#(❁´◡`❁) also talked w a nice man about leather working in line at the store bc he liked my chokers. he makes jackets n works on boots

[kuromi-hoemie]

i love when people give me a look of disapproval bc all i do is look them dead in the eyes back like i truly do not give a fuck what you think ✋🏾😹

it's always people with the weakest drip too like.. I'm sorry you're not hot but i don't see how that's my problem. step up

most people in this situation avert their eyes after i look at them and that's pretty funny too

[in-ky]

Hi! I’d love a story about Negan being a serial killer who only kills “bad people” (like in Dexter) and maybe he saves the reader from her ex who’s about to kill her and Negan can save her and takes her in because she’s a mess but she’s actually a killer herself (who kills rapists etc/ only the bad ones) and Negan and the reader start fighting and then get caught up in steamy hot sex 🥵 thank you!

Savior - Negan Killer AU

Warnings: Warnings: GORE + violence, smut, domestic abuse, swearing, dirty talk ig? idk how to tag this lol

A/N: hey! i struggled over this one for a while lol. ive only seen like. 3? episodes of dexter so. i really hope this meets your expectations! also forgive any mistakes its late, im tired, and i wanna get this up lol. also, is negan batman? maybe. 3.7k words

"Will, stop you're hurting me!" I hissed, grabbing at his wrist. He tugged me out of the bustling restaurant and into the dark street.

"I don't really give a shit," He snarled, throwing me into a secluded alleyway a few buildings down from the restaurant. Will had taken me out to a business dinner with his boss in hopes of showing me off and making a good impression. But things didn't quite go according to plan. "You embarrassed me in front of everyone!" He pushed me against the brick wall of the closed department store.

"What was I supposed to do?" I sneered, trying to wiggle away from him "He kept commenting on my body, saying how he wished he could take me home at the end of the night and do all kinds of 'unspeakable things to me'."

"You were just supposed to shut up and take it!" Will said, voice filled with rage "But no, you and your untamable fucking complex just couldn't handle a compliment. You threw your drink in his face! You're lucky he didn't fire me right then and there. You made me look like some pussy who can't control his whore."

"You're an asshole." I shouted, tears welling at the edges of my eyes. Will's face contorted further into a look of pure, unadulterated hatred.

"What the fuck did you just call me?" He seethed, clasping his hand tightly around my throat and constricting his fingers around my airway.

"I said you're an asshole who cares more about his dead-end career than his fucking girlfriend." I croaked. I hated him. I hated him so much. My vision clouded with the combination of disgust, loathing, and lack of oxygen, so I hit him where I knew it hurt. "There's a reason you needed me for arm candy tonight. It's 'cause you're a boring, piece-of-shit, lowlife who has no skill whatsoever. How does it feel knowing you need me to make something of yourself?" With that, he threw me to the ground by my throat. He wasted no time and pinned me to the cold concrete. His knees dug into my shoulders and his hand flew to his back pocket, whipping out the switchblade he carried as a precaution against mugging. My eyes widened as they caught a glint of the moonlight off the sharp knife. He brought the blade up to my throat and slapped me over the cheek harshly with his free hand.

"You better take back those words, bitch," He hissed, pressing the blade into the soft skin of my jugular "or they might just be your last." A dribble of blood ran down my neck with the pressure. Realization flashed through my mind. I could die right then. That could have been my last moment. Was I scared? No. Why wasn't I scared? Maybe it had to do with the shadowy figure that was slowly approaching us from the ally entrance.

There was plenty of time for me to warn Will that someone was coming. But I didn't. Instead, I stayed quiet and watched as the shadow figure pulled Will from my body with ease and tossed him to the side. Everything was kind of a blur. I was still oxygen starved and filled with a whirl-wind of emotion. I heard Will cry out in surprise and indignance. The shadow figure said nothing. It saw the switchblade with a steady line of my blood. It kicked Will in the chest, knocking him to the ground. Then it lifted up a baseball bat over its head and cracked it down over Will's skull. He continued to beat Will until he stopped squirming. The shadow figure paused and swung the bat over his shoulder. I had regained my breath and pushed myself to my elbows. The shadow noticed me moving and took a few heavy steps in my direction. I squirmed away slightly, instincts telling me to get away from the thing that had just pulverized my boyfriend. The shadow entered a stream of moonlight. It was a man. He had peppered hair and a blood-speckled face. He had dark brown eyes and a small smile perched on his lips.

"You okay, sweetheart?" He said. His voice was deep. I was partially surprised. He wasn't a bulky man. He was tall and had a broad frame, but his limbs were long and his body was lithe. He wore a leather jacket and his boots were slick with what I could only assume were Will's brains. I didn't want to look at his bat.

"W-Why did you do that?" I whispered. It was all I could muster.

"He was going to kill you." The man sounded confused, like I was supposed to know who he was and why he saved me.

"You don't know that." My voice was quiet. My eyes were glued to a spot behind the man, unblinking. He let out a throaty chuckle and dropped to a squat, leveling with me.

"Doll, he had a knife pressed to your throat," His words were gentle "Looked like he was gonna fuckin' kill you." He hesitantly reached out two fingers in the direction of my face. I didn't move. He was wearing leather gloves. The ridged fabric ran along my injuries. "Seems like he did some damage before I could step in. Damn. Sorry about that. Listen, I live a few streets down. If you want, I can get you cleaned up."

"Okay," I said softly. I let him help me up to my feet. He guided me along with one arm while holding his bat with the other. As we walked out of the alley I couldn't help but look down at Will, or what remained of him at least. His forehead was split in half, a pool of chunky blood bubbling on the ground. I clenched my jaw and forced myself to swallow the bile that had risen in my throat. And yet, I didn't feel sad. I didn't mourn him. Maybe it was shock, maybe it wasn't. "Thank you?" I murmured, though it was more of a question. The man and I stepped out onto the street and I was grateful there was no one around to see us leaving the scene of a very heinous-looking crime.

"No problem, doll," The man hummed, setting a brisk pace down the sidewalk. "The name's Negan, by the way." Cool. Negan: my Savior.

~~~

"So you're like Batman?" I asked Negan as he dabbed the blood away from my neck. He gave a short chuckle and tore away the sticky part of the band-aid.

"I guess you can say that," he mused, splaying the bandage over the cut the knife had left "but I specifically go for people that I know have hurt others. The baddies, if you will."

"Is that legal?" I tilted my head, crossing my ankles as they dangled over the bathroom counter. My palms were flat on the surface of Negan's marble sink top, fiddling with the wrappers of the medical supplies he had used to clean and bandage my small cuts and bruises.

"I haven't been caught," Negan shrugged "besides, it's less work for the police. They don't have to do any interrogation bullshit or anything. I usually catch people in the act, like tonight. Then I do my thing."

"Do you kill everyone?"

"Only the bad people," He reminded, tossing away a bloody tissue "only people who have hurt others. But, yes, usually the offender ends up on the business end of Lucille over there." He pointed out the door into the living room, where the still-bloody bat rested against a chair. I furrowed my brow.

"Well, doesn't that make you a bad guy?" I pressed. He tapped my knee and I dropped down to the tile floor, tucking my hair behind my ear and gathering some of the scraps.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you still kill people, right? Even if they're bad? So doesn't that still make you a killer?" Negan was quiet for a minute. "Let's put it this way," I continued "What would you do if you came across someone who was like you; someone who hurt the bad people. Would you still kill them. They're hurting people." Negan took a deep breath and let it out with a contemplative sigh, itching his bearded chin.

"I'm not sure," He mused "I've never really thought about it before. See, I don't consider myself a bad person per say. Yea, what I'm doing might be considered fucked up. But I'm doing it for the right reason. I'm protecting people by attacking their attackers. In the end, someone's saved." He brushed off his hands and led me out of the bathroom, flicking the light off. "Would you rather me not have saved you tonight?"

"No," I said immediately "thank you. Really, thank you. You saved my life. Will is...was...always a dick, but I never thought he'd actually hurt me. I guess that proves people can have a whole bunch of layers." Negan nodded and moved to the kitchen. He raised a bottle of whiskey as an offering. I shook my head but he poured himself a glass.

"I was just doing my job," Negan grinned sympathetically "I'm sorry your boyfriend was an asshole who tried to murder you." I shrugged, amusement in my eyes.

"Eh, it happens to everyone." I smiled as he let out another laugh. I felt as if I shouldn't be laughing, but at the same time, everyone has their own responses to almost getting stabbed to death in an alley. So I let myself have this moment. Besides, Negan was a good guy to be around. He made me feel safe, comfortable, secure. Everything I needed right now. "So, Negan, what do you do? Surely vigilante-ing can't pay well, and this apartment is really nice."

"I'm a retired baseball player," Negan said, sipping his whiskey and settling into one of the armchairs in the living room "Hence the bat."

"Were you any good?" I asked. He let out a loud scoff.

"Was I any good?" He mocked "Sweetheart, I have a whole damn trophy room. I was fucking amazing. I just got old."

"So you're rich with no real job, you kill bad guys, and you have a massive ego," I listed "You really are like Batman, aren't you?"

~~~

Negan let me stay on his couch that night. It was leather, like everything else that man seemed to own, but it was comfortable. I woke up to the smell of bacon filling the air. I groaned and rubbed my fists against my eyes, clearing them of sleep. I stretched my arms above my head in a yawn and rolled off the couch, stumbling into the kitchen. Negan was hunched over the bubbling pan, dodging pellets of grease as they shot up at him.

"Smells good!" I purred, closing my eyes and taking a deep inhale.

"Good," He grumbled "You better fucking enjoy it because I've gotten burned at least three times." I laughed and walked up to him examining the small red patches that dotted his arms.

"You didn't have to make me breakfast you know."

"Yea, but I wanted to make sure you were comfortable," He sighed, turning off the stove and scooping the cooked bacon onto a paper towel. "Besides, I was craving some bacon when I woke up. I haven't had someone to share a meal with in a while."

"Well, if you want, you can come by my house for dinner." I offered, crunching down on a piece of bacon "I've been meaning to whip out the family alfredo recipe for a while, maybe a hot date would give me that incentive." I gave him a playful wink and he chuckled.

"Sure thing, doll," He hummed, putting the pan in the sink "I love me some fucking spaghetti. I'll see you around seven?"

