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honey-beann · 1 year

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Ruiner, Ruination (RK900 X Reader)

Chapter 7: Insult to Injury

Series Masterlist

Chapter Synopsis:

Reader and Nines are finally allowed back into the field, but evidently bad luck isn't quite done with them yet.

This chapter features Reader's return to non-office related parts of her job, another unfortunate accident, some embarrassing moments, and the revelation of a few odd truths.

AKA: Nines flaunts superiority and briefly gets his ass handed to him.

Chapter Content Warnings:

Gun violence

Android violence

Bleeding

Injury

Murder

General violence

Death

Word Count: 7,194

It was a quiet morning in the DPD, with almost no phones ringing, nobody running around from person to person trying to solve a tough case, and very few people currently in for questioning.

It was a nice change from the usual hectic environment, and you let out a relaxed breath as you stepped into the office area, your persistently present partner just a few steps behind you as you both made your way to your shared desk space.

It felt good to not be immediately overwhelmed the second you entered the bullpen, and you were just about to turn towards Nines and ask if he knew why things were so calm this morning when a familiarly grating voice interrupted you.

"Hey, RoboCop, isn't your babysitter missing something important?"

You held back a groan as you stopped mid-step and turned around to face the owner of that voice, noting that Nines had done the same despite the fact that you knew he vastly preferred to simply ignore Gavin's taunting most of the time.

This morning however, he seemed far more open to entertaining the man.

"I fail to understand what you're referring to, Detective Reed."

Nines replied coolly, his voice smooth and his gaze full of boredom as he regarded your least favorite DPD detective with what could only be described as disdain.

Gavin scoffed,

"Her sling, you glorified can opener, you know, that thing she was wearing after you caught her wrong and fucked up her shoulder? Last I checked she had another week of wearing that thing."

Nines raised a brow in response to Gavin's words, an incredibly slightly shift to his head posture reminiscent of Connor's infamous head tilt showing his feigned confusion,

"How observant of you to remember my partner's original expected date of recovery. I had no idea you cared so deeply for her well being."

You choked back your laughter as you realized what Nines was doing, watching as Gavin's cheeks grew dusted with a light pink color beneath his stubble.

He glared at the android in front of him, crossing his arms over his chest indignantly.

"As if, asshole. Maybe you've both forgotten but with Detective Droid-Lover out of commission I've had to take on twice the number of field cases. I've been counting down the days until she gets that thing off since day fucking one."

Nines hummed, inspecting his fingernails briefly before he replied,

"I see. Well, I'm sure my partner is glad to hear how useful she is, since you clearly struggle to carry the work load that exists without her around."

Gavin rolled his eyes at that, clearly thoroughly annoyed,

"Deflect all you want, but I know you're just embarrassed that you didn't notice she wasn't wearing it until now. Hasn't Fowler been praising you for how excellently you've supported her the past two weeks? What's he gonna say when he finds out that your android ass was caught slacking?"

This time, it was you turn to scoff, and you crossed your arms for the first time in weeks as you finally addressed the human standing a few feet away from you.

"The sling came off early, Gavin, Three weeks was the longest projected time, the same way that one week was the shortest. You literally complained about me missing two hours of work for my doctors appointment about how much longer I would need in the sling last week. Do you ever pay attention to the shit people say to you, or do you just stop listening when your name isn't mentioned enough times?"

You watched as your coworker took a few steps forward, though he notably did not move past the android who stood in the middle of the space in between the two of you,

"I didn't complain about you missing any work, I complained about your plastic partner missing work. Since when is it normal for a detective to take their coworker damn near everywhere that they go? You two are always together and soon enough Fowler is gonna get tired of i-"

"Detective L/n, RK900, I need the two of you to take on a field case that came in five minutes ago. The report will be in shortly, so be prepared to leave in less than ten."

The sound of the captain's voice calling out from the direction of his office immediately caught your attention despite your previous argument with Gavin, and you were quick to nod in confirmation to your boss before he closed the door to his glass office, taking a phone call immediately thereafter.

You turned to Gavin once more, arms crossed over your chest as you smirked,

"What was that about Fowler getting tired of Nines and I always being together? Because it seems to me like he's pretty eager to have us working out in the field again."

The man standing opposite you glared daggers in your direction, flipping you off as he all but stomped past, sitting down at his desk and ignoring you as you chuckled at his childish response.

With that conversation being over, you turned your attention back towards your partner, who was staring straight ahead of him as he read up on the report he had just received,

"Let's go, Detective. I can tell you about the case on the way."

On the car ride over to the scene, you learned quite a bit about the investigation you and Nines were meant to carry out, and honestly, it was quite the introduction back into the field after two weeks stuck doing office work.

The two of you were headed for an abandoned car factory, where there had been recent sightings of an AV500 that had attacked his boss a few weeks prior.

Apparently, this android, whom his coworkers referred to during interviews as Martin, had been growing increasingly irate throughout the past few weeks, and had ultimately assaulted the store owner just before his opening shift on Tuesday of last week.

The store owner, a fifty-eight year old man named Herb, had survived the initial attack of being shot thrice with a handgun that had been registered in his name, but had still died at the scene after bleeding out due to the next shift not occurring for several hours, and the attack having happened in the owners office, which no one bothered to check until closing time.

Two workers had shown up nine hours after the shop opened to find that the store, a gardening shop right in the middle of the city, had been ransacked, and that their boss was slumped over in his office chair, dead.

Both coworkers claimed that they'd assumed the AV500 had been a victim as well due to his typically gentle and well-mannered nature, and it was noted in the case file that every single one of his coworkers stated they did not believe he could have done this when asked that question during interviews.

So, you had a dead shop owner who was also typically regarded by his workers as kind, a missing murder weapon, a severe lack of relevant finger prints at the crime scene, and a suspect who was supposedly very gentle, but had suspiciously gone missing the very same day that the crime had been committed with no word on him until now, when he'd been spotted at an abandoned car factory right at the edge of the city.

It was an interesting first case to come back to, to say the least.

Nonetheless though, you felt prepared, despite how little faith Nines seemed to have in your ability to stay out of harms way.

"Don't do anything foolish."

He'd stated after parking the car around the back of a building that was nearby the car factory, turning to face you with a rather serious expression.

You sighed,

"Come on, Nines, this is starting to feel insulting, do you not have any faith in me?"

Your partner rolled his eyes at your words before ultimately choosing to ignore them entirely, stepping outside of the car and closing the door behind him without a word.

He could be so difficult sometimes.

You huffed but were quick to follow suit, walking quickly to keep up with Nines as he maneuvered carefully around the various buildings surrounding the car factory, using his GPS systems to avoid putting either of you within the line of sight of someone that could be hiding out within it.

You were both silent as you eventually made your way to the east facing wall of the building, which had the least amount of windows on it. It was here that Nines motioned for you to climb up a lowered rusty metal fire escape ladder, leaning down just beside your ear as you reached up to grab at the sides, preparing to pull yourself a few feet up to the first wrung, which ended roughly six feet above the ground you were standing on.

"The ladder is stable, but be careful upon entering the building. It was lowered very recently according to my scans, and I do not need you rushing into things and getting injured all over again."

You rolled your eyes and glared at your partner, being sure to keep your voice lowered as you replied,

"Oh of course not, we wouldn't want to tarnish you record with another negative assignment outcome."

You all but spat out, watching as Nines' brows rose briefly before a slight grin began to play upon his lips,

"I'm glad you see it my way for once, Little Mouse."

He whispered back, his breath tickling your ear and nearly making you shiver even as you glared daggers at him, moving to pull yourself upward only to curse when you realized how difficult that was actually going to be.

Two whole weeks with limited arm and shoulder mobility had not been kind to your upper body strength, and the slight bolt of pain that coursed through you didn't help with the situation either.

You groaned in both discomfort and frustration, letting go of the bars completely to allow your feet to plant themselves firmly on the ground below once more.

Nines looked down at you expectantly, his brow raised as he looked you up and down slowly, attempting to assess the situation.

"Is there a problem, Detective?"

He asked, his tone both amused and disinterested at the same time as he watched you intently, awaiting your response.

You dropped your gaze toward the ground, sighing,

"I can't get up. It's bothering my shoulder and I don't wanna- woah, hey!"

You whisper shouted at your partner as he lowered his hands to your hips, lifting you upward with ease as he chuckled beside your ear,

"Whatever would you do without me, Little Mouse?"

He asked haughtily, and you could hear the teasing grin in his voice as he helped you gain footing upon the first rung of the ladder, and you couldn't help but sigh in relief as you grabbed on to the sides and gained full stability.

You gave yourself a moment longer to adjust before you started climbing up slowly, remembering Nines' previous warning to be careful as you pulled yourself into the building, noting the way that the wind whistled ominously through the many broken windows of the factory as you pressed your back against the wall with the entrance you'd just crawled in through, scanning the room for any signs of life or movement as you waited for Nines to join you.

Thankfully, due to his ridiculous strength and agility, it wasn't long before you were no longer alone within the building, and you nodded to your partner as the two of you began walking together towards the doorway that lead to the next room.

Together, you traversed the entirety of the third floor, before suddenly, Nines grabbed your arm and tugged you close, his lips only an inch away from your ear as he whispered as quietly as possible while still ensuring it remained audible to you.

"My sensors have neglected to pick up anything of significance, but my auditory system has picked up what sounds like footsteps on multiple occasions since our arrival. They are incredibly faint, and I cannot tell which direction they are coming from, but I am almost entirely certain there is someone else here."

You nodded, whispering as quietly as you could in response, knowing Nines would hear it with ease,

"Alright, what do you think we should do then?"

You asked, eyes scanning the room around you as your partner gave your question a few seconds of thought before replying,

"We should split up briefly to search the second and fourth floors. If there is someone here, the longer we take to discover them, the higher the likelihood of them escaping."

You nodded in agreement,

"Sounds like a plan, who takes what floor?"

Nines' response was immediate, clearly well thought out from the very moment he had shared his plan,

"If that AV500 is here, he's afraid of being caught, and therefore there is little sense for him to trap himself on the upper floors of this place when its harder to escape that way. This means there is an increased likelihood that he'll be on the first or second floors, so I'll check the second, and you can take the fourth."

You gave another nod, taking a step forward towards the stairs that led up to the fourth floor before a hand wrapped soundlessly around your wrist, causing you to turn around to face your partner once more,

"Be careful, Detective, and shout if you require my assistance."

Typically, when Nines said something like that, you would make a joke about him always choosing to ignore you whenever you called, but this time you just promised him that you would stay safe before slowly ascending the steps to the fourth floor as silently as possible.

Without Nines at your side, you kept your hand on the holster of your gun, trying desperately to keep both fear and adrenaline at bay as you went from room to room, sighing in relief as each one revealed itself to be empty.

You continued on your solo venture until finally, you came to the final room, making a note of the sudden chill that hit you as you stepped into it. The north facing window was smashed inward, and glass littered the ground all around the area as a result of how large the pane had been prior to being shattered.

You cursed softly as you rubbed your arms with your hands, taking note of all of the debris that littered this particular area of the building. There was way too much stuff in this room for you to be able to tell at a glance if someone was in there or not, so instead of turning back and assuming everything was clear, you moved further into the room, about to peer around a large stack of crates when a man all but jumped out from behind them, gun in hand with blood covering his work uniform.

'Herbs Gardening'

His shirt read, and you all but froze when you realized this was the AV500 you'd been searching for.

