OC Universe

Disheveled

September 30, 2025

 


Ｄｉｓｈｅｖｅｌｅｄ

After Leonard was expelled to another continent, things started to spiral into discordance swirl.

🎞️

San Francisco, 2017

“Am I being too harsh on Leo?”

Juan looked at the rearview mirror to see the person who sat on the passenger seat behind. The icy blue eyes stared back at him. He pondered a while before answering the question. Any unacceptable answer could be fatal. He calculated the risk on his brain. If he were being brutally honest, his superior could be more grumpy than ever. If he were throwing lies, his superior could be more restless and in the end that man would also be more grumpy. 

His mind traveled back to yesterday when he heard that Ryan’s precious little brother was expelled to another continent alone because he was being reckless in an illegal street race.

Long before that—probably a year ago—he once stumbled into the house’s basement to pick up Ryan for the subsequent schedule at night. Then, he saw their fight in a boxing ring and witnessed how bloody their fight could be. The younger was screaming in pain after the match. It was one of the rare times he looked at the younger Damaris directly, other than hearing about him from Ryan’s depiction. He was just a 17 years old boy and he was hurting because of someone who should be the guardian. I thought Leonard was not as devilish as Ryan’s depiction.

But, what was his position to say anything about their family problem? He was only Ryan’s personal assistant who made sure every schedule was exact and helped Ryan with his hectic schedules. Every family had their own flaws and dramas.

“No, you’re doing right.” Juan answered while checking the tab to make sure they still had time to arrive for a press conference in the city hall. The launching of the new technology was held in the city hall because the project was in cooperation with the government. So, the press conference was quite a big event because it was also attended by the other conglomerate owners and a throng of journalists.

“This little bastard needs a lesson. I sent him away to protect him.” For the first time in a while, Juan caught Ryan’s voice trembling like he was in doubt. That was very unusual of him.

Juan saw how Ryan frequently checked on his phone unlike his usual habits. He was the type of chronically offline that he rarely checked on social media or even personal chats from family. But right now, he looked so restless and his eyes couldn’t lie. He was sleep deprived more than usual. He had no doubt that his boss didn’t sleep at all last night. This morning, the secretary told Ryan to put on some concealer to conceal his eye bag because he needed to look good in the press-conference and he did with the help of Chloe—the excecutive secretary. Today was a big event and he had to look perfect to the audience.

Ryan glanced at the rearview mirror then continued to look at his own tab and read the materials to answer predicted questions from the journalists. “Why do you keep staring at me, Juan?” His icy blue eyes stared back through the rearview. A glare that could put someone on their knees.

Juan blinked his black eyes and looked away. He had not realized he was staring at Ryan’s austere face instead of looking at the road.

“Are you silently judging me?” His deep intimidating voice sounded coarse.

“No, Sir.” 

Few minutes later, the car arrived at the venue. The crowds had gathered in front of the city hall. Everyone was wearing formal attire.

Juan stepped out of the car with his boss. He walked behind Ryan who was so confident and collected. The restless face he had before was completely gone. Ryan met the other honored guests at the meeting room before the press conference started. Juan was watching him and silently admired how he smiled handsomely, talked to everyone, and presented his ideas. His cold and austere posture was gone. He was like that man who was on the Forbes cover 30 under 30—and yes, indeed he did all of that.

Ryan was always immaculate.


 

The day was shorter than usual because the season was changing. They headed back to the office building after the press conference and other interview schedule. The sky was already dark and bleak with clouds when they entered the top floor of the office building.

The main schedule had ended however Ryan decided to go back to the office. Juan knew Ryan so well. When Ryan was worry and lost in his own thoughts, he tended to overwork himself.

“Do you want a hot towel?” asked Juan after reporting several things and delivering the latter’s schedule on the next day. It was already 9 p.m., yet Ryan was still drowned in his duty.

“Yes please,” answered Ryan aloof. His eyes were glued on the screen. His slicked-back hair started losing its form.

