#<-person whos still avoiding ch17 | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

themostcleverandwittyname · 6 years

Text

Curiosity Saved the Cat

CH1 CH2 CH3 CH4 CH5 CH6 CH7 CH8 CH9 CH10 CH11 CH12 CH13 CH14 CH15 CH16 CH17 CH18 CH19 CH20 CH21 CH22 CH23 CH24 CH25 CH26

(Jumin x MC)(Saeran x MC)

Summary:

MC is fairly happy after Jumin proposes to her, however, her curiosity leads her to contact the hacker that started it all.

Chapter 8: Sitting Duck

Chapter 8 on AO3

Meditation was not something Myung had much time for in the fray of everyday life. She was always putting it off to do finish work or make a phone call. This was the first time in months that she had found time to sit down and breathe and she would have considered it a personal victory if she was not sitting on a cot in a dark, damp dungeon.

All concept of time had been lost in the silence of the night hours and the coolness of early morning. The sleep deprivation weighed heavy on Myungs shoulders and mind like a fog. She was determined not to be a sitting duck and get caught off guard in her sleep so staying up was the only solution. She had felt regret and anger when she had first woken in the cell hours ago, but now she was only feeling hot dread in the pit of her stomach. She wasn't sure if it was because of the trauma her body has gone through, the lack of food, or just the lack of sleep but her hands had began to shake and her concentration on meditating began to waver.

She was as on edge and as uncomfortable as she had ever been in her life and she felt as though the darkness of the prison was plotting against her. The cot was cold and if she had managed to sleep, she would have been cold all through the night due to the lack of blankets. She wondered how long they would keep her in this place. Would she ever see the rest of the building? Would they feed her or let her starve? No, they would most likely hold food over her head as a way to control her. Whoever they are. She didn’t know if the “Savior” herself would come down here and antagonize her or if she’d ever see the blonde again. Her meditation was ruined when her mind drifted to Rika, her fist clenched and her thoughts turned sour. She wanted to get out of this place if just only to tell the others. She knew it would be horrible news but she need to let them know.

Yoosung would no doubt he heartbroken and maybe even in disbelief. Zen, if Myung could correctly assume, would choose to keep neutral and try to calm everyone down. Jumin...she didn’t want to think about it. If Rika was telling the truth about Jihyun, then Jumin would be extremely upset. She felt her heart sink at the thought. She didn’t want to believe that anyone in the RFA was a bad person. Even in the midst of chaos they had been warm hearted to her and welcoming. They had no reason to trust her and yet they had given her the benefit of the doubt. She had believed that if she solved the mystery of the hacker and tried to quench her suspicions, that maybe it would equal the amount of kindness that they had shown her. It wasn’t as if she had to, but she felt like it would help them to know. Now she’s never been so unsure.

Footsteps echoed around the chamber and immediately alerted Myung. Was it the hacker here again to taunt her? Or was it the people that she had been warned about? She felt dread immediately and attempted to be prepared in some way by getting to her feet. The large iron doors swung open with a groan and Myung watched as two cloaked figures started down the corridor towards her cell. The one who led the other had their face down so that the faint light wouldn’t reveal their face and they held a set of glimmering keys on a tarnished keyring. The one behind held a leather briefcase and it swayed back and forth menacingly. The dark leather of the case was stark contrast against the white of the cotton robes which only succeeded in make it appear more ominous to the brunette. When the two strangers came to a stop in front of the door of her cell, Myung began to consider the possibility of dashing out and running to freedom. She knew knew it was a long shot and if this was a common thing at this place, the two may expect that kind of retaliation. Nonetheless, she tried to come up with some kind of strategy. She didn’t want to become a sitting duck and allow the worst to come to her without doing anything about it

Before she came up with a proper plan, the two had already unlocked the cell and slammed it shut before she could so much as move. They must have seen it coming. She held her breath as the second one set the case on the cot beside her, the face of its carrier was revealed for a moment in the movement. She was a young lady that looked to be the same age as Myung and her skin was fair. She just had plain black hair cropped short that swayed under the hood as she opened the case. Foam insulated the plethora of syringes, bottles of pills, and showcased one bottle of blue liquid in the center. The lady pulled out one of the pill bottles and turned to Myung, straightening her posture. The person behind her stood and tapped his foot impatiently, grumbling under his breath about something. Only part of it could be made out.

“...shouldn’t have brought the newbie. What was I thinking?” his disapproving grumble had not escaped the girl’s ears and a slight frown shown on her face as she pulled a bottle of water from the roomy pocket in her robe. She gingerly pulled the hood from her head and nodded her bangs into place. The girl took a deep breath and directed her voice towards Myung, who was standing in the corner like a deer caught in headlights.

“You’re new here too so this is going to be difficult for you. I’ll let you choose ‘cause it’s your first time. Would you like to take the pills or would you prefer the elixir?” The girl then pointed at the blue liquid in the case. She was nervous and it could be heard in her voice despite her cheery tone. The man behind her let out a huffy breath and snatched the pills from the girl’s hands.

“Why does it matter? Let’s just get it done already. I can’t believe I’m going to miss the speech because some newbie wants to play nice.” The man growled, clearly upset by the sound of his voice. Myung still couldn’t see his shrouded face. The girl looked away making a face like she had been kicked in the side. The brunette spoke out in a burst of expected panic, not a scream but her tone was elevated.

“What is that? I’m not taking that!” Myung blurted, feeling the eyes of the two strangers snap to her. The man tilted his face up to peer out from underneath the hood. He had salt and pepper hair and a permanent frown of a face. Before the man could say anything, the short haired girl took the floor.

“It’s the medicine of salvation! What do you mean you’re not taking it? You’ll be soooo thankful that you did. Here, take this.” She beamed and tried to hand the water to Myung, who stared in disbelief. The brunette tried to reason with the scenarios that were playing through her head. Take the water and the pill? Refuse it only to be forced to take it and possibly stabbed with a syringe? Take the water and pretend to swallow the pill? Yes, that's it.

Myung hesitantly reached out for the bottle and the girl placed it into her hand. The man groaned to himself and opened the pill bottle, shaking a pair of pills into his palms. The girl grossed her arms and turned to the man with a big grin on her face.

“See? I told you I could get her to take it without forcing her? You just have to be nice.” The girl directed at the man in a matter of factly way. Myung held out her hands for the pills and the man plopped them into her hand without even looking. This is perfect. She can “take” the pills while the two are chatting with each other and spit them out when they leave.

“Most of the time, newcomers don’t just take these because they don’t know. Out there, there’s lots of medicines that can hurt people so they’re usually cautious about salvation here.” He said in a bored tone as if he has said that same sentence a million times. “So you have to force them. You’re being nice enough by just giving it to her.” He stated like fact.

Myung examined the pills, noticing that they didn’t have a smooth casing around them as most pills do. These will dissolve in her mouth so she’ll have to be careful. She nonchalantly popped them into her mouth and quickly pushed them to the sides of her mouth. She opened the bottle of water and downed a big gulp to further sell that she was “taking” the pills. She did her best to hold the two pills steady as she swallowed the water. They were already beginning to dissolve in her cheeks, the incredibly bitter taste seeped onto her tongue. She managed to keep a straight face.

The girl seemed to buy it and began to pack up the briefcase, taking the bottle from the man’s hand. He had tilted his head up to watch Myung, his eyes narrowed.

“Well, that’s it. Thanks for being such a good sport. It’ll take fifteen to twenty minutes before you start to feel the effects of Paradise, so hand tight. We’ll be back this afternoon to give you your second dose.” She beamed and put her hood back on, ready to leave. The man didn’t move, but instead watched Myung intently. He was waiting for her to crack, waiting for her to make a face, to give a sign. The brunette managed to keep her poker face a meet the man’s glower. He smiled for a moment, a bitter smile of knowing.

“So, newcomer? How did those pills taste? Sweet or bitter, hmm?” he asked, his gaze never wavered. Myung gave a shrug as her answer, trying to avoid opening her mouth. He was onto her and he had played this game before. There was a long period of silence and the girl stopped in her tracks, giving a questioning glance over her shoulder at the man’s words

“What’s wrong? Why aren’t you answering?” He gave a coy smile before stepping closer to the brunette. Before she could react, he had already grabbed her jaw with a painful grip, his nails dug into her skin. He pried mouth open to reveal the two pills and didn't hesitate to shove his fingers into her mouth and poke the pills down her throat. He didn't do any more than that and let go of her has as quickly as he had grabbed it. He quickly strode off and out of the cell as Myung hacked and coughed at the dry pills that scratched down her throat. Her eyes began to water and she rubbed the soreness from her cheeks.

The short haired girl was shocked and said nothing as she followed the man out of the cell. She gave an apologetic glance at Myung as they both watched the man lock the door.

“I don't have time for this.” He grumbled and strode hastily away, the girl following him close behind. Myung listened as the iron doors closed with a resounding final click, as if sealing her fate.

She tried to take get mind off the bitter taste of the “medicine” as she sat on the uncomfortable cot. She had no choice but to sit and wait for the pills to take effect.

CH1 CH2 CH3 CH4 CH5 CH6 CH7 CH8 CH9 CH10 CH11 CH12 CH13 CH14 CH15 CH16 CH17 CH18 CH19 CH20 CH21 CH22 CH23 CH24 CH25 CH26

#mystic messenger #mystic messenger fanfiction #mysme fanfic #jumin han #jumin x mc #jumin fanfic #jumin route #saeran choi #saeran x mc #saeran fanfic #curiosity saved the cat #my work

3 notes · View notes

meteoritxs · 7 years

Text

Bangtan Fic Rec

All of these are on ao3, they’re all shipping fics. I’ll add more as I read, these are just the ones I’ve read so far. My opinion is in italics, I only added the pairing, summary and theme of the fics, not the warnings and ratings so check those out when you’re gonna read them because some of them contain either smut, death or violence. You’ve been warned.

Fics in this list: 43.

I dream in the shape of your mouth by jonghyun | Namjin, College!AU.

Summary: Seokjin spends a lot of time in the library. Now, Namjoon does too. Taemin tries to summon Satan, and Jimin is a fuckboy.

*Jackson voice* Cute

Six Impossible Things Before Breakfast by Kavbj | Taekook, College!AU, Fantasy!AU

Summary: Taehyung has magic in his veins and Jungkook’s determined not to let it kill him.

Dude. This fic is so creative and well-written… I finished it and felt empty.

beat for me (live for me) by bakkushan | Namjin, Mafia!AU part of the offer me your deathless death series.

Summary: Namjoon’s looking at himself and then at Seokjin and all he can see is Life and Death lying next to each other under a starless sky.

I cried like a bitch with this one, painful as fuck.

All you need is love (and pink) by vppa | NamJin, Angels and Demons!AU.

Summary: Most people only have one miniature angel or devil riding on their shoulders to serve as the physical manifestation of their conscience. Poor Namjoon has five, and they’re all telling him the same thing: “fucking talk to him god dammit what the fuck is wrong with you”

Funny and sweet. I like it.

Can I Get Your Dewey Decimal Number? by melecs| NamJin, Library!AU.

Summary: Seokjin loved working at the library, but some patrons got on his nerves. Take, for example, the grown man who sat in the corner every day and leeched off of the Wi-Fi. And Seokjin worked in the children’s department.

Ah, this is… something else, for sure. Cute as hell. Funny, too.

The less I know the better by mucha | Taegi, Namjin, Fake Relationship!AU

Summary: “Together with their families, Kim Namjoon and Kim Seokjin… Wow, this is formal… Wait,” Hoseok squints at the paper, before looking back at Yoongi with a quizzical look on his face. “They invited you with a guest? But… You’re single, right?”

“Min Yoongi,” Jimin glares at him over the bar, crossing his arms sternly over his chest. “If you’re seeing someone and you didn’t tell us I will kick your ass, so help me god.”