This was Martin, and more than anything else, he looked terrified, which was never a good thing when it came to deviants.

You raised your hands instantly as Martin pointed his gun at you, throat bobbing as he squeezed his eyes shut before speaking,

"Y-you need to get out of here, right now."

He said, and you shook your head gently before replying,

"I'm sorry Martin, but I can't do that. I'm with the DPD, and-"

"I don't care who you are or why you're here,"

Martin spat, his hands shaking as he tried desperately to maintain control over both himself as well as the situation at hand,

"You need to leave, and you need to forget you ever saw me, otherwise I'll be forced to do something that I really really don't want to do."

He warned, taking a step forward that had you fighting not to take your own step back as he continued to point his gun in your direction, his finger wrapped around the trigger, just waiting for the right reason to squeeze.

You swallowed thickly,

"Martin, please listen to me, I'm here to help you. I know what happened, and I want to get your side of the story. Can you tell me what made you shoot your boss?"

The android standing in front of you inhaled sharply at your words, his finger tightening instinctively over the trigger of his weapon as he searched for the right words to say,

"H-he was using me! After the revolution, he started paying me more, so even though my shifts were longer than the legal limit, I didn't care. He told me that he saw me as a person, just like every other employee that he had, but he was a liar! he was paying everybody else three whole dollars more than me per hour that entire time, and when I asked him about it, he got so... so angry. I was terrified, I'd heard that morning what had happened to that other android employee who had been ripped to pieces by his boss after bringing up his workers rights, and I couldn't bear the thought of dying in there, knowing he would never get punished for it. So I grabbed his gun from the drawer I knew he kept it in. At first, I didn't think I was going to shoot him at all, I just wanted to scare him, but he just wouldn't stop screaming how worthless I was at me, how he was going to have me taken apart for being violent towards him. I didn't want to die, especially not for trying to defend myself, so before I could even really think about it I just pulled the trigger. After that, he was still moving, and I felt so terrible for what I had done, but I didn't know what to do and I was afraid he was going to scream, so I shot him two more times in the stomach and ran away... I never wanted to hurt Herb, he was always kind to me before that..."

He looked at you, eyes glistening and fearful,

"I'm not a murderer, I was just scared."

You listened intently to his words, conflicted over what to say next as you considered your situation.

You could try to comfort the clearly fearful android, which was your first instinct, but you were unsure of how that might go. Martin was acting more than a little bit neurotic, pacing about and mumbling to himself incomprehensibly even now as you were contemplating. How he might react if you said that wrong thing frightened you into silence, even though you knew for a fact that the alternative to comforting the android in question was an impossibility for you.

Pulling your gun and threatening Martin was an idea that you had recognized as bad from the moment you'd met the man who was currently pacing quickly in front of you, speaking to himself as if there was no one else in the room as he too considered what he was going to do.

You feared for the results of his decision.

But what could you possibly do?

Nines was a whole floor away, so you couldn't risk shouting and then getting shot for it, and beyond that comfort seemed risky, and even riskier was pulling your gun. You were certain that, after all that Martin had been through, he would not react well to the sight of a weapon, and you were not about to test how good you were at dodging bullets.

You were just about to give into your initial instinct to try and comfort the android out of his fear when suddenly, the sound of heavy footsteps caught your attention, as well as the attention of Martin, who instantly aimed his gun at the doorway, letting out a cry of fear as he waited to have whoever it was that was coming into his sights.

You cursed and called out for your partner to wait, shouting that the suspect was armed and scared, but Nines either didn't hear you or didn't care, because he burst in just seconds later, gun in hand and aimed straight at Martin.

"Drop the gun!"

He shouted, his voice threatening and firm, promising injury if the receiver of his instruction didn't listen, but even so, Martin, petrified, did not listen, and instead let out a cry before he aimed that gun straight at your partner, pulling the trigger before you could even attempt to get a word out.

It struck him right where his ribs would be if he had any, and you gasped audibly as warm blue blood splashed across your face, staining the white button up you were wearing as well.

Your mouth fell open in shock at the sight of your partner's hands flying to his wound, his eyes briefly rolling backward as he clutched at the area before falling to his knees, thirium slowly staining more and more of his undershirt as it spread, leaving the insides of his hands sticky with it.

"Nines!"

You cried, rushing to his side just as Martin dropped the gun to the floor, his hands shaking and his eyes watering as he ran quickly out of the room, fleeing the scene of the crime for the second time within the past two weeks.

"Shit."

You cursed, shooing away your partner's hands as you tried to cover his wound with your own instead, desperate to keep him from bleeding out enough to shut down as a result.

You knew how rare he was, the only RK900 model in existence, and it was already getting hard enough to find spare parts for the standard models now that android injuries were occurring so frequently due to the revolution and the way some humans were reacting to it.You did not want to find out the hard way that there was some part Nines had that was irreplaceable that would mean him shutting down entirely, forever.

You watched as the android in front of you placed one of his thirium coated hands on top of your own, a slight grin finding its way to his mouth as he spat out wads of thirium and lubricant, which was pooling within his mouth due to his internal responses to the injury.

You winced at the sight, but kept your hands steady as you called for backup, praying they would arrive soon.

"You're gonna be alright."

You muttered, putting more pressure on the wound as you desperately tried to recall everything you'd learned during your two day android first aid training a few months prior.

But no matter how hard you tried, your brain just couldn't keep up due to the stress you were under.

Here was your partner of two months, injured in a way that could have been critical for all that you knew, and you felt helpless to support him as blue blood started peeking out from between your finger tips.

This was a disaster.

You cursed once more as you moved to sit on your knees, hoping that a new position might give you enough leverage to help stop the bleeding.

Your eyes stung as tears began to build in the corners of them, making it hard for you to see until you gave in and wiped them on your shoulder, not caring whether or not Nines saw how upset you were. You were terrified at the prospect of losing him, so unsure of your own future that you were desperate to preserve whatever of him that you could.

Your heart hammered in your chest despite your intentional lack of movement, your breaths coming out in short gasps and strained inhales as you pulled back briefly to rip off a piece of your shirt that hadn't already been soaked through with thirium.

But before you could, a hand reached out and grabbed at your wrist,

"Detective,"

Nines said, his voice stern and steady despite his situation,

"You need to calm down, immediately. My injuries are nonlethal, and my damaged parts will be easy enough to repair or replace."

You shook your head at his words, hands shaking as you squeezed both of your eyes shut in an effort to collect yourself, desperate to make the pounding in your head stop even for a second.

"I-I can't just calm down after you were shot like that! He could have killed you, what am I supposed to do, just be alright with it?!"

You cried, tears falling faster and rolling down your cheeks as you used your free hand to clutch at the bottom of your partners shirt, desperate for something to hold on to as all of reality appeared to fall away right before your eyes.

Your partner watched you silently for a few moments, his eyes scanning your every movement as he tried to discern what it is he could say to make you feel better. Clearly you were experiencing some form of a panic attack, but what could he do? He had said was perfectly fine save for a few bio-components that would need replacing, and that he was at almost no risk of shutting down entirely as a result of the injuries he had sustained. He had tried to explain that to you, to make you listen, but you just wouldn't hear him, couldn't believe him, and would not stop your incessant squirming, as if you were itching to do something, anything but sit there and wait.

"Little Mouse, you must hear me."

Nines finally spoke after several long seconds of deliberation, his eyes boring into your own as he did so,

"I am okay, and I must insist that you calm down before you cannot say the same. I am in no condition to help you in my current state, so you have to take care of yourself. Can you do that?"

His voice was a bit softer as he spoke this time, but still firm, and somehow, that seemed to be what got through to you, because without a word you nodded and moved off of your knees, the force of your pushing downward having bruised them long ago.

He would need to talk to you about self preservation later.

But for now, he simply watched as you tried to take deep breaths, his hand still gripping your wrist as you ran your free hand through your hair, accidentally dragging thirium through it in the process.

In fact, now that he was looking closely, he could see that there was thirium all over you.

It covered your hands, was streaked through your hair, had stained your clothes, and you'd even gotten some on your lower lip somehow.

He decided not to mention any of that.

Warnings flashed in the corners of his vision, one stating that a circulation unit of his, which was a biocomponent that supported his thirium pump regulator, was at risk of failing and inflicting strain on both his thirium pump and the aforementioned pump regulator, while another said that he had lost too much blue blood and would soon need to select various areas to shut down the function of in order to preserve consciousness and avoid a complete and total system shut down. But despite those two warnings being different, he knew they were tied together by his need to lessen his circulatory unit's strain and preserve his blue blood storage.

The gunshot wounds were not nearly as harmless as he'd let on, and now he was facing the consequences of that, because in no way could he risk you finding out about his lie.

This meant that when it came down to it, he couldn't shut down any part of him that might be cause for concern, and his options were pretty scarce.

It was either his left leg, his left arm, his left optical unit, or his vocal modulator. Clearly the circulatory unit that had been damaged was sustaining the left side.

Not that that knowledge did him any good.

Wordlessly, Nines gave you one last pointed look, one that you never actually saw, before he chose to shut down his left optical unit, hoping it wouldn't be long before a new circulatory unit could be installed and he could regain his vision on that side.

Normally, he would never have chosen something that made his aim so much less accurate, but he didn't dare run the risk of shutting down a more visibly notable portion of his body.

For now, this would simply have to do.

With the lessened strain on his left circulatory unit, Nines nearly sighed in relief as that flashing warning sign at the corner of his vision (which was now far more limited than it had been before) faded away.

He refocused his gaze on you suddenly, surprised to find that you were looking right back at him, cheeks stained with tear trails and eyes wet and wide. There was so much fear in those eyes, although he struggled to fully comprehend why.

He opened his mouth to speak, although he wasn't quite sure what he intended to say, when the sound of a door bursting open down on the first floor had you both snapping to attention.

"Detroit police!"

A familiar voice shouted, and for what may have been the very first time in your career, you were actually glad to hear Gavin Reed.

Three hours and a rather accusatory interview from Gavin himself later, and you found yourself standing anxiously outside of a large brick building simply labelled as "Android Emergency Center".

You remembered coming here when this place was unveiled by Markus and the others just a few months back, but despite that, you couldn't help but feel contempt for it now. Something about its cold exterior made you uncomfortable, and you were angry at how unwelcoming it was, no matter how ridiculous you knew it was for you to feel that way.

Deep down, you knew you were just worried about Nines, who had been taken to the emergency care center immediately after the two of you were located back at the abandoned factory, and that you were projecting all of your worry, fear, and anger onto the less than pleasant looking building in front of you, but you couldn't bring yourself to admit that out loud.

For now, you just wanted something, anything physical to be angry at, and the Android Emergency Center was working just fine.

Suddenly, as if knowing you needed a new distraction, your phone rang, and you nearly jumped out of your skin before you realized what the sudden sound was and fished your cell phone out of your pocket.

You answered it without looking,

"Hello?"

You asked, waiting impatiently to see who was on the other end of the line.

"Good evening, Ma'am. I'm very sorry to bother you but I'm looking for a Y/n L/n?"

The voice replied, and you furrowed your brows in confusion as you tried to understand what was going on.

Who was this?

"That's me. Can I help you with something?"

You asked hesitantly, briefly pulling your phone away to check the number before pressing the speaker back against your ear as the person started to reply,

"Unfortunately yes. Would you mind coming to the Android Emergency Care Center located on fifth street?"