Without saying anything, Juan brought him a hot towel a second later. He put it on Ryan’s office desk, then he went back to the front desk where Juan work.

It was almost midnight and Ryan had still not come out. Usually, Ryan would ask him to cancel his meeting schedule after working overtime, then Ryan would order him to prepare his yacht so he could work from his yacht without talking to colleagues.

The office was eerily quiet. The other executives and every employee had been clocked out, even the sweet loyal secretary who usually stayed late to manage the letters in and documents waiting to be reviewed by the executives, already left the office.

The clock was ticking. Juan looked at his wrist-watch to decide whether he should check on Ryan or leave everything behind and go home. The latter option was nearly impossible. His life was already contracted to work with the Damaris family line for the rest of his life. Sounds like slavery, huh?

It was already past midnight. Perhaps Ryan passed out in his office chamber. Then, he walked toward the room right away and knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

The cold voice inside welcomed him. So, he has not passed out yet, thought Juan while opening the door. Actually, Juan never saw Ryan collapse.

However, Juan caught him laying down on the couch in his office room. Unlike Ryan’s usual self, he looked so disheveled, restless, and mentally exhausted. Strands of his dark brown hairs fell on his brow. He rubbed his eyes and slowly took off his spectacles. That man still had papers or anything to be reviewed but he could do it tomorrow or tomorrow after. He was also free to delegate this assignment to the other executive, yet he stayed there.

Illustration by @youngyindah

The hot towel—which had already become cold—was left untouched on the desk.

“Can you track the little rascal? He is not answering my call at all.”

While Ryan was laying on the couch, Juan sat on a chair beside the couch.

“You worry about your younger brother, no?” Honestly, Juan already knew the answer. Instead, he insisted to ask. 

As the spectator, he witnessed Ryan grow from a naïve teenager to the man who carried the most important position in the prosperous conglomerates at the age 27. Juan was accustomed to seeing Ryan’s habit when he was on the edge.

“Never. I am glad he is away so I can avoid his troublesome personality for a while.” Ryan scoffed.

“Well, I already asked the driver who was assigned to pick up Leonard in the airport in Jakarta. He landed safely.”

“I know. He is already at my grandmother’s house. Safe and sound, as he should.”

So, what is the problem here? Juan held himself from throwing the brash question. There was silence before Ryan said anything. His office chamber was indeed always quite because he prefers working in calm ambience. 

“Who can assure that he will be safe over there? He just had a small accident while racing two nights before. He still had some injury.” He huffed out a long sigh.

“He is a tough kid.” Juan said.

Ryan snorted. “He is fragile.”

Juan’s mind went back to the boxing ring when the man in front of him punched Leonard multiple times until there was blood on the floor. Leonard almost knocked out with nosebleeding and was screaming in pain when he came to the gym room. It was a horrible sight. “How is he fragile?” This time, Juan couldn’t hold his curiosity. Leonard didn’t seem like a weak boy. He became the punchbag and survived accident after accident.

“He pretends to be strong.”

“What about you?”

“What do you mean?” Ryan turned his head to fully stare at Juan. His stare was intimidating.

“I wonder, do you think … Leonard is just like you? Or you are just like Leonard?”

“He is nothing compared to me.” Ryan sat down on the couch. He looked very uncomfortable by the midnight deep conversation with the personal assistant. “He is not stable, Juan. His mind, his personality, his damn self is so fucking unpredictable that he could be a tsunami one time or he could be a lake next time. I can’t even protect him from his self-destruction tendency and it fucking stressed me out. Hell. I am the one who is responsible for everything in this ass family and I—the only who could assure he is intact right now.”

Repressed anger. Ryan was venting his rage but he was trying so hard to compose himself. It had been so long and he started to pant.

Juan stared back at his superior. He kind of regretted the question, yet he took the risk to keep on the conversation.

“You are the same, Ryan.”

