Day 2 :>

No I meant in game friends 🥺 ofc we are friends uwu

started playing tears of themis finally.

first thoughts: the japanese voice track is like if black butler were a dating sim 😂 or bna as a dating sim.

second thought: i will defeat you with this children's card game!

Same 😔💍

🤧💍

Bsbshshzvvss

Bsjsbbshsbdbd

MC, playing scrabble: I will put my "A" down to make "A!"

Kiro: I will add to your "A" to make "AT"

Gavin: I will ad to your "AT" to make "RAT"

Lucien, completely genuine (not really): I will add to you "RAT" to make "BIOSTRATIGRAPHIC"

Victor: *flips the table*

Ik I'm pretty late BUT I ACTUALLY FORGOT TO POST FOR LITERALLY 6 DAYS??? AHAHSHDHAJAU ANYWAY

Happy belated bday plant-killer boy 🎉🎉💓

I may not like you much but you do deserve a drawing uwu

YESS ANGST 😩👌🏻. Reading this in the morning made my day better AAHHSHAAHA >:D

I'm obsessed with juju angst and you did it so well dbdjdjeldvcx

@saeyoungs606 sent a request: "requesting really bad argument hcs for the rfa (aka chaos and pain) ✌"

author's response: oops, accidentally made this between jumin and zen. But I'll probably still make the headcanons just because, feeling quite angsty lately

FANDOM: Mystic Messenger

CHARACTERS: Jumin Han, Zen (Hyun Ryu)

MENTIONS OF: fighting, missing person, built in anger

ADDITIONAL CHARACTERS: Jaehee Kang, V (Jihyun Kim)

PROOFREAD: negative

WORD COUNT: 1,584

..

"are you being serious right now?!" 

disbelief, that was the only thing that geared his thoughts into oblivion. "Is some ANIMAL really worth more than looking for a MISSING PERSON?!" blood boiling more and more under his skin, he hadn't been more irritated in his actions than today, especially when he could be so careless in a situation like this. Did he really even care for the safety of the ones he's grown up to, the ones he's close with?! Because HELL he chose a damn cat over him

"I have to make sure Elizabeth doesn't run away again. A problem will break loose if I leave that untreated" he sounded stern, he didn't look like he was gonna change his decision either. He sounded like he never cared for him.

"WHO CARES?" The words fell out of zen's mouth without any further thought. He felt malice-- hatred towards him, his anger felt like boiling hot lava melting through his sense of thought, removing any possible thought of staying sane. How could he when the presence of the man he least expected to see first was standing right before him? Eyes glued onto him with no sign or form of emotion? How could his blood not boil when the one he somehow 'cared' for the most out of the entire group was suddenly reported missing? How could he when he CHOSE HIS DAMN CAT OVER A LIVING HUMAN? What was so important about her that made him choose her over him?!

Jaehee's pleads came through one ear and out the other, he didn't give a fuck if he got hundreds of complaints, he didn't care if jumin hated him for the rest of his life, he dealt with the situation with no care whatsoever. A selfish bitch. hell, jumin didn't even answer him, he just stared at him in pure silence. That was enough to give him the answer he seeked for, the answer he wasn't surprised himself.

"you just never cared, did you?"

"excuse m-" 

"YOU NEVER CARED ABOUT JIHYUN, YOU NEVER CARED FOR ANYONE!"

"you're spitting nonsense, you don't even know me" he chuckled at that, why would he even ought to get to know him? Is there even anything to know about him? "You've shown ZERO sympathy over anyone, over rika, over jaehee, over everyone in the RFA, over JIHYUN" jaehee took a step back to this, her front turning around to stare at the modern door in front of her, she didn't protest, she didn't disagree. "ALL YOU CARE ABOUT IS THAT DAMN CAT, THE CAT THAT'LL ONLY DISAPPEAR" Jumin wanted to step in, he wanted it to stop, he wanted him to shut up--

"DID V REALLY MEAN EVERYTHING TO YOU?"

…

"DID YOUR YEARS OF FRIENDSHIP MEAN NOTHING TO YOU?"

……...

"THE YEARS YOU HAD WITH THE ORGANIZATION! THE YEARS YOU'VE WORKED ALONGSIDE JAEHEE. THE YEARS YOU ARGUED WITH ME"

Secretary Kang..

both of them

..crying

".h..how much of a BITCH ARE YOU GONNA BE TOWARDS EVERYONE?!" the pained laugh he let out after felt like a deep stab onto an open wound, the tension of the room was indescribable, unbearable.

"YOU NEVER SHOWED ANY DECENCY, ANY SYMPATHY! EVERYONE HAS BEEN PUTTING UP WITH YOUR SHIT AND YOU DON'T GET ANY COMPLAINTS AFTERWARDS"

…………..

really?...

