Sungho’s things and put everything back in order the way you knew he liked it. 

“There.” You say dusting your hands off looking around at the now spotless living room. 

“I guess with no child for me to look after I should head home.” You chuckle going to pick up your bag. 

“Wait.” Hongjoong stopped you before you took another step. 

“Stay a bit longer if you want, I enjoy your company too.” He said placing a hand on your arm. You debated with yourself over it, at least when Sungho was around you were distracted from the thoughts of Hongjoong that usually flooded your brain but now the two of you were alone with no distractions you were nervous. 

“I really don’t want to come across as too forward but the last month had made me realise how much I miss company and lately yours has been one of my favourites.” He steps a little closer to you closing the gap inch by inch making your heart beat out of your chest. 

“I love having you around, I just wish you could stay a little longer.” And with that it was like something took over Hongjoong, his body reacting faster than his brain, moving on its own closing the gap between you catching your lips with his. It was a quick kiss but the lingering feeling burned your lips. 

“Shit I’m so sorry, I guess I’m the one over stepping boundaries today.” He chuckled nervously rubbing the back of his neck. He would have backed off if your hands hadn’t found their way to his face pulling him in for a deeper, longer kiss. The kiss wasn’t what you expected it to be, it was full of need and not just from you, it was like Hongjoong had been thinking the same thoughts as you this whole time. Your back hit the wall with a bit of force which made you gasp against his lips. Your mind was spinning with the way Hongjoong’s lips moved against your own, the way his whole body pinned you to the wall and how his fingers dug into your hips pulling you impossibly close to him. 

With slow movements his hands made their way under your shirt, the pads of his fingers burning your skin with the lightest touch. Right now his pace was too slow for your liking, you knew by now you were both on the same page so there was no hesitation from you when your hands rushed to work on the buttons of his shirt, it was evident you were having a little trouble hands working faster than they should and fumbling over every button and your eyes shut as you were still  hypnotized by his lips. With tongues fighting against each other, heavy breathing as you tangle yourselves between items of clothing from trying to tear it from one another, you shift along the corridor to the bedroom, completely letting lose the minute you get through the door. The clothes made a trail from outside the living room to the bedroom, and you were practically bare in front of each other by the time Hongjoong had the chance to lay on the bed, pulling you over him so you straddled his lap. Your lips don't disconnect for no longer than a second, becoming addicted to how good the other tastes on your tongues. 

He didn't intend to end up underneath you, usually loving the way he had some control when he's on top, but the way you grind against his covered erection, the friction causing so much pleasure for the both of you he didn’t care if he was on top or not. He was losing his patience, if he’d have known you’d felt this way then he would have made a move ages ago, so now he was making up for lost time, he needed to feel you. Hongjoong tapped your thigh before breaking the kiss looking at you through glazed eyes. 

“Off.” He commanded with a low voice snapping the waistband of your panties against your hip. You did as you were told in an instant and watching how he rid himself of his boxers in the same fervour as you make your stomach do flips.

Hongjoong might want to get straight to the main show but you on the other hand was having too much fun and wanted to savour this moment for as long as you possibly could. Returning to your previous position, straddling his hips, you lowered yourself down against his cock, running your soaked core along the length of it, quietly moaning against his lips every time his tip brushed against your clit. You could feel how desperate Hongjoong was just from the way his cock twitched under you and the way his chest was rising and falling at uneven intervals. 

“Stop teasing.” He warned biting down on your bottom lip gently making you smile. 

“But why, it’s so much fun.” You smile teasingly making sure to follow up your statement with a particularly slow grind making a groan escape his chest and sending your mind reeling. 

“I said stop teasing.” Hongjoong grips your hips holding you still in place despite your efforts to continue moving. 

“Make me.” 

The moment those two words left your lips you were done for. Tightening his grip on your hips he lifted you off him effortlessly, almost light you weighed nothing. it took him a split second to line himself with your core before pushing you down his length, your moans harmonising with his groans as you both bask in the sensation of him stretching you out. You didn’t need a moment to adjust, by this point you were too far gone, the lust taking over. With the bare minimum help needed from Hongjoong you started to slowly bounce, finding a rhythm you can stick with, the only help you needed was his hands on your hips to keep you sturdy, which right now was doing wonders as your pace picked up, if it wasn’t for his hands being where they were you were sure you’d have lost your balance and fallen on him, ultimately killing the mood. 

So lost in the sensation and the consistent need to keep Hongjoong’s sweet groans spilling from his mouth you didn’t realise how quickly your legs grew tired, your bouncing gradually slowing down and losing rhythm. Hongjoong noticed your slowing pace before you did, with his fingers digging into your hips he held you in place as he relentlessly fucked up into you, the need becoming too much to settle for slow movements, he was desperate for you both to reach your highs and from the way his cock ached he knew he wasn’t too far off.

Hongjoong taking control had your eyes rolling to the back of your head as you flop on top of him, his arms wrapped tightly around your waist hugging you close to his chest feeling how your body trembles with each thrust, and the sound of you moaning his name into his ear only spurred him on even more, thrusting harder and deeper each time until he had your walls clenching around his cock like a vice. Losing composure fast you wanted to warn him how close your orgasm was but nothing came out, your moans turned to pathetic whimpers and whines. 

“It’s okay, go with it, don’t hold back.” Hongjoong cooed into your ear coaxing you to let your orgasm ride through you with no problem, which it did soon after, flipping you over on your back to give him full control, the final thrust before you feel off the edge was delivered straight to your sweet spot hitting it exactly the way you like it to the point you couldn’t have held back your orgasm even of you wanted to.

Your walls fluttering around his cock as you slowly came down from your high helped Hongjoong reach his own, he realised he never thought this far ahead, you both went straight into it not thinking to use protection no word on if you were on the pill or not, nothing to tell him what to do. His orgasm a hair away from being released panic set in resulting in him pulling out, painting your abdomen with his cum. The sight was probably the hottest thing you’d ever seen in your life, the way his body shuddered as he relieved himself over you, his breathing heavy and cheeks flushed pink he looked as breathtaking as ever. 

Falling onto his back next to you he took a few moments to let himself calm down and recover before even thinking of grabbing something to clean you with. You couldn’t help the small chuckle that left you as you lay next to him, everything that just happened replaying through your mind. You hear a small hum next to you as Hongjoong turns his head to look at your smiling face. 

“What’s up?”

“Nothing, that was amazing, but it’s got me thinking?” He cocked an eyebrow at you waiting for you to finish your thought. 

“Do you act this way to all your babysitters?” You joke and the giggle that followed made it clear to him that you were only messing, yet he still decided to give you an answer. 

“Only to the ones I really like.” Now it was your turn to cock an eyebrow at him. 

“And how many have had the privilege?” Rolling on his side to fully face you he cupped your face in his hand pulling himself up so he was only inches away from your lips. 

“Only one.”

Tag list:   @kpopcrossworlds​​ @kpopjust4u​​    @whatudowhennooneseesyou​​​   @8tinytings​​   @jenotation​​ @grim-adventures58​​   @owjohny​​​   @ker1​​​   @hellomingi  @ate-ez  @steponmesannie   @azeret98​​​   @wubbster​​​ @eternalhongshine​  @sansluvr​  @tinkerbell460​

[lynzishell]

Prev // Next

Transcript:

Dawn: You’re here. Atlas: I’m here. I’m so sorry, Dawn. Dawn: Me too. Dawn reaches over to rest a hand on his shoulder. Atlas covers her hand with his, and they sit like this for a while, not saying anything.

Phoenix: Have you seen these yet? Asher: Not really. I saw a couple on Atlas’ computer when he first got home, but that’s it. Phoenix: I assume he told you what happened up there… with Dawn? Asher: Yeah.

Phoenix: How is he doing? I’ve been meaning to check in, but – Asher: Oh, no, you have enough on your plate. He’s doing okay though. Not sleeping well, but otherwise, okay. Phoenix: Nightmares? [Asher nods] Phoenix: Yeah. I remember those nightmares. Asher: What do you mean those nightmares?

Atlas: Hey, do you remember when we were kids, and we learned that some twins had their own language? Dawn: Oh my god, yes, and we tried to make our own. Atlas: Except we just made these weird random sounds and pretended to understand each other. Dawn can’t help but laugh when Atlas tries to imitate their old “language”.

Dawn: Oh, and we would pass each other notes in our secret code. Atlas: [laughing] There’s no way anyone was cracking that code! Dawn: That’s because there was no code! We’d just write symbols on paper and pass them back and forth [laughing] and I put so much effort into each one! Atlas: I know! There’d be thirty or forty intricate symbols on a piece of paper, never the same one twice. It was impressive, actually. Dawn: We thought we were so clever.

Phoenix hears muffled laughter coming from the bedroom and smiles at Asher.

Phoenix: He’s always going to be better at that than me, isn’t he? Cheering her up. Asher: [shrugs] Probably. But you knew to call him, and that’s not nothing. Phoenix: Maybe I should’ve called sooner. Asher: Eh, we’re here now. How are you doing? Phoenix: [exhales loudly] I don’t even know. I’ve been so focused on her.

[Asher nods quietly]

Phoenix: It’s weird. It feels like there’s something missing now. I mean, we’d planned on having a kid eventually, but it always felt like an abstract, far away thing. Like something we’d talk about in a few years or more. But now. It’s all I can think about. I don’t think I’ve ever wanted anything more. Is that crazy?

Asher: Definitely not.

Phoenix: And now I’m worried that this was all too much for her. What if she doesn’t want to try again? What if it never happens, even if we do try? I don’t know…

Phoenix: I don’t know why I’m telling you this. Asher: Sounds like you’ve been needing to talk to someone. I don’t mind listening. Phoenix: Thanks. Normally, I’d go talk to Aurelio, but I haven’t wanted to leave. She was really starting to fucking scare me. Asher: She’ll be okay. Phoenix: [clears his throat] I hope so.

Atlas: I kept one, y’know. Dawn: You did not! Atlas: I did. You had doodled all around the edges, and clearly spent a lot of time on it. I don’t know, something about it felt important, like I needed to keep it, so I did. Dawn: Oh, I bet I know which one it was. Atlas: Yeah? I’ve always wondered, what does it say?

Dawn: Hold on let me see if I can remember it… [thinking]… Okay I got it, ready? Atlas: Yep. Dawn: It says, ‘Today I am sad / As long as you’re my brother / My heart will be glad.’

[Both laughing]

Atlas: Stop! You wrote me a haiku? Dawn: I tried. I counted and recounted the syllables so many times. Atlas: Dawn, that is so sweet! I’m keeping it forever.

Dawn: Aw, I’m glad you’re here. Atlas: Me too. Asher’s here too, and we brought his dog. Do you want to come out and say hi? Dawn: Yeah, I’d like that. Can you stay for dinner? Atlas: Sure. Gimme a hug first though. I’ve missed you.

Atlas: Listen to me. Don’t start shutting people out again, okay? Dawn: I know. I didn’t mean to. I just… I couldn’t stand to see the pain I’ve caused him. Atlas: You didn’t cause anything; it wasn’t your fault. And he needs you now just as much as you need him. Dawn: … Is he angry? Atlas: No, he’s just worried.

Atlas: It’s okay if you need time to grieve, but you’ve gotta eat. You have to take care of yourself. Dawn: I will. Atlas: Promise me. Dawn: I promise.

[starqueensthings]

Crosshair’s Actions

From his perspective, agonizingly pulled from my overly emotional brain.

Mistrust. “How are you feeling?” … “What’s it to you?” … “Cooperate, or he will resort to methods that you will not enjoy.” … “You’ve healed quickly, considering the state you arrived in.” Their guise of concern for him was repulsive, and he had no patience for it. “Why am I here?” A demand, voiced. Answers. He wanted answers.

Realization. “All you have to do is tell me where to find Clone Force-99.” … “They are in possession of something I need.” … “The kid.”

Recollection. A memory. An info dump that, at the time, had been unsolicited and unimportant to their objective. “A state of heightened awareness is not unusual for an enhanced Clone such as herself. When Nala Se spoke of five clones, Tarkin assumed that meant us. But Echo’s a reg. The fifth is Omega. I confirmed my suspicions after analyzing her DNA.”

The Truth. “You’re wasting your time, they’ll never turn her over.” This one-gloved doctor clearly hadn’t done his research. Hunter called the shots, and he was as protective as Wrecker is strong, and as Tech is logical. There wasn’t a force or a promise anywhere in the galaxy that would convince his Sergeant to forfeit the kid. “I don’t know where they are.” Still, the truth. He didn’t. He hadn’t for a long time. And as often as their likeness and the sounds of their voices flickered like ghosts through his mind, the reality was, he was alone.

