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thyme-in-a-bubble · 1 year

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sour summer

a/n: this is a prequel to my story the murder at evergreen university. if you haven’t yet, then i highly recommend you to go read that one first.

summary: “were you really always this pretty?”

warnings: Ari Levinson x reader, smut, prequel to this story (so beware that it does contain some spoilers), childhood friends to lovers, neighbours, family friend!Ari, cop!Ari, shy!reader, virgin!reader, slight age gap (in my head reader is 18 and ari is in his mid 20's), pining, cheating, kissing, loss of virginity, corruption kink, size kink, fingering, penetrative sex, protected sex, dirty talk, multiple orgasms, squirting, manhandling

word count: 6301

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After rifling through your closet from top to bottom, you finally gave up on the wild goose chase and stormed out of your room.

“Hey mom?” you called out as you neared the kitchen, “have you seen my cardigan? The grey one with the-,” your whole body froze as you crossed the threshold and saw the unexpected figure leaning against the kitchen island, “oh my god…”

“Y/n,” your mother smile, setting down her mug of amber tea, “look who stopped by for a visit,” gesturing to not only the accustomed visage of Mrs Levinson, who had always been more of an aunt to you than a next door neighbour with how tight-knit your families were, but more specifically focusing your attention on the other much more surprising visage that instantly made the sweater hunt become a task of the past.

“Ari?” the warm sound of his name gushed out of you and spread over every inch of your form, causing goosebumps to erupt as your eyes raked across his brawny figure, “what are you doing here?” you darted to steal a hug, nearly tripping his bulky frame over in the process.

Curiously, he too seemed taken aback by your appearance, almost as if he hadn’t quite recognised you till your mom had called you by your name.

Completely stunned, it took a moment before his tree trunk-like arms hesitantly enclosed around your form, “Y/n?” you pulled back and took in his speechless expression, “um, hi,” he exhaled hazily, vibrant eyes dancing over every change that had appeared since you last saw each other.

“You could have called first,” you light-heartedly shoved his broad chest, his warm palms still glued to your waist, “give a girl some warning.”

“Sorry,” he chuckled in return, “I didn’t know going home to visit my own parents required an official warning or something.”

“Sweetie,” your mom ripped your attention back to the task at hand, “I think you might have left that cardigan out back.”

“Oh, thanks!” you smiled before snatching up one of Ari’s hands and stealing him with you. His palm felt so big in yours, so warm and wide, engulfing yours completely. Dragging him along, you quickly became thankful that he couldn’t spot the flush the buzzing contact caused to erupt across your cheeks. “So,” you hesitantly let go as your toes touched the freshly cut blades of grass, “how have you been?”

Sucking in a much-needed breath, he answered, “I’ve been fine, I’ve been good.”

“Arrested a lot of criminals lately? Anything cool? A serial killer maybe?” you asked excitedly as your eyes scanned the garden, searching everywhere from the raised patio to the majestic oak in the bottom corner that accommodated a treehouse worthy of any child’s dream.

“No, no,” he chortled, stuffing his hands in his pockets, “no serial killers, just everyday boring stuff, you know…”

A giddy squeal emitted from your lungs as you finally spotted the lightweight, crumbled, grey knit draped over one of the white chairs slotted to the oblong patio table.

“So, what about you, huh?” Ari asked as you sloppily tied the cardigan around your hips, the rays of sun kissing your exposed skin warmed you up enough not to need it out here.

“Have I arrested any serial killers lately?” you jested.

“No,” he smiled, “what’s new with you?”

“Well, my mom properly already told you,” a bubble of excitement tickled your belly at the news, “but I got into Evergreen University.”

“No way, really?” he exclaimed, both of you naturally shifting to continue the conversation seated.

“Yeah, I start in a little under two months.”

“Is it still psychology that you wanna study or has that changed?”

“No, it’s still that,” his recollection caused your smile to grow, though in that moment it also dawned on you how intensely he was staring, absorbing every micro change to your features, and heat began to rise in your cheeks, “what?”

Not halting his vision’s lavish journey, he hummed, “huh?”

“Why are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?”

“No, it’s just-…” his words came out sounding spellbound, “did you always look like this?”

“Um…” you genuinely thought about it a moment, scrambling your brain for a logical answer, “I got a haircut about a month ago, maybe that’s it?”

“No,” a smile tugged at the corners of his lips as his piercing gaze carried on, “it’s definitely not that…”

Positively flustered, you awkwardly changed the subject, “so, uh, do you maybe wanna do something fun while you're home?” shifting in your seat as you proposed, “we could go to the beach or something, like we used to.”

“Sure, I’d love that,” he uttered genuinely.

“Cool,” you gracelessly nodded.

Your attention directed to the fluffy, sheep-like clouds got swept away as a figure appeared in the window opposing to the one in your bedroom. All of the air escaped your lungs as your eyes did a double take on the glistening visage closing the bathroom door behind him into his own childhood room.

To say that you were pleased that your childhood crush had returned was an understatement, to say the least.

Fresh out of the shower, there he emerged. White towel wrapped low around his hips, you could almost make out the water droplets still clinging to his brawny back as he yanked open a few drawers in his dresser in search of a crisp set of clothing.

Cursing softly underneath your breath, your jaw hit the floor as he, with his back still turned to you, let the towel fall before stepping into a pair of black boxers. Rotating gently as he tugged the underwear up into place, you swore you saw just the hint of the part of him that made your centre throb most of all, though you had to lean on your overactive imagination to fill out the rest of the masterpiece.

Dreamy head cocked to the side as you peep, it took you a second to realise that he was now facing the window, facing you. Not taking a moment to even check if he actually had spotted you, your knees instinctually buckled and sent you soaring down towards the floor, your hands just narrowly catching onto the windowsill for support.

“Hey, honey?” the voice of your mother shot through the house to find your flushed ears, “can you give me a hand setting the table? The Levinsons will be over in a bit!”

“Y-yeah! Yeah!” you shakily replied, cautiously unfurling from the tense ball you had become underneath your window, “I’ll be right there!”

Mild evening air rustling your hair, you dangled your sandal-clad feet over the edge of the slim deck area that wrapped around the western side of the treehouse. With a part of the fence safely slotted in between your thighs, your eyes were busy raking across the blushing skies that stretched over your neighbourhood as a voice from below suddenly caught your attention.

“Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair!” your vision flickered down to spot Ari at the base, ready with one hand on the sturdy ladder, the other one dexterously balanced two frosty cones as he offered, “might I interest you in some ice cream?”

The sinful peepshow you had caught earlier that day had made casually sitting across from him at dinner rather overwhelming, both your families' presents not helping to make it less awkward. So as soon as you’d scarfed down your last bite, you excused yourself and ducked up into the treehouse, in hopes of a chance to finally cool down.

“How is that even a question?” you called down, watching as he carefully made his way up the tree.

“Okay,” he exhaled as he settled in beside you, his warm leg ghosting against your own and causing goosebumps to erupt underneath your dress, “so, I’ve got one strawberry and one that’s-,” you didn’t need an introduction to deduct that the other one was exactly the rich chocolate one you always gravitated towards. Snatching it up with an eager squeal before he could even get the words out, he simply laughed, “oh, you’re just going right for it. I don’t know why I even bothered to offer you a choice,” watching as you hummed in delight, the frosty treat being just what you had wanted. Having a nibble at his own, he twisted his torso slightly and took in the familiar playground, “man… this place really hasn’t changed one bit.”

Peaking over your shoulder as well, you shrugged, “of course not,” his attention jaggedly returned to you as your tongue swiped out to lap up the coco droplets already melting down your hand, “this is our place, remember?”

“Yeah, I remember,” he uttered distantly, a warm smile blooming on his lips at the memories of the favoured game back when he used to babysit you, “our little kingdom. What was the name of it again?”

“Uh, it was-, it was…” you scrambled your brain with no success, “I actually don’t remember anymore,” you squinted back at him, too wrapped up in your own thought to feel your ice cream melt further down your forearm, “I feel like it might have started with an E or something?” eyes growing wide, your body suddenly froze up as Ari’s forefinger unexpectedly reached out and swiped up the thawed treat, cleaning the milky streek and bringing it back up to his own lips. “D-do you want a taste?” you blinked, chest heaving as you hesitantly offered your flavour, his intense gaze melting you faster than the ice cream could even keep up with.

Eyes locked on you, he uttered, “I still can’t believe you haven’t got yourself a boyfriend.”

“What?” you giggled breathily, the subject haven come up rather quickly after his yearned for return.

“I mean, look at you,” you felt your palm grow clammy around the cold cone at his affectionate words, “were you really always this pretty?”

Your face surely resembling a tomato at this point, you averted your gaze, “I literally have ice cream all over myself.”

“Y/n, you’re-…” your eyes flickered back up to meet his dusky ones, “it’s just insane to me that there isn’t a line from here till Timbuktu of people trying to get with you.”

Utterly stunned, you found yourself suddenly leaning in, letting the overwhelming high his compliments infused in you push you to press your lips against his own in a chased and timid kiss. Reeling back practically as soon as there was even a fraction of contact, a storm swiftly assaulted your mind.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry,” you gasped, fighting the urge to scream at your own hormonal instincts getting the best of you, “please just forget that ever-”

But your mortified apology was hastily cut short as you felt Ari’s free hand find the back of your head and lead it back towards him for a ravenous kiss. It felt like he had just flipped your world upside down, twisted everything you thought was wrong into the truth. In your eyes, there hadn’t ever been anyone but him. Not that you hadn’t tried after he moved away, you had, but no boy you stumbled upon could ever compare to how he made you feel.

Or how he used to make you feel, because what was coursing through your body now was nothing like you’d ever felt. A kiss had never been so sweet, so hypnotic, so dangerous…

Sensing the cone of ice cream fall from your slackened grasp, the dull sound of it spattering against the grass below ceased to reach your ears. Like a man starved, Ari’s tongue met yours in a flowing dance, your arms timidly coming up to drape around his neck for support as he too tossed his pink ice cream without a care in the world.

Arms around your form, wide palms nearly burning through the material of your thin dress, he then tipped the both of you to the side, sending you farther away from the edge and further inside the interior of the cosy treehouse.

Even sprawled out on your sides, his lips never ceased, staying glued to yours in the heated make-out as if it was oxygen to him. Gripping you tight, his broad palms felt you up, causing your toes to curl in your sandals and a muffled moan to vibrate against his lips, a sound that only kindled his inner flame that much further.

In one smooth motion, he rotated your tangled forms, rolling on top of you and with a firm grip at your bottom, just shy beneath your dress, hauled your shorter form further up beneath his, allowing your lips to remain at an equivalent height.

Fingers digging into your thighs, you clenched them tightly around his hips, lending you to feel even more of the palpable tent that had been so intoxicatingly nudging at your pantie-clad centre, your flowy dress haven already ridden all the way up and granting you to feel that much more.

Mind already two steps ahead of yours, his hips rolled against your own, both of your elated noises melting into one.

Nevertheless, right as his fingers tore one of your straps down your shoulder, a matronly voice called out from the garden below, “hey, Ari? Hon?” both of you froze up at his mother’s shout, effectively rousing you from your fever dream, “your phone is ringing.”

Breathless, you both blinked back at each other as he mustered an answer, “alright,” his voice thick and his eyes still dark, “I’ll be right down.”

How were you ever going to fall asleep? Every single molecule in your body still buzzed of the adrenaline from what had transpired earlier that evening.

Catching sight of yourself in the mirror that hung on the wall, you couldn’t help but giggle as you still felt your lips tingle in remembrance. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw a light flicker on in the neighbouring window parallel to your own. Your breath hitched as you spotted your childhood crush already gazing back at you.

Raising your hand, you offered him a small wave, one which he swiftly mirrored, the silly notion conjuring a noticeable chuckle to rumble within his chest.

You still weren’t fully convinced that it had actually happened. Not only had you kissed him, but he had actually kissed you back in such a manner that it was sure to erase any form of doubt about what his intentions might be.

Averting your gaze for what only felt like a moment, your head light-heartedly shaking in disbelief as you blinked down at your nightgown, the material bunched up at your thighs as you sat on the bed, the next thing you knew, the sound of a pebble hitting your window caught your attention.

Had he climbed out of his own window? Went through a door? You couldn’t tell, because all you could focus on was the dimly lit visage of him coming to rest his folded arms against your windowsill.

Getting up, you hastily worked at pushing it open, “h-hi,” you giggled nervously, a hand swiftly shooting up to muffle your laugh.

“Hi,” he smiled, readjusting his grip on the ledge, “can I come in?”

“You wanna come in?” your eyebrows briefly shot up before you attempted a nonchalant, “y-yeah, sure,” your heart hammering against your ribcage at an impossible speed.

Expecting him to walk around to the front door and sneak his way in, he instead just pulled himself up and crawled directly into your room.

“Hey,” he breathed as he found his footing.

“Hello,” you chuckled back, “you already said that. How many times do you plan on greeting me tonight?”

“As many times as you want me to,” he smirked, carefully catching your hands in his and consequently making your breathing become a little more difficult to manage with such dizzying contact. Staring down at your conjoined palms, he then weaved his fingers with yours and spoke frankly, “so, about earlier…”

“Yeah?” you breathed, trying to prepare yourself for the worst.

“That was-…” he cut his own sentence off with a long exhale, a fuzzy smile overtaking his features, his head lightly shaking as his eyes finally lifted to meet yours.

Biting down on your bottom lip, you hoped that you had caught on to the unspoken message, “…it was?”

Vision flickering down to your bitten lips, he nodded softly and confirmed, “it was,” though the kiss he then pulled you into was really what sealed the deal for your youthful brain.

“This is crazy,” you managed to utter between hungry pecks.

“Too crazy?” he pulled back a bit, hands rooted on either side of your head.

“No, just-…” you felt in that moment as if you could faint, “you have no idea how long I’ve dreamed about this…”

“Oh, yeah?” he breathed out a smile before softly capturing your lips once more.

With your hands rooted tightly in his shirt, his hot skin burned through the light cotton, “is this really happening?”

“What do you think is happening?” he challenged playfully, his hands descending, running down your spine.

“Are we really about to-, you know…” you uttered nervously.

“Only if you want us to,” he replied, only for your heightened nerves to finally sink in, “wait, have you not-…” cheeks burning up, you shyly shook your head, “ever?”

“No…” you confessed, an automatic, “I’m sorry…” swiftly leaving your timid lips.

“No, no, that’s alright, that’s okay,” he rushed to reassure you, a hand flying up to cup your flush cheek.

Searching his eyes in the moonlight, “you sure?”

“Yeah.”

“You don’t mind?” your brows furrowed, doubting his unexpectedly copious comfort.

Attempting to hide a smirk, he disclosed, “actually find it really hot, so no, Y/n, I don’t mind.”

“Oh…” you breathed, eyes growing wide, “okay.”

Watching you gingerly, he checked once more, “but, you do want to?”

“Yes,” the reply flew from your lungs out of fear that he would take it back, “please.”

“Okay,” he smiled softly, pulling you back in, “but please promise that you will tell me if you’ve had enough, wanna slow down, pause, anything,” eyes flickering up to the corner of the ceiling to list off, “kick, scream, whisper, I don’t care how, just let me know, okay?”

Letting your actions do the talking, you reached up and tugged him down to seal it with a kiss, “okay,” you eventually smiled against his own. After stealing a few additional propitious pecks, your hands trekked down his torso, feeling his muscles flex beneath your travelling touch as they eventually came to a halt at the bottom of his shirt, your fingers weaving in the fabric before you pulled back to ask softly, “may I?”

A gentle chuckle fanned out across your features as he promptly raised his arms up enough for you to tug the soft cotton over his head. It was in no way the first time you’d seen him shirtless, but it sure felt like it as the shirt hazily drop from your fingers at the breathtaking sight.

Running his palms reassuringly down your upper arms, your eyes then flickered between his own and the belt he wore, asking him for permission with your glances.

When his pants hit the floor, so did your jaw, a reaction in which he couldn’t help but smugly flourish in, your eyes glued to the intimidating tent tight within his black boxers, he adoringly plucked up your speechless face and softened the blow with a kiss that took your breath away.

His lips then began to wander, over your jaw, down your neck, and when your heavy lids blinked open, you saw his towering presence begin to shrink down onto his knees before you. Fingers tightly fisting the flowy fabric of your nightgown, he nuzzled his face into your softness on his slow descent, practically growling as he gently nipped at your covered boobs, inhaling your scent in deeply as his fingers came up to lightly teased the pebbly nipples poking him through the material.

Slowly exploring your form over your clothes, gazing up at you with his soulful eyes, he soon settled on his knees. Keeping his eyes locked on yours, he slowly began to plant fluttering pecks all across your exposed thighs, his palms likewise gently caressing your legs. The comforting contact of his slowly ascending touch soon found the hem of your nightgown, gradually lifting it up and granting his lips the access to dance up towards your hips, the kisses occasionally coming dangerously close to soaked panties, though never quite meeting either.

Leaning back, one hand held up your sleepwear as he took in the sight of what effect he had on you. Dragging his other over your goosebump-ridden flesh, he then boldly slid a few of the fingers under the strip of your underwear that stretched over your left hip, securely hooking them there before extending his broad thumb and swiping it over the wet patch adoring your panties.

“Has anyone ever touched you like this?” he asked huskily as your brows knitted together at the pleasure of his teasingly grazing your covered clit, your wayward arms curling up against your chest, unintentionally pressing your tits together for him.

“N-no,” your breath hitched, eyes fighting to stay open.

Leaning forward, he placed a gentle peck over your covered slit, your pussy throbbing beneath his kiss as he glanced up to gauge your reaction, “is it okay?” his hot breath fanned across your centre.

Finding it impossible to speak when he flashed you that look, you simply nodded eagerly and whimpered as his thumb pressed down harder, rolling your swollen pearl over the soaked cotton.

Growing impatient, though also fearing that he’d make you cum before any of your clothing came off, you fervently lowered your fingers and began to tug your underwear down, Ari swiftly catching on and finishing the job himself.

“Fuck,” he stared, the sight nearly knocking the wind out of him, “you’re incredible…”

Nerves still growing under his adoring gaze, you found yourself promptly pulling his physique back up, tugging him close enough for your lips to crash against his own out of hope that it could soothe your understandable tensions.

Fingers still tangled in your nightgown, palming you hungrily through it as your lips ravaged each other’s, your bodies were so close that you nearly climbed him like a tree, though as you then momentarily parted for a breath of much-needed air, he impatiently yanked the shift up over your head and tossed it to the floor where most of his clothing lied in a crumbled pile.

Plucking you up with surprising ease, you felt as your core soaked his bulge on the short journey to your bed. Cradling you against him as he sat down on the edge, his tongue danced over yours as you settled on his lap, the light night breeze, blowing through the still open window, washed over your nude body, though the mild summer air wasn’t to blame for the shiver that ran down you spine.

Giving your tits a needy squeeze, he then murmured, “I feel like my eyes have been closed my whole life,” a hushed moan rushed out of him as you rocked your centre against his, the hardness so deliciously nudging against you, “how have I not seen that you’ve been right under my nose this whole time?”

“I was just a kid,” you stated, threading your fingers in his hair, “we both were.”

“Yeah, well you’re sure as fuck not that anymore,” he snaked a hand down between your tangled forms, sighing longingly as your abundant arousal soaked his fingers. “Has no one really ever touched you here before?” he asked you brashly as he strummed your clit, “not even just a little bit?”

“No, never anywhere,” your nose bumped against his, “only ever kissed, but it never felt like this,” your lips grazed his once more, pointing out the spark.

A sharp gasp left your body as Ari’s middle finger breached your trembling opening after teasingly nudging it for what felt like an eternity. Already being agonisingly fired up before your clothes even hit the floor, now that you felt his thick digit tenderly pumping inside of you, working you up for more of his fingers, as well as his hot breath tickling the rabid pulse clear on your neck, it seemed like an impossible task to stop the crash that was about to transpire.

Broad thumb steady on your puffy clit, he just managed to slide his ring finger in beside the other before your world came tumbling down around you.

Crumbling down, your face nuzzled into his sturdy shoulder as your pussy clenched onto his now motionless fingers for dear life. With his free hand gently stroking up and down your back, he breathed, “you wanna keep going or was that enough?” tilting his chin to plant a soothing peck on your hairline as you regained your breath.

“More,” your hazy voice vibrated against his skin, “I wanna feel you, I wanna feel all of you.”

“Well, you should probably know that I don’t have any condoms with me,” he reluctantly informed you, “so we can still do a lot of fun stuff, but we properly shouldn’t do everything-,” the rest of his sentence then crumbled as you hastily jumped up and yanked open the small drawer in your bedside table, “what are you doing?”

Pushing aside the books you used as a cover, you picked up a slim, flashy box containing the lacking item in question and showed it to him, “one of my friends gave it to me as a joke for my last birthday,” you explained in an adorably timid manner.

Blinking back at you, he then let out a genuine laugh, the warm and relieved sound rumbling within the room as you felt the sensation of your juices running down your inner thighs.

“You’re so amazing, you know that right?” he bubbled, pulling you back into his arms and capturing your lips in an adoring kiss.

Hooking the tips of your fingers in the waistband of his boxers as you kissed him back, it took you a second to muster up the courage to tug them off. Peeking down, you swiftly let out a breathy, “oh my god,” as you watched his intimidating girth spring out. Blinking up at him with wide eyes, then back down again, he attempted to swipe the small box from your hands, but you wouldn’t let him, determined to try yourself.

“You’re not gonna hurt me, baby,” he poked fun at how feathery and careful your touch was as you gingerly rolled the latex on. Gentle pride blossomed on your face in the form of a smile as you successfully finished the task, Ari then promptly scooted you both back further onto the mattress, a manoeuvre that caused your torso to drop down, your back melting into the mattress from the way he had manhandled you into place.

Resting on his knees with your legs draped over each of his thick thighs, he smiled down at your molten form and yanked your hips closer, “come here,” he uttered hoarsely over the giggle the rollercoaster of a move triggered within you, although the laugh quickly faded away as the hefty weight of his dick in his hand came down to tap your puffy clit.

Watching with heavy lids as a dollop of spit dropped from his lips and down upon your already sodden folds, he then lavishly spread it around your pussy with his hard length, coating the excess over himself. Fucking your petals, parting the mess, and nudging your clit till you were wiggling out of your skin, his hands then slid under your spine and pulled you back up into his lap.

Hugging your arms around his neck, your eyes never left his as you gently lifted yourself up, one of his burly forearms swiftly scooping under your bottom in support as he dragged the flush head of his cock through your dripping heat, your forehead dropping down against his at the buzzing bliss.

So slowly that it felt as if time had stopped itself, you sank down, gasping as only the tip stretched you out.

“Shit,” he uttered quietly, fingertips digging into your ass to control himself from not just slamming you down all the way. Forgetting how to breathe, overwhelmed by what little you had received, by what little you felt brave enough to conquer, you gazed back at him as he whispered, “you feel so good…” sensing your pussy clench around his vast girth at his silky words, your eyes fluttered closed at the intensity, “so fucking warm…” he sloppily planted a few comforting pecks along your flush cheek, “gripping onto me so good…” the hand not under you drifted up to trace the curve of your spine, your lungs jaggedly expanding underneath his palm.

Unhurriedly, your body eventually relaxed and gently began to move, shallowly fucking the very tip of him, even though just that already felt like more than you could handle, the way the bulbous head stretched you out being unimaginable.

“Oh my god,” you whined as the hand on your back slid around your form, sweetly coming up to brush the wild hair out of your face as he stared deeply into your eyes, “it’s so much!”

“Is it too much?” he asked, burying his face in the swell of your tit.

“I don’t-, I-,” you choked out, incapable of deciphering the correct answer at this staggering moment, “it’s just so much!” blubbering as his lips captured your pebbly nipple, “you’re so much, you’re just so-, oh my god!”

On the verge of cumming again, your hand shot down to rub your clit, his enthusiastic words crashing into you like a wave, “yeah, rub your clit,” grunting as he craned his head to look at the crude vision, “rub it, make yourself cum, come on, I can feel how close you are.”

With lewd moans reverberating off the walls, your body trembled in his grasp as your pussy clamped so tightly that it completely expelled his throbbing tip. Hearing him quietly curse into your ear, you slumped down against his form, your cores still aligned just right for the essence of him to slip back into place, your limps desperately clinging onto his shoulders as you caught your breath.

“This doesn’t even feel like real life,” you mumbled into his skin, the tip of his cock still feeling like a rock inside of you.

Gently tilting your head back, his eyes found your dazed ones as his deep voice washed over you like a warm blanket on a cold winter's night, “it is real life.”

Lip trembling with emotion, you asked, “you promise?”

With the hint of a smile twitching at the corners of his mouth, he let his forehead meet yours as he verified softly, “promise,” thumb soothingly sweeping across your cheek, “you need me to pinch you or something just to make sure?”

Giggling airily at his bad joke, the rumble then swiftly morphed into a hiss as your sensitive cunt consequently contracted around him, “oh fuck, how are you still so big?”