"you get away with anything SIMPLY BECAUSE YOU'RE RICH. SIMPLY BECAUSE YOU HAVE A HIGHER RANK TOWARDS EVERYONE!"

…………………..

"YOU...Y-YOU THINK YOU CAN ABUSE YOUR POWER BECAUSE YOU THINK EVERYTHING CAN BE SOLVED WITH MONEY! YOU THINK EVERYONE LOVES YOU ONLY FOR YOUR MONEY!"

shut up..

"JIHYUN SPENT HIS TIME WITH YOU!! A-AND AND ACTUALLY MADE AN EFFORT FOR YOU! H-..HOW DO YOU THINK HE'D FEEL?!"

shut up..

"HOW DO YOU THINK RIKA WOULD FEEL?!"

....please..

"you think everything's about BUSINESS. you think everything's about you you YOU because you're the famous JUMIN HAN, SON OF ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL BUSINESSMAN IN KOREA. YOU THINK EVERYONE HAS TO BRING EVERYTHING TO YOU ON A SILVER PLATTER!"

"stop"

….

"now you're telling me to stop? Hah... Did you even understand anything I said?!" Zen's voice was hoarse, out of breath. Every word that came out of his mouth were filled with disbelief, the anger he lashed out felt.. relieving. He finally felt the burning flame get smaller, at least for now he can keep himself stable

Jumin..he was stiff, like a tree with no leaves. He stood there like a royal guard in a king's palace, expression unreadable

A part of himself told him to lash out at businessman all over again, not give a fuck if his throat would hurt. But a part of him refuses to believe that his only words for him would be to 'stop'. He wanted to break through the tears that kept pouring from his stinging glare onto the marble flooring they stood upon. He suddenly felt the lump on his throat that had formed during his sudden outburst, the choking feeling left unseen as he tried to balance his vision through the glowing light that made him lightheaded. He wanted his answer, and he wanted him to say it to his face.

"I tried"

..what?

"..I've been trying for months, zen. Months. Months that even LUCIEL is close to giving up on him"

months…

"everywhere. I travelled, hired employees around the world just to find him"

"and till this day I still can't find him"

he didn't know what to say, the next words that he had built up on went crumbling down, stuck in the back of his throat. He wanted to feel sympathy, but his pride was far too much for him to break, he wanted reasons. Reasons for all his careless acts and--

Jumin grabbed onto either side of his shoulders, holding him onto a tight grip that's enough to keep him still "why do you think I barely go active on the messenger? Why do you think secretary kang gets more hours of rest?" his stern voice held a bit of annoyance and frustration onto it, the grip on his shoulders tightening. It felt unbearably painful. He wanted it to stop, he wanted to lash out how he's invading his personal space, how he's hurt enough, how-- "I never indulged myself to express myself freely. That's how I am raised" Zen felt the grip on his shoulders start to shake, get tighter, it hurts--

"In comparison to how he lived his life, no one raised me to be the person you desire. I'm raised through the satisfaction under my father's will to continue the family's business"

his grip got weaker, more bearable. His shock got him frozen to his feet, he didn't know he was breaking a part of him inside. The shell that he had worked so hard in managing. "Jihyun made stupid decisions, his antics led him to where he's at now. Missing.."

"I care for him, I care about the RFA. I care about you"

"I just never knew how to show it"

tears. His glossy eyes giving out and finally letting the faucet loose, only using his grasp on the other's shoulders for leverage. Zen watched the stone cold businessman in front of him completely crumble in silence, the shock and sudden guilt built up inside him as seconds turned into minutes of watching the older finally break his shell

he felt the sudden urge to comfort him. His hand mindlessly travelling to his back, rubbing repetitive circles on his back for comfort, He made no choice in stopping himself, trying to form words on how to lighten the burning atmosphere he caused and escalated

"you know, it's gonna progressively get worse if you continue to bottle it up" he spoke in a more gentle but stern tone, no bark and neither no bite. "replacing all of those with a businessman persona is only gonna make things more toxic, especially to the ones you are closer to"

"I.." Jumin paused before letting out a small sob, zen almost didn't hear it. "I-I've tried.." he paused again. Though zen understood what he was really going through, his impatience was slowly building up. "You don't know how" he continued on for him, ushering the older man onto the modern white sofa that was neatly placed in the center, following a glass coffee table in front of it. Zen contemplated if the decision he was gonna make was a good idea before thinking 'fuck it, he needs it'. "opening up to someone..is…"

He was trying to form words to continue his sentence, noticing Jumin was already recovering from his silent breakdown. "it's letting your mind ramble onto what you're currently thinking of. The things that bothered or hurts you the most"

"it feels like sudden heaviness making you feel like there's extra gravity.. or...something" Jumin hums, indicating that he's listening "and usually just talking it out to someone feels way greater than having to cope with it yourself. Though it does take a lot of trust to open up to someone" Zen let his inner pride crumble, he doubted far too much on jumin, let his anger get the best of him. He was about to apologize when--

"I'm sorry. For acting careless" Jumin apologized.