Defiance. “You know how they think… how they operate… Surely, you have something useful to share?” … “Wrong.” One simple word saturated in refusal, obstinance. He was unyielding. This was a challenge to which he would not concede. He had extensive experience as a lab-rat, try me.

Torture. Was it the warbling of the droid that unnerved him the most? Or was it the needle? Or the diabolical smirk on the doctor’s face? His awareness quickly left him, replaced with pain, terror, agony.

A second realization. “Our orders were to not stop until he talks.” … “He can’t talk if he’s dead.” So that was the limit that they were willing to take it to. How resistant and unyielding could he be? How long could he withstand their interrogative methods until he undoubtedly cracked, damning his brothers and sister to the same horrible fate? The answer was in every debauched, trembling cell in his body: not long.

Desperation. He had to warn them. Immediately. At any cost. But how could he manage it? An opportunity, embodied as unsupervised blaster. “Release me.” … “You can not make it out of this facility. Not in your condition.” Digressive. Redundant. He already knew that. He could barely stand, barely form a coherent word. “Give me your access card.” … “It won’t get you outside. Don’t make this worse, Crosshair. There is no escape.” Again, digressive. He knew this. That was not his goal anymore. The long harboured hope of escape had been abolished; sent to the graveyard in the back of his mind where it could nestle beside his discarded dreams of redemption… and reunion. No. Too many shots were taken, too many bridges set alight and left to burn. Regret.

Determination. If he acted quickly, he could potentially pull it off. One last Hail Mary before the repeated debauchery of his mind sent him over the edge, or into the grave. Stealth could not be an option. He had mere minutes.

A coded transmission. “Plan-88.” One that he knew only his brothers would understand. Immediately followed by an anguished plea. “You have to hide. They’re after Om-” Vapour. A dense toxin filling his lungs, stealing the awareness that he had barely been able to cling to. The diabolical smirk. Nothing.

[annabannnananana]

🐺 roxy meeting glam!foxy 🦊

gn!reader - tws: none! - wordcount: no clue

a/n: this came to me in the middle of the night, so enjoy the ramblings of my 3-4am brain lmao

reader (y/n) is a security guard at the mega pizzaplex who helped oversee the glam!foxy project - building a glamrock model of the beloved the foxy pirate animatronic. glam!foxy had been scrapped for the sassy punk-rock racer chick roxanne wolf in the pizzaplex’s early development due to her being more likely to attract teens, but now fazcorp wants to bring back foxy - and keep roxy. after you lead foxy off the stage following a thrilling stage show in the atrium, roxy meets the fox she was built solely to replace… and chaos ensues!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

you stand in front of glamrock foxy, blocking his way, your hand on the door handle behind you.

“you’re sure you know to handle this? you won’t glitch out and do anything dangerous?”

the fox just sighs and folds his arms - one of which ends in a plastic silver hook that looks sharp but is actually blunt when you get close up to it. it could still hurt someone though.

foxy sighs and just nods. you know you’ve gone over this about 100,000 times with him, but you just have to make sure he completely understands.

the fox is getting impatient now, you can tell, as you watch his furry foot tapping the floor rapidly. you sigh. “alright, just please be careful. just entertain the kids, crack some jokes, don’t let the kids touch your power core, DON’T SWING YOUR HOOK. ever. ok?”

the fox huffs and nods again, his mouth clenched tight. “yeah, yeah, i know. i’ve known it already since you coded it into me brain! now lemme at those kiddos!”

“i know you know, i’m just making sure! we don’t need things to go wrong when we’re introducing a new animatronic to the plex!”

foxy lets out a tinny breath through his metal nostrils. “yes, i know, matey, i’ll be careful and everything will be just fine. now let me go have some fun, will ya?”

reluctantly, you open the door, and glamrock foxy runs out into the atrium. you hear him shout, “oy, kiddos, who wants a hug?!” before he runs out of earshot.

you have to go now. you have jobs keeping people safe in other parts of the plex. there are plenty of security guards here to watch to make sure nothing goes wrong.

but you’re just so worried something will go wrong - anything could go wrong. something, or several things, do always go wrong when it comes to fazbear entertainment. there’s so much that could go wrong introducing a new bot to the pizzaplex’s roster. you pray - yes, pray, literally - that a miracle befalls the plex and everything runs smoothly.

whatever. you finished your job. foxy’s in the other security guards’ hands now. just forget about it, you tell yourself.

you turn and let the door swing close behind you, locking automatically, as you head down the staff-only hallway and force your worries to the back of your mind.

•••

you pause and sigh, almost at the end of the hallway. your stomach is coiled up in a knot, and you’ve got a headache from all your anxiety.

you turn around and march back to the door. your hand trembles on the handle a little, though you’re not sure why, but you unlock it with your key card and slip out into the atrium.

you have this awful gut feeling that something’s gonna go wrong…. you just have to be there to stop it. you can’t let anyone get hurt.

you shut the door behind you and walk out into the main party area of the atrium, slinking between party tables. your gaze darts around, searching, until it lands on foxy.

you lift your chin and hurry up to catch up to the fox. he sure is quick, moving between party tables in the blink of an eye, bestowing pizza and balloons and hearty hugs.

you stay behind foxy - close enough that you can carefully watch him and keep an eye trained on every move of his hook - but far enough that he wouldn’t notice you.

the animatronics have impeccable hearing, so you’re certain foxy can hear your footsteps, but you’re also certain he can’t tell the difference between your footsteps and any other set of footsteps in the crowded atrium.

and finally it happens. the moment you’ve been dreading - when something goes wrong.

you watch with a furrowed brow, unaware of the catastrophe about to happen, as foxy approaches another animatronic.

roxanne wolf, you realize, as you recognize the long silver hair, striped purple leg warmers, and furry feminine features of the animatronic wolf.

as foxy taps the wolf on the shoulder, your stomach drops to the floor as you remember something you should have all too long ago.

roxy is known for being spunky, self-obsessed, narcissistic, and (secretly) insecure, having extreme self-esteem issues and crippling imposter syndrome hidden to everyone but pizzaplex staff like you who have spent enough time with her.

and as you watch with wide terrified eyes, she is staring right at the very animatronic she was built solely to replace.

•••

you try to run to the two bots before anything happens, but all you can do is watch as roxy sucks in a breath through her teeth and steps back, nearly crushing the foot of the child behind her.

foxy’s back is turned to you, but you can see the look of pure horror and panic on roxy’s face. for a moment you feel bad for her - and the next moment you’re scared she’ll do something dangerous.

what if she hurts foxy? or worse, what if she hurts a guest? that would be terrible for the pizzaplex’s p. r. - not that that’s your department. you’re just a security guard. but still.

you try to run to them, but it’s too late, and all you can do is watch what goes down next.

roxy’s legs quake under her, and her jaw trembles as she slowly opens her mouth to take in a breath (not that she needs to, being a robot and all). her face sharpens to an expression of panicked fury, and before you can do anything to stop it, you watch as if in slow motion-

roxy steps forward,

her body right up against foxy’s,

and slowly raises her left fist,

as the fox tries to back away,

and

swings

at

his

face.

your breath catches in your throat and you trip over your feet as you rush toward them, but to no avail…

and foxy is thrown to the ground as roxy’s heavy fist slams into the side of his head.

you watch glamrock foxy’s jaws tumble over each other from the force of the punch as foxy opens his mouth in a yell,

and his eyes close for an instant and then open again to bulge out of their sockets,

and his arms and legs sway to one side,

as foxy’s body slowly tips over and falls,

until he hits the ground with a thud that echoes through the whole atrium.

for several moments the whole atrium is quiet. even the music has been turned off now, as staff watch through cameras far away. you can barely breathe.

you panic and run to the scene of the fallen fox, noticing the many other guards doing the same. you all watch as foxy slowly gets to his feet with a few grunts, and he rises, standing tall… with a look of pure fury on his face that makes your knotted stomach drop to the floor.

before you can do anything, foxy raises his hook at a livid roxanne, while she in turn raises her fists in front of her like a boxer.

foxy lunges forward, swinging at the wolf. she ducks and feints to his left, striking his side. the fox lets out a cry, spins, and throws his hook into the side of her head.

roxy is thrown to the side, knocked by the impressive blow, and you watch as she stumbles and sucks in a breath. the whole atrium holds its breath as the two animatronics square up, panting and growling at each other.

for several moments the whole atrium is silent, the heavy breaths of the animatronics the only sound. tension is thick in the air as the animatronics face each other.

then roxy runs at foxy, claws out, yelling… and foxy breaks into a run too, hook high above his head… and you watch in horror as the fox and the wolf collide.

the bots rush into the each other, arms swinging, teeth snapping, long hair whirling as the two grapple. you watch them dodge, feint, slapping and hitting and kicking and clawing at each other. all the while thinking…

how could it have come to this?

this is a disaster. this is terrible for the plex’s p. r. roxy and foxy will have to be locked away from guests for the next month while things cool down! how did it get to this? you were just supposed to introduce a fun new bot to the plex’s roster - how did that wind up like this?

you’re the first one to make it to the animatronics, so you rush to put yourself between them, stopping them from taking any more swings at each other. you just barely miss getting your eye taken out by foxy’s hook and getting nailed in the jaw by roxy’s rock-hard fist, but the animatronics step back and lower their fists when you step between them. they’d get in trouble if they hurt you, after all - and they’re already in enough trouble.

on one side is roxy, shaking and panting. you can hear the rage in the way her breaths scrape through her throat, and for once an expression other than smug superiority is on her face, her gold eyes glowing with what looks like disdain and rage.

on your other side is glamrock foxy. he looks furious, livid, one fist clenched and the other hefting his hook. you’re pretty sure the whole atrium can hear the loud breaths huffing sharply in and out of his nose.

“guys,” you say warily, “please. don’t fight. not in front of everyone.” you don’t say any more, hoping that those words will be enough to ease the tension. your stomach is in a knot, and you just want everything to be okay.

the two animatronics are locked in a death stare over the top of your head, but foxy’s gaze eases and he looks down at you. your eyes meet, and his eyes soften when he sees the anxiety in your own.

foxy slowly backs up, hand and hook held up in front of him. “i ain’t want no trouble. we can take all o’ this somewhere else if we gotta. y’hear, wolfy?”

roxy looks like she wants to strangle the fox more than ever, but she bites off a “fine, whatever,” rolls her eyes, and with a huffy exasperated-sounding sigh, turns on her heel and storms away through the crowd.

your shoulders collapse, your knotted stomach uncoiling, as you watch your co-workers stop roxy and calmly lead her away towards a staff-only area.

everyone is safe. no one was hurt. except the bots - but they’ll be fine. parts and service will fix ‘em up good as new. they’ll be fine, you’re sure. pretty sure.

you let out a sigh of relief. what just happened was chaotic and disastrous (and terrifying to you), but at least it’s over now and everyone is still okay.

although.…

you turn and look over your shoulder at the shape of roxy disappearing around a corner. you’re only able to see a flash of her face before she’s gone, but you can see it clearly enough to read her expression. your heart nearly skips a beat.

the wolf looks positively fuming - more so than she did before.

the knot in your stomach coils itself up again. you gulp.

what’s gonna happen now?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

thank you so much for reading!!!!! please like and REBLOG if you enjoyed, it would mean so much to me for my work to get reblogged out into the world for more people to see <33333

if you want a part 2, tell me in the notes!! i’d love to write it!! and if you have any tips/suggestions for me on how to improve my writing, OR any constructive criticism, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE let me know!!!! i LOVE constructive criticism, especially since this is my first fic i’m posting on tumblr!

also please write essay length notes about this piece of writing if you have that many Thoughts ™ about it! i’d love to hear them!! don’t be shy :)

thanks for reading, have a wonderful day, and i’ll see you soon! <3

-anna banana ˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

[remuswriting]

PAINTING PUMPKINS; IWAIZUMI HAJIME

Y/N shows Iwaizumi something he does with his family for Halloween.

TAGS: Time Skip: University, Texan! Reader; Crack; Pre-Relationship; Male! Reader

WORD COUNT: 1,271 words

NOTES: If there are any typos, then they’re meant to be there at this point bc I’ve edited this thing like four times now.