"Sounds good."

~~~

I ran down the sidewalk, chest heaving. There was enough darkness to cover me, but I still kept my head down to prevent recognition. I held my hands close to my stomach, praying that the blood on my fingers wouldn't drip on the pavement and leave a trail. I had been on my way home from the store when I heard some commotion coming from an alley. My first instinct was to run, but then I heard the girl crying for help. Negan came to mind, what he did, how he helped people. I couldn't turn away. I marched down the alley and saw a greasy man pinning a woman to the wall of a building. Flashbacks of the night before hit me like a train. I looked on top of the alley dumpster  and saw a crowbar perched on one of the lids. I grabbed it and stormed up to the man, whacking him upside the head with the weapon. I kicked him to the side and brought the crowbar over my head before swinging it down. It connected with his face in a sickening 'thwack.' I thought of Will. I thought of what might of happened if Negan had never stopped him. I thought of all the times that bastard had gotten drunk and told me I was nothing. I let the rage bubble up and fuel my beating. By the time I was pulled back into the moment, my muscles were screaming, the woman was gone, and the man's face was unrecognizable. I tossed the crowbar into the dumpster and ran back home.

Dried blood is extremely hard to wash off. It sticks to your skin in flakes, creating a pattern of red veins crawling over your hands. Fuck. I scrubbed as hard as I could under the rushing water of the sink, pumping more and more soap into my hand. It was under my fingernails. It was stuck in my palm prints. Shit, did I leave fingerprints at the scene? Would they be coming for me? With a hiss, I rubbed even harder at my skin, small flecks of blood turning the sink water red.

Suddenly, my door opened.

"I'm ready for my s'getties!" Negan boomed with a wide smile. My head whipped around, looking at him with wide eyes. His grin faded and he crossed the room in record time, grabbing my wrists and turning the sink off. "Is this fucking blood?" He snarled, bringing my hands up to my face. I clenched my jaw and dropped my eyes to my feet. "Jesus, who's is it? Answer me!"

"I-I heard someone screaming on the way home," I said quietly, eyes still downcast "I thought I would help..." His jaw went slack and he let go of my hands, running his fingers through his hair.

"Jesus fuck, you can't just go around killing people!"

"Why not?" I snapped, eyes meeting his "You do it all the time? What's the difference? Why can't I help people?"

"Because it...Because you just can't!" Negan growled, shaking his head.

"Why are you so special?" I hissed back, drying my hands off on a towel before tossing it at him "It's not like you can get a permit for fucking murder. Why do you do it, anyways? Is it some perverted thing? Do you get off on saving people from attackers?"

"Watch yourself." Negan warned, eyes darkening.

"Pfft, or what?" I laughed, tossing my head back "What are you gonna do, kill me? I'm not afraid of you, Negan." As soon as the words left my mouth, he charged me. His hand flew to my throat, squeezing my airway lightly. His hips pressed me against the counter. I let out a small gasp when he shoved his face next to mine.

"Oh, but doll, you really fucking should be." He spat, curling his lip "I could snap your neck right here, right now." He gave a small squeeze to emphasize his words. I let out a strangled moan. We both froze. "Are you turned on right now?" He muttered, furrowing his brow. I licked my lips and squirmed in his grip, pressing my thighs together slightly in an effort to alleviate the warm pressure growing in my belly.

"No," I lied, voice weak. A sinister grin curled over the bottom half of his face and he licked his tongue over his teeth.

"And I'm the perv, huh?" He sucked on my earlobe and peppered kisses down my jawline "Sweetheart, tell me, do you want me to fuck that pretty little pussy of yours? Do you want me to make you cum harder than you ever have?" I whimpered at his dirty mouth. "Use your words, doll, or I'll leave right fucking now."

"Y-Yes!" I breathed as Negan's lips sucked on the sweet spot right beneath my ear.

"Yes, what, princess?"

"Yes, I want you to fuck me, please!" I groaned, clawing at his shirt. He let out a short chuckle, muttering something about how needy I was, but I didn't care. Right now, the only thought running through my head was that I needed Negan. I needed all of him. And damn me if I wasn't going to get it.

We clawed at each other's clothes like rabid animals. Once we were completely bare, Negan moved his kisses down my body. His large, calloused hands kneaded my breasts, twisting my nipples between his thumbs. My arms flew around his neck and I dragged my fingernails up his back. He shivered against my touch and slid his hands further down my body. They settled firmly on my hips as he captured my lips in a fervent kiss.

"Fuck, sweetheart," he grunted, pulling back for air. I looked at him. His tawny eyes were now black, pupils far beyond dilated with lust. Both of our lips were swollen and red from the intensity of our kisses. Negan's chest inflated and deflated quickly as his eyes roamed over my body. "You're so damn perfect." I smiled sheepishly and pulled my bottom lip between my teeth, looking up at him through lidded eyes.

"You're not so bad yourself," I reached out my hand and used my pointer finger to draw a line from his collar bone down the center of his chest and through his navel, finally ending right over his pulsing cock. He sucked in a breath as my fingers closed around him. My thumb swept over the hot tip, gathering precum on the pad of my finger and rubbing it around.

"Shit," He hissed as I slowly pumped him "I'm not gonna fucking last if you keep doing that." He gently pried my hand away and took a step closer to me. I could feel his hardened length resting against the inside of my thigh. The thought of him being so close made a burst of heat rush down between my thighs. Negan took a long finger and ran it through my folds, collecting my wetness. I moaned as he teasingly dipped the first knuckle into me. He pulled back and let out a low whistle. "Damn, girl," he chuckled, raising his finger to my face "You're fucking dripping. Who's that for?" His slick-coated fingers glistened in the light of my apartment. I let out a deep groan as he slid them between his lips and sucked.

"You, Negan!" I whimpered, wrapping my legs around his waist "It's all for you." A wolfish grin spread over his features as he tugged me off him and pulled me down off the counter. He spun me around and pressed gently between my shoulder blades until my chest was flat against the cold surface.

"Then if you don't mind," Negan cooed, lining himself up with my entrance "I'm going to take what belongs to me." With that, he slowly pushed into me. I gasped at the stretch, balling my hands into fists as he continued to split me open.

"Fucking shit," he groaned once he bottomed out "you're tight as hell. I bet you've never had a dick as big as mine." He pulled out slightly and I let out a moan at the growing emptiness inside. The moan soon turned to a yelp when he brought down his hand against my ass. The smack was loud and he rubbed the red spot tenderly. "Have you?"

"N-No!" I gasped when he thrusted into me for the first time "Never. Fuck, you feel so good." Negan's thrusts sped up, his hips snapping against my ass in an obscene rhythm. Grunts and moans of pleasure slipped from both of our lips as he plowed unapologetically into me. I could feel every inch of him. He was hitting every spot, dragging against my walls in a sinfully perfect way.

"You're doing so good," He purred, kissing and biting my shoulder "So good for me. You're so perfect." I tossed my head back and he grabbed my chin, tilting my face towards him so he could give me another bruising kiss. I could only keep up for so long, though, and the white bliss of pleasure he was giving me soon became overwhelming. My jaw went slack and my head dropped against the cool tile of the counter in an attempt to ground myself in the moment. "I want you to cum, doll, cum around me. Wanna feel those walls squeeze me." His thrusts were starting to become sloppy and I could tell he was getting to his end. One of his fingers danced down my spine and found its way to my clit. He circled it with just enough pressure to get me to the edge that I was so willing to jump off. "Now." Negan growled. I obeyed, feeling the band in my lower abdomen snapping violently. We reached our releases simultaneously. My walls clenched around him, milking him of every drop. I screwed my eyes shut and screamed his name, holding in a large breath as the world around me spun. Negan eventually pulled himself out and collapsed on top of me. We both were breathing heavily, sweaty bodies entangled as well as we could over a counter. I swallowed, my throat dry from panting through my orgasm. When my eyes fluttered open, I could see Negan's thumb tracing circles over the love bites that were starting to darken on my shoulders.

"Are you going to kill me?" I rasped, running a hand through my wild hair "I guess I'm a bad person now." Negan chuckled, still out of breath.

"I think I'll make an exception," He mused, pressing a sweet kiss to the shell of my ear "I don't think I'm ready to let you go just yet."

[sugawarasnjgga]

pretty setter squad v-day hcs

quick a/n: hey loves! so sorry this so late, motivation runs thin these days and school has been kicking my ass lately. however, i have a lot of stuff in the works that i can’t wait to share with you all!! in the meantime please, take some pretty setter squad valentines day headcanons i whipped up!! love you guys <3

-arson

Akaashi-

- god what a romantic

- i feel like this man would be so like classy about it

- definitely would make reservations for a fancy restaurant like 6 months in advance

- on the night of your v-day date he would dress so unbelievably dapper that you’d feel under-dressed (even though you are both dressed up)

- he would let you order whatever you wanted and how much you wanted too

- and no you cannot pay don’t even try to fight him on this

- god he would give you such gorgeous red roses

- HE WOULD GET A VIOLINIST TO PLAY FOR YOU GUYS AT THE TABLE

- slow dance in the park at night slow dance in the the park at night slow dance-

- he would tell you how much he loves you and kiss you under the moonlight

Atsumu-

- he would send you a bunch of those valentine memes LMFAOOO

- he would try and fail to make sugar cookies

- i feel like your valentines date would just be you guys running around town doing stupid stuff all day and having the time of your lives

- he would definitely hit up the convenience store with you and buy you guys a bunch of valentines themed snacks so you both could eat it in the park

- he also fake proposed with a ring pop

- he would carry you around on his back…. like all day… don’t ask me why

- def would put on crappy rom-coms when you guys get home

- osamu would def tell you guys to ‘get a room’ every chance he gets

- he would def have to hide his blush from feeling you wrapped in his arms

- he would use the worst pick up lines on you all day... unironically

Kags-

- honestly poor kid does not know what to do

- he probably looked up videos on what to do for his partner on valentines day

- i feel like he asked sugawara what to do for you

- he’d probably buy you a little teddy bear and some heart-shaped chocolates because that’s what everyone does

- i think he would ask you to practice with him as a date LMFAO 

- maybe it’s because you two met at one of his volleyball matches ;))

- alternatively, your date would be going out for lunch and a walk

- AND HE WOULD BE TRYING TO DISCREETLY HOLD HANDS BUT BE WAY TOO FLUSTERED TO OMG

- but it’s okay because you notice and take his hand and he would be a blushing mess

- he would def stare at you while you were talking because of how beautiful he thinks you are

- and when you point it out he would definitely blush and deny it

Kenma-

- i feel like you and him would be gaming all day

- if you couldn’t be with him in person you would just stream w/ him on the discord server you guys have 

- DISCORD DATE LMFAO

- however, if you are in person he would get all of your favorite junk food and it would just be a gaming night

- don’t expect to go to bed early not in that way pervs

- you guys would build a whole cottage and farm in minecraft and raise cows together

- you guys would also play bedwars and he would profusely demand a rematch if he loses

- he would definitely blame it on the controller

- (i have to say it so bear with me,) you guys would put your minecraft beds next to each other :)

Koganegawa-

- he would also send you those crappy v-day memes LMFAO

- he would be so excited to see you aww

- when he saw you walking towards him he would definitely run at you,  pick you up and swing you around

- he would make you guys do the love calculator and if you got a low score he would almost cry 

- he would also put in his full name, nickname, etc. to get the highest score possible

Semi-

- he would write you a song omg

- and it would be a damn good song

- he would probably take you to a concert (in timeskip, his concert)

- he would give you his favorite guitar pick 

- he would tell you to pick your fav three restaurants/fast food places and get you food from all three

- he would let you wear his leather jacket home and give it to you (i'm pretty sure he has a leather jacket, but if not let’s pretend he does)

-his cologne is all over it and he smells so nice

- he would listen to classic rock love songs and sing them to you while you guys dance in his living room

- he would get you a heart-shaped locket that had a picture of you and him in it

Oikawa-

- he would take so. many. pictures.

- matching outfits are 100% mandatory

- whenever his fangirls showed up he would just show you off to them until they backed off

- he would get you a custom build a bear that looks him, and when you squeezed it, his voice came through the voice box and said ‘i love you’

- he would probably get you a t-shirt that says ‘property of tooru oikawa’ LMFAOAO 

- kidding…. kind of…

- you guys would make heart-shaped brownies in his kitchen

- he would take you around town to all of his favorite places, so they can become your little spots as a couple, including a little restaurant not many people know about

- he is their best/most frequent customer and he considers it his quiet/happy place, but it’s both of yours now

- he would totally carry you bridal style to like half of the places you guys went to

- he would definitely say some shit like “you’re cute but not as cute as me” all day but in reality he is so fucking flustered and such blushing mess just looking at you 

- he genuinely thinks you are an angel from heaven

- HE WOULD USE CHEESY PICKUP LINES ALL DAY TOO

Sugawara-

- he is such a GOD at valentines day

- fucking perfect oh my god

- he would gives you breakfast in bed even if you don't live with each other 

- he would probably get your favorite breakfast delivered to your house

- he would have asked for heart-shaped fruits on your plate

- he would also leave your favorite one of his hoodies that he sprayed his cologne on so it smells like him

- he would take you on a picnic in his favorite spot in the park and have your favorite food int he basket

- he would have gotten you your favorite flowers

- doting on you. all. day.

- he would have gotten you a plushie in your favorite animal and so much v-day candy

- he would give you such a stunning and expensive necklace

- he would cook your favorite dinner for you too

- you guys would cuddle on his couch and watch your favorite rom-coms or just movies in general

- you guys would also bake heart-shaped treats and have little flour fights in the kitchen

- paul anka’s “put your head on my shoulder” will most definitely be playing in the background as you slow dance together

- HE WOULD GIVE YOU SO MANY FOREHEAD KISSES AS YOU CUDDLE OMSABHIS 

- god he is just perfect

[mediocre--writing]

this hc is sad but whenever neil gets too rough and billy’s injuries are too severe to heal on their own, neil will do his own version of “first aid” since he can’t risk a hospital. stuff like holding billy down while doing stitches, stuffing a belt in his mouth and telling him to shut up and stop crying like a pussy. maybe billy views it as a form of love in some warped way, all “he wouldn’t patch me up himself if he didn’t love me, right? he could have left me or had me do it myself but he didn’t” and he doesn’t realise for a long time how not OK it is until he either causally mentions it to someone or someone witnesses it and tells him how fucked up it is

the first time it happens is when neil yanks on billy’s arm when he tries to walk away. dislodges his shoulder from its socket.

billy is already crying and neil huffs like it’s some inconvenience. grabs two wash clothes from a kitchen drawer and tells billy to bite down.

has him lay on the floor and shoves his arm back in (it took three tries). billy swears that he’s never felt pain that bad.

neil goes to the corner store and grabs a cheap sling for billy, just so the shoulder heals right and doesn’t get overextended or anything.

billy’s grateful that neil cared to help him. even gave him ice packs to make sure it didn’t ache too bad.

billy was 11.

it gets worse after that, if you can believe it.

neils a mans man. he expects billy to be as well.

neil knows when a cut is just a scrape and when a cut needs stitches.

he’s neared the line many times, but it’s never reached the stitches level yet.

but it does now.

neil had shoved billy into a wall, right under a cross that was hanging there (can you sense the irony?) and the cross fell and slammed onto billy’s face.

didn’t break his nose or anything, but there’s a deep deep deep cut right by his eye.

there’s blood in his face, but what freaks out billy the most is that there’s blood in his eye, and he fears that’s where the edge of the cross hit him.

neil, again, grabs two wash clothes and tells billy to hush, grabbing an ice cube to ‘numb’ the area (though it does nothing) and sticks the needle into billy’s cheek.

once too scared to open his eyes, billy is now writhing away because there’s a needle in his face and neil looks way too calm to be doing this. shouldn’t a parent be worried?

but neil forces billy back where he was before, holding down on his arm. says something along the lines of “do you wanna bleed out? i’m trying to help you, boy.” and billy just waits it out.

he cries like a baby.

neil let’s him take the day off of school the next day. let’s billy lay with an ice pack on his swollen face and bruised eye for most of the day. even apologizes, in his own, twisted way.

billy was 13.

once, when billy’s being whipped with neils belt for whatever godforsaken reason neil pulled out of his ass, he hits the same spot too much.

then the belt buckle grabs the skin and pulls.

billy’s screaming in pain. can’t describe how unbearable it was to have the raw skin of his back yanked by a dull belt buckle.

but, it turns out, he needs stitches. not wasting a clean washcloth, neil just shoves the belt into billy’s mouth, going to grab the first aid kit.

billy is laying on his stomach, holding his hands in front of his face so he doesn’t lash out and he bites onto the belt as neil stitches the skin back.

but neil doesn’t reprimand billy for leaving teethmarks on his nice leather belt, so billy thinks it could have been worse.

billy was 15.

the first time susan has to witness one of their bad arguments, billy had snuck a boy into his room.

they weren’t even doing anything. barely even flirting. and they were alone.

billy leaned in, but so did the boy, and they met in the middle and billy felt like an inexperienced virgin while kissing his first boy.

it was a life altering experience.

on many levels.

neil comes home early. or maybe not, maybe billy wasn’t watching the clock. either way, billy’s got a boy in top of him, though fully clothed, but making out nonetheless, when neil slams in.

billy’s life flashes before his eyes that night.

he barely even remembers what neil did. what he said.

billy knows at one point he thought about how much he missed his mom. and, apparently, he said it out loud. spurring his dad on with maximum fury.

it was past 3am when billy woke up from his unconscious state to unbearable pain. neil was stitching him up, had already done so on his face and neck. had moved on to his leg (a line of stitches worked all the way up the back of his calf).

billy could feel the bruising on his torso (from numerous kicks and pushes that rolled him into furniture and walls) and around the crown of his head (the result of a plate being smashed over his head).

he didn’t move. he didn’t have the energy.

but he could hear susan. she was yelling at neil, whispering, but scolding him.

“the hell is wrong with you!? he could have died? this is too far, neil, he’s your son! you should love hi—“

“i’m doing this because i love him, su, you know that! you want a faggot in this house? huh? no, you don’t! and do you really think i’d let my son bleed out on the floor? you think that little of me?”

and billy gets it. gets his dads side. because neil could just leave him to bleed all over the carpet. but he didn’t. he helped.

he had good intentions and only did what was best for billy. who was billy to say what his life should be when he wasn’t even smart enough to learn from his mistakes?

that was the reason for their move to hawkins.

billy, during their first week there, didn’t attend school on behalf of all the still healing stitches and bruises, though he was spotted around town a time or two (already instilling his bad reputation)

and once he gets there rumors fly around the school.

apparently, billy had to move from cali because he beat up a biker gang and they kicked him out of the state.

but, then, the night happens. the one where billy beats up steve and comes out looking pretty clean.

hopper drives his half unconscious body home, along with max, so he can ‘explain the situation.’

that night, for many reasons, is a night max will never forget. ever.

she’s seen demo dogs and tunnels from other dimensions, a possessed kid, and a girl who can move things with her mind.

but she also got her first taste of what it looks like when billy gets beat by his father.

it’s like a car crash, you know you should look away, but you just can’t.

and billy, still drowsy from the sedative, is getting in thrown around the living room and kitchen like a rag doll, being shoved into shelves and cabinets, even dislocated his left elbow and there was a loud crack from billy’s ankle.

and, though she’d wanted billy dead mere hours before, this seemed more torturous.

at least when it was billy and steve, they were both conscious. this was just twisted.

neil, for whatever strange reason his mind came up with, made max and susan watch the lesson: this is what happens when you don’t follow rules.

max could barely make out the rising and falling of billy’s chest at the end.

there was blood splattered on billy’s chest and neck, on his jeans and in his hair, on neils hands.

“grab me the first aid kit and a towel, su,” she scurried to the bathroom and back and max wanted to bolt. run. sprint. just get away from whatever was happening.

neil bent down and used the towel to press down on billy’s bleeding wounds, stopping the blood flow. he then disinfected and wrapped what he could, bandaged everything else.

then he rolled billy on his side, grabbed his forearm and upper arm then snapped them together, fixing the dislocation with practiced ease.

this was also when billy woke up. screaming.

“hush,” is was quiet, but stern, and billy knew to listen.

the towel, one side inked in blood splatters, had the other side shoved into billy’s mouth before neil got out the needle and thread, stitching billy’s larger wounds.

if max thought the most scarring part of her night was going to be anything that happened before this, she was wrong.

she knew. she knew that billy got smacked around sometimes. and he kinda deserved it. he was a jackass.

but this. this was a whole new thing. this was downright madness and max didn’t think she’d ever be able to sleep peacefully in her own bed again.

the tears were rolling down her face when she made eye contact with billy, who had equally red and teary eyes, but his held more pain. more suffering. more knowledge.

“see what you did? you made your sister cry,” neil told billy as he pulled especially hard on a stitch on billy’s tender stomach, making billy scream in agony, in more pain than before.

after that night, max listens to billy more. blames herself for being out and getting billy into trouble.

billy is just glad he was able to find the old sling he had years ago and that it still fit. he’s grateful that his dad stitched him up and made sure nothing would get infected.

knew he should have kept a closer eye on max and this is what needed to happen for him to see that. he knew that now.

a week later, the boys were talking about how some guy named (ronnie? maybe lonnie?) had called the byers asking about will. they talked about how joyce chased him out of the house with his own shotgun.

will told her, when they were leaving lunch, that joyce was so mad because lonnie, his dad, had hit his bother, jonathan.

max thinks about that. thinks about how susan would never, not in a million years, chase neil off with his shotgun for hitting billy.

she stood and watched when neil almost killed billy.

she didn’t know what to think. she wondered if billy knew what was happening wasn’t right. wondered if he’d ever tried to run away or was too scared of getting found if he did.

wondered if there was any scenario in which billy would take her harsh criticism of his dad well.

and it takes years.

billy moves out for college, somewhere good where he can focus on being smart, like he’s always been, and gets out from under neils thumb.

he discovers who he is a little better and still comes to hawkins every holiday and break, gets closer with jonathan and steve and robin and even nancy.

the first person he tells about it is jonathan. he hears the lonnie stories for himself and chimes in with his own anecdote. apparently, it’s not as light hearted as jonathan’s.

but he opens up. it takes the night and a little alcohol and weed, but billy has successfully told jonathan everything his dad has done to him. every stitch and relocation.

jonathan tells nancy and nancy tells steve. steve coddles billy and (because they were already close and in that ‘talking stage’) eventually gets some of the truth out.

jonathan, even though he told people, never exposed everything. there’s some things steve will never know about because they’re just too much and billy found comfort and a commonality in jon that he didn’t know he needed.

(joyce would also totally from that point on have adopted billy, doesn’t matter if he’s already like 22, he’s now her child)

[herakosmos]

@dreamyjaems: “hi babycakes!! i loved your “target headcannons” and it was so enjoyable to read! i was having a rough night, so reading it brought a huge smile on my face 🥰 so if you don’t mind, could you do the “target” headcannons but with goshiki and atsumu! thank you very much and i hope you have a lovely day! i look forward to reading more things from you and good luck on your blog! 💓”

hi bb! ty for the kind words🥺 im glad it made your night <33 you’re my first request, so im kinda nervous😭