"I'm sorry for lashing out on you.." Zen apologized, guilt finally seeping through him in a millisecond. He'll learn to never get his doubts get the best of him

as long as jumin learns not to go through things alone

In Which Victor Panics

Scratching sounds from Victor’s pen interspersed with the clicking of keys and clink of his coffee mug made up the office symphony which filled the air. The sun had long since gone down, but the buzzing fluorescent lights allowed the CEO to continue hammering away at the pile of documents on the edge of the desk. 

Victor took another sip of his coffee and glanced at the screen of his phone. Even though the indicator light was not flashing, he picked it up and turned on the screen. 

Still nothing. 

He sighed and hit redial on his last call, frowning when it again went straight to voicemail. ’What could she be up to…I would have thought she’d be breaking down my door today of all days.’ A feeling which had become all too familiar as of late filled his belly and his lip raised slightly in displeasure. The clock on the wall struck eleven and Victor finally closed his laptop. He lifted his heavy overcoat from its place on the coat rack and slid it over his arm, again checking his phone for a response. Nothing but another avalanche of emails in regards to next week’s business trip to Milan…

The keys jingled as Victor locked the office door and dropped them back into his pocket. Though he had spent years walking down this darkened corridor alone, tonight it felt emptier than usual. He found his phone again in his hand, though its screen was as dark as ever. The sound of his own footsteps enveloped the dark figure, their steadiness doing nothing to calm the storm they carried forward.

“She must be working late.” It was the most logical conclusion. Did nothing to explain her lack of incessant messaging that usually poured in all day every day, but at least the thought calmed his stomach just a knot. Victor placed his briefcase in the back seat and spurred the engine of his car to life. 

Street lights rippled across the black vehicle as it rolled down the street toward the familiar office building. The skies were calm and bright, adorned with stars and crowned with a moon nearly full. Only the faintest of breezes caressed the few leaves which still hung from the trees and danced with the yellowed grass. 

Victor’s eyes danced between the speedometer and the road while his fingers tapped impatiently on the dash. The slightest flame of anger lit in his belly and began to warm the worry inside, causing the currents to swirl even more violently. Didn’t she know that he would be worried?! He could feel the nerves rising into his throat as he pulled into the parking lot and looked expectantly up at the window of the girl’s office. 

It was dark. 

Nonetheless, Victor slammed the car into park and exited quickly, back straight as he crossed the parking lot and entered the front door of the office building. The hallways inside were dim; only the emergency lights cast their yellow glow over the walls and pooled in half-circles on the floor. He quickly made his way down the hall, into the elevator, and up to her floor, only to find the door to the office locked and the lights off. 

“Damnit. Okay, she wouldn’t spend any length of time at Souvenir with it being closed. So she’s probably at home.” The words though whispered beneath his breath managed to echo in the empty corridor. Victor turned heel and returned to the elevator, finding his hands were slightly beginning to shake. He took a deep breath and pulled out his phone, this time typing out another text. “Where are you? Why haven’t you returned any of my calls?”

Despite his best attempts to quell them, Victor couldn’t stop the worst case scenarios from dancing around in his brain. Was she ill? He sat in the driver’s seat of the car and stared at the phone screen, his mind refusing to calm. What else could he do? He again opened the messaging app and tapped on the contact information for Willow, Anna, and Kiki. “This is Victor. Was your boss at work today?”

To his surprise, he almost immediately received a response. “No, we thought she was spending the day with you.” 

A rock sunk heavily in his stomach and nausea threatened to double him over. “Okay. Her apartment. Dummy probably caught cold and has been sleeping all day.” He put the car in gear and flew out of the parking lot. 

Knock knock

Knock knock

Knock knock

Victor knocked louder and louder, carefully examining the cracks around the door for any light and putting his ear to her door for any signs of life. 

He was met with silence and further darkness. 

She hadn’t realized exactly how late it was; the girl knew she had been hard at work preparing for a long time and that the sun had disappeared long ago, but the midnight chimes caught her off guard. 

The girl glanced up at the clock, a frown plastered on her face. “Victor, why aren’t you home yet? Working until midnight on your birthday of all days…" 

All around her were elaborate decorations of streamers, balloons, roses, and every Shiba Inu item she could find in Loveland. A white frosted cake with edible flowers and strawberries stood on the coffee table, and looking at it filled her with a mixture of pride and nostalgia. 