“I’m not dating anyone,” Yoongi sighs, grabbing the invitation and scanning it quickly. The words “with a guest” are underlined and Yoongi can almost see it: the smugness on his brother’s face as he nods with satisfaction, putting the pencil down.

“So what does it mean?”

Yoongi shifts uncomfortably in his seat, avoiding making eye contact.

“I might’ve… invented a boyfriend,” he finally mumbles to the glass in front of him.

This is so good, amazing, incredible. Brilliant. Entertaining as hell.

Star Light, Star Bright (The Last Star I’ll See Tonight) by DreamsOfAnotherReality | Taekook, Yoonseok, Teen!AU.

Summary: Jung Kook and Taehyung fall in love the summer Hoseok goes missing.

Hoseok just wanted to see the stars and confess to Yoongi gdi bye I’m gonna fucking kill myself.

Creating a home series by CheekyBrunette | Namjin, Foster Parents!AU

Summary: A BTS Foster Care AU

This AU is so cute and fluffy I love Domestic!Namjin

The Professor’s Family series by EquinoxSolstice | Taekook, NamJin, Family!AU

Summary: Professor Kim Namjoon is married.

He doesn’t have a wife.

They have a sort-of son.

And Jeon Jungkook just crossed paths with them.

Read this. It’s great, I promise.

The Greatest by Little_Dimples | jikook, College!AU, Sports!AU.

Summary: Person A is a hockey player person B a figure skater. Person A is told he needs more grace on the ice so he is forced to get lessons by person B. Problem is they hate each other.

Or Person A is Jungkook and Person B is Jimin.

I had so much fun reading this you don’t get it. As I was reading in class i had to hide my face because I was smiling so much. Really good fic.

400 minutes | yoonmin, School!AU.

Summary: Min Yoongi expected a lot of weird experiences to happen when he went to college, but being the roommate of his high school love who apparently “moved away for good” was not one of them.

Angsty but in a good way.

Beta Tau Sigma by bazooka | Namjin, Yoonmin, College!AU, Frat!AU.

Summary: A collection of events occurring within (and without) the walls of the Beta Tau Sigma fraternity house. At Beta Tau Sigma, there are only a few rules:

1) have a declared major in the College of Music; 2) keep your GPA above a 3.4; 3) don’t let Taehyung into the liquor cabinet; 4) don’t fuck up with Kim Seokjin. The rest is all fine print.

(Rating changed to M for sexual content in ch17.)

OKAY, THIS FIC IS THE END OF EVERYTHING FOR ME. My Favorite Fic Of All Time. Nothing is ever gonna top this for me, even House of Cards. This fic has it all, humor, angst, fluff, smut. Everything. Incredible fic. Golden fic.

cuz in a sky full of stars (I think I saw you) by wowoashley | Taekook, Namjin, Fake Relationship!AU

Summary: taehyung always has bad ideas. and jeongguk thinks this might be the best.

This is so cute and cliché but in a good way, I really love this fic.

ce monde est une têmpete by astringxnt | Taekook, Yoonmin, Namjin, College!AU

Summary: they say that one should fall in love with their eyes open, but Jungkook keeps his closed, and Taehyung is afraid that they’ll fall in all the wrong places.

the concept of strings in space time theory is that on a one dimensional plane, one only has the option of going backwards or forwards in their direction of travel. Jungkook chooses to be swept along into the unknown, with Taehyung as his only anchor.

AMAZING! I really like the plot of this one.

Safe and Sound by bazooka | Namjin, Royalty!AU.

Summary: From a tumblr prompt: Jin is a prince, and Namjoon is his bodyguard.

“You’re sort of bad at this.” “Nah. You’re safe, aren’t you?”

Prince!Jin. That’s all I have to say about this fic. Amazing.

(thought you knew) you were in this song by expplipo | Taekook, Yoonseok, Namjin, Soulmate!AU

Summary: Taehyung nearly chokes, but only nearly. Instead he raises an eyebrow and puts on the most suave smile he can manage. Hopes he looks far more collected than his for-some-reason racing heartbeat would let on, more suit-and-wine than elementary-schooler-with-a-new-crush. “You like me?”

Jeongguk blushes, and looks at his feet. He’s smiling. “Of course.”

“Really?” Taehyung says. “Like? Or like like?”

(So much for suit-and-wine.)

Nothing to say apart from it being amazing.

Common Thread by sugafree | Yoonmin, Namjin, Soulmate!AU

Summary: Red String of Fate AU where Yoongi doesn’t believe in soulmates and spends a long time trying to avoid a certain someone on the other end of his red thread.

I’m a sucker for Soulmates, but this fic is good regardless, love the way it’s written.

for you, anything by kadotas | Vmin, Yoonkook, Namjin, Marriage!AU

Summary: “Talk dirty to me,” Taehyung says lowly into Jimin’s ear, breath ghosting Jimin’s earlobe, eliciting a slight shudder from the latter.

“I’m not wearing underwear,” Jimin whispers back, pulling back to look Taehyung in the eye.

Taehyung groans gruffly at this, breaking the eye contact to lean down and nip Jimin’s jawline gently. “God yes baby that’s just-“

“I’m not wearing any underwear because you never fucking put the laundry in the fucking dryer like I’ve asked you to 100 times,” Jimin hisses, voice strained with vehemence, glaring at him and Taehyung sighs defeatedly.

(in which Taehyung and Jimin navigate through married life together, realising belatedly that it’s not always smooth sailing.)

Domestic Vmin is the best Vmin.

Let me know by TheOrgasmicSeke | Yoonmin, Yoonkook, Jikook, Yoonminkook, Namjin, Vhope, I Need U!AU, Poly!AU

Summary: Talking about it, of course, became harder as the days passed by. Yoongi could never find the right time to bring it up. He was still wondering if he was just imaging things. If he was just thinking he was feeling the things he was feeling. But that was quickly disproved every single time Jimin curled up around him and Jungkook kissed him. He was a fucking idiot in love with two bigger idiots and there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it. Except probably ruin it by talking about it. Hell, maybe it was better to just never mention it and pretend it wasn’t happening.

So good. No other words.

Find the value of an elephant by tired angry egg (Mirabelle) | Namjin, Highschool!AU, Tutor!AU

Summary: When Kim Taehyung’s academic situation takes a turn for the worse, his mother is convinced to hire a highly recommended tutor in the hopes for a miracle that would turn her son into a conscientious student. Her eldest son, Seokjin, has a far more skeptical opinion on this entire thing, expecting it to be-lest he sugarcoat it-a complete failure. And Kim Namjoon is just really bad at making good first impressions (or second ones, or just impressions altogether).

Cute and funny.

A Sociolinguistic Analysis of Epenthesis in Academic Convergence by bazooka | Namjin, College!AU, Professor!AU

Summary: Epenthesis A phonological phenomenon in which two disparate sounds meet, creating a third sound between them which wasn’t there before.

There were a lot of jobs worse than being partnered with world-renowned Absent-Minded Professor Kim Namjoon, but Professor Kim Seokjin couldn’t think of what any of them were at the moment.

THIS! IS! SO! GOOD! Honestly, I’m in love with this fic.

The Mark of an Educated Mind by bazooka | Namjin, Metafiction.

Summary: At three o'clock in the morning after he’d been working for ten hours straight and everything he touched came out wrong and all his words were stilted and clumsy and all his music was rough and tangled… for some ungodly reason Kim Namjoon opened up a new browser window, typed bangtan sonyeondan fan fiction into the search bar, and then (god) hit enter.

No comment.

A Wonderful Institution by bazooka | Namjin, Yoonmin, Wedding Planner!AU.

Summary: Kim Seokjin is a wedding caterer. Kim Namjoon is a wedding planner.

Both of them think marriage is a societal construct with no place in modern life. Neither of them would know Real Love if it came up to them at a wedding and made a wager.

I love this fic because it’s so cute and funny to me.

Just Skin by syubology | Taegi, College!AU.

Summary: Yoongi is small and angry and 200% done with having feelings; Taehyung is Taehyung; Hoseok harasses Yoongi with petnames and Jimin ships Yoonseok. That’s basically it.

The fic that made me ship Taegi.

Pour up (Drank) by mindheist | Taekook, College!AU, Frat!AU.

Summary: If you can read this, take another shot.

LISTEN. This fic is so good it’s almost Beta Tau Sigma and that’s saying a lot because I love that fic. Anyways, the story in this one is great and it has its funny moments as well as fluffy and frustrating ones. Great fic.

Sidereal by darling | Vmin, Childhood Friends!AU.

Summary: Here we observe the Earth and the Sun in their natural habitat: each other.

This is all cute and fluffy in some parts but deep in others. Beautiful fic, I like the concept.

half a soul divided by jynxu | Minjoon, Taekook, Yoonseok, Soulmate!AU

Summary: Park Jimin has never been on a date. Nor has he had his first kiss, flirted with anyone, or fallen in love. His classmates would ridicule him and base nicknames over his distaste toward anything romantic. (Look, here comes Saint Jiminie!) Even his younger brother would make fun of him while his parents watched with pitying looks on their faces.

Nobody understood.

or: soulmate au where your soulmate’s date of death is tattooed on your wrist.

This made me cry. At school. No joke my friends were worried. Great fic, read if you want to cry.

Out of My System by xxdevilishxx | Yoonmin, Vhope, Namjin, One Night Stand!AU.

Summary: Yoongi likes one night stands and he understands how they work. What he doesn’t understand, however, is how he ended up in bed with a probably-not-legal kid crying in his arms about his broken heart, because he’s pretty sure (and correct him if he’s wrong) that a babysitting job was not what he was looking for when he went to the opening of his friend’s new club.

I read this instead of studying. Really good and interesting, I like the characters.

refrigerator humming, chewing gum and instant karma by locks | Taekook, Gangster!AU, Mafia!AU.

Summary: Taehyung sets the flowers down on the dining table, plucking the card off the little holder. “Dearest Taehyung, just wanted you to know that I’m thinking about you. I hope you’re thinking about me too. Love–” he pauses and squints before cocking an eyebrow and pursing his lips. “Hyung, why is the boss of your little boy band gang professing his love for me?”

Yoongi drops the noodles on the floor with a loud curse as he burns his hand.

Or, Taehyung’s been trying his hardest to avoid Yoongi’s criminal life for a long ass time, but a cute kid and his infuriating father keep pulling him deeper into the mix.

Cute and a good read, the concept is awesome and I like the way it’s written.

House of Cards by sugamins | Taekook, Vmin, Jikook, Vminkook, Mafia!AU, Gangster!AU.

Summary: Jungkook is the heir to a mob empire, the most notorious in the whole of Seoul. Taehyung is a rookie sent in to infiltrate by his select team and bring the empire crumbling down.

“You knew the game and played it, it kills to know that you have been defeated.”

Trailer. This fic. I have no words. It’s beautifully written and the plot is amazing, really interesting and just plain good. The fic to end all Mafia!AUs. Nothing is ever gonna top this for me. It’s also a long read.

Let Me In Or Let Me Down by noraebangbang | Yoonmin, A/B/O.

Summary: Yoongi hates dealing with heat cycles and suppressants and life in general. Everything is a terrible mess, and then there’s Jimin to make things a tiny bit brighter.

Now, listen, I don’t really like ABO, but this fic is so good that I wanna like it because if there are any other ABO fics like this gem then I’m in for a treat.

Kickstart series by Error401 | Yoonmin, Namjin, Vhope, Gangster!AU, Hitman!AU

Summary: Hitman!Yoongi AU.

The plot of this series is really interesting, I read it all in one sitting because I just needed more. It’s really good.

The Still Point (Of The Turning World) by inkingbrushes | Yoonseok, Reincarnation!AU, Soulmates!AU, Multiple lives!AU.