“I AM NOT LIKE HIM. SHUT THE FUCK UP.” Ryan tugged Juan’s collar shirt. After he realized what he was doing, he loosened his grip. Under the bright light of the office room, fires burned in his icy blue eyes.

Juan trembled and surely he hid his fear so well. It was the first time he witnessed Ryan lashing out his anger. It was also the first time he realized Ryan Vincent Damaris was a menace. The Damaris was more than what he usually showed off in the underground world. The ancient rage buried deep in Ryan’s soul was flaming dangerously.

“You mirrored your own brother and you can’t run away from the family line.”

Ryan was a mess. Beads of perspirations appeared on his temple. He scoffed a deranged laugh to restrain himself from punching or breaking anything. “What are you trying to tell me, Juan? You must think you have the right to speak to me after knowing me for so many fucking years. But you must not cross the line.” He pointed at Juan’s chest.

“This is the reason why I am your personal assistant, to help you unravel your emotions. You are holding so much on your mind that you might wreck yourself, meanwhile at the same time you are the most important person here.”

“I can manage it.”

“No, you’re not. You almost risk your own companies if you keep it that way.”

“YOU ARE NOT IN POSITION TO PUT FUCKING ORDER ON ME.”

“I respect you, Sir.”

“Shut your filthy mouth.” Ryan reached his spectacles on the couch and hooked them over his ears again.

“Apologize for speaking out to you.” Juan mumbled. “Sir.”

Ryan was silent as though an extinguished fire. He messed up his hair, clenched his jaw, and controlled his breathing to steady again. “I am going home,” he said in a threatening calm. He almost hit his limit. Mental workload, overflowing responsibility, high-pressured environment where he must perform perfectly all the time, and family complex might burn his brain.

“I must drive you home because your driver is sick this night,” Juan tried to console.

“No. Stay away from me.” Ryan lifted his hand. Then, he took his suit and leathered-bag.

“Sir, you shouldn’t drive yourself.” Juan knew so well Ryan hated driving.

“I can fucking drive. I am not as helpless as you think. Now, fuck off. This is my order.”

Ryan walked away from his office chamber with an arrogant and domineering attitude he never showed off before—unlike his usual righteous and prestigious self. He put on a ruthless face. He ignored Juan and treated  the latter as a wraith.

Juan watched his boss stroll down the office building. He rubbed his face after all the risks he had been taken. He was expecting Ryan would crash out after his utterance, however he miscalculated the consequence. He started to curse at himself for doing such reckless things. He was doomed, so doomed. He did not have any clue what the future might hold.

Things started to spiral into discordance swirl.

— FINN — 


Bonus pic: Leonard in Juan's memory (illustration by @revveries)



Original Story

A Lighthouse on the Hill [Part 1]

September 15, 2025

Painted by me

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───


A Lighthouse on the Hill


─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

September 2017 The sun was about to set and leaving trails of orange hue in the indigo sky. The only audible sound was the sea waves and some seagulls flying in circles. Tranquility wrapped the evening just like any other day.


Eventhough nothing extraordinary had ever happened on the shore, that man dutifully ignited the light that aimed to the horizon. In case, a certain ship was sailing toward the reefs.

After doing his usual evening task, he was hurriedly walking down the stairs because he just remembered the fence was still open. He worried that the lambs were going to escape the fence. Since losing his wife, he tried to farm and look after some livestocks. He bought two lambs from the trade. His old golden retriever was not trained to help him watching the lambs, so he doubted the lambs were still in the yard. He had to check his livestocks.

The golden retriever barked in joyful demeanor when he opened the backyard door. That man scratching the back of its ears and smiling. He was relieved because the lambs were still there grazing in his own yard. These days, he seemed to be forgetful. Was aging the reason he became forgetful? Or was it the loneliness and his isolated life that made him forget several things?