“Uhm,” he chuckled, “I’m sorry?”

“I just wanna feel all of you,” you whined light-heartedly, “but I don’t know how I’m ever gonna get there because it already feels like you’re all the way up here,” you motioned in the direction of your solar plexus.

You knew that you could technically just let go and sink down, but it felt too much like standing at the end of a diving board, too scared to jump even though you knew you’d be okay, the rush of the drop was just too much and led you to chicken out every time.

“You really wanna feel the rest?” he asked, readjusting his hold on you.

Staring back into his eyes, you exhaled into a pout, “I do. I really, really do.”

Capturing your lips in a kiss, you then felt the world tilt as Ari dipped you both down until your back hit the mattress. Distracting you with his tongue, dancing it against your own, he abruptly began to move his hips, fluidly thrusting them forward till his pelvis nuzzled against your own. All the air in your lungs was knocked out as his kiss muffled the loud moan you let out.

“There you go,” he smirked down at you, settling his arms on either side of your face, caging you in and declaring him as your entire reality, “that wasn’t so hard, was it?”

Incapable of replying in a more eloquent way than just primal moans, your thighs trembled on either side of him as he slowly pulled back out till just the memory of him remained. Brows knitted together, you glanced down to take in the striking sight of his fat girth splitting you apart.

“Look at how good we look together,” he followed your eye line, strings of your mess keeping his pelvis connected to yours like a carnal spiderweb, even when he slid out, reaching down to briefly glide the underside of him through your sloppy petals, ending by giving your puff a tap so rude that your entire body jumped beneath him, “such a good girl, taking it like a champ,” he buried himself once again, groaning lowly in bliss at the pleasure, “fucking knew you could take it,” he then emphasised each word he uttered next with a merciless thrust, “every god damn inch,” rocking into you so hard that the bed rattled beneath you.

With his dark eyes fixed upon you, absorbing the way your features contorted in ecstasy, the desperate sounds of your wetness were more overbearing than the clapping of skin colliding.

Sneaking another breathless kiss, he then dipped down and nipped along your neck, “fuck, you feel so good,” he moaned, lips wandering up to graze the shell of your ear, “sucking me in so fucking good,” fingers trailing down your quivering form, they dug into your thighs and primally tugged them up, resting your legs upon his sturdy shoulder and bending you in half like a pretzel, “best fucking pussy ever.”

“A-ari!” you whimpered, completely spellbound by the intense sensation of how impossibly deep he went, shaking under him like a leaf as you felt yourself tumble over the edge again.

Tilting his head to catch your eyes, watching how hard they fought to stay open, “I know, I know,” he simply murmured, “don’t push me out, I know you’re gonna cum, but please keep me inside, I wanna feel it, I wanna feel you,” not changing his speed one bit as you felt your pussy begin to shower him with love, soaking the sheets below as your cunt choked his cock.

You didn’t even register how obscenely loud you got as the overwhelming orgasm seemed to go on forever, his own selfish efforts in relishing in the sensation did nothing but draw it out even further, his rhythmic thrusts stayed steady till he’d emptied himself in the latex and you had nearly passed out from pleasure.

Peering up at him through your wispy lashes, tangled in the dewy aftermath, you began to giggle softly.

“What?” he chuckled groggily.

“I-… no, never mind,” you squashed the thought, “it’s silly…”

“What is it?” his palm slid up against the side of your cheek.

Vision flickering from one of his eyes to the next, you timidly spoke from the heart, “it's just that my wish came true. I always wanted you to be my first,” an unreadable expression crossed his features at the softness of your confession. He didn’t say anything, simply reached out and kissed you bittersweetly, though your blissed-out antennas didn’t catch onto that detail in the slightest, “you know, Evergreen isn’t too far away from where you work…”

You didn’t know what hour you had finally fallen asleep, but apparently, at some point, you had, as you now found yourself stirring from your dreams, soar and a hazy smile still plastered upon your lips. Gliding your hand over the covers in search of your neighbour, you didn’t bump into his form and blinked open your eyes to find that he had gone.

Trying not to freak out, you figured that maybe he didn’t wanna get into a sticky situation if your parents were to spontaneously waltz in at the crack of dawn and had therefore sneaked out.

Though when you peeked out your window to spy through his it was completely void of any sign of life. Could he unexpectedly have gotten called forcing him back to work or was there another reasonable explanation for his absence?

Shrugging on the minty, terrycloth robe that hung on the knob of your closet door, you strolled out of your door. Entering the kitchen where your mother already sat, she glimpsed up from her newspaper and flashed you a bright smile, “good morning, honey.”

“Morning, mom,” you cracked open a cupboard, seized a glass and held it under the tab which you swiftly turned on.

“Oh,” she excitedly perked up from behind you, “have you seen what finally came in the mail?” glass full, you turned to see the opened envelope she was referring to, the swirling words that were scribbled upon the cracked open card instantly made you’re your blood run cold and the glass nearly slip out of your grasp, “I still think it’s silly that they actually sent out ours with everyone else’s and didn’t just toss it over the hedge, but sure, I do get that there is something very romantic about sending and receiving wedding invitations in the mail.”

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amuseoffyre · 3 months

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Thinking again (thanks to the dead bird site) about Stede rebooting his worst day ever, aka the traumatic flashback he has multiple times across both season, only this time he gets the acceptance and approval he has craved for his entire life.

The Worst Day Ever is the day his father teaches him to kill, slaughtering a goose and spraying blood all over little Stede's face. He then grabs his son by the arm and drags him out to verbally excoriate him and tell him he is worthless and useless, "a soft-handed, weak-hearted, lily-livered little rich boy".

Faced with the prospect of killing for the first time sends Stede into a panic spiral including that flashback.

It's referenced again throughout the season, but especially in 1x02, loosely in the fever dream in 1x04 (he was scared of geese for Christ's sake!), and 1x09, when Stede is struggling with his guilt, self-recriminations and self-doubts and also being confronted directly by Chauncey.

But the most significant return of the Worst Day Ever flashback is immediately after Stede kills Ned Low, his first real deliberate kill.

Our man is very much Not Okay. The fact that this memory is front and centre shows exactly how much that day - that moment - impacted on him decades on.

He does his usual thing when he's upset - isolates and closes himself away somewhere else, shutting himself down and using the tried and true conceal-don't-feel approach.

The difference this time is that someone comes after him to offer him emotional support, comfort and care (much like Ed did on the beach in 2x09, and this time, more kisses as well). So for a little while at least, Stede is distracted and wrapped up in Ed's affections and can put Ned's death to the back of his mind.

But the trouble arises when they get to the Republic and suddenly, for the first time in his life, he's being praised and celebrated. And, of all the people for him to gravitate towards, he ends up choosing to spend his time in the company of Blood-bucket Bill, an older man in a blood-smeared leather apron, who keeps telling him how cool and amazing he is.

And, after Stede kills in front of him, we get another twisted up mirror of the Worst Day Ever. Instead of his dad dragging him out to humiliate him, Bloodbucket Bill grabs him by the arm and hauls him up and tells everyone "the Gentleman Pirate is the fuckin' dude"

And as the episode continues and Ed leaves, Stede retreats to the bar with Bill, trying to take comfort from the man who has been telling him how good he is all day.

"At least you like me for me," he says to the deranged blood-smeared groupie. "Bonnet, I'd fuckin' die for you" Bill tells him and you can see that it isn't bringing the assurance Stede thought it would.

And to ice the cake, even when he's holding onto those last little vestiges of "yay I'm cool", Izzy shows up and dismisses Bill with three words and Bill doesn't even try to stay. "I'll fuckin' die for you" becomes "yes, right away, Mr Hands".

And the framing. omg the framing in the scene. It is, once again, a deliberate and pointed call back to Stede's Worst Day Ever. Once again, an older man is looming over him and Stede is just waiting to have emotional strips ripped out of him again ("have you come for your victory lap?"). This is the first and only time I can think of Izzy looking taller than anyone, especially Stede.

But unlike the horrendous abuse he got from his father, the abuse Stede expects yet again, the same old patterns happening over and over, Izzy changes the script and tells him "I think you're good for him. You balance each other out".

And if not for a group of his crew - his family - choosing to leave him as well, it might have been enough. But when he's already fragile over the loss of one person precious to him and reassured that he's good for people after all, the threat of losing more of his beloved people pushes him straight back into the reckless behaviour that has filled the rest of his day.

(brb wailing into a pillow that we won't get to see him have a chance to process any of this stuff)

#ofmd #ofmd meta #ofmd parallels #ofmd thinkie thoughts

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sassenach77yle · 3 months

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There was a soft whoof! noise, then a louder whoomp! as the ether in the surgery ignited, and suddenly we were standing in a pool of fire. For a fraction of a second, I felt nothing, and then a burst of searing heat. Jamie seized my arm and hurled me toward the door; I staggered out, fell into the blackberry bushes, and rolled through them, thrashing and flailing at my smoking skirts. Panicked and still uncoordinated from the ether, I struggled with the strings of my apron, finally managing to rip loose the strings and wriggle out of it. My linen petticoats were singed, but not charred. I crouched panting in the dead weeds of the dooryard, unable to do anything for the moment but breathe. The smell of smoke was strong and pungent. Mrs. Bug was on the back porch on her knees, jerking off her cap, which was on fire.

Men erupted through the back door, beating at their clothes and hair. Rollo was in the yard, barking hysterically, and on the other side of the house, I could hear the screams of frightened horses. Someone had got Arch Bug out—he was stretched at full length in the dead grass, most of his hair and eyebrows gone, but evidently still alive. My legs were red and blistered, but I wasn’t badly burned—thank God for layers of linen and cotton, which burn slowly, I thought groggily. Had I been wearing something modern like rayon, I should have gone up like a torch. The thought made me look back toward the house. It was full dark by now, and all the windows on the lower floor were alight. Flame danced in the open door. The place looked like an immense jack-o’-lantern. “Ye’re Mistress Fraser, I suppose?” The squat, bearded person bent over me, speaking in a soft Scottish burr. “Yes,” I said, coming gradually to myself. “Who are you, and where’s Jamie?” “Here, Sassenach.” Jamie stumbled out of the dark and sat down heavily beside me. He waved a hand at the Scotsman. “May I present Mr. Alexander Cameron, known more generally as Scotchee?” “Your servant, ma’am,” he said politely. I was feeling gingerly at my hair. Clumps of it had been singed to crispy thread, but at least I still had some. I felt, rather than saw, Jamie look up at the house. I followed the direction of his glance, and saw a dark figure at the window upstairs, framed in the dim glow from the burning downstairs. He shouted something in the incomprehensible tongue, and began throwing things out of the window. “Who’s that?” I asked, feeling more than slightly surreal. “Oh.” Jamie rubbed at his face. “That would be Goose.”

“Of course it would,” I said, nodding. “He’ll be a cooked goose, if he stays in there.” This struck me as wildly hilarious, and I doubled up in laughter. Evidently, it wasn’t quite as witty as I’d thought; no one else seemed to think it funny. Jamie stood up and shouted something at the dark figure, who waved nonchalantly and turned back into the room. “There’s a ladder in the barn,” Jamie said calmly to Scotchee, and they moved off into the darkness. The house burned fairly slowly for a while; there weren’t a lot of easily flammable objects down below, bar the books and papers in Jamie’s study. A tall figure belted out of the back door, shirt pulled up over his nose with one hand, the tail of his shirt held up with the other to form a bag. Ian came to a stop beside me, dropped to his knees, gasping, and let down his shirttail, releasing a pile of small objects. “That’s all I could get, I’m afraid, Auntie.” He coughed a few times, waving his hand in front of his face. “D’ye ken what happened?” “It’s not important,” I said. The heat was becoming more intense, and I struggled to my knees. “Come on; we’ll need to get Arch further away.” The effects of the ether had mostly worn off, but I was still conscious of a strong sense of unreality. I hadn’t anything but cold well water with which to treat burns, but bathed Arch’s neck and hands, which had been badly blistered. Mrs. Bug’s hair had been singed, but she, like me, had been largely protected by her heavy skirts. Neither she nor Arch said a word. Amy McCallum came running up, face pale in the fiery glow; I told her to take the Bugs to Brianna’s cabin—hers now—and for God’s sake, keep the little boys safe away. She nodded and went, she and Mrs. Bug supporting Arch’s tall form between them.

No one made any effort to bring out the bodies of Donner and his companions. I could see when the fire took hold in the stairwell; there was a sudden strong glow in the upstairs windows, and shortly thereafter, I could see flames in the heart of the house. Snow began to fall, in thick, heavy, silent flakes. Within half an hour, the ground, trees, and bushes were dusted with white. The flames glowed red and gold, and the white snow reflected a soft reddish glow; the whole clearing seemed filled with the light of the fire. Somewhere around midnight, the roof fell in, with a crash of glowing timbers and a tremendous shower of sparks that fountained high into the night. The sight was so beautiful that everyone watching went “Oooooh!” in involuntary awe. Jamie’s arm tightened round me. We could not look away.

What’s the date today?” I asked suddenly.

He frowned for a moment, thinking, then said,“December twenty-first.”

“And we aren’t dead, either. Bloody newspapers,” I said. “They never get anything right.”

For some reason, he thought that was very funny indeed, and laughed until he had to sit down on the ground.

123 RETURN OF THE NATIVE~ A Breath of Snow and Ashes

#outlander #outlanderedit #the frasers #outlander starz #outlander series #jamie fraser #outlander fanart #samheughan #jamie&claire #jamie and claire #dr claire randall #claire fraser #claire beauchamp #outlander books #outlander season 7 #outlander 7x03

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kwanisms · 8 months

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Under Your Skin 03 — s.changbin

playlist

➮ tattoo artist!Changbin × fem!Reader summary: Everything seemed to fall into place for Y/N. She had a loving boyfriend, her dream job, and the bestest friend in the universe. She never thought her life was missing something until she was introduced to Changbin, the town's newest tattoo artist who happens to be harboring an unimaginable secret. genres/themes/au: angst, fluff, smut, slow burn, “forbidden” love, strangers to lovers; supernatural themes; non idol au, tattoo artist au, werewolf au, supernatural au warnings: adult dialogue, female reader, alcohol consumption, established boyfriend!Joshua (please note this story does NOT include cheating)

series taglist: @yoonguurt @wonderfulshinee @x-woozi @candidupped @snow-pegasus @brownieracha @avyskai @i-say-choco-you-say-ice-cream @biribarabiribbaem @mchslut @hgema @oiminho @ughyeka @honey-lemon-goose @fixation-dump @sleeplessdawn @changbinnss @racha-enthusiast @sanjoongie @chillllllli @nattisbored @chrollosforehead @tai-loves-skz @labyrinthonmymind @spookyauthorspopmusictrash @mamieishere @mariesakamari @buttergumz @emithecharmer @binnies-donuts @v3n0mszn @kazzilla @jihanlovic @thezombiepandaleague @moonl1ghtmuse @woozarts @ateezkeepmysoul

join my taglists: main | series

If you don't see your name, I cannot tag your blog or you've been removed for either being a minor or not having your age listed on your blog. MINORS WILL BE BLACKLISTED & BLOCKED. AGELESS BLOGS WILL ALSO BE BLOCKED.

a/n: here we have chapter 3. I lost some steam for this after being so strong in the beginning but I finally finished it. There isn't much to say other than here it is. I finished it lmao it's a slow burn so it'll take some time before we see any Changbin action. I hope you like it and as always, I love feedback and pls consider reblogging if you liked this chapter!

A huge thank you to Sky ☁️ for this entire story idea. Without her late night thoughts, this series wouldn’t even exist. Also a massive thank you to @icybluehosh for her professional input on all things tattoos. Thank you so much for reading this story and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! As always, this is a work of fiction and all characters are not reflective of their respective irl counterparts. for entertainment purposes only.

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𝗰𝗵 𝟬𝟯 - 𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁

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Soft subtle jazz tones floated through the air as you worked, a soft but catchy beat causing you to bob your head as you tapped your foot.

You’d been working on this new set, a beautiful antique set from Japan. You had finished making the gold paste earlier and were currently applying it to the broken seams of the carafe while Mr. Serizawa worked in the woodshop.

An old couch had been brought into the shop in dire need of restoration. The foam was lumpy and lopsided, the upholstery was ripped and beyond salvaging, and one of the back legs was broken, having splintered off.

He’d spent most of the previous day stripping the loveseat down to its basics, tossing the old upholstery and foam cushion. You didn’t have much time to watch, having finished painting the details on the English tea set which was drying in the safety of your cabinet.

The whirr of the sander had been drowned out long ago as you listened to the music Mr. Serizawa put on instead. He did it as a courtesy to your ears but you’d learned a long time ago how to tune out the noise while you worked.

You held two pieces of ceramic together, joining them at their seam with glue and once it set, you placed them aside to finish drying before you could add the resin. It was tedious work but you loved it all the same. Your eyes wandered to the clock and you were surprised to see it was almost six pm.

You wiped your fingers on your apron as you stood up, grabbing a cloth from your table as you walked over to the door of the woodshop, covering your nose and mouth with the cloth.

You peered in where you saw your boss looking over his work, sanding the wooden surfaces of the couch smooth before applying the stain. You took his break in sanding to call out to him and get his attention.

“It’s almost six pm, Mr. Serizawa!”

He looked up and you had to fight the urge to laugh at his appearance. He had forgotten his goggles and was instead wearing a pair of black sports sunglasses with blue shift lenses and his respirator. He always wore a pair of coveralls when he worked on furniture to protect his clothes from dust, stain, paint, and resin. He looked quite silly.

“Is it really?” he asked, his voice muffled by the mask. You nodded as he lifted the sunglasses.

“You don’t need to stay to close up,” he said as he turned off and set aside the electric sander, stepping over the cord as he moved towards you. “I’ll close up tonight. Shinju is making pork belly for dinner so it will be ready by the time I close up shop,” he added. You smiled at the mention of his wife.

Ever since his call the other day, he reported her progress each day. It filled you with relief that Shinju was doing so well. “Are you sure?” you asked softly as he started to walk back over to the work desk. He nodded, waving you away. “Just make sure to put that finished set out for sale!” he said, pointing as you started to walk away.

You moved to your station and cleaned up your supplies and left the pieces to dry as you opened the cabinet housing the finished English set. Carefully, you gathered all the pieces before closing the door and heading to the front where you set the items on the counter and started to write up a description and figure out a price.

As you were placing the set on one of the shelves, the front door opened. You looked up, expecting a customer but were surprised to see your best friend entering, the soft jingle of the bell echoing around the shop.

“Be right with you!” you heard Mr. Serizawa’s voice from the back. “I’ve got it!” you called back and turned to Lilah who smiled at you as she shut the door. “Is it a bad time?” she asked which you shook your head as you turned back to the shelf and set up the description and price tag.

Lilah walked over to look at the newest addition, leaning in to see all the tiny details.

“You really have a knack for that,” she noted as you moved behind the counter to add the English set to the inventory roster, adding the price and date. “Thanks,” you replied as you set the book back under the counter and looked up at your best friend. She was dressed rather casually you noticed but there was something about her make up that had you second guessing your assumption.

“What’s up?” you asked as she looked at you expectantly. “Are you off?” she asked. You nodded, leaning forward and resting your elbows on the counter. “Good,” Lilah said leaning in as well. “Cause we’ve been invited to a house party.”

You sighed and rolled your eyes, stepping back and moving away from the counter. “Lilah,” you started.

She followed as you walked out from behind the counter and towards the curtain that blocked off the back of the shop. Lilah followed you, pushing the green curtain aside as she stepped into the backroom. “Come on, Y/N!” she whined. You turned to her and noticed Mr. Serizawa peering out from the woodshop door. “Is that Lilah?” he called.

Lilah turned to look over her shoulder. “Hi Mr. Serizawa,” she said politely, greeting him. His face lit up. “Oh good to see you!” he said with a smile. “Make her leave,” he added, nodding towards you as you sat back down behind your desk.

Lilah turned back to you, giving you a smirk as she waited for you to move.

You sighed heavily and stood back up, reaching behind to untie your apron.

“Are you sure you don’t need me to stay, Mr. Serizawa?” you called as you folded and set your apron aside. His head appeared in the doorway into the woodshop again.

“It’s Friday night,” he started. “Go have fun with your friends!”

Lilah smiled brightly, thanking him as she ushered you out of the backroom, grabbing your things hastily in an effort to get out of the building faster. You whined as she shoved you out the front door, allowing it to shut. You glanced back in time to see your boss locking the door and waving you off.

You allowed Lilah to steer you town the sidewalk, no doubt in the direction of the party. “Wait,” you stopped in your tracks, forcing her to halt as well. You glanced down at your outfit and looked back up at her. “You don’t want me to change?” you asked and she smiled, shaking her head.

“You look perfectly fine,” she replied, linking arms with you and starting off down the sidewalk again.

Compared to her outfit, you looked ready to run errands in your peach floral skirt and cream colored blouse. There’s no way Lilah would have deemed this party appropriate under normal circumstances. You stopped her again. “Why do you keep stopping?”

You narrowed your eyes at her. “What’s your deal?” you asked suddenly. “You’d never let me go to a party dressed in my grandma clothes,” you added, using her words, not yours.

Lilah rolled her eyes. “Will you stop,” she asked, taking your arm again. “You look cute right now,” she added as she steered you down the pavement to the end of the block. “It’s just a house party.”

“And besides,” she continued. “You have a boyfriend, so it’s not like you’re trying to impress anyone!” You rolled your eyes as you made a turn at the end of the sidewalk and started down the street that led into a residential area. “And another reason is because we’d have to go to your place and then come all the way back here which would take longer,” she said as you neared the end of the block where you could hear heavy bass coming from one of the houses.

The true reason why she didn’t want you to go home and change. She wanted to save time.

“Are we going to see Chris?” you asked as you neared the house.

It was a medium craftsman style home with a nice sized front porch with the signature columns framing it. The front door was a rich red wood with glass windows at the top. The house was two stories with a small fenced in front yard and a one car driveway leading up to a small garage.

The front door opened as the two of you headed up the steps, a few partygoers exiting just before Lilah shoved you over the threshold.

Inside was like a scene out of a movie. The living room was just off the foyer with a staircase just in front of the door that led up to the second floor. To the left of the foyer was the dining room where the dining table had been moved aside and a beer pong table had been set up.

A crowd was gathered in the dining room watching the current match. Next to the staircase was a hallway that led all the way to the back of the house but you couldn’t see much as it was pretty crowded. Lilah dragged you into the crowd, bypassing the living room where a DJ had set up a table and all his equipment.

Lilah led you into an opening in the wall and into the kitchen.

You wove through the crowd until you reached the kitchen island where the drink station had been set up. Lilah was quick to pour you a drink despite your protesting. “It’s not that strong,” she told you over the bass. You lifted the cup to your lips and took a small sip, amused that she was right.

Lilah finished making her own drink before taking your hand and taking a large sip. She dragged you through the house, no doubt looking for Chris. You kept your wits about you, looking around as you dodged people and danced around them until you were back in the foyer, facing the dining room.

A few people had moved and you could now see on one end of the table was Chris and Minho. ‘They must be one of the teams,’ you told yourself as you sipped your drink. Lilah only waited a moment before dragging you into the mix and worming her way through the crowd until she reached Chris’ side as Minho aimed and bounced the ball in his hand into one of the cups on the opposite side.

Half the crowd erupted into cheers as Chris and Minho celebrated their small victory.

Chris turned from Minho and you watched as his eyes landed on Lilah and even you could see the way his expression changed. It was like no one else was in the room. It was the way Joshua used to look at you.

“Hey!” you heard him say, pulling Lilah into a hug. “You made it!”

You turned your attention to him as he spoke to you. “And you, too?” he asked, offering a hug which you accepted. Despite the empty cups in front of him, he smelled like cologne and not the alcohol you knew he’d consumed since before you even arrived.

“Yeah,” you replied. “She kidnapped me from work!” You nodded at Lilah who smiled sheepishly. Chris turned to look at Lilah, mimicking her grin. “I hope you don’t get in trouble for leaving work,” he replied. You shook your head as Lilah answered him.

“No, in fact, her boss practically kicked her out!”

Chris let out a laugh as he picked up his drink and downed the rest of it. He turned to Minho. “I’m gonna go get a refill,” he announced. Minho nodded nonchalantly before his eyes landed on you and you could have sworn you saw a small smile grace his features before he turned his attention on the opposing team.

Lilah leaned into your frame to speak directly into your ear. “I’m gonna go help Chris,” she said before downing the rest of her drink and sending you a wink. And just like that, she left you alone.

You looked into your cup, wanting to avoid the gaze of practically everyone.

As you tried to act natural, you felt someone’s gaze on you and glanced up at the side across from Minho and Chris’ and felt your breath catch in your throat.

Changbin was standing with his friend, Jeongguk. They were the opposing team. Jeongguk was sporting a black oversized tee as he usually did but instead of his signature sweats you’d seen him in twice now, he was wearing a pair of jeans and some brown Timberlands.