Summary: Because Yoongi doesn’t know how this started, or how this will end, but he knows this simple fact: he knows that there is a love between them that is much fiercer than the burning sun. There is that love then, and there is that love now, and surely there will be that same love the next time.

(Or: the one where they’re reincarnated over and over again and Yoongi meets a different version of Hoseok every time but Yoongi is the only one that remembers.)

Ok, this fic made me cry really hard and I’m still affected by it. It’s beautiful and sad and you should totally read it.

8K notes · View notes

chiyalawritesrewind · 7 years

Text

Rewind, Chapter 17

Fanfic: [ch1] [ch2] [ch3] [ch4] [ch5] [ch6] [ch7] [ch8] [ch9] [ch10] [ch11] [ch12] [ch13] [ch14] [ch15] [ch16] [ch17 on AO3] [ch17 on ffn]

Podfic: [ch1] [ch2] [ch3] [ch4] [ch5] (Rest coming soon)

Pairing: Gratsu - Gray Fullbuster / Natsu Dragneel ; Acnologia / Zeref

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: Major Character Death; Graphic Depiction of Violence

Summary: When a mission turns out to be fatal for one of the team members, Natsu finds himself being given another chance to change the events.

Additional information: weekly updates; every Sunday.

Beta by @serpenttailedangel and @wildrhov <333

Tagging list: @f-r-f-t @truedreamchasing @mushi0131 @eitomagical @thatartcorner @eternalsterekbitches @becausewhenyoupracticeyouimprove @oliversantics @nekodemon73 @moonlustelara @pantykawa (if somebody else wants to be tagged [or not tagged anymore] in the future, please let me know!)

Notes: The whole chapter is in Gray’s POV.

Enjoy!

Day 9 Part 2

As soon as Gray entered the guild hall, Lucy was before him. She looked worried and anxious.

"Where's Natsu?"

"He's outside. On the backside of the guild."

Lucy rounded him and wanted to make for the door, but Gray grabbed her wrist and whirled her around.

"Wait. He's... different."

"Different how?"

"I think he's... turned crazy. Lost his mind."

Lucy's eyes widened in horror and her hand came up to cover her mouth. Her eyes told him that she was expecting an explanation. But he wasn't ready to tell her. He nearly had sex with Natsu, there was no way he'd tell this to anyone. It had to be a vague explanation.

"He said that I did some things I didn't do. He tried to make me believe that he could see the future, and he hinted that I would die...? It's creepy, honestly. He reached out for me, didn't stop even when I told him to. So I hit his stomach and ran away."

"You did what?"

Oh shit. Lucy gave off some scary vibes. What had he done wrong?

"My voice didn't reach him anymore. It's as if his mind is controlled by somebody. He isn't the Natsu I know. He changed. You'll notice it, too."

"And why didn't you ask him for an explanation?"

"I..." Gray took a step back and let go of Lucy's hand. Her angry stare was too much, and he felt guilty even though he still thought that his reaction was reasonable.

"He's reliving this day for the ninth time now. He's seen you die eight times already. Ultear turns back time, and nobody but him can retain their memory. He's trying to save your life, but until now he hasn’t been successful. Can you even imagine what he must be going through? He doesn't need you to add insult to injury."

Gray flinched, his head spinning. He needed a moment to understand what she'd just said, torn between feeling extremely guilty and doubting her. But what reason did she have to lie? She looked seriously troubled, and she wasn't the kind of person to play pranks. However, her explanation had a flaw.

"If nobody remembers, then how would you know? Have you already talked to him today?"

"No, but he has a diary which has been enchanted by Ultear, and he let me rip out some pages the previous time. I wrote down everything that's important and put it on my desk. It stays there even though time is turned back. I wrote down that Natsu's mental state is unstable, and that we have to take care of him. I can't believe what you did to him."

With that, she stormed off, leaving a dumbfounded Gray behind.

'What the hell? Ultear? Natsu trying to save my life? This is the ninth time? Natsu's mental state... unstable? True, he did seem out of it, but this...? Oh my god, if that's true then that means... I'll die... Holy shit! I have less than a day left to live!'

Gray wobbled outside the guild and leaned against the façade. He clutched his chest, trying hard to prevent himself from having a panic attack, reasoning that he wasn't going to stay dead.

'That's right. Natsu's trying his best to save me. He's in a bad mental state because of this. He's been through so much pain and heartache, yet he's not giving up. Shit! I'm such a fool! What the hell did I just do? I'm despicable! Natsu... oh god, I'm so sorry... Fuck!'

Still a bit wobbly, he went to the backside of the guild hall, finding Natsu—still naked—in Lucy's arms. She patted his head soothingly and when she noticed Gray approaching, she shot him a venomous glare.

He didn't let himself be held back by it, determined to make up for his actions. Because if what she said was true, then everything Natsu said had to be true as well. And he'd said that he was in love with Gray—no matter how hard to grasp this was—and that they'd already had sex. It would explain Natsu's confident demeanor earlier. He'd known that Gray wouldn't refuse. Hell, they'd probably even talked about exactly this situation already.

Upon getting closer, Gray noticed little sniffs coming from Natsu. He made him cry. Shit.

"You've already done enough. Leave him alone," Lucy bit out.

Natsu stiffened in her arms and then turned his head carefully until his gaze met Gray's. Natsu's eyes were red and teary.

Gray took another tentative step forward, hoping that he wouldn't scare Natsu. Lucy bared her teeth at him, tightening her grip on Natsu protectively. Gray had never seen her be that scary.

"Relax, Lucy. I'm here to apologize."

"I swear, if you dare hurt him again, I'll—"

"If I dare hurt him again, I'll surrender myself to you and Erza. I'll be careful, I promise. There's no way I'd ever intentionally hurt the one I love..."

Her eyebrows creased, and she inspected Gray's features closely. She seemed to be satisfied with what she found there because she sagged against Natsu, her expression softening tangibly.

"Fine. Then talk."

Natsu turned his body fully towards Gray, but Lucy seemed unwilling to let him go. Her arms were still around him, now hugging him from behind while Natsu sat between her legs. His knees were drawn so that his private parts were covered. They both looked at Gray expectantly, remnants of Natsu's tears still running down his cheeks. This was very awkward. Gray wanted to be alone with Natsu, but he'd probably have to convince Lucy of his good intentions first.

He sat on the ground two steps away from them. "Natsu... I'm sorry I didn't believe you. I'm sure you already know, but... You're the most important person to me."

Gray gulped and looked nervously at Lucy who gave him an encouraging nod. However, this was getting too private for Gray's liking.

"Err... No offense, but could you please leave us alone?"

Lucy's expression clearly said that she wanted to object, but Natsu patted her hand. "It's okay. You can leave us alone," he assured her. "It was my fault anyway."

"How can you say that? Gray didn't believe you."

"No. I know from experience that he doesn't believe me unless I give him a logical explanation and I didn't do that this time. Everything that happens is caused by me because I am the only one who remembers and thus the only one who can change the events."

Lucy let out a heavy sigh. "Well, yeah, but even so... Gray could've reacted more mildly."

"He said he's sorry, and I know he'll take good care of me like he's done all the other times. Please go now."

"Okay, okay. If there's anything you need me for, I'll be there."

She released him and got to her feet, strode over to where Natsu's discarded clothes lay scattered, picked them up, and dropped them into Natsu's lap. She shot Gray a warning glare and then went back inside.

Not wanting to scare Natsu any more than he probably already had, Gray stayed where he was. Now that Lucy was gone, his nervousness spiked. He cleared his throat, noticing that his hands were sweaty and trembled slightly. He folded them firmly together and pressed them into his lap, hoping that Natsu wouldn't notice.

What exactly made him nervous, he couldn't tell. Whether it was the fact that he'd die if this was true, or because he was worried about Natsu's wellbeing, or even because he couldn't quite believe yet that his feelings were reciprocated, he didn't know. Probably a mixture of everything. What he did know was that this was a delicate issue, and he needed to go about it carefully. Steeling himself mentally, he looked up and met Natsu's red-rimmed eyes.

"So... everything she said is true, and you're reliving the day?"

Natsu nodded, biting his lip.

What to say next? This was like walking on a mine field. What exactly could he bring up that wouldn't make Natsu sad? Or worse, give him a panic attack? Was that even a thing? Was it already that bad? According to Lucy, this was the ninth time and Natsu had seen him die eight times already. No matter how much Gray tried, he couldn't even begin to imagine how he would feel like if he'd already seen Natsu die eight times. His head spun with the mere thought of it, and suddenly his throat felt constricted, leaving him unable to say even one more word.

"Come here... if you want to, that is," Natsu said in a soft tone, reaching out for Gray, but not moving from his spot. He gave Gray the choice to get closer this time. A pang of guilt and regret surged through Gray's body, making him want to flinch—a reaction he suppressed with difficulty. It would make Natsu draw the wrong conclusion and that was something he wanted to strictly avoid.

Gray crawled toward Natsu, entwining their hands as soon as they came into reach. He knew that Natsu was technically still naked, but at least the clothes Lucy had dumped on him covered his crotch. So, Gray didn't think twice before crawling into Natsu's lap and pushing him gently backward until Natsu was caught between the soft grass and Gray's body, their fingers still entangled.

Natsu's eyes were shiny from the tears, and he looked utterly broken. There were so many emotions in his eyes, all negative. Guilt, sadness, hurt, doubt, grief, fatigue. How had he been able to mask them all, earlier?

"Gray... I'm sorry for what happened. I should've known better."

"Don't apologize. I should've... I shouldn't have... I mean, my behavior was... totally uncalled for... I'm sorry. So sorry..."

Natsu didn't show any sign that he'd heard him. Instead, he asked, "Do you still trust me?"

Gray kicked himself mentally because he'd always thought his trust in Natsu to be unshakable. And yet he'd doubted Natsu's sanity just a few minutes ago. What a jerk he was!

"Yes, I do."

"I might have an idea how to save your life, but it would require blind faith..."

"Let's hear it."

Natsu bit his lip, turning his head sideways to avoid Gray's gaze when he spoke.

"The first two times, someone killed you... And from the third day on, you always died of a heart attack, always at the exact same time... That means the cause of your death varies depending on the circumstances. Or maybe there are just those two options. In order to find out, we'd have to take a shot at it."

"Meaning?"

Natsu gulped, then turned his head back, meeting Gray's stare head-on. "What I want to say is that I'd like to create a potentially deadly situation for you when the time has come, only to save you in the last second. To kinda... trick fate? It's just a shot in the dark though."

That was indeed... special. The idea of purposely endangering his life seemed absurd. He hadn't yet fully wrapped his head around the fact that he was going to die in the first place, and now he should do something to forward the issue? To commit suicide? Or nearly commit suicide. Was that even possible?

"What gave you that idea?"

This question wasn't something Gray deemed worthy blushing about, but Natsu blushed anyway.

"Uh... we nearly had sex earlier... And my behavior was what prevented it from happening. So, I wondered... What if I could do the same with your death? I can't prevent a heart attack, so there's nothing to do there. But the first two times were different, yet there's no chance I could save you from that if it ever were to happen again. I thought, if fate has an alternative cause of death planned for you, something where I could step in..."

"Okay. What makes you so sure that it's fate causing my death?"

"I'm not sure. It's a shot in the dark. Maybe you're cursed. But on the fourth day, Porlyusica said something... 'The death of somebody whose time on earth is over can't be averted.' It implied fate."

"She told you something like that and you didn't ask what she meant by it?"

Natsu flinched, a shadow passing over his face. Uh-oh. He'd been too harsh. Shit, this was difficult. Gray wasn't used to dealing with a mentally unstable Natsu. Was there any way to take it back, to ease Natsu's pain?