"And why haven’t you called me?” She reached for her pocket to check her phone, only to discover the pocket was empty. Her eyebrows narrowed and she glanced around the room, running up and down the surfaces for the familiar object. 

The girl sifted through the piles of wrappings from the decor, the cupboards in the kitchen, and even Victor’s bedroom to no avail. “When did I even last have it…” She wracked her brain and eventually a hazy memory of sitting on the couch with it returned. 

Sure enough, the phone had slipped between the couch cushions. She tried to turn on the screen only to realize the battery had died. “Oh dear… That would explain why I haven’t heard from him." 

She plugged it into the phone charger Victor kept on his kitchen counter for her ("Dummy, you can’t even remember to charge your phone? Good thing I purchased this for you”) and after a few months, the screen lit up. 

After the boot up sequence, the messages began rolling in. 

“Have you eaten today?”

“Would you like to go to lunch?”

“Must be busy today. I haven’t received a single banal message all day.”

“Do you have a ride home today?”

“Are you coming to LFG after work?”

“Where are you? Why aren’t you answering my messages?”

She couldn’t help but giggle as she read through the increasingly concerned messages and listened to the three voicemails. “All worked up,” she giggled, though a little bit of guilt prickled the back of her mind. “I suppose I better let him know I’m alright…” The buzzing of Victor’s phone caused him to jump. He immediately pulled over to the side of the road and whipped the phone out of his pocket, eyes greedily devouring the text. 

“I’m fine, I’ve just been busy today and my phone died! Are you home yet?” 

Concern melted away, leaving only anger behind. Before he could even get ahold of his emotions, his fingers were hitting the dial button. Each ring intensified the fire until the familiar voice entered his ear. “Hello?” 

“Dummy, did you forget to charge your phone again? You have caused me no end of problems today! Nobody knew where you were!” Victor’s words were sharp and cold and when they faded away, the line remained silent for a long time. The silence gave him enough time to regain his composure and he found himself feeling a little bit guilty. He continued, his voice much softer. “You should have let me or your coworkers where you were. You had everyone worried.” 

Another few silent moments passed before the sheepish voice of the girl returned to the line. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to worry everyone. You didn’t answer me though. Are you home safe yet?”

Victor looked out the window at the dark street and shook his head, putting the car back in gear. “No, I was traveling the roads between your apartment and your office looking for you. And you haven’t told me where you are yet.” He paused, seeming to catch on to something. “You’re at my house, aren’t you?”

“If I was at your house, would I have to ask if you were home yet?!”

A soft chuckle got lost in the roar of the engine and the sound of the tires as they returned to rolling down the road. “You’re a terrible liar. You aren’t at home, work, or LFG. It’s my birthday and you haven’t done any of your usual dummy birthday things. So logically, you must be at my house.” 

“Okay fine. I’m at your house. But just come home, okay? I worked really hard on this surprise birthday and you’ve already ruined it by being a worry wart.” 

Victor could picture her petulant face in his mind’s eye and a wide smile spread across his face. “I’m coming, I’m coming. But it’s far too late to celebrate. Just put away whatever novice cake you’ve inevitably made and get into bed. I’ll be there soon.” 

The girl sighed into the receiver and Victor could hear the sound of her slippers brushing the carpet. “Fine. But that means tomorrow you have to spend the whole day with me for ruining the surprise.” 

“Or maybe you have to spend the whole day with me for being an irresponsible dummy who made me worry, how about that?” Victor teased, flipping the blinker to turn onto the street that he lived on. “You have to make up every minute I spent waiting for you to reply to my messages and staying late at the office in case you randomly showed up. I’ll be home soon so I’m hanging up.” 

The dial tone echoed in her ear and the girl’s hand dropped to her lap. Her face was drawn down in a deep frown and a strand of hair dangled over her cheek. The tone of his words echoed in her ears, repeating his anger over and over to her memory. With slow movements she picked up the cake, placed it in the fridge, and headed to the bedroom to change into the pair of pajamas she had stowed away in his dresser. 

She lay snuggled between the smooth silk sheets, twirling the ring on her right hand as her thoughts spun in circles around it. Victor had straight up yelled at her…she curled up into a little ball, wrapping her arms around her knees and tucking in her head. 

The sound of the door opening echoed across the white tile of the entryway and into the living room, followed by the click of his shoes and the jingling of his keys settling onto the hook. She did not move. The lights flicked on. She did not move. “I see you’ve once again managed to top the decorations from last year,” Victor called out. She did not move. 

Victor stepped into the bedroom and glanced at the lump under the blanket before loosening his tie. “Are you asleep already?” he asked, stepping closer and unbuttoning his shirt. He hung the tie and removed his shirt, dropping it into the hamper next to the bed. “Seems like quite a short amount of time for you to have fallen asleep, though.” 