He lost in his thoughts while walking pass the yard. He stopped at the fence and immediately closed the woody fence. His movement slowed down when he caught an odd object laying on the beach. Maybe that was just a tree trunk floating until the shore. He squinted to make sure that object was not what he was thinking. However, that object slowly looked like a human body stranded on the sand beach.

Oh God.

He opened the fence again and ran down the hill. He tried to keep watching his steps because the path down there was steep. He almost slipped when he reached the shore.

He walked fast through the sand beach. This part of the shore was protected by the reefs. However villagers rarely went there because the beach was also protected by some rocky hills. It was pretty isolated and that was the reason that the beach felt like a hidden gem no one knew. He gasped when he saw that the human body was laying on the sand. Never had in his life seen a stranded human body on the beach. What if that was a corpse instead of living human? Nobody would survive in the cold ocean. But he didn’t see any sign of rotten flesh or putrid smell.

Slowly that man got closer to the … boy. That odd object was a male teenager. His skin was pale white. He wore a white loose shirt and dark slacks. His feet were bare. His button shirt was loose and showing some skin. He seemed to eat less for days his ribs were protruding. Blood was stained on his temple. He probably stumbled upon a coral while drowning. He was lucky that the wound was not severe.

There was no movement from his chest that indicated he was breathing air. Nobody would have found this boy if he left the shore right now. He doubted this boy was alive considering the boy’s not moving and knew it would be a foolish decision to wake up a dead body. But then, he crouched and touched the boy’s shoulder.

The man was taken aback when the boy was jarred and breathing air deeply like he was inhaling air for the first time. The boy opened his eyes and his eyes were so strange. One eye was normal with bright blue iris. One eye was fully black as vanta black colour. No light could reflected on his black eye. Only darkness. It was the first time for the man to see a black sclera like that. He watched the boy sat down and touched his bleeding temple. He winced and looked innocently perplexed. His body was soaked. His buzz cut hair was damp.

The man tried to ignore the eeriness of this boy’s eye. He was merely a young man. He needed to help him. He must call the police after this.

“What's your name, kid?” inquired the man in a polite tone.

“My name is Reef,” answered the latter which made the man think this boy was joking.

“I mean your real name. Maybe your head was hit too hard—”

“Reef. You can call me Reef. Does my name bother you?” he said in defense.

The man blinked. “No. It was just not a common name. Can you stand up, Reef? Let me help you clean your wound, but my house is up on the hill.” He still was not sure to call him like the coral rock beneath the ocean.

“What should I call you, sir?” asked Reef before trying to get up while staring at the man warily. His normal eye was allusive while his strange eye was grim.

“You can call me Arthur.”

Reef was able to stand up even with a grimaced face because his head was dizzy. If Arthur didn’t prop him, he would be falling. Then, he walked side by side with Arthur toward the hill. He stared back at the ocean in a vigilant way—like something would chase him and tear him apart.

He walked down the path beneath him and carefully stepped on the path upward the hill. The path appeared like stairs. He tried to keep his balance, while Arthur kept an eye on him.

“Where am I?” asked Reef while climbing the stairs.

“You don’t know?” The man was so awkward.

“How can I know? It’s my first time reaching the surface safely,” answered Reef in sarcasm.

This kid is sassy, thought Arthur. Maybe I should have left him on the shore. And what does he mean by reaching the surface? He looked behind to find out the kid kept staring back at the ocean like watching or waiting for something. Fear was depicted on the kid’s face. Arthur tried to ignore Reef's uncanny way and push his thoughts forward about Reef’s origin. He didn’t even know why but he was curious how Reef ended on the shore.

“You are in Cornwall,” answered Arthur eventually. They already reached the yard. He opened the fence. Copper was running toward them with tongue sticking out.

Reef startled at the dog. He looked like he had never seen a dog before. Arthur’s house was exactly behind a lighthouse that confronted the ocean. The house was two stories high made of grey stones, with square windows on the facade. Ivies grew on the wall. Flower pots were arranged around the door. It was so aesthetically pleasing. Reef stood still in front of the building until Arthur beckoned him to get inside.