"I-it was shortly after y-your... death... I w-wasn't—"

"Shhh. Shit, I'm sorry. Forget that I asked. Shit. Shhh, I'm right here, focus on me, look me in the eye. Hey... Don't cry. We'll find a way. How about we go to Porlyusica's and ask her? I have to admit, I'm reluctant to put my life on the line voluntarily. That has nothing to do with my trust in you, it's just... I'm not suicidal. I would never throw my life away. I'm not sure if I could... commit suicide."

The sniffling slowly subsided, and Gray felt the strong urge to kiss Natsu. To comfort him, to let him feel he was there. He wasn't sure Natsu would appreciate such a thing though, so he stopped himself.

"I'm n-not asking you to commit s-suicide. W-well, not directly, anyway."

"Then what?"

"I don't know. We'll have to think about something... suitable. Sorry. I know that's too much to ask... I... I'm sorry. It's probably a stupid idea anyway... I guess I'm just clinging to the tiniest of hopes. Otherwise I'd probably lose my mind."

"That's understandable. What do you think of my proposal to go to Porlyusica?"

With the back of his hand, Natsu rubbed the remnants of his tears away, and then looked at Gray with a determined expression. "Yeah. Let's do that."

They got dressed quickly, and only when they wanted to head towards the guild did Gray notice that Natsu had discarded the vibrator as it was lying out in the open, albeit partly hidden by the grass, but still.

"Natsu, your toy."

"Huh? Oh, that. Yeah, let's just leave it here. It'll return to my room anyway."

"But it's out in the open. What if somebody sees?" Gray felt heat creeping into his cheeks when he thought of somebody finding it there, still slick with lube.

For some reason, Natsu smirked when he answered, "Now we wouldn't want that, right?"

He picked it up, hesitated a moment, and then his grin widened. Gray felt like he was missing something here. His suspicion was confirmed when Natsu took up a straddle-legged position.

Natsu shouted, "Shut up, would you?" and then threw the vibrator into the bushes.

Gray was baffled and wanted to ask who the hell Natsu was addressing, but in the next second he was grabbed by the wrist and prompted to run. Half running, half stumbling, he kept pace with Natsu until they reached Porlyusica's.

They leaned against the façade to catch their breath, when Natsu suddenly burst out laughing.

It was refreshing to see him laugh, but also a bit scary since there was a hysteric touch to the outburst. Should Gray ask Porlyusica if she had tranquilizers? Although that wouldn't make much sense, seeing as the effect would wear off anyway once the day started anew.

After the laughing fit subsided, Natsu sank to the floor, holding his stomach, trying to catch his breath. Gray decided that he didn't need to wait until Natsu could breathe evenly again, and knocked at Porlyusica's door. It took her a while, and he needed to knock insistently several times until she opened the door a crack.

"What? You don't look ill. Go away."

"Nobody's ill—well, at least not physically. We need your advice."

Porlyusica stuck out her head and sniffed at Gray, scrunching up her nose. "You reek of sex. Don't worry, you can't get pregnant. If you want to have your girl tested, you should bring her here. Now, if that's all, would y—"

"My girl is right here, but that's not what we're here for."

Gray stepped aside, revealing Natsu. Her eyes widened.

"Well, in this case I can safely say that neither of you is pregnant."

"Yes, thank you. Can we come in for a bit? We really need your help."

"Take a shower and then come back."

She tried to slam the door, but Gray managed to slide his foot in, regretting doing so the next instant. Damn, that woman was stronger than she looked. Gray's foot hurt, but there was no way he'd let it show and give her satisfaction.

"This is a serious issue. We don't have time. Let us in, please."

Porlyusica shot him a glare, but Gray held it without blinking. After a short staring duel, she sighed and stepped aside to let them in. Natsu had thankfully returned to the current situation with his full attention, not a trace of mirth in his eyes anymore. He was back to being gloomy. Were such massive mood swings a sign of mental instability? It had to be. There was no way Natsu would behave like this under normal circumstances. Gray would really have to be careful in his handling of Natsu.

It turned out that Porlyusica didn't have any concrete information on the matter. She just referred to a very old tale she once picked up somewhere, and when Natsu told her what happened on the evening of the fourth repetition, she frowned and was lost in thought for a while.

Gray noticed that Natsu's gaze wasn't focused on anything in the room—he stared blankly into space. Not knowing what else to do, Gray reached out and gave Natsu's hand a tight squeeze, entangling their fingers. It worked, albeit only temporarily. Natsu gave him a weak smile that was surely meant to be reassuring, but it wasn't convincing at all. Gray was about to say something encouraging, but Porlyusica beat him to the punch.

"If what you say is true and his magic vanished at once the moment he died, then I don't see any way to save him. Magic is needed for a mage to live. His death can't be natural. Normally magic slowly seeps out after the death of a mage. Trying to revive a mage who has no more magic left inside their body is pointless."

Natsu looked at her with a grim expression. "That's why I need to prevent his death before it happens. I already tried to revive him once, and you did, too. But what I didn't really try yet was to intervene before he dies, experiment with the causes of death." Natsu flinched, probably aware of how that sounded.

A guinea pig. But then again, there was no helping it, was there? The only way to make any progress was to try out things, even if that meant to make Gray feel like a test subject. The current conversation did its share to convince Gray of the truth of this belief. Whether he wanted or not, he would die. The awareness hit him once again square in the gut.

'My time is over. Natsu is working his ass off to save me, and all I'm doing is put obstacles in his way. Shit. He's already broken. Broken because of me dying. I have no right to judge him or his behavior in any way. He's offering up his sanity to save me. The least I can do is to trust him and follow his instructions.'

Gray straightened himself, took Natsu's hand between his own, and pulled it into his lap protectively. "It's alright. I'll do it. Whatever it is, I'll do it. I trust you with my life."

Porlyusica let out a grunt that could mean anything from disgusted to approving. "Well, in the tale they had only one chance to prevent the death of the princess. They weren't lucky enough to have a time mage who can turn back time as often as needed. The princess was murdered with a knife the first time, so they locked her up in a cell and reinforced the guards. She slipped on a slippery spot on the floor in the cell and fell very unluckily. She broke her neck and died. Strange though that there was no slippery spot when they checked a few minutes later. And the moral of this story is that you can't trick death. Or destiny. Or whatever you want to call it. However, there is not enough research on the issue to be able to exclude options. And this is just a tale anyway. Nobody knows if it's true."

Natsu practically jumped at the implication, his face brightening instantly. "You mean it could work?"

Seeing him like this, suddenly in high spirits elicited conflicting feelings in Gray. On the one hand, it was good that his mood was positive again, but on the other, it was probably wise not to let Natsu get his hopes too high. The fall would be all the more painful if it didn't work. Which, judging by the current state of information, seemed very likely. Gray hated it but crushing Natsu's hopes right now would be for the best.

However, Porlyusica beat him to it. "I think the odds that your theory is right are very low. If I were you, I'd prepare to be disappointed."

Natsu's face fell, but only for a second. "Nobody knows that. Not even you. You said it yourself. The causes of death until now were something I couldn't prevent no matter how much I tried. We just have to create a situation, a physical attack, something I could dodge in the last second. We could trick fate or whatever into thinking that Gray will die by the physical attack, and then I'll step in and cheat it out of Gray's life."

It was kind of cute, the way Natsu's eyes glistened. Like a child at Christmas, looking forward to its presents. No matter how loudly Gray's inner voice protested, he couldn't bring himself to destroy this moment for Natsu. Not even Porlyusica seemed to be that heartless, and so neither of them said anything on the topic anymore.

To think of a situation that was suitable turned out to be rather difficult. They quickly came to the conclusion that it had to be something out of both Natsu's and Gray's control. Or at least not something they could fully control because neither thought that they could actually pull it off convincingly. Plus, it wouldn't really count as 'stepping in in the last second' because it would've been planned from the start. And what would make a situation somewhat unpredictable? The only choice seemed to be another person who wasn't in on the plan.

Gray thought this to be the perfect opportunity to ask about the mysterious person they'd fled from earlier, and Natsu told him that it was Jellal following them. He was the one who kept Ultear informed. He'd apparently complained about being their babysitter and having to witness something that would give him eye cancer, which had prompted Natsu to throw his toy into Jellal's general direction, not intending to land a hit. Of course, he'd still hit, at least judging by Jellal complaints as he chased them to Porlyusica's.

Natsu heavily protested Gray's idea of involving Jellal in their plan, because he didn't want to affect Jellal's neutrality in any way. Their guild members were beyond dispute since neither wanted to make their friends do something that would probably harm Gray. There was a short silence, and then Natsu reluctantly offered the idea of involving their 'enemies'. He shortly described their looks and personality, and immediately said he would in no way allow Gray or anyone else to fight against Bubbles since his magic was what killed Gray the first two times.

Natsu froze in the middle of describing Bubbles' magic, inhaling sharply as if he had a flash of insight. "I... I might have a plan... Gray, how much detail do you want to know? Do you think you could dig your own grave when you know exactly what will happen?"

That was a reasonable question indeed. Did he really want to know? Would it be easier to follow instructions if the outcome was unclear to him? Probably.

"I don't want to know. Just tell me exactly what to do, and I'll do it."

Gray was scared as hell, and he didn't manage to mask it all that well. His voice sounded shaky and croaky. Shit. This was getting real, wasn't it? No going back. Not that there ever was a going back, but the current situation made everything more tangible. It was a miracle that Gray heard Natsu talking over the noise of his own blood rushing in his ears.

"Okay. Then I won't tell you about the other's magic. We'll go on that mission without Gajeel and Pantherlily, we'll match you up with the same opponent, delay your fight a bit so it matches the time of your death, and you're gonna use a different strategy. You're gonna fight that girl, Ichika. You'll create many ice swords in the air, and shoot them at her..." Natsu gulped, obviously struggling with his next words. "Make sure to... make them... sharp. That's all. After you launched them, you may want to close your eyes. I-in any case, d-don't... don't defend yourself... just stay where you are."

It was very hard for him to think of something like this, that much was clear. Thinking of a strategy to kill the one he loved... It must be devastating. To show him that it was alright, that Gray trusted him, he brought their entwined fingers to his lips and kissed the back of Natsu's hand.

Porlyusica let out a disgusted groan and asked if there were any more questions she could help with, the undertone clearly saying, 'If that's all, then leave me alone now.' Unable to think of any additional ways she could help, they bid their goodbyes and left for the guild.

Upon entering the guild hall, Juvia threw herself into Gray's arms, crying like a waterfall, begging him not to die. He didn't have time to react and stop her, and Natsu apparently thought it was okay, seeing as he kindly stepped aside. Gray hesitantly wrapped his arms around her, patting her back.

"Shhh. It's okay, I'm sure Natsu will find a way—"

"J-Juvia wants to h-help, too! Juvia can't stand the thought of Gray-sama dying! Please!"

"I don't think there's anything you can do though..."

"No! Juvia wants to help."

Gray looked over to Natsu, intending to silently beg him to help, but Natsu was already there, his hand on Juvia's shoulder.

"Juvia. Please believe me when I say that there's nothing you can help with. I already have a plan, and as much as I hate to say it, I think you would be in the way."

Juvia's wailing only intensified. "B-but N-Natsu-san... Wh-why w-would y-you say s-s-something l-like that?"

True, it was a harsh thing to say, but Gray had to admit that Natsu had a point. Juvia's behavior would probably be overprotective if they took her on the mission. He could easily picture her wanting to prevent him from fighting, taking the enemy on in his stead. And she sure as hell wouldn't agree with a plan that was supposed to purposely endanger his life.

His shirt was already mostly soaked from her tears, and he wanted nothing more than to get away from her. Naturally, he didn't like to see her crying, but he knew nothing could make her stop now, not when she knew that his life was nearly over. He didn't have the nerve to think of something to say that could possibly calm her down a bit; his own problems already made his head spin, leaving little space to think of anything else.

Natsu looked just as lost as Gray felt. Thankfully, Lucy approached them and undertook the task of soothing Juvia, managing to make her let go of Gray and hug Lucy instead. The whole calming down business took quite a while, and Natsu patiently waited with his lecture until Lucy was available.