im not too familiar w/ goshiki and atsumu, so i’m sorry if they’re ooc :((( i really hope you like it tho!

going to target w/ their s/o

{hcs for goshiki and atsumu}

goshiki

“BABE!!! i’ll go get your favorite cereal brand for you!”

✰ would run all the way across the store just for your favorite type of cereal LMAO

✰ when he comes back PLS praise him 🥺

“goshiki you’re so sweet how did you know?”

✰ stands proudly, chest out and smiles ear to ear

“well..i always see you eating this type of cereal in the morning!”

✰ he would probably get really flustered from pda, so don’t do it unless you’re ready for an overheated baby

✰ pushes the cart for you the moment you guys enter target and would insist to push it until the very end of the trip

✰ IF you’re feeling a little mean today, your hand would “accidentally” intertwine with his on the handle bar

✰ goshiki.exe has stopped working

“u-um y/n what are you doing?”

✰ HIS WHOLE FACE TURNS SO RED POOR BABY

“nothing, i just want to push the cart with you” :)

✰ tries to loosen up a bit, but his heart would be pounding so much that it’s the only thing he could hear <\3

✰ still tries to suck it up and look like it’s not making him sweat at all (even though it is)

✰ he’ll get anything and everything for you

✰ no matter what height you are, goshiki would still want to grab the items on the highest shelf just to impress you. he’ll put it in the cart so proudly knowing how cool that was of him

✰ sometimes it’ll either leave him with a proud smirk or a face of defeat when you aren’t looking HABQAHBSAHS

“did you see that y/n!?”

“huh? what do you mean baby?”

✰ you’ll leave him stunned and kinda hurt tbh

✰ this won’t stop him from trying though!!!

✰ i feel like goshiki would also want to check out the sports section. his eyes would automatically land on the children sports gear and turn soft. he would get MAJOR baby fever from the sight of it and immediately turn to you about it

“BAB-“

“i know what you’re thinking goshiki and nows not the right time to talk about it” 

“BUT”

“goshiki -.-”

“yes ma’am!”

✰ salutes you cutely and that leaves you in a giggling mess. he loves to do dorky actions just to make you laugh and he succeeds every time🙈

✰ probably thinks about what ushijima gets from each aisle you guys pass through. even though you always remind him he doesn’t need to BE like him in order to beat him lmao

✰ 100% pays for everything. he flexed his money and bought $100+ worth of junk food

✰ practically broke afterwards, but doesn’t really care because it was spent on you🥺🥺

✰ going back to the car, he’ll put you in the cart too with the grocery bags like kuroo, but would do it to only show off how strong he is haha

“baby are you sure this is fine?!”

✰ HE’LL BE GOING SO FAST SOMEONE SLOW HIS ASS DOWN 

“DON’T WORRY MY LOVE THIS IS NOTHING”

✰ he of course would start to load the car for you. maybe roll up his sleeves just a tad for you to see his ya’know 👉💪😼

✰ you’d be so grateful to have this little bean like??? he’s so sweet :(

✰ you of course had to do something in return. before goshiki could even say a word out of his mouth, you connected his lips with yours for a light peck. his eyes would be WIDE open while receiving it omg

✰ goshiki: 👁💋👁

“thank you for everything today goshiki….i love you”

✰ AWH CRAP GOSHIKI STOPPED WORKING AGAIN

✰ the kiss made him blush 10x more than from inside the store and starts to muster up a sentence to try and say how he wants another one

“m-maybe we c-could do that a-again?”

✰ of couse you would give another one for the cutie. this time he actually lets it last for at least 5 secs before letting you go

“i love you too baby...always!!”

atsumu

✰ you being his first ever long term s/o, going out to target with his partner was a first for him. atsumu honestly just came because he had nothing else to do...or at least that’s what he told you

✰ atsumu is a man of physical contact, so expect A LOT of pda. he honestly doesn’t give a fuck😭 he’s THAT ballsy to try anything in public

✰ he would be the type to put his arm around your waist while in the midst of choosing between two snacks. this little punk would slowly start to trail his hand lower...and lower....and low-

✰*SMACK*

✰ you smacked his hand off before he could do anything perverted😭 boy would be sorta pissed at either the fact you didn’t let him do what he wanted to do or because you slapped his hand wayy too hard and its turning red now JANXNC

✰ although atsumu can be protective, you can’t be protected from his jabs of teases and pranks lmao

✰ he would purposely take an item out of the cart and put it on a random shelf until you’ll notice something is missing 

✰ when he sees you getting all riled up or show some sort of irritation he can’t help but admire how cute you look all mad. doesn’t try to show any expression though and hides it with a smirk

✰ 100% only does it to get a reaction outta you😭

✰ drags guides the cart to the toy section and checks to see if they have any cool action figures (idk why but i feel like he would collect those kinda stuff)

✰ turns out there’s only those science toys

✰ (kuroo?👀)

“why is there only fucking science shit”

“HUN there’s children next to us don’t say that”

✰ looks at the children and then back at you with a lazy smirk

“ffffffuuckkk” says it in slow-motion 

✰ AHAHAHAHAHSHXHCHH

✰ omg you would just roll your eyes at his immaturity and leave him there with the clueless children 😭😭

“awww come on princess don’t be like that, i'm just teasing”

✰ another eye roll came from your face at how stupid he is, but can’t hold back a small giggle as well

✰ ah how he loves that adorable giggle of yours

✰ the sole reason for this target trip was to look for furniture and it was the LAST stop you guys took from this whole time

✰ atsumu would straight up lounge on a couch even though it would say do not sit on it’s only for display

✰ AGAIN mans does not give a flying fuck he does what he wants😎

✰ if an employee tries to tell him to get off his reply would be:

“if i wanna buy it, my ass needs to approve”

“babe! i don’t think there’s anything here that’s nice we should look somewhere else”

“ahh seems like my princess and my ass doesn’t seem to approve this leather couch of yours we’ll be writing reviews on yelp”

✰ hey, his baby didn’t find what they wanted 🤷‍♀️

✰ rumor has it the employee’s jaw is dropped to the ground till this day lmao

✰ once you reach the check-out area and pay for the junks you got, you put the groceries into the cart and atsumu squishes your face to stop you 

“babe, we’ll find you a pretty couch in no time”

✰ not gonna lie you were kinda bummed from not finding anything

“i know just what to do to make you happy again”

✰ debby ryan smirks 🌚🌚

✰ he immediately lets go of your face and starts jogging towards the lines of carts to get one for himself.

“lets race!”

✰ your face immediately lit up from the request of a pisshead (who wouldn’t want to wipe that smirk off of that handsome face🙃)

✰ you two both started to race each other on carts towards the car and you won. he probably would say he made you win on purpose just because you were a bit pouty

✰ laughter filled the air from how THIS was his way of cheering you up. it was so cute for him to “lose” for you 

“babe you’re such a loser” 

✰ your lips suddenly met his cheek for a light peck

✰ you thought it didn’t really faze him until he asked you to slap both of his cheeks till they turned red

✰ the only reason he told you to do that was to hide the fact his cheeks were burning from that tiny peck LMAO

taglist: (i’ll add more in the future!🥺)

@deadontheinsidebut @kat-writes-haikyuu @lovetsuki

want to request hcs or a matchup? here are the rules!

[writingonacloudblog]

I Will Always be His Daughter

I remember when I was six-years old, my father would deadbolt the doors so no one could get in, but also so I couldn’t get out. I couldn’t go outside to play with the other kids or even run around in the backyard. I always wondered why he did that but even when I was a teenager, I never had the courage to ask. Mostly because my father looked at me like I was a monster he was required to live with. I always thought he would kill me one day, but I actually came out of that house alive. I saved up all the money I could find around the house as my father drank his life away and promised I would never see him again. And if he died, I wouldn’t care.

As I sit in my kitchen with a cup of coffee in my hand, I can’t help but think of what my father is doing right at this moment. Mostly because it’s been twenty years since we last seen each other, and I remember that day vividly. I was sixteen years old at the time and I finally saved up enough to leave his house for good. So, I grabbed 2 outfits and put them into a small trash bag to go on my own journey to find my identity. Sadly, it was a special day for me, the mother I lost, and a tragic day for him.

“You ungrateful little bitch…” He mumbled under his breath as I walked into the living room with my bag in hand. Even though I was 16 I knew I needed to act like an adult and take my life into my own hands. I needed to make sure the life I was given isn’t wasted away on a drunk old man who can’t remember he has a daughter to take care of. I wanted the life I would see on all the TV shows like My Wife and Kids and Good Times where the family would laugh with each other and be understanding even when there are struggles. I wanted a family that would love me unconditionally and not push me towards a dark abyss of depression.

I looked at him with tears in my eyes trying to keep them from cascading down my face. I didn’t want to show weakness as I was about to leave. I wanted show that I was stronger than what he thought I was. I wanted to show him the “monster” that he didn’t create.

“So, you want to leave? You are just like your mother you know?” He laughed as he took another swig of whiskey.

“How can I be someone I never met? She died before I was born, or did you forget? Are you that drunk that you can’t remember that? That drunk that you can’t for a second remember her!” I asked feeling the suppressed frustration being released for the first time. I could feel tension in the room as I said these things most 16-year-olds wouldn’t mouth to their parents. It’s always respect your elders but never respect children as well.

“You should ask yourself that question. Don’t you realize everything I have done for you? The long nights I have worked to make sure you had food or the clothes you are wearing, “

“You made that money so you could drink it away. I am not that innocent child anymore. I know exactly what you have done for me! Nothing. All you have done for me is make me resent you,”

“LAYLA MARIE!”

“You have no right to call me by my name. No right to have kept me locked up in this house. And the audacity to call me the name that my mother gave me? You are a real piece of work.”

“Watch your mouth…”

“No, I won’t. I am tired of not living my life! I have no one here. I am alone here. I am tired of being treated like I am some murderer!” I yelled with every breath I had left. I remember feeling my throat become scratchy from all the yelling. I remember clenching my fist wanting to harm him in some way. I remember hearing him laugh at me and mocking me with a smile like a Cheshire Cat.

“I should have let her give you up you know. Because if you weren’t here, SHEwould be here!” He yelled at me his smile changing like the weather. From sunshine to a thunderstorm his whole demeanor became dark. This man was my father and I had to get away.

________________________________________________________

I put my coffee cup down into the sink and go into the fridge to grab the cupcake with a candle on top that I bought after work. When I place it on the counter all the memories of my father flash before my eyes. Him sitting in his recliner after he got off work, watching the NBA playoffs as I sat in my room wondering why I wasn’t allowed to eat that night. The smell of whiskey and cigarettes in the living room wafting up my nose even though I am in my own house, like my father was right beside me. I lit the candle on the cupcake with my lighter thinking of all the birthdays I had before. They weren’t happy at all.

“Happy Birthday Layla….” I say to myself before I blow out the candle not making a wish. I never made one in the past so why make one now. I could hear my phone ring in the other room. I check the time on the oven and it’s too late for anyone to call me. I have no friends or a lover. Its just me against the world as it should be. But for some odd reason I get a feeling that I should answer immediately. Like my world will crumble if I don’t. So, I walk into the other room and pick up my cell phone, hesitant to answer.

“Hello?” asked the voice on the other line. The words wouldn’t form from my mouth.

“Hello? Is this Layla Jones? I am calling about your father, Fredrick Jones,” Hearing his name for the first time in years made my heartbeat rapidly like a drum. Why am I getting a call about him?

“Y yes this is her. Who am I speaking to?”

“I am a nurse at Matagorda General Hospital. I am sorry to inform you of this news, but your father passed away this morning.”

My heart and time stopped. I didn’t know whether to celebrate or to cry. I didn’t know whether to tell her to go away and leave me alone or to cry and ask if she is lying. 20 years later and no call or an apology from him. And now he’s gone from this earth.

“I’m so sorry Ms. Jones. If you would like I can connect you to,���

“No no that won’t be necessary. Thank you for letting me know,” I said before hanging up the phone and sitting on the floor staring at the wall. I knew I have to go back home and bury him since he didn’t have anyone else. At least that’s how I left him. I left him there with his whiskey in hand drunk like he always was.

I take few deeps breaths to calm my nerves and get up from the floor to pack my suitcase for my flight back home. I know don’t have a ticket, but I know that I can get one for 2 days later. I grab my nice black suitcase with leather handles and grab the clothing that is suitable for the humid weather that makes your hair frizz up into an afro. I close my suitcase up after getting everything packed away neatly and set it to the side in my room. I always thought one day I would have to face him, but I didn’t think I would be facing him in a coffin.

________________________________________________________

A few days later, I landed in my hometown feeling a sense of myself again. The humidity embraced me into a tight hug as I placed my bags into the car I rented for the few days I would be here. I put my old home’s address into the GPS hoping that when I arrive my father still hadn’t moved out. Driving down these small-town roads and seeing places I never got to explore like the schools or the small shopping center, makes me feel like I don’t know this place at all. The only place I remember is my fathers’ house and the airport. The only memory being my father and that’s all.

I pulled up to the house and saw about ten cars parked on the side of the road along with 3 cars parked in the driveway including my dad’s old 1990 Chevrolet Impala. I didn’t think my dad had anyone in his life when I left. He never had friends that came over to watch the game or have a couple drinks. He never really talked about his family or my mom’s family since he was practically disowned, and he felt a lot of guilt about my mother’s death that he never told them that I was still alive.

I got out of my car and locked it, walking up to the front door that has changed since I was last here. I remember staring at the old front door analyzing the rusted screws and the dents on the top and bottom. Now it has changed to a door as white as dove with bronze screws and a beautiful flower wreath that makes me think of the gates to heaven. I try to calm myself taking a few deep breaths as I lift my hand to knock on the door wondering who I will face.

A woman opens the door staring at me, and I don’t recognize her. She was about 5’5’’ with a salt and pepper braided bun greased down to perfection, her eyes red but her demeanor stronger than a bull. I could smell her perfume and felt a sense of nostalgia to the old ladies in church who would always sit in the front of service and fan themselves while singing every church hymn loud for everyone to hear.

“Can I help you?” She asked staring me down like I was a threat to her.

“Yes, ma’am I am just wondering if I am at the right place actually.” I said looking past her and seeing about 20 people in a house with a changed interior from what I left it. The recliner he used to sit in is gone. The smell of smoke and whiskey doesn’t waft towards my nose anymore, but a scent of lavender incense mixed with this woman’s perfume surrounds me.

“Well, I can only tell you if you let me know what you are looking for chile,” She placed her hands on her hips and stared at me like she was trying to figure out who I was.

“A man I used to know lived here and I heard he passed away, so I came to pay respects. But I think I might be at the wrong place,” I stared at the ground and sighed preparing to be on my way to the hotel I booked. I could feel her eyes analyzing my face and my clothing wondering if I was some good for nothing child who is looking for trouble. Most likely asking herself why I had showed up at her house?

“Well, the only man who stayed here was my husband, Fredrick. Are you a friend of his from his old job? Or from the grocery store?” She asked, her eyebrow arched up. I couldn’t tell her I was his daughter because I doubt he ever mentioned me. His daughter who left him behind to find her own life. And imagine being the wife of a man who had daughter you didn’t know about?

“Yes, ma’am I knew him from the grocery store. I am sorry for you’re lost.”

“This gathering is only for family but thank you for the condolences. I am sure Freddie is in a better place.”

“Mom” a feminine yet bright voice called from behind her. When the older woman turned around, I caught glimpse of a girl who looked similar my dad with light brown eyes and his nose. She looked to be in her early twenties with a beautiful black designer dress you would see in Vogue magazine. She must be my fathers’ pride and joy since she doesn’t look like she has suffered at all.

“Yes Kayla?” the older woman asked back.

“Who’s at the door?” Kayla asked catching a glimpse of me before I put my head down looking at the ground, praying to God that I can just run back to my car and get the hell out of here.

“Just a bagger from the grocery store baby girl.”

“Well Aunt Shelly needs help with the potato salad she’s about to put raisins in it again.”

“I swear this woman is gonna make me lose my damn mind…” She mumbled as she turned to look at me. “Thanks again for coming by Honey, we all appreciate it. These last 2 days have been very hard on us. I used to go to the hospital everyday to go check up on him and it hurt me to see him in pain. I am just glad he is back home with the lord. He was such as good father and an even greater husband you know?” She tried to hold back her tears. I couldn’t agree on anything she was saying at all. The father I had was not good at all. He wasn’t some angel sent from heaven, but I guess that’s just her view of a devil in disguise.

As she and I said our goodbyes and the door closed in front of me, I regretted going back to my father’s home. I got back into my car with my suitcase in the trunk and drove back to the airport. There was no reason for me stay there when I’m not his family anyway. The way he treated me I shouldn’t want to pay respects to him at all. He had a new wife and daughter while I was struggling to come to terms that I never will have a sitcom relationship with him. I had to go to therapy and find love within myself because I lacked the love and support of a parental figure. He made me look like a fool again except in death.

I drove back to the airport straight from the funeral. I didn’t care how much a plane ticket would cost me, I just wanted to go back to my life again. I wanted to leave the past behind and pay attention to my future again. I sat in the waiting area and all I could do is stare at the carpet, watching the patterns expecting it to change and have some type of relief. I remember sitting in this airport with a trash bag, a plane ticket, and no plan, crying for someone to save me from him. I begged God to end my suffering and let me be with my mother. Yet, he was a good father?

When I got on the plane, all the comprehension of what just occurred just wouldn’t add up to me. He had a whole replacement family that doesn’t even know about me. I bet they don’t know about my mother or how he was a useless drunk so many years ago. The man who I begged to be my father for years until I had enough.

When I arrived back at my condo from my overnight flight back, I went to check my mailbox for my usual credit card bills and rent reminder. But instead, there was an envelope with a scent I knew too well. I looked at the envelope and read Fredrick Jones on the left-hand corner. A part of me wanted to burn the letter in the fireplace, especially since I wasted a trip to be confronted by his new family that he most likely treated in the way I always hoped he would treat me. But the other side of me wanted to open the letter carefully and cry until my eyes became sore. I wanted to open and see an apology for the way he treated me all those years. I wanted to finally hear him say that I am not a disappointment or a murderer.

So many things in one letter that I wanted to be said so I can cry until I can’t cry anymore. The years of hatred I had for this man and the love I was looking for in this man will be buried 6 feet under. But I will never open this letter. I will never forget my father and I know I will always be his daughter.

[is0gild]

Ice Cream and Fire Oven Pizza - Chapter 23

Pairing: Elsa x Lea/Axel || Side Pairing: Riku x OC

Summary: Modern AU. She's an introvert ball of nerves who works at Ice Palace, a mall food court ice cream shop. He's the outgoing, sassy goofball who works at the Pizza Planet across the way. Hilarity, snark, and fluffy romcom hijinks ensue.

Word Count: 11,552

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Credit for super friggin’ cute and super friggin’ amazing cover art goes to the super friggin’ talented ky-jane here on tumblr!

"Sorry, did I miss a point back there where my car transformed into a submarine to cross the Atlantic Ocean?"

I turned my head towards Lea, knitting my eyebrows together. "Pardon?"

"Well I just don't see how else we would have ended up at freaking Buckingham Palace," he muttered, keeping one hand on the steering wheel while the other tipped his aviators forward for a better look at the mansion at the end of the long, extravagant driveway he was currently cruising his car down. He gave a low whistle, "Shit, all it's missing are those dudes in the highschool band uniforms and big fuzzy hats."

Rolling my eyes, I snorted softly. "Oh come now, it's not that big."

He scoffed, "'Not that big' is something girlfriends say about their exes to protect their insecure boyfriends' fragile male egos. It's not what you say about the Taj Ma-fucking-hal here."

The dreaded weekend was upon us at last.

You know. The Weekend. Capital T, capital W.

Aka, the visit with my parents.

Operation Boyfriend But Shh Not Really was about to be tested to the extreme limits.

The chateau in question (maybe villa would be a better word? Or manor, perhaps? Really, it wasn't big at all, Lea was just exaggerating) belonged to my parents. This was the home I'd grown up in. It was weird coming back here now after all that had happened. Was still in the process happening, I suppose. My fingers fidgeted with my braid as the mansion loomed ever higher the closer we got.

Actually… now that we were more up close and I was really seeing it again… oh gosh, it was rather enormous, wasn't it?

...had it somehow grown in size since last I-?

Shush, now, don't be ridiculous. That was just the anxiety talking.

Of which I was in no short supply of. I still had no clue what was in store for this weekend. Anna seemed almost just as much in the dark as I was, which was strange seeing as how she still lived here. Then again, I was pretty sure she'd been spending a lot less time around home lately in favor of staying over at her new boyfriend's place. A man I still surprisingly knew absolute zilch about, but I was hoping Anna had invited him to join us for this weekend as well. That way, I'd get to meet him and maybe even have a little of the attention taken off me. Long shot, I know, considering he was only Anna's still relatively new beau whereas I'd skipped out on my own wedding and shamed my whole family (apparently), so this guy was kind of small potatoes by comparison. But hey, a girl can dream, can't she?

It was actually Friday evening right now, so we were going to be in for more of a long weekend - in every sense of the word. Lea and I had both worked early shifts today before going to our respective homes, getting changed, packing bags for staying over for two nights and then finally heading up. Not knowing what this weekend was going to entail was wreaking no small amount of havoc on my nerves. That said, it could have been worse. Pretty sure I'd actually been more nervous for the audition a couple days ago than I was for this. Maybe that was because the audition had just been so last minute, whereas I'd been preparing for this little get-together for a couple weeks now. Even I had to admit that Lea and I made a pretty convincing couple at this point. Sure, I still got a bit awkward with PDAs, but I was no longer anywhere near as bad as I had been the day I'd seen father at my old condo.

...then again, doing the whole relationship act around the mall for the past couple weeks was one thing. Trying to pull off the same charade in front of my parents now, not to mention the Duke as well? Probably was going to be a lot more complicated.

I really had no idea what was going to happen the moment we passed through those ornate double doors leading into my parent's home.

But I was about to find out.

Whether I liked it or not.

"Alright, we made it," Lea announced as he parked the car next to the big fountain in the middle of the circle driveway, shutting off his engine. He shot me a grin, "You ready for this, my lil sötnos?"

I blinked over at him, then narrowed my eyes. "Do I even want to know?"

"It's a Swedish term of endearment. Its literal translation is sweet nose. And if yours ain't the sweetest, I dunno what is," his grin twitched wider as he reached over to tweak said nose.

"Sweet n-" I groaned, swatting his hand away. "Veto."

"Aw c'mon, I thought that one was cute!" he gave a little whine. I just drooped my eyelids at him and he sighed, stretching over to open his glove compartment and pull a black marker from it. "Guess America's just not ready for the sweet nose," he grumbled, pulling the cap off with his teeth and marking something off on his palm.

I frowned. "...what are you doing?"

"Regrettably giving up on what is arguably the greatest pet name of all time, that's what."

"No, I meant with your hand." I snatched his in both mine, yanking it over in front of my face to discover a small list written on the inside of his palm, located at the top of which was sötnos with a line struck through it. "...are these... more terms of endearment for me?"

He smirked as he leaned in closer to stare down at his palm alongside me. "Yup! Since the big weekend's here, figured I'd best come prepared. This is important stuff we gotta nail down!"

I squinted at the words before me, reading, "Kruzynko…?"

"It means breadcrumb."