He sat on the edge of the bed and placed a hand on her form. She shied away from his touch and a sigh played on his downturned lips. “Okay, what is wrong? You’re far too obvious when you’re upset.”

“I’m upset with you.” 

Victor sighed again and slid out of his pants, hanging them up and putting on his sleep shorts before climbing into the bed. He lay on his back with his feet extended and his left arm under his head, right hand extended toward the girl. “I’m rather upset with you, too. You really scared me today.”

She didn’t speak for a long time, the pair of them laying in an awkward deadlock of wills. Finally, she rolled over and extended her hand. Victor took her fingers in his and rubbed them gently. “I didn’t mean to worry you…I just wanted to surprise you for your birthday. I just got so wrapped up in it that I didn’t think to check my phone at all. I’m sorry for the problems I caused you. But I’m upset that you yelled at me.”

“I shouldn’t have done that.” His response surprised the girl and her eyes peeked out at him from beneath the blanket. “I should have taken a moment to compose myself before I called you. But I was so desperate to hear your voice and so angry that I didn’t think before I acted.” 

“That’s very unlike you. You never get flustered like that.” 

Victor chuckled, rolling over onto his side and wrapping his arms securely around the girl’s small form. “You make me do all kinds of things that ‘aren’t like me.’ Most of the time I just manage to do them without anyone noticing. Sometimes caring for a dummy makes one do illogical things.” 

She buried her face in Victor’s bare chest, the tears he hadn’t realized she was crying creating cold spots on his skin. “Come now, don’t cry. I’m not angry anymore. Upset, but not angry. And tomorrow I will spend the day atoning for my sin.” He held her tightly until her tears subsided and her breathing evened and slowed. 

“That’s my little dummy,” Victor whispered as his fingers ran through the silky strands of her hair. He felt his throat tighten and his eyes prickle. “You think far too much of me…I’m just a regular human being with regular emotions. I get scared just like anyone else.” His grip tightened and the girl stretched, her hands and face pressed against his torso. She snored softly and his lips curled up slightly at the corners despite the tear which had escaped and trickled down his cheek. “You really just can’t see that version of me, can you?”

The sleeping girl gave no sign that she had heard him, but that was exactly what Victor had hoped. “You just sleep safely in my arms, my little dummy. I will always protect you.” Her soft snores kept complete silence at bay, soaking into Victor like warmth from the sun and calming the anxiety which had plagued him all day long. He closed his eyes and ran his fingers up and down her back in increasingly slower motions until he, too, drifted off into the warm and safe dreamland which only existed with her in his arms. 

The Worst Business Trip, Part 1

Victor glanced at the mirror, finding a stranger in his reflection. Dark circles had swallowed the already dark eyes and the expression had gone from sharp to vacant. Stubble darkened his chin and his hair stood every which way. “I look like the night was far more exciting than it really was…” 

He sighed and stepped into the shower. The hot water prickled his skin as it first rushed down, but soon the warmth soaked into his bones and relaxed the tense muscles in his shoulders. Victor’s eyes slowly closed and he leaned against the wall, fighting away the images of last night’s nightmare that threatened to overcome him in their second war. 

Twenty minutes later, Victor emerged from the bathroom an entirely different man. His usual clean-shaven and proud face had been returned to its natural state, and his hair had been perfectly tamed. The suit he wore was freshly pressed and crisp with a new silk tie. He picked up his briefcase, checked it quickly for the documents he required, and walked out the front door.

Goldman already had the car parked in the driveway. Victor nodded in greeting and climbed into the passenger seat. “Good morning, boss. I have your tickets and the documents you requested there in the dossier on the dashboard. You should have already received the email confirmation for your hotel last week. Was there anything else I’ve forgotten?”

“No, that’s everything.” Victor nodded solemnly and Goldman started the car, leaving the driveway and heading for the airport. They traveled in their usual silence, the sun just beginning to peek out from the horizon to greet them. Victor pulled out his phone and sent a single text message before putting it away and reclining in his seat. 

“Didn’t sleep well, boss?” Goldman asked, glancing over at Victor. He didn’t open his eyes, but shook his head. “I see. Well, hopefully you can get some rest on the plane. It’s a really long flight.” Victor didn’t respond. 

The sun slowly rose over the landscape, casting it in fiery hues of red and orange as the car pulled into the airport drop off zone. “I will message you when I arrive in New York. I expect that you will let me know if anything happens in the Anohe deal as well while I’m away.” 

“Of course,” Goldman replied. He opened the trunk and pulled Victor’s suitcase from inside. “Are you sure you don’t want me to bring this to the gate for you?” The boss shook his head and Goldman nodded. “Alright. Travel safe, boss.” 