“Dammit,” Y/N mumbled next to Iwaizumi.  They were painting cardboard pumpkins, because Y/N said it was what he did back home in Texas for Halloween.  These would last far longer than any real pumpkin.  And while Texas may have its issues, Y/N swore it has the “best Halloween ever.” “I got paint on my shirt.”

Iwaizumi looked to see that Y/N’s gray shirt had a long orange brush stroke on it.  This was why Iwaizumi had opted to wear something he needed to throw away—an old white tank top he wore in high school.  Y/N declared he wasn’t going to get paint on himself, so it didn’t matter what he wore.  Apparently, that was wrong.

“Maybe you should wear an apron,” Iwaizumi suggested—well, it was most teasing.  Y/N glared at him for a second before grabbing paper towels to dab the paint off.  His brows furrowed as he worked on it.

“I wore this shirt every day in high school.” Y/N continued working at the paint on his shirt. “Hell if I knew why, but my mom wanted me to trash it.” He looked at Iwaizumi. “It’s one of those weird shirts that ya just love for no reason, but it’s not special.  Kinda special to me, though, ya know?”

Iwaizumi didn’t know.  He didn’t know what Y/N meant or why Y/N was telling him this.  It felt oddly intimate, though.  Probably because Y/N’s accent came out a little.  He remembered the first time he heard Y/N on Skype with his family.  He struggled to understand what Y/N and Y/N’s family said, only to be told that Y/N had only been catching them up on his week.

It was what made Iwaizumi believe Y/N when he joked he was the “master of code-switching,” because people hated the way he spoke if he didn’t code-switch.  Apparently, everyone in the United States thought anyone from the South—Texas in particular—was uneducated and a bigot.  Those two words didn’t fit Y/N in the slightest, seeing that he was pre-med and one of the nicest people Iwaizumi had met in America (that was an American).

Y/N looked at his shirt. “Do ya have an apron ‘cause ya can’t just suggest things ya don’t have.”

Iwaizumi stared at him long enough for Y/N to look at him. “We live in the dorms,” Iwaizumi said slowly. “Why would I have an apron?”

Y/N shrugged. “I dunno.  Maybe ya thought ya’d need one?  I don’t know your life.”

“The only aprons I had in Japan were my mom’s.”

Y/N’s face lit up. “I once had one that said ‘world’s best chef,’ but my brother stole it ‘cause he says my food’s inedible.”

“Is it?” Iwaizumi asked, and Y/N shrugged.

“I’ve never had an issue eatin’ it, but the rest of my family act like it’s the worst thing ever,” Y/N said before picking his paintbrush up and looking at the half-orange pumpkin. “I should’ve painted this thing white and made it a ghost.  Or Dracula.” He looked at Iwaizumi. “Do ya know if Dracula was white?” Iwaizumi chuckled, which made Y/N’s brows scrunch together. “What’s so funny?”

Iwaizumi stopped laughing and shook his head. “Nothing.”

Y/N looked at him with narrowed eyes as he pointed his paintbrush at Iwaizumi. “I don’t believe you.”

“It’s nothing.  Don’t worry about it,” Iwaizumi said.  Y/N nodded a little before painting an orange line down Iwaizumi’s tank top. “What the hell was that for?”

“Laughin’ at me,” Y/N said, smug. “I know everyone thinks I’m stupid, but I promise you, I’m not.”

“I don’t think you’re stupid,” Iwaizumi said.  Y/N looked at him, annoyed, clearly not believing him. “I really don’t.  It’s just that sometimes you say ridiculous things.”

“Like what?” Y/N asked, which Iwaizumi hadn’t expected.  He also hadn’t expected for Y/N to sound genuinely curious.  He expected Y/N to paint on his face, but he preferred this.

“Like if Dracula is white,” Iwaizumi said.

Y/N threw his hands up a little, Iwaizumi dodging the paintbrush. “Well, sorry that I never read the book or got into all that vampire shit.” He frowned. “I remember when Twilight came out, and my sister ate that shit up.  I couldn’t see the appeal of it, though, ‘cause it doesn’t matter how sexy they are; they want to kill you!”

Out of everyone Iwaizumi had met in America, Y/N taught him the most American sayings.  It wasn’t like Y/N was trying to teach him, he just spoke and Iwaizumi learned.  But Iwaizumi could probably write a book about why Americans are weird for saying “ate that shit up,” and all the other international students would make it a bestseller.

“Dracula is described to be extremely white and old,” Iwaizumi said, trying to dig his brain a little since it had been two years since he read it. “It’s because he’s meant to be an ugly yet attractive character.”

“Don’t judge them.” Iwaizumi squinted his eyes at Y/N, who sighed. “It’s okay to be into old men.  I have a friend from high school who’s dating someone older than her dad.  I think they’re getting married soon.” Iwaizumi remained quiet. “Why aren’t ya saying anything?”

“Why are you okay with your friend dating an old man?”

Y/N shrugged. “She’s 26, so she can do whatever she wants.  Hopefully, he’s rich, though.  If he’s not, then what’s the point?”

“Like what’s the point in marrying if he’s not rich?”

Y/N’s eyes turned serious.  It actually scared Iwaizumi a little. “What’s the point in marrying an old man if he’s not rich?  If he’s not circling the drain, then why would I marry him?  Like imagine having sex with a wrinkly prune.” Y/N shivered. “Disgusting.  I’d have to be paid to do that.”

Iwaizumi laughed.  He couldn’t help it.  The way Y/N looked at him like it was the most important thing he’d ever say was funny, but also cute.  Y/N was frustratingly cute, especially when he talked about random things that Iwaizumi didn’t entirely understand.  Or really, when he just talked.

Then Y/N was laughing with Iwaizumi.  His smile was wide and tugged at something in Iwaizumi’s chest.  Another annoying thing was Iwaizumi liked Y/N’s laugh and smile so much that it hurt a little.  That didn’t stop him from wanting to do or say something else to make Y/N continue laughing.

“Alright,” Y/N said as he looked at Iwaizumi’s pumpkin.  He painted it orange, like a regular pumpkin, but Y/N frowned at it. “Are you going to paint a face on it?”

“Why would I paint a face on it?”

“Jack-o’-lanterns, dummy!” Y/N said, and he reached across the table, getting more paint on his shirt, and grabbed his phone. “My dad does the best ones!  Let me find a picture!”

Iwaizumi smiled and knew he was fucked.  If he told Oikawa this—that he was excited to see a picture of jack-o’-lanterns just because Y/N was excited to show them—he would be teased mercilessly.  He wasn’t sure Oikawa would be too bad about it, because he had accidentally met Y/N when Y/N barged into the dorm—interrupting Iwaizumi and Oikawa’s FaceTime call—to inform Iwaizumi the cafeteria had the best selection for dinner.  So, Oikawa would probably understand, just a little.

“Hajime!” Y/N said, barely mispronouncing it.  Only Iwaizumi really noticed it, but it was because he was so used to hearing the southern lilt that always wanted to come out when Y/N spoke. “Are you paying attention?”

Iwaizumi looked at Y/N’s phone, where a photo of Y/N surrounded by 10 jack-o’-lanterns was displayed. “Yeah.  Show me some more pictures.”

[hoochy-coo]

Ttpd as a whole ! :)

In terms of her entire discography, this is firmly at 4 for me if you put all the songs together.

The pros are:

- This is her most autobiographical and self-referential album to date. I know that makes the music somewhat inaccessible to casual listeners but if you’re a stan that’s taken the time to digest, you can trace the map. This speaks to how parasocial her fanbase is but that’s a different conversation

- Taylor is usually very curated and calculated about what she wants us to know and how that will ultimately impact how we perceive her as well as her brand. However, she let it all hang out this album and I applaud that.

- The highs are career highs. We have great moment of introspections (Clara Bow, BDILH, The Manuscript, HDIE, ILIPW). We also have some of her best song writing since folkevermore (The Prophecy, SLL, The Black Dog, the Albatross, GAS, FOTS, Loml)

- It’s a grower. I think a lot of the songs need to grow on you because of the length of the album and how wordy a lot of the songs are.

- This album potentially marks her first instance of “not giving a fuck” and putting whatever she wants out. Which possibly signals a change in her creative process and we’ll be getting more raw and honest writing from her moving forward

- The music is catchy. Like cringe all you want over Down Bad but it’s catchy as hell

The cons:

- It’s bloated, unfocused, and confused. I totally get that she wrote most of this at a very painful, confusing period of her life. However, I agree with the NYT’s review that she badly needs an editor. For example, BDILH is AMAZING - it’s like grown up Speak Now on crack and in the context of the TS lore, it’s her giving a cheeky wink while flipping the “fairytale” motif that’s been such a staple to her career. However, it is so ridiculously wordy that it’s such a task to listen to. My head was spinning when I first heard the bridge LMAO. Which brings me to my next point…

- TTPD is self indulgent and not in a good way. She is clearly SPEAKING DIRECTLY to her muse on this album. She is doing so much to send a message to Matty Healey here that it gets a little uncomfortable. There are way too many coded messages and secret in-jokes. I’m in no way saying us as an audience should be able to demand comfort from her work, but I can’t lie and say it doesn’t take away from the enjoyment of the music. A lot of the tracks are clearly intended to sound like 1975 as a jab at Matty and it’s not cute.

- It’s trying to be a Lana album. Drag me all you want but she is writing in Lana cursives for half of this album and I don’t get why. Taylor did some of her best writing her when she kept it simple and worked off a relatable point of reference. For example, the Black Dog tells a very simple story of discovering that your ex-lover forgot to turn off his location and now you’re spiraling wondering what he’s doing at that exact location and who he’s with. Same with the Prophecy - it’s literally about trying and failing at love over and over again and wondering if it’s just not in the cards for you.

- Jack and Aaron. They are all stunting each other and she needs to take a break from working with them for a while. I’m in no way saying that Jack and Aaron didn’t do some good work on this album (because they absolutely did) but it’s clear that they’re not pushing her to try something new.

- Repeated exploration of the same topics and not having new or interesting to say. See: thanK you aIMee, Cassandra and WAOLOM. It’s the same thing being written about from the same lens. She could have kept it in the vault.

- It feels rushed. It just does and the sheer amount of songs thrown onto the album with no stream lining or even sonic ties makes it an exhausting listen in one sitting.

- Not leaning into the horror themes and motifs seems like a lost opportunity. There are tons of horror references on this album that she seemingly has done nothing with. Down Bad compares getting dumped with being dropped back to earth after an alien abduction, WAOLOM likens herself to a witch, TSMWEL compares her ex-lover ghosting her as getting betrayed and shot by a double agent, SLL referencing death, funerals and being reviving back to life but barely living, Fortnight literally references murders, ICDIWABH is a circus nightmare etc.

- All that marketing she did around Joever, which sent her stans on a with hunt, only for the album to be some other muse has left a bad taste in my mouth.

Overall, I’d say the pros trump the cons. However, I honestly think had she sat with it a bit more, rearranged some, edited bits and pieces, and trimmed off the excess, she would have had a fantastic album.

[rlyc00l]

Decepti0n, Chapter 3 on Fanfiction.net

(For some reason tumblr won't let me link to fanfiction.net the normal way anymore? WELP)

Zer0's an ass, Rhys's entire life is ruined forever, Rhys maybe has a virus, Rhys almost dies again—but hey, he does do one kind of cool thing.

EDIT: Chapter is also under the break :)

———— “Look, I appreciate the extra sleep,” Maya said. Her hair was tousled, she combed it out as she spoke. “But we agreed you’d take first watch and then wake me up.”  

“I didn’t need to.” Zer0 had their storage deck holoscreen up. They scrolled through their guns rather than face Maya. Rhys couldn’t help but notice they had two pistols besides the one they’d stolen from him. “I kept watch throughout the night. / And nothing attacked.” 

“That’s beside the point. We need everyone rested. If Jack figured out that we survived, he might send another ambush–” 

“I require less sleep.” They closed the holoscreen. Unlike the others, they had no camp to pack up, and they’d declined breakfast. The fact they hadn’t gone on alone put their air of self-assurance in question, at least in Rhys’s eyes. “And I am more observant / Than the rest of you.” 

The measured smile on Maya’s face fell. “You understand why I can’t take your word for that?”  “Yeah, I like to think I’m pretty damn observant,” Axton put in as he rolled up his bedroll. “Though, I don’t mind sleeping through the night, thanks, Zer0.” 