Scrunching up my nose, I stole the marker from him and crossed that one off. "No. Bogárkám?"

"My little bug," Lea supplied, sounding more confident in this one.

A snerk. "Nope," I popped the P. And another one bites the dust. My tongue tripped uncertainly over the next one, "Blodyn tatws?"

"Heh… potato flowers?" he asked hopefully.

"Oh wow, I love that one."

He perked up, "Really?"

"Absolutely... not," I said flatly, looking him dead in the eye as I drew a line across it as well.

"Aw man, not cool!" He pouted, then pursed his lips to one side. "Hey, is now really the best time to be doing this? We, uh…" he chuckled sheepishly, holding up his second hand to reveal a whole other list scrawled on that one too, "...might end up being here all day."

I stared blankly at him. "Just how many more of those do you have?"

"I'd show ya, but that'd require me going a lil more half monty than you'd probably prefer I'd get in your parent's driveway."

My brow furrowed and I leaned away slightly, eyeing him up and down. "...where…?"

He waggled his eyebrows at me, "That's for me to know and you to find out."

I let his hand drop from my grasp, "I'm good, thanks." As he snickered, I looked away, rubbing my fingertips over one of my (now brought to a low simmer) cheeks. "Can't you just stick to El? It's simple. Nice… I like El."

"You do?" I heard him ask and I directed a furtive sideways glance in his direction. A slow smile was curling his lips, "Alright… El it is." But then he was peeking down at his palm again. "...and also krúttið mitt."

Biting back a grin, I swat his shoulder. "How would you like it if I kept calling you some weird pet name in a foreign language all the time?"

Lea beamed, "I'd like it very much actually."

"Really? Fine," I took up his hand again, scrutinizing his palm, "...mo chuisle it is then."

His eyes lit up, "Ooo, that one's spicy!"

Oh dear, why had I thought this was a good idea again?

"...what's it mean?"

He bent towards me, eyes hooded as he purred, "You just called me your pulse."

I've made a grave error this day.

"Ah-ah!" he chirped, pressing a finger to my lips as they began to part. "Too late! No take-backsies!"

I huffed, unbuckled my seatbelt and got out of the car, slamming the door shut behind me.

Lea looked far too smug as he climbed out himself, retrieving both our bags from the backseat of the car on his way out and slinging them over his shoulder. He removed his aviators, hooking them into the collar of his black, fitted v-neck shirt as his eyes took in the mansion before us once again. He'd reclaimed his leather jacket to wear for this, accompanied by snug jeans tastefully ripped at just one knee and a pair a black, heavy, steel-toed boots. He'd blinged out a bit as well, sporting a small sun medallion that hung from a chain down to his mid-chest, along a few strappy leather bracelets and a couple of rings decorating his fingers. His winged guyliner was somehow even darker and bolder than usual and his hair had been pulled back into a half-tail.

Not going to lie, my traitorous fingers practically itched to pet that little red tuft at the back of his head.

Instead, I settled for fussing with the necklace that rested against my skin just above my collarbone. The pendant was formed of three blue, almond-shaped gemstones gathered together at one point. A present from Rayne to wish me luck on this trip. I was a much bigger fan of her good luck charm than I had been of the one Lea had "gifted" me with for the musical tryouts. I wore the small charm with a classic little wrap dress in a soft lilac. Off the shoulder of course - it was me we were talking about here, so you can probably guess it before I even say it at this point - and with the hem of the skirt flaring out around the knees.

Needless to say, looking at him and me side-by-side right now, it was clear one of us was either severely over or underdressed. Considering it was my parents' door we were about to knock on, one guess as to who was what.

"Try not to scratch the paint, chief!" Lea chipperly called out as he was suddenly tossing his keys at one of the staff under my parents' employ who just so happened to be walking past us in that second.

Eyes widening, the man fumbled to catch them. As Lea turned to head towards the front door, I followed, quirking my eyebrow at him. "What was that?"

"I'm blending in," he flashed a cheeky smile, shoving a hand into one pocket of his jacket. "Whatcha think, do I sound like a rich asshole or what?"

I tipped my head to one side. "...actually, you kind of sounded like my ex."

A snort escaped through his nose. "I'll take that as a yes then."

We walked a couple steps in silence. Then, "That wasn't a valet, by the way."

He froze midstep, looking at me sharply. "What?"

"That was a gardener. My parents don't even have a valet."

"Oh." Lea glanced back over his shoulder, frowning. "...maybe I should go get my keys back then."

I hid a small grin behind my fingers. "Maybe you should."

Waiting politely, I watched him jog back towards the worker to do just that, along with offering what looked to be quite the humble apology. "Got 'em!" he declared once he'd rejoined me, flinging them up into the air before catching them again to slip into his pocket. "So even a proper gent like your old man feels the need to prove what a hot, young stud he still is, eh? Wouldn't of thought him the type."

"What?" I blinked a couple times. Where'd that come from?

He tossed his chin back towards his vehicle. More specifically, at the few other cars he'd parked next to. "I recognize Anna's Porsche over there, but that blue Ferrari reeks of midlife crisis."

"...that's my car." Then I grimaced and amended, "Rather, was my car."

"Huh?" he looked taken aback. "You drive? Since when?"

I gave a small shrug, "Since always."

"Then why're you always having me n' your roomies chauffeur you around? Not that I mind..."

"I don't have a car or the funds to purchase one." He wordlessly jerked his thumb back towards the Ferrari, face blank. I sighed, "My parents bought me that. It didn't feel right keeping it after… everything. Not with me trying to separate myself from them and make it on my own. No, I plan to buy my own once I've saved up enough."

"Shit, still shoulda kept it," Lea said and I gave him a dull look. He hastily waved a hand in front of him, "Even if ya didn't want it, you coulda sold it and made bank before giving all that munny away to charity. Ya know, just so you could really stick it to your folks."

Shaking my head with a soft chuckle, I started walking towards the entrance again. "Let's just get on with this."

"Aye aye, Capitaine," he gave me a two-fingered salute, catching up to me with his long strides.

Feeling my chest start to constrict as we drew nearer to those doors, I blew out a soft, slow breath. "I hope we're not late. I shouldn't have let you talk me into that salon visit after we got off work."

"What, you needed something to help ya relax and a quick spa day was just the ticket! 'Sides, I wanted to make myself all pretty for this! Whaddya think?" He stretched his arm out before us both, fingers wiggling to show off his fresh coat of black nail polish. "If this doesn't impress your folks and tell 'em what a man of sophisticated tastes I am, I dunno what will!"

I snorted. "I think my father is more of a mauve man himself."

"Really? Crap, you shoulda said something! I'd have asked for a matching color so he and I could be twinsies! Shucks," he snapped his fingers, "missed opportunity."

Coming to a stop on the doorstep, I reached for the bell, but my fingers hesitated.

This was so strange. I'd lived here. Spent my childhood here. I'd never had to use the doorbell before.

...why did the idea of doing so now seem so hard?

A sudden warmth enveloped my other hand. I looked down to discover Lea was holding it. He gave it a small squeeze as he said softly, "Hey. Whatever happens in there, just know I'm here for you."

I felt a small stutter in my chest as a tiny smile tugged at my lips. "...thank you," I murmured, squeezing back before looking to the doorbell once more. Taking a deep, calming breath, I pushed the button at last and a heavy chime could be heard within.

While we waited, a glimmer of something at Lea's waist caught my eye and I turned to see what it was. A crease formed between my eyebrows. "...is that… a wallet chain?"

How had I missed that thing until now?

"Hm?" he followed my gaze. "Oh! Yup! Heh, thought it might really pull the whole look together! Do I look like a punkass bad boy now or what?"

"Or what," I fixed him with a deadpan stare. "You look ridiculous."

He splayed a hand against his chest in mock offense. "Rude. Can't believe you'd talk to your pulse like that."

Face warming, I hung my head. "...I'm never going to hear the end of that, am I?"

"Nope!" he grinned wickedly.

"Would you just take that silly thing off?"

"No can do, sweetcheeks! Boys like to accessorize too, ya know," he sniggered, giving the chain a little twirl. "Just be grateful I left the spiked choker in the glove compartment."

"Spi-?!" I spluttered over the word before managing a scoff and crossing my arms. "Oh, trust me, I am. The point is to get my parents to back off, not to send them into cardiac arrest!"

...huh… Lea in a spiked choker…

"You're trynta imagine what I'd look like wearing it now, aren't ya?" he'd hunched down beside me to whisper into my ear with a smirk.

My cheeks burned so hot, you could have roasted marshmallows on the damn things.

"...am not."

I was almost grateful when the door swung open just then. And also a little surprised, because the face that greeted me wasn't that of my parents' house maid Gerda.

No, instead it was that of a pale, wide-eyed, huffing and puffing Anna.

(With Gerda right behind her, looking quite harried and put out by the fact that my sister had stolen her job.)

"Elsa!" she cried out in relief. "Finally! What took you so long?!"

Furrowing my brow, I began, "Anna? What-?"

"No time! Get." She lunged towards me. "In here." Her hands seized my shoulders. "Now!" I was forcibly yanked inside.

I heard the door booming shut behind me and could only hope that Lea had managed to slip in himself in time as well. Gripping my sister's arms, I tried again, "What's going on? We couldn't be more than a few minutes la-"

Her hand suddenly shot out to squeeze my cheeks together between her thumb and fingers, squishing my face and effectively silencing me. "Shush! No talkie! Only listen! Oh, it's bad, Sis. Really, really bad! It's him! He's here! Like, here here! Right friggin' now!"

"Who's here?" I asked, tugging my face free of her vice-like grip and working my jaw. I knit my eyebrows together at Gerda, who was frantically circling us as she kept trying and failing to get a word in edgewise. "The Duke? I already knew-"

"No! Not the Duke! Of course not, he won't be here until tomorrow! Gah! You know, Sis, sometimes you can be really-" Anna cut herself off in a tiny snarl, fingers curling in front of her to strangle empty air. "Ugh! Anyway, it's- I didn't- It was just- Out of nowhere- Mom and Dad, they- He- His-"

"I think she's trying to tell us something. What is it, Lassie? Timmy trapped in the well again?" Lea snerked as he let our luggage fall to the foyer floor beside his boots.

Ignoring him, I gently rubbed my hands up and down Anna's arms. "Breathe. Calm down. Take a minute to gather your thoughts."

"People!" she suddenly blurted out, startling me a bit. "Lots of them! Loads of them! So many people!"

I frowned. "People? Where? You mean here, now?"

She shook her head rapidly, "No, no, no, no! Not now people! Future people! Tomorrow people! And… and caterers! And musicians! And decorators and, and, and him! He's- Right now, he's- just down the hall, he's- he's-"

"Who, Anna? Who?" I insisted.

Her hands violently shook me, "Him!"

Right. Thanks, Sis. Big help you are.

Why was she like this?

The maid finally managed to pipe in, "What Miss is trying to tell you is that your-"

"Got it, Gerda, thanks!" Anna huffed out with a tiny scowl. Then she took in a deep breath, preparing to say something.

"Crap, I think that dude just robbed us," Lea chimed in first.

Holding a finger up to Anna, I whipped my head around to see what he was talking about: an older gentleman in a black suit walking briskly away with our bags. "Oh, that's just Kai."

Lea cocked an eyebrow at me, "The robber's name is Kai?"

"No, the butler's name is Kai."

"Why would the butler rob us?"

"He's not robbing us, he's just taking our things up to our room." I blanched. "Rooms." Plural. As in more than one. My parents would never, not in a million years, have put Lea and me in the same room under their roof… right? Oh gosh, why was the possibility only just now occurring to me? "He's, uh… he's p-putting them where we'll be staying. Separately. As in, not together. Completely and one hundred percent apart," I (overly) clarified, fighting that blush I felt creeping up my neck now.

Anna suddenly grabbed my head with both hands and forced me to look at her again, grounding out through her teeth, "You're. Not. Listening to me!" Then with a grumbling sigh, she snagged my hand in hers and started dragging me down one of the many corridors that branched off from the foyer. "Come on, we better hurry, they're probably wondering what's taking so long."

Gerda squeaked and scurried after us. "Right this way, please, and I'll see you to the Marigold Room where your hosts await your presence!" she awkwardly trilled, trying to maintain some semblance of performing her duties despite Anna's continued interference.

A whistle from Lea confirmed he was following as well. "Lemme guess. The Duke in the conservatory with the candlestick."

"Wha-?" my voice faltered as my feet tripped trying keep up with Anna, only barely managing to keep myself upright.

He grinned down at me as he strode along, shrugging. "This whole place is a legit, life-sized Clue board. Just trynta play the game here."

I stumbled again. "Ow, Anna! Not so hard. What is the rush?"

Not slowing down, she glanced back at me over her shoulder. "Come on, Elsa, think! What day is it?"

"Uh…" Was this a trick question? "...Friday?"

A low, agitated noise emitted from her throat. "No, what day?"

I squinted up at the ceiling in thought. "...the seventh?"

"Yes!" she spun around to tap her nose excitedly, her feet still moving backwards. "Which would make tomorrow…?"

"The eighth." Lost by this line of questioning? I know I was.

"Of?" she pressed. "What month, Elsa?"

"The eighth of… oh!" It finally clicked and I staggered again, my eyes growing round. "...oh no. It's his birthday. Oh gosh, he's here?! Right now?!"

"Yes! Finally! Thank you!" Anna cried out in exasperation.

"Who?" Lea asked, both eyebrows shooting up his forehead at my sudden change of attitude.

"It's-" I began, but that one word was all I got out before Anna took a sudden sharp turn, yanking me into the Marigold Room with her and bringing us face to face with-

"Grandfather!" I breathed, feet faltering as Anna brought us both to a sudden and jerky stop before him.

He cut an imposing figure, my grandfather. Tall, like father, and with the same red hair too that had been passed down to Anna. His however bore prominent streaks of grey at his temples - really the only sign of him getting on in years as he otherwise looked remarkably good for a man of his age. Still fit as a fiddle, barrel-chested, with a strong, square jaw and a sharp, piercing gaze.

A gaze that was so cold right now that I didn't know how I wasn't frozen into solid ice on the spot.

Anna had been wrong.

This wasn't bad.

This was catastrophic.

Because my grandfather? Not exactly the nicest person. Remember what my father had been like? Well, just think - he'd had to learn it from somewhere. And next to Grandfather, my father seemed warm and cuddly. Like sunshine and rainbows. Heck, Father was as friggin' teletubby by comparison to the man who'd raised him. Grandfather was cut from the same cloth as his brother, the Duke. The epitome of old fashioned and proper etiquette. The thing was, where the Duke was all bluster and tantrums, Grandfather just got quiet when he was angry. Like... really, really quiet. An ominous kind of quiet. A bone-chilling kind of quiet. Whenever Grandfather stopped talking, that's when I really got scared of the man.

No, scratch that. That was when I got petrified of the man.

So the fact that he was just staring down his nose at me right now, eyes narrowed, lips set into a grim, disapproving line, and not uttering a single word? Would have been enough to turn my hair stark white if it weren't pretty damn close already.

And to make matters worse? Mother and Father stood not five feet behind him looking rather unamused with me themselves.

Oh gosh, this wasn't going to be some pleasant, little family gathering.

This was going to be an execution. Mine, to be exact.

Gerda suddenly appeared off to one side, panting to catch her breath and making a hasty curtsy towards my parents and grandfather before announcing, "Elsa and her guest have arrived."

...thanks, Gerda. I think they figured that out already.

I watched as she turned and hurried to make her exit before reluctantly returning my gaze to Grandfather. Still, he said nothing. Just arched one bushy eyebrow at me and waited.

Oh fudge, he wanted me to be the first one to speak? Where do I even begin? What do I even say? Could I even talk right now? I don't think I could, not with how heavy my tongue suddenly felt, like it had turned into solid lead. What was I supposed to do here? How-

Suddenly, I felt it. A hand. Lea's hand, slipping across the small of my back and coming to rest on my hip, pulling me gently into his side. "Aren'tcha gonna introduce me, babe?" he asked, voice low and sugary-sweet as he grinned and pressed a kiss to my temple.

Grandfather's thick mustache gave a little twitch.

That's all it took for me to know. Not thirty seconds into this and there was absolutely zero doubt in my mind.

Before this weekend was out, Grandfather was going to murder Lea.

Inhaling and exhaling, I wrung my hands together and somehow figured out how to do this thing called 'talking' once again. "F-Father, you've already had the, uh… the pleasure, but Grandfather, Mother… this… this is…" I screwed my eyes shut, trying to steel myself.

Come on, Elsa, you can do this. Just one word. Just one measly, little word.

"This is my boooooo-" What was this? What was I doing here? "-oooooooooooooooo-" Why was I stretching the syllable out so friggin' long? What, had I gotten stuck? "-oooooooooooooo-" Dear god, how was there this much oxygen in my lungs? "-oooooooooo-" I didn't think there was even this much oxygen on the whole planet, much less inside my lungs. "-oooyyyyyyy-" Oh good. Progress. At this rate, I'd complete the word sometime this century. "-yyyyyyyyy-"

Anna, my divine saviour and blessed angel of mercy, jabbed her elbow into my gut.

"-friend!" I finished at last with a cough. "Boyfriend. This is my...my boyfriend. Yes. This is he. He is this." A beat. Then, "Lea! By the way. His name, that is. Yup. Lea the Boyfriend. My boyfriend. That's right, Lea is my boyfriend. My boyfriend is-"

"I think they get it, Sis," Anna hissed quietly out of the corner of her plastered-on smile.

Gee, I was getting so good at this whole lying thing, wasn't I?

"Pleased to meet ya, Gramps," Lea stretched out a hand towards him.

Grandfather didn't take it. Instead, he just stared long and hard at it. At the black nail polish and rings adorning it. Finally, he lifted his chin with a sniff and straightened his already ramrod posture even further. "That'll be Sir to you, young man."

"Oo, how formal. Whatever you say," he retracted his hand with a smirk, "Sir Gramps."

This had been a mistake, using Lea as my rent-a-boyfriend.

Actually… no, mistake would be an understatement. This was a powder keg and Lea was a goddamn burning match.

Pushing past my now rigidly stiff grandfather, Lea approached my parents next. "Pops, always a pleasure. Ma'am," he took my mother's hand in his to politely press his lips to the back of it, "lovely to make your acquaintance."

She looked slightly taken aback, blue eyes widening. However, Mother recovered quickly, delicately plucking her fingers from his grip to smooth at the tight bun her brown hair was currently up in before primly folding her hands together just below her waist. When she smiled, it was gracious but tight. "As it is yours," there was a briefest of pauses before she tacked on a hesitant, "Lea. Please, take a seat. Dinner should be ready shortly, but would anyone like a drink prepared while we wait?"

I was relieved to hear Lea answer with, "I'm good, thanks." Because a return of Wine Tipsy Lea was by far the very last thing this situation needed right now. As I declined as well, a quick look around brought to my attention the fact that we were the only two not partaking as it seemed the others had already started before we'd gotten here. Mother and Father were sipping at what looked to be some sort of dark red cabernet, while Anna retrieved her own glass and moved towards the mini bar to refill it - most likely with something sweet, fruity and potent enough to bring down an elephant, knowing her. On the low table around which all the seats gathered was a sturdy glass full of ice and an amber liquid. Probably Grandfather's. Probably bourbon.

I shifted over towards the sofa opposite the table from my parents and all three of us took a seat at the same time. Lea joined me soon after, slipping his arm around my shoulders as he flumped down into the cushions beside me. Grandfather, however, hadn't budged from where he stood since we'd entered the room. Not one inch. "Father," was all my father said to him - partially warning, partially pleading.

Grandfather's mustache twitched again and his left eye ticked. But then he moved to sit down in the armchair in front of the bourbon, snatching up the glass and sullenly nursing it.

Dear lord, this was a nightmare. No, this was Hell. That had to be it - I'd died and was now in my own little corner of the Underworld specifically designed and crafted to torture me in the cruelest way possible. I could already feel the stress burning an ulcer into my stomach and no amount of Lea's fingers lightly trailing up and down my arm would calm me down.

There was no point in putting it off, right? I should just do it now. Bring up the thing that was on all of our minds but no one was talking about. You know, the thing. The wedding thing… or rather, the whole lack of the wedding thing. I should just get this over with. Rip the bandaid off. Getting it all out in the open now had to be better than this. Anything had to be better than this… right?

Hands fidgeting furiously in my lap and this close to dislocating a finger, I licked my dry lips and managed to find my voice. "Perhaps now… we should discuss what exactly h-happened on… on my-"

"That is a topic that would be best saved for later," Father talked over me, his stern voice cutting me off. "Let us speak of other things right now."

My head rocked back at that, my forehead wrinkling. I flicked my gaze over to Grandfather briefly - who was still stewing quietly over his drink - then back to my parents. "But I thought-"

"Now's not the time, Elsa," Mother insisted firmly. "This is not a discussion that will be brief, nor will it be suitable to have over dinner. Besides, your father and I will have our hands full preparing for the party tomorrow evening, so this is a conversation that will just have to wait until the day after."

A frown tugged at my lips. "You're hosting a party?"

"For Grandfather's birthday," Anna plopped down onto the sofa beside me, freshened drink in hand. "Since, ya know, it's such a huge one. The big seven-oh. The whole family is going to be there to celebrate. And I mean, the whole family," she shot me a pointed look over the rim of her glass as she took a swig.

Oh. So that's what she'd meant earlier by "tomorrow people."

Why couldn't she have been this articulate when she'd greeted me at the door?

Mother added, "You are, of course, invited to attend the celebration as well, Lea. I know Father would be thrilled for you to join us."

Uh-huh. Sure. Grandfather looked positively pleased as punch over there at the very prospect.

"Sounds like a blast, count me in," Lea grinned.

Alright so… the birthday soirée would be tomorrow, then The Talk™ would be the day after. Roughly two days… forty-eight hours of waiting and worrying and dreading and- oh dear, I had to wonder what the world record for longest sustained panic attack might be. Start the timer, I was about to shatter that sucker.

A hush fell over the room, with the only sound coming from the clinking of the ice in Grandfather's drink accompanied by the ticking of the ancient but well-kept longcase clock in the corner. The ticking seemed to get louder with each passing second.

After one painfully long minute, Mother was finally the one to break the silence. "So Lea," she began, her eyes intent on him, "please… tell us a little about yourself."

"Where to even begin? Lessee here." Uh oh. I didn't like that little gleam he had in his eye as he rubbed a curled finger over his chin. "Well, I guess ya could say I had the kinda childhood every lil tyke dreams about: full of joy and love and the foster system." It was probably a good thing I hadn't gotten a drink because I'd probably be choking on it right now just like my parents were with theirs. "But I mean, with a druggie dad who bought the farm and a druggie mom who split outta my life first chance she got, where else was I s'posed to go?

"As for the rest after that, let's just give ya the highlights." Now he started ticking off his fingers, "College dropout. Ride a motorcycle. In a hardcore death metal band. Smoke ten packs a day." For the love of… he did remember the part about not giving my parents a heart attack, right? "Just got my thirty-day chip from AA - hey, fifth times a charm, right? Oh, I'm also a wanted felon in three different states. Wait…" he squinted one eye, pursing his lips to the left, "...make that four. Always forget about Connecticut. Which reminds me, I need to check in with my parole officer."

"He's joking!" I said quickly with a tiny, nervous laugh.

"Or am I?" he leaned forward in his seat to whisper conspiratorially, eyebrows bouncing. I pinched his arm, forcing a soft tch from him. "But let's not forget the most important thing ya need to know about me: how completely," he kissed my pinky, "and totally," another one for my ring finger, "head over heels," three more, one for each word and each remaining finger, "I am for your daughter."

Alright, you need to cool your jets, cheeks. This was all just part of the show, after all.

A show that was possibly being performed a bit too well. Grandfather's knuckles had gone so white around his glass, I was surprised the poor thing hadn't shattered into a million pieces yet.

Lea tapped his index to his lips now, "Hmmm, what else? Oh! Got a pretty cool story about this gnarly scar my half-brother gave me with a-"

"Anna!" I suddenly burst out, turning towards her at the same time I snagged Lea's hand, keeping him from lifting the hem of his shirt. She froze mid-sip, glancing at me out of the corner of her eyes. "What about you? What's new with you? You have that new boyfriend of yours, right? What about him, will he be joining us this weekend?"

Who me? Trying to change the subject? Psh, I would never!