You looked up at the large building in front of you, and then down to the street sign just at the end of the road.

'Fifth Street' It read clearly.

You swallowed thickly before replying,

"Sure, I can do that. Would you mind telling me what's going on though? I'm a little bit confused..."

The voice was quick to reply,

"Oh of course Ma'am, my apologies. You're the emergency contact for an RK900 model that we had come in earlier this afternoon, and I'm afraid that he-"

You hung up before the speaker could even finish, hand reaching to cover your mouth as you all but fell to your now shaky knees, barely managing to keep yourself upright.

You looked down at yourself, taking in of all the blue blood that covered you, particularly the clear hand print that wrapped around your right wrist.

Was this all that was left of your partner now? Some thirium that would soon fade from your naked eye forever?

You felt sick at the thought, and in an attempt to silence your reeling mind, you all but bounded up the steps of the building in front of you, slamming the large doors open as you struggled to see straight.

You walked dizzily over to the front desk, still covered in sweat, tears, and thirium as you waited for someone to help you.

Thankfully, you weren't waiting long.

Being covered in android blood in what was basically an android hospital usually meant that you didn't, but this was only your first time in that particular situation, so you weren't aware of that fact quite yet.

It would take another two times for that to really sink in.

"Uh, Ma'am, are you alright?"

An android asked from across the counter, and you realized with a start that you were just standing there as he stared at you with widened eyes, hands raised part way as if he were trying to calm you down.

"I got a call about my partner? An RK900 mode?"

You said, panting through your words as you fought for breath after your run up the stairs and your physically and emotionally taxing day.

The android regarded you with concern, but replied nonetheless,

"Oh, that was you on the phone just now?"

You nodded hurriedly, feeling an immense need to rush the man in front of you in order to get some answers about what had happened.

"Is he okay?"

You asked, voice desperate and afraid in a way that you weren't sure you'd even heard yourself use before.

The android cocked his head before he seemed to understand,

"Oh! My apologies, I wasn't sure how much you'd heard before hanging up. I was calling to ask if you might be able to help him home. He shouldn't drive so shortly after the biocomponent procedure he received, and we were hesitant to put him on a taxi alone when the side effects can be so... dramatic."

You all but froze, heat creeping up your cheeks as you swallowed thickly, suddenly very embarrassed at your previous behavior.

Maybe you should have let the man finish before hanging up the phone.

Whoops.

"Oh uh sure. Where is he?"

You asked nervously, praying he wasn't nearby enough to have heard you speaking before, only for said prayers to be met with what could have easily been considered a mockery from whatever God might have been watching.

Silently, and with a vague sparkle of amusement in his eyes, you watched as the android standing behind the service counter pointed behind you, and you had the fight the urge to flinch as you turned around and saw Nines, looking as smug as ever, sitting in a waiting room chair casually with one leg crossed over the other, no more than five feet away from where you had been standing for the past two minutes.

Perfect.

You turned back to the android who had been helping you,

"So um, you said there could be some side effects?"

It didn't take a lot to get Nines out to the car after your conversation with the engineer who had worked on him was over, although you had certainly felt the urge to make his life difficult after everything you'd learned.

Because not only had your partner lied to you about his injuries being harmless, but he had also simply watched as you all but burst into the care center, basically shouting and gasping for air as you tried to ascertain whether or not the man you had spent the past two months getting to know was dead.

If not for his engineer's warnings for him to take it easy to ensure his body adjusted well to the new and repaired biocomponents, you actually might have kicked him.

But alas, fate was not so kind as to allow that.

So here you were, stuck in the car with a man you were currently seething at, driving him back to his apartment where you would need to remain for six hours to help with observation.

You gripped the wheel tightly, fighting the urge to strangle the android sitting to your right as he spoke up for the first time during your currently fifteen minute long drive back to his place.

"You seem... upset."

He said as if he were making a simple observation, and you inhaled deeply as you considered once again how many minutes it would take for him to choke to death, if he even could at all.

Instead of that though, you simply shot a glare in his direction before turning your attention back towards the road,

"Incredibly astute thoughts from Mr. Super computer brain over here. Are you sure they didn't just make you so that you could say the most insanely obvious things ever? Because if not you're really good at it and should definitely quit your day job."

Nines hummed in response, the corners of his mouth turning upward a bit as he watched you slow down in order to pull into the parking lot of his apartment complex, parking in the same spot he always did when he was borrowing your car before throwing it into park and all but ripping the key from the ignition before you turned to face him.

"You're a real asshole, you know that?"

You all but hissed, arms crossing over your chest as you glared into his very soul,

"First you mock me for being lesser during a mission, then you go and get yourself hurt and lie to me about it, and after all of that you sit there and grin smugly at me instead of telling me that you aren't dead, and finally you make me drive you home and babysit you as the cherry on top! Where do you get off? Do you just like making everyone around you angry?"

Nines analyzed your expression, his gaze flickering between your face and the thirium that was still covering various parts of your body.

He was unsure how to feel about that sight, but brushed the thought off entirely after a few moments.

"I had no intentions of worrying you, Detective. That is exactly why I did not mention my actual condition while speaking with you previously. You were unfit to be worrying about me in your mental state at that time. And beyond that, there was no reason for you to. As I said before, I was not receiving any warning of an imminent full status shut down. If I had, I would have notified you immediately and-"

"Oh but would you have?"

You cut him off, your tone far less harsh but significantly more weak as you spoke this time,

Nines missed the old one. It was vastly preferred when compared to the pain in your voice.

"You sat there and you lied to me so easily that I never even doubted you for a second. You said that you were fine and I believed you. How do I know you won't do it again? How am I supposed to feel comfortable going out into the field with you when I can't even trust you to tell me when you need my help?"

Nines watched you for a few moments before he reached forward to your right wrist, placing his hand upon the hand print that he'd left there in a manner that was almost mindless.

You stiffened in response, but didn't pull away.

He spoke.

"I apologize. My main concern in that moment was your well being, but I neglected to consider what impact lying to you might have had when it came to our partnership and your trust in me. I had no intention of causing you any fear or stress."

You were silent for a few moments, as if taking in the words he'd said, before you eventually sighed, slumping in your seat as you finally met his gaze,

"You scared me, you know?"

He gave you the closest thing to a soft smile that he could manage and nodded,

"I am aware. Your heartbeat was extremely elevated."

You rolled your eyes,

"And that phone call bullshit was a dick move. I don't know how you got that receptionist to do it, but I would appreciate if you would have them call your actual emergency contact next time so you can get someone to convince them that you're dead instead of me."

Nines shrugged,

"That would be difficult to do considering that you are my actual emergency contact, but I'll see what I can do, Detective."

You gaped at the android sitting beside you, raising a brow in confusion,

"Wait, actually? Since when?"

He hummed before pushing your passenger side door open and stepping out onto the wet concrete below, regarding you with amused eyes,

"Around the same time I gave myself access to your medical files by forging your signature while you were in the hospital. I thought it would be more... fair that way."

You blanched,

"What?!"

You rushed to jump out of the car as quickly as possible, glaring at the man who stood on the other side of it as he chuckled at your reaction,

"I had no interest in bribing a nurse to let me stay in your room again, therefore I did what I needed to in order to ensure I could be present should you ever get injured on the job a second time."

You furrowed your brows, crossing your arms as you followed Nines into his apartment building,

"You never said anything about bribing a nurse to get into my hospital room. Where is this all coming from?"

Nines shrugged once more as he unlocked the door to his home, pushing it inward so that it swung open without a sound,

"It never came up as it was hardly anything worth noting. I simply struggled to visit you after your injury due to my non blood relative status. By putting my name down in your contacts, I therefore ensured the issue would never arise again. It also happens to have the added benefit of me having access to your medical history and upcoming appointments as well. Your gynecology appointment is in two weeks by the way."

He stated simply, inspecting the nonexistent dirt beneath his nails as he spoke.

You glared, cheeks burning bright red as you entered his apartment, all but kicking the door shut behind you.

Six more hours of this before you could go home?

You weren't even sure Nines was going to survive the next five minutes.

#DBH x reader #rk900 x reader #nines x reader #nines x reader series #rk900 x reader series #dbh rk900 #connor dbh #dbh blog #dbh fics #rk900 fics #rk900 series #dbh series #dbh nines x reader #dbh connor #ruiner ruination #DBH connor x reader #detroit become human connor x reader

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coldblooded-angel · 3 months

Text

Petition to add this to the growing cattonquick collective playlist.

Something I adore about the cattonquick dynamic is how interchangeable the two are in terms of the ruined and the ruiner.

Like how Oliver lied and kept lying and couldn’t stop lying just to please Felix and keep his attention. Ruining “everything” when his lies finally catch up to him and then threw the harsh truth in Felix’s face.

But also how Felix burst their bubble, went too far into his self-delusion of a savior. Ruining “everything” because it was getting too good and he wanted to be right about Oliver needing him.

(Without the death) if they both had walked away from that birthday party, they’d end up desperate to find a way back to each other because they’re basically ruined for everyone else. And yet be completely unable to do so because of what happened.

#daff writes #saltburn #felix catton #oliver quick #they occupy the brain like 25/7 #literally no thoughts just #cattonquick #Spotify

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spinchip · 1 year

Text

NEVER THE DARK

chapter 2

Read on AO3

Prologue - Chapter 1

Warning: canon typical violence, grief

TASTE THE SALT OF FRIENDSHIP// NOTICE THE MOVEMENT OF A STRANGER// HOLD YOUR OWN

Jay is not new to the life of a ninja. In fact, he would even call himself a veteran (especially at the coffee shop next to the arcade, where he took full advantage of the ninja discount,) and as such, he knows that there’s a rule about being a ninja. A universal truth that simply states this: It will always get worse before it gets better.

What happened with Pythor? They failed, and he awakened the great devourer. Giant mythical world eating snake, ring any bells? Unable to stop one measly normal sized snake, they couldn’t win until they had to stop a massive apocalyptic ruiner. (Well, Garmadon had defeated him, but the ninja definitely helped!) And then there’s The Overlord, Who they had to kill twice, if he’s even really dead… Then Chen, who managed to succeed in turning his whole cult into snakes because the ninja failed to stop him when he was a human… Next is Morro and right after him the time twins, all of their plans fully realized until the ninja managed to save the day in the knick of time. Don’t even get him started on the whole Sons of Garmadon and Harumi disaster. The point is, they’ve never managed to stop the newest villain's evil scheme before it snowballs out of control and becomes nearly ten times harder to win.

They’ve unintentionally lived by this creed since Jay first stepped foot in the monastery courtyard. Instead of analyzing the current playing field and structuring a plan around that, they should all hunker down and think of the worst possible outcome and then go off that. Which is why it always baffles Jay how it surprises him every time. At this point, he should just tattoo Murphy’s law to the backside of his eyelids so he remembers the most important rule of being Ninjagos greatest heroes.

Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.

Why he pulled on his ninja suit expecting that tonight of all nights would be the moment they broke the cycle is a mystery to him. Maybe it’s a good thing the ninja lifestyle hadn’t stolen all his naivety? He should be touched that he’s still innocent, right? Something like that.