Changbin on the other hand was dressed for the occasion, wearing a black graphic shirt with white geometric lines and black cargo pants fitted at the ankle and tucked into black combat boots and for the first time you’d ever seen, he was wearing black framed glasses. A pair of dog tags hung from the chain around his neck. Jeongguk was looking at Minho, a very cheeky smile on his lips as he pointed at Minho who glanced down and groaned at seeing a small white ball in one of the cups.

Changbin, however, had his eyes trained on you. His expression was unreadable but when he noticed you looking back, a small smile, almost a shy one, spread across his lips before he looked away. You looked away as well as Lilah and Chris returned with fresh drinks, laughing at some joke you hadn’t heard.

The party raged on around you and you downed your drink. Chris had offered to get you a refill but it was Minho who went instead, despite your protests. Your second drink dwindled quickly and soon you were venturing into the kitchen for something else to sip on.

The pong game had ended after Minho brought your second drink to you and the group had migrated into the kitchen nook, taking up empty seats around the table. Lilah had taken up residence on Chris’ lap and a girl whose name you didn’t know managed to steal Changbin’s lap and make it her spot.

You tried not to watch out of the corner of your eye as the two of them chatted animatedly about his tattoos and as he spoke, he pointed them out to her. You also tried not to pay attention to the way her hand rested on his bicep a little longer than necessary.

Changbin didn’t seem to mind the attention from what you could tell. As you tried to focus on anything else, you noticed in the living room Seungcheol who was leaning into and talking to… Joshua?

Your boyfriend laughed at something Seungcheol said before he caught your eye. He sent a smile your way and turned back to his friend. You managed to find something else to drink and were back at the table, ignoring the way the girl on Changbin’s lap was whispering into his ear.

You tried to focus on the conversation at hand.

“That place was so unsanitary, I’m glad they shut it down,” Ari said from her spot next to Minho who had his arm draped across the back of her chair. “It was an iconic staple!” Lilah argued, turning her head to look at Ari. The blonde rolled her eyes. “You got food poisoning from there like five times, Lil,” she reminded your best friend.

“When did you get food poisoning five times?” you interjected, drawing the attention of half the table.

The girl on Changbin’s lap finally seemed to notice you, giving you a once over before speaking.

“Uh, who the hell are you?” she demanded.

Your attention snapped to her.

You couldn’t focus on her face. Instead, you looked past her at Changbin.

He was looking at her with a look of unmistakable anger. He tapped her back, motioning for her to get up. She got up, still looking at you as he got up and excused himself from the table and disappeared into the crowd.

“She’s my best friend, Pax,” Lilah said sternly. Ari nodded, turning to look at Pax. “Don’t be a cunt, Paxton,” she added. You downed the rest of the liquid in your cup and excused yourself, feeling the overwhelming urge to run away and cry.

It had never bothered you before when some of Lilah’s friends asked who you were but when someone looked at you with such disdain, it really dug deep.

You returned to the kitchen island, glancing around. Joshua was nowhere in sight and you wondered briefly what he was up to. “Hey,” a voice said and you looked up. A man you’d never seen before was standing across from you at the island. “Keep walking buddy,” another voice said and you watched as Minho and Ari passed you, heading for the dance floor.

“Yeah,” Ari added. “She’s taken!”

The two of them disappeared into the dancing crowd, leaving you to the mercy of this talkative stranger.

“So you’re not single I take it?” he asked as you searched through the available drinks. You shook your head. “Nope,” you answered. He leaned in, watching you with brown eyes. “Then where’s your boyfriend?” he asked. You looked up to meet his gaze.

He was decent looking and who knows. Maybe if you weren’t dating Joshua, you might have taken him up to one of the bedrooms. “He’s around here somewhere,” you replied, sifting through the small trough of ice on the counter, looking through the canned and bottled drinks.

“You should try the punch,” the guy said before winking and standing up straight. “Your boyfriend is a lucky man,” he added before bidding you a goodnight and walking away. Your eyes fell on the bowl of punch and deciding what the hell, you grabbed a clean cup and reached for the ladle.

You scooped a couple ladlefuls into your cup and placed the ladle back into the bowl before lifting the cup to your lips. Before you could take a sip, however, a hand grabbed the cup and tore it from your hand. You looked over as Changbin dumped the cup into the sink and tossed the cup before holding up an unopened can of soda.

You looked from the can up to his eyes and then took the can, offering a small thanks.

He gave you a small smile as you opened the can and took a sip, silence falling over the two of you.

“Lilah mentioned your tolerance,” he said just loud enough for you to hear him. You felt heat rise to your face so instead of speaking, you took another sip of the soda. Changbin watched you before speaking again. “And I’m pretty sure I saw someone spike the punch with something other than alcohol.”

You looked at him, brows raised. He was… looking out for you? You nodded silently, taking another sip of your soda before raising the can. “Thanks by the way,” you said and started to walk away. Changbin followed as you wove through the crowded kitchen.

“So, where did Paxton go?” you asked, noticing she was no longer seated at the table. Changbin glanced at the table before his gaze fell back on you. “Eh, she’s probably with someone else right now,” he answered. “To be honest, I wasn’t really interested in her.”

Changbin had no idea why he was even telling you this. It’s not like you cared about his dating life. Or so he thought. “What about Hana?” He looked up at you, the shock on his face must have shown because you continued to speak. “She seemed nice.” Changbin nodded slowly, still astonished you were even asking.

“Uh, she was,” he admitted. “But we didn’t really have that much in common. The attraction was mainly surface level,” he added. He let out a chuckle. “Actually, I’m pretty sure she only wanted to date me because she might get free tattoos.”

You looked up from your drink, clearly surprised by this admission. You looked away and said something under your breath, prompting him to ask you to say it again.

“If people want you to tattoo them, they should pay for it. Regardless if they’re dating you or work for you,” you replied. “Art is art and people need to remember that artists are people who deserve to be paid for their work.” If Changbin hadn’t already respected you as an artist he certainly did before.

“I couldn’t agree more,” he said more to himself than to you but you seemed to have heard him anyway. “Take my art for instance,” you said as he listened. “If I just gave it away to friends or my boyfriend or my family, the shop would never make any money off something I spent hours, even days, making.”

Changbin nodded as you continued. “Art is a valid career and people need to remember that,” you added, taking another sip of your soda. Changbin watched you briefly before contributing to the conversation. “I’m glad someone else feels the same way about art. A lot of people see art as a hobby and not a livelihood so they expect you to do it for free,” he said as he leaned against the counter.

“They expect you to do it for free because someone else did it for free,” you interjected, catching Changbin off guard. “Which is why I always tell people to never sell themselves short. Don’t do anything for free, especially if you’re good at it.” Changbin’s lips pulled into a half smile.

The conversation between the two of you dwindled as you both watched over the crowd until Changbin noticed you fanning yourself with your hand. “You alright?” Changbin asked, brow knitting together in concern. You forced a smile. “I’m just a little warm. There’s a lot of people here.”

Changbin tossed his empty container in the trash and stood up straight. “You wanna get some fresh air?” he asked and you stared back at him, contemplating your options. You could stay inside where it was really warm but where Joshua could see you or you could go outside with Changbin and cool off.

You hadn’t seen Joshua in a long while so you decided it wouldn’t hurt to go outside. It’s not like you were with a total stranger. Changbin was friends with Chris and if both Lilah and Chris trusted him, then you had no reason not to trust him either.

“Sure,” you replied finally, standing up straight and downing the rest of your soda. Changbin took the empty can from you and tossed it before letting you lead the way to the backdoor, squeezing through the crowded kitchen, into the hallway before finally stepping out into the cool night air.

The backyard was a decent size, fenced in with a privacy fence. The deck was large, accommodating several partygoers and an eight person hot tub that was currently being used. You skipped down the steps, feet landing on the grass. In the corner to your right was a small garden, a large oak tree stood, a rope swing with a wooden seat hung from one of the sturdier branches.

Changbin followed as you walked over to the swing, taking a seat as he stood nearby.

“This is a really nice place,” you noted, looking around the backyard. Changbin nodded. “Yeah,” he answered. “I’m not sure whose place it is,” he added with a chuckle. “Chris and Minho dragged us here,” he continued, moving to stand behind you.

“Yeah, me neither,” you replied, chuckling when you felt him gently push you. “You gonna push me?” you asked as you swayed lightly on the swing. Changbin chuckled, grabbing the rope to stop your momentum. “Sorry,” he said softly. “Old habits.”

You glanced back at him, meeting his gaze. You felt heat rise in your cheeks as you looked away. Changbin let go of the ropes and moved around to lean against the trunk of the tree. “So,” he started, hands in his pockets. “Is that one tea set still at the shop?” he asked.

You turned to look at him. “Which tea set?” you asked, cocking your head. “The kintsugi one,” he answered. You hesitated before answering. “Yeah,” you nodded. “It’s still there.” Changbin nodded silently. “Why do you ask?” you continued. Changbin fought the urge to smile.

“Jeongguk keeps talking about it. I think he really wants it but doesn’t want to admit it.”

You smiled, looking down at your knees. Changbin glanced down as well. He hadn’t said it earlier because he wasn’t sure if it was crossing a line but you looked really nice. The peach skirt with floral pattern complimented your skin and the cream colored flowy blouse looked good on your frame. Your makeup was subtle and different from almost any girl he normally associated with.

His eyes wandered of their own accord, moving down your legs to take in the shoes you wore. Beige colored mary jane style pumps with low heels completed the look and Changbin had to force himself to look away from your legs. If he stared any longer, you might think he was a creep.

“How many tattoos do you have?” you asked suddenly, pulling him from his thoughts. “Uh,” he hesitated, counting in his head. “A lot,” he finally answered with a chuckle. “Where are they?” you asked, leaning your head against the rope. “Well,” Changbin said, standing up straighter. “I have them almost everywhere,” he answered. “Arms, legs, chest, back,” he continued.

“Do you have full sleeves?” you asked, looking up at him. Your question was genuine and full of curiosity. Something he didn’t expect from you. He nodded. “I do,” he answered. “From the shoulder down to my wrists and a few hand tattoos,” he added. “Which I’m sure you’ve seen by this point,” he added with a chuckle, showing the tops of his hands to you. With a smile, you nodded slowly.

“And your chest?” you asked. “Oh, just one,” he said softly, raising his hand to place it over his chest tattoo. “A tiger,” he explained.

A smile grew on your face. “I have plans to add more,” he added. “Jeongguk has the sketches on his tablet.” You smiled at him as he spoke. “Do you have any tattoos?” he asked suddenly and you laughed loudly. “Sorry,” you said as your laughter subsided. “No,” you continued, shaking your head.

“Lilah is the tattooed one.”

Changbin nodded slowly. “Have you ever thought about getting one?” he asked and again you shook your head. “No,” you repeated. “It’s never really interested me before,” you added. Changbin watched as you swayed gently on the swing. “Do tattoos bother you?” he asked, tilting his head.

You looked up, meeting his gaze. “No,” he said softly. “They’re just tattoos,” you added. “Most people in this town are divided when it comes to them. Half the population has them and the other half doesn’t,” you explained. Changbin watched as you started to turn the swing, the rope twisting together above your head. “Some people think archaically,” you continued softly.

“They think people with tattoos are somehow inherently bad.”

Changbin snorted. He’d experienced his fair share of those kinds of people. “And what do you think?” he asked, watching as you lifted your feet and spun around on the swing. “I think tattoos are a lot like accessories only you can’t change them or take them off easily,” you started, putting a foot down to stop your momentum.

“They don’t change a person. You are who you are with or without them,” you continued. “It’s just art but instead of being on a canvas, your skin is the canvas.” Changbin stared at you with new found appreciation. You looked up to meet his gaze, a small smile gracing your features.

Changbin opened his mouth to respond but was cut off.

“Y/N?” a voice called, making both of you look towards the source.

Changbin watched as your boyfriend, Joshua, walked towards the two of you. “Everything okay?” he asked, looking from Changbin to you and back. “Everything is fine,” you said, smiling at him. “We’ve just been talking,” you added. Joshua’s gaze shifted to Changbin again.

“Is that right?” he heard Joshua murmur. Either you didn’t hear Joshua or chose to ignore it, the smile on your face not faltering. “I’m heading home,” Joshua announced. “Would you like me to walk you home?” he asked, turning his gaze back to you. Changbin glanced at you as you got up from the swing.

You turned to face him. “Thank you for the talk,” you said, brushing off your skirt. Changbin nodded, smiling as you crossed the short distance where Joshua stood. “I’ll see you around,” you added, looking back over your shoulder at him. Changbin nodded. “See you around,” he said.

You took Joshua’s arm and allowed him to steer you towards the house as Changbin watched your figure disappear into the house. Jeongguk appeared moments later, jogging down the steps and walking over to where Changbin stood. “I was wondering where you’d gotten to,” he said.

Changbin shrugged. “You found me,” he joked. Jeongguk nodded, glancing back towards the house. “Were you out here with Y/N?” he asked, walking over and taking a seat on the swing. Changbin nodded silently. “Yeah,” he answered.

Jeongguk stared up at him, one of his brows raised. “It’s not like that,” Changbin said, rolling his eyes. “We were talking inside, she got hot so we came out here to cool off and get some fresh air.” Jeongguk nodded slowly, still giving Changbin a look. “Nothing happened,” Changbin clarified.

“Dude,” Jeongguk said, tattooed hands holding onto the rope. “She’s got a boyfriend.”

Changbin shrugged, gesturing wildly. “Nothing happened! We were talking!” Jeongguk nodded. “I know man. But you know how people are,” he replied. “They’re gonna talk. And you don’t want that kind of attention, trust me.” Changbin nodded, moving around behind Jeongguk and paused.

“You ready to go?” Jeongguk asked. “That Paxton chick was looking for you but I saw her making out with some dude in there like minutes before that.” Changbin nodded again, staring at Jeongguk’s back. “Yeah,” he said, pulling his hands from his pockets.

“I’m ready to go. I just need to do this first,” Changbin said. “Do what-YAH!”

Changbin pushed Jeongguk hard enough to cause him to slip off the wooden swing seat and onto the ground before he took off towards the house. “SEO CHANGBIN!” Jeongguk called as he clumsily got up and chased after him, Changbin giggling maniacally as he squeezed between the other partygoers.

“I’m heading out!” he called to Chris who looked up and nodded, waving at him with Lilah still perched on his lap. Changbin headed for the door as Jeongguk started to enter the kitchen. Changbin managed to make it out the front door and out onto the sidewalk as Jeongguk exited the house and made a beeline for him.

“Truce?” Changbin asked, backing away as his friend advanced on him. “Truce?!”

“No mercy,” Jeongguk said, trying to grab Changbin who managed to dodge and duck Jeongguk’s attempts before the older finally gave up. “You’re too small,” he whined as Changbin laughed, keeping pace with him as they walked away from the house.

“Too fast for you,” Changbin clarified. Jeongguk rolled his eyes. “Yeah sure,” he retorted.

“Too fast and short.”

Your walk with Joshua was mostly full of silence as you held onto his arm, thankful he matched your pace as you walked. The night was cool and the air crisp now that the sun had set. The sound of crickets still lingered as you walked through the mostly empty streets.

“So,” Joshua finally said, breaking the silence between you. “What were you doing outside with Changbin?” he asked. You looked at him, shrugging your shoulders. “We were just talking,” you answered. “We started talking inside the kitchen. He warned me that the punch bowl might have been spiked with something other than alcohol,” you added.

Joshua looked at you, eyes wide. “Really?” he asked. You nodded and continued to speak. “Yeah, so he gave me an unopened can of soda and then we went outside cause I was feeling a little warm. Too many bodies in one room,” you added. “And we just talked.”

“What did you talk about?” You looked up at Joshua again, trying to discern the look on his face. You couldn’t tell if he was being genuinely curious or if he was prying. Either way, you had nothing to hide from him.

“We talked about his tattoos,” you answered. “He asked if I had any and I told him no. We also talked about art.” Joshua nodded as you walked, mulling over your words. “Art, huh?” he asked more to himself than to you. “You know, the last thing I want to do is make you feel like you’re a child incapable of making your own choices,” Joshua started and you suddenly felt as if you should have lied.

“But I don’t like the idea of you and him alone together,” he continued. You held back what you really wanted to say, choosing instead to smooth over it. “We weren’t alone,” you reminded him. “There were plenty of other people outside.”

Joshua looked at you as the two of you neared your apartment building. “A bunch of drunk people,” he said as you slowed to a stop at the base of the stairs. “Joshua,” you started, letting go of his arm and turning to face him. “I was fine. Chris and Lilah trust Changbin and I trust them, so why shouldn’t I trust Changbin?” you asked.

Joshua sighed, taking both your hands in his and pulled you closer. “I’m just looking out for you,” he replied, placing your arms around his waist and wrapping his arms around you, pulling you into a hug. “I don’t trust any man alone with you,” he added.

“Don’t trust them,” you started, pulling back to look up at him. “Or don’t trust me?”

Joshua clicked his tongue in mild annoyance, taking your face in his hands. “I don’t trust them,” he replied. “I trust you fully,” he added, leaning in to press a soft kiss against your lips. “Then,” you said as he pulled back. “Trust me to handle myself,” you continued.

“I’m not a damsel in distress that you have to save all the time,” you reminded him.

“I’ll see you Sunday,” you said, pressing a chaste kiss to his lips. “After church?” he asked, sounding hopeful. You shook your head. “I have to have dinner with my parents,” you explained. “I need to borrow one of their cars and the fee is dinner,” you added.

Joshua looked at you with a mix of concern and confusion.

“Why do you need to borrow one of their cars?” he asked. “I can take you anywhere you need to go, you know that,” he said softly, caressing your cheek. “I know,” you chuckled, taking one of his hands and pulling it away from your face. “But you work Monday,” you reminded him.

“What’s Monday?” he asked, cocking his head. “Mr. Serizawa asked me to go to the next town over and pick up Daniel,” you explained. “Lilah is going with me so I won’t be making the drive alone.” Joshua nodded and sighed. “I wish you’d told me sooner. I would have requested it off,” he replied.

You smiled at him. “It’s alright,” you responded, pulling his other hand from your cheek. “I’ll be okay,” you added. “I’m just going to the ferry station to pick him up and then coming straight back, but it will take most of the day,” you continued. “Besides, a little road trip with Lilah should be fun.”

Joshua smiled and nodded. “Well, I suppose it’ll be okay. I’ll see you when you get back then? We could grab dinner, maybe watch a movie at my place?” he said, holding onto your hand as you climbed one step. “Sure,” you said, looking back at him. “Perfect,” he replied.

“Get some sleep,” he said as you took another step. “Hey,” he called, gently tugging your hand and making you look at him. “I love you,” he said, stepping up onto the bottom step. You leaned in, pressing your lips against his, following his lead as his lips parted and his tongue slipped into your mouth.

“I love you, too,” you replied as you pulled back. “Get some sleep, babe,” he whispered, pressing a quick kiss to your lips and letting go of your hand as you climbed the rest of the steps. “Goodnight,” you called, looking back as you reached the door. “Night, babe,” he replied as you unlocked the door and entered the building.

You headed up the stairs to your door, unlocking and letting yourself into your apartment. Tomorrow you’d tackle your chores since Sunday you had church and Monday morning you’d be leaving to go pick up Daniel.

You dropped your purse on the counter and shrugged off your jacket, draping it over the back of one of the island barstools. You sat on the couch, bending over to remove your shoes and stood up to take them to the door, making sure the door was locked.

You headed to your bedroom, slowly stripping out of your clothes and changing into something more comfortable. You headed back into the kitchen to grab a snack as you had left work and gone straight to the party without eating dinner.

While you ate, you scrolled your social media feeds on your phone before finally turning off all the lights and settling down for bed, leaving your phone on the charger on your nightstand. It didn’t take long after climbing into bed for you to pass out.

═══════════════════════════════════════════

It had been a couple days since the party and you had gone to your parents’ house after church the following Sunday for dinner and to ask your father to borrow a car to pick up Daniel. You’d sat through the usual interrogation that occurred, asking about your job, your relationship, and somehow your parents managed to swing the conversation around to Lilah.

You did your best to answer the questions as vaguely as possible. After agreeing to spend the night at your mother’s request, the next morning, you headed out, stopping at your place before driving over to pick up Lilah.

As you pulled up to Lilah’s building, you slipped your phone out of your purse and typed out a quick message. You knew Lilah could sometimes take a moment to answer or even read her messages but as you looked up from your phone, you were surprised to see Lilah already walking towards you.

She waved as she got into view. You waved back, putting your phone in the holder on the dashboard as Lilah opened the door and got in. She smiled as he set her bag on the floorboard behind your seat and started to buckle her seatbelt as you put in the address for the ferry station.

“Hey,” Lilah said as the seatbelt clicked in place. “Hey,” you replied pressing the start button on your phone navigation. “How was dinner with your parents?” Lilah asked as you put the car in gear and pulled out of your parking space.

“It was… dinner with my parents,” you replied with a slight chuckle. “Did they grill you about your job again?” You nodded as you drove, following the road that led to the highway. “As usual,” you added. Lilah shook her head as she settled into her seat.

“And did they ask when you and Joshua are getting married?” You glanced at Lilah and your expression said everything. “Of course they did,” she scoffed as you continued to follow the signs for the highway. “Why do they always ask that? It’s not like you’re in a big rush to get married and settle down,” she added. “This isn’t the nineteen-fifties. You don’t need to be married with kids by the time you’re thirty.”

You hummed in agreement as you turned onto the highway and started to speed up to merge with traffic.

“You know how they are,” you replied. “I’m sure Joshua is getting the same treatment.”

Lilah snorted as she pulled out her phone and started fiddling with the bluetooth settings of the car.

“Yeah, well Joshua has always been a bit… old-fashioned.”

You glanced at your best friend as she focused on pairing her phone.

“And what does that make me?” you asked softly.

Lilah didn’t look up as her phone connected and she started playing her music. “You know how I feel about your relationship with Josh,” she said softly, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth. You sighed softly as you changed lanes to go around a van crawling ahead of you. “I know,” you replied.

An awkward silence settled between you as Lilah turned the music up a bit.

She had always made her thoughts about Joshua known, especially after she and Seungcheol split and now that Joshua was starting to show more controlling tendencies. You understood and appreciated her concern but you knew you could handle your boyfriend when it came down to it.

“So,” you finally said, wanting to change the subject. “Tell me about this new tattoo you’re getting.”

It seemed to be the right call on your part, asking Lilah about tattoos always put her in a much better mood. She started off showing you pictures of the inspiration of the tattoo she was getting. She explained the details, even the minute ones. She finally showed you a drawing of the final design and explained the colors and shading that would be used.

“It sounds really cool,” you said as she put her phone back in the console. “I love the flowers.”

Lilah’s smile widened. “You wanna go with me to my appointment?” It wasn’t uncommon for Lilah to ask this and more than once you’d gone with her to get piercings but you’d never been to one of her tattoo appointments. “When is it?”

“Wednesday,” she replied, watching you as you contemplated. “I’m not off until six on Wednesday,” you explained. Lilah nodded. “It’s at seven,” she offered, hoping it might sway your decision. “It’ll take a few hours but you’re off on Thursdays,” she continued.

You felt the corners of your lips twitch as a smirk threatened to spread across your face. “I didn’t realize you had my schedule memorized,” you replied to which Lilah let out a laugh. “You’re my best friend,” she started as the song on the stereo changed. “Of course I know your schedule.”

You grimaced but said nothing. You thought about the conversation you’d had with Joshua the night of the party. He didn’t trust Changbin to be around you alone so surely being surrounded by people at the tattoo shop was fine.

Then again, you suspected it was really you Joshua didn’t trust though you couldn’t fathom why. You’d never so much as thought about another man since you started dating him. You’d never entertained the thought of cheating nor would you ever.

You were loyal.

“Hello? Earth to Y/N?” Lilah’s voice snapped you out of it. You blinked rapidly and looked over at her quickly. “Sorry,” you replied. “What did you say?”

Lilah settled back against her seat. “I asked if you want to go with me to my appointment after you get off work,” she repeated. You nibbled on your bottom lip, checking your mirrors before changing lanes to go around yet another slow moving vehicle.

“Fine,” you finally answered, switching back into the lane in front of the truck. “I’ll go with you but I’m not getting anything and I expect you to respect that,” you added. Lilah nodded excitedly. “I’m just glad you’re going with me!” she said, grabbing her phone and changing the music.

“For moral support,” you explained. “That’s all.”

The first hour of the trip was spent listening to music, chatting. Lilah told you about the progress of her situation with Chris, keeping you up-to-date on all the juicy gossip among her friend group. You didn’t care much for gossip but you knew Lilah and how much she loved it so you let her carry on.

“Which reminds me,” she said as she finished telling you about Ari’s mishap at the party where she fell going up the steps with Minho. “Where did you go?” she asked. You glanced at her before looking back at the road. “When?” you asked.