Victor took the suitcase, briefcase, and dossier and entered the airport proper. He knew exactly which way to go; within minutes he had passed through the first class security and sat on one of the plush chairs just outside the gate. He glanced at his watch and found that he had about fifteen minutes before boarding, so he pulled out his phone and dialed the number at the very top. 

“Hello?” The sleepy voice on the other end of the phone brought a smile to the weary CEO’s face. “Victor? Did you make it to the airport alright?” 

“Yes, I’m waiting to board now. I just wanted to remind you that your report on last week’s release is due the day I get back and the presentation on your new proposal is the next day.” 

There was a sigh on the line, followed by the return of the sleepy voice. “Yes, I remember. They will be ready as always! And you know that. You just called me because you wanted to hear my voice, didn’t you?”

A light flush crossed Victor’s cheeks, tinging them pink. “No, I just wanted to make sure you didn’t conveniently forget your deadlines just because I’m out of the office for the next seven days. I’m hanging up now.” 

“No, don’t hang up quite yet! I…I will miss you, even if you don’t miss me while you’re gone. Can’t you just talk to me for a few minutes since you called me anyway?”

“You’re such a dummy.” Victor’s voice was barely above a whisper, tenderness practically dripping from each word. “But I still have ten minutes or so before we board, so I suppose I can indulge you.” 

The ten minutes passed in the beat of a heart and Victor begrudgingly hung up the phone. “Yes, I will call you as soon as we land. Yes. I will be careful. They’re calling boarding so I need to go.” He stared for a moment at the picture of the girl on the call screen, eyes swirling with complex emotions. “I’ll miss you too,” he whispered.

Despite the length of the flight and the comfort of the first class cabin, Victor found himself nursing a glass of bourbon and staring out the window rather than giving in to his exhaustion. Every time his eyes closed, images of the recurring nightmare filled him with dread and jolted him awake. 

Please fasten your seatbelts. We will be beginning our descent into Paris in a few minutes.

The sound of the captain’s voice broke Victor out of his reverie. He gathered the documents he had been reviewing and put them back in his briefcase while mentally reviewing the list of things he had planned for the six hour stopover. 

In a surprisingly short amount of time, Victor stood in the bright Parisian sun with his briefcase in one hand and his suitcase in the other. Flagging down a cab was an easy affair here at the airport, and within a few minutes he was traveling toward the coast and his mother’s house. 

The familiar neighborhoods flickered by and imparted their memories to Victor’s exhausted mind. He thought he could see a familiar small, somber boy winding his way through the cobblestone streets with a baguette in one hand and a crepe in the other. His eyes idly followed the little figure until he faded away to nothing. Victor smiled, wondering if the little bakery was still open. 

“We’ve arrived,” the cabbie grunted, the car lurching to a stop outside the home where he had spent so much of his youth. Victor nodded and handed over the fare. The car pulled away and he just stood there in the yard, examining the blooming flowers and well-manicured lawn. The landscaper he employed had been taking good care of the land as usual, he mused, stooping to pick a tulip for the vase. 

Victor unlocked the door and carefully swung it inward, pulling his feet from his shoes and slipping them into the white slippers near the entry. “Mom, I’m home,” he called to the empty house, somehow hoping that this time he would get a response. 

Of course, nobody responded but the sound of his own feet. Victor placed the tulip in the vase on the piano, smiled fondly at the photograph of his mother, and shuffled down the hallway toward his bedroom. “I’m so tired, mom. Nightmares again…but this time, you aren’t here to wipe my brow and watch over me.” 

He sighed heavily and dropped his luggage near the bedside table. Weariness weighed down every inch of his body as he slipped out of his suit and climbed into the bed in his underclothes for a desperately-needed nap. Even the early afternoon sun pouring through the window could not keep Victor from drifting off into a fitful sleep.

Victor opened his eyes and found himself standing in the middle of a sea of blood and chaos. All around him were the screams of men, women, and children alike. He ached to put himself between the horror and the girl at his side, but there was no way he could completely encircle her with the madness occurring on every side. 

She stepped out onto the platform in the center of the room and the dread in his gut intensified. Victor knew exactly where this was heading, but every attempt to change the trajectory was to no avail. The dagger in his hand was cold and sent an ache into his skin. The girl, the most important person and light of his existence, begged him to do it. “There’s no other way, Victor,” she explained, her voice calmer than it had any right to be in a situation such as this. 

“I won’t do it!” Victor exclaimed, trying to toss away the dagger. However, it had attached itself firmly to his skin as if frozen in place. He felt his arm begin to move and though he fought to regain control, in the end all he could do was watch in horror as the glinting steel passed through her dress and into her perfect, pale chest. 