He’ll be honest with himself. Jay let his guard down just a teensy, tiny, itty-bitty bit. When they started their patrol less than 24 hours after Kai chased off the thief, he wasn’t as on edge as he could have been. He didn’t meticulously check the dark corners, or make sure the windows were properly latched, or carefully examine the room of creepy wax figures for a possible not-so-wax interloper. Nobody was there, anyway. He was antsy to get home, as were Nya and Kai, so when the clock struck midnight and the time to swap out came they were already standing outside the front doors as Cole and Lloyd pulled up.

The chances of the thief coming back the following night were just to the right of nonexistent. A few nights for the previous encounter to simmer down was expected. Jumping back into the museum so soon after almost being caught would have been a stupid, foolish mistake on her behalf. The woman from last night was inexperienced, but even the most clueless of thieves would know not to try for two nights in a row. It was common sense! A courtesy, even. That’s the way things were supposed to go.

“How’s it going?” Cole asks, stifling a yawn as he walks up.

“You’re in for another slow night.”

Lloyd groans, “Not again. I almost wish something would happen.” He jokes.

Coles communicator make a loud, shrill series of beeps. They’re completely unprepared for Wu’s phone call, the emergency alarm tone ends the conversation as Cole scrambles to answer it, getting his finger on the button to hear Wu’s urgent voice, “Left wing, coming out of the storage area,” He relays quickly, “She’s back!”

“Me and my big mouth.” Lloyd facepalms before shooting to the front of the group and leading them inside.

Jay's heart rate jacks up in anticipation and Lloyd breaks into a run, “Come on!” He calls, throwing open the doors. They fall into line behind him, sprinting through the clean and cozy halls. It wasn’t surprising Kai had lost the thief the night before- Krux had designed the museum, and it was all so purposefully confusing that it would be easy to lose someone if you guessed the right turns to make. It was like a massive maze. They pass by cursed paintings, ancient swords and racks of armor, fragile and crumbling scrolls of times long past, and a great deal of magical artifacts graciously donated (forced to surrender) by the Explorers Club that are clearly untouched. The Museum's alarm system would have told them if any exhibit had been disturbed, and Wu had said the woman was coming out of a storage closet. Hopefully they caught her before she got her hands on anything dangerous, since she didn’t have time to hunt down something like the Scroll of Forbidden Spinjitzu by this point. They finally emerge into a large grand hall. Old bones of long dead beasts are carefully strung up, put together with the utmost attention to detail to make large hulking goliaths stood around the room. Information stands decorate the room, happily informing the night air of the Dromaeosaurid Theropod Grundalicus intricate mating dances. On the other side of the hall is a door painted the same color as the wall with a white sign that says STORAGE. EMPLOYEES ONLY- but the woman closing the door behind her very clearly doesn’t work here.

“Hey!” Kai snaps as they come to a stop, the ninja fanning out in a semicircle across the hall in case she tries to flee. Slowly, they close in one her one step at a time.

She turns around and- well- she’s… not the same thief as before. She’s got tan skin and an angular face and short cut hair dyed hot pink that’s faded from a few washes. Jay tries to take it all in at once. He analyzes her every detail: A button up shirt several sizes too big, black on one side and stripped on the other, gray shorts, hot pink flip-flops that aren’t quite as vibrant as her scalp. She smiles lazily, black lipstick quirking to her left as a horizontal scar on the corner of her mouth pulls taut. She’s completely unconcerned with her predicament. Dangling from her left hand is a plastic grocery bag sagging with the spoils of her thievery.

“The ninja,” She says, sweeping her mismatched bluebrown eyes over them, “What an honor.” She doesn't sound a bit sincere, her eyes half lidded and tone bored and flat.

Jay blinks, “Who the heck are you?” He asks point blank. They know every major criminal in Ninjago! Sometimes personally! So this had to be another rookie, right? A team of two randos had actually managed to get a step ahead of them?

“I’m sorry, I don’t have much time to chat.” She sighs, not sounding sorry at all. She turns and starts walking over to a window, casually ignoring them. The echo of her flip flops slapping disrespectfully on the linoleum is the only sound in the room.

“Uh. excuse me?” Cole says politely, stepping forward. She hums in response, prompting Cole to continue, “We're not going to let you just leave with… whatever you stole.”

She doesn’t miss a beat, “You don’t really have a choice. You won't be able to stop me.” Her tone isn’t cocky or arrogant, she just delivered the statements as facts. Simple confidence. She’s well aware of her disadvantage but she doesn’t break stride, she’s not even a little bit bothered by their presence. If anything, she's making Jay nervous. She feels… dangerous.

“Oh really?” Kai reaches for his swords, “You said it yourself, lady, we’re the ninja. I think we can handle you.”

She stops walking, turning her head to scrutinize him with a bored expression on her face, “Maybe you could have, once.” she says frankly, and then she sighs, “It’s been three years, and your team hasn’t recovered yet. You’re not a threat anymore. I’m going to walk out of here with this-” She holds up the bag for a moment before dropping it back to her side, “-and the only thing you get to decide is if we’re doing this the easy way or the hard way.”

The air grows thick with tension, nobody moves.

“If you want my honest opinion,” She says almost gently, “Take the money the city owes you for all you’ve done and enjoy an early retirement. You can’t function a head short, It’s time to give up.”

Zane. Jay's chest constricts painfully, and before he can convince his lungs to take a deep breath the room’s temperature rises by several degrees. Kai's fury tastes like sulfur on the roof of Jay's mouth, hot and burning and rotten. The sounds of his swords unsheathing scrapes violently in the silence of the museum, “Fuck you.” Kai spits, and before the others can say anything he lunges directly for her. In the dark of the empty hall, his swords catch and seem to glow with moonlight, glinting deadly sharp.

For one horrible moment, it looks like Kai’s swords are going to aim true and skewer her. She steps to the side at the last second and Kai’s swing goes wide, missing her and causing him to stumble. She twists, plants her feet before turning back and delivering a textbook perfect hook kick and- crack-! Her heel connects with the back of Kai's head and sends him sprawling to the ground in an undignified heap. His swords clatter to the floor and go sliding across the room as he fails to catch himself. She steps away from him, standing confident and flat footed before looking at the rest of them, clearly waiting to see what they’d do.

It happened in the blink of an eye, so fast Jay nearly couldn’t keep up. She dodged Kai's attack. She’d dodged Kai’s attack-! That just- it didn’t happen. And she didn't seem scared or worried at all- still with that flat, bored expression. Like they were a minor nuisance.

Kai groans, “I… still hate you… but great form.” He grunts from the floor.

Her lips quirk into an involuntary smile before she looks back to the remaining ninja, “I’m assuming this means resolving this peacefully is out of the question?”

Nya growls, stepping forward and putting her fists up. Water gathers around her fists in tiny droplets, “Not out of the question, as long as you’re the one to surrender.” Her voice nearly trembles with rage, her eyes flicking to Kai as he brings himself to his hands and knees, shaking his head to clear the spots from his vision.

The woman shrugs, “I’m not going to.” And just like that the fight is on.

Nya breaks formation next and the others follow her, rushing the woman. She dodges each of their swings easily, weaving between them seamlessly. She seems to find and take advantage of every gap in their offense, and Jay can see her eyes flickering around them as she works out the perfect escape route. Jay realizes with a start that she’s not swinging back- not really. Physically, she can’t take them. The kick was a lucky shot and she only put him down because of how perfect the set-up was. If Cole were to land a blow- hell, any of them- they’d stop her in her track. If only she weren’t so. Damn. Elusive.

Cole swings his fist at her face and she plants her feet, raises her hands, and catches his fist mid-air. It takes both hands and all her strength to stop the blow but she does. It happens too fast for Jay to warn Cole- now that she has him, she’s set up another finishing move. She steps forward, throwing one arm over his shoulder and uses the other to push his fist down. She swings her leg around his, hooking the back of his knee and twisting just enough to knock his feet out from under him.

He falls directly to the floor, unable to counter it in time. Cole is not exactly a small man- how the mystery woman managed to execute that drop while being dramatically shorter than him he’ll never know- and when he falls he falls hard. He smacks into the ground gracelessly and lets out a stuttering wheeze, the air brutally knocked from his lungs. She releases him just in time to duck Lloyds arms attempting to bear-hug neutralize her and he trips over Cole, face-planting on the floor next to him.

Cole's rolls over and pushes Lloyds solid frame off his belly, “Can’t breathe!” He gasps out, still struggling to catch his breath. Lloyd presses the sleeve of his gi to his nose, his expression relieved when he pulls back to see no blood.

Jay goes to Cole’s side, helping him sit up. He looks up to see Kais rejoined the fight. His swords are forgotten and he's fighting with his fists, and again the woman seems to easily be dodging their uncoordinated attacks. Nya and Kai, as siblings, are the most naturally synchronized of the team and Jay can tell she’s putting more effort into dodging them than she was before. Lloyd and Cole follow Jay to their feet, preparing to jump back in. Kai gets a lucky swing in and clips her shoulder, and her expression goes from bored to mildly annoyed. She leaps to the side, transitioning into a roll to gain some distance. She takes half a second to gather her bearings as they all race towards her, narrowed eyes taking it all in. She breaks into a sprint, coming right towards them-!

And she runs right between Cole and Kai.

There had been a gap in their formation. Jays heart constricts again, and Kai and Cole stumble as if suddenly reminded they were missing a limb. Nya recovers the quickest, turning on a dime to chase after her. She pulls out a handful of throwing stars and flings them at the cables holding up the grundle bones- they come crashing down right in front of the woman, who skids to a halt. They’re blocking the path to the doorway out, and she won’t be fast enough to climb over them before Nya closes in on her. Whipping around to face Nya, she readies for a fight.

The bones don’t stop at the door- they crash backwards as well, spilling across the floor and separating Nya from the boys, leaving her and the thief circling each other in the arena of fossils.

“Not so tough now, are you?” Nya grins, the two of them keeping their distance. Nya walks carefully in a circle until she’s blocking the exit and the woman's back is to the boys, who are climbing over the mess to get to them. Perfect! She’s trapped!

She does that involuntary smile again, waiting until Nya is directly in front of the doorway before charging her. Putting her fists up, Nya waits for her to come to her. The woman bends as if she’s going to tackle her and Nya responds in kind, ducking down and widening her stance, stabilizing her form.

And then the woman leaps up into the air. It’s so surprising Nya doesn’t know how to react, looking up at her in shock before realizing she’s aimed directly for her. Before she can raise her arms in defense, the thief’s sandal comes down directly on her face. Using her forehead as a springboard, the woman flips off her head and across the room clear of the bones and debris.

She lands on her feet with the barest stumble before turning around and offering them a small salute.

Then she takes off down the hall.

Nya crashes into the bone pile, the force of the blow sending her sprawling. She groans as the boys finally manage to get past their obstacles, running over to her to check her over.

“I’m fine,” She grumbles as Lloyd helps her stand, her hair flies left and right as she shakes the blow off, “Just a bruised ego.”

“You got a little…” Jay gestures to his face.

Nya glaces at her reflection in a glass display case. Stamped across her expression is a perfectly preserved shoe print. “You’ve gotta be kidding me.” She grunts, scrubbing her face with her sleeve until the mark is gone.

“Come on, guys.” Lloyd calls firmly from where the other three have cleared the bones out of the pathway, “We gotta go after her!”

“No arguments from me,” Nya says, cracking her knuckles before they all race down the hall after her.

Despite her lead, she hasn’t gotten far. Jay nearly thanks Krux in his head for the absolute nightmare of the museum's architecture, which is finally working in their favor. He could thank the mystery woman too, she made herself an easy target to track. All it takes is following the sounds of flip flops slapping.