It wasn't that long, seeing as Lucy had already roughly informed the guild of the events. Although she'd apparently left out the fact of Natsu and Gray being a couple, judging by Juvia's behavior.

Explaining why they wouldn't take Gajeel and Pantherlily on the mission was a difficult endeavor, especially since Natsu and Gray had agreed that they shouldn't let their friends in on their plan. What did the trick in the end was Natsu telling them that he'd possibly found a solution but needed them to place their trust in him.

The rest of the morning passed rather uneventfully, other than Natsu being extremely clingy. He had no qualms with kissing Gray in front of their whole guild, much to Juvia's dismay. She tried to pry Gray out of his hands, but Natsu fended her off and gave her a lecture on how to behave 'when your loved one doesn't love you back'. Why exactly he reacted this strongly to Juvia now when he'd let her hug Gray before was a mystery to Gray, but then again, he must've had enough of her theatrics when it came to this. There was no way this was the first time she didn't want to accept their relationship. When Gray assured Juvia that he was indeed in love with Natsu, that he hadn't been forced into doing anything, and she would do him a huge favor if she just let it go, she stormed off, crying.

Natsu seemed to be mostly back to his usual self when they rode the train to their mission, giving last-minute instructions to everyone on how to behave. Wendy excused herself first when she felt the effect of Troia wear off, and Natsu used the opportunity to lead Gray away from their friends, to the other end of the wagon. They spent the few minutes writing a short diary entry, with Natsu covering the previous ones. He said that Gray shouldn't read them since they contained information on their enemies' magic. After they finished writing, they proceeded to kissing and groping until Natsu's motion sickness kicked in.

Their enemies were exactly the way Natsu had described them. Not that Gray needed any final proof to be convinced of the truth of Natsu's story, but this would have been it. There was no denying that Natsu knew what was going to happen.

Throughout the whole course of events, Gray's attention was focused on the female mage, Ichika. He tried to take her measure, but she was mysterious. Cheerful and tough on the outside, but she appeared to be shrewd. She was probably the kind of person to befriend easily, regardless of whether she liked someone. Gray had the feeling that if she didn't like you, she might just stab you in the back when you weren’t paying attention for a second.

They reached the area where the fights would take place shortly after six-forty, and Gray's nervousness had reached its peak by then, to the point where he'd rather describe it as 'panic'. He couldn't take his eyes off Ichika, trying desperately to figure out what type of magic she wielded, but it was useless. Natsu's attempts at distraction were futile, whether it was squeezing his hand or a peck on his lips.

Erza's 'fight' against their healer, Yushin, ended before it began, much to her surprise. She tripped and landed face first on the grass. Natsu nervously checked his watch when Bubbles urged them on to start the next fight.

It was still too early, seeing as Natsu yanked Gray in by the collar, whispered, "We need to stall this fight a bit longer," and then pressed their lips together hungrily.

Ichika whistled and clapped loudly. "Oh my, oh my. That afraid to lose your sweetheart?"

Natsu didn't pay her any attention. He was too busy kissing Gray senseless, and it actually helped to calm Gray's nerves a bit.

The one to wrench them apart some moments later was Erza. Her face was flushed, her expression angry. "Don't you think there are more important matters to take care of now?"

Yeah, right. They hadn't explained after all. For anyone beside him and Natsu this must look like a desperate goodbye kiss, and maybe it was. Natsu had told him that his time of death was 7:03.

'Less than ten minutes to live... Oh god.'

Gray's knees gave in and he sank to the floor, trembling like an aspen leaf. Natsu was by his side in an instant, loudly asking their enemies to give them a few minutes. He shot Erza a glare, telling her to leave them alone and trust them. She flinched, saying that she hadn't known that this was a part of the plan, and then retreated, leaving them alone.

Gray's head was spinning and his heart racing. Was he about to have a panic attack? How did something like that even feel like? His sight was blurry, and he barely registered Natsu's warm arms wrapping around him, pulling him closer. Only when his nose was pressed into Natsu's scarf and the distinctive scent he'd come to love invaded his senses, he got a grip of reality again. Natsu rubbed soothing circles over his back, nudging Gray's forehead with his nose.

Natsu cocked his head so that his mouth was right next to Gray's ear and then whispered, "It's okay, I'm here. I won't let you die, I promise. Please, trust me. I'll do anything to protect you."

"I... I know. Sorry. I'm alright now."

"Sure?"

"Yeah. How much time left?"

Natsu shifted a bit, checking his watch. "Five minutes. I'd say we delay the fight another three minutes. Is there something I can do to make it easier for you?"

How did he even have the nerve to ask such a thing? Gray expected Natsu to be freaking out just as much as himself, if not even more. However, Natsu was as calm and confident as ever. He believed in this plan.

Gray desperately prayed for it to work the way Natsu planned because if not, Natsu would be destroyed. Knowing him, he didn't even think about the possibility of this failing. But was it wise to bring up the topic again, with the fight just around the corner? Probably not. It would also increase Gray's anxiety, and if that happened, he wasn't so sure he would be able to concentrate and cast proper ice swords.

So instead, Gray went for, "It's okay. I trust you."

Natsu hugged him tighter, pressing a kiss to his forehead. "I love you. Once this is over, let's move in together. I want to wake up by your side every morning, fall asleep in your arms every night."

Gray's pulse went up again, and not only from the sappiness of Natsu's proposal. Him saying such things could only mean that their time was up.

"Yes. I want that, too. I love you, too."

It was time. Gray's stomach churned as he stepped forward, signaling Ichika that he was ready. She made a sly remark Gray didn't bother paying attention to.

The first few seconds neither of them moved when eventually Ichika made a beckoning gesture. Gray took a deep breath, and then took up his Ice Make stance.

'You can do this. You can do this. You can do this. Breathe. Concentrate. Make them sharp.'

"Ice Make: Swords!"

Dozens of swords appeared in the air before him, and he didn't hesitate to launch them all at once at Ichika. She smirked, and shortly before they reached her, they halted and turned around.

'Don't defend yourself. Let it happen. Natsu is here. Natsu will save me.'

Gray couldn't hear anything beside his own heartbeat anymore. He saw the sharp blades quickly approaching him, but his mind had already disconnected from the real world. His feet wouldn't move even if he wanted them to. The only thing he could do was watch as his death approached rapidly, in the form of his own creation. Wasn't it beautiful to die like this, by ice he'd created?

Only that the swords wouldn't hit him like this. She'd directed them to inflict mere superficial wounds, not lethal ones. They were nearly there, when Gray was shoved to the side, and before the nearest sword pierced his chest, he heard a heartbreaking cry next to him.

'Natsu.'

His chest hurt. It felt as if his lung was pierced and his heart too.

'It wasn't your fault. Please don't blame yourself.'

Natsu’s Diary

Day 9:

* We went to Porlyusica to ask her for advice. She told us a tale about a princess she'd picked up somewhere. It wasn't really useful, but I have an idea anyway: Gray will endanger his life purposely, and I'll rescue him in the last second. We'll use Ichika for this. I told Gray to create sharp ice swords and shoot them at her. I think the plan is a good one. I'm positive it'll work, and then Gray and me can finally be together for real!

Mirajane’s Notes

Day 9:

They didn't take Gajeel and Pantherlily on their mission. Natsu didn't explain, just that he 'has an idea and we should trust him.'

#Chiyalawritesrewind #gratsu #zerelogia sp #although they don't appear in this chapter but oh well #no smut this time :D #I'd give everything to see your faces when you're reading this #a reaction video or something haha xD #let me dream #anyway have fun #and I'm not sorry #:P

27 notes · View notes

digitaldreams0801 · 4 years

Text

The Problem With Introduction (FU CH17)

Alright, before I copy all my content in here, I want to explain what this is. I have a journal held for quarantine, and I write entries in there each day about what’s going on in my life. Today, I mentioned my work on Frontiers Unexplored. I’m up to chapter seventeen in my advanced typing, and this chapter just so happens to introduce the true identity of one of the Fallen Warriors. Spoilers ahead, but here’s the analysis on what makes this character so hard to integrate as part of the Risen Warriors’ party. This is copied and pasted from my journal, something I wrote at 3 AM, so sorry about typos. Oops.

My typing schedule was disturbed with the arrival of Frontiers Unexplored. Chapter seventeen was started today, and I introduced Chihiro to the rest of the group. Of course, this is problematic, and this story decided to throw all of my plans for the week into disarray. Absolutely great, right?

Here’s the problem: Chihiro is the hardest character to introduce out of the characters who aren’t there from the start. Koji wound up as part of the group out of necessity while Mayumi is talkative enough to bridge the gap between herself, Haroi, and the remainder of the team. Yumiko and Hinoka are relatively quiet, so they’re easier to approach. Saki’s got enough charisma to carry them through their own introduction. Koichi has an inherent link to Koji. Chihiro, on the other hand, already knows Takuya, but they’re a bit too abrasive and cagey to really open up to the rest of the group right away.

I know exactly how I want to handle Chihiro after they’ve been part of the team for a bit longer, but that does not apply right now. The rest of the team is wary of them since they’ve spent all their time as Aeoelmon and Cybelemon raising hell as a way of venting out emotional trauma brought on by Lyramon. Takuya knows that they have pure intentions, but everybody else in the group is socially inept and doesn’t know how to handle this. Izumi is the best to look at this situation, but she’s still exhausted and worn from seeing Tomoki nearly lose himself to paranoia and terror and then watching Takuya attempt to destroy his body out of rage. She can’t exactly look after Chihiro at this point, and it’s not like Chihiro would listen to her at this point anyways.

I wrote the first quarter of this chapter and decided something about the chapter didn’t seem to feel right. I don’t think there’s really anything I can do to fix that aside from keep going. Chihiro’s not going to be introduced with any sense of grace to the rest of the group between everybody’s silence, their short temper, and Takuya’s jubilant behavior. There simply isn’t a way to ease Chihiro into the group’s dynamic, so I’m going to need to find a solution elsewhere.

Where does this solution come in? The second half of the chapter, as a matter of fact. I wrote the second quarter of the chapter and felt as if I had a better grasp of what I wanted to do with Chihiro, likely because I didn’t have to hold off and offer time to Lyramon’s reaction to all of this, something that did happen at the start of the chapter.

This is the second chapter to not contain any fights, the first being chapter twelve. Chapter twelve was a transitional one between the Evergreen Dawn arc and the search for the Beast Spirits. Since chapter ten was such a heavy hitter, I needed some time to switch gears, and I figured the readers needed the same. Chapter eleven was a diversion focused on Mayumi and Haroi while chapter twelve was meant to go back to the main group grappling with their worst failure yet. There weren’t any fights in the chapter since it instead focused on everyone’s thoughts after Seraphimon and Sorcermon’s deaths.

Chapter seventeen is going to be much the same way, though this time, I’m going to ease the readers into understanding Chihiro. It’s going to take some time for them to be truly understood by the readers and other party members, but it’s a start. I’m going to give Takuya and Chihiro the chance to talk alone about everything that’s happened, and it’ll also give me room to pop over to Mayumi and Haroi, who have taken a backseat since Blizzarmon first showed up in chapter thirteen. I feel like this change of pace is necessary to make sure the readers don’t get tired of all the constant fighting, and it’ll allow for a good chance to understand Chihiro as a person.

They’re rather complicated, to say the least. Chihiro is similar to Takuya in many ways since they’re both adventurous, stubborn, reckless, loyal, and brave. However, Chihiro’s differences from Takuya are what make them such an interesting character in my opinions. They subvert the typical goggle headed protagonist trope by having all the potential traits of a goggle head but not quite fitting the bill.