She winced, averting her gaze and lowering her drink as she traced a finger around the rim. "Oh jeez, my…? Well... he, er… he was going to make it for dinner tonight but… something… unfortunately came up! But he should definitely be here in time for the party tomorrow, so… don't worry! Heh… I- oo, little cheeses!" she cried out excitedly as Gerda abruptly appeared once more to place a small platter of hors d'oeuvres on the coffee table. Anna immediately proceeded to stuff her face with them before pointing at her bulging cheeks and shaking her head, signaling she could no longer talk.

A crease formed between my eyebrows.

Huh… was it just me or was Anna acting kind of weird?

Maybe the tension around the room just had us all on edge, even her. Yeah, that was probably all it was.

"And you, Elsa?" Father's cool tone snapped my attention back to him. Each word that followed was slow and measured, as if he were picking them very carefully, "Tell us how you have been keeping yourself occupied during these past several weeks."

"Oh!" I gnawed on my lower lip, my fingers already tugging at my braid before I'd even realized it. "Well, I've… reconnected with an old friend - you remember Rayne from when I went to summer camp? Well she's married now with a baby on the way, can you imagine? And… and I've gotten myself a place to live and have found a job and-"

-and auditioned for a musical.

That was what I'd been about to tell them. However when I tried, the words got caught in my throat.

I knew they'd disapprove. That they'd probably scoff and wonder why I was still wasting my time on such childish, useless things. But it wasn't childish or useless, at least not to me. To me, the audition had been so important, had brought me so much happiness. I didn't want to give my parents the chance to belittle and ridicule it. I didn't want them to take this thing that was so special away from me.

So instead I released my braid and folded my hands in my lap, sitting up a little straighter as I simply said, "...and that's it really."

I could sense Lea's eyes on me. I think he knew what I'd purposely omitted. Thankfully, he kept his mouth shut about it.

"So… Lea…" Grandfather spoke up suddenly, his voice dangerously low and making me flinch. "I hear you're in the…" his lip curled in a slight sneer, "...pizza business? Is that right?"

Smirking back, he slouched a bit more comfortably into his seat. "That's right. I sling dough at a lil pizza joint in the local mall food court. Great place by the name of Pizza Planet… you ever been?"

His jaw clenched ever so slightly. "No, can't say that I have. But this... Pizza Planet," he said it like those were the two most offensive words in the english language, "...is that where you see yourself working for the rest of your life?"

Lea chuckled, his hand batting the air, "Nah, that'd just be silly! No, I won't be selling pizza forever." His mouth curved into a cheshire grin, "Instead I'll be selling ice cream."

"He plans to own his own business, Grandfather," I hastily clarified.

"His own business… selling ice cream," he growled, pointer finger incessantly tapping against his glass now. "And this is how you would plan to provide for and take care of my granddaughter."

"Pardon me, Sir Gramps," there was a hint of an edge to Lea's voice now, despite his unwavering smile, "but I was under the impression that your granddaughter was her own person fully capable of taking care of herself."

You know that chilling, goosebump-inducing, hackles-raising energy you can feel crackling in the air right before a devastating storm strikes and ravages the land?

That was exactly how it felt right now in the space between Grandfather and Lea.

Luckily, Gerda appeared in the nick of time to divert the tempest by announcing, "Dinner is ready!"

"Thank you, Gerda," Mother had stood in the blink of an eye and was already making her way over to Grandfather. "If you would be so kind as to escort me, Father?"

His hard, unblinking gaze was still on Lea and for a second it seemed like he hadn't even heard her. But at last he tore his eyes away with a harrumph and put his drink back down on the table with a sharp, audible clink. "Of course, my dear," he said evenly as he rose from his own chair, offering her his arm and leading her out of the room.

I turned to Anna, but before I could say anything she'd already bolted up and around the table to grab both of Father's hands in hers. "C'mon, Dad! Walk me to dinner too!" she yanked him up, startling a soft grunt out of him as he staggered to his feet. Then she was hooking her arm through his elbow and all but dragging him out of the room with her.

What the…?

...maybe Anna was just super hungry?

"I think that went really well!" Lea chirped, giving me a thumbs up.

I merely drooped my eyelids at him and said nothing.

Later that night found me in my old bedroom. I'd deduced this was where I was expected to sleep, seeing as how this was where Kai had deposited my luggage. As suspected, Lea had been set up in one of the guest rooms further down the hall, so it was just me alone in here now.

It felt odd being back in this room. Just like it'd felt odd returning to my parent's home or going back to my old condo. I don't know, I guess I just didn't feel like I... belonged here anymore. Like I was some piece that everyone else was trying to force into the wrong puzzle, even though my edges didn't fit and the picture didn't match at all.

Sighing, I shifted in my chair to face the mirror on my vanity once more - this one a lot nicer than the one we'd scrounged up for my room back at the apartment I shared with Rayne and Riku, as you might imagine. Having just finished combing out my hair, I set my brush aside and my fingers idly went to work on rebraiding as my thoughts began to wander.

Dinner had ended up just being the sequel to drinks in the Marigold Room. My parents had continued to try and maintain some semblance of being hospitable hosts while keeping up strained conversation. Grandfather had continued to be a seething ball of barely-held-in-check fury and I don't think he'd said more than two words for the rest of the evening. Lea had continued to… well, be Lea. And as for my sister…

I quite honestly had no idea what was going on with her. Maybe it was just my imagination but it seemed every time I'd tried to talk to her, something else had always gotten in the way. Like I'd open my mouth to speak but before I could so much as make a peep, she'd already engaged Mother or Father in some new topic. Or I'd ask her a question only to have her look at me, lips pursed shut against a mouth full of food and shoulders shrugging. There was even one time where all I'd said was her name before she'd accidentally knocked over her drink. At least, I thought it'd been accidental… unless...

Could it be that she was... purposely avoiding talking to me? Had I done something to upset her? I couldn't even begin to think what. Last I'd seen her a week ago, she'd been fine. Everything had been normal between us. What could have possibly changed since?

...maybe I was just reading too much into it. It was probably just a lot of coincidence and poor timing. In fact-

There was a knock at my door just then.

Ha! Bet you that was her now. See? Nothing to worry about, I'd just been overthinking it all. Tying off my completed braid, I rose to answer the door.

And indeed, it was a redhead that I found waiting in the corridor on the other side.

Just not the redhead I'd been expecting.

"Lea?" I frowned, both my eyebrows rising.

He snerked, "Yeesh, don't act too excited to see me."

"What? No, I'm- You're just not who I-" I pressed my lips shut, heaving a small sigh through my nose. "...nevermind. What brings you here?"

"Brought ya something," he grinned and for the first time, I realized he was hiding his hands behind his back. "May I come in?"

My head tipped to the right. "Uh...sure," I opened the door wider, my bare feet stepping off to one side as I absently smoothed at my dress - the same one from dinner. Lea had arrived just before I'd been about to change for bed.

He was still in his earlier clothes as well, though he'd left behind his boots and jacket. I couldn't help but notice he hadn't taken that cute little half-tail out of his hair yet. I also couldn't help but notice the way he carefully managed to keep whatever he had behind him out of sight, even as he walked past me into the room. I closed the door and when I faced him, he hunched down to my eye level, "Ya ready?"

I crossed one hand over my abdomen and gestured with the other for him to continue.

"Ta-da!" he brought one hand forward now, revealing a little black strip lined with sharp, metal points dangling from the clasp pinched between his fingertips.

That's right. It was the spiked collar.

...whatever I'd been expecting, it hadn't been this.

My eyes blinked once. Then twice. "...you were serious? You actually have one of those?"

"Course! What, didja think I was lying? I'm offended, madame," he hmphed, putting his free hand to his breast.

I snorted with a roll of my eyes, "Well no, not lying, but more so just joking."

"I never joke about studded leather," he waggled his eyebrows at me.

Nose crinkling, I delicately poked a finger into one of the spikes. "Alright, so why exactly are you showing me this?"

Lea smirked and shrugged. "Your curiosity just seemed so piqued when I mentioned it earlier."

I gave him a flat look. "It was not piqued."

"Keep telling yourself that," he chuckled then paused, eyes crinkling. "...so you wanted to know what it looked like on me, right?"

Cheeks lightly toasted now, I scowled, "I never said-"

He wrapped the thing around his neck, holding it in place with a hand instead of fastening the tiny buckle in back.

Oh.

Oh, I see.

...it was, um… hrm, it was… interesting.

Damn it, face, be cool. That goes double for you, heart! Don't go thinking I can't hear that racket you're making down there!

"Well, I guess that's one mystery solved," was all I said as I glanced away, hand coming up to cover one cheek in a vain attempt to hide the growing blush.

"Glad I could be of service," he murmured as he (mercifully) removed the collar from his throat once more.

"...why do you even own one?" I asked, hesitantly reaching for the accessory now.

He let me take it from him. "Just a relic from my pissed-off, rebellious juvenile delinquent days that I managed to dig up again recently. What a punkass lil poser I was back then, huh?" he hummed a tiny laugh as he looked down at his feet, lightly scuffing one against the carpet.

Intrigued by it now, I turned it over in my hands as he spoke before taking it over to the mirror on my vanity. "I suppose we all try to find different ways to express ourselves when we're young. Just a part of growing up and figuring out who we are," I said distractedly as I watched my reflection bring the choker up to encircle her neck, tilting her head slightly to the left with a thoughtful frown.

"Well I guess that'd make me a-" whatever quip he'd had locked and loaded was forever lost as he made a sudden strangled, choking noise.

I looked over at him sharply, brow furrowing as I lowered the spiked collar once more. "You okay? What happened?"

His fist thumped his chest as he fought for breath, which was making his face red. "N-nothing," he wheezed, rapidly shaking his head. "Just oxygen, man. That shit'll kill ya, am I right? Heh."

I squinted at him dubiously.

Lea was such a weirdo sometimes.

He averted his gaze now, rubbing at the back of his neck. "You, uh… that choker looked good on ya. Like really, really good."

"You think so?" I frowned down at where it rested in my palm before holding it out to him, "I'll just have to take your word for it."

"Keep it," he grinned, pushing my hand back towards me. "Ya never know when you'll need one for an impromptu angry goth phase."

I smiled at that, "I think I'm in the clear. Isn't that more of a teenager thing?"

"Please. Angry goth isn't an age, it's a state of mind."

"If you say so," I snorted, but put the choker down on my vanity. I had to wonder what my parents might say if they ever discovered it in here with the rest of my things.

"So," he piped up once more, pulling my attention back to him, "this is the bedroom that sweet lil El grew up in, huh?"

As I watched Lea take a few steps further in now, it suddenly occurred to me... this was the first time a boy had ever been in my bedroom. And not just any boy - this was my crush.

Wow… it felt so highschool when I put it that way.

To be fair though, this wasn't an experience I'd ever got to have while I was actually in highschool.

Better late than never, I suppose?

I only wish it didn't make me want to squirm so much as his eyes roved over everything in here, from the big, purple, gauzy canopy bed to the embellished, oversized wardrobe and matching dresser set. From the cushy, inset bench beneath a grand window in the unique shape of a triangle to the tall, antique shelves of neatly arranged novels and DVD cases of old musicals and plays. From the small sitting area in one corner furnished with plush red chairs to the vintage Broadway posters hanging from the walls in expensive frames.

The room was not small by any means, but him being in it somehow seemed to make it shrink. Like here was this big guy that had somehow found his way into a cutesy little dollhouse room. The comparison did not make me want to fidget any less.

Trying to take my mind off it, I began, "So… earlier at drinks and dinner, did you really have to be so…" I bit down on my bottom lip, trying to find the right word. "...just so, ah…"

"So much of a grade-A jackass?" he suggested brightly. Not exactly the word I would have used, but still, I gave a slow nod and he laughed. "Remember, the whole point was for me to be a total hooligan so they didn't just think me some pushover they could boss around or scare off. Think they got that message loud and clear. 'Sides, pushing every last button of the girlfriend's folks is kinda a hallmark of being a classic bad boy."

My fingers found their way to my braid, running up and down it. "But there's a big difference between pushing a few buttons and having a deathwish."

"Aw, how sweet, you worried about lil ol' me, El?" He paused briefly in his casual perusal of my room to glance my way, flashing me that cursed dimple of his, "I'm so flattered."

I shook my head, "I just think you didn't have to go to such extremes or be quite so-"

"Gotta question for ya," he interjected, coming over to stand in front of me. "Say I had showed up on my very best behavior. The perfect gentleman, minded all my P's and Q's and was just the saintliest boyfriend to ever saint. Do you think your family would be singing my praises right about now?"

My eyes shifted about and I tried weakly, "...well… maybe if-"

"Do you truly, honestly believe that your family would ever accept a white trash lil nobody like me dating their precious princess of a daughter?" he pressed quietly yet firmly.

I tucked in my lower lip, hesitating for a long moment before a tiny grimace twisted my face and I mumbled, "Probably not, no."

Lea gave a little smile that almost seemed a touch sad before he turned away once more, returning his attention to exploring the bedroom. "Thought so. I was screwed the second I so much as dared to breathe the same air as your gramps. So if they're all gonna hate my guts whether I play the part of boy scout or hoodlum, might as well go with door numeros dos and at least have some fun while I'm at it," he chuckled.

"Fine, I see your point," I crossed my arms with a frown. "But still, you might want to tone it back just a smidge. Grandfather has munny and connections. He can seriously make you disappear."

A snerk. "I'd like to see him try. I'm one tough son of a bitch to get rid of," he muttered as he neared my bed now, reaching out a hand to poke some of the draping aside as he peeked in, "Trust me, no one axes me that easily, got it memorized? He's in for one rude awakening if he thinks he can just- gah!" he stumbled back in surprise, blinking a couple times before shifting the canopy again for a second look. "The fuck is that ugly lil bastard?!"

I rushed over, snatching up the stuffed plushie sitting atop my neatly made bed and hugging it close as I glared at Lea. "It's a snowman and shush, he's cute! Cuter than you anyway!"

His horrified gaze darted from me to the doll and back. "Dear god, I hope not!"

Sitting down on my mattress, I spun the little guy around in my lap for a better look at him - it'd probably been at least four-some-odd years since I'd last seen the plush, after all. And okay, sure, I could admit he probably wouldn't be winning any beauty contests any time soon, but give the poor, stuffed snowman a break! I had had him since I was a baby and he had had to endure more than one stitch repair job, especially with what a destructive little toddler Anna had been. Despite all that, I still thought him rather handsome with a unique, quirky charm to him.

Giving Lea a flat look and hitching my chin, I said dryly, "My statement stands."

"Wow, guess it's true what they say, beauty really is in the eye of the beholder," he grumbled, narrowing his gaze on the plushie as I snuggled it close to me once more. But then one corner of his lips quirked up and he bowed down to look me in the eye, tipping his head to one side as he murmured, "Hope I at least rate a close second."

Resident cheeks be advised: flash fire warnings are now in effect.

I held my tongue and just glanced away.

The corners of his eyes crinkled as he straightened back up and shoved his hands into his pockets. "So… about that big party tomorrow…"

Thank goodness, a new topic! "What about it?"

Shrugging, Lea said, "Just wanna know what to expect."

My fingers idly stroked at the snowman's head - the fabric still felt soft after all these years, even if it had taken on more of a dull gray color by now as opposed to its original pristine, snowy white. "Well… it'll probably be held in our ballroom-"

"This small palace has a freaking ballroom too?" He shook his head with a snort, "I was kidding before, but this place really is just one big damn Clue board."

Rolling my eyes, I continued, "And it'll probably be packed with all our relatives. Believe me, there are a lot of us on both sides of the family. Acquaintances too. Honestly, it'll most likely all be rather boring. Just a whole lot of mingling, maybe a speech or two, and an over abundance of food accompanied by music."

"Music…" he repeated, frowning up at the ceiling now as one hand went to the nape of his neck, tugging at the little hairs there. "So that mean there'll be dancing? Like… the fancy kind?"

I cocked my head at him. "Are you worried about having to waltz?" Resting my stuffed doll against my pillows, I stood up, "I can teach you if you'd like."

He blinked at me, expression unreadable. Then, "Alright."

I stepped over to stand before him. Now that I got close, I was reminded of just how freakishly tall the man was. My stomach did a little somersault at that and I was already regretting this decision. But it was too late to turn back now. Beating the blush back, locking it up and throwing away the key, I schooled my face into seriousness.

I was going to handle this like a professional, damnit!

"It's fairly simple really, and you've probably seen more than your fair share of it in those sappy movies you like so much. Our hands come together, like this," I joined my right with his left, holding them up to one side. "While your other hand goes…" gingerly taking his wrist in my grasp, I tentatively guided his palm to rest on my hip, hoping the action didn't seem as awkward as it had felt, "...right there." Finally, I settled my left hand on his shoulder and looked up the few inches that separated us.

Big mistake.

Jeez, having eyes as green and beautiful and heart spasm-inducing as his should've been illegal!

And being surrounded by his warm, cinnamony boy scent was not helping matters one bit.

I hastily broke eye contact, opting to look down at our toes instead. Toes are nice. Toes are safe. "It's, uh... it's very easy. You just take steps in the shape of a square. Watch my feet and follow along, I'll go slow. Forward with your left foot first," I took a step back and he moved with me, "then to the side with your right… now bring them together… Good. Then back with your right… out with your left… and together again." I took him through it a few more times without issue. "See? Simple. You're already getting the hang of it."

"I just must have a really good teacher," he said in a low hum.

"At this rate I'll soon be the one following your lead instead of… wait," my forehead wrinkled, "...you are already leading." I looked up at him suspiciously. "Did you already know how to ballroom dance?"

He smiled sheepishly, "Heh… guilty?"

"You brat, why did you tell me you didn't?" I laughed, trying to step away from him.

"I said no such thing," his hand shifted from my hip to the small of my back, not letting me escape. To be fair, I didn't try that hard. "You just assumed I didn't know how. And you know what they say when you assume," he teased as he continued to lead me in our little dance.

I scoffed in spite of the upward tug I felt at one side of my mouth. "Where did you even learn to waltz?"

"My lil secret," Lea winked. "But you know the deal. I'd be willing to give it up for one o' yours."

"You want me to give you a secret?" My eyes darted to the left. "I'm not sure I even have anymore…"

He snerked, pulling me ever so slightly closer to him. "Now I know I don't believe that. You must be able to think of at least one."

...actually yes. There was… at least one more I could think of…

That of certain feelings I was having for a certain redhead.

Sensing a small, familiar heat creeping up into my face, I cleared my throat and shook my head, still not meeting his gaze. "No… no I don't think so. Pretty sure I'm all tapped out."

He dipped his head down next to mine and I could feel him smirking against my ear as he whispered, "You wouldn't be lying to me now, would you?"

His warm breath tickled and I had to suppress a shiver. Conceal, don't feel. Don't let him know. I finally looked at him with a small, playful smile that I hoped didn't betray my hammering heart. "Come now… does this look like the face of someone who'd lie to you?"

Lea bit back a tiny, crooked grin as his eyes hooded, his thumb tracing small circles against the fabric of my dress. Then his lips parted, about to speak.

That was when, for the second time that night, a knock came at my door.

That must be Anna. Smile widening as I continued to stare up at Lea, I called out, "Come in."

I heard it open followed by a soft, "Oh!" that caused me to pale and my feet to stumble.

That wasn't the sound of my sister's voice.

My head whipped towards it as I stammered, "M-Mother!" This time when I attempted to break free of Lea's hold, he let me.

She stood there, posture perfect and hands clasped together in front of her. "Sorry, I didn't think you already had company."

"S'okay, I was just leaving," Lea said before pressing a tender kiss to my forehead. "Night," he told me, voice low as his fingers tucked some of my hair behind my ears. Apparently, he couldn't just depart without giving me one final whammy of the warm fuzzies. Jerkface. "Ma'am," he nodded to my mother as he walked past her towards my door, closing it behind him on his way out.

My gaze followed his exit before drifting over to my vanity right beside the door.

More specifically, to the spiked collar still resting on top of it.

Fudge. Had I wondered what my parents' reaction would be if they ever discovered it in here? Yes. Did I particularly need to find out the answer to that little question this very night? Hell no!

Luckily Mother hadn't seemed to notice it on her way in and her back was currently to it as she said, "That young man is… quite the character."

Funny. That's what Father had said. Almost verbatim. I wondered if my parents rehearsed these things.

"He, uh…" I sidled past her, putting myself between her and the choker, blocking her line of sight to it. Then I forced an innocent smile and a weak chuckle, "...he makes me happy."

If she thought my movements strange, she was good at hiding it. "And he seems very fond of you."

"Ah… yes, I suppose so." I casually leaned back against the piece of furniture and slipped a hand behind me, discreetly moving the offending item into one of the vanity's small drawers.

Whew! Mission Hide The Goth Contraband was a success!

The small feeling of victory swiftly waned however and I frowned. "Mother, I…" I began, only to find I had no idea what to say to her.

I hadn't had any idea for years now.

It had not always not always been like this. In fact when I'd been very little, I'd felt like I could share anything and everything with her. She'd been my biggest supporter in all things, especially in my love of the performing arts. As I'd always been such a shy child, she'd gone so far as to even encourage the activity, perhaps in the hopes that it would build my confidence and make me more outgoing.

But as I'd grown older, our relationship had changed. She became more aloof and distant. I suspect she and Father had hoped my interest in theater was just a phase, one I'd grow out of eventually. But when it seemed I wasn't going to - not on my own anyway - she'd started taking a sterner approach with me. That's when she stopped being my friend. That's when it became harder to talk to her. And it'd only gotten harder and harder with time. Things were never quite the same between us after that.

She watched me now, patient for me to continue. Worrying my bottom lip between my teeth, I finally settled on, "Why are you here?"

"I would think the answer should be obvious." Her small, gentle smile caught me off guard, but not nearly as much as her now stepping forward to take both my hands in hers. "I wanted a little time alone with my daughter. Away from your father and grandfather... just the two of us."

My breath hitched, my chest constricted, and before I knew it I was blurting out, "I auditioned for a musical."

Her head reeled back slightly and I winced.

Welp. So much for not letting that cat out of the bag.

I swear, mouth, I can't take you anywhere.

Waiting with bated breath, I searched her wide-eyed gaze for any clue as to what she might be thinking. Was she angry? Annoyed? Disappointed? I couldn't tell as her face gave away nothing for several long seconds. Finally though, she tipped her head to one side, "...did it go well?"

I blinked, a crease emerging between my eyebrows. "I, uh… yes, I think it did. But they won't announce casting until next week."

"I see. Well," and here she was smiling again as she leaned in closer to whisper, "we can just keep that our little secret, hm?"

...who was this woman and what had she done with Mother?

I stared at her before slowly nodding. It was all I could do. Words abandoned me at the moment. I hadn't been prepared at all for this.

And I was even less prepared for what came next.

Mother's gaze softened as she brought her hand up, cupping her cool fingers to my cheek. "That must have taken a lot of courage. I'm very proud of you."

My throat tightened and I swallowed past the lump I felt forming in it. I blinked away some tears, my voice hoarse as I somehow managed to get out, "Th-thank you… Mother."

Had I entered some sort of Twilight Zone? If so, I never wanted to leave.

She regarded me kindly for a second more before her expression turned to that of concern. "You look tired. Have you been sleeping well?"

Honestly, I hadn't. The last good night's rest I'd had was the unplanned sleepover in Lea's room. Every night since then was one night closer and closer to this weekend and whatever unspeakable horrors awaited me. Every night had been less and less dreams, replaced by more and more tossing and turning. I'd actually spent all of last night wide awake, just staring up at my ceiling until the sun had at last arisen.