“During the party,” Lilah asked. “Ari and Minho went upstairs to hook up in one of the many rooms,” she stated. “Hana spent the whole night outside in the hot tub, Paxton says she hooked up with Changbin--” you snorted, drawing her attention. “What?” she asked.

You glanced at her and then back at the road, fighting the urge to laugh. “She’s lying,” you replied.

Lilah eyed you suspiciously. “How do you know?” she asked. “I mean, I did see her making out with a guy that looked an awful lot like him,” she said, watching as you burst into laughter. “When does she say this hook up occurred?” you asked. Lilah shrugged. “I’m not sure. Probably around the time you disappeared.” You laughed again.

“She may have hooked up with a guy,” you said as you kept your eyes on the road. “But it certainly wasn’t Changbin,” you added. Lilah narrowed her eyes. “How do you know?” she asked. “Cause he was with me outside,” you replied.

Lilah’s jaw dropped.” You got in the hot tub in your skivvies and didn’t tell me?!” she yelled. You looked at her incredulously. “Okay first of all, never say skivvies again,” you started, laughing. “And second, no,” you continued. “Changbin stopped me from drinking the punch and gave me a can of soda and we started talking.”

Lilah watched you as you continued to explain. “And then I got warm inside the kitchen so we went outside to get some fresh air and continued our talk. We were over by the garden. And then Joshua came up and I left with him,” you explained.

“Changbin was with you the whole time?” Lilah asked and you nodded. “So unless he went back in and hooked up with her after, which I doubt because he told me he doesn’t even really like her, she’s either lying or she doesn’t remember who she really hooked up with.”

Lilah let out a laugh, shaking her head. “Changbin told you he doesn’t like her?” she asked, to which you nodded. “Yeah. He said he also doesn’t really like Hana,” you continued. Lilah sighed, leaning back in her seat. “Is there anyone he does like?” she wondered and you shrugged.

“Maybe stop trying to set him up with your friends and let him do his own thing?” you asked and Lilah clicked her tongue. “That’s no fun,” she pouted, crossing her arms before she gasped. “What?” you asked, looking around. “I have an amazing idea!” she said, bouncing in her seat.

You groaned. “I thought you saw something,” you whined. “Don’t do that gasping thing when I’m driving!” Lilah grimaced. “Sorry, but wait until you hear this idea!” she said, sitting forward. “I have the perfect match for Changbin!”

You turned to look at her. “We just talked about this Lilah!” you admonished. “Leave the poor man be!” Lilah shook her head. “I can’t. This pairing is just too perfect!” she said, pulling her phone out and scrolling through it. “I know this girl. I think she’d be perfect for him.”

You sighed as you continued to drive. ‘Poor Changbin.’

The next two hours were spent listening to music until you stopped at a small town to get coffee and something to eat now that you were both more awake and hungry. “Look at her,” Lilah said, showing you a picture of a really pretty girl with a pale complexion. She had split colored hair, half blonde and the other half black.

In the picture her hair was curled in soft waves reaching her shoulders, half of it pulled up into a high ponytail with strands framing her face. She had makeup similar to the style Lilah wore, graphic liner, heavy blush on her cheeks and nose, highlighter, false lashes, but she differed in that she wore nude pink lip colors.

She was covered in ink, tattoos decorating her chest, shoulders, and arms. She had multiple nose piercings, an upper lip piercing, stretched ears and multiple cartilage piercings. She had a slim waist with curves.

She wore a high waisted black pleated skirt with black fishnets and combat boots. The shirt was black with white stripes and a tiny green alien peeking out of a small pocket on the chest tucked into the skirt. Half her curled hair was pulled up into a high ponytail, strands falling and framing her face.

“She’s pretty,” you noted with a nod. Lilah swiped to another picture. “She’s an instagram model too,” she explained, showing you the next picture. It was of the same girl kneeling on a bed, wearing a high waisted black thong with lace and a cropped shirt with a Mario star on it. She had extensions in her hair, part of it pulled up into twintails, the rest cascading in waves.

She wore a pink headset with kitty ears, white thigh highs with pink bows and in her hands was a gaming controller. You said nothing, instead nodding as you waited for your food to be ready. “She’s really cool,” Lilah said, fawning over her phone.

You watched as she scrolled a bit more and showed you a few more pictures before asking for your opinion. “Do you think he’d like her?” she asked. You looked at your best friend. “Why are you asking me?” you asked. Lilah shrugged. “I thought maybe since he told you what he didn’t like, he might have told you what he does like.” You snorted, shaking your head.

“Most certainly not,” you replied. Lilah sighed, returning her attention to her phone. “I’ll ask her if she’s interested anyway.” You said nothing again, instead focusing on the barista as she bagged up your food and grabbed your coffees.

Back in the car, you ate your sandwich quickly while Lilah fiddled with her phone, exchanging messages. “She’s interested!” she said excitedly. “She wants me to send a picture of Changbin. Should I just take one from his insta?” she asked, looking up at you.

You shrugged, wanting to stay out of it. “Do you have any pictures of him on your phone?” you asked. Lilah stared at you unblinkingly. “Why would I have pictures of him on my phone?” she asked. You shrugged again. Lilah fiddled with her phone. “I think Chris follows him,” she murmured, searching through Chris’ follow list.

You started the engine and pulled out of your parking space, pulling onto the road and making your way back to the highway as Lilah searched for Changbin’s account. “Shit, it’s private,” she hissed. “And that’s bad?” you asked as Lilah grabbed your phone, unlocking it with your passcode.

“How do you know my passcode?” you asked incredulously. “It’s not like it’s a secret,” she said, looking up at you. “It’s your dead dog’s birthday,” she reminded you. “Isn’t yours Chris’ birthday?” you asked, eyeing her. She stuck her tongue out at you as she pulled up instagram, going into the search bar.

“What are you doing?” you asked, trying to keep your eyes on the road and on her at the same time. “I’m gonna follow him from your account,” she said nonchalantly. “What?” you shouted, reaching for your phone. “Hey, hey!” she shouted, shielding your phone from you.

“Eyes on the road, maniac!” she added, pointing at the road. “Why can’t you follow him from your account?” you asked angrily. “You follow his tattoo page, don’t you? And you follow the shop!” Lilah ignored you, typing in Changbin’s name. “I don’t follow either!” you added.

“I know,” she said softly. “That’s why I’m making you follow them all right now,” she added with a mischievous grin. You tried to snatch your phone again only for her to pull away. “You’ll crash if you keep doing that,” she retorted.

You checked the mirrors before pulling over and parking the car.

“What are you--”

You reached over and snatched your phone, looking at the screen. “You’re literally insane,” you said as you made sure she wasn’t able to follow any of the accounts through your phone before opening your settings and changing your passcode, shielding the screen from her.

“Y/N!” Lilah pouted as you locked your phone and set it in the console. “Use your own account,” you replied, putting the car back in drive and slowly pulling forward to pull back onto the highway. Lilah grumbled as she grabbed her phone and tapped away on the screen.

The next couple hours went by without issue, mostly listening to music as Lilah texted back and forth with a few people. “He followed me back,” Lilah announced as you followed the signs for the ferry station. You were getting close to the coastal town. “He doesn’t have many pictures on here,” she said as she scrolled. “Which one should I send?” she asked as you got off the highway and came to a stop at the light.

You glanced at the phone and she showed two different pictures.

The first looked more recent. It looked as though he’d just woken up, his hair was messy and curly. ‘Is that what his hair naturally looks like?’ you wondered silently. His tattoos were visible and he was wearing his signature fitted black tee shirt.

The other picture was older. His hair was a completely different color. It almost didn’t look like him. His hair was styled and he wore a black suit with a red tie. He looked amazing. His hand tattoos were missing and you wondered how old the photo was.

“The first one,” you answered. “It looks more recent,” you added. Lilah nodded, looking back down as she took a screenshot of the picture and you waited for the light to change. The drive through the sleepy seaside town was quiet, most people were at work or school as you drove, winding down the side of the mountain. In the distance you could see the ocean, waves crashing into the sandy beach.

You pulled into the ferry station parking lot with some time to kill and parked the car. “Let’s go get some pictures,” Lilah said excitedly. You grabbed your jacket from the backseat and got out, locking the doors and pulling on your jacket as Lilah pulled her hood up over her head and shoved her hands in her pockets. You followed behind her, checking the time on your phone before pocketing the device and rushing to catch up with your best friend.

The look out over the ocean gave a spectacular view and you could see an island not far from shore. “You want to go down to the shore?” Lilah asked over the wind. You nodded and followed her down the steps leading to the shore. The sand was unlike what you expected. Less like sand and more like stones. Pebbles. You were glad you chose to wear sneakers and were sure Lilah was faring just as well in her boots. “Look!” Lilah called, hurrying over to a spot and kneeling down.

You followed her and leaned over her back as she unearthed a rather large piece of sea glass. “Whoa,” you said as she lifted it to reveal another piece under it. You reached down, grabbing the second piece, revealing yet another piece of sea glass.

“It’s like a rabbit hole,” you murmured, picking up the other piece. “These are so cool,” Lilah said, looking over the piece in her hands. You looked down at it. She held a black piece with tiny white flecks from who knows how many years spent in the sea water.

It was shaped like a shark fin, smooth and rounded at all three points and flat. “I wonder what this is,” Lilah said, flipping it over to look at the other side. “It’s glass,” you pointed out. Lilah looked up at the pieces in your hands. A bright pink and a deep purple, both frosted like hers.

“What kind of glass is black?” she asked, looking back down at hers. You held out your hand, lifting to inspect the glass she placed in your palm. “It’s probably from a really old bottle,” you started, handing her the pink and purple to inspect.

You held the black up towards the sky, tilting and turning it. “It’s green,” you stated. “Along the edges, it’s hard to see without the light,” you explained. “It’s probably from really old beer or gin bottles,” you added, handing it back to her, taking the pink and purple from her.

“What about those?” Lilah asked, nodding at your hands. “The pink is probably from the Great Depression era,” you noted. “Pink glassware was common during that time period because it was decorative but extremely cheap,” you explained, looking at the pink piece.

“The purple,” you began, shifting your gaze to it. It was a deep rich purple color, frosted just like the others due to exposure and time spent in the ocean. “Probably came from purple glass. Between 1840 and 1880, hair tonics were commonly sold in amethyst bottles,” you explained, turning the piece over. “But it could very well be glass made with manganese.”

Lilah stared at you as you looked over the glass. “What’s that?” she asked. “Venetian glassmakers discovered they could neutralize the color caused by imperfections in glass by adding manganese to the sand and create clear glass,” you explained, handing over the purple piece.

“But over time, the glass will turn purple when exposed to ultraviolet rays,” you continued, looking down at the ground, searching for more glass. “I’ve heard sea glass glows under a black light,” Lilah said, looking up to watch you explore. “Is that true?” she asked.

You shook your head, pushing some pebbles aside and unearthing another black piece of sea glass. “No,” you replied. “Uranium glass glows under black light,” you replied, digging out the piece and holding it up. ‘More green edges,’ you noted.

“Uranium glass has uranium added to the glass before melting,” you explained. “It produces green glass that then glows under a black light,” you continued. “That’s so cool,” Lilah said as she watched you dig in the pebbles. “How do you know all this?” she asked.

“We’ve gotten a lot of different glass types in the shop,” you said, looking up. “Including an entire tea set made from uranium glass,” you added. You managed to find a few more pieces of sea glass ranging from blue to clear but no more purple or pink.

You stood up, brushing your hands off as a horn sounded in the distance and both you and Lilah turned to see the ferry in the distance. “Let’s go,” you said softly, leading the way back to the steps. You and Lilah had found a decent amount of sea glass and pocketed it to take back home.

Back up at the station, you and Lilah huddled close to the building to avoid the wind that had picked up. “Fuck! I should have worn sweat,” you cursed and Lilah laughed, huddling closer. “Would they hurry up and disembark already?” she snapped.

Finally it seemed like the wait was over and the gates opened, passengers making their way off the boat. This early in the morning you didn’t expect so many passengers but it sort of made sense. People making the earliest commute possible.

You spotted Daniel and waved, calling out to him. He spotted you and a smile spread across his face, weaving through the other passengers until he reached you, pulling you into a hug. He’d grown taller, nearing almost six feet. “Jii-chan said you were coming so I was really excited to see you,” he said as he let you go. “You got taller,” you noted, making him laugh.

He turned, noticing Lilah. “Lilah?” he asked, almost shocked to see her. “I didn’t expect to see you here,” he added, pulling her into a hug as well. “Y/N asked me to keep her company on the drive out here,” she replied. “And she annoyed me the whole way here,” you added, dodging Lilah’s attempt to slap your arm.

Daniel was amused by your antics as he followed you two back to the car, listening and laughing as you bickered back and forth. Once his luggage was put in the trunk and the three of you inside, strapped in, you put the car in drive and pulled carefully out of the parking lot.

You asked Daniel about his time in Busan and Jeju.

“It was amazing!” he said excitedly. “We went to the aquarium in Busan and hung out on the beach most of the time,” he explained, going into further detail, describing the beach. “And then in Jeju, we went to their aquarium and we also went hiking. So much hiking!”

You smiled as he went on. “And then, since we finished our itinerary early, we took the ferry to Japan,” he continued. You nodded, glancing up in the mirror at him. “That would explain why your grandfather asked me to pick you up at the ferry station and not the airport or bus station,” you mused.

“Tell me about Japan,” Lilah said, turning in her seat to look at Daniel.

You listened to him tell his stories of Fukuoka and the surrounding areas. He talked about the food, what the group did, and even showed pictures on his phone of him and his friends.

“It sounds like you had a really good time,” you said after listening to him go on for almost an hour. He nodded as Lilah took his phone to look at a photo of him and his friends. She swiped to the next photo and let out a yell. Daniel noticed and tried to grab his phone but Lilah held it out of his reach.

“Who is this?” she asked, looking at a picture of just Daniel and a girl. She showed you. It was very pretty girl you recognized him meeting with for study sessions. “Is that Kari?” you asked, taking your eyes off the road briefly to get a better look.

“Give it back,” Daniel protested, trying to grab his phone from Lilah. “She’s cute!” Lilah remarked as she swiped through a few more photos of Daniel and Kari. “Will you stop it!” Daniel grumbled, fighting to regain control of his phone but Lilah swiped again and gasped.

“What?” you asked, glancing between her and the road. She showed you the phone and it was a picture of the two, Daniel was taking the photo and Kari had her head turned kissing his cheek. “Daniel!” you said, sounding scandalized. He groaned, leaning back in his seat and pulled his beanie down over his face.

“Dannie’s got a girlfriend!” Lilah said in a singsong voice as she looked at more photos. Daniel groaned in embarrassment and you chuckled lightly. “Don’t worry, Dannie,” you said, making him peek out from under his hat. “I won’t tell your grandparents.”

He sat up, readjusting his beanie and waited, watching Lilah before he made his move, snatching his phone back. “Yah! I was looking at pictures of you and your girlfriend,” she whined. “She’s not my girlfriend,” he clarified. “We haven’t even been on a date.”

“Then change that,” Lilah said, turning to look back at him. “Ask her out. Go to the bowling alley or something else. Something you kids find fun these days.” You glanced at her. “You kids?” you asked her and she shrugged. “He’s in high school,” you added. “He’s not twelve.”

“Take her to the fall festival,” you suggested. “That’s coming up soon.” Daniel shook his head, not looking up. “I can’t ask her out,” he murmured. “And why the hell not?” Lilah asked, turning to look back at him. “Because,” Daniel said softly. “You saw her,” he added. “She’s gorgeous.”

Lilah scoffed and you snapped your fingers. “Look up,” you said. “Look at me Daniel.”

He looked up, meeting your gaze in the mirror. “Don’t do that to yourself. You are an extremely intelligent, funny, and good looking guy. Kari would be an idiot to say no to you,” you said in a firm but gentle tone. “And if she says no, I’ll kick her butt,” Lilah added. “She’s a minor,” you said incredulously. “You can’t beat up a minor, Lilah!”

Daniel smiled as the two of you bickered. “Thanks, you two,” he said softly.

The next hour passed quickly as Daniel told Lilah more about Japan and what Fukuoka was like. You listened, keeping your eyes on the road as you drove. Another hour in, you glanced down at the gas gauge and sighed. “I gotta make a stop,” you announced, pulling off the highway at the next exit.

“We’re running low on gas.”

Daniel and Lilah continued to chat as you filled up, both of them heading into the convenience store. While the pump worked, you pulled out your phone, checking your notifications. You had a couple texts from Joshua, asking how the trip was going.

You texted him back before noticing another notification from Instagram. You had a new follower and opened the app. Your eyes widened as you read the username, tapping on the profile and your lips parted in a soft gasp. Changbin had found and followed your account.

Your thumb hovered over the follow back button before tapping it quickly as Lilah and Daniel headed back to the car. You pocketed your phone as the pump switched off and took the nozzle out of the tank, placing it back in the cradle.

Getting back in the car, you set your phone in the console, buckling your seatbelt and Lilah and Daniel divided up their snack haul. “We got you something to drink and some snacks as well,” Daniel said as he pulled a bottle of soda out of the bag and set it in one of the cup holders.

“Thanks,” you said softly as you started the engine and pulled out of the gas station parking lot, following the signs to get back on the highway.

As you drove, you tuned out Lilah and Daniel’s conversation, instead mulling over the notification you’d gotten from Instagram about Changbin’s personal account. How did he find you? Had Lilah gotten through before you grabbed your phone?

You glanced over at your best friend, meeting her gaze. “What?” she asked softly.

You shook your head and looked straight ahead. “What?” Lilah asked again. It took a couple more minutes for Lilah to pry it out of you.

“Did you like one of Changbin’s pictures on my account or something earlier?” you asked softly. Lilah’s confused expression morphed into one of excitement. “No,” she answered. “Why? Did he follow you?” she asked excitedly. You narrowed your eyes, glaring at her.

“What did you do?” you hissed, not noticing how Daniel leaned forward between the two of you.

“Who is Changbin?” he asked suddenly, making both you and Lilah jump. You glanced at his curious expression. “No one,” you said quickly, hoping Lilah would drop the subject but when you looked at her, a mischievous grin had taken up residence on her face.

“Don’t,” you warned her. “I just want to know why he followed me.”

Lilah laughed excitedly, grabbing your phone. “What did you change your passcode to?” she asked as she stared at the screen. “It’s none of your damn business,” you retorted, snatching your phone from her hands only for her to pout at you.

“I just need screenshots of his pictures to send to Riley,” she grumbled as you set your phone in the pocket on the driver’s side door, far from her reach. “I told you,” you replied as you continued to drive. “Follow him from your own account.”

“And what would Chris think?” Lilah asked, crossing her arms. “Uh, that’s you’re following your tattoo artist on instagram who you also happen to be friends with?” you offered. Lilah scoffed. “You’re no fun,” she mumbled as she sank down in her seat.

“Is someone going to explain what’s going on?” Daniel asked, making you and Lilah glance back at him. You’d partially forgotten he was there as you and Lilah bickered about Changbin and his instagram account. “Who is Changbin?”

Lilah turned to look back at him, turning in her seat. “He’s new to Sejong,” Lilah explained. “He just moved here and opened a tattoo shop on Market,” she continued. “And why are you following his instagram from Y/N’s account?” Daniel asked slowly.

“Because I need pictures of him to send to this girl I know who is interested in him!”

You sighed as you followed the signs for Sejong. “Despite the fact that he didn’t like either girl you threw at him before,” you interjected. “Changbin isn’t a wall that you throw girls at like pasta and expect them to stick. Let the poor guy settle into Sejong, let him figure things out for himself.”

Lilah’s lips curled up into a devious smirk. “You like him, don’t you?” she asked. Your eyes widened and you turned to look back at her. “What?” you asked incredulously. “I knew it!” Lilah said excitedly, sitting up quickly. “You like him!” Daniel looked between you and Lilah quickly, eyes wide.

“Lilah,” you said sternly. “I have a boyfriend.” Lilah rolled her eyes. “Yeah, a shit one,” she murmured. You reached out, smacking her arm. “Ow!” she exclaimed, holding the spot you hit. “Don’t start that shit again,” you snapped. “Joshua isn’t perfect,” you continued. “None of us are.”

You stared at her pointedly. Lilah conceded and sunk back into her seat. “Fine,” she groaned. “So, this Changbin guy,” Daniel asked, leaning forward, breaking the tension. “What kind of ink does he do?”

The rest of the ride, Lilah showed Daniel pictures on Changbin’s professional instagram, showing off his previous work and explaining the tattoo she commissioned from him. You listened as you drove. The sun had started to set as you reached the outskirts of Sejong, driving through town and heading for the Serizawa’s house. Daniel had wanted to come back and stay a few days with his grandparents before moving back into the apartment above the shop.

“Thank you so much again,” Daniel said as he leaned down to peer into your window, slinging his bag over his shoulder. “It was good to see you, Lilah,” he added. Your best friend leaned forward, smiling at him. “You too, Danny,” she replied. Daniel turned his attention back to you.

“I’ll see you at the shop,” he said and you nodded. “See you later,” you replied as he waved and headed for the front door of his grandparents’ house. You waited, watching to make sure he made it in safely before driving off and making your way to Lilah’s building. The ride was silent as you followed the memorized route.

“I’m sorry,” Lilah said, her soft voice punctuating the silence. “For what I said about Josh,” she clarified. “I know I should stay out of it,” she continued. “But I can’t help it. Not when I see how he treats you from the outside.” You pulled to a stop outside her building.

“He’s too controlling,” she added. “I know you care about me,” you started, turning to look at her. “But please trust me when I say I can handle it. I know how to handle my boyfriend,” you added. “If I need help, you will be the first to know.” Lilah nodded, unbuckling her seatbelt and leaning over the center console to pull you into a tight hug.

“You’re still coming to my tattoo appointment, right?” she asked as she pulled back, making sure to grab her bag and things from the cupholders. You nodded. “Of course,” you replied as she opened the door and got out, leaning over to look at you through the open window. “You promise?” she asked.

You nodded again with a smile.

“I promise.”

═══════════════════════════════════════════

Wednesday came much faster than you were expecting. Lilah had asked the days leading up to the appointment if you were still going with her and you kept reassuring her you’d go. It wasn’t like you hadn’t attended her appointments before, you had. So why she was so adamant about you attending this one was lost on you. Until you showed up to White Lotus Studio.

Lilah had insisted on you meeting her at the shop instead of going there together. You didn’t really question it since you only had an hour after getting off work to go home, change and meet her. You didn’t really need to change but you preferred to.

The walk to the shop didn’t take long and soon you were walking up to the door, stepping aside as a couple of patrons exited, chatting excitedly about whatever work they’d gotten done. Lilah was seated inside on one of the black armchairs you’d sold Changbin as you crossed the threshold into the building. It seemed to be a busy day, each station was occupied.

Minho was sitting on a black stool, working on the leg of a man you’d seen briefly at some of the parties Lilah brought you to. In the same space, Chris was explaining jewelry options to a girl who was getting her ears pierced for the first time, her friends crowded around her but staring at Chris instead of the jewelry.

You walked over to Lilah who was talking to Hana and looked up in time to catch a glimpse of Changbin through a glass window. He was talking to a client, no doubt explaining something related to the tattoo he’d just done as he wrapped it. Your eyes lingered a moment longer as you really studied him.

You’d only ever seen him outside the studio in social settings. Parties, the club, and your work. You never saw him in his own element before. He looked much more confident in this setting.

You tore your gaze away before he caught you staring and smiled as you moved to sit on the ottoman across from Lilah. Your best friend smiled widely, leaning forward to pull you into an awkward hug. “You made it!” she said happily. You chuckled as she let go and nodded. “I said I would,” you replied.

You turned to Hana, nodding politely. Hana returned the gesture and then went back to her phone, thumbs tapping on the screen. You took the lapse in conversation to look around the shop. It was a completely different space from what you remembered. The walls were mostly an off-white color except for a bump out that was painted entirely black with a massive tiger painted.

The decal was impressive and looked imposing and intimidating, as if the tiger was leaping from the wall. Whoever had painted it was incredibly talented. Behind Lilah was a counter, behind which Paxton stood. She threw a dirty look your way but you ignored it. You were here for Lilah and if Paxton didn’t like it, that wasn’t your fault.

The front of the counter was glass, showing off a vast array of jewelry for all types of piercings. Bright lights mounted to the underside of the counter top made the gems in some of the pieces sparkle. You looked away at the black velvet sofa. You wondered where Changbin had gotten it as it was almost a perfect match to the armchairs.

Behind the sofa, on the same wall as the tiger bump out, large rectangular planters stood behind the sofa, dark bamboo stood against the wall in contrast with the paint.

You looked towards the front of the shop, a low console table, also painted black with a matte finish and glass surface, stood under the large box window with books sitting atop the surface. The box window had a small collection of decorations in it, a few small statues of buddha, a dragon perched atop its treasure hoard, a golden lucky cat waving at anyone who passed by.

The rooms were separated by half walls with large glass windows, the doorways were open square arches. The walls inside each room were different in the decor and decals. In the room Minho and Chris were working, a dragon decal had been painted in the center of the wall, lined up with the door. A neon sign, green in color, hung on the wall next to the dragon displaying the name of a brewery in town.