Chihiro’s primary difference from Takuya is their pessimism. Takuya is bright and cheerful in the face of opposition while Chihiro tends to get bitter and downtrodden easily. Takuya’s regular charisma and natural leadership is missing from Chihiro, replaced by a consistent and conscious repression of emotions. They tend to think ‘out of sight, out of mind’ for better or worse, and their anger issues are far notable despite Takuya being rather similar on the matter. Takuya is able to clumsily stumble his way through emotional subjects while Chihiro shuts them out entirely. They care greatly about each other, but Chihiro can be a bit overly reliant on Takuya despite their apparent independence and lone wolf persona. It’s an interesting blend of traits, and I think that’s what makes them so hard to write.

How are you supposed to introduce a subversion of the Digimon protagonist trope? Chihiro is probably most similar to Masaru from season five, but even so, the similarities only go so far since Chihiro is written to walk the fine line between Digimon protagonist and side character. I suppose that’s where my problem is coming in. The only person who Chihiro is willing to open up to is Takuya, and that is a huge problem inherently when it comes to the introduction.

Chihiro isn’t a problem on their own, but given how different they are from the rest of the other party members solely because of what they represent, introducing them to the Risen Warriors is difficult. I’m glad I put more time into this chapter so that it could feel a bit less scatterbrained. Acknowledging that Chihiro can’t enter the party gracefully was the first step, and it all got easier from there. The second half of the chapter will properly go into the audience’s first impressions of Chihiro by allowing them to speak with Takuya and giving insight into their blunt yet repressive nature. I’m going to put work into my other work throughout the week and avoid this doubling up stunt I pulled tonight, but I’m still happy I did it.

#digimon #digimon frontier #frontier #rewrite #frontiers unexplored #digital's frontier rewrite bs

0 notes

themostcleverandwittyname · 6 years

Text

Curiosity Saved the Cat

CH1 CH2 CH3 CH4 CH5 CH6 CH7 CH8 CH9 CH10 CH11 CH12 CH13 CH14 CH15 CH16 CH17 CH18 CH19 CH20 CH21 CH22 CH23 CH24 CH25 CH26

(Jumin x MC)(Saeran x MC)

Summary:

MC is fairly happy after Jumin proposes to her, however, her curiosity leads her to contact the hacker that started it all.

Chapter 7: Confusion and Conflict

Chapter 7 on AO3

The basement was cold at night, if you could call it a basement. It was a prison cell with iron bars and a steel lock, the metals were tinted gold with the firelight from the torches. The air was damp and musky and the humid air clung to everything it touched, including Myung. She paced around the cell impatiently, her head aching from her previous encounter. She had a knot on her head from where she had been struck with that metal. She hated this and wanted to get out so bad it hurt. The cot that she had woken up on what made of stiff canvas and did nothing to help her sore and aching muscles. The memory of everything that had happened weighed heavily on her mind as she angrily paced around, as if another step in her stride could break down the stone walls. There were no windows but she still felt as if it were nighttime. The air held the quietness of a still night, the darkness of the dungeon chilled her bones.

There was one escape with was a large oaken door much like the one that opened to the throne room of the “Savior”. She seethed at the situation and seethed at her failure. She hated herself for doing this to herself, to the RFA, and to Jumin. She couldn’t put a finger on how long she had paced around the cell like a dog on guard, but her muscles cried in protest as the constant use. Her head throbbed and only pounded her anger into her head more.

She had plenty of time to reflect on what she had done. When she had woken up, she felt fairly sorry for herself and downright pitiful. She even had herself a cry that didn’t seem to do anything but drain her more. She recalled how she had just marched into Seven’s house entitled to answers that he most likely wasn’t sure of himself. She pushed and pushed him to the point of anger. She caused him to lash out at her and it was all her fault. Then, like a stupid kid, she stormed off and just had to prove herself right. She just had to act so stupidly as to contact a dangerous stranger and actually meet him in the shadiest place she could have. It would have been safer to meet him in an underground tattoo shop or in an all behind a strip club for god’s sake! How could she have been such a fool?

Another thing that tortured her thoughts was the fact that the RFA was probably going to blame Seven for her mistake. She could just imagine the string of messages that would read things like why didn’t you protect/stop her and how could you let the apartment be compromised? She felt her heart shred itself when she thought that he would most likely take the blame when she acted on her own.

Jumin came to her mind in the most painful way. He would think that she left him or that she didn’t care about him. She couldn’t handle the thought and her heart was in a vice. She wished there was a way that she could’ve just gone back in time and stopped herself. She could’ve listened to him and not pried the hacker or at least tell him about her visit to Seven. Now he’ll be left to wonder why she would lie to him. A part of her wondered that if she got out, if he would stop talking to her. If he would come to his senses and break up and refuse any contact with her. Lying to him was the worst thing she could have possibly done. It was the last thing that he deserved.

He deserved a person who would not only understand and trust him but also be open and honest. Someone who wasn’t stupid enough to jeopardize everything because of their ridiculous, emotion driven impulses. He’ll have to deal with this. He’ll have to deal with her mistakes and his emotions. He’ll have to deal with the media badgering him about what happened to his fiance. If she never got out of here, he’d have to deal with it for the rest of his life until he forgot about her.

If she ever got out of here…

She has to, whether alive or dead. She has to tell the others what had happened with Rika and what V was hiding. But… she doesn’t know everything. The mystery that now plagued her mind as she paced around the cell was not about Rika or V. She wondered who the mint eyed man was and why he hated Seven so much. She shudders when she recalls the way he leaned down and promised to tell her about him later, whispering it like a threat. How he told her that Seven lied when he said he’d keep her safe and the revelation of the bomb rigged apartment. She can’t really find a reason as to why he would lie about that.

He had seemed so bitter and angry about it. About Seven. Could it be that he was brainwashed by Rika just to hate Seven? No, it seemed more likely to her that he had a personal beef with him. Had they been friends? Classmates? Agents in arms? Or had he been foiled by Seven’s excellent hacking skills? She didn’t know, but she craved the truth. If she was going to be stuck here she wanted to know everything she could…

Stuck here…

The man had said that she was to go through induction and Rika mentioned medicine. Her mind danced around the idea that maybe all of the members of this place were not here of their own choosing, but because they too were forced in like her. Did they undergo propaganda to remain here so calmly or was some kind of chemical element to blame? She surely hoped it wasn’t any form of torture. As much as she wanted to know more, she wanted to avoid any personal experiences with the methods.

If she was going to be here, she was going to gather as much as she could so that she could make an escape and be able to tell the truth to her best ability. An escape, depending on how much she found out could either be easy or impossible. She hoped that she could trick her way out, as trying for force didn’t work last time. The memory made her cringe. Her next thought was of the analytical kind.

The mint eyed man, she believed remembering his name to be Saeran, seemed to change his emotions on a dime. He would seem for a moment as if he was genuinely concerned for her wellbeing and in the next passing seconds be brutally aggressive and exceptionally bitter. She dearly hoped that the only thing that she would ever see him again for would be to ask about his hatred for Seven. Beyond that, he scared her with his unstable behavior and she didn’t want to be around him. She certainly didn’t want to be his assistant by any means.

As if on cue, the oaken door creaked open, the shrill sound unnerving her and giving her a sense of doom. She stopped her pacing and watched as a mess of white and pink hair ducked into the room. It’s him.

He strode towards the cell and leaned against the stone wall just outside. He gave a cheeky smile, his misty eyes glowed in the torchlight. He tauntingly held up what was evident to be the keys to the cell door and jingled them, the sound jarring after being in silence for so long. He laughed sadistically to himself and lowered the keys into his back pocket. She gave him a pointed glare in return. She noticed that he had taken off his choker and even in the low light she could she the blueish bruise that she had made earlier, as well as a swollen bruise on his jaw where she had got him twice. She could take satisfaction in that at the very least.

She watched as he slowly approached the bars and curled his fingers around the cold iron. His wolfish grin and eyes pierced her and he made a beckoning motion.

“Come here, I need to tell you something.” He dared and she took a few steps back for safe measure. She shook her head and he glowered at her. She felt like prey under a predator’s scrutiny.

“Whatever you need to say, I can hear it from here.” she stated, hoping for no more argument. The man gave her a sigh lowering his eyes to the ground for a moment.

“I’m not going to hurt you, you know.” he stated his version of the obvious or a lie, she couldn’t tell. She took a deep breath and kept her eyes glued to his.

“You look like you want to hurt me. You’re smiling like a madman.” she said, not caring if it offended him. His grin didn’t waver and he laughed lightly at her words.

“I’m just excited. I’m happy that you’re safe here and that you’ll finally be able to be put at ease. I know life was hard for you out there, but you’ll enjoy it here. I’m also excited that you get to be my assistant after treatment. It’s also a plus to see Luciel so guilty. He blames himself for you coming here, you know that?” And there it was, her heart felt as if it had been stabbed. She didn’t want be treated and fear bubbled up in her. Her assumptions that Seven would feel bad about this had just been proven true.

She held his gaze for who knows how long, feeling the heat of his eye lasers, if she could call it that, burn into her. He studied her expressions trying to come up with some sort of conclusion about how she felt about his words. Silence lingered and clung to Myung along with the chill of the air. After too much quiet and the realization that she wasn’t going to continue to engage in the conversation, he turned and spoke over his shoulder.

“This will be your last night as a lost and corrupted person. You’ll begin induction tomorrow in the morning, so sleep tight. It’s a rough process. It helps if you don’t fight back too much, take it from me.” Was that a look of concern? Sincere concern? She watched as he made it over to the door.

“Wait!” She called after him, dashing to the bars and grabbing them firmly. He froze in his tracks and turned his gaze back to her with a victorious grin. He had meant to leave her hanging and take advantage of her curiosity. She felt dumb for a moment but asked a question anyway.

“Why are you doing this? Do you really think that this place is what you call it? Do you think that it’s paradise?” The words flowed from her mouth without thought. Damn, she was supposed to ask why he hated Seven. Why did she ask this instead?

The man’s smile faded and he was left blank for a moment, taken by surprise with the questions. He seemed to question it himself but gave her an unmistakably honest look.

“Yes, I do. I’m sorry that this has been so scary for you, but you’ll never understand how much better this is for you until you see for yourself. I’m sorry to have been so forceful, but you’ll see that it’s for the best.” his voice wavered for a moment, still looking confused by his own words or by her questions, “Trust me when I say don’t fight the treatment. You’ll get less hurt that way.” He warned, the ghosts of his experiences dance on his face as he remembered his own induction.

Without another word, he left the room and left her to wonder why she felt so conflicted. Of course, she should fight the “treatment” but something in his expression told her that the consequences would be severe if she did. She wondered how he could seem so menacing one moment and then seem as if he cared the next. She didn’t know what she should do in the morning.

He had told her to get rest, but no sleep comforted her that night and the morning came quicker than she had expected.

CH1 CH2 CH3 CH4 CH5 CH6 CH7 CH8 CH9 CH10 CH11 CH12 CH13 CH14 CH15 CH16 CH17 CH18 CH19 CH20 CH21 CH22 CH23 CH24 CH25 CH26

#mystic messenger fanfiction #mystic messenger #mysme fanfic #jumin han #saeran choi #jumin x mc #saeran x mc #jumin fanfic #jumin route #curiosity saved the cat #my work

3 notes · View notes

themostcleverandwittyname · 6 years

Text

Curiosity Saved the Cat

CH1 CH2 CH3 CH4 CH5 CH6 CH7 CH8 CH9 CH10 CH11 CH12 CH13 CH14 CH15 CH16 CH17 CH18 CH19 CH20 CH21 CH22 CH23 CH24 CH25 CH26

(Jumin x MC)(Saeran x MC)

Summary:

MC is fairly happy after Jumin proposes to her, however, her curiosity leads her to contact the hacker that started it all.