The girl went limp amidst the primal screams of her on the platform. Victor paid the imposter no mind; he simply cradled the ragdoll form of his one and only love, running his fingers through her hair and washing her face with his tears. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” he sobbed, running his hand over her cheek and forehead. 

A final shriek from the platform caught Victor’s attention. He looked away for a moment and when he looked back down, the face had changed. Victor found himself looking down into the still eyes of his mother, the first person he had been unable to save. His wails intensified and the room faded away; the only remaining reality was himself and her peaceful face.

Victor jolted awake, finding that tears had soaked his pillow while he slept. His eyes were redder than when he had closed them and sore, a pain only slightly relieved by the back of his hand rubbing the remaining tears away. “Damn that dream,” he muttered, glancing at the time on the digital clock. It read 2 PM and he groaned. 

The intermittent flashing of the notification indicator on Victor’s phone caught his attention. He picked it up and found multiple messages from the girl. “Oh…I forgot to call,” he murmured while pulling up her contact information. The phone only rang twice before her concerned voice filled the speaker. 

“Victor! Did you make it safely?! You were supposed to arrive hours ago. Was the flight delayed? Did you get stuck in the airport? Did you not have service?” 

Her concern sprouted warmly in his heart, spreading and growing until his entire chest was filled with heat. “I’m fine. I got to Mother’s house and took a nap. You worry too much.” Victor sat on the bed and began pulling on his pants, phone held between his ear and shoulder. “Everything has gone just fine, though there seems to be a storm rolling in. I’ll need to return to the airport fairly soon to catch the second flight to New York.” 

His thoughts of displeasure in regards to getting to the airport for his 5 PM flight were interrupted by the sound of branches whipping against the bedroom window. Victor frowned and stumbled to the window, finding that the sun had disappeared and left behind a storm-swept estate. “Great. This better not delay my flight…it’s already cutting it close to getting any sleep before leaving for the meeting in Queens.” 

The girl made a few displeased sounds on the other end of the phone and Victor could imagine her face scrunching up with worry as it always did. He could picture the little wrinkles at the corners of her eyes and the way her bottom lip slightly protruded, and the searching look in her eyes as she examined his face for any signs of hidden emotions. “Well, you be safe! Or you’re going to owe me ten puddings when you get back!” 

“Ten? You better spread those out or you aren’t going to fit in any of your clothing.” The sounds of her indignance broadened the smile on his face and Victor chuckled, putting the phone on speaker so he could finish getting dressed. “Though I suppose there’s no reason to worry about that because I will be perfectly fine. And I will see you when I get back.” 

“You better. Or I will hunt you down and bring you home myself.” 

Victor chuckled again and finished tying his shoes. “Alright, that’s enough of that. I have to get back to the airport. I will call you tomorrow. And don’t forget again that I’m in New York and call me at two in the morning, or I will have to move up the date of the film proposal.” 

Amidst the unhappy noises on the other end of the phone, Victor said his goodbyes and hung up. He took one last look around the room before gathering up his bag and dialing a cab.

The weather grew increasingly dark and windy as the cab conveyed the CEO toward the airport. The wind howled and beat on the car, causing it to sway slightly back and forth. Victor’s face grew more and more grim until he stepped out and his coat was caught up in the storm. No sooner had he closed the cab door and stepped into the airport than the heavens burst open and rain began falling in a deluge. 

Victor went straight to the flight board, hoping that he would find good news. Unfortunately he was met by a wall of orange and red. Delayed, delayed, cancelled, cancelled…His eyes ran up and down the board until he located his own. 

Cancelled. 

If it were possible, Victor’s eyes grew even darker and he made his way toward the swamped customer service counter. In silence he waited in the line as the frantic employees did their best to calm irate and shouting patrons. “We are doing everything we can, ma’am! I have transferred your ticket to the next flight, but I cannot guarantee that the conditions will be safe for takeoff then either. No ma’am, I do not know exactly when the storm is going to end. We have been watching doppler, but- No, I cannot force the pilot to take off anyway! Ma’am. Ma’am. MA’AM. I understand that you need to get to Germany, but you will have to be patient!” 

The shouting all around him continued to intensify until security descended to separate the most irate flyers from the more rational ones. This significantly cut down on the number of people ahead of Victor in line and soon he was standing before a haggard and dead-eyed airport employee. “Which flight, sir?” he asked in a voice barely loud enough to be heard over the crowd. 

“Five p.m. to New York. First class.” Victor handed over his identification card and leaned against the counter, his own weariness catching up to him. The employee tapped a few keys on the computer and sighed, looking up at the CEO. 