There was a backlit shadow box with comic strips framed and spaced evenly from top to bottom.

You looked away from the room, taking note of the light wood floor with pale ashy tones, the black and gray ornamental rug that filled the lobby area was stunning and the patterns very intricate. You wondered if Changbin knew about the history of the rug and if so, you’d love to hear about it.

Changbin had gotten so used to the sound of the bell that he almost didn’t hear it anymore, especially when he was in the middle of an appointment with a client but whenever the tattoo gun wasn’t in his hand, he paid more attention.

Looking up as the bell rang, he saw two patrons leaving, both having been serviced by Chris. Changbin was about to return his gaze to the client who was currently counting bills when his heart skipped a beat. You had just walked in, politely bowing to the clients who were leaving.

It had been several days since Changbin had last seen you at the house party Chris and Minho had invited him and Jeongguk to. You looked just as radiant as ever. You wore a light pink jacket over a flowy cream colored dress where the hem fell just above your knees.

The tights you wore with the ensemble were nude with a swirly floral pattern. You’d paired the look with black suede pumps with straps which brought out the black details of the dress. A thin black ribbon tie at the high neck, black buttons that went up the front of the bust. It was a simple look but you made it look anything but simple. Every time Changbin saw you, somehow you always managed to look so well put together. It was clear you spent a lot of time picking out your outfits and planning things.

From your outfit to your makeup and hair. It was a huge contrast to your best friend who Changbin had noticed was wearing high waisted black cut-off jean shorts, a black tank tucked in and a black oversized cardigan. She wore black combat boots much like Changbin and it never managed to surprise him how different the two of you were.

Like night and day.

Changbin smiled as his client handed him a wad of cash, thanking him for the newest work on his calf before exiting. Changbin quickly counted the money, moving over to the counter and opening the top drawer where he kept his built-in safe, carefully putting in the code and opening the door. He separated a few of the larger bills before adding the cash to the safe, closing it up and tucking the rest in his wallet.

He went about cleaning up his station to set up for the next appointment, trying not to look out the window where he could only see the top of your head. He could faintly hear you talking to Lilah but couldn’t make out what the two of you were talking about.

He picked up the spray bottle on the counter and gave the chair a few sprays, quickly wiping the surface down. He moved about his station, opening and closing drawers and cabinets as he gathered the supplies he would need for Lilah’s tattoo. Once he had the basics, he exited the room, popping over to Jeongguk’s station to check on his progress.

He then left the room and walked into the lobby. He noticed how you were looking around, no doubt inspecting his choice in decor. He suddenly felt self-conscious. How would you perceive him through his design choices? Were you impressed or underwhelmed?

He shook his head, and walked over to where you and Lilah sat. “You ready?” he asked, taking note how you didn’t seem to hear him as he spoke to your best friend. She nodded and Changbin beckoned her to follow him.

As you were lost in your thoughts, staring at the rug, Lilah stood up and snapped you out of your thoughts. “Come on, spacey,” she joked and you got up, following her back and into the room. Your heart skipped a beat as you realized Changbin was the only artist in the room. It then dawned on you that Changbin was going to be doing her tattoo.

Lilah hopped up on the chair and pulled out her phone, connecting her head phones to the device and leaving one ear free. “Just the line work today, right?” Changbin asked as you stood awkwardly by the doorway. Your eyes raked over his form, taking in his outfit of the day.

He was wearing another fitted black tee tucked into black cargo pants with the cuffs of his pants tucked into his signature black combat boots. His hair had been straightened and styled, showing his forehead. He had a simple silver chain around his neck. It seemed that this was kind of his go to outfit.

Changbin turned slightly to glance your way before chuckling to himself. “You know you can sit down, right?” he asked, nodding at the chair near the chair Lilah was sitting on. You murmured a thanks and walked over to the chair, removing your jacket and sitting down

You glanced around the room, taking in the features. Changbin’s station was the only one in the room. The same floor ran through this room as the rest of the shop. The walls were the same off white with a custom made neon sign in the shape of a lotus hanging above the counter top that ran the length of the wall opposite the doorway.

The countertop was black quartz, the cabinets below the same off white as the walls with gold hardware. The chair Lilah sat on was a bright red leather with an adjustable headrest, arm rests, foot rest and heavy circular base. The entire chair looked fully adjustable and quite comfortable.

Changbin was looking over supplies sitting on a silver rolling tray. Various tools and equipment sat before him. He had a few small ink pods waiting to be used. You continued to scan the items, noticing he had two pairs of black gloves. ‘Two pairs?’ you wondered to yourself.

A stool, at least you thought it was a stool, sat near him. It looked like a small chair with a back and arm rests but the arm rests were backwards, sticking out from either side of the back of the stool. You looked away from the equipment to the artists as Changbin moved over to the counter and opened a drawer, grabbing a small clear bag of black rubber bands and shutting the drawer before he walked back over to Lilah.

“If we can knock out the shading this time too, that’ll save you another session,” he said softly as he looked up. Lilah glanced over at you. “Do you mind if we stay a little longer?” she asked. Changbin turned to look at you as well. You shook your head. “No,” you said softly. “It’s your appointment,” you added with a smile towards your friend.

She beamed and nodded as Changbin turned away. “Alright,” he said moving to the side of the chair and you watched as he pushed a button and the leg rest started to raise, splitting in half. “Is the headrest in a good spot?” he asked as he finished raising the leg rest. Lilah nodded and scooted back into the seat and got comfortable. Changbin moved back over to the tray, using his toe to pull the stool closer.

You watched as he sat on it, the backrest in front of him. “You can move closer,” he commented towards you as he grabbed a glove and pulled it on before putting the other on. You realized your chair had wheels and you slowly scooted forward, moving closer to Lilah as Changbin prepared the tattoo gun.

You didn’t pay much attention to the process as it looked extremely complicated but it was still fascinating to watch. Changbin rolled closer, bringing his tray with him. You watched as he prepped Lilah’s skin, wiping the area with a cotton pad and taking a brand new disposable razor.

You watched with rapt attention as he prepared the area, shaving any hair and wiped the skin again. Once he was ready, Changbin grabbed the stencil he’d prepared and placed it on Lilah’s thigh. He pressed it firmly against her skin, making sure it stuck before peeling the paper away.

“Check the placement,” he said softly, waiting patiently as Lilah hopped up and walked over to the mirror to check it out. “Perfect,” she said excitedly, returning to the chair. Changbin nodded and moved into position. Once he got started, you watched him work.

He didn’t speak much as he worked, focusing instead on tracing the lines of the stencil. You’d been to a few of Lilah’s appointments before but most of the tattoos you’d witness her get were smaller. This was the largest piece you’d seen her get.

It was a large lion’s head, mouth open in a silent roar. You continued to watch silently as Changbin worked, finding the constant hum of the tattoo gun comforting. You glanced up to see Lilah had her eyes shut, mouthing to lyrics to whatever song she was listening to.

The song playing over the speaker of the shop’s intercom was a familiar one, you’d heard Lilah play from her playlist before. It was a heavy rock piece with a lot of drumming. It wasn’t your favorite kind of music but you didn’t mind it. You watched the tattoo take shape slowly, watching the way Changbin worked slowly but diligently. He clearly didn’t like to rush things, something you could appreciate.

After he’d managed to get half of the lines done, you looked up, hearing footsteps behind you. You turned back to Changbin. “Do you mind if I look around?” you asked softly. He glanced up briefly before shaking his head. “Just don’t get in anyone’s way,” he said with a slight smile.

You got up, leaving your jacket and purse in the chair and headed out of the doorway. Across from the room Changbin was set up in was a larger room with two stations in it. The one near the door was empty but the other station had Jeongguk, sitting in a similar stool as Changbin. He was working on an arm tattoo. The client was a young woman, maybe around Lilah’s age.

Her arm was resting on what you assumed was a separate arm rest, inside of the forearm exposed as Jeongguk colored in the line work of a tattoo you assumed he previously had done. His style was much different than Changbin’s but the tattoo was still just as intricate and beautiful.

It was an hourglass design inside a compass. You apologized softly when Jeongguk glanced at you. “I’m just curious to see what everyone else is doing,” you added. Jeongguk smiled and shook his head. “Don’t apologize,” he replied. “I don’t mind spectators,” he added with a chuckle.

After watching a couple more minutes, you left the room and peeked in to see the progress of Lilah’s tattoo. Changbin had almost completely finished the lines. You decided to check the other room. Paxton was no longer behind the counter and was instead coming back from the back of the shop.

You turned to look into the room Minho and Chris were in. Minho was still working on the same tattoo as before while Chris now had Hana in his seat. You leaned against the frame, offering a polite smile to Hana who surprisingly returned it. Chris glanced back and smiled widely.

“Lilah still getting her piece done?” he asked to which you nodded. “I’m just looking around. The boss said I could,” you added with an amused tone. Minho glanced up before going back to his work. You walked over, making sure to stay a reasonable distance away.

The tattoo he was working on was a traditional style dragon with clouds behind it. The lines were thicker than the lines on Lilah’s piece but you could tell it was intentional. “You spying on me?” Minho joked as he glanced back at you. Shaking your head, you moved a little closer. “Admiring your work,” you replied.

Minho chuckled and continued to work. “Next you’re going to tell me you want a tattoo,” he mused. You rolled your eyes, resisting the urge to nudge him as he was working and turned back to Hana and Chris. “You wanna watch?” Chris asked, looking over at you.

You glanced at Hana who shrugged. “I don’t mind,” she added. You walked over and stood beside them. “What kind of piercing is this?” you asked. “Bridge,” Hana replied simply. You pointed at the bridge of your nose and Hana nodded. You nodded and watched as Chris took a black marker and marked either side of the bridge of Hana’s nose.

“Is that where you want it?” he asked, handing her a handheld mirror. You watched as she tilted his head, checking the placement before handing the mirror back. “Yep,” she said simply. Chris nodded, grabbing an alcohol wipe and opening it. He carefully wiped the spot before picking up the needle.

“Alright, he said softly. “Close your eyes. Deep breath in.” You watched as he carefully lined the point of the needle with the mark. “Deep breath out.” As Hana breathed out, Chris pushed the needle in, carefully lining the point with the opposite side to make it even. Once the needle was all the way through, he turned to the tray, opening the package with the jewelry.

“Keep your eyes closed,” he instructed as he removed one of the balls from the barbel and placed the end into the open end of the needle. You watched with morbid fascination as he pulled the needle through, guiding the barbel into the new hole. He removed the needle and grabbed the ball, screwing it on and making sure it was firm and tight.

“And done,” he said simply. Hana opened her eyes, taking the mirror from him to look at the new piece of jewelry as Chris started to clean up. “Be honest,” Hana said, turning to you. “How does it look?” You inspected it a little closer. “It looks really cool. It’s perfectly even, too,” you replied. Hana smiled and looked back into the mirror.

You excused yourself and headed back to Lilah, passing Paxton who glared at you once again. You still didn’t know what her issue with you was but you decided not to dwell on it as you entered Changbin’s station. He’d finished the lines and was now working on shading the lion head.

“How was your trip?” Lilah asked, eyes still shut. “Fascinating,” you answered as you sat back down. Changbin glanced up at you and smiled before returning to his work. “Jeongguk was working on an arm tattoo. It looked like some kind of mandala,” you explained to Lilah. “Minho was doing this really cool traditional dragon tattoo and Chris did a bridge piercing,” you relayed, feeling like a child telling your mother what happened in school that day.

The rest of the appointment passed quickly and soon Changbin was turning off the tattoo gun and setting it down. “Alright,” he said and Lilah opened her eyes. “Let me finish wiping it down and then I’ll cover it. You looked up from your phone, having zone out a while ago while playing some kind of coloring game on your phone. Changbin wrapped up quickly.

As he was finishing, Jeongguk peered in. “We’re ordering from the noodle place down the street,” he announced to Changbin. “You want your usual?” Changbin nodded without looking up as he applied vaseline to Lilah’s tattoo and started securing the plastic. “Get some of those beef dumplings,” he called out. He looked up at Lilah. “You know the drill. Bandage stays on for four days, no soaps except that antimicrobial I told you about, lotion for sensitive skin without dyes or perfumes, blah blah blah,” he added as he got up and started cleaning.

“If the bandage comes off before four days, come back in and I’ll replace it,” he added as Lilah walked over to the mirror, pulling out her phone to snap a picture of it. “And send me that picture,” he added as he noticed her taking another. “I want to add both it and the finished piece to my instagram.”

Lilah nodded and opened her messages to send him the picture. “So what do you think?” Lilah asked, showing off the new ink. You smiled, inspecting it. “I like it,” you replied. “The lines are really clean and the shading is really good. It’s gonna look pretty sick with the color,” you added.

“Does this mean you want to get something?” Lilah asked, wiggling her eyebrows, making you laugh loudly. “No,” you replied. “Absolutely not.” Changbin removed his gloves and tossed them in the trash bin, the snap of the gloves making you and Lilah look over at him.

He had a playful smile on his face. “Is my art not pretty enough for you?” he asked jokingly. You shook your head. “Your art is beautiful,” you replied, catching him off guard. “I just don’t have any desire to get a tattoo,” you explained. Changbin chuckled lightly. “I’m just messing with you,” he replied. “Tattoos aren’t for everyone,” he added. “I get that.”

Lilah thankfully punctuated the subject with her change in topic.

“How much do I owe you?”

You turned to gather your things as Lilah paid Changbin, thanking him once more. “Come back once you’re ready to add some color to that,” Changbin reminded her. She nodded and turned to you. “I’m gonna go see Chris really quick. I’ll meet you up front.” You nodded as you unplugged your phone from your charger and packed up.

As you were pulling on your coat, Changbin spoke up.

“If you ever change your mind,” he said, drawing your attention. “About getting a tattoo,” he added, noticing your confused expression. “I’d be happy to do any work you’d like done.” You smiled warmly. “Thanks,” you said softly, picking up your bag as he leaned against the counter behind him, crossing his arms over his chest. “I’d love to be your first,” he added, an amused undertone to his voice.

Your heart hammered in your chest as you met his gaze. There was something about the way he looked at you. Something in the playful smirk on his face. Before you could respond, you heard Lilah calling your name, pulling you from your trance.

“I gotta go,” you announced. Changbin nodded, the same smirk still on his face. “See you around, Y/N,” he said softly and you turned away, forcing yourself to walk out of the room and towards the front of the shop where Lilah was waiting.

You followed her out onto the sidewalk, Chris locking the door behind the two of you as they set about closing the shop. “Are you hungry?” Lilah asked, linking her arm with yours. You nodded slowly, still mulling over Changbin’s words and playful banter. “Yeah,” you finally replied as Lilah steered you in the direction of the town square. “Let’s get some dinner,” you added.

“Good,” Lilah said excitedly. “Cause I’m starving.”

ⓘ If you enjoyed this, please consider reblogging as it helps me out more than you know. All graphics made by me. Content and support banners made using a template by cafekitsune. I do not allow reposts, translations, or continuations of my works. All writing and graphics are ©️ kwanisms.

#cultofdionysusnet #mfu-net #ksmutsociety #stray kids scenarios #stray kids imagines #stray kids fanfiction #stray kids fanfic #stray kids angst #stray kids fluff #stray kids x reader #changbin scenarios #changbin imagines #changbin fanfiction #changbin fanfic #changbin angst #changbin fluff #changbin x reader #series: under your skin #series: uys

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1ris5starlight · 2 months

Text

Oh god- Did I predicted the future with this post-?? Is Moon going to burn something down by cooking-??

(By the way the "don't kiss the chef" has got me dying-🤣🤣🤣)

(1:40) ....Yeahh- he does- but why do you want to there-?? ...oh, to learn how to cook...Well, RIP Monty's restaurant-

(3:45) Who's that-?

(3:52) OH- It's Blue!

(6:28) NOT AGAIN THAT WEIRDO-!!

(7:39) Hi Mr./Ms. Goose!!

(8:34) I don't like the way it's speaks-...

I'm already uncomfortable-

(8:48-9:15) The h*ck it's blathering about-?

(12:07) Did Moon already meet Jack? Oh, I didn't know that- I wonder how that went..

(13:11) What do you want again, Blue?

(13:25) PTF- "MONEY BOY"-🤣🤣

(End) *laugh softly* Well, at least you didn't burn down Monty's restaurant-!

I just noticed- what is wrong with chicken in thumbnail-?

#sun and moon show #sams #fnaf daycare attendant #fnaf #fnaf security breach #fnaf sb #funny #monty and foxy show #mafs

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blasphemousgoggles · 1 year

Text

Strange Mr. Qi

A Mr. Qi x Reader, Part 2 added. I thought this was going to be short.

Warnings: Mr. Qi is the warning (Stalking)

Mr. Qi was, to put it lightly, weird. This may sound rude however you had good reason to think this. While mining, you would be able to get many things such as ores, gems, even artifacts! But you would also find chests, weapons and most importantly notes. The notes had provided you with some useful information on other people but it was a bit confusing. How did all of these notes get into the mines? Some of these are from peoples diaries and you highly doubt someone would rip a page and it somehow gets into the mines. Other notes are drawings which would allow you to find buried items or- a gold statue of Lewis. Why. While strange you could chalk it up to maybe carelessness and coincidence until one note.

“Greetings, Y/N

Have you found my ‘secret’ in the dark tunnel?

I look forward to meeting you!”

- Mr. Qi

You were a bit taken aback because while you had found many notes before, this one had specifically addressed you.

“That's kind of creepy.” you think.

While you were weirded out, on a whim you decide to see what the ‘secret’ was. The only dark tunnel you knew was the bus tunnel and wouldn’t ya know there's a lock-box! It was missing a battery though. When you had placed that battery pack into the lock-box you hadn’t expected to receive another cryptic note. You don’t really know what you were expecting but now you had another quest to do. Being sent on a wild goose chase to find some guy was the last thing you had expected.

Each note had you complete various tasks such as placing a rainbow shell into a box at a train station or placing beets into Mayor Lewis’s fridge. Out of curiosity you completed each task, and it was pretty fun! It was really refreshing to do something new and it gave you some sort of rush every time you finished a task. You were very interested as to who was behind these letters considering the note had said that he was “looking forward to meeting you”. You eventually had decided to ask around town to see if anyone knew who he was but apparently none of the townspeople knew. It was pretty strange considering that if it wasn’t them then who? Everyone you had asked seemed to have no idea who this person was, you had assumed it was a prank of some sort but everyone had seemed genuinely baffled. Some were concerned if this Mr. Qi was sending you concerning letters but you had assured them otherwise.

Eventually you had found two notes, one was a riddle to give a dragon his last meal and the other was to make it to level twenty five of the Skull Cavern. Skull Cavern was easy enough but the monsters were stronger than the ones in the mines, and you had received a pretty hefty reward of TEN THOUSAND GOLD.

Your eyes had bugged out when you saw the amount.

“What the-!”

Whoever was sending you these notes had to be hella rich because who does that? You didn’t even have to go that deep!

The riddle however was a bit trickier, you had no idea as to what ‘dragon’ you could feed. After looking everywhere in the valley, it seemed nothing was here so you looked through the desert. You found it! There were the bones of what looked to be a dragon and you had found a small piece of paper in its teeth.

“Its maw gapes at the desert sun. Even in death, it yearns for a taste.”

“That's a bit grim.” you thought. You read the letter again, you have to give the dragon its last meal… and its maw gapes to the sun. Then like a sack of bricks it hits you. Solar essence! That's actually pretty clever. Thankfully you are carrying some solar essence due to your escapade into the Skull Cavern. You place the sun into the dragon's mouth and you see a note.

“You’ve proven yourself, kid. Check out the pile of lumber next to your house.

I’m proud of you.”

- Mr. Qi

Your heart swelled at that. The people pleaser in you was thankful for any praise you can get. The lengths you go for a stranger. You get on the bus to head home, you thank Pam for taking you home and-Wait. Your lumber pile. YOUR LUMBER PILE! That is at your house! When the hell did he make it to your farm?! You would get how he would know where you lived. Your farm was featured in the newspaper and anyone is able to mail you but the only people allowed onto your farm were the people that you knew. This guy would have had to sneak around the townspeople, get over the fences surrounding your house and place something in your lumber pile.

“Hey kid you alright?” You look over to Pam. She looks pretty concerned. Ah right you were thanking her.

“Oh. Sorry about that. I'm fine, thank you for taking me home.” You get out of the bus and quickly head home, internally freaking out.

You run over to the lumber pile and you see a green card sticking out. It has your full name, a photo of you and the words “Club Member”.

“Do- do I have a stalker?” you murmur. You are more than capable of defending yourself considering all the monsters you had slain but it still unnerved you.

You are starting to wonder if it was a good idea to do all of these tasks, much less even meet the guy. You were still intrigued, if you met him he could probably answer your questions and if he tried anything you could most definitely beat him in a fight.

You remember the Oasis. It had a path in the back blocked by a bouncer. Could that be where you need to go? You decide to sleep it off and go in the morning.

At 6:00 AM you’re up and ready. You tend to your crops, feed your animals and harvest whatever you can and put it in the shipping bin. You decide to look into your mail. You have a few gifts from the others, Caroline had sent you some parsnips while Elliot had sent you crab cakes. There was another letter, it wasn’t addressed by anyone but you had a clear idea as to who it was.

“Someone is

waiting for you

on level 100

the

skull cavern…”

Obviously it's Mr. Qi. Seriously you hadn’t even met the guy and he has taken up so much of your life already. You could head down to level 100 in the Skull Cavern but you already have plans to get into that club in Sandy’s shop.

By now it's 10:00 AM and you head over to the bus. You thank Pam for taking you and you go over to the Oasis.

Sandy greets you on your way in and you make some small talk.

“You look really thirsty. Here, have a taste of this ice cold milk.” You smile

“Oh thank you!”

Sandy is very pleasant to talk to however you REALLY have to do this now. You head over to the back to the bouncer.

“!!! Is…is that a ‘Club Card’?” Wow he looks shocked. Guess this club must be a big deal.

“Yes.” He nods “You may enter.”

“You’re a club member!?” You look over to Sandy and sheepishly smile.

“I guess so.” With that you step in. You are now in a casino. The first thing you notice is how purple it is. The purple walls have a lovely wavy design and the windows have a purple blanket of stars and the ceiling is also purple as well. The floor however is black and blue with a star pattern on it. There are two card tables, some slot machines, and the fortune teller you watch on TV.

Then you see him. He turns around and smiles oh so warmly at you like you’re an old friend of his.

"It's good to finally meet ya, kid. Welcome to my exclusive clubhouse.”

#mr. qi #mr. qi x reader #stardew valley #sdv #x reader #stardew valley mr. qi #mr qi x reader #mr qi

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spilledquinoa · 1 year

Text

as my sibling and I have a running quotes list, I would like to add some lines that I think would be pretty fun with Sephiroth, Angeal, Genesis, Zack, and Cloud. enjoy.

Sephiroth

"All I know is MAIL"

"Who made blood?" "yes"

"one (1) singular street fight"

"so basically it's China or cancer"

"you're walking inordinately slow" (probably Zack or somethin) "WELL YOU'RE WALKING BIG WORD FAST"

"I don't discriminate" (Genesis,most likely) "but I do"

"there's a mistake" "unacceptable" "...that was yours"

"it feels like my brain is being deep-fried in acetone"

"hey, how's it going?" "terrible, thanks for asking"

"I'm like a twelve year old with dementia"

Angeal

"I'm not going to shotgun a caprisun"

"that's enough please, stop beating me with a pineapple"

"where can I put my taco??" "in your pocket" "w h a t"

"I like feeding the geese on my own terms, don't want em quacking at me"

"They're turkeys, but not cute turkeys (troublemakers) like my kids. no, these are turkeys that might get shot for thanksgiving and I'm not sorry about it"

"GET BACK HERE GERALD"

"WHO WOULD SING THE NATIONAL ANTHEM, IN A SCOTTISH ACCENT, AT A FUNERAL?!"

"Mr Coach A, if you wan to be formal"

"...why are you pretending to smoke a pencil?"

"I'm not a priest, I had my chance"

"you can't make a worse drink if you only have water"

Genesis

"STOP TALKING OR I'M GOING TO TAKE YOUR MOUTH"

"imagine grinding up someone's teeth! on the internet! for views!"

"my sexuality is a twister wheel"

"Heidegger likes ritz...?"

"HOJO CAN'T READ"

"are you saying that orphans are losers cause they're orphans??" "would you say they're winners then?"

"excuse you, I don't get any bitches because I have a *maiden*"

calling Catherine Howard, fifth wife of Henry the VIII a hussy

"we believe something is beautiful because it can end"

"tear me apart and make me your villain"

Zack

"nipulars"

"hypothetically, if sonic slapped a raw chicken 95,850 times in the span of 9.6 picoseconds (a picosecond is one trillionth of a second) the chicken would be cooked"

"are you about to have a breakdown or are you about to break it down?"