Chapter 16: So Edgy

Chapter 16 on AO3

For two days she sat in complete silence. The sound of pages flipping, rapid typing, and the tinking of ceramic mugs being placed on the desk were all that she had heard and it was driving her insane. Today varied from the past two days, however, because she was asked to go and make the coffee this time.

This was the first time that she was left unsupervised to wander freely through the building. She knew that she did have a time limit, cringing as she recalled how harshly Saeran told her to not to lollygag. Still, it felt nice to be able to just walk. As silly as it seemed, walking felt amazing after being cooped up and hunched over a book and small laptop. Her situation had changed somewhat for the better since being his assistant.

The very word left a bitter taste in her mouth but at least she was now treated with something equal to basic human decency. She got fed nicely and under Saeran's order, Believers would bring in beverages. They had not spoken much to each other and he was constantly ignoring her. Not that she cared, but the atmosphere was always dismal in that “office” of his. Myung couldn't lie to herself, she was learning something from the books. Her captor did pull himself away from his work sometimes to demonstrate a lesson that she had a hard time understanding. It took a lot of skill and focus and her thoughts turned to Seven. She had a newfound admiration for his talents.

She made her way into the kitchen area that buzzed with quiet conversation among other Believers. From being here, she had learned that there was a somewhat hierarchy among the Believers. Saeran was on the top on the hierarchical structure, under the Savior as her personal dog. He did everything she said and was highly regarded.

Being his assistant meant that she immediately was considered above the other Believers. That wasn't necessarily a good thing.

She kept her hood lowered over her face as she made her way to the coffee pot, praying that no one noticed her. She had been told that she should wear her robe when she went into the main halls to avoid aggression from the others.

“Hey!” some voice rang out behind her causing her to startle and spill a drop of coffee on the countertop. She decided that ignoring the person would be best. Another voice murmured to the aggressive one in questioning. To respond, the man stated loudly.

“Yeah, that's the one that hasn't been cleansed properly. She hasn't fully gone through the ceremony. She has no place here.” Myung didn't turn around and didn't visibly acknowledge the buzz of confused and angry whispers of the kitchen dweller. Instead she simply grabbed a handful of cream cups and sugar along with a spoon and crammed them into her robe pockets. With both mugs in hand she barely cast the robed figures a glance as she turned on her heel and began towards the door.

Unfortunately, one of the more aggressive believers wasn't going to let her get away easy and grabbed her robe sleeve. Coffee dribbled to the floor as her sleeve was tugged back. She then decided to stop ignoring the agitated man.

“Don't touch me! This coffee isn't for me.” She decided to take benefit from being Saeran’s assistant. “You don't want me to tell Saeran that you're bothering me, do you? He’s busy enough without having to deal with you. Now, excuse me.” She harrumphed and shook her arm loose. The cup with the least coffee would be hers then.

This didn't seem to scare the Believer like she had hoped. He followed her out the door and into the living space. The people that were standing in groups or lounging around immediately turned their attention to the disruption.

“Don't act so high and mighty, you don't deserve that position! You're just the RFA’s rat!” she clenched her jaw and stopped her in her tracks. No, it's not worth it . With many eyes burning into her, she reluctantly started to walk and ignore the man again when he grabbed her good this time, sending it falling off around her shoulders to reveal her face and hair. She had enough. She didn't care how much trouble she got in. She turned towards the man with full intent of dousing his ass in boiling hot coffee.

Before she could swing her arm back, a hand was rested on her shoulder. She stopped to glance behind her. It was another hooded figure. She wasn't sure if she was being attacked or helped by the person behind her so she jerked her shoulder from the person's touch, trying to steady the coffee. A familiar and comforting voice told her that she had been saved by a friend.

“I'm Believer A306. The Savior had something to ask you, we need to go meet her immediately,” the voice stated before directing his voice at the attacker, “If there are no other disturbances, then we must be going.”

“Oh, of course. I'm sorry to be a bother.” The man said, his tone passive aggressive. Thank god that she hadn't had the chance to toss coffee on the man. Saeran would have been pissed and she would had caught hell for it.

Myung quietly agreed and watched as he pulled her away from the dumbstruck man. The familiar person pulled her into an empty hallway. The dull candle light flickered over the navy curtains, even so early in the morning.

“Thank heavens for you, Jihyun. I tried to ignore him but he-” she was cut off when the man in front of her shushed her. She silenced herself to listen to what he had to say. He was her only gateway to the outside and she longed to find out if he had told the others where she was. Was he going to deliver news that they were working on a way to help her? She felt excited and anxious simultaneously as she stood there. Hopefully, he had done the right thing.

“Myung, I sent the coordinates of this place to Luciel however…” the man looked down at the ground, his turquoise eyes avoiding hers, “He's having a hard time with his other work right now. The deadline is so tight that if he doesn't get it finished on time, the agency will...well…” he trailed off but she knew what he meant. The agency would make him disappear, like he has briefly mentioned before. Her heart sank and she struggled to ask what was in her mind.

“So… I have to stay here longer?” She questioned, her voice heavy with disappointment. She saw the man nod but found another way “Why not you just get me out of here? Are you still planning on staying here?” her face twisted with confusion and hurt.

“I...I have to. I have to stay here to keep an eye on her. I think she still may change.” his voice thick. He was barely able to read the confusion on her face with his poor eyesight, “Rika, I mean. I can't leave here.”

Myung pressed her lips together while thinking. There was silence as she calmed herself. At first, she wanted to yell at the man in front of her and demand to be brought home. She only knew from experience that further prodding would cause him to sputter an excuse and run away just like he did in the chatrooms, like he did in the dungeon before. She wanted to tackle this carefully. From what Jumin had said, V was very fragile right now.

“Did you at least tell the others? Did you tell Jumin in the very least? Please don't tell me that he still has no clue where I am?” her voiced still leaked the emotion that she felt despite tried to keep it inside. The teal haired man took a deep breath.

“Jumin… is not doing well. He knows that Luciel is working towards finding you, but he doesn't know where or how you are. If I tell him, it will hurt him more to know that you are here. I'll just get Luciel to get you a soon as possible. Just play the part here and lay low.” Jihyun said and she anticipated that he was going to say more, but there were voices from the other end of the hallway. She had no time to get angry at him for not telling Jumin, no time to yell at him for being a horrible friend to Jumin who trusted him fully. She just murmured a quick goodbye and set off down the hallway away from him.

She wasn't really sure when or how, but by the time she had reached Saeran's office door, the coffee had grown cold. Turning back towards the kitchen defeatedly, she felt the warmth of tears drip down her face.

Saeran didn't pry much after she told him that the reason that she was late was because of some jackass harassing her. He didn't seem to care, he just wanted his coffee hot. She watched as he dumped so much sugar into the mug that she's surprised he didn't need insulin.

Without much trouble, they both went to work. She didn't really hate his guts like she had before not was she super terrified of her. She wondered if he was moody lately or if he had been acting when he was all coy and mysterious in the beginning.

Before, she would have thought that slightly messing up would have caused him to do something devilishly horrible. It's only been two days, but she already felt less rigid around him. Yeah, the atmosphere was absolute hell but he didn't really need to threaten her much. Maybe that was why he seemed to drop the sadistic and cot attitude. Maybe it was because she was doing what he asked without much argument or maybe he was just waiting for his mood to change. Either way, she still threaded carefully around him. She certainly didn't want to see the business end of that pistol again.

While she was in the middle of the third book, she unexpectedly got a light smack in the cheek with a spiked bracer.

It didn't hurt but she flinched back. She realized that he had not done it on purpose but rather he had been stretching and accidentally brushed her. This did not stop her words to rip themselves from her lips.

“Ow! What the fuck was that for!” she growled. It was the first thing to slice the silence since this morning and it was noon. The man for the first time seemed to realize that she was sitting next to him and startled at her outburst. He really gets it the zone when he works. His mint eyes glanced tiredly over at the brunette.

“I didn't mean to, gosh. Calm down.” He grumbled back, folding his arms over each over. This was the first time today she had seen his hands away from the touchscreen. He looked pouty and defensive.

“Why do you wear that dumb bracelet anyways? It's so edgy and borderline dangerous you should expect to hurt someone with It someday.” She began, “I understand you want to look all cool and bruting but damn. Doesn't that hinder your typing?

“Where's this coming from all of a sudden? What does my bracer have to do with my work? I can work fine with It on.” He stated, turning his swivel chair towards her and away from his work. Oh, this was the perfect chance to distract him from his work and slow him down! Myung propped her head on her arm.

“And also, why do you wear your jacket like that? You know it's supposed to cover both of your shoulders, right?” She questioned. Saeran lifted his eyebrows at this commentary on his fashion sense...or there lack of.

“Look,” he demanded, leaning back and pointing at his decorated shoulder, “It shows off my tattoo if I leave one sleeve off.” He pointed out as if proud of it. Myung blinked and came up with another question.

“Ah, I see. Why on earth would you show off that tattoo anyways? You know tattoos are super frowned on.” she questioned, looking at her nails. He hadn't even glanced at the monitors. She was doing a good job. He struggled to articulate his answer, but he finally did.

“Its dedicated to this place, to my Savior. It shows my dedication to the Mint Eye and to all of the Believers here. In a way, it even shows my dedication to you.” He said, almost smiling to himself at the thought of such a noble cause. But something else lead him to frown and lose that dream like look of happiness from talking about his passion. “But it also reminds me every day of the ones who have hurt me, who have betrayed me.” his time turned dark at some memory. Myung just kept her gaze at her fingernails, not knowing what to say to that. He is so edgy.

“You said dedicated to me? Why would you be dedicated to me, I'm just the RFA hostage, right?” She questioned, sharing her thoughts on the situation, on her position.

There was a moment when she thought she saw softness in the man's eyes. Maybe even a hint of confusion but overall, his expression stayed confident. He leaned forward in his chair and placed his elbows on his knees.

“I'm dedicated to you because I know that I have saved you by bringing you here. I know that one day you'll thank me for this. You'll be so happy once you find out that you got out of the hellhole that is the RFA. Saving people like you who have been fooled is my dedication. I'm sure that you'll accept this place as your home.” He said with the same confidence in his voice, a lingering hint of genuine concern and sincerity coated his words.

He actually truly believes he's helping her. He really believes that. In his eyes, he has saved her. How? What kind of shitty situation has he been in that makes him believe that this place could ever be a home for him? She felt a twinge of pity for the man.

“If that's how you believe...then why do you say that the RFA is a hellhole. I'll admit that everyone has their flaws, even the person I'm most biased towards. But how can you say that people who work so hard to help others are bad?” She was actually curious and forgot that she was supposed to be distracting him. She wanted to know how he would rationalise this. He took a deep breath appearing to be choosing his words carefully.

“I don't think that everyone in the RFA is bad. There are just two inherently evil and corrupted people who lie and mislead the others. This is what has corrupted the RFA. They all need salvation with the exception of one person who doesn't deserve it.” he said this slowly to really hand the point over to her.

“Let me guess, because of Rika, V is the one that doesn't deserve “salvation”?” She guessed, but Saeran shook his head. Then who…?

“As horrible as V is and as bad as the things he has done, he may with a lot of guidance be saved. The one who is too far gone is Luciel. The Savior and I decided that he would never be allowed to enter paradise because of what he had done.” The topic turned his voice bitter, his eyes grew dark and bitterness turned his face to stone. Myung was perplexed. What had Seven possibly done? She made her mind up to defend him.

“I'm sure that's not the case. Seven is weird, yeah, and he also lies a bunch but that's his job. I don't think he's a bad person. If what you say is true, then the worst he has done is let me stay in an apartment with a bomb.” She tried to sound lighthearted as if the apartment wasn't a big deal. If she got out of here, however, she would chew his ass over it.

“And if that's the worst, then Jumin saved me from that. As long as he takes the bomb out, all is forgiven right?” She tried to reason in defence of her friend...if she could call him that. Their last conversation could have been a friendship ender.