So, naturally, my answer to Mother was, "Yes."

Her quiet tsk said she didn't believe me. "Come here," she turned away, walking towards my bed and lowering herself down onto it. I hugged myself, feet rooted to the spot as I stared after her, bewildered. Sitting back against my pillows and tucking in her legs, her hand patted the spot on the mattress beside her, "Cuddle close, scooch in."

Instantly I was transported back to when I was a little girl. Back to the last time I'd heard her say those words to me. My response was automatic and before I'd realized it, I'd already curled into her side and was resting my head against her shoulder.

She started humming a familiar lullaby. One she had used to sing for me all the time when I was small. It was from my favorite musical, the same one that the song I'd sang in the tryouts had been from.

This was nice. It wouldn't put me to sleep, but still, it was... nice. Comforting. Nostalgic. Her hand was lightly stroking my arm, my hair, my cheek. Then she was trailing the tip of her pinky down the bridge of my nose slowly before bringing it back up to do it again. An old trick she'd used to use to get me to pass out. Cute. That may have worked when I was a child, but I was an adult now. There's no way it could still possibly have the same effect on me now, not in a million-

Within minutes I was out like a light.

Author's Note: Ah, it's finally here! The dreaded weekend with (dun dun dun)… The Parents (TM)! Elsa's spent most of the story in Lea's KH universe, now it's his turn to spend a few chapters in her Frozen world xP Let me tell you, when I was writing outline notes for this whole story, I had very little planned for this arc at first. I had a smattering of a few vague ideas, but hardly enough to fill even so much as one chapter with! But thankfully, Frozen 2 was released, coming to my rescue and giving me a whole new host of Frozen characters to include xD Then the ideas started flowing, thank goodness! Soooooo, more F2 characters to be introduced in the chapters to come! Fun Fact: Elsa's dress this chapter (complete with lil necklace) is loosely based on the dress she wears at the beginning of F2 for the Some Things Never Change song, just picture it shorter (cuz apparently I just want to do that to all her dresses) and with a maybe slightly poofier skirt.

Next chapter, what new trial and tribulations does The Weekend (capital T, capital W) hold in store for our couple? Is there something up with Anna or she just being her normal oddball self? Was there a reason behind Mother's unexpected show of affection? Will there be trouble brewing at Gramps' bday shindig? Just who REALLY is the cuter cutie to ever cute: Lea or Elsa's wonky snowman plushie? Stay tuned!

Thanks for reading, I super duper appreciate it! And an extra BIG thank you to those of you who’ve liked, reblogged, and followed so far, seeing those lil notifications always brings the biggest, goofiest smile to my face!

FIRST CHAPTER || PREVIOUS CHAPTER || NEXT CHAPTER

[skeletorific]

Less Muscle Than a Frown- A Bones and Brew Commission Fic

Whew, this has been a long time coming! I wrote this piece for @frankpanioncube who has been so completely generous and patient with me in all of this!

If any of you are interested in commissioneng me, feel free to DM me.

Also, light disclaimer: I do get into this a little bit, but I want to make it clear now, I’m doing my best to avoid the “girl not smiling? must be a bitch we need to fix this” trope. So I will get it out of the way that while my commissioner did request female pronouns, this story would have been the same for he/him and they/them. 

They didn’t know what to make of her.

They’d had customers who weren’t into their schtick before. Coffee shops inevitably got a lot of one-time customers just looking for a caffeine fix on their way through life. Some people weren’t into the energy they had going in the shop. Which was usually fine. Unless they were assholes. Then it was less fine.

But she wasn’t a one-time customer. She was in pretty much every morning, the same thing ordered every time, around the same time every day. She didn’t seem to dislike any of them. But she was just so...

“Stone-cold” Stretch mused, watching her as she walked out the door.

“PAPY, BE NICE.”  Blue chided absently, working on a frappucino.

“Can’t help it, bro.” He made a show of shuddering, lazy grin on his face as he leaned back against the counter. The cafe was closing in a couple minutes for their weekly staff meeting, leaving them to chat freely. “Did you see the look on her face when I tried joking with her again? Like talking to a mannequin. Couldn’t even tell if she got it. No smile, nothin.”

“be fair, maybe that’s cause it was one of your jokes,” Rus said quietly, smirking.

Stretch tossed a dishrag at him.

“PERHAPS SHE’S SIMPLY HAVING A BAD DAY,” Papyrus said. He was mopping across the room but the skeleton had sharp ears (metaphorically) for gossip.

“Talkin about the ice queen?” Sans said from the corner table. “She must be havin a bad day a lot then. I mean, has anyone here seen her smile?”

.....

Silence.

“Eeeexactly.”

“WELL, NOT EVERYONE IS NATURALLY EXPRESSIVE.” Papyrus insisted.

“SHE KEEPS HERSELF IN CHECK. I CAN RESPECT THAT.” Black mused.

“I mean, not that I don’t appreciate the merit of keepin your shit to yourself, but honestly, I can’t get a handle on her.” Red was picking his teeth with a toothpick. “Almost like she doesn’t like us or something”

“IF SHE DIDN’T LIKE US, WOULDN’T SHE STOP COMING?” Blue said.

“Maybe she just likes the coffee.”

“MAYBE ALL OF YOU DON’T HAVE ENOUGH TO DO SINCE YOU’RE SPENDING TIME THINKING ABOUT THIS.” Edge grumbled, coming out of the office finally. Stretch and Rus exchanged an eye roll.

“c’mon, boss, you can’t pretend you’re not a little curious.”

“I AM DECIDEDLY NOT.”

“I bet I could crack her.” Stretch said.

“Pfft, how much.” Rus said.

“20 g.”

“man, you must really like giving me your money.”

“alright, why don’t we make this interesting then. if you crack her first I’ll give you 40.”

Rus smirked. “You sure you wanna make this a contest?” He crossed his arms.

“CONTEST?” Black said, eyelights brightening as he straightened up a bit. Blue acted like he wasn’t listening but it was pretty obvious his attention had perked up too.

“Yeah, hot topic, you want in?”

Rus shot Stretch a warning look but Black hardly seemed to notice the editorial. “HMM...WELL, I HAVE LESS TIME WITH HER THAN THE REST OF YOU...BUT I MAKE UP FOR IT BY HAVING ACTUAL CHARM, SO WHY NOT.”

“COME ON,” Papyrus said, frowning slightly. “IT'S NOT REALLY ANY OF OUR BUSINESS. IF SHE’S NOT SMILING, IT'S BECAUSE SHE DOESN’T FEEL LIKE IT. IT'S NOT OUR PLACE TO FORCE IT OUT OF HER.”

“Hey, no one’s forcin anythin” Red said. “If she don’t want to, she just won’t.”

“That mean you’re in?”

“Yeah, sure. Could use the cash. Plus....she’s kinda hot.” He grinned wolfishly.

“Pfft, figures.” Sans said. Red shoved his shoulder.

“Shuddup, you in or not.”

“Yeeeah why not.” Sans caught the disapproving look from his brother and shrugged, smiling somewhat apologetically. “Sorry, bro. Just lookin to mess with these nutjobs. Besides, it's not like we’re really hurtin anyone. Could do her some good even.”

Papyrus sighed. “IT JUST...FEELS INTRUSIVE.”

“How bout you, bro,” Stretch said, noting his brother was feigning far more interest in piling whipped cream on his drink than was necessary.

“WELL....” He was mulling it over, clearly empathizing with Papyrus’ sentiment but also chronically unable to avoid a contest of any kind. “....I SUPPOSE SMILING IS GOOD FOR YOU. AND REALLY, THE ONLY THING WE’LL BE DOING IS TRYING TO MAKE HER HAPPY OR LAUGH, RIGHT?”

“Yeah, sure.”

“...OK. IF ONLY TO KEEP ALL OF YOU IN CHECK.” blue said sternly.

Stretch grinned. “Of course bro.”

Black muttered something under his breath that sounded vaguely challenging.

“how bout you, boss?” Red said. “You in-”

“I CANNOT IMAGINE A BIGGER WASTE OF TIME’ Edge said, flipping through a binder that held records of the store’s financials. “NOW CAN YOU ALL STOP TALKING NONSENSE SO WE CAN GET THIS MEETING UNDERWAY?”

The contest began in earnest the next day. Rus, moving quickly, managed to maneuver himself into the cashier spot before the others even noticed her come in.

“Hey, sugar, how you doin?” He said, drawling in a slightly lower tone.

The woman didn’t so much as blink. “Medium double shot macchiato-”

“-with soy milk and a caramel drizzle.” He finished smoothly. “I remember.”

She seemed slightly taken aback. “Um....yes. Please.”

Good, he’d thrown her off balance. Now to hit with the big guns. He punched it into the cash register and looked up without moving his heads, hitting her with a 1000 watt grin. This thing was a force to be reckoned with. People behind her in line were already getting visibly flustered.

“That’ll be $4.65, darlin” He was practically purring it out, already mentally counting his gold...

A crumpled five dollar bill was shoved in his hand without so much an eye twitch. “Keep the change. Thank you” And she was gone.

Rus was left frozen in place. What the...

“U-um..I’ll have you-...uh!!” stammered the (very red-faced) gentleman who was next in line. “I mean....”

Stretch chuckled to himself as he started making the drink. Cocky bastard really did think he was hot shit with that. Still, seemed she wasn’t into his brand of flirting. Now, for an old standby...he subtly rolled his shoulder while he worked until he heard a familiar pop that made every one of his coworkers wince and glare at him.

“Double shot macchiato, soy, and caramel?” He said, pretending to scan the store like he didn’t know right where she was.

She stepped forward, holding her hand out. “Thanks.”

“Eh no problem.” He held the coffee out but didn’t hand it off properly.

She raised an eyebrow. “Um...”

“Go on and take it, all ready for ya.” He said with an innocent smile.

.....

She reached over and took it....pulling his arm off his body as she took it.

A couple of people in the shop yelped. She didn’t seem to have a reaction, just staring at the detached limb wrapped firmly around her cup of coffee.

“Ah, sorry about that.” He reached over and pried it off, fighting a grin. “Guess I was disarmed by your sunshiney presence.”

Nothing.

“Might have to hit the pharmacy for this” He said, examining the arm.

.....

“....Nah, guess with a little elbow grease I can get this to work.” He rolled up his sleeve. Come on, come on, that delayed laugh...

“Doesn’t that hurt?”

“...what?”

“Popping your arm out like that.”

“...no....not really...”

“Hm.” She nodded and walked off.

Rus burst out laughing once she left.

Stretch tossed his arm at him.

The next day Blue and Black decided to team up. Blue waited until he saw her car pull in and immediately wheeled out the mop bucket, starting to drench the floor in a way that would have made Edge rave about warping the floor if he had been there. He put up a wet floor sign while Black positioned himself so he could catch her once she inevitably slipped.

Blue did his best to keep his eye on his work, but he couldn’t help but hold his breath in anticipation as she walked past the storefront windows. The bell rang over the door as she entered, and Black tensed himself to pounce...

Squish squish squish. “Double shot macchiato, soy milk with caramel drizzle please.”

....No-slip shoes.

Black was cursing mentally, looking around the room for something to slide. Maybe if he got it under her feet-

“w-WOAH-”

He saw the figure sliding towards him out of the corner of his eye and before he could react he found himself knocked down. Another one of their regulars, who was bright red as they struggled to pull themselves off him. Coffee had drenched his shirt, and by the time Blue had helped the two of them to their feet he was soaked through. His tackler was apologizing profusely but Blue ushered them off before Black could realize his favorite leather jacket had probably just been ruined. The purple-toned skeleton was cursing to himself when he came back and stripping his upper clothes.

“I-I’m really sorry, there wasn’t a sign so I didn’t realize-”

“ITS QUITE ALRIGHT” he assured. Wait, no sign? Blue and Black’s heads snapped towards their brothers, who were hiding grins. Stretch was shifting something further behind the counter. Black looked downright murderous.

“WHY DON’T YOU GO ASK THEM TO REPLACE YOUR COFFEE. ON THE HOUSE.” Blue said quickly, nudging them in the direction of the counter while grabbing the mop and moving to distract Black.

“WELL...BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME?”

“THIS. MEANS. WAR.”

Next day the Fell and Tale brothers were on staff.

Papyrus and Edge continued to show no interest in the competition, Edge displaying visible irritation every time the subject came up and Papyrus lecturing the other four for nearly an hour about safety hazards after he found out about the mop stunt.

As for the other two...

“You wanna know what their problem was?” Red said, giving the counter a half-assed wipe. “goin practical. Stunts. Gags. too many movin parts means more chance that somethin’s gonna go wrong”

“True enough.” Sans said distractedly. He was currently more focused on stacking cups into a pyramid. Slow day.

“Now me, just gonna rely on the natural charm”

“Oh, then you’re for sure gonna lose.”

“Shut up man”

“Didn’t Rus already try flirting?”

“Rus tried smilin. Cocky bastard think’s that’s all it takes.”

“Since when are you Suzie social skills.”

“since 40 g was on the line. Now shut up, here she comes.”

Here she came indeed. The ice queen cometh. Red’s eyelights lit on the bass guitar strapped across her back.

Perfect.

“The usual, please,” she said, handing over her card.

“Comin right up, doll.” He punched it in and swiped the card. “So, you play that thing?”

“What?” She seemed to suddenly remember what she was carrying. “Oh, yeah. Guitar too.”

“You in a band, or...”

She shrugged. “Sometimes. I uh...also do a little background work for some local studios. If they need it. Its kind of free-lance I guess?”

This was the most he’d heard her talk in a while. No smile yet, but...He could feel Sans watching him from the machine and smirked slightly.

“So you’re good then. Professional.” He leaned forward on the counter.

“I um...like to think so, yes.”

“Y’know, Paps has been talking about trying to do an open mic night around here. you should come. Show me whatcha got.” He grinned.

“My music isn’t exactly open mic friendly. It's...a lot of death metal.”

....woah. Hot.

“That’s cool. Like, the screaming kind.”

“A little bit...”

“Here’s your order” Sans cut across him, shoving the coffee in between them and startling them both.

Red shot him a glare.

“Oh. Thanks.” She took it and turned to walk away.

Red suddenly caught a glimpse of a familiar pink shape on the ground. Oh shit, how the-

“Wait-”

PBBBBBBBTTTTT

She jumped, nearly spilling her coffee and looking down at the ground. A whoopee cushion.

Sans was losing his shit next to him.

She shook her head and continued walking.

PBT-PBT-PBT-PBT

Oh gods oh gods oh gODS- Sans’ eye was lit up blue with magic, pushing the cushion under her feet again and again with every step. She picked up the pace, practically running out of the store, which only added to the surreal hilariousness of the situation.

Red tackled Sans to the ground but by then it was too late and she was out the door. Sans was practically crying with laughter, gasping for air.

“I!! Hate!!! You!!!!” he said, shaking him by his shirt.

“Cmon, like you wouldn’t have done it if you’d thought of it.” Sans said, wrestling out of his grip

Red pulled him back into a headlock. “I was really fuckin close, dude!!!”

“Owowowow ok ok I give.”

He was about to refuse but then saw Edge glaring at him from the office. Red sighed and turned him loose, still fuming.

“Hey, cmon.”

“Asshole.”

“.....wanna do it to the next customer....”

“......yeah”

It was a long day for Edge.

The tactics only grew more and more ridiculous with each passing day. Rus seemed absolutely undone by the failure of his charms and suddenly was laser focusing his flirtation, much to the jealousy of his other customers. Stretch managed to negotiate a truce with Blue and Black and the practical jokes rose to a near dangerous degree. Red kept trying to resume the conversation but Sans ran interference every time. He seemed to have given up on attempting to win the bet and was instead focused on ruining for everyone else.

It was bedlam in the coffee shop whenever she came in. Edge tried to act as a restraint on it, but he couldn’t be on staff every minute of the day.

And still, nothing.

No response. Even kinder gestures seemed ill-fated. Blue tried leaving nice notes on her cup and the ink simply smeared on her hand. Black snuck flowers into her car only to see her a moment later trying to shoo several large bees out of her car. Pastries? Allergies. Red tried changing the playlist for a few days to death metal but had to turn it off after the sound was so loud that customers were forced to scream at them to communicate their orders.

If anything she grew more and more closed off with each passing day. She became jumpy whenever they got near and had taken to examining every drink they handed over for little extras (blame Rus for that one, he dumped some chocolates into her drink and they nearly choked her.)

All of them were there that day. Another staff meeting was due, they were just finishing up the last of it. She came in, ordered her drink, and then went to the bathroom. Papyrus, as had been his won't lately whenever he was on staff and she showed up, made a point to get between them and her whenever possible. He took her order with his usual friendliness and then went to make her drink.

“SHE’S BEEN DOING THAT A LOT THIS LAST WEEK” Black noted.

“what?” Sans asked.

“IT'S LIKE CLOCKWORK. SHE ORDERS, SHE GOES TO THE BATHROOM FOR A FEW MINUTES, AND THEN COMES OUT AND TAKES IT IN A HURRY.”

“.....huh.”

“Could mean nothing.” Stretch said quickly.

“....OR SHE COULD BE HIDING.” Blue said quietly.

“Uh...what? Bro, come on, why would she be hiding.”

“IF SHE’S HIDING, SHE’S HIDING FROM ALL OF YOU.”

Heads turned in the cafe. None of them but Sans had heard Papyrus sound that fed up with anything but the Annoying Dog.

“Pfft, what, she allergic to politeness now,” Rus said. His ego had never really recovered from his flirtation being so utterly ignored.

“ALL OF YOU HAVE BEEN INCREDIBLY OVERBEARING.” he was mixing furiously, a slight glare on his face like the machine had personally offended him. “ALL SHE WANTS TO DO IS MIND HER OWN BUSINESS AND GET SOME COFFEE, BUT INSTEAD THE SIX OF YOU HAVE SPENT THE PAST MONTH HARASSING HER JUST BECAUSE YOU DON’T THINK SHE SMILES ENOUGH.”

“...I mean, when you put it like that, uh...” Stretch tried for an awkward chuckle. “Sounds a bit-”

“CREEPY? UNKIND? OVER-THE-LINE?”

“WE DIDN’T MEAN ANY HARM!” Blue said, looking slightly upset as the realization hit him.

“IT DOESN’T CHANGE THE FACT THAT IT WASN’T A VERY GOOD THING TO DO. WE’RE HER BARISTAS, NOT HER MOTHER. OUR JOB IS TO MAKE OUR CUSTOMERS COMFORTABLE AND YOU-” He was squeezing the cup to tight and it popped out of his hand, hitting the wall and splashing everywhere. “SARD!!!”

“bro, we-”

He went to the back of the store to get a cleaning rag (and a new cup), looking visibly irritated.

“....shit.”

“I mean....just cause he read it like that, doesn’t mean she did...” Red said, scrambling for an excuse.

“Nah....nah he’s right.” Stretch said after a minute. “Went too far for a joke that...honestly wasn’t that funny.”

“I CAN.....ADMIT THAT I WOULDN’T APPRECIATE IT. IF SOMEONE DID IT TO ME.” Black said reluctantly.

“So what do we do now?” Rus said.

“WE SHOULD APOLOGIZE.”

“I’ll do it.” Stretch said. “I started this bet so...I’ll apologize.”

“Think free coffee for a week or so will make it up?” Rus said.

“I’ll talk to boss about it,” Red said. “But...he’ll probably go for it. If for nothin else than to get us to quit.”

She came out from the bathroom and seemed slightly let down that her coffee wasn’t there waiting. She stood near the exit, looking slightly uncomfortable and checking her phone over and over.

Stretch sighed and went over. “Uh...hey.”

She looked up, dread filling her eyes.

“Its fine, I just...wanted to talk.”

“U-um..actually I have this call I need to make. Can it wait?”

“....sure.”

She walked outside, lifting her phone to her ear. She kept walking towards the parking lot.

Stretch sighed. Shit...

“WAIT, DID SHE LEAVE?!” Papyrus had emerged, looking alarmed.

“uh...I think so...”

“SHE ALREADY PAID!” He was moving like a whirlwind, knocking several things out of his way in his efforts to get the drink brewed. The others were forced to back away from the growing typhoon of activity.

“Wait, bro-”

He finished it, faster than should be technically possible, and bolted out the door.

They didn’t see him for nearly an hour, by which time business had picked up and none of them had the free time to ask him what happened. He didn’t mention it again, and all of them forgot it had even happened until the next day.

She came in the next morning around her usual time. Stretch was running counter and managed to detail out an apology that sounded surprisingly sincere. No mean feat for Stretch. Her expression didn’t change much, but she seemed to untense a bit and was mostly gracious about it. She accepted the apology and tried to waive the chance for free coffee until Stretch insisted. She didn’t smile. But she seemed...pleased.

Rus started making her drink. Papyrus emerged from the kitchen with a pan full of fresh lemon bread.

“OH, WELCOME BACK! IT'S NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN.”

She turned. “Oh, it's you!”

And her face split into the most breathtaking smile.

Rus damn near dropped the cup. Stretch’s eyelights briefly sputtered and it took genuine effort to stop his jaw from literally dropping.

“THE AUDITION WENT OK?”

“Yeah, thanks for making sure I  got the caffeine. Can’t believe I almost walked away without it.” Her eyes were bright and expressive and holy shit, it was real, it was real and hAPPENING IN FRONT OF THEM-

Somehow Rus managed to hand her her drink without incident.

“I should go. Bye Papyrus”

“GOODBYE! HAVE A GOOD DAY!”

She gave him another smile...and was out the door.

“Wha...” Stretch turned on Papyrus “how-?!”

He shrugged and disappeared back into the kitchen.

“.....how even-”

“Do we still have to pay him?!”

“I don’t think-...the bet was canceled right?!”

And Papyrus only smiled to himself.

[telltalebatman]

@biformers let’s go

1. coffee mugs, teacups, wine glasses, water bottles, or soda cans? wine glasses, they make everything seem so... elegant

2. chocolate bars or lollipops? lollipops!! they don’t melt in the sun and when i pull them out of my mouth they make that POP sound. very good.

3. bubblegum or cotton candy? bubblegum, last time i checked i couldn’t make cotton candy balloons

4. how did your elementary school teachers describe you? bright and bubbly and curious and energetic. very energetic. too energetic. mister crispin, please, your daughter is way too energetic, the school’s gonna expl-

5. do you prefer to drink soda from soda cans, soda bottles, plastic cups or glass cups? wine glasses. (that’s not an- well, it is now.)

6. pastel, boho, tomboy, preppy, goth, grunge, formal or sportswear? pastel and formal, but mostly formal.......... formal clothes make me look super nice. (so do pastel ones. well, i look 12 in pastels.)

7. earbuds or headphones? earbuds can he shared, so... earbuds.

8. movies or tv shows? movies for watching with someone, tv shows for watching alone. sometimes it’s the other way. sometimes it’s neither.

9. favorite smell in the summer? raspberry lemonade, freshly cut grass, and uh... oswald. yes, that’s a smell. he smells nice in summer. in fact he smells nice all the time, but he smells best during the summer.

10. game you were best at in p.e.? i was never good at anything p.e related........ i’m good at yoga i guess.

11. what you have for breakfast on an average day? w a f f l e s. shit, i’m hungry now. oswald! i want waffles!

12. name of your favorite playlist? kiss me hard, fuck me harder, love me hardest (what? you heard me. i did, i’m just... what? is this a suggestion? a hint? :) )

13. lanyard or key ring? i’m gonna go with “not attaching my keys to anything and losing them all in my purse”.

14. favorite non-chocolate candy? those little, chewy, caramel candies that make your teeth stick together.

15. favorite book you read as a school assignment? do i look like a girl who had ever read a book in her life? (you got a master’s degree. ...kristeva’s “powers of horror”.)

16. most comfortable position to sit in? with my legs crossed.

17. most frequently worn pair of shoes? those!

18. ideal weather? warm and sunny, so oswald has an excuse to keep a ton of ice cubes in the freezer, so that he can- she likes it when it’s hot, so she has an excuse to devour buckets of ice cream. and also wear short skirts. that’s coincidentally also /my/ favorite weather.

19. sleeping position? preferably wrapped around oswald, if not available... i like to take as much space in bed as possible. on my stomach. limbs spread.

20. preferred place to write (i.e., in a note book, on your laptop, sketchpad, post-it notes, etc.)? notebook app on my phone

21. obsession from childhood? z-zorro.............

22. role model? if i had a role model i wouldn’t be the person i am.

23. strange habits? none! i’m perfectly normal. the normalest girl in gotham.

24. favorite crystal? see? i’m normal. i don’t have a favorite crystal.

25. first song you remember hearing? not a song, but an instrumental piece. something by tchaikovsky. my mom used to listen to tchaikovsky after work.

26. favorite activity to do in warm weather? swimming. and sitting around and complaining it’s too hot.

27. favorite activity to do in cold weather? ; )

28. five songs to describe you? you should ask oswald that one. i bet he’ll have a good answer. (sweet talking woman, a girl like you, how to be a heartbreaker, gold dust woman and fear and delight. what? of course i know how to describe charlie with songs. i can describe her in any way.)

29. best way to bond with you? feed me and have sex with me. not neccesarily in that exact order. wink.

30. places that you find sacred? i wouldn’t have sex on anyone’s grave, if that’s what you’re asking.

31. what outfit do you wear to kick ass and take names? i’m gonna be honest with you. what part of me suggests i’m capable of KICKING ASS or TAKING NAMES? oswald once called me a silly girl and i cried. (well, love, to be fair, you /did/ spend quite some time on the road.) and to this day i don’t know how did i manage to not die after a week. idk. i guess... pants, that’s for starters. a leather jacket. biker boots? and also a gun and a knife.

32. top five favorite vines? i like pink wine. are there even that many kinds of pink wine?

33. most used phrase in your phone? omg

34. advertisements you have stuck in your head? aNIMAL CRACKERS IN MY SOUP-

35. average time you fall asleep? two a.m

36. what is the first meme you remember ever seeing? can i haz a cheeseburger...

37. suitcase or duffel bag? suitcase, duffel bags don’t work well for... well... people who wear clothes.

38. lemonade or tea? yes.

39. lemon cake or lemon meringue pie? yes.

40. weirdest thing to ever happen at your school? one of my teachers had straight up died when i was answering his question in class. i still don’t know if my answer was correct. :(

41. last person you texted? louise!! she’s such a good friend. i love her.