"gimme a spicy second"

"is it a bird? is it a plane? it's Vagina Man!"

"call me Shrek cause I'm swamped"

"prepare yourself, I'm gonna shit my pants"

"SUCK IT BOZO"

"meatghetti and spaghettballs"

"OKAY MR-I-KNOW-HOW-TO-READ"

"what's good for the goose is good for the other goose"

"they were a hero" "I didn't want them to be a hero, I wanted them to live."

"I'll fill you in on the baseball lore"

"there's a *Denny's*"

"the energy of a single banana"

Cloud

"start crying, you'll get sympathy points"

"I'M GOING TO DANCE ON YOUR BONES"

"HOW DOES WINNIE THE POOH AND TAOISM RELATE??"

"well guess what Joey; I can still punch you in the balls"

"I HOPE YOU'RE LONELY"

"you know, I didn't think I'd screw up a lot but here we go"

"we're doing ballet bitch"

"he's rich" "what else is he" "a present"

"I keep on saying prostitution instead of prosecution"

"why are we talking about Caesar like he's Regina George"

"upchuck...vomit...do the hokey pokey..."

"that REEKS of my point"

*playing video games* "I'm now bald, can rip out street lights, and use motorcycles as weapons" "and you start out with BALD?" "it's his most defining trait"

"SHUT UP YOU BITCH ASS HOBO"

there is more than enough for a part two btw

#on today's episode of momaire thinks she's funny #final fantasy vii #ff7 #cloud strife #angeal hewley #sephiroth #genesis rhapsodos #zack fair #crisis core #incorrect quotes #tw swearing #I'm really havin fun with this #it's like a mosaic of dumb stuff I've done/heard over the past two years #if anyone wants a part two lmk #thanks for sticking around #:D

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honks-n-stonks · 8 months

Text

save me.... I'm thinking about my goofy puyo x monhun au again..... (disclaimer: I have only played Rise/Sunbreak, GU (still in HR) and World (got to MR before my TV 💥)

EDIT ‼️‼️‼️ this thing got so LONG I'm just putting the entire thing under a "read more" because previously it was at the "characters" section but Jesus it looks so LONG on tablet I am so so SO sorry

nawr it's getting so bad I've been thinking about the TOWNS/VILLAGES now....

Primp (and Grimp, if we want to include Chronicle in all of this) would obviously become a village (Primp/Grimp Village oh how original you are Goose [not that I can come up with any better NAMES okay])

Not... sure about Suzuran.... Yeah it's a city, but MH doesn't have any modern or super technologically advanced civilizations (that are still around, anyway.) Something inbetween a kingdom and a village like. A Town. yeah. I don't know why the idea of a Town™️ seems so farfetched to me when Kingdoms Exist like does Sunbreak and the idea of Schrade (rip) not exist to me ????

Aahh,,, I really need to read up on the villages of the other MH games. Maybe that will help me get a feel for how I want Suzuran to be. Definitely much bigger than Primp or any regular village in GU/Rise, that's what I'll say. (Then again, the hubs don't give me a good feel of their true size. I need CONCEPT ART TO SAVE ME!!!!)

As for the Madou cast... instead of straight up being from another world, I think they'd just be from a distant village (or villages). I'm not TOO familiar with Arle's world, but that's the excuse I'm using! Same applies with Suzuran, and where Lemres, Feli, and Klug originate from. Comically far village! Though... this mainly stems from Primp Village being... prrreetty far away from other civilizations in general (stealing this from some HC that I saw where Primp is far from other towns, basically remote [unless that was already canon]).

As for the residents of the Tetra... well they uh. They live on a spaceship in the games. So, in the AU I'll just make them a traveling group of Hunters (sorta like mercenaries???? but for monsters duh) that go from village to village and help out with any particularly tough monster-related issues. Sorry, that's the best I can come up with...

Small tangent, is it weird I still want magic to be a thing in this AU? Despite the fact that none exists in MH- (Elders can do some goofy stuff, but it's usually from some special organs they possess/bioenergy crud [see: Ibushi and Narwa being able to float due to manipulation of the wind (Ibushi) and something akin to... magnetism, was it? Augh I KNOW it involves the thundersacs and electricity but I haven't played Rise in a fair bit])

Then again, it's an AU and I can technically do whatever I want..... bleh, they don't rely on it TOO much okay but perhaps the residents of Primp (and their neighbors) happen to have some... special powers that give them an edge in hunts and everyday life. I have no idea if I still wanna include Puyo themselves in this. Ehh.... I'll get to that eventually..... oughghjhjjdiskksiskj can you tell this is the most brainpower I've ever put into anything ever?

Oh god, this is becoming long. Too bad, I don't feel like stopping... I'll go onto some ideas for characters that I have... (aka The Trio™️)

Amitie: aw yeah!!! I kinda want her to be the focus in this AU? ahem. I think I want her to use a Sword and Shield, and as for her Hunter Rank I imagine her to be around Low-Early High Rank (4 stars?). I might have to make my own monster rank/difficulty chart for this AU, as there are some monsters I kinda feel are too dangerous for Low Ranks to take on? (see: Elders being in LOW RANK in GU for some ungodly reason, WHY WHY WHY ARE THEY THERE?! [not a complaint, just super hilarious, obviously i'm not taking that as "ooooohh canonically a LR hunter can fight Teostra" just a haha silly thought]) Probably basing it more on Rise/Gu's system works instead of World. Low Rank literally has its own storyline there! (Which obviously is expanded upon in High and probably Master Rank) That... and Hunter Rank isn't tied to the quest rank in World. Not gonna lie, that confused me a little...

Ugh, I went on a tangent.... anyways. Amitie. Sword and Shield User. HR 4 Hunter. I think... she'll have a Rath Heart SnS (why? PINK). Giving her a Fire element weapon might make more sense but... eh, she technically still uses magic in this AU, so it's probably fine. (I can imagine them using magic in tandem with their weapons, or using them as a... conduit? [is that it?] for magic. Think: Schezo's spells, where you can see the magic coming from the sword.) Typically goes on gathering/egg hunt quests, she's not quite good in direct confrontations with monsters! (Still a little klutzy, but when she's in a pinch, she manages to show an impressive-albeit brief- display of power. Not related to any sun goddess here, she's just stronger than she thinks she is!) Prefers to go on quests with other Hunters (Arle and Ringo, more on those two later), especially during a Hunt or Capture quest.

Arle: ALSO uses a Sword and Shield mainly because A) I can't think of anything better and B) hehe funny Arle and Amitie parallels though I can imagine her being proficient in most if not ALL the other weapons available, especially Bow. Can't think of a specific one she'd use though, sorry... I'll get back to that later. A more skilled Hunter than Amitie, she could probably tackle high-end High Rank monsters with ease (HR 7/8), even when going Solo. mmm, not sure about elders. I think it'd be neat if she managed to take down one or two (they're supposed to be fairly rare, I think), with a group of Hunters. (see: other Madou characters [Draco, Schezo, Rulue]). Probably Kushala Daora or Kirin. I consider them to be "easy" Elders (Chameleos is not here because I'd imagine him to be too elusive for her to have encountered... yet.)

Uhhh. Back on track. She currently resides in Primp Village with some other Madou characters. Maybe takes a sorta part-time job at Primp's canteen, I just think it'd be neat for her to make some KILLER curry. Always pumps up and invigorates anyone who eats it. Also just helps around with problems villagers have in general, she's pretty strong!

Ringo: Lives in the far off... town? yeah I'll just go with that of Suzuran. Albeit uncommon, her presence is always appreciated. I think it's mentioned that her family runs a small grocery store in Suzu, soo I think she'd be like... a traveling merchant? Of the food kind. Fresh fruit...? Perhaps her family even owns an orchid, with their apples being quite popular back home. HEY. WAIT. She could be the equivalent of the Argosy/Trader in the MH games! And the market in general. Anyways, although Ringo is not a hunter per say, she still can assist her buds in hunts (see: Sunbreak follower system). When out hunting, she prefers to use a Light Bowgun. (Modified, cause I imagine her with a Thunder or Paralysis iron tree LBG.) Hell, she's pretty damn good at it too. Probably has a good amount of experience fighting monsters, because a lot can happen when you travel around a lot with goods (especially of the food variety) in tow. Oh god, I just remembered those quests in Rise with this ONE dude who keeps getting his stuff wrecked in like... three different quests... by three different monsters..... that man CANNOT catch a break!!!!!!!!! Oh right. Not sure what Ringo's HR would be, cus' she's not officially a hunter. Sorta? Maybe. Would be around Ami's level, if not a tad bit higher. Since she's not quite really a hunter, she doesn't (or can't?) take quests solo. Not that I think she'd have too much of a problem with it, i think.

Um. That's all I got... well, not really. But this is becoming TOO LONG!!! If anyone sees this... lmk what you think? OH. YEAH WAIT BEFORE I FORGET... most of the characters probably are aged up in this AU (young adults?) because I don't think teens are really allowed to risk their lives Hunting that Monster if you get what I mean. No, I'm not counting the Rampage summons.... it's more of a "all hands on deck" kinda deal to be there!

As for how their designs would look.... Amitie's definitely gonna be based off her Swordfighter alt, and Ringo would probably have hers based around the Steam Ages one (but MHified, and that's obviously for her "hunting" look.) Arle? Uh. Probably a more armored version of her normal look. Can't remember any alts in particular. Sorry...

ANYWAYS THAT'S IT FOR REAL!!! Good god I spent too long rambling about this. I think I'm a little bit obsessed....

#fowl rambling #UAUAHAHAHAHAJJJM HELP KEEEEEEEEEEE #puyohunter au #<- yes I am fucking calling it that. I CAN'T THINK OF A BETTER NAME!#stop laughing....#monster hunter #who out here huntin they monster #puyo puyo #I'm so sorry to anyone who happens upon this bruh #puyo puyo au #monster hunter au

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mandalhoerian · 1 year

Text

NO TIME TO DIE | leon kennedy x oc | 7

pairing: leon s. kennedy x oc word count: 14K~ warnings: gore, mr. x, canon-typical violence, grief, mourning summary: Vera finally faces her fears. READ ON AO3 ! ☆ NO TIME TO DIE MASTERPOST

Vera, with handcuffs around her wrists and a body that seemed to creak like a rusted robot with unoiled joints from centuries past, knew she could never overpower a man like Irons head-on. Even at her best, she was playing a losing game. Vera's greatest asset was her mind, but in her current disoriented state, even that was operating at only half capacity. She felt like a machine running on pure spite and anger with minimal fuel, and it was frustrating to admit that her intellect couldn’t fully help her at the moment.

She had to sneak up on him, no other way came to mind.

Back in the day, Vera used to tiptoe around the patrolling hours and patterns of nurses, caregivers, and security guards with her friend group. She would carry a paper that contained all the details she had painstakingly prepared to be accepted as one of them, whether it was to pull pranks, steal food, or sneak out to see the outside world. It had been years since she had last planned such meticulous distractions and routes to safely evade what were essentially just nurses doing their job, but her bones remembered. It was muscle memory, something that came as easily to her as breathing.

With her mind racing at a hundred miles an hour, the plan formed almost instantaneously in her head, appearing as spontaneously as a rain cloud forming in the sky before a downpour. Nevertheless, Vera still tried the front door first, only to find it locked, prompting her to mutter, "Right. Why did I even bother?"

All she was left with was unadulterated hope that nobody, after all these years, had found the secret treasure they’d stashed away for possible future use, consisting of so many stolen items only children would have thought as necessary.

While keeping one ear attuned to the classical music and any irregular sounds that might indicate Irons was leaving the director's office, Vera successfully climbed the stairs, fearful that they would creak and groan under her weight. She made a beeline for the joint bedroom where all the kids used to sleep together, ignoring her curiosity to stop and stare at the interior, which had been changed, repainted, and redesigned with much lovelier, brighter colors. The only guidance she had as she made her way through the room were the ominous shadows dancing on the walls from the dim light trickling in through the windows. However, even with the bizarre situation at hand, she found herself getting lost in bittersweet nostalgia, and her fascination wasn’t deterred.

As she made her way past the internal corridor, Vera passed what used to be her own private room, set apart from the other kids due to her status as a media-famous child, who brought in considerable income from benefactors, donors, and philanthropists. It was almost as if Vera had made it all up, given how Irons held her in such low regard. However, the communications directorate and the gifted children scholarship program in Umbrella made it abundantly clear that Vera was indeed their golden goose, the one who laid the golden eggs. Vera vaguely remembered having to show many journalists around her room for interviews and shows, that’s how she was certain it wasn't just a dream.

Despite briefly reminiscing about the past, Vera didn't feel any emotional connection to her old room. It was just a faded memory stored in her brain. She spared only a hollow glance at the closed door, which only brought up emotions instead of details, before quickly moving on in pursuit of her original goal. In the back of her mind, she could smell a familiar perfume after someone had passed her by, and she remembered a book with a plot she generally recalled, but with many pages ripped off and the remaining ones stained black with smeared ink.

The common sleeping quarters on the other hand, seized her heart in a merciless death grip even though it wasn’t the same anymore, having been transformed into a nursery of some sorts, the rows of cribs empty and disorganized.

This was the place where, on random nights during her turn for visits, she would sneak in to spend time with her friends. She would hop into bed and get underneath the sheets with a different friend each time, stifling giggles as they exchanged stories. Their naked feet pressed together and tickle attempts turned into play-fights, which they would try to stifle at the last minute to avoid being noticed by the nursemaids.

Vera recognized absolutely nothing about the room, but her heart knew. It’s how she was able to know which planks and camouflaging wood to remove.

Vera's heart raced as she saw the chest, feeling a mix of relief and nostalgia. And here it was. Just as she remembered, worn down but untouched, the symbol of their friend group carved clumsily on top of the lid — two opposite pointing chevrons, or as Vera liked to call it, the less than and greater than symbols, aligned to create a rectangular shape with their two pointy ends sticking out of it, and in the middle, a small circle.

Lightheaded, Vera found herself consumed by a flood of mixed emotions and poignant memories. It had been so long since she had come across anything that still held even the faintest reminder of her friends. Over a decade had passed with no tangible evidence of their existence, aside from what she held tightly in her heart. Vera had nothing left of her three cherished friends, for whom she had sacrificed everything in her search for answers about their fate. Ultimately, all they had left behind were their carvings on the chest, and nothingness that was valuable and treasured only in the pure and innocent eyes of children.

As children, they sought kinship and an unbreakable bond, and in order to leave a mark of their existence, they named their friend group "Arkcell" and assigned symbols to represent each member. The first part of the name came from Noah, the eldest and leader of the group, who was particularly fond of the idea of Noah's Ark as a fortress from God against world-destroying forces. Given the circumstances of their misfortune, he wanted to protect anyone and everyone. To Vera, he was the comforting older brother she never had. So, it wasn't surprising that he suggested the circle to represent their friend group and the angled parentheses as walls, specifically for the home he dreamed of building once he was of age. He envisioned adopting the others left behind and taking everyone under his protective wings.

Noah had originally intended for the circle to represent their entire friend group and had envisioned his own version of Noah's Ark. However, Vera’d pointed out that the symbol looked more like a plant cell diagram, which had led to the group being named "Arkcell" instead.

Despite how silly and unrealistic it seemed, Vera cherished being a part of the group and held onto the hope that Noah would eventually adopt her and her friends, creating the family they so desperately desired. With everyone around her being adopted, except for her, this was the best outcome she could imagine. To show her gratitude for being included, she pledged to take them to all the fascinating places she had visited with the adults, compensating for the fact that none of her friends were permitted to leave the orphanage's premises.

She’d thought everything would be okay once they got out together. Director Irons wouldn’t be able to hurt her anymore, and the constant health checkups wouldn’t have to leave her friends sick for long periods of time — everything would be perfect.

How naive and pure even the most precocious child’s mind was.

Her nose stinging and burning, Vera got lost in the four carvings and ran her fingertips along each individual stroke. Hers was the deer per Noah’s motif. In the most uncreative spirit, they had given her this, because of her surname Doe, hell, her whole brand was called Doe-eyed Jane. At the time, the deer had suited her well, as Vera was one of the most obedient, demure, and mature children in the orphanage, and nothing less was expected of her. However, now she couldn't be more unfit for what this animal stood for.

Noah, being Noah, was represented by a stick figure holding a twig-like staff. As the leader of their friend group, he acted as their guardian and was fiercely protective of all members, never choosing an animal to symbolize himself, but rather insisting on being seen as the shepherd who guided them all. But, in spite of that, sometimes he would play favorites, witnessing a friend’s crush should have been something amusing, yet Vera clearly remembered it being her biggest source of insecurity and jealousy back in the day.

It was common knowledge in the orphanage that the boy had a crush on Mercedes, affectionately known as Mercy, evidenced by the dove symbolizing her in the group's Noah's Ark motif. The boy's admiration for the bird stemmed from its role in the biblical story, but Mercy was unaware of this fact. She wasn’t aware his stick figure was really holding the olive branch the dove brought back from its travel in the story, not really one to care much about what lay between the lines or the subtleties Noah tended to appreciate more, having a reputation for being cold, solitary, and intimidating. In surprising contrast, though, she had a soft side that she showed to Vera, particularly during moments when Vera felt the most timid and insecure.

The raven image would have been a more fitting representation of Mercy’s outer persona, but that was instead given to Dion, the hothead who relished in playing pranks on Vera and took on the role of her biggest adversary. He didn't like how Vera always seemed to be perfect and was the type of boy who would pull on girls' pigtails on the playground. Immature, cheeky, and a troublemaker, he took pleasure in trying to get Vera in trouble and seeing her cry when the nursemaids scolded her for his antics.

Upon reflection, Vera realized that the mischievous and hyperactive nature of the raven suited Dion well, while the cold and elegant demeanor of the dove was a perfect fit for Mercy.

It felt exclusionary in a way.

The deer paled in comparison to the significance of Noah, the dove, and the raven. Those three animals were integral to a story, a shared narrative that bound them together. The deer, on the other hand, seemed like an afterthought, a forced addition to their group. It stuck out awkwardly, like a black sheep. Vera used to feel bothered that they didn't try to find an existing story with four characters and redistribute the roles to include her as a core member. Looking back, she realized that her bitterness was childish, born out of her fear of being left behind.

No matter what it was, Vera felt that everything in her life ultimately boiled down to her fears. Fear was the foundation upon which she had built her existence, and she loathed this aspect of herself, knowing that it was only there for the sake of survival, and nothing more.

In the shadow of fear that had rendered her useless for her whole life, yearning for her childhood friends who she thought were aloof and detached to her out of sparing herself the pain was a window left open in her soul in the winds of winter that raged outside, especially after their so-called adoptions one after the other followed by no-contact.

Knowing what she did now, Vera should have gotten over herself to spend time with them more, treasured them better, let them know how much she loved and appreciated them instead of letting the shyness make it look like she saw herself superior to them as they once communicated to her, she should have extended the same clarity and expressed her feelings instead of festering in secret and letting it be the reason why the resentment she felt was justified after they’d ‘left’ one by one.

The undeserving and horrible heartbreak and hatred she felt at them for something they didn’t do, during a time they were most probably dying in the most painful of ways, had impacted Vera just as badly as discovering the orphanage was really a human test subject farm.

Worst of it all? She couldn’t fix it.

It was a cruel reality that Vera couldn't come to terms with. The thought that her friends, along with many other children, were subjected to such inhumane treatment made her heart heavy with grief and anger. She couldn't fathom how anyone could be so heartless and callous towards innocent children who were already dealt an unfair hand in life. It was a bitter pill to swallow that the only value these children had was in their usefulness as test subjects for scientific experiments.

The sin of only thinking of herself while they were facing unimaginable horrors ate away at her, even though she knew she was just a child herself back then. The trauma and pain they must have endured before their untimely deaths was something Vera couldn't even imagine. She couldn't shake off the guilt of not being able to do anything to save them or even say goodbye properly, often wondering if they had thought of her in their final moments, or if they had found solace in each other's company. The thought of their suffering haunted her every night, and it was a burden she carried alone.

The fact that the Birkins, who were parents themselves, could treat other children with such disregard and cruelty was beyond comprehension for Vera. To think that they were only interested in extracting more and more, with no regard for the well-being of the children, made her blood boil with rage. It was a stark reminder that in a world where power and money ruled, even the most vulnerable members of society could become expendable pawns in someone else's game.

The seemingly endless pit of despair that had consumed Vera began to fade away as she caught the cutaway of music from Irons' record. It was like a snapping sound coming from a nearby bush that startled a prey animal, causing her to awaken from her emotional slumber.

Vera's hands shook as she fumbled with the lock on the chest. Her mind raced with self-deprecating thoughts, berating herself for letting her guard down and allowing sentimentality to cloud her judgment. She couldn't afford to let her emotions get the best of her, not with a dangerous serial killer hot on her trail. As she finally managed to open the chest, she couldn't help but curse herself under her breath. "You fucking idiot," she muttered. "How could you be so stupid?" She knew she had to stay focused and be better than this, but the fear and panic had taken hold of her. "What's wrong with me?" she whispered to herself, the words barely audible over the pounding of her heart.

Vera took a moment to assess her situation, and it wasn't looking good. Some blood loss. Possible concussion. Headache. Battered and hurting body. Upper left arm basically burnt and bandaged, and it was just dawning on her that Leon or Claire had cut off the whole sleeve of her turtleneck to treat her burns, which was causing her to shiver with hot and cold flashes.

Maybe it wasn’t that out of nowhere that she had drifted off (or rather, failed immediately in a task that had her life hanging on the line) in the first available opportunity. Maybe it was understandable that she had struggled to keep her wits about her during such a high-pressure situation.

Vera's thoughts seemed to be getting more coherent as she focused on the items available to her. Well, get it together then, Marvin didn’t raise a weakling, she thought. She took stock of what she had: a rope, a snap-off knife, and a bucket of oil-based paint that was most likely expired. The bucket was something she had stolen with her childhood friends so they could paint whatever they wanted in their secret attic room. She also remembered, hell knows why, stealing matches from smoking nursemaids, which could come in handy.

Vera had everything she needed.

Sure enough, Irons was out of his little office to check on her, just like how Vera thought the music pause would mean. His outraged yell was muffled, but it reached all the way upstairs. “Oh you little bitch!”

Last minute booby trap, it is.

Irons' anger was not helping his attempt at being calm and manipulative. "And I was just trying to be nice to you," he yelled in frustration. "You want to play games, Jane? Fine, but there's nowhere to hide. I'm coming for you, and when I find you, don't bother begging for mercy. Your worthless life is mine to take!"

Heart picking up its pace, Vera jammed the knife in the metal lid of the paint to pop it open, tracking with her ears that his footsteps were heading right to the stairs. She had to crack the door to the nursery open to be able to balance the paint can on top so it would dunk all its content on Irons the moment he barged inside. Blood pumping along her veins in greatly increasing speed was making her hands shake, but at least it was taking away the pain holding back her body and putting her in a better focused state of mind under pressure.

With no time to spare, Vera had to rely on her instincts and use every advantage she had. If the paint trap failed, she would use the snap-off knife, catching him off guard. She couldn't afford to hesitate or doubt herself, even though she had never stabbed anyone before and wasn't sure if she could do it properly.

As the hurried footsteps grew closer, Vera kicked a crib to intentionally make it fall, then took cover behind the nearby wall behind the door and leaned her back against it. She quickly lit a match just as Irons shouted, “There you are, you dumb bitch! That’s a dead end!” while he rushed towards the room, completely unaware of Vera's plan to ambush him. It was a clear indication of how little he considered her.

To Vera's relief, the paint can worked as planned. Irons barged in, and she heard a loud clanging noise followed by splashing and choked yelping. Irons had been hit with the paint, and his pistol went off in surprise. He stumbled into the room, falling to his knees and trying to wipe off the paint that covered him from shoulders to top.

Grateful that she had foreseen the danger of Irons using his gun and had taken precautions, Vera immediately threw a lit match at him without a second thought, knowing that she had to do whatever it takes to survive. She didn't even pause to question her willingness to harm another person, whether it was due to her instinct for self-preservation or a sense of detachment from her actions.

Irons didn't have time to utter a single curse before the flammable paint ignited, engulfing his head in flames.

He could only fire two more times into random directions out of reflex to the exploding pain before he dropped the gun and started thrashing around violently in a big ball of fire surrounding his head. Only then did Vera dart forward and snatch the keychain hanging from his belt with a couple keys including one universal handcuff one, and bolted from there, closing the door behind her and locking him in, not really registering the agonized howling that was ripping his throat apart, ignoring the sound of destruction coming from behind the door as the man tried to put himself out — or just tried anything to stop the pain.

Oh god, what did I do?

The desire for revenge and justice that Vera had nurtured for years dissipated in an instant, replaced by pure and unadulterated horror as she realized the extent to which she had discarded her humanity. For a brief moment, when she was alone with her thoughts, she came to the realization that what she had done was truly inhumane.

It fucking reeked of cooked meat.

