long time no see

jeno: bananas have a radioactive isotope in them. to avoid a lethal dose of radiation, you must refrain from eating 600 bananas per second

jaemin: there goes my friday night

⚠️tw: tragic backstories and crippling angst lol, mentions of deceased parents, drowning mentions, implied suic*de, grief, renjun’s cute english (all mistakes in his dialogue are intentional. enjoy)

i had no idea this would get such enthusiastic reactions. thank you everyone who requested a continuation, hope this makes you feel something and answers some questions ♡

this is part three of merman!renjun, find parts oneandtwo here :))

1:44pm: “did it hurt?”

merman!renjun glanced up at runaway prince!jeno’s prompt, who stared expectantly at him through the bars of his cell.

“what?”

the prince gestured at renjun’s legs and spoke matter-of-factly. “your tail. it’s gone. did it hurt?”

“oh… yes.” he wiggled his toes. “it hurt.”

“a lot?”

renjun paused and hugged his knees a little closer into his chest. “yes.”

“and you… can’t transform back.” pirate!you lifted your chin to make eye contact with renjun, who pursed his lips and nodded in response.

“magic is no-come-back,” he said with a shrug.

“irreversible,” the prince offered.

“irressimble. no merperson ever come back from land.”

your heart and eyes sank to your lap. “right.”

poor haechan.

you found yourself getting to your feet. “i… i’m gonna leave you two to catch up.” dusting off your palms on your hips, you cleared your throat. “let me know if you, uh, need anything, alright?”

renjun nodded.

“right. um… your highness.” you offered a quick curtsey towards jeno, who scoffed lightly at the difference between your usual domineering behaviour and your attempt at character continuity.

as you made your way up the stairs, you remembered the time pirate!haechan had first opened up to you about his past. you had both been younger, yet already best of friends.

“cap'n the only family you got?” he tossed a grape into his mouth.

“we have an older sister. on land, though. runs an orphanage.”

he made a noise of interest. “parents?”

you shook your head as you reached for another grape. “shipwreck, funnily enough. you?”

“three siblings. all younger than me.”

you chortled at the thought. “you? the eldest?”

“i’m more responsible than you give me credit for,” he retorted, a dramatic hand placed on his chest in mock offence.

“yeah, right. i’ll give you credit when you don’t slack off.”

he laughed, and the two of you sat in silence for a moment.

you reached the top of the stairs, and took a moment to let yourself adjust to the sunlight. scanning the deck through squinted eyes, you spotted haechan at the bow of the ship, his back turned to you as he stared out at the ocean.

“your parents still around?” you had asked.

his brow had furrowed at the stars above and his chewing grew hesitant. you had started to apologise, realising you’d struck a nerve, but he shook his head and reassured you it wasn’t your fault.

“dad’s there, yeah. mum’s, uh… mum was a mermaid.”

a sound of surprise escaped your lips.

“—or so my father told us. she came to shore, grew legs and lived as a human. had my siblings and i… and loved my father. loved us.”

you chose to listen in silence and watch as he focused on peeling the skin off the grape he held in his hands.

“we were at the beach one day. i guess she missed her home, ‘cause she barely said anything and just stared out to sea.” he took a slow, shallow breath. “i asked her to come and… and play with us. and she… took my hands, told me she loved me… let me go, and—and just walked straight in. right through the waves. didn’t stop. never saw her again.”

you didn’t know what to say, so you went with the safe option. “i’m so sorry.”

“nah,” he said, trying to disguise his sniffling with a deep inhale, “all in the past. i used to be mad about it, but i’m over that now. she’s probably happier.”

you sighed at the sight of him. he was barely moving, but his loose shirt and hair whipped around in the wind. no, you aren’t.

leaning your elbows on the taffrail next to him, you watched the hull of the ship split the ocean surface, leaving waves in her wake and advancing still.

you weren’t taken aback when you turned towards haechan and was met with tears streaming steadily down his cheeks, their trail from his grief-stricken eyes shining in the sun.

he could barely maintain eye contact with you, his gaze drawn to the horizon again. a wet exhale left his lips before he pursed them tighter and gripped the railing until his knuckles turned white.

“the merman’s telling the truth, then?” he managed, his tone laced with anger. “you can’t transform back once you grow legs?”

“haechan, i—”

“you can’t transform back, then what happened to my mum, huh?” he demanded, perhaps towards you, perhaps not. “you’re telling me she walked in to die? to drown in her own home?”

“haechan.”

“you mean i let her go for what? for nothing?”