The man instead of immediately arguing back gave an unexpected and chilling laugh. She was taken aback and was almost tempted to scoot her chair away from him. What on earth could be worse than leaving a bomb in an apartment? When the laughter finally died from the man, his green eyes glinted. There it was, that lost coy attitude that had disappeared for the past few days.

“He's got you so fooled! Can't you see that he's got you completely brainwashed in believing him? He's horrible and you wouldn't dare trust him around you if you knew what he's done. You don't even know what to call him. Tell me, what's his name, Myung?” he asked trying to prove a point. She had never been less confident in an answer. Saeran's eyes never left hers. With the length of time that she took hesitating, his smile grew with the satisfaction that she didn't know.

“Well… His baptismal name is Luciel…. That's all I know. Besides, his name doesn't really matter. Lots of people have nicknames.” she answered, surely he couldn't argue with that. Saeran lifted his eyebrows and leaned his head on his palm.

“You're too sweet, too naive. His names are not nicknames, Myung. He doesn't use his real name because he wants to forget the horrible things he's done.” He he said with a knowing smile. A dangerous smile.

“What do you know? How would you know what he's done? “ she challenged. The man grabbed her hands and pulled them into his own. He had very cold hands, she observed. She would have yanked her hands back if she wasn't so invested in the conversation.

“That's what I'm trying to tell you. Just be patient and I'll let you in on the whole story.” when he said the word “patient”, he squeezed her hands.

“Imagine there are two twin brothers in a house with only their mother. These two boys are super close and rely on each other for everything because their mother is abusive and violent in every sense of the two words. She rarely fed the two so they had to be especially careful of her whims in order to get fed” He began, Myung felt transfixed by his words. What is he getting at?

“One of the two boys is highly favored while the other boy who is weak is picked out and used to vent the mother's anger. Because the stronger brother is favored, he is allowed to go outside of the house and he goes to church. Of course, he comes home and tells the weaker twin that he met nice people at church and is planning on rescuing them both. Let me spoil the story for you.” He said the last sentence rather sharply.

“The stronger brother decided that his smaller brother was a burden and left him. The favored brother left and went with his new friends to have parties and have fun. He changed his name to forget the brother he left behind. The abandoned brother, however, didn't get a lucky shot to escape. No, what happened was the mother lost her shit and came down on him twice as hard never believing that he didn't have something to do with the other’s disappearance.” Saeran tugged her hands for emphasis. Myung got it. She understood what the story was about, so that means...

“You're a smart girl so I trust you don't have to be told who the two brothers in this story are, do you? Just to make it more clear, the RFA’s precious Seven is my brother, Saeyoung. I was just lucky enough to be rescued by the Savior.” Saeran laughed darkly at Myung's expression. She was sure her face showed here mix of emotions.

“So, do you think he deserves anything more than hatred? Your good friend?” he asked, tilting his head to the side in mockery. Myung held his gaze for who knows how long. Her heart sank and almost broke.

She herself had two brothers, one older and one younger and she could never leave them in a situation like that. She wasn't even close to her younger brother but just the thought made her heart clench. Seven...no, Saeyoung had never even mentioned that he had a brother. Did he have a reason to leave him? There's still no exception. She would call Saeran a liar, but she saw the look in on his eyes as he shared his story with her. She finally found the words.

“I can't imagine how horrible that was for you. I could never hurt my brothers like that. I...I can't defend what he did to you. I'm really sorry.” She said and tried to look away from his face. Now she really felt like….shit.

“See? It was only a matter of time before he did the same to the RFA, to you.” He then pulled his hands from hers and pulled her to his chest. Woah, this is not okay. “I saved you from that fate.” His voice rang out truth...but It wasn't her truth. She pushed him away and stood. His features shown a hint of hurt before molding back into a mischievous grin.

“I'm sorry Saeran, but you haven't saved me. Bringing me here didn't save me and no matter how much you or anyone here tries, this is not my home. I want to go home, to Jumin. It's not right to keep me here. I know you won't change your mind, but I want you to understand how I feel.” She hesitated before continuing her thoughts “And I want you to understand that it's also not right to trap yourself here.”

Before he could grab her, argue, or stand she headed for the door shouting over her shoulder that she's going to go take a break.

She went to her room that was thankfully empty and had herself a cry. She was confused as of why, but her tears still spilled for the second time that day.

CH1 CH2 CH3 CH4 CH5 CH6 CH7 CH8 CH9 CH10 CH11 CH12 CH13 CH14 CH15 CH16 CH17 CH18 CH19 CH20 CH21 CH22 CH23 CH24 CH25 CH26

#mystic messenger #mystic messenger fanfiction #mysme #mm jumin #jumin han #jumin x mc #jumin route #jumin fanfic #saeran choi #saeran fanfic #mm saeran #saeran x mc #curiosity saved the cat #my work

2 notes · View notes

themostcleverandwittyname · 6 years

Text

Curiosity Saved the Cat

CH1 CH2 CH3 CH4 CH5 CH6 CH7 CH8 CH9 CH10 CH11 CH12 CH13 CH14 CH15 CH16 CH17 CH18 CH19 CH20 CH21 CH22 CH23 CH24 CH25 CH26

(Jumin x MC)(Saeran x MC)

Summary:

MC is fairly happy after Jumin proposes to her, however, her curiosity leads her to contact the hacker that started it all.

Chapter 9: Blame

Chapter 9 on AO3

The red head sat hunched over one of his several monitors, his eyes drooping from the unhealthy lack of sleep. He had not rested for one minute since Myung had gone missing and he had stayed up all night investigating the mysterious texts that was on Myung’s phone. They were super lucky that the phone had been left at the apartment, yet also it was unfortunate. If the phone had been with Myung, he could have easily traced its location in minutes. Jumin had called all night, each call had an average of 27 minutes and 42 seconds apart, he had calculated. Each time he called, Seven had nothing to report on.

Jumin’s panic had already reached the media and the news of the corporate heir’s fiance’s disappearance had spread on every social media platform and news station. Seven has wished that Jumin hadn't done that because it may increase the difficulty of finding her if everyone in the whole country knew.

The chatroom was essentially in flames. Aside from Jumin calling almost every thirty minutes, he had gotten a call from Zen who yelled at him for “letting this happened” and Yoosung who blamed V for everything, claiming that he had something to hide. They were both right.

He was to blame and V did have something to hide. V had hidden the fact that his brother was the hacker that had attacked the RFA and hacked Myung into the chatroom. But why? Did V know the answer to that too? He had thought that his brother was safe and happy. He had even gotten what he thought was proof that he was okay from Rika once.

He recalled the day that he found Elizabeth the 3rd at that building in the mountains. He never uncovered the mystery of that place and he wondered in Myung was there now. At the moment Seven was busy trying to trace the phone call on the part coordinator’s phone to its source. There was no way that the hacker that took her was the same person that he saw at that day at the building, was it? He didn't know. He just wasn't sure of anything any more and he still wanted to believe that his brother was okay.

Besides that...

Zen was right. It was his fault for not monitoring the chat room security as he should have along with no longer monitoring the apartment security. The whole thing could have been avoided and the hacker blocked. He read the text that Myung had sent a million times already trying to pull a deeper meaning from it. Had she betrayed the RFA? No, she wouldn't have done that. She was a beautifully understanding and sweet person and it was his fault that she had been taken under his nose.

The hacker was good and had looped the security footage of the apartment over as a cover. Even if Seven had watched the feed, it wouldn't have mattered. He also completely wiped the real footage of the five minutes and twelve seconds it took to take her. The redhead had no evidence to point out what had happened other than the things found at the apartment.

The substance in the syringe was a tranquilizer that would have knocked out three grown men. There was a bag of snacks discarded that was evidence too. Myung had gone there willingly and with treats from the looks of it. He didn't understand her intentions.

It was his fault. He had snapped at her rather harshly the day before yesterday when she payed him a surprise visit. It was extremely annoying to him at the time, but now he felt solely responsible for what had happened to her. She was only worried and thought that she could help him. She was confused and had picked up on the fact that everything was off. She came over to try and clear it up and be a good friend but she wasn't able to comfort him. He was a lost cause and she would only get hurt around him. He could never have the luxury of having her as a friend.

He could never have the luxury of having her anywhere close to him, to let her know the real him. It was hopeless anyways because she was with Jumin and for the better. The CEO really did care for her and Seven knew he would take care of her and give her a safe life. There was no way that this feeling in him will ever be solved so he might as well try to forget it and move on. She needed his help to find her and he couldn't fail her. He couldn't fail Jumin.

Seven, without an immense amount of trouble had hacked into the security cameras at that building searching for any sign of the party coordinator there. The only security cameras in operation there were the ones on the outside of the building. Everything that happened inside would escape the hacker’s eyes. He groaned in frustration and continued to search, once again attempting to trace the source of the phone call to Myung’s device. He was lucky that he had been able to find a trace of the call history itself as it was almost completely buried under layers of encryption. His opponent was frustratingly good.

His weary golden eyes trailed from the monitors to a large stack of orders and jobs from the agency that he was putting off. He knew that his keeper would be at his place in a matter of hours when the daybreak came to make sure that he was doing his work. It would not be easy to get out of this one as he had already been putting this work off since the party. His whole world seemed to be fighting him right now in an almost ironic way. It couldn't be helped so he would just have to pull through and not stop to eat or shut his eyes until he had solved this.

It was all his fault.

He took a deep breath and seemed his resolve once again, plunging into his work.

The effects of the drug had begun to take place steadily. The loopy feeling and almost euphoric feeling of getting high was creeping up on her. She felt her temperature raise as if she had a fever and she didn't trust herself to pace about the cell for fear of falling and hurting herself. Stationary of the cot, she felt that the world was rocking back and forth and she gripped the edges of the hard canvas material for unnecessary steadiness.

It was like the feeling of slowly getting buzzed after taking shots combined with the feeling of the dental gas that one would breathe on a trip to the dentist. She simultaneously felt that she couldn't keep her eyes open and energized. The drugs provided a nice high that made her feel really….good?

She hated to admit, but she really felt amazing. Calm and happy despite everything in her screaming no. It was amazing and lovely and wrong. It felt like her mind and heart was laying in silk and being threatened with thorns because every fiber of her heart and soul knew that this was wrong and damaging. She remained in this joyful state until the feeling began to increase in intensity and shift.

Her skin crawled and the air felt cold. She was scared to open her eyes for fear of finding something malignant looming over her ready to pounce the second she opened her eyes.

She felt paranoid and helpless. Disillusions and hallucinations danced in her eyes. She wasn't sure if she had fallen asleep and was dreaming or if she was hallucinating, but either thought terrified her. Anxieties built up and she wondered if time had frozen and if she was doomed. Shadows lurked at every corner of the room, shifting and creeping, waiting for the opportunity to grab her when she gets lured into comfort. Myung began to shiver and that's when the pain came.

Her head began to pound and her fears increased tenfold. The pain behind her temples surged to the point that it felt as if her head was being split open. She felt angry and regretful, the emotions almost choking her. She dug her nails into her palms and was now completely unsure if she was on the cot or the floor.

She waited and waited for it to end, hoping that the nightmare would end soon. She had no idea how much time had passed in her agony. One clear thought seemed to surface, one hope that lingered in her mind’s eye.

She hoped that Jumin was okay. She wanted him to be okay if she died here in this cell.

CH1 CH2 CH3 CH4 CH5 CH6 CH7 CH8 CH9 CH10 CH11 CH12 CH13 CH14 CH15 CH16 CH17 CH18 CH19 CH20 CH21 CH22 CH23 CH24 CH25 CH26

#mystic messenger #mysme #mystic messenger fanfiction #jumin fanfic #jumin x mc #jumin han #jumin route #saeran choi #saeran x mc #mm saeran #curiosity saved the cat #my work

1 note · View note