Reef’s blue eye looked around the interior of Arthur’s house. It was warm and homely even though some furniture seemed worn out. There were two old sofas that faced a hearth. A picture of a couple stood on the desk beside the sofa—Arthur with his deceased wife. He looked to another room where Arthur was looking for first aid kit. It was a dining room.

Arthur grabbed the first aid kit from a storage cabinet. He immediately gave a sign for Reef to get closer and sat on the stool. “Where do ya come from, kid?” He started to clean Reef’s wounds with gauze and antiseptics.

Reef hesitated before answering, “The North Sea.” He didn’t wince at all when Arthur cleaned his wound.

Arthur stopped his movement. “Are you serious? I heard that concussion can cause short term memory loss indeed.” But there were no lie showing in Reef’s eye. Reef’s stare was so genuine. But Arthur didn’t let his guard down. “Don’t lie, kid. Stop the nonsense.”

“My origin is from beneath the stormy ocean where no one could reach the seabed,” said Reef solemnly. His face slowly became grim and somber. He wasn’t ready to explain his former home. His right eye was no use on the surface. He couldn’t see with his right eye.

Endless questions popped out in Arthur’s mind. It didn’t make sense. But looking at this boy’s soaked body and he could see him trembling a little made him postpone all the queries inside his head. He had no idea what creature he brought home.

Arthur smiled incredulously. “Well alright kid. I’ll ask more later. Clean up and change your clothes first.”


─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Reef got into the bathroom. He slowly let panic consume him. His right eye was dull. His magic was gone completely after reaching the surface. He stared at the tub in the bathroom and filled it with water. After the water almost overflowed, he got into the tub and drowned himself. He let the water completely soaked him and tried to breath under the water but it only ached his lungs. He couldn’t breathe. His respiratory organ were burning under the water.


He rose immediately and coughed the water from his mouth. Slowly he touched the supposed gills that hidden behind his ear. It left only scars. The gills were no part of him anymore.

The sea creature’s ability had disappeared completely and he was severely aghast. It reminded him so much of the wandering journey when he was stranded in the middle of desert. But, at that time he could still see using his black eye.

Slowly he touched his black eye where there was no white nor pupil. He remembered clearly years ago when Father took his human eye and replaced it with the vanta black eye so that he could see clearly underwater. And right now this eye was nothing.

He realized. He was already a human. Merely a human who couldn’t breathe underwater. Eventually he reached the surface altogether. He achieved his dream. But something ached his long-dead-heart.

Something lost and crumbled inside him.


─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Arthur knocked the door. Worry if the kid was unconscious in the bathroom or slipped. “Kid?” One hour had already passed. He had already put dry towel and clothes for him inside. He even made some warm meal for their dinner.

Slowly Reef opened the bathroom’s door. He wore a worn-out black shirt and shorts that fit him. He didn’t realize time pass by when he sat in the bath tub and thinking all of his life decisions. “Sorry sir, I made you wait.”

“Yeah nevermind. Come, eat with me.”

The dining room was brimming with the smell of beacon, fried egg, roasted asparagus, and garlic bread. Arthur cooked well even since before his wife gone. Then, Reef sat in front of him and tried the homemade meal that Arthur had prepared. He was reluctant at first but then he ate like he had not eaten for days. The food was delicious.

Arthur wanted to ask one or two things after having the dinner, but looking at Reef eating his cooked meal heartily made his heart feeling warmer. It’s been so long since there was anyone inside that lonely house on the hill.

“Did you say you wanna ask me something?” said Reef after he finishing his evening meal. He felt nourished and better now. His head was not throbbing in pain anymore.

Arthur took a deep breath. He didn’t know what thing he should ask first. He wanted to confirm was he a human but ... looking at his lively blue eye and how he devoured the dinner, this boy was so human. “Tomorrow. I have to sleep early because I have to get up early and work in the morning.”