42. jacket pockets or pants pockets? oswald’s pockets.

43. hoodie, leather jacket, cardigan, jean jacket or bomber jacket? leather jacket

44. favorite scent for soap? bubblegum, duh

45. which genre: sci-fi, fantasy or superhero? superhero, and not just because my boyfriend is a literal supervillain.

46. most comfortable outfit to sleep in? none. ; )

47. favorite type of cheese? sharp cheddar

48. if you were a fruit, what kind would you be? a strawberry! sweet and red and begging for c-

49. what saying or quote do you live by? “there’s bravery in being soft”.

50. what made you laugh the hardest you ever have? someone once tweeted a picture of oswald, challenging batman to a fistfight, captioned “i aspire to 1 day have self-esteem this high #blessed”. 

51. current stresses? yes.

52. favorite font? do... do people have favorite fonts? huh.

53. what is the current state of your hands? soft and clean, thank you very much. (i punch people so charlie doesn’t have to cook. it... makes sense, i swear.)

54. what did you learn from your first job? do i look like a person who had ever worked a day in her entire life? do i /sound/ like i ever had a job? no. no, i don’t.

55. favorite fairy tale? beauty and the beast!

56. favorite tradition? don’t tell oswald i said it, but i’m kind of sort of fond of that traditionalist concept of men being dominant and assertive and capable. or maybe i just like not having to do anything, who knows.

57. the three biggest struggles you’ve overcome? well, first my parents died, then it turned out my then-husband was behind it and THEN i almost died because a man cut my heart out and attempted to eat it on my mother’s grave. and he didn’t even cook it! (and for that i am eternally glad.)

58. four talents you’re proud of having? i have zero talents. (that’s not true, but she firmly refuses to believe me when i say so. let’s go with talents charlie SHOULD be proud of. she can read people, behave properly in any given situation, is a fantastic listener... oh, and she’s a fantastic, caring, loveable girlfriend.) that’s not a talent. (but if it was, you’d be the best at it.)

59. if you were a video game character, what would your catchphrase be? “OH!”. i say that approximately... 100 times a day.

60. if you were a character in an anime, what kind of anime would you want it to be? a shoujo anime, with little to no actual drama and a hentai spin-off.

61. favorite line you heard from a book/movie/tv show/etc.? i... hm. ah. hm. i don’t know. i knew the answer 30 seconds ago - but now it’s gone. please don’t ask me about my favorite things. i only know what those are when no one’s trying to learn about them.

62. seven characters you relate to? persephone, beauty from beauty and the beast, emma frost, sleeping beauty, triss merigold, that absolutely brainless blonde boy from kingdom hearts aaaand... sakhmet from the wicked and the divine comic. not because i’m bloodthirsty, but because i too prioritize sex and looking good.

63. five songs that would play in your club? bulletproof, six shooter, tongues, horns and bittersweet

64. favorite website from your childhood? absolutely do not tell oswald, but... club penguin.

65. any permanent scars? what, you mean physical, or mental? because there’s one on my chest and one on my heart. both are permanent and can’t be loved away, even though oswald’s doing his best to love them away. : (

66. favorite flower(s)? red roses... i’m not a very original person.

67. good luck charms? oswald once gave me a gun. so... a gun.

68. worst flavor of any food or drink you’ve ever tried? anything pear-flavored. pears are the devil’s fruit.

69. a fun fact that you don’t know how you learned? parmesan isn’t vegetarian.

70. left or right handed? right. and i didn’t just pick up a random pencil only to make sure of that.

71. least favorite pattern? the behavioral pattern of constantly repeating one’s mistakes. (i... think they meant things like polka dots.) but do you have any proof of that? no. no, you don’t. so... repeating one’s mistakes it is then.

72. worst subject? politics. :)

73. favorite weird flavor combo? spicy chicken wings dipped in honey.

74. at what pain level out of ten (1 through 10) do you have to be at before you take an advil or ibuprofen? 4 or 5. i’m a big baby when it comes to physical pain.

75. when did you lose your first tooth? do most people remember losing their first tooth? because i don’t. at all.

76. what’s your favorite potato food (i.e. tater tots, baked potatoes, fries, chips, etc.)? french fries french fries french fries FRENCH FRIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

77. best plant to grow on a windowsill? basil. i like the smell... and forgetting to water my plants.

78. coffee from a gas station or sushi from a grocery store? gas station coffee. sushi has to be... well... good to be good.

79. which looks better, your school id photo or your driver’s license photo? they both look the same, because i’ve been cursed with the curse of “eternally looking like i’m twelve” :(

80. earth tones or jewel tones? jewel. and not just because i don’t know the difference between those two.

81. fireflies or lightning bugs? ...are you telling me fireflies and lightning bugs... are two different things? huh.

82. pc or console? pc, because i can do my taxes on my pc. can you do taxes on a console? of course you can’t, that’d be stupid.

83. writing or drawing? writing.

84. podcasts or talk radio? podcasts!

84. barbie or polly pocket? b a r b i e

85. fairy tales or mythology? hm. fairy tales, because there’s less... rape in them.

86. cookies or cupcakes? yes.

87. your greatest fear? i’m not saying! my greatest fears tend to become reality, so maybe let’s not speed the process up.

88. your greatest wish? i,,,,,,,,,,,,, i’d like to maybe get married once again one day,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, maybe,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

89. who would you put before everyone else? the man on whom i’m sitting as we speak.

90. luckiest mistake? well, i once told bruce wayne i have a dog named pingu, which lead me to instantly adopting an actual dog.

91. boxes or bags? boxes

92. lamps, overhead lights, sunlight or fairy lights? fairy lights forever

93. nicknames? love it when people come up with nicknames for me!

94. favorite season? summer

95. favorite app on your phone? proooobably instagram. or twitter.

96. desktop background? a photo of a baby seal. it’s so cute!

97. how many phone numbers do you have memorized? ...do people really memorize phone numbers? 

98. favorite historical era? okay, now you’re making fun of me. no one has a “favorite historical era”. that’s made up.

[b-afterhours]

To Know Him (part eight)

summary: AU set in the summer of 1959 Gloria is desperate to see a world beyond the church and the small Texan town she grew up in. One day she runs into a bad boy with striking green eyes in the local greaser gang the Saint’s of Duke Street. She had only heard of their existence and shenanigans but upon meeting Bill she can tell he’s not as bad as everyone had warned…

warnings: cursing, domestic abuse

if you’re seeing this for the first time you can read part one here and if you need to catch up on previous chapters go here.

Bill sat at the soda bar, looking around the small General Store with appreciation. It had become a sanctuary for him and Gloria. And there was Harvey the only true adult in town that let them be and never questioned their relationship. Bill didn’t know too much about him other than that the General Store was his wife’s Eileen’s dream. He opened it with her and for her and maintained it even when she passed a near decade ago. Suddenly, Bill felt bad for taking collections from his business upon remembering that. Being a Saint could be pretty scummy sometimes, he couldn’t deny that.

“Uh hey Harvey,” Bill sat up on the bar stool.

“Need anything,” he paused from wiping down the soft serve machine.

“No, not until Gloria gets here… I just wanted to say thanks.”

“Thanks?” He tilted his head, looking a bit perplexed.

“Yeah, I’m leaving town in a few days, um, with Gloria. So I just wanted to say thank you for giving us a place to be...”

“Oh, well uh no problem?” He chuckled.

“I’m mean it’s just hard to be together in this town cause of who her dad is and who I am...”

“I understand. I’m not too fond of that guy either,” he said leaning on the bar across from him. “He’s always dragging on his tab here. But anyway, I left you two alone ‘cause my ol’ girl Eileen’s father didn’t like me so much,” he shrugged with a slight smirk on his face.

“Really,” Bill laughed.

“Yeah, I was a coal miners son and she was the daughter of the man who owned the mine. He wasn’t so keen on her taking a shine on me. But I took care of her, we moved here and I lived the best years of my life before her lungs gave out.”

“W-What was it? Sorry, shouldn’t ask.” Bill bit his lip.

“Oh, it’s been years. It was black lung. Doc’ said it might have been from growing up around the mines, who knows...” He took a deep breath. “Well, where are you and Gloria headed then?”

“Austin, she’s going to college,” he smiled. “I’m going to look for a mechanic job there. Luckily, Ace has some friends at a shop that can get me on.”

“Sounds like a good plan,” Harvey nodded approvingly. “Just take care of her, it makes everything worth it. And life a lot easier.” …

On her last Monday in town, Gloria was back to work in the church. She planned to book it out of town by Thursday so that she could become somewhat acquainted with Austin before her college orientation. She had barely left the General Store after having lunch with Bill and she could tell that something was pressing him. His knee kept nervously bouncing and knocking into hers on accident and he’d fiercely apologized every time. He was certainly acting different but she chalked it up to the fact that it may be because this was their last week together.

She was locked out of her fathers' office since she’d been back. So she was stuck with the meaningless task of straightening out hymn books on the back of the church pews and lightly dusting with a damp rag. She could hear voices from inside her fathers' office but she couldn’t distinctly make anything out. She was never the nosy type anyway and really didn’t care to know about her father’s work affairs. Her complete indifference faded once she saw Rick step out and she froze for a moment. He politely tipped his hat to her before turning on his nice dress shoes with a knowing grin on his face as he left. She felt sick, she was sure she was busted. Pastor Castillo soon emerged, she glanced at him while pretending to be busy with dusting. She expected him to be angry, surely Marty’s father had come to tell her father all about seeing her and Bill strolling in the night together but he smiled at her appreciatively.

“Ready to go home, Glo’,” he asked just like he did every evening.

The drive home was stuffy and uncomfortable. She could feel that he knew something but he hadn’t said anything indicating so. In fact, he hadn’t spoken a single word until they turned the corner to Lyndon Street where she lived.

“I’ll be taking you to Mrs. Robins later this evening,” he said to her holding open the front door open when they got home.

“Okay, daddy,” she simply nodded but she could feel the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. …

When she rode with her dad that evening, the air around them in the car hadn’t changed. Her father didn’t speak a lot in general so she figured she was just paranoid. He’d have done something or said something to her by now if Marty’s dad truly ratted her out. Still, she couldn’t shake the look her mother had given her on her way out the door. She looked concerned almost fearful, her lips were slightly moving as if she were muttering a prayer under her breath.

“W-will you be picking me up too, daddy?” Gloria asked she was tired of the silence surrounding them.

“It’s going to rain. What kind of father would I be if I had you walk all the way home… Why?” He gave her a shifty glance.

“Just wondering...”

“Odd thing to wonder, hm.”

When he dropped her off she was glad to be away from him. The car ride was claustrophobic. He remained parked by the curb for awhile even after Mrs. Robins had left. She took care of the girls as she normally would while peeping out the blinds every now and again. He had finally left while she was making dinner but she still occasionally checked the empty curb space. When she looked nothing was out of the usual except for the rain clouds billowing into town.

When she got Katie and Greta to bed she cleaned the kitchen almost spotless due to her anxiousness. Her flight sense was kicked in since she saw Rick at church. She thought about calling Bill to tell him not to show up, that it was too risky. But it would be of no use, he was most likely on his way already. …

Bill and V were out late picking up collections that same evening. He kept an eye on the clock tower knowing he needed to head over to Mrs. Robins by now. Besides he was tired of his litter brother teasing him for not proposing to Gloria during lunch like he told the rest of the Saint’s he would. His nerves were beginning to get the better of him.

“Hey, I need to go,” Bill said flicking his cigarette in the street.

“We still have the General Store?”

“No. We’re not collecting for Harvey anymore,” he said lifting a leg over his bike.

“What? Did Ace tell you something I don’t know?”

“No, I said so.” V scoffed at his order. Bill didn’t have the authority to make such rules in the first place. “I’m serious. Leave the man alone, even after I leave. And you can tell Ace that too.”

“I’m not telling him shit! When I’m short next month I’m blaming you.”

“I’ll send his share through the post then,” he said kicking his bike stand back and taking off.

When he arrived at Mrs. Robins street he hopped off his bike and pushed it the rest of the way worried about the noise. He gently set it to the side of the porch where Gloria’s bike was usually set but it wasn’t there tonight. He had barely knocked on the door when it swung open and Gloria grabbed the lapel of his leather jacket pulling him inside.

“Did anyone see you come here?” She said peeping out the blinds.

“No?” His brows pulled together. “Something wrong?”

Gloria shook her head. “No… I-I’m just losing it. Maybe...”

“Well you and me both,” he lightly laughed.

“What do you mean?” She said taking his hand and guiding him over to the couch.

“Oh… uh, I’ve been thinking about some things,” he bit his lip. He could feel his heart beating against his chest. “But uh first, did you call admissions and stuff?” He asked feeling silly for buying time but he had to settle his nerves somehow.

“Yeah, I have everything in order. Are you still driving me to the bus station in Waco?”

“About that, I was thinking, maybe, I could just take you all the way to Austin? And we can stay in a small motel until we find a house?”

Gloria’s face scrunched in a puzzled expression. “A house? What are you talking about?” She giggled still confused.

“I would like to go with you to Austin.”

Gloria’s eyes lit up, her jaw slightly dropped. “You’re really going to come with me?”

Bill nodded. “Only if you want me too.”

“Of course!” She threw her arms around him. “Oh, this is the best news I’ve heard all day,” she mumbled against his chest. “I was so worried about being on my own.”

“But uh I also wanted to ask you something else...” he paused. Gloria pulled away wondering what else on earth he could ask her. “I know Mrs. Robins isn’t the best place to ask but I really can’t wait any longer...” he dug into his inner jacket pocket and fished for the ring under his pack of smokes. “I really love you, Gloria. So don’t think I’m crazy for asking.”

“Crazy?” She laughed but it cut short when she saw the sparkling ruby on the ring Bill was holding up. She stared at it wide glassy eyes. She looked between it and Bill, his brows furrowed and the lines in his young face looked more defined than usual.

“W-Will you marry me, Gloria Esperanza Castillo? If shit goes to shit at least we’ll have each other, married, husband and wife?”

Gloria sat there stunned, her mouth open but words were difficult to choke out. “I uh… really?”

“I’m more serious than a heart attack right now,” his said, his eyes begging her to say yes already.

“That’s, quite the proposal-” she was interrupted by a hard knock on the front door. Alarmed, Gloria jumped up. “Come, hide behind the door,” she pulled him to his feet and had him stand to the side of the door where it could shield him. When she answered Marty was panting out of breath as if she ran a mile. Bill was in his own world staring at the ring still in his hand, Gloria hadn’t even said yes and he wasn’t sure if she was even going to.

“Gloria! You need to go home!” Marty barged in.

“Shhh. The girls are sleeping,” she said not catching on to the urgency she was still slightly in shock over Bill’s proposal.

“I’ll take care of them you need to go.”

Bill stepped out from behind the door, “What the hell is going on Marty?”

“Damn Bear, all these frights tonight are going to kill me!”

“Marty, what is going on?” Gloria asked as panic finally set in.

“I overheard my dad talking to your dad on the phone so I picked up the line in the kitchen to eavesdrop. Your dad was askin’ him if he was positive about seeing you and Bear a couple of days ago and all that. Made Greg drive me by your place and we could hear your parents arguing and all sorts of noise,” Marty paused to take a deep breath after regurgitation all that she knew. “You have to go now! Greg is outside in his truck, he’ll take you. I’m so sorry Gloria, my dad can be a real asshole.”

“You’re saying!” Bill said angrily, running a hand through his hair.

“C’mon Gloria,” Marty said pulling her out the house and into the drizzle that had started to lightly fall. “I’ll stay and take care of the Robins girls.”

Gloria turned her head as she was being shoved out, “Billie?”

“Duke Street! I’ll be home waiting up,” he told hollered to her. “It’s going to be okay.” At least he hoped so.

“Marty, stop. Wait,” she pushed her hands off and sprinted back up the porch crashing into Bill. “Yes!” She tugged on his jacket and on her tip toes kissed him. “If shit goes to shit right?” She whispered against his lips. “Hold on to the ring. I’ll see you soon!” She said sprinting off to Greg’s truck.

“Yes? Ring?” Marty tilted her head, suspiciously.

Bill shook his head, he was happy as hell but with everything else going on he needed to stay focused. He got on his bike and loudly revved it up.

“I’m marrying that girl, Marty,” he yelled over her engine.

Marty laughed. “You two better start running for the hills!” …

Gloria closed her eyes, bracing herself before stepping into her home. Along with the thunder and trickling rain, she could hear yelling and hysterics from her mother from the other side of the door. There was no more hiding, no more lies to tell. She took a deep breath and turned the doorknob slowly. Her mother was crying and yelling at her father who looked at her with his face twisted in anger. Her bike which she kept hidden was inside by the door and the things in her small tote were thrown about. The radio smashed by the fireplace, her dresses and bible were haphazardly dumped on the couch. Gloria slammed the door behind her announcing her presence, they were so busy yelling they hadn’t even noticed her.

“Gloria,” her mother gasped. “Honey,” she wiped her cheeks dry, “go to your room please,” she pointed towards the hall.

“Why are all my things out here?” She questioned.

“Excuse me?” Her father said. “I should ask you where the rest of your things that are from your room are?”

“Robert stop,” her mother put her hands on his chest to calm him but he swiped them away.

“I asked you a question, Gloria? And what are these things, huh?” He picked up the smashed radio and slammed it on the floor again causing the dial to shoot off across the floor. “And this bike? Who fixed this?”

“Robert, please. Gloria just got to your room,” her mother pleaded.

“Gloria answer me! Who fixed this bike!?”

Gloria froze. She wanted to scream, she didn’t have anything particular to say, she just wanted to yell but she couldn’t, she suddenly felt too small. Too many years of obedience and fear kept her from defending herself.

“So you’re not going to talk?” He threw his arms out angrily. “Was it that Saint boy? Bear or whatever? Are you talking to him? He fixed this didn’t he?”

“Oh for god's sake leave her be,” her mother said taking Gloria’s hand to take her to her room.

“Estella don’t you dare. She needs to answer me,” he grabbed his wife by the arm and pulled her away from their daughter. “She’s up to something.”

Gloria snapped her head back at him, “And so what if I am?! I don’t need to answer your questions, you seem to know everything since you went through my things!”

Her father’s eyes fluttered appalled at his daughters' tone towards him. “Th-that boy has gotten into your head! You’re not even yourself!” Spittle spewed as he shouted. “And where is your stuff? Are you planning to leave us? Your mother and father? You’re our only little girl.”

“I’m not your little girl. I’ve been more myself than I’ve ever been,” Gloria said smoothly, her voice unwavering.

“Gloria,” her mother cried, cowering by the fireplace now.

Her father chuckled darkly. “If you think you are leaving this house, ever again you are sorely mistaken. You will not see that Saint boy again, you hear me?”

“I beg to differ,” she said through her teeth as she seethed. She could only see her father in through the glare of tears that built out of anger.

“You will NOT see that boy again or so help me!” He said backing her against the corner of the room. “You are staying here and that’s it!”

“I’m leaving, I’m going to college. And I’m not sorry about it,” she stood her ground.

“After I’ve told you no? What has the devil done to you?”

“Devil? It’s you! If you would have let me be myself I wouldn’t have to go lying and sneaking around! I can’t even breathe wrong in this house without feeling like I’ve done something wrong! Can’t you see that it’s you!?”

“How dare you?” He was floored.

“Robert, stop this!” Estella yelled, finally gaining confidence. “Tell her… tell her why you won’t let her go to school...”

“Estella, stay out of this,” he turned his head towards her.

“Tell her what you did with all of our money! Her college fund, our mortgage! Tell her you gambled it all. She deserves the truth before you go making everything worse.”

“Gambling?” Gloria whispered looking up at her father, shame and embarrassment shadowing his face. “The barbershop,” she shook her head.

“Gloria…” he choked. “This-”

She pushed her way out of the corner he backed her into and rushed to the couch for her tote. Shoving her bible and clothes back in. “If you had bothered to open my acceptance letter, you’d have seen I have a full ride,” she said as tears spilled from her eyes. “But you wouldn’t have cared about that either. I don’t need your money, you don’t have any to begin with.”

Robert stomped towards Gloria violently pulling her arm and spinning her around to face him. His other hand was open, Gloria shut her eyes tight bracing for the blow of his slap but it never came. She cracked open her eyes and saw that her mother quickly twisted his arm back. Before he could push her mother to the ground she hit him in the temple with a half-empty bottle of gin. The women of the house both screamed when he hit the wood floor, knocked out cold.

“Get your things, Gloria. Hurry,” Estella said out of breath.

Gloria had no time to process what had just transpired in the shuffle. She picked up the ruined radio on the way to her bike and dropped her tote in the basket Bill at welded to the front of it and swung the door open. She turned her head back to the mess, her home, her mother taking a sip of the gin she just hit her husband in the head with.

“Mama?” Gloria cried.

“Gloria, just go. Go to him.”

And so Gloria ran with her bike to the sidewalk before hopping on. And she pedaled hard, the rain now pelting down, as she rode her bike to Duke Street.

 PART NINE

tags: @imaginingyournotsolikelyfuture @bskarsgardfilth @billieskars@skrsgards @kikilikes @mixtapes-books@partypoison00 @fine-i-suppose@shannonxbarnes @darthdeziewok @kyralangdon @sexual-rendezvous   @trybeingabitch  @bill-skarsgard-writings @reinamysterio@mazarinqueen @fine-i-suppose@therealzoeyael @darthdeziewok @skarswhat @pennytdc@bskarsgardlove92 @frappylou @mixtapes-books @spacemerlady@stardustginger @lilzbean

(please let me know whether you’d like to be added/removed from tags)

[libraribear]

Dadd Cadash: A Prologue

I wrote a prologue for my Dragon Age: Inquisition character while trying to capture his voice. I’m not quite sure I succeeded, and it’s certainly rough around the edges as I haven’t written any fiction in a LONG time. Still, I can only let this one percolate and tweak it for so long.

It was midnight, and the guards were out in the city - one of many that dotted Thedas. Most of the city was already asleep, but one storefront was only now closing up shop. Locals referred to it as Jorgen’s Stop, but everyone who worked there referred to it as “the Castle”. Had anyone been paying close attention, they would have seen a peculiar trio of customers enter shortly before closing time. Two could only be dwarves, given their short, thick profiles, and the third would have been unrecognizable due to the black hood covering his eyes - but was probably a human, or perhaps an elf. The third figure was being supported by the other two.

It was local tradition that any building where the Carta primarily conducted business was referred to as the “Castle” or “Stronghold” or “Fortress”, essentially any word other than “run-down, nondescript building”, which was normal type of place the organization frequented on the surface.

At the entrance, a kind-looking, unscarred dwarven merchant was closing up shop for the night. It had been a slow day, with only a few general goods, one well-sharpened dagger, and two or three silk-lined burlap bags sold. The bags in particular were a specialty of the seamstresses that provisioned this particular shop - their inner linings had a peculiar way of securing Lyrium Dust As the storekeep swept the last of the day’s grime back onto the street, he peeked out the window, as he would normally do at least six times each day. He looked left, looked right, and, satisfied the street was clear, rapped his left heel against a very particular spot on the floor three times in quick succession.

The store was closing, but with the night’s patrol having gone past the store and not due back for at least four hours, it was time for real work to begin.

---

Following the signal, the two dwarves had gone to work in a small, torchlit room which was three floors deep in the earth. The only entry was a well-hidden trap door in one corner of the room’s ceiling. The room was sparsely furnished, save for a now three-legged chair, a rough-hewn table, and a foul-smelling elf. The elf was bound to the chair by the legs, waist, and neck, his hands shackled to the table. His unusually fine (for an elf) clothing was marred by blood, dirt, and sweat, and normally fine, shoulder length golden locks were plastered to the side of his face. The first dwarf, the one who had been carefully giving the elf most of the night’s attention, wrinkled his nose at the stench. The second had heard, seen, and smelled it all before, though he couldn’t help but chuckle slightly at his companion’s misgivings.