He took one look at Victor’s cold face and seemed to decide he was about to get told off yet again. When he spoke his voice was full of regret and caution. “I’m sorry, sir. The next flight to New York with available seats isn’t until nine and there is no guarantee that it will take off on time.” 

“That will suffice.” 

Relief flooded the man’s face and he nodded, tapping away at his keyboard and picking up the sheet that printed. “Here’s your new ticket, sir. Do you know where the first class lounge is located? You are welcome to rest there until your flight.” 

Victor nodded his affirmation and took the sheet of paper, hardly giving it a glance before stuffing it in his briefcase and leaving for the lounge. He paid no attention to the other patrons around him as he walked, tuning them out and focusing on getting to the room where he knew he could attempt to get another nap in. 

The day wore on with no sign of the storm relenting. Victor drank no less than three glasses of brandy over the next four hours, attempting to lessen the anger which was boiling low in his gut. He checked the flight board often, though as his new flight time approached it seemed that the news was not getting any better. 

Sure enough, Victor again found himself at the customer service desk and then back in the lounge with yet another new ticket. Sleep continued to evade him even with the assistance of the burning beverage, finally driving him to just stare blankly at the wall.

“Now boarding, Flight 374 for New York City. First class passengers may proceed to gate four to board.” 

A glance at his watch showed 2AM. Victor pressed send on the email he had been drafting and closed the laptop, stowing it in the briefcase and heading toward the gate. The world around him spun slightly, but he somehow managed to make it to his seat without anyone noticing his slightly intoxicated state. In the darkened cabin, Victor drifted in and out of consciousness until the plane touched down in New York City. By the time he collected his luggage and climbed into the cab, it was 7:30AM. “Straight to the meeting it is.” He sighed, gave the cabbie the address, and slumped back in the seat. 

By the time Victor stumbled into his hotel room at 8pm, his eyes were bloodshot and his head throbbed. The only things he wanted in the world were a shower, a painkiller…and to hear the voice of the woman he loved more than his own life itself. He pressed the call button while stripping the wrinkled and sweaty business clothing from his weary body, piling them on a chair in the corner for the time being. 

The phone rang and rang with no answer. Victor sighed and ended the call, feeling tears welling up in the corners of his eyes. This has been, without a doubt, the worst trip I’ve had in a very long time, he thought, moodily swallowing a headache pill and chasing it with a glass of water. He warmed the shower and climbed in, eyes closed as the hot water washed away the grime and tears that spilled over despite his efforts to keep his composure. 

It was then that the custom ringtone the girl had set for him drifted into the bathroom. “Victor! Answer your phone! Your favorite employee is calling and you know that you want to talk to her!” 

The sound of the girl’s voice immediately improved his mood. “Damn straight I do!” Victor yelled, stepping out of the shower and grabbing the phone without even bothering to wrap in a towel. He put it on speaker and set the phone on the counter, stepping back into the stream of water while speaking. “Decided to call me back, did you?”

“Of course I did! I was getting ready for work when you called and didn’t hear the phone ring. Did your flight end up leaving on time? How did your meetings go? And…are you in the shower?” Her chipper tone brought a smile to his weary face, though the questions made his heart heavy.

“Yes, I’m in the shower. No, I didn’t board the plane until two in the morning and arrived just in time for the first meeting. Waste of time it was, too. They are being completely unreasonable with their demands and I don’t know if we will even reach a favorable conclusion.” 

While the soap cleansed his body, the conversation cleansed his mind. The girl seemed to sense that his spirits were particularly low and she made sure to tell him about every mundane thing that had brought her a smile since he left. The conversation continued through the shower, dressing, and climbing into bed where Victor curled up with the phone on the pillow next to his head. 

“So I told Kiki that if she ate another doughnut she was going to end up with a stomachache, and you know what she did? She ate one anyway and had to go home early! Are you still there, Victor?” 

“Mhmm,” he replied, the drowsiness thick in his voice. “Just keep talking to me, okay? I just want to hear your voice…” 

And so she continued to talk while Victor’s eyes grew heavier and his heart grew lighter until soft snores could be heard through the speaker. The girl giggled and whispered, “Sleep well, Victor. You light up my life and I cannot wait to see you when you get back.” 

To be continued……

Day four/ angel/demon

(4/10/2020)

This one came out better than expected (though I messed up juju's face a bit lol)

Day 5 again :>

I just had this little cute idea were vic is the owner of a cafe called souvenir but no one knows who he is cause he doesn't show himself (mister mills is the only barista) but when that certain girl starts coming, he pretends to be a barista to talk to her and star at her beautiful eyes

He also had this rule were no one can stay for more than half an hour, but then he questioned his stupidity when she asked to study there for her upcoming exams (he did not at all help her with her studies)