“Oh seriously? Did you wonder if I am really a human?”

Oh this kid is back with his sass after being full stomach. “I am sure you are a completely human after looking at how you eating. But, something kinda bother me. Your right eye. Can you see with it?”

“Not anymore.”

“Did you fall from a certain vessel?”

“I did, when I was infant.” Reef still looked straight into Arthur’s eyes that only meant he wasn’t lying.

“What?” Arthur stared at Reef incredulously. But right he was just trying to believe anything Reef said. “Do you have any family that maybe I can connect?”

“No, please don’t. They already cut the bonds with me.”

A runaway teenager?

“And I already forget my human’s family … Actually, I have no memories to my biological parents.”

“Kid, I’ll come to the police station tomorrow morning.”

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

That night, Reef slept on the couch right in front of the hearth. It was a cold night in autumn season. He sat on the couch that supposedly only for one seat. He straightened his long feet to a footrest. He pulled a blanket until his chin. It was not the comfiest position to rest but Arthur only had one bedroom. The other room in the house was already became a storage room.

The house was quite and serene at night. He could only hear the ticking clock on the wall and the faint sound of sea waves.

Reef looked at the fireplace and his mind was swirling with many thoughts.

First, Arthur still didn’t believe him about his origin. Perhaps, his origin story didn’t make sense at all to any human on the surface. Well, his experience meeting human was so little. He only ever met humans in that journey where his soul was wandering. He often questioned whether that event was real or just part of his insane dream.

Second, where should he go after this? How do people live on the surface? He had some theory of being human … but he didn’t know what he should do first.

Slowly he was dozing off. He was exhausted after getting trapped in the current underwater that made him stranded on this place.

The last thing that appeared on his mind was … how he could meet that girl again?

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

In the morning, Arthur woke him up and told him to get ready for going to the police station. After eating breakfast, Arthur gave him an eye patch to cover his black eye. “People might be scared of your dark eye,” murmured Arthur while giving it to Reef.

They went out by walking to the small town nearby the lighthouse. The sun was already bright up there.

“Are you going to dump me there?” asked Reef nonchalantly.

Arthur who walked in front of him was silent for a while. “Let’s see if they have any information about a missing person.”

Reef sighed. There would not be any missing news, except perhaps if Father was announced that news under the ocean. Slowly, he looked back to the sea again with vigilance.

They walked past the side streets and stalls. So many people greeted Arthur while he walked by the stalls. Some of them looked at Reef with curious and suspicious eyes.

When they arrived at the police station, Arthur immediately asked for any missing person news in case Reef was on the poster of missing person. However, there was not even any news of a missing person in that small town.

“What’s your family name?” asked the officer.

Reef startled. Common sea creatures never had a family name. But father ever told him to use his name as a legacy. You are Reef Oceanos, his father’s voice echoed in his memories. “Oceanos,” said Reef. “Reef Oceanos.”

Arthur frowned at Reef’s uncommon surname. This kid’s name sounds like a fictional name. Is he saying the truth?

The police officer nonchalantly typed something on the computer. “Well, nothing comes out. His family name is not in our data bank.”

Reef’s stare only meant see-I-am-not-lying. Arthur who sat beside him was tapping the officer’s desk and thinking so hard.

After several minutes, he declared, “Thank you. I think I am going home with this kid.”

“Have a nice day,” said the officer.

Reef blinked in disbelief. In his head, he was already scheming to survive in the surface world. He was ready to get dumped once again.


Even though he was clueless about the surface world, he was confident about surviving. He used to roam under the harsh condition of the seabed. The surface world might be far easier. And here, the real sun shone every day.


Reef held his smile. He didn't want to lookexuberant with this news.

At least, he had a place for a while until he was done analyzing the surface world and being able to survive alone.



─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
TO BE CONTINUED
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───