“The point is, if we’re going to work as a team, we need to communicate better,” she said.   “I’m not on your team. / We’re traveling the same way. / For the time being.” 

“If that’s the case, why stick around?” 

“Because I need that,” They pointed to the Claptrap, “If I want off this glacier. / Or so I’ve been told.” 

“Then work with us! We have the same goal.” A light went through her tattoos. Rhys was getting the sense that this wasn’t the first time they’d butted heads. He hadn’t paid much mind to the other bandit’s interactions, having assumed they were all in this together from the start. 

“You wanted guarding. / I guarded. What’s the problem? / You are still alive.” 

Whatever Maya was about to say was drowned out by her ECHO device. 

“Hey, kiddos.” The voice was unmistakable. Rhys straightened up on instinct. “Jack here–President of Hyperion. Lemme explain how things work here: Vault Hunters show up. Vault Hunters look for the new Vault. Vault Hunters get killed. By me. You seeing the problem here? You’re still alive. So, if you—hold on, wait, wait wait wait, do you seriously have one of my employees with you? How the hell’d he get down there?” 

And that was it. Rhys was completely, one hundred percent, ruined. He’d be branded a traitor, he could never return to Helios, and if Pandora didn’t kill him, Handsome Jack would.

“Well, okay. Rhys Strongfork. From Security Propaganda? That’s weird.” Jack laughed. “Rogue employee going Vault hunter? That’s a new one. Let me know how it turns out. Anyway, I was gonna just tell you all to kill yourselves but, Rhysie? I really wanna see what happens to a traitorous little code monkey on Pandora.” The comm ended with a click. 

The others were all looking at him. He tried to put on a brave face, cracking a smile. “So uh, we’re definitely killing that guy, yeah?” 

Dunno if it’s a ‘we’, Strongfork.” Axton clapped Rhys on the back. “But hey, I’ll give you front-row seats to my badass Jack kill.” 

Rhys shot him a glare, even as he tried to work out a way to convince Jack he was only a prisoner. Would Jack accept that lie, even if he believed it? The man wasn’t known for tolerating failure. 

“He’ll die by my blade,” Zer0 said simply. An “uwu” projected from their visor. 

“No! I will crack the fingers in my teeth!” Krieg twitched as he yelled, smacking the side of his head a few times. 

“If any of us are going to kill Jack, we need to get off this glacier first,” Maya said before anyone else could make their claim. “I suggest we get moving.” 

She’d apparently taken up leadership of the group, and the others accepted that, aside from Zer0. With a few final preparations, they were on the road again. 

It was still freezing, of course, and Rhys was more sore than he’d ever been in his life, but the walking had become easier. They’d moved past the deeper, loose snow. Now Rhys’s feet only went two inches through the icy crust. And the sun was out. None of that made Rhys any happier about his current situation, but at least it wasn’t worse. 

He tried to ignore the sound of Gaige taking long strides to catch up with him as he walked. Maybe if he didn’t look at her, she wouldn’t try to talk to him. She could not possibly have anything good to say. 

His efforts failed. “So, Jack didn’t set you up to be killed, huh?” 

“What?” 

“Before you were all ‘Jack tried to blow me up! I was subtly undermining Jack! He didn’t want to martyr me!’” She did a voice that must have meant to be Rhys’s, but did not remotely sound like him. “But obviously, Jack didn’t know you were here until, like, literally just now. So?”

Was he being interrogated? “You hear the part where he called me a ‘traitorous code monkey’?”

“Yeah, but like, did you actually do anything cool? Try to smash the system?” 

“I did what I said I did,” Rhys snapped. It was suddenly very important to him that this teenager thought he was cool and not a liar. “Maybe Jack–Maybe he didn’t personally set that up for me, but someone up there wanted me dead for it. There–there’s an entire organizational hierarchy up there, Jack doesn’t handle everything himself.” “Fine, geez. I was just wondering…”

“Well, I’m glad to appease your curiosity, or whatever.” He noticed her eyeing his right arm. “Can I help you with anything else?” “Nope. I’m good.” Gaige said, looking down at her own cybernetic arm like she was comparing the two. It was a good thing hers was on the left, he would not put it past bandits to steal a man’s arm. Of course, maybe he was still in some danger from her. She had to be unstable, to end up here. 

He was about to ask her to stop staring at him like a piece of machinery when a sharp pain struck him. His ECHOeye port seemed to explode into little needles as his vision blurred and flickered. He let out a cry. A dark-haired, pale young woman appeared in front of him, just for an instant, and he fell. Distantly, he heard Salvador’s “I think Hyperion guy died.” before things went dark.  

The next thing Rhys was aware of was snow moving rhythmically below him as he passed over it. Someone’s hand grasped his forearm, another on the back of his thigh. He was being carried, he realized. Groaning, he lifted his head. He made brief eye contact with Salvador, who laughed, shaking his head. “Hey, Axton, the princess is up.” 

“Wha…?” Rhys blinked, rubbing his head. The pain from before had turned into a soft ache. “Let…Let me down…” 

“You gonna pass out again?” Axton asked. 

“No? I don’t think so?” 

Axton slid him off his shoulders and onto the ground. He felt dizzy, but got his bearings after a few stumbled steps. 

“What happened?” He asked. For a second time, he was being stared at. He caught Zer0, once again far from the others, watching him with a “LOL” projected from their helm.

“You went all twitchy and blinky and then fainted.” It was Gaige who answered. 

“Real elegant pose too, ass straight up in the air.” Axton grinned. 

“Great to know, thanks.” At least they hadn’t left him behind. They weren’t complete savages. 

He brought his hand up to his ECHOport, half expecting it to be bleeding or loose. Nothing out of place. Both eyes were functioning. His right arm moved as well as the left. He seemed okay, aside from the residual soreness from yesterday’s bullymong attack. 

Surreptitiously, he felt for his wallet. It was still in his front pocket, only thinner than it had been. Yep, that’s about what he’d expect. Fair enough. Only later, once they started moving again, did he get some real concern, from Maya. “Is something broken? I’m…Inexperienced with cybernetics, but I imagine they were the cause. Your eye was blinking.”

“I must have hit my head harder than I realized, knocked a part loose? It…It should be fine.” He had no idea if that was true, but you weren’t supposed to show weakness around these types, a rule he’d already broken too many times. Maya might seem reasonable, but there had to be a good reason Jack wanted her dead. “I can fix it, once we get somewhere with a mirror and some tools.” He didn’t relish the thought of poking around in his own head. Maybe it was one of those one-off things, some sort of glitch that he wouldn’t run into again. Maybe he could ignore it. 

“Gaige seems to be an experienced mechanic. You could ask her for help.” 

Rhys just looked at her. 

She shrugged. “Understandable. Still, try not to faint again, if possible. Claptrap’s claiming that Knuckle Dragger’s lair isn’t much further. Supposedly, he leads a sizable pack.”

————

They came to the lair nearly an hour later. It was up on a short ridge. The only way up was through a misaimed moonshot shipping container, both ends opened. 

Rhys let the Claptrap and Vault hunters go ahead of him. He knew he’d be useless in this fight, or worse, an outright burden. Better to stand around down here until the shooting ended. 

The Claptrap started screaming immediately, and the first shots were fired. He heard roaring, more cries from the Claptrap, something large slamming into the earth. Strangely, this was starting to feel routine. 

He leaned back against the side of the container and activated his arm’s holographic interface. Should he take this chance to shoot a message to Vaughn and Yvette, let them know he wasn’t dead, or would communicating with them implicate them as traitors? Best not to risk it. There were rumors of Jack airlocking an entire R&D team when he suspected one of betraying him. 

Still, it was strange, even if they’d thought Rhys had died down here, wouldn’t they at least think to ECHO him? Unless something had happened… Vasquez wouldn’t try to off them, too, would he? His throat got tight, thinking about it. 

Something landed on the shipping container above him with a heavy clunk. He looked up to find a bullymong staring back down at him. It was four times the size of the others he’d seen. Fresh bullet wounds covered its pelt. It wore a glowing blue sphere around its neck.

Nearby, he could still hear shooting. 

Slowly, he turned to face it. Just stay calm. Back away. Don’t do anything to upset it. It’ll be more interested in the people who shot it. He grabbed the stun rod, not taking his eyes off of it. 

It was staring at the glow of the hand interface. He deactivated it. Wrong move, the bullymong—Knuckle Dragger, he realized—roared and leapt at him. Scampering to the side, he jabbed out at it, just like last time. Unlike last time, this one swiped the rod out of his grasp, sending it flying.

Rhys turned and ran. 

Knuckle Dragger followed.

He sprinted in a wide circle, bullymong close behind. There was no way he’d outrun it for long. His only chance was the shipping container. Knuckle Dragger was too large to fit through the opening. 

With every stride he was sure he’d be caught, up until he finally leapt into the container. He slipped on the icy metal, fell forward, and felt himself being pulled back out. The bullymong had his shoe. Yelping, Rhys wriggled his foot free. He dragged himself out of reach, into the open on the other side.  

Chaos lay before him. He couldn’t begin to count the bullymong, alive or dead. A sharp-clawed robot—Gaige’s, he realized—raked open one’s chest a few feet in front of him. Somewhere, Salvador was yelling incomprehensibly. Axton was reloading his gun, covered by a turret next to him. He thought he saw Krieg dash past as he got to his feet.  “Help?!” he heard himself cry, to no response. The crate behind him echoed as the bullymong climbed over it. Rhys did the only thing he could think to do: he darted straight through the battlefield, hoping Knuckle Dragger would turn its attention to someone else. 

It didn’t. And once again it was closing in. He came to a sheer ice wall with the thing bearing down on him. To his left was a large pile of remains: an assortment of bone, cloth, and metal. He grabbed at a piece of metal in desperation, pulling it free. It was the twisted remains of a Jakobs rifle. A crude blade was affixed to one end. 

He dodged a blow from the bullymong’s massive fist–and blindly thrust upward with all of his strength. 

The bayonet passed between the detached lower mandibles and stuck fast in the roof of its mouth. Knuckle Dragger pulled away with a choked cry, yanking the makeshift spear out of Rhys’s grasp. Blood flowed down the blade, spattering the ice beneath it. Enraged, it reared up, fists balled. 

Rhys shielded himself against a blow that never came. 

Instead, there was a pitiful groan. Knuckle Dragger stumbled, swayed a little, and fell forward, narrowly missing Rhys. 

 Perched on its back was Zer0, their sword buried between its shoulder blades. They freed their blade, hopped off, and yanked the makeshift Claptrap eye necklace from Knuckle Dragger’s neck. 

“I…Erm…I…” Rhys stammered out, his heart still pounding in his chest. 

They glanced at him, drew a pistol from their digi-holster, and tossed it to him. He fumbled as he caught it. Zer0 was gone again by the time he recognized the gun.  

[undertale-anomaly20]

Mortal Kombat 9 x reader

final chapter 6

(Name)’s P.O.V

“shit!” yeah that’s the first words you hear coming out of my mouth this chapter sorry but considering that I’m trying to fight off Goro right now I think I have the fucking right and privilege. “puny human you shall die!” he bellowed before I cracked him in the jaw with a broken rail stunning him giving me the chance to run. I run past many soldiers and hide in an alley behind a garbage can. I can’t summon anymore strength like I did in the tournaments, I’m all bruised up and my cuts are bleeding. All I can do now is wait. “well congratulations (Name). This is another fine mess you have gotten yourself into, you can’t do something as simple as remember Shao Khan’s resurrection even now I can only remember what will happen if the event is occurring. No phone, no proper clothes…no friends to help you…just nothing” I tell myself bringing my knees to my chest. The feeling of hopelessness clouded and plagued my mind so much that I didn’t notice someone walking in front of me.

“Hey you ok?” I looked up to see Kabal, the Kabal that I would use as a fighter in my games. I nod slightly “what are you doing here? It’s dangerous” he said offering me a helping hand. I look at it “don’t worry I’m not gonna hurt ya” I take it standing up “I’m Kabal and you are?” “(Name)” “come on, we need to get out of here” I nodded. We ran out of the alley and across the street until we heard a voice “You are not authorised for portal use” I look to Kabal “portal use?” I asked “it’s a long story. And Says who” we turn around to see Sub-Zero but in his cyber form His robotic suit is colour-coded blue, and his hands pulse with ice energy “Kuai Liang” I said sadly Kabal turns to me “you know this guy?” he asked “I did, but he didn’t look like this” I said not taking my eyes off him “Sub-Zero. Unit L-K-5-2-0” Sub-Zero replied “Heh, you say that like it means something. Better stand back ma’am” Kabal said in fighting position “As you will soon discover” Sub-Zero said getting into fighting position as well. They fight. As a cyborg, Sub-Zero is more powerful than ever, boasting an array of ice attacks and cybernetic powers his previous form could never muster. However, Kabal's mastery of his new powers proves to be an equal match to the cyborg and with a few clever moves Kabal manages to disable Sub-Zero and power down his systems. “Ha! Not as cool as you thought” Kabal gloated I walked over to him and raised and frowned “sorry to say but he is my friend” I said kneeling down beside Sub-Zero.