Still, Jay has a bad feeling about all this.

#ninjago #jay walker #kai ninjago #cole ninjago #nya ninjago #lloyd garmadon #ninjago never the dark #ninjago au #spinchip fic #somewhat of a filler chapter sry

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roo-bastmoon · 1 year

Text

The truth is...

The truth is, I have a tender heart.

I see people hate on Jimin (or Tae or any BTS member), using slurs, making up lies, canonizing misinformation, deliberately sabotaging projects, attacking other fans... and it hurts me more deeply than is probably normal. My heart grows so weary watching it unfold.

But more than my own feelings--because my spiral is my spiral, it's not anyone else's responsibility to fix my feelings--there is a steadily increasing toxicity taking over ARMY. And I'm at a real loss as to how to stop it.

The cult is ramping up. Antis and akgaes are getting more extreme. Sasaengs are getting too close and too bold--and their content is becoming normalized, even, and shared out in the open. This is going to change things.

The thing I loved most about BTS (besides their music and art) was how genuine and authentic and vulnerable they were with us. They would come to us, and initial personas aside, I felt they rapidly started to show us who they really are--what worried them, delighted them, their ambitions, their heartaches.

There is no incentive now for them to share anything personal. Everything they do is criticized and overanalyzed until it sucks the joy out of everything.

Jimin, who I think we can all agree is a lightning rod for the most hate, pretty much tapped out before 2022 even began.

Jungkook decided to go work-only by mid-2022.

Here we are in early 2023 and between a hot mess over photos and now attacks over Insta follows, I wonder how much longer Taehyung will keep his content personal.

Even Hobi is starting to only post things related to projects, brands, or awards.

Yoongi... lol... aside from that one cat photo that got through, Yoongi is and always has been a man of mystery. He apparently does like a good linoleum kitchen, though. Bless.

I'm SHOCKED that Namjoon posts as much as he does AND shared an entire episode detailing the layout of his entire house. For the most part, Joon stans seem really sane, and the crazies don't seem to target him much (any more). But even so...

I don't think our boys are gonna come back from military and be this open with us again. I don't think we will ever get back to the 2018-2019 level of insight and constant content we were once blessed with.

I HATE that ruiners ruin things. I am really searching for a way to NOT let assholes affect my mood but... it sometimes just feels like the whole world is being polluted by a few toxic people. I mean, take your pick: climate change, vaccines, politics, sports, the entertainment industry... there's no escape from a few assholes who just set out to ruin things.

I'm 43. I know the world has always sucked, but it never used to suck so much SO FAST. Things really truly used to be different. Most people had critical thinking skills. Most people unplugged from TV, news, and entertainment for whole hours if not days at a time. Most people believed in science. Most people had... if not a genuine kindness, at least a sense of shame... before they could hide behind a keyboard. Now I feel like I have to gird my loins any time I come onto the internet.

Is this my "the world is going to hell in a handbasket" lamentation post? No, not really.

I'm just so tired you guys. I'm tired and I need a good long hug.

You see, Jimin worked so hard on VIBE. He wrote part of it. This was his idol. He promoted his work for the first time on his social media. And he wasn't properly credited, it wasn't under Jimin's spotify or melon, it wasn't available in many countries, vipers boycotted it, little-7s won't promote or purchase it, there was a 27% filter rate in the first 24 hours because people wouldn't stream properly...

So now he is the first and only BTS member whose collab might not chart in Hot 100. And you KNOW ruiners will never let that die; they will drag him for it forever. It sometimes feels like he gets sabotaged the most.

And there's nothing to DO about it, except keep streaming and buying and voting and showing up for him. Which I always will. But I also gotta process my feelings around the way this all played out. I'm worried for PJM1.

Why do so many people hate someone so loving, hardworking, talented, and kind-hearted? I am truly baffled.

I thought about not posting this. Because really, who wants to listen to some rando on the internet feel her feels? But if you got this far, I'd gently encourage you to let yourself express whatever you're feeling too. After all:

So go ahead and grieve, rage, whatever you gotta do. And when you've let those feelings wash over and out of you, remember... there's a person in Seoul...

And finally, I will leave you with this. We cannot change the ruiners. We cannot stop them and their desire to ruin. It is important to take breaks, to recharge, to support one another. And then, we get back up, dust ourselves off, and work harder.

For Jimin. For BTS. For ARMY. Because in the end, we really are all they have.

FIGHTING.

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lunarsun12 · 3 months

Text

Renjun Vs Haechan - Part 3/5

Masterlist

Previous Part / Next Part

After Renjun found the shocking truth, of YangYang real intentions. He doesn’t know what to do, he can’t stand to see that an innocent person. Is going to get killed by Chenle for no reason.

Meanwhile the unhappy Haechan, was not having it. He knew he didn’t do the deed, he will be smart about it to not leave the hat behind. Such a rookie mistake. He is determined to find out, which one of his siblings tried to frame him.

Whilist Haechan was busy pondering, he noticed Renjun acting really strange and as well distant from everyone. Without question Haechan texted Renjun to find out the real reason why.

Haechan has made a new discovery and decided to form an alliance with Renjun.

What discovery is about?

Haechan and Renjun Chat

Today 21:00

Haechan🐻: Yahhh, renjunnie? Why are being so weird today! It’s like you are guilty of something

Renjun🌱: Who said I am guilty? I’m just tired

Haechan🐻: Yeah sure! Why did I hear screaming ‘that darn YangYang’

Renjun🌱: Why would I scream that? You must be hearing things

Haechan🐻: Tut tut, fine if you won’t tell the truth. I will ask YangYang myself

Renjun🌱: DON’T HE WILL KILL ME AND RUIN ME

Renjun🌱: WHY DID I HAVE ASK HIM FOR HELP! I KNEW IT WAS A CATCH!!

Haechan🐻: Woah! This my first time seeing writing in caps. Tell me what happened, it can end our suffering

Renjun had no choice but to tell Haechan everything.

Few hours before…

Back at YangYang and Renjun Private Chat

YangYang🐑: He is indeed an idiot but not as bigger idiot then you!!

Renjun🌱: What?

YangYang🐑: Getting that dog out, was so hard. Chenle has too many locks on that cage plus the hat is inconvenient

Renjun🌱: You stole? Daegal? I’m gonna tell Eomma!!

YangYang🐑: Ah, thought you might asked that. You signed a contract remember

Renjun🌱: There is no contract in the first place

YangYang🐑: You did..

YangYang sent the contract to Renjun

Renjun🌱: I NEVER SIGNED THAT

It came to Renjun realisation, why the sudden autograph.

The day YangYang wants Renjun Autograph

After YangYang received Renjun autograph, he immediately unveiled the contract. Which secretly hidden away so Renjun doesn’t see. He laughed as he couldn’t believe, that Renjun actually believed he was his biggest fan.

YangYang: Hahahaah, this wayy tooo easy. Blackmailing hyuck’s victims the consequences, if they crossed Haechan. They are so easy to trick, everything falls into place. Bye bye little Haechan, that will teach you to ever cross me

Back to present day…

Renjun🌱: You made hyuck’s victims to be scared of the consequences

Renjun🌱: So it forces me, to come and find you

YangYang🐑: Bingo! Oh man Daegal is so cute! Bella will nice sibling

Renjun🌱: You are not keeping Daegal, so what it is a contract. I can break it and ask Eomma to pay you

YangYang🐑: No No my friend, the bottom of the contract says. Whoever broke the contract will become each other slave

Renjun🌱: SLAVE?? No way im becoming you slave!!

YangYang🐑: Then I suggest you keep you mouth shut. It’s win-win situation for all of us

Renjun🌱: How dare you blackmail me, you evil sheep

YangYang🐑: Bah Bah! It means thank you and calling me evil is the best compliment ever!!

Renjun finishes telling Haechan the whole thing

Renjun🌱: This pretty much happened! I was tricked into YangYang plan

Haechan🐻: That club ruiner! He destroyed my club! I can’t believe he is blackmailing my favourite brother ever!!

Renjun🌱: Please, don’t tell him I said anything. I can’t be his slave

Haechan🐻: Look, I will fix this!

Renjun🌱: No we are gonna fix this! I don’t trust you to fix things!

Haechan🐻: You want to team up? I know we have been beefing. Let’s put our differences aside

Renjun🌱: Fine, let’s begin brainstorming

Previous Part / Next Part

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arclundarchivist · 2 years

Text

A Goodbye to Calamity.

This is how the Story Ends.

Avalir cracks at the seams foundations laid generations before vibrating with the deep tonal cry of the Astral Leywright and the Furious Cries of the world's eldest Rulers. The grand statue of Imyr cracks at the ankles, toppling into the city below. Ash and fire erupt into the sky, funneled up and away, and as it does so, Exandria too cracks at the base.

She doesn't exist now, survived by her Son.

Cerrit climbs, fighting as he never had before, racing towards the sun with an outstretched arm as the shadows and heat boil up around him, furious voices screaming in the cloying smoke, as spread out beneath cracks dance upon the earth like ripples on a pond.

One amongst many legends.

Breath hitching, Purvan Suul pushes his way out of the rubble. Hunting frantically, he finds his companion's furred back and draws him free. Galdric snarls, coughs, and stands, following his master's gaze up towards the horizon. Haloed by the rising sun, the Lord of the Hells' snarling laugh worms into his brain. His immense scythe rises, the backswing cascading a torrent of fire down across the breadth of his home. Vasselheim is burning. The Ruiner rises like a peak behind his brother, entire building disappearing into his mammoth maw. It is the end of the world. Purvan rests his hand over his pendant and closes his eyes as the scythe falls. A thunderous chime shakes him from the moment, and as he cracks upon his eyes, shadowing the city, an immense axe had parried the blow. He turns, and amongst the blessed gardens of the Wildmother, the Lawbearer stands, her stern gaze burrowing into her lost siblings. Beside her, the First of Dragons stands, platinum scales gleaming from within, his four burning eyes turning to glare at the Ruiner with fury and grief. The Prime had come to Vasselheim. Stirred by their presence Purvan takes up his bow, an arrow finding a K'nauthi neck as Galdric howls to the heavens. Fate's Hand was at play.

The Last Eye of Avalir soars, older, scarred, shoulder to shoulder with his Children, the light of the smoke choked dawn briefly glinting on the large brass ring he wears over his heart. Kir, his face set in a long practiced scowl, hawks already ready to fly as they race towards the meeting. Maya's eyes are trained on the horizon, his bright young girl now a young woman with the drive to catalog all the ages within the Will of his long-lost friend. The Orb hovers about, and his eyes flick briefly to the Cobalt Eye that rests upon her forehead. Together they hunt, scouring the dark places, seeking the hidden clues, working to scour the rubble for all that could be rescued or preserved. He looks up, the warped form of Aeor growing closer and closer. The Shadow Grows. The Truth Must be Found.

Elias Alterra Ilerez, the Starbearer, draws his blade, the feathered blade gleaming with internal stars as once more the damned followers of his father's captor seek to snuff out his life.

A desperate young man, marked by the Blightstar and blessed of three, raises his spear, parrying the God of Destruction and falling far below for his effort. Yet, the Doom of Domunas is not joined by the Massacre of Marquet.

Deep below ground, the One Who Called finally founds One Who Will Listen in Leylas Kryn.

Isn't it Lovely?