“hey—”

he sniffed and shook his head, “no. no, it can’t be true. maybe he just doesn’t know her. my house is on the other end of the earth, he probably never even heard of someone returning because he’s never met—”

“haechan.” you caught his shoulder and he gripped your hand, to throw it off or for support, you couldn’t tell—until his breath was sucked out of his lungs, his head hung and he gave in to the sobs that racked his body. his weight fell forward as his knees buckled, and you caught him with practised foresight.

the two of you sank to your knees, his face buried in your shoulder and balled fists clutching the fabric of your shirt. murmuring your words of comfort and drawing circles on his back, you let him grieve his mother a second and final time.

when he finally exhausted himself and you stopped having to remove your hand from his head to wave away anyone who approached you, renjun climbed onto the deck in search of you. he frowned in confusion when he recognised haechan and stayed wary as he drew nearer.

haechan noticed his presence and pulled himself out of your arms and onto his feet. clearing his throat, he raised his eyes to the merman’s.

“i shouldn’t have touched you,” he began awkwardly, “i was… stupid, and… it almost cost you your life. i’m sorry.”

renjun looked like he didn’t know what to respond with. “you are welcome,” he replied hesitantly.

taken aback at the unexpected answer, haechan cleared his throat again and walked past the boy.

renjun turned back towards you, tilting his head in puzzlement. “why is he sad?”

you sighed deeply before standing up too. “haechan’s mother was a mermaid.”

renjun’s lips parted in shock.

“she had legs, too, and lived on land. but she missed the sea, so she said goodbye and went back.” you gestured over his shoulder at haechan’s disappearing figure down the stairs, his gaze following your hand. “he never knew merpeople couldn’t transform back, so he thought she was still alive.”

the boy didn’t meet your eyes when he turned back around. a moment of silence smothered any further words you might have said.

“and he tried help me and push me back in water.”

“… yes. he thought… you would be happier in the water.”

another beat.

“he is not happy.”

“no, he isn’t.”

you paused to let him contemplate.

“but. she was happy.”

“hmm?”

“his mother. she was happy.”

then it was your turn to tilt your head to the side.

“mermaids choose legs,” he explained, “his mother choose land.”

“merpeople choose to transform permanently?”

he nodded eagerly, “choose to t…ransform pernamamently. i choose because you protect.”

“because i protected you?”

“yes. i am in danger and you protec-ted me. i choose tarnsform tail to legs.”

you mulled over this consideration. “i… i’ll let him know. thank you, renjun.”

“you are welcome,” he responded with certainty, offering you his first smile, albeit small.

you managed to smile back. “alright,” you declared, “how about some lunch? you hungry?”

i reckon there’s room for part four.. hm hm thoughts thoughts

part one|part two

taglist:@whattaweeb@radiorenjun

4:08pm: author!mark frantically texts neurosurgeon!jaemin.

Mark: HELP URGENT what do i need to damage to prevent facial recognition???

(Read at 4:10pm.)

Jaemin: Amygdala

Mark: THANK YUO

Mark: YOU

mark pushes his glasses higher up his nose bridge and pulls himself in his wheelie chair closer into his desk. his fingers find the keyboard in front of him and resume an excited pace, his eyes darting across his screen, getting lost in his own story.

⚠️tw: swearing, violence, haechan’s a bit of an ass in this, but he has his reasons

this is part two of this au!

1:24pm: “will someone remind me why it is we’re taking him with us?” pirate!haechandemanded.

pirate!you shot him a look. “he stays.”

he scowled back at you. “look at him,” he said, nudging his chin in merman!renjun’s general direction, “he can barely walk.”

glancing over, you had to admit that haechan’s observations were right—having given up attempting to stand a while ago, renjun sat alone on the edge of the deck. he was staring down at the wood under his new feet with a slight frown, like he was wondering why the dark grains weren’t rolling over each other as waves would. the clothes given to him were too big for his frame, and his hands and feet were barely visible in the sea of sleeves.

“he doesn’t belong here. why he’s stupid enough to stay, i couldn’t say.” turning around, haechan started to scrub the railing with more aggression than ever.