I tear up looking at him “h-hey what’s the matter!?! Why are you crying!?” Kabal exclaimed worried “t-this is my fault! If I had kept in contact with him he wouldn’t have become this…thing!” I whimper placing a hand on Sub-Zero’s. “I’m sorry, Kuai Liang, I’m sorry” I whispered when I heard footsteps approaching. I wipe my eyes and look up to see Sheeva “Why do you turn on your brother, Lin Kuei?” she asks “That is not my brother. He's machine. I'm human” Kabal states “You do not appear human” “Don't let the mask fool ya” I growl “Kabal it’s my turn” I say standing up “you a mere pathetic mortal?” Sheeva laughed “we’ll see who’s pathetic after this, bitch” I growl. I launch at her with a nearby railing, as time seemed to slow down, and hit her directly in the gut, then the legs, then the arms an finally the head. I jumped back to where I was standing before as time sped up again. She wobbled a little bit then fell to the floor “much better” I said walking away. “Sub-Zero!” I turned around to see Raiden standing next to Kabal and Smoke running and kneeling next to Sub-Zero.

I walk over to him “what they have done to him…it is…hideous” Smoke said looking to Raiden “there might be a way to help him” I said gaining everyone’s attention “Lady (Name)? You’re alive” Smoke says with a hint of happiness in his voice I smile and help him carry Sub-Zero.

Timeskip

“Where have you been?” Smoke asked me. After we had arrived at a temple, we had met up with our friends and had Jax try to fix Sub-Zero. “I’ve been trying to find a way home” I replied not meeting his gaze. The way he asked me was as if he were scolding a child “have you had any luck?” “no I’ve been a bit too preoccupied with finding shelter and food” “you could have stayed with us so we could help” “I couldn’t” I said turning away from him only to have him grab both of my arms and held me in place “why not?” “I just couldn’t besides the elder gods would have sent me home. Figured out that already” “lady (Name) please answer” “you wouldn’t understand” “just tell me why!” “Because it would hurt less!” I exclaimed. His eyes widen in shock as he let go of me “it would hurt less ok! I’ve grown attached to you all! Where I come from I have no friends! No one cares about me enough to ask me if I’m ok or if they can help me! With you guys I have people who look out for me and make me feel special and when I go home I’ll never be able to see any of you again!” my voice starts to crack as tears stream down my face “that’s why I didn’t contact anyone or try to find anyone…”

My body trembled as I tried to hold in my sobs when Smoke wrapped his arms around me and pet my hair “please Lady (Name). Do not ruin you beautiful face with tears. wipes away tears with his thumb there much better. If it pained you so much to leave us why not stay?” he asked I looked up at him “I don’t have a choice. Once my duty is done I’ll be sent home. And judging by the point in time we are at now I won’t be here for long” I said sadly. Smoke held my chin with his thumb making me look at him and with his other hand removed his mask. He was so handsome! I blushed a little “if your time here is to be over soon blushes then forgive me but I must do this before you go” and with that he kissed me. My eyes widen and my blush turns a violent crimson ‘my first Kiss!’ my eyes flutter shut as I kiss back. His hand moves to my waist and the other one to the back of my head deepening the kiss. When Smoke’s lips move from mine he smiles and places his mask back on “coughs we better check on Sub-Zero” I say blushing looking at the ground Smoke nods and walks back to the part of the temple where everyone else was.

3rd P.O.V

‘incredible’ Smoke though as he followed behind (Name). He finally kissed her, yes Smoke knew that the other men, even Kuai Liang, had strong feelings towards the attractive young female but Smoke was the first to act on it.

Everyone stands around Sub-Zero. “here goes nothing” Jax says as Sub-Zero turns on.

Sub-Zero's mainframe begins rebooting, all of which is seen from his point-of-view. “You are certain this will work?” Smoke asks “Hell no! I've never done this before. It's not like there's a manual” Jax replied “it’ll work just give it time” (Name)’s voice is heard. The screen is suddenly lit up in red. The word "OVERRIDE" shows up in enlarged text. It successfully engages, and Sub-Zero tries connecting to a wireless uplink. The connection fails and an error pops up, noting his command and control module is missing. With that, his slaving protocols are disengaged and his autonomous command module is engaged, restoring his higher brain function. Smoke looks directly into his eyes at this point.

“Sub-Zero?” Smoke asks then looks to Jax “Can he hear me?” “He should” Jax replied Sub-Zero locks onto Smoke's eye and does a retinal identification. “Sub-Zero?” Smoke asks again. The scan provides Sub-Zero with information about Smoke, including his age, country of origin (both unknown), his allegiance (Lin Kuei) and special ability (teleportation). “Yes, Smoke” “How do you feel?” Sub-Zero sits up on the slab he's been placed on. He grunts in displeasure. “What is it?” “I remember… The things I have done for Shao Kahn…” Sub-Zero says regretfully Smoke places a hand on his friends shoulder. “He cannot be allowed to merge the realms” (Name) walks to the other side of Sub-Zero “sorry I wasn’t around to help, Kuai Liang” she apologized. Sub-Zero looked to her and placed a hand on her head “it is alright, lady (Name). It is not your fault” Sub-Zero replied making the girl smile “I’m glad to see you alive…Smoke and I both thought you dead” Sub-Zero “nice to know how highly you think of me” (Name) chuckles. Nightwolf turns to Raiden and asks “Haokah how can Sub-Zero best help us?” “I do not know. My attempts to alter future events have had negative consequences. Sub-Zero should never have undergone this transformation. Enlisting him may only further divert the flow of time” Raiden replied then turned to (Name) “lady (Name) what are we to do next” he asked.

(Name) turned to him and frowned “haven’t I screwed up enough as it is? Until a certain point in time comes up I ain’t doin jack squat” she said frowning “We need intel, right? Let's send him back to Outworld undercover” Stryker suggested “They will be unaware of my defection. I could deceive them” Sub-Zero said looking at everyone. Everyone nods as Sub-Zero gets up and walks out of the temple leaving everyone to wait for him.

(Name) sits down on the steps thinking about how Smoke had kissed her; she was so confused did Smoke like her THAT way? And how could he? She barely spoke to him at all. Although, (Name)’s heart raced when she thought about it. Boys from where she was from never took interest in her since she was a gamer and to them gamers are supposed to only boys but here a man took interest in her; she smiled at the thought of someone liking her. Not too far away Liu Kang and Kung Lao were looking at (Name).

‘She’s so cute when she’s smiling’ Liu Kang thought with a small blush. Liu Kang had begun to have feelings towards the young girl after he had met her. At first it was in only interest in how she acted but after the battle with Ermac and how she stepped up to the plate and fought with Ermac on her own, with no powers and no training, then winning the fight, he admired her greatly. He was the one to carry her along with Kung Lao to the infirmary to heal, as he sat at her side while Raiden healed her he noticed how afraid he was at the thought that he might have lost her had she lost the battle with Ermac. Liu Kang knew for sure that he was in love with the girl and once Shao Khan is defeated he would confess his love to her.

‘She’s so adorable’ Kung Lao thought smiling. Kung Lao met the young girl after his defeat from Scorpion and he couldn’t deny he found her attractive. She proved herself to be a worthy opponent when she took down Ermac in her first battle and her speech she gave during it lit a fire under his belly and filled his heart with hope, he worried for her once the fight was over and even more when she faced Shang Tsung but her fighting spirit confirmed what he had been thinking since the first match. Kung Lao believed that she was destined to be his and his alone. Once all of this is over he would confess his feelings toward her to her.

Kabal was looking at her as well admiring her looks ‘heh not bad, she’s actually kinda cute’ he thought smiling under his mask. Although he had not known the girl long, Kabal liked the girl. She was cute and adorable on the outside but on the inside was a fighter burning with rage. He liked that in girls. When he gets the chance he would ask the girl out.

Smoke is leaning on a wall thinking about (Name) and how flustered she looked after the kiss ‘so cute and innocent’ Smoke owed much to the girl who saved his life and his friend but felt strong feelings towards her. This small girl warmed his heart and showed him that dying for honour was ridiculous that living to fight another day was worth it. Smoke couldn’t help but fall for her and felt pleased with himself since he had already kissed her.

(Name) stood up remembering what is to happen soon “Raiden, I need you to send me somewhere” she said walking to Raiden gaining his attention “where is it you are in need to go?” he asked “St Dominic's Cemetery” “I am confused why would-” Suddenly Sonyas’ wrist-communicator beeps “This is Sub-Zero. I have encountered Quan Chi. He seems to be casting a spell” (Name) walks over to Sonya when Raiden receives another vision - this one of the Soulnado engulfing New York City “Raiden, what is it? What did you see?” Nightwolf asks “One of Shao Kahn's Soulnados, on a scale I thought unimaginable. All of Earthrealm's souls imprisoned, absorbed by Shao Kahn, multiplying his power!” Raiden said looking at his amulet. More cracks and a burnt signature adorn it “hence why I said to send me there” (Name) said looking at Raiden “very well lady (Name)” Raiden said using his teleportation powers to send her to the grave yard.

(Name)’s P.O.V

I found myself in the graveyard behind a grave next to Sub-Zero “Nightwolf will be here soon” I said surprising him “lady (Name)? But how-” “no time, we need to be quick” I said interrupting him as I stand up and walk into the clearing following Sub-Zero. Noob walks towards us “You. You are not worthy of the name Sub-Zero” Noob said pointing at Sub-Zero “he’s more worthy than you” I said growling, as I walked out from behind Sub-Zero, getting Noob to look at me “lady (Name)?” he seemed surprised “in the living flesh” I said “Quan Chi told me you had died” “yeah well he lied about that now didn’t he?” “lady (Name) you know him?” Sub-Zero asked “you should too. Isn’t that right Bi-Han?” I said not taking my eyes off of Noob “Bi-Han?” “Yes, Kuai Liang. It is I. Quan Chi restored me” “he turned you into a fucking puppet! How can you consider this better than eternal rest?” I exclaim

“I have been perfected, eternal rest means nothing to me now” I clench my fist “For what end? To serve the Netherrealm and Outworld?” Sub-Zero questioned “It suits my purpose” Noob responded “But brother, we—” “We share blood. We are not brothers” Noob said getting into fighting position “Then I will not regret your defeat” Sub-Zero replied. They fight. Bi-Han may have had power granted to him from the Netherrealm upon his death, but Kuai Liang's cybernetic upgrades prove to be superior in battle. After a fierce battle, Kuai Liang manages to defeat his brother and leave him unconscious.

I frown and kneel beside the fallen warrior placing a hand upon his “Bi-Han, forgive me” I said as I felt my heart ache and throb in pain. I look to Sub-Zero “go after Quan Chi. I’ll try to fix Bi-Han” I order as he follows it. I look down again at Bi-Han “I’m sorry. I should have stayed with you to protect you. Had I known that Quan Chi and Scorpion would have went after you I would have never let your side. a single tear slips from the right eye this is all my fault” I said wishing he could hear me “if you can hear me, Bi-Han, please abandon Quan Chi. Save yourself from death. Please” I whispered then lean down placing a light kiss on his forehead, I stood up but was knocked over by a powerful wind I shook my head and looker up to see Nightwolf running to me.

He kept running and as he was about to pass me he picked me up bridal style “we are to leave. The Soulnado has been destroyed” he said as I looked back to see Noob teleport. ‘Be safe’ I look back up to Nightwolf “this isn’t over, Nightwolf. There is one more thing that must happen to stop all of this but groans I can’t remember” I groaned holding my head as it pulsed “once we return to the temple you might remember, Lady (Name)” he replied.