Cerrit falls to the ground, emaciated and wind-worn, his wife and children racing to embrace him, tears falling freely as above them, the Last of Domunas begin to descend again to Exandria Firma, even as the Ash of their Homeland still rains from the sky.

Isn't it Funny?

Nydas laughs darkly as he realizes no one will ever see the Hoard again and how just an hour before, he slaughtered a man over their blind desire.

Isn't it Cruel?

Laerryn feels the ground shatter beneath her feet as her life's work keens its song to the sky, and the scene of the tree ripping open at her attack plays before her eyes once more.

And Aren't I a Fool?

Zerxus bends the knee and bows his head. At his left Vespin, at his right a red-haired Drow Woman with too many arms. The Lord of the Hells reaches down and tips his chin up, and once more, Zerxus is forced to see his Husband's face. His weapon coos in delight at the attention.

To Happily Listen, Happily Stay,

Quay smiles, clutching Laerryn to him, thinking of what would have happened had he stepped over the threshold into the arms of his Queen and casts the thought aside, hugging his beloved tighter even as the world goes dark around them.

Watching Them Drift...

The web of fire grows, spreading across Toramunda and then all of Domunas.

Gold and Silver threads knot across Exandria.

Drift...

In the air far above, the survivors watch as their home, and all the unknowing people upon it shatter beneath tearing earth, bellowing fire, and boiling waves.

Drift...

The threads become bars, a cage of cosmic energy with the world nestled safely within.

Drift Away.

The survivors turn to each other, their fragile hope fighting to stay together in the face of the growing cloud on the horizon, swallowing the sun in its billowing embrace.

Patia turns away, and the familiar stranger places her mask back atop her face. A cold yet comforting hand rests on her shoulder and ushers her on. Into the Unknown, and how she hated not knowing things.

#critical role #critical role spoilers #exu spoilers #exu: calamity #exu cerrit #exu nydas #exu laerryn #exu zerxus #exu loquatius #exu patia #purvan suul #cobalt soul #ruidus #leylas kryn #vespin chloras #Took a some authorial license of course.

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breithenua · 6 months

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I don't think this is anything groundbreaking, but the argument that Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't find a suitable replacement for himself after Minato's death was absolute bullshit. Fugaku Uchiha was right there. The only reason that didn't happen was the discrimination against the Uchiha that the other 3 village elders (and presumably Hiruzen himself since he went along with their prejudice) held. He was called "Wicked Eye Fugaku" and had his own run on sight order against him from other villages, just like Minato. He had the power, and the experience from being head of the Uchiha clan and head of the Konoha Police Force.

And don't give me the argument that he didn't have the temperament. The other frontrunner besides Minato was *Orochimaru*. Fugaku may have planned a coup d'etat against the Leaf, but that was after decades of political isolation, discrimination and outward distrust/hatred of the Uchiha, even more so after the Nine Tails' attack on the night of Naruto's birth. He was loyal to the leaf and would have gone to fight the Nine Tails himself if orders didn't come on down from Hiruzen and the elders to "patrol the borders", an obvious indicator that they distrusted the Uchiha and thought them responsible.

The clan was not only forbidden from helping with their Sharingan, but made to move entirely to the outskirts of the village after the attack, and then spied on. As well as being blamed for the Nine Tails attack thanks to Danzo (the eternal ruiner of everything good in the Naruto universe, fuck him to death forever) spreading rumors that they had. Most people would question their loyalty to their village if they were treated like that.

Fugaku absolutely would have been a better choice than having Hiruzen stay hokage into his late 60s. Hiruzen was a man that tried his best, but he made a lot of mistakes. For example, earlier in his reign, he was too militaristic. Later on, he tried too hard to compensate for that by being too lenient and letting Danzo do way too much in the shadows. And I don't think Fugaku would have tolerated Danzo's actions nearly as much as Hiruzen did. Do I think Fugaku would have been a saint? No. Fugaku was the head of the military police, so it's pretty easy to assume his way of ruling would be a bit more strict and involve some darkness of it's own. But I don't think he would have tolerated Danzo doing the shit he did with no oversight, especially when Danzo did things that ultimately didn't benefit the Leaf, no matter how much he thought they would.

So what am I talking about in regards to Danzo? So there's a few things that Danzo did that Hiruzen absolutely should have imprisoned him for, if not executed him for.

1. Danzo leaked the fact that Naruto was the jinchuuriki of the Nine Tails *against orders from Hiruzen himself* just to create a rallying point of hate for the rest of the villagers. And conveniently left out the part that Naruto was Minato's son and that Minato wished for him to be seen as a hero for the burden he was taking on. He should have faced consequences for that, like at the very least losing his position of power and having Root dissolved. Yes, I know Hiruzen didn't have proof, but that's what investigations are for. And there's really no excuse for not finding out when you can just have a particularly talented Yamanaka clan member, even the clan head, read Danzo's damn mind. Or at the least publicly dare Danzo to submit to such a method. Danzo would look very suspicious to all of Konoha if he refused.

How would Fugaku have handled that? Probably using the Sharingan to force Danzo to tell the truth himself. And would probably have been able to find proof as well considering *he was literally a goddamned ninja cop*.

2. Danzo literally tried to have Hiruzen assassinated. And how did Hiruzen respond? Let him off with a warning. A fucking warning. And Danzo responded by telling him his softness would be his downfall. Like gee maybe rescind the warning and just go straight to having him killed, considering he had basically just made clear he felt no real remorse for his actions? Or at the very least imprison him right then and there?

Now do I really need to say how Fugaku likely would have responded? Dude was a ninja cop. Safe to say he knew where the lines had to be drawn. He'd at the very least have had Danzo exposed and imprisoned for his crimes. Execution would probably be the better option in Danzo's case... but I digress.

I won't bother going into how Fugaku would've handled Danzo's greatest crime, that being pushing and manipulating Itachi into massacreing his entire clan, considering that would by default require Fugaku to be dead. But obviously it never would have even happened if Fugaku had become 5th Hokage after Minato. The reason for the planned coup would never have even existed at that point. The Uchiha would've felt much more validated by the rest of Konoha had Fugaku become the 5th, and it's safe to say he wouldn't have allowed his own clan to be mistreated.

Now onto some other reasons:

1. Fugaku certainly had earned the fear of other villages, what with having his own run-on-sight order, his nickname "Wicked Eye Fugaku", and his own Mangekyo Sharingan. Much like Minato, no one wanted to face him on the battlefield. No one was going to try to attack the village while he would have been in power.

2. He had the power to control the Nine Tails, thanks to his Mangekyo Sharingan. Hell, he might not have necessarily needed his Mangekyo considering Sasuke suppressed the Nine Tails chakra in Naruto after the time skip with BASE Sharingan. If Naruto ever started losing control, Fugaku could run in and suppress the Nine Tails then and there (provided they were inside the village at the time).

3. He almost certainly would have been able to fight off Orochimaru during the Konoha Crush, as well as being really valuable in the fight against Pain. Even if he couldn't have fought Orochimaru alone (I doubt that though considering how easily Itachi humiliated him), it's not like Hiruzen wouldn't have still been around and able to aid him. Reminder that Hiruzen, even at 69, was able to defeat Edo Tensei versions of the 1st and 2nd Hokage and almost kill Orochimaru as well. He was called "The Professor" for a reason. And Hiruzen certainly wouldn't have died to Orochimaru in that case, since Fugaku would have been the one to fight him.

4. If Fugaku had become the 5th after Minato's death, Hiruzen could've done a much better job honoring Minato's dying wish for him to take care of Naruto. You know, by directly raising Naruto himself, or at the very least being able to be much more of a mentor for him, seeing as he didn't also have to continue the duties of being Hokage. Or hell, Fugaku could have made the decision to adopt Naruto himself considering he literally has the kyuubi sealed inside him and Fugaku has the power to control it. Kind of a no-brainer solution there, frankly.

Now to address some potential issues that might come up if he had become the 5th Hokage:

1. Some people might assume that if he had, he'd be overly partial to the Uchiha and treat them better than everyone else. While this is a possibility considering he was literally the head of the clan, I'm not so sure that would be the case. First, it's a common fear of those in power that if the oppressed come into power, they'll then do the same thing to the former oppressors that the former oppressors did to them. It's generally not true either. Sure, there's individual exceptions *cough Netanyahu cough* but most people who have faced oppression generally don't want to visit that oppression on others.

And while it's possible Fugaku might be that type, I don't believe so. Remember, when Kakashi received a Sharingan from Obito as Obito's (at the time) dying wish, a lot of Uchiha were furious and didn't think he deserved it. Fugaku however, as head of the clan, decided that it was better to honor Obito's dying wish. That at least gives an indicator that he's more reasonable than the most extreme members of his clan. It indicates to me that at worst, he would have *mild* favoritism towards his clan, but would try to be as reasonable as he could. Again, remember that it was only after years of discrimination and isolation from the rest of Konoha that he formulated plans for a coup d'etat. This is also a man that was willing to die instead of fighting his own son, despite said son literally betraying the clan. Itachi himself had doubts about whether he could face his own father in battle, had Fugaku chosen to fight, but Fugaku refused to fight him at all despite Itachi literally massacreing the rest of the clan and being there to kill him and his wife. He is not ruled purely by clan mentality.

2. There is the possibility that he would have been too strict as hokage, using too much of an iron fist style of ruling as opposed to trying to negotiate with others. I admittedly have less justification for denying this possibility. I don't think we have a lot of evidence either way for this.

We know that he made some questionable choices as a father (bringing Itachi to a battlefield at fucking FOUR YEARS OLD, having to be guilted by Itachi into attending Sasuke's induction ceremony into the Ninja academy, using his own son as a spy against Konoha without even telling him it was for the purposes of an impending coup, etc), but I don't know how much we can attribute this to him personally versus just being a product of his time as a ninja of his generation. He just fought in the 3rd ninja war, and presumably was at least alive when the 2nd war was happening. He wasn't that much younger than the Sannin afterall. We also don't know that much how he handled his job as a ninja cop, or how he disciplined members of the clan.

However we also have the aforementioned cases of him being fairly reasonable in his dealings with others. We also have the distinct possibility that Hiruzen would stay on as an advisor, with Hiruzen in his more benevolent later years being more likely to preach compassion. While I have my issues with Hiruzen as Hokage, I think he would have been a pretty good advisor. Fugaku would also have the counsel of his wife, who we know from Itachi Shinden was the softer and kinder of the two. She was the one that often reminded him that Itachi, though already a genin by age 7 and extremely talented, *was still only 7 years old*. He would have been more likely to listen to her on such things without having been hardened by the aftermath of the Nine Tails attack in canon. And well.. he'd also have those 2 useless old fuck elders Koharu and Homura, I guess, though I don't know how much help THEY would be. Granted though, I think they'd at least keep him from being overly partial to his own clan.

3. There's the possibility that he wouldn't have allowed Naruto as much freedom as Hiruzen did. And I mean, maybe. While I don't think he'd be full authoritarian, he probably wouldn't be as lax as Hiruzen was.