Vera's disgust was so intense that she vomited all over the floor as Irons' screams became background noise to her. After emptying her stomach, she struggled to walk away from the nauseating stench, her steps unsteady.

Vera was so deeply shaken that she couldn't bear to listen to the ghastly screams of the man she despised so much without feeling disturbed. The situation was nothing short of a nightmare. He was burning alive in the same room where he had trafficked innocent children to their deaths, and the sounds emanating from the room seemed like a portal to hell had been opened.

What if he walked it off? What if he didn’t die from this? What if he died from this?

Vera was a murderer, then.

Vera's mind raced with these thoughts as she stumbled away from the locked room, trying to process what had just happened. The possibility of Irons surviving and coming after her again filled her with dread, but the thought of him dying in such a horrific manner also made her feel sick to her stomach. She didn't know what to do, where to go, or how to feel.

She’d killed someone! But he’d attempted it first, he was going to kill her, he’d shot Leon in cold blood— if Vera didn’t, if she didn’t defend herself—

Marvin’s scolding voice cut the slowly simmering panic about to emerge within the survival instinct. Don’t think. Thinking slows you down. Slow gets you killed.

Taking a deep breath, Vera tried to push away the guilt and fear that threatened to overwhelm her. She had to keep a level head, to stay alert and focused. The keychain she had taken from Irons jangled in her hand, a small reminder of her victory, but also a reminder of the danger she was still in.

What now? What was she to do?

A loud crashing sound resounded from right behind her — “JAAAAANE!” The head of a fucking axe was peeking from the bashed in but still locked door of the nursery. Irons sounded inhuman. “You’re gonna fucking pay for this! I’ll chop you to fucking pieces! I’ll taxidermy you fucking alive!”

Letting her gut take the lead, she got rid of the handcuffs as she ran down the stairs and threw them away while Irons was banging on the door, he’d begun to scream her name in animalistic agony, unable to form any other word.

She yelled, “Sesame, Sherry!” and held the girl’s hand to help her climb over. Vera had no consoling answers to give to the questioning horror and the pale white of her face at hearing what’d gone down, what was going down upstairs, so she continued with, “C’mon, we’re leaving!”

“Where are we going?”

“Anywhere safe,” she replied, jogging to the front door and basically shoving the remaining key into the lock, and the door opened, it opened —

But when she tried to push, it only budged for a couple inches, and the thing obstructing the movement rattled loudly.

The orphanage door had been chained up from the outside.

But suddenly, as she rattled the door in frustration, chest heaving in shaky breaths, and racked her brain on what to do next, Leon appeared out of nowhere, on the other side, stupefied and moon-eyed, hands gripping each side of the two winged doors, and for a second, Vera thought she had suffered damage to her brain to be hallucinating at a time like this, but then Sherry cried out, "Leon! Claire! You're here!" with such intensity that she was on the verge of tears.

In that infinitesimal moment, everything else faded away and all Vera could see was Leon's face. She barely managed to whisper his name, a feeble sound in comparison to the little girl's joyous exclamation. "Leon?"

"Oh my god, are you guys okay? Hey!" Leon exclaimed, a mixture of relief and concern etched on his face.

Sherry chirped, “I’m okay,” anxiously, she was clutching on Vera. “But—”

But before she could do anything else, Claire pushed Leon aside to get a glimpse of the captives through the chained door. “Sherry, thank god!” As soon as her eyes landed on Vera, her expression shifted to one of raw fear and panic. "Vera, holy— what happened?"

But Leon was dead. She had to be seeing things —

In that moment, all the emotions she had suppressed came crashing down on her. Vera felt tears stinging her eyes, her throat closing up with emotion, the words pierced through the fog of shock that had settled over her, she stumbled forward, still feeling weak and shaky. She struggled to find her voice, her breaths coming in ragged gasps. “Irons happened.”

She couldn't bring herself to say the words, to describe the horror of what she had done.

“Are you okay?" Leon insisted, reaching out to touch the hand she had on the door. He inspected her mutely, his gaze fixed on her face. "I was so worried," he said finally, his voice thick with emotion. "I thought I was too late."

Vera swallowed hard, her own eyes filling with tears. "I thought you died," she said fiercely.

Leon's eyes widened at her words, a mix of surprise and concern flashing across his face. "What? No, I'm okay. I'm here," he said, squeezing her hand gently. “Why would you—?”

Vera shook her head, tears now streaming down her cheeks. "No, no — I thought Irons had killed you," she clarified, her voice wavering with emotion.

Leon's expression darkened as he remembered the events that had led him here. "He shot me, but bulletproof vest, remember?" he explained. "I've been looking for you ever since."

Vera nodded, a mix of relief and sadness washing over her. "I'm glad you're okay," she said, before turning her attention to the chained door separating them. "But we need to get out of here. Irons is still upstairs, and he's... I…"

A loud crash from the first floor shook her out of the disbelieving trance she was in. “Jane! You’re fucking dead, you hear me?! It’s over!”

Right after that, Claire was locking eyes with her.

Irons had torn the door down, there was no time left.

Vera mumbled, "Gun," her hands fumbling in the air. She turned to the two and spoke louder, extending her arm through the gap, "Give me one of your guns!" Without hesitation, Leon handed Vera her magnum. Though she couldn't see him, she could sense his anxiety.

Suddenly, Irons appeared at the top of the staircase, and Vera shoved Sherry behind her. All thoughts of breaking down over how Leon was alive and well vanished. The comforting weight and warmth of the Lightning Hawk was as reassuring as Leon's presence right beyond the door. She wasn't alone.

She didn’t need to kill a person. It didn’t need to be her last resort. Vera could have a gun in her hand and have it only mean an empty threat when she had allies by her side. It wasn’t a life and death situation where the only way out was killing this man anymore. Having someone beside you to work things out, to offer support and solutions was a feeling of unwinding unmatched by anything else.

The charred, angry, glistening blood red and peeling, soot black, burnt head of the man barreling down with occasional agonized groans and yelps about how it fucking hurt wasn’t as terrifying as it used to be just minutes ago in hurting another living, breathing being. Vera was able to pull down the safety of the weapon and point it at him with confidence, all thanks to Claire and Leon being next to her.

“Stay where you are.”

The man had to be staying conscious by pure rage and hatred, the glare he shot her was deranged as he staggered where he stood. Saliva was running down his chin, he was breathing heavily through bared teeth — his entire head looked wet from the heavy plasma of blood, it was all burnt, moist flesh. The pain he had gone through had to be incomprehensible enough to have taken away all his sanity and reason that he didn’t have the gun he’d fired at her on him, only an ax on his person. “You!” he hissed, the gurgle in his throat evident now, and his gaze shifted behind her, where Leon and Claire were peering in. “No! No!”

"It's over, Irons," Vera declared.

But Irons wasn't ready to give up. "Nothing's over while I'm standing!" he yelled, attempting to charge at her with his ax. However, Vera was in a state of focused concentration and managed to aim at the ground in front of him and fire the magnum, using both hands to steady the recoil despite her injuries. The shot made Irons lose his balance and stumble backwards.

"Throw the ax over here," Vera commanded.

“I’ll kill you!”

Vera raised the gun for emphasis, impatience showing in her voice. “Give the ax here, or else!”

Only a child would scream the way he did while throwing a tantrum, but he did as she asked, kicking it in a manner that didn’t suit his big age. He had to be hurting way too much to obey as he did.

Having the gun on him still, Vera stepped forward and leaned down to pick the ax up, and tried to slip it from the gap to Claire and Leon. “Can you break the chains with this?”

Claire took out a surprised, but enlightened inhale. “We’ll try!”

The next thing Vera knew, the continuous sound of metal striking metal was dulled next to Irons’ delirious mumbling. He’d doubled over on the floor and was rocking back and forth. “I'm not letting anyone leave my city, nobody’s getting out of here. Nobody’s leaving my city. Everyone’s going to die! Everyone will die!”

“The hell are you saying?” Vera was feeling particularly cruel after all this man had put her through — after what he had done to her friends and all those children, even though his head had burnt to a crisp and he was walking the line between sanity and losing his entire mind from the pain. “Are you a shy elementary school boy? Raise your fucking voice.”

Irons' outburst continued, his voice becoming more strained and erratic with each word. He clawed at his chest, his anger spilling out in a grating screech that grated on the ears. It was surreal to see the usually composed manipulator reduced to nothing but an angry manchild. "You imbecile! You absolute moron!" he roared, his rage boiling over. "You ruined everything! I was this close to getting out! I had it! I had the fucking G-Virus if it wasn’t for you!"

As he finished his rant, he fell into a frenzied chanting, causing Claire and Leon to pause their attempts to break the chains. "You’re not leaving my city! Nobody is! Nobody is leaving my city! Especially when I’m not! You’ll all die here!"

The chain broke with a loud clash as the ax struck it. With that, Claire and Leon were able to stand next to Vera, and Leon gently lowered her magnum by placing his gloved hand on the barrel. When she looked at him for clarification, his solemn expression conveyed everything - Irons was no longer a threat. Vera felt a twinge of annoyance that a man like Irons could elicit pity from Leon, especially after attempting to kill him.

“Jesus…” Claire murmured as she took in the jarring burns on Irons’ head. She wrapped an arm around Sherry’s shoulder and turned her around from the scene, unable to bear the sight.

But Irons was not done yet. “If I'm going to go, I'm going to take you with me!” he wheezed, his hands trembling in the air before he clutched his chest again. “I’ll take everyone with me!”

Sherry, overwhelmed by fear and trauma, buried her head in Claire’s stomach. “I want to go home… No more, please, no more…”

Claire looked around and spotted the door to the left, which was closest to them. “Let’s get you away from here, okay?” she said gently, leading Sherry towards the door.

Claire didn’t ask any questions as she took the blonde by her hand and pulled her along, not bothering to ask about where the door led to, only wanting to get the little girl away from the gruesome scene and the nonsense the man was spitting.

“Do you even know what that pendant is? Do you? You can’t even imagine the power that holds!”

Vera could vaguely connect the dots. This pendant he was talking about had to do something with the G-virus. She wasn’t sure if Leon or Claire was able to distinguish the word as they had to be deafened by the loud clash of breaking the chain with the ax, but… If it was true, she wanted them to have nothing to do with it. These people were innocent, they didn’t deserve to get caught in a mess that would swallow them up whole as she had been.

She looked at Leon. The boy was standing tall, shoulders braced, ready for anything, but had a face stuck between disdain and shame, lips curled downward, thick eyebrows pulled in. He was sternly contemplating something.

Irons was still mumbling and occasionally blowing up, screaming. “I was finally going to teach that damned William a lesson! Him and his corporate, ivory tower, suit-fuckers! How dare he… How dare they… They did this to me… They ruined me and my city, everything I’ve built! After everything I’ve done for them!”

Leon grimaced, he turned to Vera, but was unable to tear his eyes from the chief of police whimpering and gurgling in pain. “He’s lost it.”

“Been that way right from the start but,” Vera said, without any emotion behind it, feeling like she was watching a house burn down, as a mere spectator, inside the safety of her own home. “He’s just revealing it openly now.”

That got Leon to look at her, baby blues swimming in comforting heartache inspecting everywhere on her that Vera thought was undeserved, yeah she was beat up. Nothing to do about it but walk it off. More importantly to her it was weird, really, that he wasn’t thrown off that he’d found his boss in this state and wasn’t judging her for it. It was obvious she was the one responsible for burning him. Battery and assault in cop language. He had a million things to say and he was conveying every single one of them with his eyes and thinned mouth, yet, reprimand wasn’t even an underlying part of it for some reason. “Vera—”

Then he stopped, freezing, head turning around to the direction of the door with a wild, panicked kind of focus.

“What is it?”

He raised a hand. “Shh.”

He was listening. But for what?

Then Vera herself heard it. Rapid stomping. But the unbelievably heavy kind that you would attribute to a construction wrecking ball, not a human being, and definitely not from that distance.

You shouldn’t be able to hear someone walking like that from this far unless they had high heels.

Leon was on alert mode immediately. “Shit.” He looked around, frantic, and locked on to the stairs leading up to the second floor, and grabbed Vera from her better arm.

“What’s happening?” She could only ask as he insistently pulled her along as he took out her pink walkie-talkie.

“Claire! Mr. X is coming, take Sherry and hide somewhere, quick!”

Who?

Some shuffling came from the line, they were on the move. “Oh motherf—! Ugh! Got it. There’s a trap door here—”

Worry was practically emanating from Leon, but he didn’t elaborate further. Whatever this threat was, getting away from it had to be more important than anything. “Be quick and careful, we’ll regroup once he leaves!”

He stopped, glancing back at Irons who was muttering in anger, lost in his own world, curled up in a ball. Vera realized that despite knowing the kind of person Irons was, Leon still wanted to save him from what was on its way. "Chief, you have to listen to me. Something terrible is coming and—"

But Irons suddenly became lucid and noticed that nobody was threatening him. He bolted from where he was moping just a second ago and threw himself out of the orphanage door, yelling in anger.

Leon, filled with adrenaline and horror, shouted in frustration. It was not how an officer who had just let a suspect escape was supposed to act. "No! Goddamnit!"

He let out a choked cry of frustration, tensing like a cat about to pounce as if he wanted to chase after Irons. However, within a few heartbeats, he changed his mind and started running up the stairs, still holding onto Vera's wrist.

He had made his decision.

The stomping sounds were getting closer, and Vera felt a surge of anxiety in her gut as they seemed impossibly loud and earth-shattering. Irons had made the choice to flee in his delirium, completely oblivious to the more immediate danger that was approaching. As she and Leon ran into the nursery, she heard a sound that made her blood run cold - a scream abruptly cut off, the sickening sound of bones breaking, and a heavy, meaty thud against a hard surface.

Vera felt a shiver of fear shoot up her spine and couldn't help but curse under her breath at the gruesome sound. Her mind was blank, unable to process what was happening. Leon seemed to understand her state of mind and released her wrist to grab her hand, offering a reassuring squeeze as they hurried deeper into the upper floor, with no clear direction other than getting as far away as possible from the source of the horrifying noise.

Vera's mind was in a daze, rendering her unable to provide any guidance to Leon, even though she was familiar with the orphanage's layout. The next thing she knew, they had made their way into the old nursemaids' quarters, which had been repurposed as a laundry room. The room was in complete disarray, with a few washing machines and dryers strewn about, and white linens and towels scattered haphazardly all over the place. Some laundry items were still hanging on the strings in the corner, clinging on for dear life amidst the chaos.

Finally, the massive, hulking giant entered the building, each step causing the ground to vibrate and creating sounds louder than gunshots. Leon was aware of it as well. With slightly trembling hands, he opened the closet door and gestured for her to enter the cramped space before closing it quietly. They were left with only a thin strip of light coming in through the crack to see by.

With their backs against opposite walls, standing together in the cramped space was impossible without their legs becoming intertwined, especially when Leon was wearing her backpack. Vera had to push one knee between Leon's legs and press their fronts together, like a loose hug between friends. Both she and Leon had to look away to the other direction for it to not be awkward. Despite the cramped conditions, Vera was so tired that resting her cheek on Leon's shoulder and closing her eyes seemed tempting, even with the adrenaline coursing through her body from the thundering stomps that had chosen the stairs over the director's room.

Leon's hand rested carefully on his hip holster, where Matilda was secured, while the other hand tightly clutched Vera's own. His breathing was even and quiet, in stark contrast to her hammering heartbeat. Vera tried to match his calmness, but the dread was so overwhelming that she feared the creature could hear the sound of her blood flowing.

The shared survival instinct had bound Vera to Leon, and an agreement to remain silent had passed between them through sheer fear. Not a single word had to be spoken aloud for them to understand each other's intentions.

If Leon thought only hiding could save someone from alias Mr. X, it was worse in her book than the big shoulder pimple eye guy she’d pushed off the edge. That guy at least had some humanity in him and knew how to be stealthy. A sign of superior intelligence that set him apart from the undead and lickers.

This? This was not human. Booming footsteps closing in on them reverberated rhythmically, striking with such velocity that the denting and splintering of the hardwood floor could be heard. Vera couldn’t stop herself from shaking and subconsciously tightening the squeeze of her handhold with Leon, and he looked at her. Vision now used to the light dark of the closet, she saw the head shake that told her to stay still.

But her body didn’t listen.

The wooden door bent and broke, slamming against the flimsy paper walls. The hinges popped and crackled, and Leon braced himself for Vera's inevitable flinch or exclamation. In a swift move, he grasped the back of her head and pressed her face into his shoulder to muffle any noise that might betray their presence.

Her hand hung midair, now empty, as Vera held her breath and clenched her jaw, eyes shut tight. She stood frozen like a mannequin or a marble statue — as if already buried in a grave. Even Leon's clean, soapy scent mixed with aftershave couldn't fully ease her nerves in the deafening silence that followed. Her body was taut like a tightly wound wire, attuned to the black hole of a presence that hung in the air.

That thing — Mr. X, was observing, looking for anybody in the room. It was intelligent.

Leon’s fingers dug deeper into her hair like he wanted to hide her away the more this calm before the storm stretched on, she felt the fluttering of the quick pulse in his neck.

The fatal, exploding footsteps returned, but this time, they faded away as Vera heard Mr. X walking on the balcony leading to the staircase. Despite her trained ear, she could only manage a hard swallow, while Leon released a quivering sigh and slumped with relief.

Vera remained frozen in that position until the louder sound she could discern was the ticking of the wall clock, and the muffled, and distant footsteps finally faded away. Deeming it safe to start communicating, she cautiously craned her head and whispered "Claire and Sherry," with minimal breath.

Leon's sudden startle caused Vera to draw back, and she looked at him expectantly, questioning him with a tilt of her head. His hand, which had been resting on her hair, fell away awkwardly. “What do we do?”

“We wait,” he said, his warm breath fanning her face.

Vera's mind raced with fear and worry. "What if that thing reaches them? What if it finds them?"

"Believe me, Claire is more than capable of handling that guy," Leon reassured her. "We’ve been running away from him around the entire police station for an hour now. She’s better than me at getting around him." He took her hand again in an attempt to console her. Vera was in desperate need of reassurance, and she didn't know if she was letting it work on her or if it was simply Leon's natural effect on her. “I’m all about hiding from him. She’s hit and run. Her way works better to shake him off for some reason.”

The sheer absurdity of the situation left Vera feeling helpless and bewildered. “Okay — but — what — what the hell is it?” Vera asked, her fear and confusion evident in her voice.

Leon paused, his mind working to construct an answer specifically for her. "Honestly, that's the wrong question to ask," he said finally. "I'm as lost as you are. All I know is that he's massive, doesn't die, and can lift a helicopter. And punch through walls." He sighed, clearly fatigued. "None of it makes sense in a zombie outbreak. I have no fucking idea what the hell's happening."

“Should we try reaching them through the walkie-talkie?” She offered a solution she knew would be rejected. It was to take Leon’s mind off of the subject that was paining him. He hadn’t looked quite okay ever since they’d reunited. Something was off about him. But Vera couldn’t really ask what was wrong, she was barely scraping through as it is.

“Too dangerous. He could hear it.”

“So we really just wait like this?”

“We don’t have a choice. I can’t risk going out and distracting him while you’re in this shape.”

“Nevermind me—”

“Can you not do this, please?” Leon whispered harshly. Well, as harsh as he was capable of, at least. “You’re hurt and I’m not leaving you again. You could have died because of my poor judgment and—” He paused, and exhaled. “Just. Let me protect you right now.”

Oh.

He was feeling guilty.

Why had it taken Vera this long to understand? Hell, she really wasn’t her best at the moment, was she?

“It’s not your fault,” she said softly. The thought of Irons was making her numb with the knowledge Mr. X had killed him in the most brutal of ways she’d ever heard in cold blood, she didn’t know what to feel.

But she knew Leon didn’t have to carry any burden in his conscience related to him.

“Of course it is,” he denied, dismissive.

“I didn’t tell you anything,” Vera shot him down. “You asked me and I lied, and you knew I lied. You just didn’t want to make me uncomfortable because you’re nice like that, even in the fucking zombie apocalypse. Outbreak. Whatever. You would have had every right to demand to know and I wouldn’t have been able to refuse you, the problem is that I didn’t trust you to be on my side if Irons popped up from somewhere. Cop and all. Even though you gave me plenty of reasons to trust you, I was still afraid. I did this to myself.” She gazed into his eyes, a tiny smile twitching on her lips but falling apart. “It’s not your fault.”

Leon grabbed both of Vera's hands, his voice urgent and frantic. "It's not your fault either, Vera. None of this is your fault. That sick bastard did this to you, and you couldn't have stopped him from doing it. People like him, they…” He cut himself off. “You're making it sound like you deserved it for not telling me, but that's not true. Nobody deserves to go through what you — or any of his victims went through. I'm just grateful we were able to find you before he could... before he could do something worse."

So he knew. He had discovered Irons’ true nature somehow.

Vera's eyes glistened with unshed tears as she listened to Leon's words. She knew deep down that he was right, but the shame and guilt she felt were still difficult to shake off. "I just... I should have told you, Leon. Maybe we could have avoided this altogether, and I wouldn’t have to do what I did… or... or something."

Leon tightened his grip on her hands, his eyes locking onto hers. "No, don't blame yourself. You did what you had to do to survive. And we're here now, you’re safe. That's what matters." And then he said something that was totally unexpected of him, quite darkly. “He got what he deserved.”

There it was. Forgiveness. Someone telling her it was okay. Leon was righteous. Leon didn’t want to hurt people. He had strong morals enough to have wanted to save even Irons from Mr. X, yet here he was, reassuring her without prejudice or judgment.

She could cry.

The distant sound of gunfire echoed through the orphanage. And any thought of Irons and everything that had happened was nothing more than an afterthought.

“He found them,” Leon straightened, one hand maneuvering to lean against the door of the closet as if he wanted to open it.

"We need a plan," Vera said, trying to steady her breathing. "We can't just wait here and hope for the best. We have to help them. Claire’s on her own, Sherry’s a kid." Vera thought for a moment, trying to come up with a solution. Suddenly, an idea came to her. "Do you have my mp3 player?”

Leon's eyes widened with surprise, but then a small smile spread across his face. "I get where you’re going with this.”

With practiced movements, Vera disassembled the modified mp3 player, which had the ability to connect to nearby electronics to play music instead of playing it from itself. It was a risky move, but they had no other options. They had to carefully make their way to the next room with a window, where they would throw the player outside as far as possible to grab Mr. X's attention. With the gunfire having ceased and his footsteps quickening as if he was chasing someone, Vera was certain that Claire and Sherry were trying to throw him off their track. Vera knew that Claire was clever enough to recognize that the distraction was Vera's doing and use it to her own advantage.

It had to work.

As the eerie silence settled around them, Vera's mind raced with questions. Something had gone terribly wrong. The thumping footfalls of Mr. X had suddenly vanished. But it wasn't like he had disappeared after the blaring music had started in the backyard of the orphanage. Instead, the silence was even more unnerving since neither Vera nor Leon had heard him make his way to investigate the noise.

She couldn't shake off the feeling that something was off. Mr. X couldn't have just vanished into thin air, he had to be somewhere in the building. But why was he being so quiet? What was going on?

As Vera tried to piece together what had happened, the weight of the situation settled in. This was a dangerous game they were playing, and the stakes were higher than ever before.

Vera had theorized, “Maybe Claire killed him.”

Leon was skeptical. “That’s not possible. But she did mention something about a trapdoor in the office. Maybe it doesn't lead to a basement, but rather to some kind of path that leads somewhere else.”

A sudden realization dawned on Vera, and she exclaimed, “So you’re saying they could have escaped outside the orphanage.”

Leon's eyes lit up in agreement. “Exactly.”

Excited by the prospect of finally finding her friends, Vera asked, "Then, should we try to contact them now? It's not like they're hiding anymore."

However, Leon remained cautious. "We can't be certain of that."

Vera couldn't help but comment on Leon's indecisiveness. “You don’t want this, you don’t like that. Man, you’re finicky.”

Leon defended himself. “Just trying to be careful.”

As much as Vera wanted to trust Leon's judgment and confidence in Claire, she couldn't shake off her unease. The fact that he was prioritizing her safety over finding Claire and Sherry was reassuring in a way, but it also made her worry about their well-being. It was clear that he had developed trust in Claire's abilities to handle herself, especially since they had been dealing with the situation together in Vera's absence. Nonetheless, the thought of her friends being in danger was enough to keep her on edge.

Heart warmed by the fact that Leon was only trying to protect her, Vera softened her tone. "I understand, but Claire and Sherry could be in trouble. We have to act fast."

Determined, she walked out the break room they were camping in with Leon hot on her tail.

They eventually made their way to the director's office, Leon in front of her and Vera at his six, the eerie silence that enveloped the place sent shivers down Vera's spine. She could feel the knot in her stomach tighten when Leon stopped dead in his tracks and just froze up.

Her eyes roamed the room, taking in the morbid sight in front of her.

“This has to be a joke,” came out of her involuntarily.