Timeskip

Nightwolf and I both walk towards the others. Sub-Zero rushes to my side “lady (Name) are you injured?” he asked “I’m fine” I reply smiling. “It is done. Earthrealm's souls are safe” Nightwolf says as we all stand around a table. Raiden looks at his amulet. More cracks appear on it. “No! How is it not enough?!” he yells. He slams a palm down on the slab in front of him. “I must speak with the Elder Gods. Shao Kahn's violation must be punished” “But the battle is joined here, in Earthrealm!” Liu Kang exclaimed “We cannot win without the Elder Gods” “But Master—” “Liu Kang, close as a shadow…” Johnny taunted Raiden turned to me “Lady (Name), you will lead until we return” I nod “understood” I say with a straight face. Raiden takes a hold of Liu Kang and they disappear in a flash of lightning.

“Well, now what? Standing around here won't do us any good” Stryker said about to leave “Wait!” Sub-Zero says as he looks around. That’s when I remember “The Lin Kuei! They surround us!” I exclaim ready to fight beside my friends. Multiple Lin Kuei cyborgs reveal themselves around the temple “So much for standing around” Stryker said looking around “lady (Name) your orders?” Nightwolf asked “take em’ down!” I yell charging at the cyborgs. The others follow my lead.

I take two down sweeping there feet out from under them. I notice Smoke having trouble so I run to help him, I grab a candelabra and use it to skewer the cyborg then toss it and him off to the side. I look back to Smoke and help him up when a cyborg came from behind him “no!” I exclaimed and held my hands out towards the cyborg when smoke came out of my hands, instead of the ice, and entered the cyborgs system tearing it apart from the inside out. I look at my hands then to Smoke “h-how…” that’s when it hit me “that’s it…that’s it! Every time before every match I had skin contact with one of my friends which temporarily gave me the same ability they have!” I said happily. “Smoke use your ability to tear them from the inside out. uses wrist guards to make large icicle wanted a sword but ok” I said before running off to fight more. ‘I’ll fight till my last breath and protect those who deserve to live’ I began fighting like I was on autopilot, like I knew how to, as I cut through the cyborgs until they had all been taken down.

I breathe heavily and look up to see Kitana looking for something I walk over to her dropping the icicle “Kitana? What is it?” I asked Kitana doesn't reply at first, but then she spots what she was looking for I follow her gaze “mother” Kitana responded. Sindel walks into the temple, letting off a banshee scream multiplied tenfold from her original powers. Sonya and Stryker are pushed to the stairwell by the force, Sub-Zero is forced to generate ice shield, Jade wards off the attack as best she can with her staff, while Johnny Cage only keeps his balance by holding onto one of Jax's arms. I’m covering my ears as I drop to my knees ‘holy shit, that bitch can scream!’ Only Nightwolf is unaffected by the scream. She finally stops and smirks “Come forward, if you dare. I will finish what the Lin Kuei could not” she says confident. The others get together ready to attack “no!” I yell standing up “all of you stay out of this. glares at Sindel she’s mine” I growl summoning an ice sword. “kid we can take her” Johnny said confident “no you can’t! the original story line, where I wasn’t there to interfere, she kills you! I’m not going to let that happen!” I stand before her ready to fight “find a way to get Raiden here soon! Go!” I shout they make no movement “go!” They all run, after a moment’s hesitation, off except for Smoke “Tomas” I said asking his eyes widen “please go” his eyes showed pain as he nodded and teleported away.

I breath and turn back to Sindel “ok, queenie, let’s dance. Hiyah!” I scream launching at her as she did the same “foolish child! This shall be your final resting place!”

3rd P.O.V

On another plane of existence entirely, Raiden and Liu Kang stand in the temple of the Elder Gods. “Elder Gods, I beseech you. Earthrealm is in danger” Raiden called out There are six Elder Gods, all of varying genders and appearance, towering over Raiden and Liu Kang in spirit form, but they all speak at the same time. “We are aware of your plight, Raiden” “Then you must intervene on Earthrealm's behalf” “We cannot” taken aback Raiden tries to explain “But Shao Kahn… Liu Kang has bested him twice, yet he still—” “Shao Kahn has not violated the rules of Mortal Kombat” “What?! He invades Earthrealm as we speak!”

“Invasion is not itself a transgression. It is the merger of realms that is proscribed” “A distinction without a difference! Innocents are dying at the hands of Outworld!” “It is regrettable. But the Mortal Kombat tournaments are not intended to prevent certain outcomes. They are intended only to maintain balance among the realms” “Please, you must—”“We have spoken. However we shall give you a warning; your champion that has been given to you is the key to both you success and failure” and with that the Elder Gods' spirit forms disappear, leaving Raiden and Liu Kang alone. “The last doors are closing. We are nearly trapped” Raiden says looking to Liu Kang. Liu Kang can’t help but have an unsettling feeling in his stomach “Lord Raiden they spoke of a champion they sent us. But that means-” “lady (Name) is in danger”

(Name)’s P.O.V

I fall to my knees coughing up large amounts of blood while Sindel laughs. I barley hit her at all while she tossed me around like a rag doll leaving me with gashes, cuts, bruises and a broken left leg “those who go against Shao Khan deserve to die” she said smirking. “You…still don’t…get it. Do you” I rasped out looking up to glare at her “you’re his puppet! stands up shaking summoning the ice sword again he had you resurrected that’s true! But do you even remember who you once were?! You stood for peace and prosperity” I say trying to hit her with my sword without collapsing “you gave up your life to prevent that fuck from swing getting into Earthrealm! swing you never wanted a repeat of what happened to Edenia to happen to Earthrealm! swing I swore that I would die before I let this world be ruled by that prick! slashes Sindel across the stomach, giving her a deep cut, causing her to fall back in shock” I sit on her stomach and change the sword to a knife “for Earthrealm, for my friends, FOR OUR FREEDOM!” I scream as loud as I could as I drove the ice knife directly into Sindels’ heart.

As I watched her die, her eyes changed from pure white to brown like Kitanas’. As she laid there dying, with blood coming out of her mouth, tears streamed down her face and she smiled ‘what? why was she smiling?’ “t-t-thank you” she whispered before drawing her final breath. The light in her eyes dimed until they glazed over. Tears streamed down my face after realizing what I had just done.

I took her life

Never in my life have I had the desire to kill anyone, the thought of someone taking another person’s life sickened me and yet I had just done that. Shaking I got off of her and dropped the knife, shattering on impact once it hit the ground, and cover my mouth with my hand as I look at her corpse in horror “o-oh god….w-what have I done?” I say then I take my hands away from my mouth and look at them how they are soaked in her blood, I let out a horrified scream/strangled cry as I dropped to my knees wailing in pain and sorrow. I heard many faint footsteps approaching and the sound of thunder. “lady (Name)!”

Rewind 3rd P.O.V

“damn we can’t reach Raiden” Sonya said aggravated “well we gotta do something! The kid can’t hold out for long!” Johnny said pumped up “there’s gotta be a way to contact him” Jax said crossing his arms “what if we-” Kung Lao was cut off by a horrified and pain filled scream. Kung Lao, Smoke, Sub-Zero and Johnny knew that cry all too well “(Name)!” they all yelled running back to the temple. They were all filled with fear praying to the elder gods that they were wrong, that (Name) wasn’t dead. ‘I should have stayed! I should have never had left her alone to fight’ they all thought. And once they reached the temple what they saw shocked them all including Raiden and Liu Kang who had just arrived. (Name) was soaked in blood, covered in multiple cuts, gashes and bruises, sitting on her knees wailing and in front of her was the body of Sindel. Liu Kang ran over to her after snapping out of his shocked state. “lady (Name)!” he called out

(Name)’s P.O.V

I turned my head to look at Liu Kang as he ran to my side. He placed his hands on my shoulders “what happened?” he asked worried “I-I-I didn’t…I just…” I wanted to explain but I couldn’t, my tears were clouding my vision my body shook as I tried not to sob “take deep breaths and tell me what happened” “I killed her! I took a life!” I cried out. Liu Kang look down at Sindel then to me and embraced me “I didn’t want to…s-she thanked me Liu…she thanked me. Part of her humanity was still in there and I ended it…I’m a murderer…she could have been saved” I cried into his shoulder as I held onto him tightly as if he was going to disappear. I felt his hand pet my hair “you did save her, lady (Name)” he said I moved my head to look at him “you set her free. If what you say is true then she was watching herself hurt others and she suffered just as much as they did. You set her free by killing her you saved her” he said smiling wiping away the tears and blood from my face.

“There now I can see you” I knew what he meant it means I can see you for who you are. I nod and stand up looking at everyone they all ran up to me to see if I was ok but once they see my injuries they looked like they regrated leaving me to fight Sindel “I’m fine really” I said trying to not shake as I put weight on my left leg. Kung Lao picked me up bridal style and carried me over to the table that once held Sub-Zero and places me on it “thanks Lao” I said smiling a little “there was no trouble, lady (Name)” he replied placing a kiss upon my forehead I blushed furiously.

Raiden heals me up along with the others “Raiden send me to the Netherrealm, I may be able to get Scorpion on our side. He might listen to me” I said surprising the others “ok kid how hard did you hit your head? Because you just came out of a near death experience and you wanna go back in?” Johnny asked worried for me “Spector or not Scorpion still has his humanity! He can be reasoned with” I said looking at him directly. Raiden thinks it over “Raiden please. I want to give Hanzo one last chance” I begged him. he nods and hands me a small Smoke bomb “once you are done break this upon the ground beneath your feet and you shall be brought back to us” he said as I got off the table “understood. I’m ready” Sub-Zero and Smoke stepped forward “we wish to accompany you Lady (Name)” they said in unison I nod “alright let’s go” Raiden teleported us to the Netherrealm.

“Scorpion! Scorpion!” I called out looking around the fire filled wasteland when Scorpion appears before me in a flash of hellfire. His eyes widen in surprise “Lady (Name)? What are you doing here?” he asked then noticed Smoke and Sub-Zero “I’m here on a peaceful mission. I need you to help us” I said trying not to provoke him “and they are here why?” he asked. Smoke and Sub-Zero step before me placing me behind them in a protective manner “to protect her” Smoke said glaring at Scorpion “in case you decide to harm Lady (Name)” Sub-Zero said placing and arm in front of me. Scorpion glared and his eyes flashed purple for a split second “you dare accuse me of doing such a thing to her! You will pay with your lives!” Scorpion growled in full rage. I watched as the fought each other when Scorpion used his hellfire to burn them. Their bodies dropped to the ground dead.

“no!” I cried out running to them I kneeled between them both my body shaking I try to hold their hands but I end up burning my own. I glare up at Scorpion who looked shocked “Lady (Name) I-” “MURDERER!” I shriek launching myself at him pinning him to the floor I sit on his waist as I curl my fists holding onto the front of his clothes, burning my hands even more, bringing him close to my face “They. Were. My. FRIENDS! You bastard! First you killed Bi-Han and now Smoke and Kuai Liang! I came here offering you a second chance of redemption and you throw it away! Give me one reason why I should forgive you!” I scream I his face. “I’m sorry” was all he could say I let him go and got off of him. “sorry isn’t going to cut it. You’re not Hanzo Hasashi of the Shirai Ryu anymore now you are Scorpion puppet of Quan Chi and a murderer” I said sadly grabbing the Smoke bomb not taking my eyes off of Scorpion. He held out his hand to me “lady (Name) please!” he begged “to earn my forgiveness, give me back my friends” was all I said before throwing the Smoke bomb to the ground transporting me back to the temple. Once I got there everyone was gone “guys?” I called out when the ground shook I look up at the ceiling “Shao Khan” I said to myself. I run up the stairs when I get pulled into my own mind.

I look around and see that I’m floating in a black void when suddenly there are six Elder Gods, all of varying genders and appearance, surrounding me “your task is almost complete” they spoke together “why have you brought me to this world!? I’ve done nothing but mess up and get people killed! I killed another person, I got Smoke and Kuai Liang killed, I couldn’t protect Bi-Han and I hurt Scorpion! What could you have possibly gained by bringing me here!?!” I yelled “to set you on the path for your life” “what?” “Where you are from you shelter yourself in a home and never go out. You hide yourself in fear of what others may think of you. You are afraid of the world. That is why we have brought you here to show you that you are capable of incredible things. We gave you the chance and you used it to its fullest potential” I look at them in awe.