“well, he obviously didn’t want to go back, so lay off it, will you?”

haechan scoffed like he had given up. “you know what? fine.” throwing the rag back into the bucket, he shrugged rather dramatically. “i’ll just accept that i can’t possibly fathom why a merman won’t go back into the ocean.” with that, he left, stomping away with as much dignity as he could muster despite leaving his chore half-finished.

sighing in frustration at both yourself and him, you picked up his bucket and continued his job.

you decided not to chase him up—you knew the grudge he held, and you weren’t about to sour his mood further just for the sake of it.

you also knew haechan wasn’t being ridiculous, nor was his reasoning questionable. you remembered the terror in renjun’s eyes when he turned back at you, the wordless pleas to save him, his desperate hands clutching at your shoulder. you only had the capacity to be confused after you led him back onboard.

tossing the rest of the water in the bucket over the railing, you carried it below deck, then remembered you had yet to offer renjun some food. visiting cook!kunandcook!chenle in the kitchen, you cleared your throat to announce your presence over the rapid chinese conversation the two were engaged in. they poured you a bowl of a simple soup, and you blew on it softly to cool it down on your way above deck—you were sure renjun wasn’t used to steaming hot meals.

shouts and sounds of a scuffle caught your attention midway up the flight of stairs, and you rushed out to see what the commotion was about.

alarm overrode your senses as you recognised renjun in the crowd gathered at the far end of the ship—pinned down onto the railing by none other than haechan, who was yelling in renjun’s face about something you couldn’t quite make out. even in the chaos, renjun spotted you in his peripheral vision, and opened his mouth to scream for you.

you dropped the bowl and broke into a sprint, your breath hitching as haechan reached down and hooked his arm under renjun’s knees. panicking, the boy kicked out, which only aided haechan in lifting him completely off the deck. you almost swore his hand was searching for something to hold onto as he plummeted.

it all happened so fast, and you were so far—one moment, he was scrabbling at haechan, the next, he was slipping off the railing… then he was airborne, but not for long.

“what are you doing?!” you screamed, almost shoving haechan to the side.

“putting the fish back where he belongs,” he replied breathlessly, barely looking at you. “why? you gonna tell me i shouldn’t have?”

you caught the railing in your hands, leaning over to search for renjun in the water. a cloud of bubbles had risen to mark where the merman had landed, and you held your own breath as you waited, not knowing what to expect. was he just going to swim away? would he wave goodbye?

when most of the bubbles cleared, you caught a glimpse of the white shirt he had been wearing.

even though the blue of the ocean blurred your view of him, the pit in your stomach grew as you realised the shirt wasn’t sinking, and neither was it still. in fact, the sleeves were still flailing around erratically, the unnatural movements slowed by the density of the water.

barely thinking, you kicked off your shoes and threw off your hat. you were about to shake off your jacket when a hand pulled your shoulder back and away from the edge. you let out a cry of shock, whipping your head around to see captain!taeyong, who shook his head at you sternly. you tried to shrug him off, but he only held on tighter.

“haechan,” he said, “fish-boy’s drowning. you go get him.”

the boy’s face turned incredulous. “why me?”

“you threw him over. you get him. go.”

you weren’t shocked when haechan audibly swore under his breath, but started kicking off his shoes anyway. he wasn’t one to cross the captain’s orders, and he wasn’t about to start.

still grumbling, he jumped onto the railing, calculating the distance from the ledge to the water below. he spat out to the side, swore, then pin-dropped perfectly.

you watched as haechan disappeared under the surface, and reemerged a few moments later with a panicking renjun in his arms, yelling at him to shut up and relax.

two of your crewmates had lowered the rowboat onto the water when haechan had jumped. he dragged renjun towards it, pulled himself up and helped renjun in before leaning back and waiting for the crew to haul the boat back up.

when they were both back on deck, renjun was still spluttering up water from his lungs. you crouched next to him and thumped your hand on his back rhythmically, encouraging him to cough it out. tears flowed down his cheeks as he struggled for breath—he had obviously never experienced coughing before.

“for the stars’ sake,” haechan challenged, “why is he still here, inconveniencing everyone? huh?” he leaned into renjun’s face threateningly, “you get caught accidentally, we let you go, and you ignore that? you could have just transformed back and swam away, but no. you just had to make me get my clothes wet, didn’t you? why? you determined to piss me off?”

still doubled over on his knees, renjun had managed to stop coughing. he didn’t move from his position, his chest still heaving as he panted. you noticed his fingertips pressing into the wooden planks under his palms, his nails turning white with the pressure. his shoulders quivered and jaw was clenched tight.

your lips parted in realisation.

“he can’t.”

haechan probably hadn’t heard you over the sound of his own blood roaring in his ears. “what?”

“hecan’t,” you repeated, looking up at him, “he can’t transform back.”

renjun’s silence only confirmed your theory.

haechan blinked. his hands slipped off his hips, and his jaw went slack.

you could only imagine how haechan must have been feeling. how his chest must have tightened with the confronting truth, how he must have forgotten the world around him.

that you could only guess—you knew what thought was whirling through his mind.