Vera felt a surge of revulsion as she gazed at the gruesome sight before her. The mayor's daughter lay lifeless on the table, her skin a sickening shade of blue and purple, dressed in a mini white dress. The table beside her held an array of tools, neatly arranged and waiting to be used for some unspeakable purpose.

Leon's voice cut through the silence, filled with horror and disbelief. "He was really going to taxidermy a human being. I really wasn’t misinterpreting his log... Jesus, this poor girl..."

Vera felt bile rise up in her throat, but she had nothing left in her stomach to expel. The whole situation was beyond comprehension, the literal proof of his depravity was right here.

“Let’s…” she started, queasy. “Let’s keep moving. We can’t stay here.”

Don’t think. Thinking slows you down. Slow gets you killed.

The trapdoor led them to a dimly lit corridor, and concrete stairs leading even further down, lined with rusted pipes and flickering lights that only served to intensify the sense of foreboding that had settled over them.

As they neared the end of the hallway, guns prepared, they froze in their tracks. Mr. X's hulking frame was sprawled out on the ground, his body almost split in half with deep, bloody gouges.

Vera covered her mouth to stifle a gasp, while Leon stepped forward, his eyes scanning the area for any sign of life.

There was no way Claire or Sherry could have done this. This wasn't a human's work, it could never be, not even in a parallel universe.

“There’s a bigger fish out there,” Leon said, unable to fathom any of it.

That's when she noticed he wasn’t lying in front of a dark wall, but an empty elevator shaft with the doors gone.

“No other way but down,” Vera concluded, she was unable to step closer because of Mr. X’s mutilated remains blocking the way.

They had two possibilities - either Claire and Sherry had gone down the elevator to escape, and the creature had followed them by tearing the doors and jumping down, or the elevator had plummeted down with them inside and the creature on it. Time was of the essence, they needed to find out what happened as soon as possible.

"Page them now," Vera demanded, her voice urgent.

Leon nodded, his expression grim. "Right." He fished the pink radio out of his pocket and tried to hail Claire. "Claire, do you copy? This is Leon. Come in, over."

"Come on, come on," Vera muttered under her breath, her eyes fixed on Leon's radio.

There was a long pause, causing their anxiety to mount. Finally, Claire's voice crackled through the static. "Leon?”

“Oh thank god,” Leon deflated, a hand on his forehead.

Vera grabbed the radio from his hand. "Where are you guys? Are you okay? What happened to Mr. X?"

“I’m not hurt.” There was a moment of silence, and then her voice came through, shaky and disturbed. “And remember the guy you fought underground with the giant eye? It was him. Tore the bastard in half. He made the elevator fall.”

“Where are you now?” Leon insisted, his alarm growing with each passing moment.

"I don't know," Claire admitted. "I haven't had a chance to look around yet. It smells terrible, like we're near the sewers or something. I think it's some sort of extension to the underground place we were in. But the good news is, I did find... Sherry's mother. She's alive."

Annette Birkin? Vera's jaw dropped. "What? Are you serious?"

Leon let out a thoughtful hum. "It seems like Sherry was right about her mother being down here. It must have been quite a reunion for them.”

Claire's somber voice interrupted them. "Actually, I have bad news. I lost Sherry. She ran away from that thing while I was out cold. I'm about to search for her myself because her mother won't do it. The woman didn’t even want to hear that Sherry is in danger. She was more interested in the thing after us."

Leon and Vera exchanged a worried glance. What Leon said wasn’t a question but it came out like one. “That doesn’t sound like something a mother would do.”

“Believe me, she made sure to make it clear Sherry was her daughter.” Claire sounded like she wanted to hit her head on a wall. “I cannot with the people in this city. First Irons, now this.”

But the behavior checked out with Annette, alright.

The logical, expected next step was to regroup and look for Sherry, but. But…

Vera had to go back to the station. She had to go back for Marvin. God, he probably was already… Leon and Claire probably had seen him as an undead, too, but… She didn’t even get to say goodbye. It felt surreal. What was she supposed to do, move on just like that, put her father’s name in the ground like it didn’t matter?

“Listen,” Claire had somehow sensed Vera's internal struggle and stepped in from the silence that had followed. “I’ll look for her. And when I know where we are for sure, I’ll let you guys now. Until then… Vera… Go to Marvin, alright?”

Vera's heart swelled with gratitude. “Are you sure?”

“You know you want to, don’t try to be a saint on me now.” Her words were playful, but she wasn’t joking at all. “You deserve to have your closure. I'll take care of things here. It’s not like you can find me right away, too. So just go, okay?”

“Yeah, okay,” Vera bit the inside of her mouth and let go. “Thank you Claire. I owe you one.”

“You owe me nothing,” Claire said sweetly. “We’re in this together. I’ll be keeping in touch.”

With that, the line went silent, leaving Vera to grapple with the weight of her decision.

“Before we go, let’s rest for a bit,” Leon offered. “This might be the only safe place left in the city, and we could use some downtime.”

“I don’t—”

“Marvin isn’t going anywhere Vera,” Leon gravely dropped the bomb.

His words struck a particularly weak point in her heart, and she closed her eyes for a moment, understanding his true meaning.

Right there and then, in the middle of that industrial hallway with the creature of a corpse who had killed her biggest adversary after all the shit she’d gone through, all Vera wanted to do was not exist anymore.

But that’s what she had been doing up until now. Avoiding, escaping, running, be it physically or mentally. She wasn’t strong enough to face anything, and that had caused her father to face a horror so undeserving and unfair on his own, alone, scared, and forced to think of her until his last moments as himself because his daughter was pathetically weak.

“Okay,” she said shakily, voice thick. “Let’s rest.”

She knew she needed to gather her strength for what lay ahead.

They had to close the outer gate of the orphanage and re-seal it with a pipe they found lying around because of how Mr. X had barged his way in. Coming across the pile of flesh and bone in the courtyard that used to be Irons was an experience out of this world, but Leon stopped her from lingering enough to look at it, ushering her along each time they passed him by.

Eventually the orphanage was back at its previous quietness after they retrieved Vera’s mp3 player. It was eerie actually, how isolated this place was from the rest of the undead-infested city. Vera hadn’t had time to think too much about it before, but it was weird that this place was basically deserted. What had happened to all of the children here? The staff?

Having pulled two children-sized tables to face each other to act like chairs and placed Vera on one, Leon had voiced his opinion on the matter after he’d fed Vera the miraculous herbs that took all of her pain away and revitalized her. “Irons must have been responsible. I mean, we’re basically in a sanctuary, no zombies, they can’t get in. He made it so it’d be comfortable for himself. What explanation is there? I read that he is the director of this orphanage. His office was too cozy and prepared to rule out the possibility.”

“You think he kicked everybody out of here? The children?”

Leon hesitated before answering her question, his hands halting mid-work of opening her backpack and getting some first-aid materials out. “Possibly. I’m sounding presumptuous but I don’t know what to think anymore. It would be great if I was overthinking it and they evacuated. But we have no way of confirming.”

As Leon carefully applied small bandaids to the cuts on her face, Vera objected, "I could have done it myself, you know."

"I know," he replied, "but it's the least I can do after everything you've been through."

She winced as she swallowed some painkillers for her headache, muttering, "Rest in pieces to that asshole."

Leon's frustration was palpable as he asked, "How long have you known? About what Irons truly was?"

"Five years, give or take," Vera answered truthfully, intrigued that Leon was aware of the same things she was. “What do you know?”

“Everything I need to,” he crumpled the gathered plastic from the bandaids and threw them away sharply. “Bastard didn’t bother to hide anything in his office. He thought he was so untouchable.” He breathed through his nose, pained. "God, how does one live with this kind of knowledge?" Leon shook his head in disbelief. "Did you ever try to expose him?"

Vera scoffed, "I knew it wouldn't make a difference. He had the entire police force in his pocket. It would have just put a target on my back," she said, feeling a hint of bitterness.

Leon's expression darkened. "That's messed up."

Vera shrugged, opening her hands up a bit. "Welcome to Raccoon City."

Leon's eyebrows furrowed as he asked, "Is this why you became a private investigator?"

Vera blinked rapidly, caught off guard by Leon's insight. She had always prided herself on being elusive, but Leon had seen right through her. Easily, just like that.

The thought that Irons and Umbrella might also have known her secret was unsettling. Had they been openly mocking her this entire time without her even realizing it?

The idea of being the subject of ridicule was humiliating and made her feel vulnerable. She couldn't bear the thought of being the subject of their cruel amusement without even knowing it.

Leon noticed her sudden change in expression and immediately realized that he might have hit a nerve. He quickly tried to reassure her, "Hey, it's okay. You don't have to answer that if you don't want to. I'm not trying to pry into your personal life, I just want to get to know you better. I thought that maybe your experience with Irons had something to do with your career choice. It's not uncommon for people to turn their trauma into something positive, you know?"

Vera shook her head, trying to brush off the uneasy feeling. "No, it's fine. I just didn't realize it was that obvious," she said, trying to sound nonchalant.

Leon's gaze softened. "It's not about being obvious or not. It's about trying to understand you when you might not understand yourself. That's what partners are for," he said, giving her a small smile.

Vera felt a wave of gratitude wash over her. She had never really had someone like Leon in her life before, someone who cared enough to see past her exterior, other than Marvin. "Happy to hear that," she said, the words feeling inadequate but sincere.

She had always known that her job as a private investigator came with a certain level of exposure and vulnerability. But she had never quite reconciled herself to the fact that her personal struggles could become public knowledge. "I just… I never thought about it like that. If Irons knew, then he must have been laughing at me this whole time, thinking he had me under his thumb," she said, omitting the Umbrella part of things.

"Hey, don't beat yourself up over it," he said gently. "You don't need to be ashamed of anything. Underestimating you was his last mistake.” He knew just what she was worrying about. “And if there’s something else you’re ashamed of… I just want to say it takes a lot of courage to carry a burden like that for so long, and I can see that you did what you thought was best. To protect your family. A wise man once said to me not to beat myself over things that aren’t in my control. You should listen to him, too.”

He was quoting Marvin — the very first things he’d said to Leon upon their meeting.

Leon's words were a balm to her troubled mind. Vera felt a warmth spreading in her chest at his words. She knew that Leon wasn't just saying this to make her feel better. He genuinely believed in her strength, and that was a rare and precious thing. She felt comforted knowing that he understood her predicament and didn't judge her for it, looking at him with a newfound respect and admiration. "Thank you, Leon. I appreciate it."

Leon grinned back at her, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "Anytime, partner." He trailed his gaze up and down her body very clinically. “Anywhere else you’re hurt?”

“He played soccer with me as the ball for a bit but it’s not like those can be patched up,” she waved it off, but Leon tilted his head in a wince, face souring. “The herbs are working just fine. I’ll be up and running in a while.”

“I have a first aid spray, let me apply it for you.”

Vera couldn't resist teasing him, even though she knew it was childish. “Creative way to get me to take my clothes off.”

Leon's face immediately turned red with embarrassment. “No! That’s not what I— I would never—”

“Well where did you think the damage could be when I say he played soccer with me as the ball?” Vera asked, a hint of amusement in her voice.

“I—didn’t—think…”

“Yeah that’s what I thought.” She pressed her lips together to suppress a smile. “Not a thought behind those pretty blue eyes.”

There was the dumbest look on his face. “What?”

She extended her palm to him in a demanding manner, flapping her fingers close a couple times. “Give me the spray and turn your back. Or just wander around for a while if you want to.”

“Yeah, I’ll just go.” Leon was eager to get out of here, standing up with vigor and handing her the spray. “Call me if you need me.”

Vera couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of Leon's flustered reaction. "Relax, Leon. I'm just messing with you," she said, taking the first aid spray from him. "I appreciate your concern, though. Thanks."

Leon nodded, and let out a relieved breath, his cheeks still tinged with embarrassment.

He turned his back and she watched as he wandered around the room aimlessly, occasionally picking up a book, drawings or a picture frame to inspect it. She wondered what was going through his mind, but didn't want to pry, feeling a twinge of something she couldn't quite name and a pang of guilt for making him feel awkward. His innocence was endearing, though.

Vera shook her head, smiling to herself as she applied the spray to her wounds, bruises and cuts, it stung at first but the feeling of a cool relief washed over her skin right after. It was good to have someone around who cared enough to check on her, even if he did get flustered at the slightest hint of flirtation. It was a little entertaining.

As she waited for the spray to dry, she couldn't help but think about him even when he was practically at the other side of the room, in his own bubble. Leon was kind, brave, and undeniably, boyishly, prettily handsome, invoked a little flutter in her chest. Maybe there was more there after all.

Vera knew herself, what she was like, what she was attracted to.

If this outbreak hadn’t happened, and everything was normal, she would have called dibs on him right from day one and eventually ask the new rookie out on a date, and kiss him on that very first date, too, eager to get him in her bed. His beauty and gentle, inexperienced, enthusiastic puppy-eyed demeanor was so her type, so enjoyable to tease. Maybe they wouldn’t have gotten along as they were doing right now, because she disliked uptight rule-followers, but at least she would have gotten one good taste of him. That’s all Vera Kaplan used to be like when it came to relationships anyway, never serious, looking only for a good time.

But with everything else going on, now was not the time to explore those feelings. Not in these circumstances. Not when she was basically going to her father’s funeral.

Vera couldn't help but feel a mountain of guilt for even considering these things at a time like this. She was supposed to be mourning her father's death and focusing on the task at hand, not fantasizing about a potential romance with Leon. It was selfish and inappropriate. Besides, even if she did want to pursue something with Leon, she didn't even know if he felt the same way. And even if he did, what would be the point? They were both in the middle of a crisis, with no end in sight, it wasn’t even fair to him.

She really should stop daydreaming like this.

But it was her default response to trauma, sidelining it and stonewalling herself from facing it, avoiding it altogether, keeping herself busy with irrelevant, more lighthearted matters. Why would she think about her father’s tragedy when a pretty boy was right here to distract her?

That’s how insufferable Vera really was.

She stood up, rolling her turtleneck down, stretching her limbs, a certain tightness to her muscles. “I’m gonna hit the bathroom,” she informed Leon, and he made a noise in understanding without turning to look at her. She needed to clean up the blood on her and empty her bladder, and then perhaps make herself more presentable so that she looked less like a witch who’d feasted upon some human flesh.

When Vera was done and came back, the first thing she did was to check her Lightning Hawk. It was time to get moving again. There was still so much to do and so little time to do it. She grabbed her backpack and slung it over her shoulder, ready to head out. It was time to face the reality of her situation and deal with it head-on.

"Leon, you ready?" she called out.

“You’re done?” He turned around with a notebook in his hand. “Oh, you wanna leave? Now? Are you feeling better? Do you not want to stay a while more and—”

“I don’t have any more time for this, I’m already too late,” she said, dejected.

Leon didn’t object after that.

They left the orphanage and made their way back through the deserted streets, the silence broken only by the occasional moan or shuffle of a nearby zombie. Vera felt a pang of stinging sadness as she thought about the children who used to play in these streets, and the families who used to live in these houses. It was a sobering reminder of how much the world had changed in such a short amount of time.

But she pushed those thoughts aside and focused on the task at hand. She needed to say goodbye to her father properly, to honor his memory and carry on his legacy. Whatever the future held, Vera knew she would face it with courage and determination, just like her father had taught her.

At one point, Leon opened the conversation to a page Vera wasn’t surprised he wasn’t able to let go. "About Sherry’s mom… Why wouldn't a mother care about her own child's safety? I keep thinking about it."

“I doubt that she doesn’t care, but she’s negligent. Both of her parents are.” They were lightly jogging across a basketball court. “That’s how I met Sherry a couple years ago.”

Leon opened a fence door and gestured for her to go first. “I’m finally getting the story, huh.”

“I used to play in a bar with a couple band members—”

“So I was right about the guitar playing.”

“So you were,” Vera said, huffing. “We were rehearsing before the opening hour rolled around, it was just a while after the sunset, twilight time. Then we go out the back door into this alleyway for a break, and there wanders this little girl in her school uniform, all terrified and lost. Some man was following her from afar, lingering around and shit, and we couldn’t leave her alone, so we took her in.”

The two continued walking side by side through the dimly lit alleys, their pace steady and purposeful. As Vera recounted the story, she gesticulated with her hands even though one of them held the magnum, and Leon occasionally glanced around, to ensure they weren't being followed. “It was obvious she’d come downtown trying to escape that creep, otherwise, boarding school rich girlies like her, especially a kid on her own, have no business even walking near the places I hang around in.”

Leon hummed, listening intently, a curious glimmer in his eyes.

“We ended up entertaining her for a while to ease her nerves, and fed the girl because she was starving at this point. Elementary school ends at two in the afternoon and the sun had already set, we couldn't not prepare something for her.”

Vera paused for a moment, lost in thought, before moving on, “Then we tried to reach her parents to come pick her up. And you know what happened?” Her voice raised slightly, bitter. “They scolded this poor little girl for not staying put when they had forgotten to pick her up from school and hadn’t even picked up the phone when teachers called them. The nerve of negligent parents. Imagine forgetting about your kid for six hours and making it her fault.”

“That’s…” Leon stammered. “That’s just not the correct reaction to give. They didn’t even notice Sherry was absent?”

“Apparently not.” “I have no idea what happened and why she got left on her own, let’s say I give the Birkins the benefit of the doubt, the only thing I can think of is their babysitter bailing.” Leon looked confused, and she had to explain. “Yeah, kids like her have babysitters in that part of the city — or, in Sherry’s case it could just be a caregiver, but they do all the errands including taking the children to school and picking them back up. Maybe something happened with that person, who knows.” Vera tutted to herself. “But you gotta pick up the phone when the school is urgently calling you from everywhere. And you don’t blame your kid for your fuck-ups.”

“And they left Sherry alone at a time like this, and for what? What could they possibly be doing that is more important?”

Something related to the G-Virus, if not being involved in damage control. Vera could bet her left kidney on it. But she couldn’t really say this out loud, and the whole journey to the parking lot of the police station continued in total silence with the occasional stop and getting rid of the undead.

As Vera ran down the stairs, her eyes immediately fell on the motionless figure on the leather sofa, and she stumbled the last couple steps. She felt a jolt of disbelief and confusion as she realized that it was the same man who had been grumpily complaining just a few hours ago — alive and well, with no death for him in sight. With a heavy heart, she let her backpack fall from her shoulders, the weight of her grief seeming to make her fingers unsteady as she holstered her magnum.

A lump formed in her throat as she approached the sofa, the cloth covering the man's face doing little to hide the finality of his passing. She took a deep breath, willing herself to stay strong as she knelt beside him. It was clear that this was her father, but the sight of him now was so different from her memories of him that she struggled to reconcile the two.

The reality of the situation hit her like a ton of bricks, and she felt her emotions welling up inside her. She wanted to scream, to cry, to lash out at the unfairness of it all. But she simply sat there on her knees like a sinner at the feet of a cross, staring at her father's lifeless form and struggling to come to terms with the fact that he was gone.

"He did it, didn't he?" she whispered, her voice choked with emotion. Leon nodded gravely.

"He did it to spare you from having to do it yourself," he answered gingerly.

Vera closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to keep her composure. "Did he suffer?" she asked, turning her head and looking up at him, her voice barely above a whisper.

Leon looked just seconds away from shedding a few tears himself, hands balled and body rigid, he opened his mouth and a noise came out of him. He shook his head as if to steady himself, shutting his eyes tightly, and then he opened them back up, now looking more determined. “No,” he said. “He was smiling. Even in death.”

A Frankenstein’s monster of a sob and a laugh bubbled out of her, she reached out and held his rigid, cold, unfamiliar hand, leaning her head down and burying her head in his chest that didn’t rise and fall or have a heartbeat anymore. “You stubborn old man. You idiot. You wanted that badly to ditch me, huh? Why did you have to leave me here on my own? What am I supposed to do now? How do I live without you?”

As Vera spoke, her voice broke with each word, her grief and pain palpable. She continued to hold her father's hand, rubbing her thumb over his cold skin. Leon stood behind her, his hand coming down on her shoulder in silent comfort. He stayed by her side silently, giving Vera the space and time she needed to grieve. The hall was filled with nothing but the sound of Vera's sobs, echoing off the walls of the empty station.

The world had ended for her, yet the earth was still spinning.

Leon knelt down beside Vera, his hand moving to rest on her back as she continued to weep over her father's body. "I'm so sorry, Vera," he sighed. "I wish there was something I could do to make this easier for you."

Vera looked up at him, her eyes red and puffy. "I want to bury him," she said, her voice hoarse. “I don’t want to leave him here like this to rot. He deserves proper respect. Proper burial.”

Leon stood up and offered her his hand, helping her to her feet. "Whenever you’re ready," he said. "I’ll help."

Vera nodded, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. She took a deep breath and slowly stood up, looking down at her father's body. She gently removed the cloth covering his face and looked at him for a long moment, taking in every detail.

He really looked at peace.

Really, who wouldn’t think the finality of death as peace at the prospect of losing their identity to a monster?

Together, they carefully lifted Marvin's body and carried him outside, the zombies outside the station ignored their presence, lost in their own world.

With her shovel she’d picked back up in the parking garage on her way back, she started digging a shallow grave for him, right amongst his colleagues and friends, who’d shared the same fate with him. They weren’t strangers. Her father was a man who took comfort in the kinship of shared hardships, he would be home here.

Leon stood back and gave her space, watching as she dug deeper and deeper into the earth. It didn’t take her long to make space for him, as she was taking all her sadness and anger out of stabbing the muddy dirt. He helped her lower him in the ground, and steadied her when her knees buckled at having to cover him up, having to part with her father for good. When Vera clearly was in no shape to do it, Leon took over, and she silently sobbed as he gradually disappeared into the earth.

And here it was, what even the best of men would eventually be reduced to. Gone with the wind, taken by the ground, nothing in his name but Vera and the memories she had of him.

“Do you want to say a few words for him?” Leon asked sympathetically, extending Vera her shovel.

She looked at the instrument that had just buried her father, hollow inside.

“I’ll go first if you want to.”

She choked weakly, “I’d like that.”

Leon nodded and took a deep breath, thinking. "Lieutenant Marvin was a good father," he said finally. "I may not have known him long, but he cared deeply for his daughter, and he would do anything to protect her. That I can attest to. He was a brave man to go out the way he did. May his soul rest in peace."

To keep herself from breaking down again, she kept busy by placing a makeshift cross on top of the grave, a small symbol of the respect and love she had for her father.

“He was a stubborn man,” she began, after what seemed like forever to gather her words. She blinked the tears away. “I was not the best child when he adopted me. I was moody, depressive, destructive, had an explosive anger — did all of that on purpose believing he’d send me back, pushed all the boundaries and tested him everyday.”

She wiped her tears away furiously, sniffling. “I was speeding up the process in my mind while really what I wanted was to see how far he’d go for me, or if he wanted me at all.” A genuine laugh escaped her as she remembered the push-and-pull game. “Not once did he respond with the same energy I threw his way. And man, he was stubborn. Patient. He fucking tamed me like I was some feral cat. Every day, a small progress. Sometimes it was one step forward and two back, but he never compromised from his kindness. I’m forever grateful for that stubbornness, even if it was bad as much as it was good on bad days. His determination could only belong to a saint.”

She traced patterns in the wood of the shovel handle with her nails, lost in thought. “He never gave up on me, not for a minute. My biggest supporter, even when I chose to be a failure and a disappointment. Stood by me and said he trusted my decisions, no matter how questionable and doomed they all were. He said he liked to see me carve my own path as a young woman and discover independence rather than following what was planned for me. He was the father of my childhood prayers.”

And she still couldn’t fucking believe she was burying him. Burying all her childhood, burying her hero who had sacrificed himself in his most desperate moment in need just so he wanted to protect her from trauma — all the while all she could moan and bitch about was how he wanted to let himself die and was leaving her alone.

"He deserved a better daughter," she whispered, her voice breaking.

“I wish I could have been there for you the way you were for me. I’m so sorry for not seeing your pain and making it about me. You needed someone by your side and I wasn’t strong enough to step up and be a rock you could lean on.” She started nodding furiously, a determined look on her face contrasting with the frowning curve on her lips and the unending, fat rolls of saltwater streaming down her cheeks. “I don’t want to let you down more than this, dad. Don’t tire yourself worrying about me anymore, okay? Just rest. You’ve earned your retirement.”

And when she was done, the only thing to fill the space between her heart and him was the sound of the rain mixed with the moaning of the undead.

“He left you this.”

Something entered the field of her vision. Leon was offering her a torn paper folded in half, covered in occasional splotches of blood. When she raised her gaze with all her vulnerability on a silver platter in her expression, he lowered his, focusing on Marvin’s grave instead. With solemn curiosity and desire to never look at it again, she took the paper from him, unfolding with great care.

Honey,

There is so much I want to say to you. But I’ll just say the only thing that matters:

I want you to survive. And when you’re done surviving, live. Live for me. I want to see my little girl become happy. I’ll send you back if you try to come after me before that.

I am with you always. Death is nothing.

With boundless love, Dad.

tagging: @ocappreciationtag

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