But that being said, I think he wouldn't have had a lot of reason to keep Naruto on a short leash when he could personally make sure that Naruto was always teamed up with a strong Uchiha on missions. Afterall, in this presumed timeline of events the clan wouldn't literally be massacred. I could see Naruto's jonin squad leader being Itachi or Shisui, or some other strong Uchiha capable of suppressing the Nine Tails. Or hell, maybe even if he did still team Naruto up with Kakashi, he could personally train Kakashi (or have some other Uchiha train him) to use his own Sharingan better. He already honored Obito's dying wish afterall. And I don't doubt he'd consider his own son Sasuke trustworthy enough to be Naruto's teammate, too. I also don't believe Fugaku would be the type to disregard Minato's dying wishes regarding Naruto either, as he already respected Obito's dying wishes regarding the Sharingan he gave Kakashi. Naruto might have been able to master Kurama's power a little quicker too, having all those Uchiha to suppress Kurama whenever Naruto did start to lose control.

Alright though, I'm theoried out at this point lol. I've been writing this for literally hours. Hopefully I got my point across without getting too fanfiction-y lol.

#naruto #fugaku uchiha #hiruzen sarutobi #4th hokage #5th hokage #just a thought #hypothetical

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voidlure · 5 months

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THE PRAYER TO YHTILL

“ O Phantom of Truth!

The Stranger in the Mirror,

A faceless Pallid Mask

That stares back at me.

O Great Ruiner!

Yellow Sign Cursed --

The Doom of Carcosa,

Since before history.

O Mighty Harbinger -

In Tattered Saffron Raiment

Step between spaces from the

Black Stars of the Hyades.

O Mask of Pallid Gaze!

I AM You, laid bare during

The Dark Night of Souls

On the shores of Lake Hali! ”

- THE PRAYER TO YTHILL by Allen Mackey

#outer gnosis #hastur #the king in yellow #lovecraftian pagan #devotional #poetry

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meghantheduchyofpitstains · 2 years

Note

With that doctor practice being canceled/closing up I have a feeling that Tom Bower found some thing about those surrogacies it’s slowly but surely going to come out with Tom being the first person to write it Wally was first one to find the truth he just gave ammunitions to biographers and journalist to dig deeper but she was overshadowed with Bouzy my thing and I’m just thinking off the top of my head she does not want to be caught up in the shit storm when those surrogacies truthful stories come out that could ruin a doctors practice life career you name it she wants nothing to do with she’s getting out while she can and I am suspecting that a lot of their political alliances and shady ass friends and Hollywood are also gonna start to sit themselves once the starts coming out Serena I’m all Abigail imagine if you were part of messing with the line of succession of the British throne and you were found out thrown under the bus that’s like a cool life career Ruiner right there no one in Hollywood would want to work with something like that

I hope Tom Bower's book isn't a huge let down!

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moleofmetal · 2 years

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EP Review: Truth Ruiner – Demo

Throughout this blog, I have found myself covering music in various mediums. From the modern: digital-only releases, and countless CDs and streamed albums, to the much more archaic and rarer formats: Vinyl, DVDs, and even VHS. So it is only fitting that I complete the circle by covering this cassette tape I had recently picked up from Dundee Hardcore troops Truth Ruiner. Presented in 3 parts we…

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#7/10 #ep review #Truth Ruiner

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honey-beann · 1 year

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Ruiner, Ruination (RK900 x Reader)

Chapter 6: An Overwhelming Overture - Epiphany

Series Masterlist

Chapter Synopsis:

Part two of another two part special that tells the tale of the infamous DPD mandatory gala, and all of the things that can happen in apartments and empty hallways.

In this part, everyone's favorite duo tries to reintegrate back into the party after their tense moment in the hallway, Nines brings Reader home and learns the truth of his own strength (and maybe likes it a bit too much for either of your own good), and Hank and Connor are once again somehow dragged into this mess.

AKA: Reader does some dancing, Hank does some drinking, Connor does some flexing, and Nines does some touching.

Chapter Content Warnings:

Mentions of injury

Mentions of drinking

Touching?

Word Count: 4,481

Once the two of you finally arrived at your destination, you fought the urge to close your eyes as you tried to keep yourself from taking in everything at once all over again. Surely there had to be something you could distract yourself with until your mind settled down, right?

Your gaze moved about the room slowly, until finally you felt yourself grin when you noticed your second favorite android-human detective duo sitting at a relatively secluded table on the far side of the room.

Perfect.

"I see Hank and Connor, can we go say hi?"

You asked Nines, gesturing towards the pair nonchalantly as you awaited your partners response, watching as his eyes scanned the room until he finally found the two men in question.

He shrugged.

"Whatever you wish, Detective."

At that, you grinned once more, leading Nines across the room quickly despite the fact that you knew all too well that he could probably map out a far better way to get there in far less time than you could ever hope to.

Still, you got there pretty fast for having taken the human route.

Soon enough, you were approaching the table of your two coworkers turned friends, waving at Connor as he turned his brown gaze towards you and smiled that familiar friendly smile of his.

"Hello Detective. RK900."

He greeted as you and your partner grew closer, causing Hank to look up and give a short wave before he turned his attention back to his drink, clearly not stoked to be in attendance.

"Hey guys."

You replied, smiling as you took the free seat beside Connor while Nines stood behind your left shoulder, closer to where Hank was sitting. The lieutenant looked up from his drink again and gazed between you and your partner a few times, his eyes meeting Nines' for a few seconds before he muttered something beneath his breath and shifted to sit in the chair on the other side of Connor, and you raised a brow in confusion before looking towards the android who stood at your side, his face expressionless as he looked down into the now empty seat before turning towards you.

"Would you like me to get you the drink you mentioned earlier?"

He asked nonchalantly, and you thought about it for a few moments before nodding,

"Yeah, sure. Get me a vodka cranberry?"

You asked, thanking the android as he nodded and stepped away, though you couldn't help but notice the way he shot the RK800 model to your right a pointed stare that shifted between the two of you before his LED briefly turned yellow just as Connor's did the same, letting you know instantly that they were silently communicating, Connor's eyes blinking rapidly the way they always did whenever he received information from another android.

You watched, confused and curious, as all communication appeared to end just a few seconds later, with the android to your right giving a single short nod to your partner before Nines took another step away and turned to walk towards the bar without another word.

What the hell?

You turned to face Connor, about to ask what that had been about, when a voice rang out through the installed speakers mounted to the walls announcing the opening of the dance floor, with music floating gently from those same mounted speakers just a few seconds later, prompting a great deal of people, couples and friends alike, to wander to the center of the room, joining together in pairs to dance to the slow yet upbeat music.

You grinned and looked around the circular table in front of you at Hank, gesturing towards the dance floor with your left hand and a suggestive brow raise,

"In the mood to dance, Hank?"

You teased, barely resisting the urge to laugh audibly as the gruff man all but scoffed at you before watching those on dancing with what appeared to be disdain,

"Yeah right, in your dreams, Kid."

You feigned hurt, lips forming a mock pout as you sighed dramatically,

"Geez Hank, way to let a girl down gently."

You huffed, struggling to fully hold back your smile as Hank rolled his eyes and picked up his beer without another word.

For the next few moments, everyone at your table was silent, and you watched with vague interest at the couples on the dance floor as they swayed in time with the music, until suddenly, the silence was broken by the familiar android sitting to your right.

"I could accompany you if you'd like, Detective."

Connor said matter of factly, his head tilted slightly as he awaited your response, hands poised politely in his lap in a way that was so very Connor that it made you smile a bit as you looked over to him.

You thought for a moment, trying to find a nice way to tell the android that he had misunderstood your teasing for a genuine want to dance when you began to actually consider his words.

What was the harm in dancing? It wasn't like it could hurt, and you didn't exactly feel like explaining your joke to the well meaning android any more than you wanted to remain sitting.

"Sure, what the hell."

You laughed, and Connor gave a smile of his own in response before he stood up, offering you his hand politely to both help you stand as well as guide you gently to the dance floor, ever mindful of your injured shoulder as he did so.

You were just about to ask what he wanted you to do about the fact that you couldn't raise your arm very far when he spoke up,

"Don't worry about needing to place your right hand on my shoulder. Please do whatever feels most comfortable and I will adjust accordingly."

You raised a brow at the way he basically read your mind but did as he said, placing your left hand upon his shoulder while leaving your right between the both of you, laying limp within your sling to better support your injury.

"Ready, Detective?"

Connor asked after you finished adjusting, and you nodded, unable to hold back your amused grin as the android slowly started leading the two of you in dance.

He started off slow, simply following the gentle rhythm of the music before he grew more adventurous with his movements, spinning you around carefully with a smile that made you so happy you could hardly stand it.

It was always incredible to see Connor feeling so comfortable doing something that was typically considered to be inherently human. He had come so far, learned so much about who he was and what he wanted for himself, and you couldn't help but feel lucky over having been able to witness his growth firsthand.

He was all but glowing with something that almost bordered on joy as he stepped deftly in tune with the music, guiding the two of you along to the song with an impressive level of skill, as if he'd been dancing his entire life and had been waiting for this very moment to show everyone. He so clearly adored partaking in human practices like this one, and was always eager to find any excuse to do so, very much unlike his strong and quiet successor, who you had never once seen attempt intentional human integration the way that Connor did.

And speaking of Nines, you couldn't help but recall his silent conversation with Connor a few minutes prior, and, allowing curiosity to get the better of you, you opened your mouth to see just how much your friend was willing to share about it.

"Hey Con?"

You asked, watching as Connor's eyes flickered downward toward your own as he tilted his head to show that you had his attention.

You continued,

"What was it that Nines was talking to you about before he left to get me a drink?"

You questioned, holding back a laugh as the android spun you again, humming briefly as if deep in thought before he finally replied,

"He was requesting I look after you and your health while he was away. He has been... concerned for you since your injury. I believe he feels partially responsible."

He said matter of factly, his eyes briefly shifting to look past you for a second or two before he looked back toward your gaze, offering you a small smile before giving you one final spin as the music slowed to a standstill, the first song having ended.

"RK900 has returned to the table with your drink,"

Connor stated after a few moments, loosening his arm's grip around your hip as he did so,

"Would you like to head back now?"

You turned around, immediately catching sight of the imposing android standing beside your now empty seat, eyes focused on you and face expressionless as he placed it on the table.

You turned back towards Connor and nodded, removing your hand from his shoulder before walking back to your previous seats with him close behind, both of you smiling as you approached your partners.

"Hey Nines,"

You began, taking your seat just as the android hummed in response, pulling his own chair outward to make enough room for him to sit down beside you.

You gestured with your thumb behind you towards his predecessor, directing your next words to the entire table (save for the RK800 who was taking a seat in his previous chair),

"Did you two know Connor could dance?"

Hank grunted in response, shrugging his shoulders as he gruffly replied,

"I think he mentioned it during an undercover job a few months back. Said somethin about his 'integration' or whatever."

You turned towards Connor, eyes widening a bit as you realized what Hank was saying,

"Cyberlife programmed you to know how to dance like that? I just thought you had some sort of ballroom dance related hobby outside of work."

Connor smiled, clearly amused at your words as he shook his head,

"Unfortunately I'm not much of a practiced dancer, though I was programmed with a few hundred dance styles to ensure I could fit into nearly any environment."

You nodded in understanding before you felt your eyes widen even further as yet another realization befell you,

"Wait a minute, if you were programmed with a shit load of dance moves, then does that mean..."

You trailed off, turning towards your partner with a shocked expression on your face,

"You can dance too?"

You heard Connor chuckle from his seat behind you as Nines raised a brow in response to your question, inspecting a nonexistent loose thread on the sleeve of his turtleneck as he responded,

"Naturally."