“come on,” you said gently, gripping renjun’s shoulders. “can you stand?”

he nodded shakily, and you thought you heard him choke back a sob.

leaving haechan to some space to himself, you led a trembling renjun below deck to get warm. you sat him down on a crate next to the brig, murmuring reassurances to him, and started searching for a spare blanket.

“what the—renjun?”

you had almost forgotten the brig wasn’t empty, so you weren’t alone below deck. you turned to see runaway prince!jeno, who was usually rarely awake, clutching at the bars of his prison.

you frowned in confusion as renjun cried out incoherently, launching himself off the crate to kneel in front of the prison. “je-no!” he exclaimed, sounding just as shocked as the prince through his accent.

“you two… know each other?”

jeno glanced at you, then back at the merman. “renjun freed me and saved my life.” the boy nodded profusely in support.

“uh… you’re still very much imprisoned, your highness.”

“no, no, no—” the prince started to correct you. “—in the merpeople’s palace.”

part three

MAZE TRIAL ZERO: An NCT Dream x The Maze Runner AU (Report: Day One)

[WORLD IN CATASTROPHE: KILLZONE EXPERIMENT DEPARTMENT Memorandum]

Folder:MAZE TRIAL ZERO > Folder: Progress Reports > Folder: Week One > File: Report: Day One

Attached files > File: Potential Subject Profiles

Report: Day One (01/01/231)

• 12:00: SUBJECT 01 summoned to PREP WARD.
• 12:30: PREP SHOT administered to Subject during operation to insert BIO CHIP into Subject’s KILLZONE.
• 17:00: Preparations to insert SUBJECT 01 into MAZE completed.
• 17:00:08: ELEVATOR activated. Ascent into MAZE begins.
• 17:00:36: SUBJECT 01 wakes inside ELEVATOR.
• 17:00:41: Subject attempts to access NAME MEMORY FILE.

BIO CHIP indicates acute activation of sympathetic nervous system: elevated heart rates, incr. perspiration, heightened adrenaline and cortisol levels, widened bronchial passages, temporary deactivation of all immediately non-essential bodily functions.

BIO CHIP measures heart rate past 100 BPM. Peaks at 154 BPM.

Note: Side effects of PREP SHOT include impermanent retrograde amnesia, nausea, spatial and temporal disorientation. SUBJECT 01 may experience fluctuating perception of time in ELEVATOR.

Transcript of ELEVATOR audio recording at 17:00:00:

Recording Begins.

[Elevator gears grinding. Continues for approx. 36 seconds.]

Sedative properties of PREP SHOT fully wear off as SUBJECT 01 wakes with a gasp.

[Nausea causes emesis.]

[Spluttering as Subject recovers and orients himself.]

SUBJECT 01: What the… (inaudible.)

[Subject stands.]

SUBJECT 01: Hello? Hey! — hello?

• 17:01: ELEVATOR completes ascent into MAZE.

[Silence for approx. 5 seconds.]

[Elevator doors open overhead.]

SUBJECT 01:[REDACTED]!

[Silence as Subject recovers from sudden light.]

Remainder of audio consists of Subject climbing to exit Elevator.

Recording Ends.

• 17:03: Subject enters HOMESTEAD.
• 17:03:11: Subject attempts to access NAME MEMORY FILE.
• 17:03:31: SURVEILLANCE CAMERA #43 captures Subject examining the surroundings, spinning in circles as Subject processes INNER MAZE WALLS.

BIO CHIP indicates further activation of sympathetic nervous system: elevated heart rates, incr. perspiration, heightened adrenaline and cortisol levels, widened bronchial passages, temporary deactivation of all immediately non-essential bodily functions.

• 17:05:37: Subject collapses to knees. Minor bruising occurs. Remains in position for approx. 6 minutes.
• 17:05:55: Subject attempts to access NAME MEMORY FILE.

BIO CHIP indicates incr. activity of parasympathetic nervous system: decr. heart rate to 99 BPM at 15:10:22. Heart rate lowers to 94 at 17:11:03.

• 17:11: Subject stands and walks towards SOUTH WALL.
• 17:16: Subject reaches SOUTH WALL. Knocks on the stone twice. Places his fingertips on the stone and runs it along the wall until he reaches SOUTH DOOR.
• 17:18: SURVEILLANCE CAMERA #3 captures Subject reaching SOUTH DOOR and looking into the MAZE. Remains in position for approximately 1 minute.