‘they’re right…through this whole fiasco I’ve done things I never thought I could before. I put my life at risk numerous amounts of times, I faced creatures of the night and faced my fears, I changed so much in the time I was here that I wouldn’t have known had I had stopped and thought about it’ “you have one final task Lady (Name), of earth” they said “I know, but how? I don’t want anyone I care about to die anymore. What can I do to prevent Liu Kangs’ death?” “let Shao Khan pass through then once he has entered Earthrealm we shall aid you. However there is a price, once our power leaves you, you shall die and be sent to back to your world. Do you understand?” I nod without hesitation “yes, I understand” they all disappear and I find myself at the top of the tower where the world looks dead and Raiden and Liu Kang are fighting “STOP!” I shout running to them. They both look at me in shock “Liu Kang Shao Khan must come through. I have a plan” I said looking him in the eyes “but Lady (Name)-” “no buts! Liu Kang this has to happen” “but-” “do you trust me?” his eyes widen.

“well?” he thinks for a moment the nods I smile “thank you” I say before standing in front of them as Shao Khan walks through “Ah, Raiden. You have come to your senses” Shao Khan says as I turn to see Raiden bowing “Raiden on your feet!” I say as everyone joins us on the roof I turn back to Shao Khan “big mistake messing with Earthrealm, ugly” I say cracking my neck “there is no one left to stop me. I have won” I raise my fist prepared to fight ���not if I have anything to say about it” we fight I give it everything I have and try to land hits on him but no matter how hard I try I fail. After what seemed like hours, which in reality was only 5 minutes, I upper cuts me and I skid backwards on my back covered in gashes, cuts and some of my flesh was ripped off my body.

I cough up my own blood, and tears of pain and agony rundown my face, as I raise my body into kneeling position I look back, weakly, to my friends who looked like they wanted to join the fight “do you see now, foolish girl? This is the end of all things” Shao Kan said. I laugh catching all of them off guard “what? Why do you laugh mortal!?!” he demanded. I smirked looking right at him with blood oozing out of my mouth.

“Because I have one more ace up my sleeve”

Golden lightning flashes before his feet. More flashes strike the rooftop around us, and from a portal from the heavens, six golden dragons fly out and around my body, lifting me into the air, healing my wounds and making me feel incredible! With a final flash, I stand before Shao Kahn. The dragons still surround me making me glow in a golden light. “You think you have won but you are far from it! The elder gods condemn you to death for your violation of the entering Earthrealm without victory in mortal kombat!” I shout and charge up a golden variation of lightning and blast Shao Kahn with it. It has no effect and Kahn laughs out loud. “An anaemic effort from ineffectual deities. Today, I become THE Elder God!” They fight. The battle is truly epic, with neither the me being given such power or Shao Kahn are getting any clear advantage for the majority of it.

For what seems like ages, the two of us give it everything we have, but eventually I win and knock Kahn to the floor. As he struggles to his feet and tries to charge again, I blast him once more with the golden lightning. “Never again will you harm Earthrealm!” I shout with the elder gods voices as one this time, the blast has an effect, and the dragons surround Kahn as he is blasted. They begin biting into his body at various places, causing him to scream in pain. His body is scorched by their magic. The Elder Gods' assault on Shao Kahn cause the warlord to explode in a flash of golden light that reaches to the heavens.

I hear my friends cheer behind me happy that it’s all over. The elder gods leave my body draining my energy. I feel so…light? I look down at my body to see it eroding away slowly into embers of light. I smile ‘I can’t feel anything except…happiness’ I collapse onto the ground “Lady (Name)! No!” I turn my head to see everyone looking at me then running to my side; Liu Kang dropped to his knees and cradled me he raises my head so that I’m looking at him “lady (Name). What is happening?” he asked on the brink of tears as well as everyone else “isn’t it obvious, silly? I’m dying” I said softly as I looked into his eyes “why! You survived everything else! Why now!” Kung Lao yelled his voice cracking. “The elder gods warned me that if I asked for their help my life would be the price. I’m finally finished my task, I save so many people but failed to save the few who needed me most. Smoke, Bi-Han, Sub-Zero I lost them because I didn’t think ahead” I spoke then looked down at my body to see half of it gone. “please don’t leave” I looked back up to Liu Kang as tears poured out of his eyes and dripped onto me I looked around me and saw everyone was crying from me.

I smiled “I wish I didn’t have to…I would have loved to stay here with you all places eroding hand on Liu Kangs’ cheek wiping the tears away but I can’t, I’m sorry” I said almost gone “I’ll never forget you. I love you” my eyes widen at Liu Kangs’ words “you shall always have a place in my heart. I love you lady (Name)” Kung Lao said his eyes shadowed by his hat but tears clearly shown streaming down his face “آپ ابدی آرام اور امن، زندگی کا بچہ مل سکتی. (May you find eternal rest and peace, child of life)” night wolf spoke solemnly. “Thank you for everything, young lady” Stryker said saluting me as did Kabal and Sonya “we owe you a lot” Kabal said “it was an honour to fight beside you, (Name)” Sonya said trying not to cry “thanks (Name). You made one hell of an action hero” Johnny said taking off his glasses. Jax saluted me “you’re one brave soldier, Kid.” he said smiling “thank you, (Name)” Kitana said trying not to cry “may your soul be safe with the elder gods” Jade said bowing. “We owe you our lives, Lady (Name). I only wish I had seen your death in my visions so I could have prevented it” Raiden says bowing his head. My head has almost vanished I smile one last time and with my final breath I speak “goodwill always wins” then everything went dark.

(Name)’s P.O.V

My eyes snap open as I quickly sit up. I look around frantically to see I was back in my room. ‘No…I couldn’t have been…it was…a dream’ I bring my knees to my chest and hold myself in fettle position and sigh “should’ve known it was a dream. I mean really, a bunch of cute guys crushing on someone like me? Me being super powerful? Me being a hero? Yeah right get real” I scold myself then sigh getting up out of my bed I stretch my arms but they felt heavier than usual I bring them down to look at them and my eyes widen. Bi-Hans' wrist guards!

I couldn’t believe it! I still had his wrist guards on my wrists! I quickly looked to my hair and saw it was still below my knees “but if it wasn’t a dream then…” I quickly ran to my PlayStation and put the mortal kombat 9 disk in and turned it on. As I select story mode it starts off as it normally does except it switches to me! Its shows my dream and how I got there. I play through the game and finally reach the last cut scene “goodwill always wins” is what the video game me says. I watched more of it to see what happens.

Soon Liu Kangs’ arms were empty and embers of light blew away into the wind. The final words of what I had said brunt into their brains and would remain there til the end Raiden remains on his knees, and looks to his amulet one more time. Finally, the cracks adorning it are removed, and it remains as it once was “It is over” he says his heart heavy with sorrow. Liu Kang clenched his fists hard till his knuckles turned white “but at what cost?” he asked as tears ran down his face, Kung Lao placed a hand on his friends shoulder “she still lives, Liu Kang. She lives within us. As long as her memory stays with us she shall live on” Kung Lao said trying to hold back his tears. Then a narrator voice says “Although they have saved Earthrealm they had lost a dear friend who meant so much to them all. One they would never forget” I felt horrible leaving them like that I would have stayed with them if I had a choice.

“Come. Let us tend the fallen. Then we must help our realm rebuild. Our work has only just begun” Raiden say. He then teleports himself and everyone else away in a flash of lightning. Only Shao Kahn's war helmet and my rose? I feel the top of my head with my left hand to find that the rose was indeed gone. Anyway they are all that remains on the rooftop, forgotten by all… except the one who walks through an unseen portal and picks it up; Quan Chi. As he examines the trophies, another being fades into existence before him. “Your plan worked to perfection, Lord Shinnok” Quan chi said smirking “Shao Kahn was blinded by rage. How easily was he convinced that the Elder Gods would ignore his merging the realms” said Shinnok free from his bonds “Yet the Thunder God still lives” “and the girl?” at this I was curious was he talking about me? “Regrettably dead, my lord” “No matter. Neither Earthrealm nor Outworld can now withstand the Netherrealm's onslaught. It is time. Soon I will be free. Earthrealm and Outworld will be ours and that girl shall never intervene ever again”

My eyes widen they planned on using me! I notice that once the main menu popped up again there was an ‘epilogue scene’ option to select curious I select it and watch the cut scene. The scene shows the Netherrealm where Scorpion trying to meditate when Quan chi appears before him “Scorpion” Quan chi speaks “what is it? Can you not see I wish to be left alone?” Scorpion says annoyed by Quan Chis’ presence “I bring news” “why should it concern me? Be gone” “it is about the young fair maiden you had taken a liking to” Quan chi smirked seeing Scorpions eyes snap open “Lady (Name)? What news about her! Tell me!” Scorpion demanded jumping to his feet. Quan chi presented my rose to Scorpion. But I noticed the rose had blood splattered on it “she has been slain in battle” Quan chi said handing over the flower to Scorpion. He held the rose with shaking hands, tears gathered in his eyes “who!” Scorpion yells as hell fire engulfs him “it appears that Sub-Zero had planned to kill her from the very beginning. So before he died he set a trap for her that would go off and kill her. A second body his soul could use before Sindel had slain him” Quan chi said creating another vision “Hanzo he’s lying!” I screamed at the TV knowing it was useless.

The vison showed me, running away from Lin Kuei cyborgs, crying “Hanzo! Help me!” the vison version of me cried out. I was cornered into a corner of the temple I tried to use the wrist guards but they were broken. I cowered in fear with my right arm shielding my head “Hanzo…help” the vision me whimpered when one of the cyborgs stepped forward and approach ‘me’ it was a cyborg that looked like Sub-Zero “Kuai Liang! Please don’t!” Sub-Zero simply raised his ice sword above his head as ‘I’ looked at him in horror “somebody…please help me” were the last words the other me uttered before an ear piercing scream is heard and all that is seen is blood splattering upon the temple walls, the rose I wore in my hair falls to the ground splattered with blood. “no!” Scorpion yells as Quan chi smirks “Sub-Zero is now a revenant and works for us” Scorpion looked to Quan Chi “and what of lady (Name)?” “Regrettably I could not find her soul there for she cannot be resurrected. I shall leave you too your grief” and with that Quan Chi teleports away. Scorpion falls to his knees and looks down at the slightly singed rose and gently stokes the petals. “lady (Name) please forgive me…I had not meant to harm you or your friends. The rage within my being was brought out suddenly I…I had no control” he said I placed my hand on my TV screen as tears welled in my eyes.

“I wish I had told you sooner, perhaps the outcome would have been different, I wish I had told you my feelings towards you. Lady (Name), champion of mortal kombat, hero of Earthrealm and keeper of my heart. I shall always love you in this and every other life” the screen fades to black as the credits roll.

I was in shock, Hanzo loved me. I look out my window noticing it was dawn I stand up and walk over to my window and look out at the scenery. ‘my friends I swear, I shall always hold you close to my heart and pray that one day we shall meet again’ What I didn’t notice was Sub-Zeros’ armour peeking out from under my pillow and my mortal kombat X disc briefly glow for a few moments.

(trust me I know. 17 year old didn't know how to write for shit. I'm only posting this so that the rest of the series will make sense. If I didn't need to post this I wouldn't)

[spiderlvr06]

Chapter 3!

The day was just about to come to an end. I wanted to crawl into bed and forget about the events that happened earlier that morning. There was no reason I had to get involved but now that I was I wasn’t gonna back down. I also wasn’t going to side with Quaritch and his minions. My mind was buzzing about the guest. What was his name, where did he come from and how did he get here. The only way that i would be able to talk to him was if I snuck out in the middle of the night. After the whole fiasco that happened earlier i know they would never let me in on any super secret missions. It was dumb on their part for letting me even in on that whole situation. Why me of all people? Now that i think about it he was kinda cute.

I thought it over and over again, doubt running through my mind, my heart sinking as i thought about it. I knew that if I didn’t do it there would never be another chance. This is the only time i could do it.

Slowly lifting my covers off of me, i sit up from my bed, dangle my legs off the bed, i am an idiot. I have to do this it’s the right thing to do. I bounce onto the floor and quietly speed walk out my door. Slowly opening and closing it. As I make it out into the hallway I stop and listen. Nothing. I’ve never heard the ship so quiet before. All I heard was the blowing sound of the ship moving through the glorious skies of Pandora. I had never heard the ship so quiet before, almost as if there was no one on it. I started towards the prisoner chambers I knew we had a place where we could put people who break the rules and stuff like that. Basically anyone who did things that need to go to jail obviously. I had never really been there except for today. I don’t think anyone ever got sent into the prison. If they did it was for a terrible reason. A perfect example would be of what I was doing now. If I got caught I don’t know what Quaritch would do to me and I hope I don’t find out.