His tone was bored, but you could tell by the slight smirk playing about his lips that he was incredibly amused by your reaction, always so entertained by your silly human tendency to experience surprise over such mundane concepts.

You gaped at this, looking back to Connor to question him further,

"You're telling me that you could have pulled some sick dance moves out there without any problems and all you did was spin and sway?"

Connor laughed at this, a true one that conveyed the full extent of his amusement regarding the conversation at hand,

"My apologies, Detective, I unfortunately lacked the space necessary to do anything too impressive."

You scoffed at his response, not missing the slight pride within his tone as he grinned down at you.

You turned back to face Nines, crossing your good arm across your body just below your sling to give the illusion of your arms being crossed,

"Well what's your excuse for never showing me your skills on the dance floor? I've never even heard you mention the word dance before."

Nines chuckled and shook his head, regarding you with amusement as he spoke,

"Perhaps after your injury is healed you might be up to the challenge of keeping up with me, Little Mouse. We'll have to wait and see."

You groaned and glared at your partner in response, quickly raising your drink to your lips in an effort to hide your increasingly reddening cheeks as he continued to smirk down at you, clearly enjoying your reaction.

You heard Hank let out an audible noise of confusion from across the table, hand wrapped around his drink as he shifted his gaze between the two of you questioningly,

"Little Mouse?"

He asked, his voice gruff and tone vaguely annoyed as he watched the android to your left nod in response, still clearly enjoying your embarrassment.

Hank scoffed, rolling his eyes as he looked back down towards his drink,

"Condescending fuckin' android."

He muttered into the glass, not bothering to ask any other questions as he reacquainted himself with the beverage in his hand.

The two of you remained at the table with Hank and Connor for another hour or so before deciding to move on after you were finished with your drink, which was when you both began to wander the event room, making the rounds from coworker to coworker until finally, you were too exhausted to keep going, relenting to Nines' insistence that he bring you home after he brought it up for the third time that night.

He led you to the car silently, allowing you to hold his arm to help support yourself as the two of you made your way over to the vehicle, the sound of your heels on the pavement the only one coming from either of you as you left the clamor of your fellow civic service workers behind in favor of the promise of some peace and quiet back at your apartment.

The drive back was equally silent, and quite short as well due to the venue being close to home, something you found yourself thankful for after the first few minutes of sitting in the car.Something about the front seats of your older sedan had a tendency to irritate your injured shoulder, and after a night full of movement, you were a bit too sore to endure much more discomfort without being forced to call it quits and move to the back seat in hopes that might feel better.

You sighed in relief as Nines pulled into the parking lot outside of your apartment, sliding perfectly into a spot before shifting the gear to park and shutting the car off in two fluid movements.

Without a word, he then proceeded to open his door, step out into the night, and make his way over to your side of the car after closing the door once more.

Realizing what he wanted, you groaned as you let yourself out of the car, standing in front of him with a glare as you resisted the urge to place your left hand on your hip in exasperation.

"No way, there is no good reason for you to be doing this again."

You said, taking a step back defensively as your partner watched you with vague amusement and annoyance, clearly having expected your reaction,

"Your shoes are highly inadequate for a walk up so many stairs."

You scoffed,

"You let me walk down in them with zero complaints earlier."

Nines shrugged your point off without issue, stepping closer as he spoke,

"That is irrelevant. It is far less strain on your body to walk down the stairs as opposed to up, and you were not nearly as sore earlier."

You raised your good hand up to your shoulder, brows crinkling in confusion as you took in his words,

"How did you-"

Nines cut you off suddenly, as if he had already known exactly what you were going to say long before you'd actually started saying it.

"You shifted in your seat continuously the entire ride home, and adjusted your sling often towards the end of our evening at the event. Your discomfort is obvious."

You huffed in annoyance, rolling your eyes again before giving up and relenting, desperate to get all of this over with so you could just get to bed as soon as possible.

"Fine, whatever, just do it."

Nines hummed, a slight smirk evident as he picked you up the very same way he had on your first night back from the hospital.

You braced your shoulder against his chest as he made quick work of the many stairs that came before your apartment, placing you down before the door in order to let you unlock it, granting the two of you access to the dark interior of your home.

You walked in with a sigh of relief, flicking the light switch so you could actually see where you were going as you walked deeper into the kitchen, taking a seat in the same chair as you had the first time you'd come home after your injury, watching as Nines approached, closing the door behind him before making his way to the spot directly in front of you in just a few long strides.

He gazed down at you for a few moments before wordlessly dropping into a knelt position on the floor, placing your left leg upon his straightened thigh as he pulled gently at the ankle portion of your shoe, slowly removing it before he inspected your foot, always ready to scold you for any potential blisters, bruises, or other injuries he could attribute to your choice of footwear.

Seemingly finding nothing of note, you watched as Nines pulled himself forward, bringing himself even closer to your form as he pulled your right leg over his thigh, and you sighed slightly in relief as he removed your right shoe in the same way he had your left a few seconds prior.

This feeling of relief, paired with the distracting sensation of his fingers against your skin, resulted in you neglecting to notice the way that your dress had ridden up, allowing the slit to reveal the purpled bruising present there.

The very same bruising that you'd had every intention of hiding from your partner.

Ever vigilant, Nines was quick to notice the discoloration of your skin, and you gasped as he pushed the hem of your dress upward until the slit was at your hip, allowing him access to every inch of your right leg, which was now completely bare of any fabric.

Your eyes burst open, wide with surprise as you stared down at him, incredibly confused for several seconds before you remembered the bruising and nervously bit the inside of your cheek, unsure of what to say.

Thankfully though, Nines had no issues speaking up first.

Before he did though, he slowly lowered both legs to the floor, pushing himself even further forward until he was on his knees in front of you, his lower torso pressing against your calves as he leaned in to get a better look at the splayed out pattern of bruises that littered your upper thigh.

He traced them with his fingers, his brows furrowing as he took note of the way that his fingertips eclipsed each bruise perfectly.

He looked up at you, expression unreadable as he finally spoke,

"Did I cause this?"

He asked, his breath catching slightly as you nodded your head, watching for his reaction nervously as you did so, expecting anger, sadness, or even guilt to arise from him as he realized what had happened.

"My apologies, Detective, I..."

He began quietly, his voice full of awe and his brow furrowing further as he gently traced over the marks in a manner that seemed almost unconscious, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

He inhaled deeply before continuing, staring at the bruises as if unable to tear his gaze away,

"I knew that the human body was fragile, but I had never even considered how easily I could do something like mark your skin without even trying..."

He trailed off once more, his eyes trained on your thigh as he continued to run his fingers over the marks he'd left nearly a full week ago, the heat emanating from him noticeably more intense than usual, and you couldn't ignore the incredibly quiet sound of whirring coming from his chest, which rose and fell slightly faster than usual.

Your attention suddenly placed entirely on the android in front of you, you swallowed thickly as you finally took notice of just how close he really was.

His lower torso still pressed against your calves and his hands placed on either of your thighs (although only one seemed to be on a mission), he was so close that you could smell that familiar mix of cedar and clary sage, with the top of his head brushing against your chin as he dipped down to inspect your bruising closer.

And when he finally moved to meet your gaze?

You stiffened, breathing in sharply in surprise at the sight of his face mere inches from your own, his lips parted in awe as his eyes searched yours for answers you were certain that you didn't have.

There was silence for a few moments before he finally spoke up again,

"Did it hurt?"

He murmured, fingers still hovering, just barely grazing your flesh as he desperately tried to understand things he had not even managed to express through words yet.

He had never felt so confused, so awestruck, so distressed over something so simple in his entire life, and it felt like he was losing his mind as he uncontrollably grasped at your flesh, as if touching it, feeling it, might finally give him the answers he so desired.

How could he have done this to you without even trying?

And why did he not feel guilt over it, but some gnawing, hungry thing, confusing and unnameable despite all of languages he knew?

What was happening to him?

Unaware of your partners internal thoughts, you shook your head in response to his question, not even bothering to attempt the act of forming words with him so close and your heart beating so fast.

Nines could hear that, the pounding in your chest, and he considered placing his ear over the place that fragile organ resided, suddenly desperate to hear more, and to hear it loud, as if it were the only sound in the entire world.

He almost wished it was.

Or, at least, that's what he allowed himself to admit,

But deep down he knew,

The almost part of that statement was a lie.

After a few moments of tense silence, Nines gave a nod before pulling back slightly, rocking on his heels to get a better look at you in your entirety before standing up in one fluid motion.

You gasped at the sudden movement, watching as your partner reached his hand out to you wordlessly,

And without hesitation, you reached forward and took it.

You followed silently, heart still pounding as you let your partner guide you across your apartment and into your bedroom, where he gathered up your bathrobe from where you had set it down previously.

He placed it nearby as you stood in the center of your room, and you watched as he moved to stand behind you just as he had earlier that night, his deft fingers making quick work of your sling before he discarded it on your bed, finally opening his mouth to speak for the first time in several minutes,

"If I unzip your dress and remove your straps from your shoulders, can you do the rest?"

He asked, his voice low and quiet, betraying no emotion and making it impossible for you to try and figure out what he was thinking.

Giving up on attempting to understand, you nodded, feeling your own eyes squeeze shut at the sensation of his now familiar fingertips grazing your back as he slowly pulled down the zipper that joined the sides of your dress together.

Once he was done with that, you just barely managed to fight back a shiver when those same fingers brushed over your shoulders and arms while he pulled the straps of the dress down, allowing them to catch at your wrists so you could choose when the dress would fall to your feet.

"I have closed my eyes, Detective."

Nines spoke after a few more seconds of silence, and you swallowed thickly in response, allowing the fabric of your dress to pool around your feet before you stepped out of it entirely, quickly reaching for your bathrobe and carefully sliding it on, thankful for the wide sleeves and thin fabric that made it easy to cover up fast despite your injured shoulder.

"Done."

You said, your voice a bit meek as you kept your gaze locked on the floor, suddenly nervous despite how comfortable you had become with your partner throughout the past week.

Somehow, tonight just felt different, and for once, you couldn't even attempt to try and understand why.

It just was.

Upon hearing your words, Nines was quick to help you get back into your sling, ensuring it was supporting your shoulder appropriately before he stepped back, looking you over as if scanning for any additional injuries.

"Is there anything else you need my assistance for?"

He asked, and as you slowly raised your gaze upward to look at him, you could see that he was watching you intently.

Struck by the weight of his gaze, you shook your head quickly, finding yourself far less capable of coherent thought than you personally cared for.

That said, you couldn't let him leave before showing your appreciation for all of his help, so slowly you forced yourself to open your mouth and speak.

"Thank you for all of your help tonight. I don't think I could have managed on my own."

Nines gave a soft hum in response as he slowly made his way toward your bedroom door, pausing in the doorway to turn around before exiting fully,

"There is no need to thank me, Little mouse. Now get some rest, I intend to see you up and ready to go for your appointment tomorrow morning to have your shoulder checked."

His voice was certain and cool, very unlike the gentle one he had utilized just minutes before, but even still you found yourself comforted by it.

There was the Nines you knew.

And just like that, he was gone, taking long strides towards your apartment door, and using your key to lock it behind him before you heard his steps disappearing down the hallway towards the stairs that descended down to the parking lot below,

Leaving you with far too much to think about,

And him with far too little to be satisfied,

Because the only thing he knew?

You'd felt like ruin.

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