BIO CHIP measures incr. activity in medial temporal lobe as Subject processes spatial components of the MAZE beyond SOUTH DOOR. Subject’s sympathetic nervous response is activated.

Transcript of SURVEILLANCE CAMERA #3 audio recording at 17:18:52:

Recording begins.

SUBJECT 01: What…?

Recording ends.

• 17:20: Subject turns and walks away from SOUTH DOOR. Subject approaches FOREST.
• 17:26: SURVEILLANCE CAMERA #93 captures Subject reaching FOREST and walking west along tree line.
• 17:28: Subject sits at edge of FOREST, looking to SOUTH WALL.
• 17:29:35: Subject attempts to access NAME MEMORY FILE.

BIO CHIP indicates activation of sympathetic nervous system and heightened activity in prefrontal cortex.

• 17:48: Subject stands and walks toward SOUTH DOOR.
• 17:52: SURVEILLANCE CAMERA #3 captures Subject pausing in front of SOUTH DOOR.
• 17:52:36: Subject enters MAZE SECTION 6.

BIO CHIP measures incr. heart rate, peaking at 137 BPM at 17:57:36.

• 17:53: SURVEILLANCE CAMERA #4 captures Subject walking slowly down SOUTH DOOR CORRIDOR.
• 17:54:19: Subject reaches first alternate path. After careful consideration (heightened activity in prefrontal cortex and medial temporal lobe), Subject turns right.
• 17:54: Further exploration of SECTION 6. Encounters 3 dead ends. Continuous active use of medial temporal lobe and hippocampus indicate spatial memory at work.
• 17:57:43: SURVEILLANCE CAMERA #7 captures Subject staring up at darkening sky, turning back after approx. 9 seconds and retracing steps to HOMESTEAD.
• 17:59:50: Closing of all MAZE DOORS initiated.

BIO CHIP measures sharp incr. in adrenaline levels as Subject breaks into a sprint.

• 18:00:00: MAZE DOORS close. MAZE BEASTS #1 through #8 are released into the MAZE from respective SECTIONS.
• 18:00:00: Subject collapses to knees. Further bruising occurs. Remains in sitting position for approx. 1 minute, recovering from fear response.

Transcript of SURVEILLANCE CAMERA #3 audio recording at 18:08:57:

Recording begins.

MAZE BEAST #6: [Screeches]

SUBJECT 01:[REDACTED]!

[Subject stands and distances himself from CLOSED SOUTH DOOR.]

Recording ends.

BIO CHIP measures activation of parasympathetic nervous system and incr. activity in hippocampus and prefrontal cortex.

• 18:10: Subject approaches ELEVATOR and opens hatch. Subject examines contents of Elevator and jumps in.

Transcript of ELEVATOR audio recording at 18:10:14:

Recording begins.

SUBJECT 01: [Reading labels on boxes] WICKED.

SUBJECT 01: What the [REDACTED] does WICKED mean? (Inaudible.)

Remainder of audio consists of Subject reading labels of equipment and supplies aloud.

[Click as Subject turns on a torch.]

Recording ends.

• 18:11: SURVEILLANCE CAMERA #43 captures objects being thrown out of Elevator. First, a sleeping bag, followed by a bag of clothing. Continues until all supplies are unloaded from Elevator.
• 18:15: Subject climbs out of Elevator and closes hatch. Proceeds to organise supplies.
• 18:23: Subject completes supply organisation. Begins setting up makeshift tent.
• 18:39: Subject completes tent set-up. SURVEILLANCE CAMERA #78 captures Subject starting to eat in rations.
• 19:11: Subject sets up sleeping bag and prepares for sleep.
• MAZE BEASTS continue to howl and screech throughout the night. As a result, Subject experiences difficulty falling asleep. Audio recordings from SURVEILLANCE CAMERA #78 coincide with BIO CHIP measurements of bursts of activity in sympathetic nervous system at 19:12:37, 19:23:40, 21:05:36, 22:46:29, 23:07:47, 23:07:49 and 23:34:40.
• 23:38:47: Subject attempts to access NAME MEMORY FILE.
• 23:39:56: Subject accesses NAME MEMORY FILE.

Transcript of SURVEILLANCE CAMERA #78 audio recording at 23:39:57:

Recording begins.

SUBJECT 01: Mark.

[Subject laughs and repeats his name twice.]

Recording ends.

~WayV Awaken~

Hope you like it ♡

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-Hen

~NCT127 Punch~

I know it’s a little late but punch is powerfull af and those pictures are illegal :(

Hope you like it♡

•pls reblog/like if saved

•open for better quality

-Hen

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