I turn the corner and see a straight shot right into the jail. As I lift my foot up I hear voices. A voice that sounds like Quaritch and the boy. I turn back around the corner my back against the wall. I can only make out a couple words the rest are muffled. “Sully” “Killed” “Resources” I knew we were using some of the resources from Pandora but it was only because we had befriended the Navi people. Right? The more I think about it the more I feel like we aren’t friends we’re enemies. Lost in my thoughts as to what could be going on I’m broken out of them when I hear the door slam shut and footsteps walking away. Sounded like they were headed towards his office.

This was my chance I had to go now. I don’t know how much time I have to talk to him. Appearing from behind the wall I run as quick as I can towards the jail. I had remember the code they used from earlier in case I needed it and I put it in. The cell opens loudly and I wince at the noise. I hope it wasn’t loud enough for Quaritch to hear. As the cell slowly opens I see the boy staring at it wide eyed and then as the door moves away he moves his eyes towards me.

I look around cautiously just to make sure that it’s only me and him face to face. Walking toward slowly I notice him flinch slightly and step backwards. He’s afraid?

“Hey,” I say as sincere as I can, “It’s okay I’m only here to talk to you. Im not gonna hurt you.”

He looks down. He’s silent. A quiet pause falls between us. This is awkward.

“I only need to talk to you about why you’re here.”

He shoots his eyes back up towards me and says “Don’t you know?”

I reply “No I don’t know. I have no idea why they capture a teenage boy. I have no idea why you’re half naked. I have no idea who I can trust. So just tell me why are you here and what does Quaritch want from you?”

He stares up at me a confused but very serious face “I don’t know who I can trust either.” His voice cracks it’s quiet and sad. I felt really bad for him and I wanted to help him if I could.

“Look I know this whole situation is scary trust me but if I can help you I want to. I don’t know if I can trust Quaritch and you shouldn’t either.” I look at him my eyes pleading and hoping that he knows I care and that I’m telling the truth.

He sighs and begins “i was with my friends in the jungle and these men showed up and attacked us. We have been being attacked for a while. The first attack was over 10 years ago. I was only a baby. We thought we had seen the last of the sky people but then they attacked us again and they took me.”

“Why?” I ask.

“They want our resources and I’m a human not a Navi so I they think I belong here. They need me in order to help with their fight.”

“I should’ve known” I whisper under my breath.

“They need me to help find jake sully.”

“Do you know where he is?”

He hesitates “No.”

I think he does know because he hesitate but I’m not gonna force him to say anything he doesn’t need to. I just need to know enough to help him.

“Okay, I’m gonna see what I can do to get you out of here. We need a plan and we need to hurry.”

[xecutivecucumber]

Something for the Tech fans (including me. I am a Tech fan)

Okay, so I know that the ship I write for isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. But there are some scenes that don’t involve the ship that I’m really proud of and I think would appeal to a wider audience. So I’m going to start posting scenes that I really like with enough context for things to make sense. 

For my regular followers and readers, this will be things that you’ve seen before.

Today’s sample!

Tech has a breakdown

The context:

In a world where Order 66 kind of happens, but Anakin doesn’t turn and starts an early rebellion with the clones, Omega is kidnapped by bounty hunters sent by the Empire in order to win Nala Se’s cooperation. The Bad Batch works with Anakin’s rebellion in the hopes of finding some clue of her whereabouts. They’ve found the bounty hunters who took Omega: Taja and Admani Desai, Togruta siblings who were lied to by Nala Se and have agreed to help the Batch find Omega. Tech especially has taken this badly, spending weeks pushing himself to his limit trying to crack the deeper Imperial codes in order to find Omega. Taja has formed a connection with Tech as they’ve worked together, empathizing with him as she has lost siblings as well. Crosshair has also never left the Batch.

That should be everything! I hope you enjoy!

Tech stared at the information on his datapad. He did not understand it. He needed to understand it. He tightened his grip on the datapad and tried to focus on each character one at a time. 

It did not help that he could hear the others talk quietly on the other end of the ship. He would not be here if Hunter had not forbidden him from finding somewhere he could do his work in peace.

It took far too long for him to realize that the pad was telling him his latest attempt at cracking the Imperial's secrets was unsuccessful.

Tech swore.

Frustration and anger like he had rarely felt before consumed his chest. What was wrong with him? Why couldn't he do this simple kriffing thing?

"Tech." 

The rage he felt at himself redirected at the interruption. 

"What is it?" Tech snapped.

"You need to take a break." Hunter said.

He and Wrecker had approached Tech.

"No." Tech said. "What I need is to succeed. I need to find a way to bypass their security."

Burning tears sprang to his eyes. He furiously dug the heel of his palm under his goggles to press them away.

"It needs to work." He mumbled. "I need it to work."

"Give me your data pad." Hunter said. 

Tech pulled away from him. 

"No." He said. "I can continue. I am fine."

"You're not." Hunter said. "You haven't slept or eaten in a rotation and you've barely gone to the fresher. Give me the data pad. That's an order." 

Tech pulled it away from him.

“Come on, Tech.” Wrecker said, reaching for the pad. “Don’t-”

“If you touch this, I will destroy Lula.” Tech said. “If you cared for Omega a fraction of how you dote on that idiotic toy, we would not have lost her!”

Wrecker drew back as if punched. Shame mingled with Tech’s anger and frustration as he saw the wounded look in Wrecker’s eyes. Crosshair, Hunter, and Echo were staring at him. He could feel their disapproval. Crosshair opened his mouth and Tech knew he could not hear the words his brother would throw at him.

Tech tucked his datapad to his chest and fled.

The sunlight of Yavin IV blinded him momentarily. He hurried across the landing area and to the main temple. Surely there would be somewhere he could hide from his brothers' anger and censure. 

He found himself in a cold, dark stone room. There was nothing in it save a few containers of spare equipment. Good. He could be alone here.

Tech held out his datapad with trembling hands. He still felt a pang when he saw the negative result there. He took a deep breath. He could do this. He had to.

The next six attempts were failures.

He was a failure.

Tech hurled the datapad at the wall. The crunch of the screen breaking made no dent in his miasma of emotions. 

It wasn't working and he had hurt Wrecker and Omega was still out of reach-

The words ran over and over in his head, interrupted only by thoughts of worthless and failure. 

Tech fell to his knees and curled in on himself. Shameful tears stung his eyes. For the first time since Omega was taken, for the first time since he was a child, Tech cried. He dug his fingernails into his arms as he sobbed. The pain was welcome. 

The door opened and Tech cringed away from the light. There was no one that he wished to be the one to find him. The regs would be cruel and even worse, his brothers would attempt to help him.

He waited for the questions, the demands.

What are you doing?

Why are you in here?

Are you crying?

Come out of there.

 None came. The door closed again, leaving Tech in the soothing darkness. There was no silhouette joining him in the room when he looked up. 

Tech curled up again on the floor, trying to keep his mind away from what had pushed him to this state. He let it go blank, and the world seemed to disappear from around him.

Voices jolted Tech back to reality. He sat up, unsure of where he was. To his surprise, a blanket fell off of his shoulders. He looked around and slowly the memory of his breakdown came back to him. 

But then- where did the blanket come from? If his brothers had found him, they would have taken him back to the Marauder. Tech became more confused as he picked up a ration bar and a canteen that had not been there before. He would have thought it was Omega if she were not gone. It was something she would do.

The voices outside sounded again and this time Tech could distinguish the words.

"Ma'am, I need you to stand aside now." 

That was a trooper's voice.

"I'm under orders from Clone Force 99." A familiar, melodic voice said. "No one is to enter this room."

Taja?

Tech got to his feet. He hesitated, and then picked up his broken data pad from the floor.

"Uh huh." The trooper said. "Why don't I just comm Sergeant Hunter and see if that's true."

"That won't be necessary." Tech said, opening the door. 

His ears had not deceived him. It was Taja standing as if on guard duty outside the closet door. 

"She was doing me a favor. I needed some quiet for my research." Tech was surprised with how steady his voice was.

The clone trooper looked between the two of them before shrugging and moving on.

Tech wanted to speak the moment the guard was out of earshot, but found himself unable. The shame of the moment seemed to seep in. She had seen him at his lowest. Words seemed inconsequential in the wake of it.

The long moments dragged before he finally managed to speak.

"How did you know?" He asked.

He did not understand. She should have left him alone. Tech was sure that most of the individuals at the base would have done so, or, if they cared to, have gotten his brothers.

Taja's pale green eyes met his and he averted his gaze. 

"My sister would have similar episodes." She said. "I assumed you did not need more stimulation.

Tech didn't know quite how to reply. He merely pressed his broken datapad to his chest.

"Thank you." He finally mumbled. 

"I am glad to help." Taja replied. 

Tech cleared his throat.

"I was unaware you and your brother had returned." He said.

Taja nodded.

"We have been in contact with some of the leaders of the Rebellion, concerning the increasing number of slavers in the galaxy." She said. "We have come to discuss the possibility of raiding a slave camp near here."

"And by some of the leaders, you mean General Skywalker." Tech said.

Taja smiled.

"Too clever by half." She said.

For the first time since Omega was taken, Tech felt a faint urge to smile.

That urge fled when a loud voice cracked through the air.

"Tech!"

Wrecker was barreling towards them. Taja took a step back as he drew near. He skidded to a stop in front of them, looking between them with his brow creased with worry. He lifted his hands, as if he wanted to grab Tech in a hug, which he probably did. Tech was glad that he abstained.

"You okay?" Wrecker asked. "It's been hours and we couldn't find you."

Tech felt some of his guilt return at Wrecker's concerned tone.

"I apologize." He muttered. "I did not intend-"

"It’s okay!" Wrecker said quickly. "I’m not mad, you know. Just worried."

He paused. 

"We're all worried, Tech." 

Tech looked down at the ground. His wretchedness that he had forgotten for a moment returned in full force. 

"I do not understand." He finally said. "Omega is gone. How can you stand not doing anything?"

Wrecker looked again as if Tech had hit him and more guilt piled onto Tech. 

"Cause I can't do anything." Wrecker said. He sounded close to tears. "I'm not smart like you. If I could help Omega by blowin' things up, or taking apart a bomb, or punching something, I would. But I can't."

"Then you understand that my work is of the utmost importance." Tech said. "I am the only one who can find her."

"Maybe." Wrecker said. "The Rebellion still might find somethin' out. But Tech, what would Omega say if she saw you doing this yourself?"

Tech knew exactly how she would react. Her eyes would go wide. He could hear her voice.

"Tech!" She would say. 

And it would be all she needed to say.

"I miss her." Tech said.

"Me too." Wrecker said. 

Tech became aware of Taja looking between them. 

"If I may," She said. "I understand what you are going through. You hurt, you are angry. You feel that the hole in your heart will never be filled."

Tech blinked at her astute description of how he was feeling. Taja looked at him. 

"It will not be this painful forever." She said. "But regardless, your sister is alive. There is hope."

"Yeah!" Wrecker said. "We're gonna find her and we're gonna bring her home, okay?"

Tech looked between Taja and Wrecker. For once, he felt no urge to contradict Wrecker or point out the probability.

"Okay." He said.

"I must go." Taja said. "Admani and I have our meeting."

Tech nodded to her. She smiled back. He liked it when she smiled. 

"So, is she your girlfriend?" Wrecker whispered as Taja disappeared around a corner.

Tech frowned.

"That is not the nature of our relationship." He said.

Wrecker grinned in a way that Tech was not fond of. 

"Uh huh." Wrecker said.

Tech shook his head. 

Romance and partners were never something that Tech had considered. They were clones bred to fight a war. The things that other beings considered natural were not options for them. Even now, Tech had far more pressing matters than whether or not he had a partner. It was even difficult for him to conceptualize.

Though, when it came to potential mates, he could do far worse. She was pleasing to the eye, even with her disfigurement. Perhaps more so because of it. She stood with pride, as if challenging others to mention it. 

He found her coloring aesthetically pleasing and her eyes striking. She was intelligent, worked well with him, and also seemed to understand how Tech's mind worked. And she cared about him, for whatever reason.

No, he doubted he could do better when it came to a possible partner.

He doubted she felt the same way. It was one thing to help him with his troubles and to be a good mission partner. It was quite another to consider Tech in a romantic light. Tech had no data on how partners he found attractive reacted to him. But he had a feeling that any testing would not end with the results he wanted.