They had been able to mask the screams so deep beneath the earth, but they had been unable to do anything about the smell after the elf had wet himself with fear. The unfortunate soul had passed out, not in blissful slumber but in the grim sleep that one turns to only when their body can take no more pain - though repeated blows from a chair leg had contributed. If the elf awoke, he would have a tremendous headache.

The two dwarves observed the elf, one leaning forward and admiring his handiwork, the other with his arms crossed, guarding the door. The first dwarf had been working on the elf for hours, cajoling, encouraging, leering at, threatening, and finally beating him, but was now enjoying the silence. It had been a long night, and though they had not let on during the interrogation, the man’s will had indeed been strong in spite of his fear.

The first dwarf was exhausted - the second dwarf merely tired of waiting and watching. For a few more moments they stood, listening to the ragged gasps of the unconscious elf. There would be no rest until they had made their report to their superiors - but their superiors didn’t need to know the elf had passed out - yet.

The first dwarf, the one closest to the elf, had braided blonde-hair, fair skin, and deep-set green eyes that shined with his youth. He also possessed the beginning of what might one day be a grand beard. His fine black leathers were stained with a bit of the elf’s blood, but he leaned forward anyway, admiring his handiwork. If he had been afraid to get dirty, he would have found a longer club than the chair-leg he now held in his left hand - or perhaps another profession.

Though the welts on the sides of the elf’s head were painful, the youth was particularly proud of the elf’s hands, which were now a nasty combination of black, blue, and green, the majority of the unfortunate being’s slender fingers pointing in directions that nature had clearly not intended. It was the youth’s first interrogation.

“Virgin no more.” The youth murmured, trembling. He looked back at his dwarven counterpart, searching for approval, but the second dwarf’s face was a mask of calm. He turned back to the elf. “Didn’t I tell you I’d beat you bloody with part of your own chair if you didn’t tell me what we wanted to hear?”

Behind the youth, the second dwarf’s face gave way to an exaggerated roll of his blue-grey eyes. This dwarf was older, his face bearing the scars and marks of over three hard decades on the surface. Close-cut, dark brown hair made a ring around his otherwise bald head, before giving way to the full beard and mustache that occupied the lower half of his face. His left eye, though still quite functional, was marred by a deep, reddish-brown scar above and below his eye, and a faint tattoo of blocks and bars rested on his right cheek. If one was appropriately versed in the many markings of the many different guilds of the Carta, one would have recognized that this met he was an experienced hand in his guildhall, which belonged to a former thug named Sordri the Savage.

Unlike his youthful accomplice, the second dwarf’s leather was unmarred, and he was clad chiefly in an earth-brown cloak and loose-fitting, dark green breeches that had seen their share of the weather. Two daggers rested within easy reach at his sides, though several more were secured in the folds of his baggy sleeves, the pockets of his cloak, in tall boots that rose above his ankles, and affixed to his wrist in small sheaths.

He rested the palm of his left hand on his temple, bored with the whole affair, and traced a small scar that rested in front of his left ear. In his youth, it had served as a reminder of the perils of opening his mouth, but in his role as supervisor of his younger accomplice, he felt free to do so. Age and rank carried their privileges, after all.

“You SURE told him, Rinn. Breaking his fingers won’t get us paid.”

Rinn turned to him and grinned. “C’mon, Dadd. The boss won’t like it if you openly question his methods and motives. He always reminded me that physicality might be the best way to get someone to talk. How else do you think he got the name ‘the Savage?’”

“Might. In this case it didn’t. Remember he keeps me around ‘cause I’m the only one with the stones to question standard motives or methods, lad.” Dadd shrugged. “That, and because I’m good at keeping an eye on whelps like you. Physicality has its place, but you didn’t apply it correctly. Besides, he and I came up with ‘the Savage’ together over brews. Sordri Ternadirican was too much of a mouthful, but he didn’t want to be confused with that Sordri Aeducan fellow.”

Now the younger dwarf’s eyes rolled. “As if I needed keeping an eye on, ‘specially from an oldie like you. You saw - I did everything right, just like the boss taught. I tried it nice, I tried it mean, I went through the usual threats - even invented a few. Nothing could get him to talk.”

Dadd ignored the age crack. In reality, he was only ten years the youth’s senior - but in what was a very dangerous profession serving the Carta, ten years service might well have been forty.

“That’s because you didn’t give him enough time to think about whether or not his hidden coins were worth the array of promises you offered him. You just stacked them all on top of each other, one after the other.” Dadd explained. “When you start getting physical, you need to give him time to consider whether or not the pain he’s feeling is worth his information…  you also need to give him time to stop screaming before you break another finger, or you won’t get anything out of him. Treat your interrogations the way you’d treat a fine lover… Use patience. Savor these kinds of things… especially when you’re trying to accomplish a goal.”

“Didn’t need no savoring to accomplish my last few goals…” Rinn muttered.

Dadd didn’t miss a beat. “Yeah well, when you’re patient they might let you pay less to have your goals met.” He winked. “Don’t forget this lesson. Interrogation is about anticipation… and patience.”

“But boss wanted it done by midnight!” Rinn retorted, stubbornly eager to get the better of the discussion.

“Yeah, but you got yourself wrapped up on midnight, and that wasn’t the most important part of his statement. The most important part was that…” Dadd’s voice trailed off, and he crossed his arms while staring at Rinn expectantly.

The lad groaned. “...that Boss wanted it done. Maker’s arse.”

For the first time that night, Dadd allowed himself a smile. “Let’s not bring the Maker into your screw-up. These things happen, especially to greenies like you. Let’s go fetch some healing potions and we’ll let you try again tomorrow night - though those healing potions are coming out of your take today, you know.”

At the mention of his take, Rinn’s eyes darkened dangerously.

“Idiot.” Dadd thought to himself. “You forgot this one is all about the money.”

“My cut!” He hissed. “You greedy arse! The Boss said this interrogation was both of ours! IT should come out of your share as much as it should mine! Why, I oughta-” The younger dwarf brandished his club, and for a moment, Dadd admired the speed with which Rinn had snatched up his weapon as the youth stepped menacingly toward him. It reminded Dadd why he was so enamored with the kid’s potential in the first place - if only something could be done about that temper.

“Wait!” Dadd barked sharply. To his great surprise, Rinn did, a fact for which the elder dwarf was grateful - because he hated killing stupid when it had potential to grow. “Did I tell you to break his fingers?”

“No, but you could have stopped me! You should still pay some of your share as well.” Rinn took another step forward. Acting as if he was taken aback, Dadd took a step back and casually hooked his thumbs through his belt, though in the same motion he also disengaged the clasps on his wrist sheathes.

“We’ll have to work on those skills of observation too.” Dadd mentally noted. His voice trembled slightly, though it was still an act. “You feel really strongly about this, don’t you?”

“I do!” Rinn growled.

“Well, I-,” Dadd paused, and looked past the angry dwarf. “Oh look, the elf’s awake.”

“He is?” Rinn spun around, but found only confusion. The elf remained slumped over on the table, still unconscious.

Dadd’s first thrown dagger took Rinn in the right palm, and the club clattered to the floor. His second pinned Rinn’s left foot to the earth, and the youth’s voice, so menacing before, became a high-pitched shriek. Dadd lunged forward and stepped on the youth’s right foot, so that the youth’s only choice was to attempt to throw Dadd aside or tear his left foot away from the dagger. He did try just that, but the older dwarf grabbed the younger’s wrists. He leaned in close enough for Rinn to smell the ale and onions they’d had a scant few hours before on his breath.

Dadd’s voice was low and even, nearly a whisper. “Rule one. Never take your eyes off someone you’re threatening if they can still act.”

He ground his boot-heel into Rinn’s foot, eliciting a gasp of pain. He maintained the pressure as tears begain to rim Rinn’s eyes, then lifted his foot slightly and let go of Rinn’s bad hand.

“Get three potions, two for the elf, one for you.” He produced a few gold coins and pressed them into Rinn’s good hand. “Your take won’t cover them, so have some of mine. We’ll try again with this elf tomorrow, and if you ever threaten your superior again, I won’t be aiming for your hands or your feet. Got it?”

Rinn nodded meekly.

“Good. Now, hold still.” Dadd bent and retrieved his second dagger from Rinn’s foot, but he kept his eyes locked on Rinn’s the whole time. He was sorely tempted to give it an additional twist, but decided that the point had been made. Briefly, he regarded his first dagger, as Rinn tried to staunch the bleeding. He grabbed Rinn’s wrist. “Here. Hurts less if you don’t look at it.” He removed the dagger and took a few steps backward, continuing to stare at Rinn.

“Now, go get your potion and get yourself cleaned up.” He stepped aside, and Rinn began to hobble out of the room, clutching at his wounded limb.

“One more thing!” Dadd barked, and Rinn froze in the doorway. The elder dwarf took two confident steps forward and used the edge of Rinn’s black cloak to wipe the blood off his daggers. “These black clothes won’t do. Find something more casual. If you see someone dressed all in black on the city streets, you can’t help but look at him - and the richest purses to cut walk the streets during the day.” He clapped the youth on the shoulder, hard. “Now go.”

Rinn limped the rest of the way out of the room, and Dadd replaced his daggers in their sheathes. The youth glanced back at him once, as Dadd bore a hole through him with his gaze. When Rinn was finally out of his vision, Dadd brought one scarred hand to squeeze at his eyes, before taking a breath to calm himself. Hopefully this one would live long enough not to resent him for it, but to realize how swiftly he would have been killed had he drawn his weapon on anyone else.

A dwarf could dream. Steadying himself, Dadd left to give his report to their master. He had defused one situation. Now it would be time to defuse another. He hoped he wouldn’t need to draw his daggers to defuse this one, because if he did, he would probably be dead. He left to seek an audience with the Castle’s grandmaster.

---

Grandmaster Sordi wasn’t mad - Grandmaster Sordri was furious. Dadd had thought it might be so. He had told him about the failed interrogation, but not any of the other parts.

“Rinnium is a failure. It’s clear to me- why isn’t it clear to you, Daddarin? I told you that we needed an example, and to kill him if he didn’t get the elf to talk - this is his fourth foul-up.” He steepled his two bejeweled hands together. “Give me a good reason why I shouldn’t kill him in front of all the other initiates tomorrow.”

Dadd put his hands on his hips, unswayed by his superior’s bluster. “I’ll give you three. One, the elf was weaker than we expected - you can’t pin that on young Rinn. If he were made of hardier stuff, he’d have stayed conscious long enough to tell us what we needed to know. Two, you and I both know we lost eight to the guard in that last Lyrium raid - you can GKKKKHHHH,” Dadd paused, drawing a finger across his neck for emphasis, “the lad if you want, but that still leaves you three in the hole for the next shipment.” He paused, letting his master wait expectantly for the third reason. The moment was necessary, Dadd reminded himself. Give him time to think through his rage for a moment and he would see that everything that Dadd had said was true.

“I thought you said there were three.”

Dadd allowed himself a small smile. “You’re right, I did. The lad offered up his share of the day’s take because he didn’t get the elf under control as quickly as you’d asked him to.” He had removed the pouch from Rinn’s belt when he had cleaned his daggers, and he tossed the pouch, which jingled as it whistled through the air, into Sordri’s lap. Sordri paused, picked up the pouch, and shook it slightly next to his ear. If there was anything that could get him to stop and think, it was the prospect of more riches.

“Thirty gold coins.” The grandmaster’s ear was impeccable. “Not an insignificant amount. He really offered up all this?”

“Sure did, boss.” Dadd lied smoothly. ”You’re focused on his foul-ups, but I’m focused on his talent. And I tell you true, he’s got the swiftest fingers and the quietest feet this side of Thedas. You keep him alive and let him, er, marinate a bit more, and you’ll have one of the finest thieves ever. He just needs experience.”

“Experience.” Sordri scowled. “Maybe all I’ll get is another talented thief that questions my orders and talks back to me. Is that what I really want?”

Dadd grinned. “I don’t know who you could possibly be talking about, but if I may - a question of my own. Do you like money?”

“Of course I like money.”

It was Dadd’s most common defense, and it always swayed his master because his master could look at the books and see very clearly how much more money had crossed his operation since Dadd had joined the organization.

“Then let him live. You’re pissing away money if you kill him just because you’re impatient or because he’s dumb. Piss too much of it away and you’ll be back down here with me living with the dogs instead of encrusting yourself with jewels.

Sordri let out a bored sigh, and his furious expression all but vanished. “Maybe I miss living down there with you and the rest of the dogs. I was Sordri the Savage, then. Clawing my way to the top.”

“Beating elves, dodging guards, extorting coin, handling lyrium, parrying halberds with knives, killing those in front of you to get to the top - what’s not to miss?” Dadd murmured. He could have gone on, but any more and he might just have revealed how truly dissatisfied he was with his current life, one which saw him doing most of those things on a weekly basis - when he wasn’t beating up on the trainees, of course.

Sordri remained silent.

“Thought so.” Dadd bowed slightly. “I’m going to go check on the lad and get to wor-”

“No. Wait here, Daddarin Cadash. Now I have three things to tell you.”

Dadd had been turning to leave, but stiffened as he realized Sordri had used his full name. In ten years of serving as Sordri’s second, his defense had never failed, and for a moment he wondered if it had. Some of the younger dwarves had long spread rumors that Sordri only used your full name when he was about to kill you, and though Dadd had seen Sordri kill plenty of people without addressing them by their full name, this was nonetheless a unique occasion. He turned his blue-grey eyes on the jewel-covered dwarf.

“First- if anyone below you ever draws their weapon on you again, you are to kill them. We cannot afford even a hint of disloyalty. Do you understand?”

“How did you-”

“Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“Good. I could hear his scream four floors away. You seldom raise your daggers unless it is in self-defense or a paid assassination. When a whimpering dwarf walked past my door still wringing his wounded hand, it was easy to guess what had happened.” He paused, giving Dadd a mocking grin.

“Do you understand?” This time, the question had little to do with the understanding of the first rule, and Daddarin knew it.

“Yes, guildmaster.” He murmured, feeling like a green thief again.

“The second thing relates to the first - don’t disobey me again. I know how much you value flexibility, but it pays to be inflexible in some things.”

Dadd remained expressionless, but inside he was furious. Sordri’s inflexibilities usually led to needless loss of life, or wastes of resources.

“The third thing. Your numbers were wrong. If you or I were to kill that lad, we wouldn’t have been down three hands, we’d be down four.”

“Four? I don’t understand.” Dadd narrowed his eyes in confusion. “Did we lose another on the raid, or did someone defect?”

“Four. I need you to undertake a very special mission for me, Daddarin. You’re the only one I can trust with this and, truth be told, perhaps the only one we have with the experience to pull this off. Sending you away in light of this incident will do nicely - it’ll keep people from asking questions. Go get what you need for a long journey, and pack plenty of parchment and quills to send messages - not to mention your cipher.”

“Don’t need no cipher. I have our codes memorized. But if you want me to write in codes, then that can only mean...”

“Yes. You’re going to be a spy. One of the other cells requested the most reliable man I knew, and believe it or not, that’s you. So go pack and I’ll tell you the rest of the details tomorrow before you leave.”

“Do I even get a hint?” It was this kind of backtalk that had originally led to Sordri nearly taking his eye several years ago, but that was before his loyalty had been unquestioned.

Sordri’s lips curled wickedly. “Let’s just say you’re going to find religion.”

END

[theglassyhick]

Whose the Real Monster?

Don’t ask me ;w; It has been too long since I posted and I dun wanna talk about it ;w; Nothing bad, I am just lazy. BUT FIRST 

WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT?!?!?! Tis the character in this story, by the name of Michael.

Commission was done by my good friend @bluerainst0rm Go commission her, she is great. She also provided the prompt for this, so enjoy!

Words: 7083

Genre: Romance, Acton

Contains: Fluff, Violence

Setting: Fantasy World

Prompt: "Please stop! I'm not a monster!"

Demons descend on a small town. The only people who can defend it work with each to save as many as they can.

“You are out of chalk dust again?” The woman asked. Such a common and basic ingredient should be more well stocked. But when everyone needs it on a nightly basis…

“The Harvest Moon is tonight. Everyone says the more the merrier.” The shopkeeper said with a shiver as he scurried around the shop. “Here, I’ll find you what I can.” He turned around and pressed a burlap sack into her arms. “You are a wizard yes?” The woman nodded. “Good. These are dried Angel Petals.”

“Don’t you need holy water to make these? Where did you get so much?” The young wizard reached into the sack and pulled out the white rose petal. The edges were gold. “I… I have only worked with young ones. These are fully mature…”

“I’ve been growing them for years. Seven years, to be exact.” He smiled proudly. “with such a powerful ingredient, I had a feeling even a young wizard such as yourself could make a powerful warding pot.”

The wizard was too in awe to smile. “I-I need salt. And, and Hawthorne berries soaked in holy water, and spring water! There is a cauldron in my house!” She jumped a little. “And the blood of the spotless lambs! Come on, the warding pot we make will last for weeks!”

“But… The Harvest Moon...” The shop keeper stopped her. “You know how active they get. The Demons will be hunting for us. If you are right, then we need to get you somewhere safe. Stay with me and my wife.” The shopkeeper was walking back to the counter. “Just come back before the sun sets, alright?” The young wizard nodded as she left the store, clutching the Angel Petals to her chest. The shopkeeper cleared his throat. She blushed as she turned around and handed the sack of petals back to him.

“I’ll see you tonight!” She called over her shoulder. She strolled out of the shop and into the cobblestone street with a skip in her step. After all, Angel Petals were rare. She was holding diamonds. With those petals, a whole array of potions and enchantments were now open to her experimentation. Now, her research into celestial spirit summoning would skyrocket as well! “This truly is a red-letter day.” The wizard hummed as she walked to the tavern to buy herself a celebratory drink. “So, I will treat myself~”

She had arrived at her destination after ten minutes of walking. The tavern formed the center of the town. Five other roads spread out from the tavern. Most of the buildings lining the roads were homes, but a few had signs to indicate some sort of service. The town was a bit big for their isolated location, and well populated. Farming fields were outside with a few scattered homes. The wizard lived in a squat tower on the other side of town, towards the fringes. She opened the door and stepped into the tavern. Her smile fell. The tavern was empty, making the wizard frown unhappily. She was looking forward to a bit of boasting, a bit of teasing, and a lot of fun. She scanned left and right, then smiled as she saw there was someone at the bar. He was tall and slim, with a tarnished white cloak lined with black fur, and long black hair.

She looked down, adjusting her rich purple cloak so it was more of a cape. She fluffed her hair out so the long, strawberry blond locks cascaded down her back. Finally, she brushed the salt and chalk dust from her blue skirt and unbuttoned the top her red-dyed blouse. She was in a good mood. She wanted to have fun with the man.

“Clara, nice to see you tonight.” The barkeeper said with a smile. “Or, well, anyone.” Clara smiled back at him.

“They are just worried about the Harvest Moon. I almost forgot about it. I was so busy perfecting a spell, what day it was day slipped my mind.” She admitted with a bit of a chuckle. “May I have some wine please? And, who is he?” Clara didn’t want the stranger to know she had her eyes on him. With a wine glass in hand and full, she took a sip and listened.

“Don’t know.” the burly man shrugged as he rested his elbow against the counter. “He came in a few days ago. Doesn’t say much.” The young wizard smiled softly.

“Thank you~” The barkeep smirked as he got the message and made his way into a back room. The other man was sitting on the corner of the bar, sipping some water. The Wizard stood from her seat and walked over to the stranger, taking a seat beside him. The cup was raised to his lips was placed down as he noticed his company. “Hello sir! I don’t think we have been introduced. I am Clara, of the Starry Field.” She offered her hand. The man stared at it. Clara remembered the more formal academy greetings were not used in this town. However, he caught her fingers and brought them to his lips.

“Michael, of the Empty Void.” He introduced himself. “I didn’t expect to find someone invested in celestial magic so far from a library with star charts.”

“Nor did I expect to find someone well versed in void magic.” Clara smiled softly as she tilted her head. “Quite the unknown field.” Michael snickered a little bit at the pun. However, he did not turn to face her.

“It’s funny, cause the void is often empty, or referred to as ‘unknown’.”  He smiled as he turned to look at Clara. The celestial mage smiled as well, but covered her lips as Michael turned away in embarrassment. “R-Right… explaining a joke ruins the fun… Uh, sorry.”

“It’s okay.” Clara reached out and touched his hand. “It was a little unclear. I am glad you found it humorous though.”

“Let me get you a drink.” Michael rose his hand to order. Then realized the tavern keeper wasn’t here. And she already had something to drink. He lowered his hand slowly. “Um, I guess that is unnecessary…” He stopped talking when Clara giggled softly. Their eyes finally met, and she realized his were red. Despite the odd color, the eyes were still vibrant enough for Clara to smile at him. She reached out and stroked his cheek.

“Your eyes are beautiful. They are the same color as spring roses.” Michael’s only response to the compliment was a blushing face. He looked down at his hands. For a moment, Clara wondered if she had gone too far.

“Thank you.” The void wizard looked to the star mage with a small smile and with red cheeks. “I… I don’t get a lot of compliments, e-especially from such a beautiful woman.”

“Well now aren’t you a charmer?” Clara wrapped her arms around his, leaning against his side and pressing her soft chest against him. With the upper buttons undone, it was quite easy to see her breasts. Michael’s eyes widened and his cheeks matched the shade of his eyes.

“O-Oh…” Clara was well aware of where his gaze fell as she leaned further against him and looked up at his face. Michael’s eyes had to dart between her ocean blue ones and her exposed cleavage. He found both as desirable sights. He couldn’t decide which he wanted to burn into his memory.

“If I might make a suggestion, I would say the eyes,” Clara smirked when Michael’s mouth opened a little to express his confusion and his panic. “You remain a gentleman. And I would much rather spend the night of the harrowing Harvest Moon in the arms of a gentlemen.”

“Well, then uh, I guess I only have to pay attention to one amazing feature.” The compliment, while smooth, was not nearly as elegant as it could be. Clara still smiled at the compliment regardless.

“Do you imply I only have two amazing features?” The wizard batted her eyes shyly up at Michael. Yes, it was a cruel tease. But this Michael was so cute when he was flustered!

“N-No!” Michael’s eyes were wide as he shook his head quickly. “Not at all! It is just, well, you have many attractive qualities,” A shy laugh accompanied his assurance as he rubbed he back of his head.

“Dawwww, you are so cute,” Michael smiled at Clara’s compliment. “Don’t worry about messing up. I find your shyness absolutely charming.”

“O-Oh?”

“Yes. Usually strangers are so grim and tight-lipped. But you seem friendly,” The wizard watched with a supposedly kind smile as Michael became more and more relaxed over the course of their conversation. He was falling right into her little trap. The trap was further added to with the occasional tankard of beer Clara bought for the shy boy as they spoke.

“Tell me about your grimoire!” Clara’s eyes were lit up as she reached into her cloak, “This one is mine. Thanks to my neat hand writing, I can fit many spells in this lil thing,” She presented a leather-bound notebook. It was big enough to fit in just one hand, and not nearly as cumbersome as some of the massive Grimoire’s other wizards had to carry around. The wizard opened the book with a tipped her head back and a smile, happy to display her work. He thumbed through the pages and quickly eyed each neat line of text.

“What about your grimoire?” The strawberry blond wizard eagerly rested her elbows on the counter after he set her grimoire down. “I would love to see what kind of unique spells litter those pages~”

“Well, it isn’t a book.” Michael reached down and plucked at his cuff.

“Wait, you don’t mean to say…” The wizard trailed off as Michael pulled his sleeve back. Various ruins and spells were inked onto his arm. “You are a demon hunter.” She mused. Michael looked away.

“Folly, I know. But- “

“Heroic is the word I would use!” Clara’s hands clasped over her chest as she closed her eyes. “Oh, you go out in dark of the night, spells etched into your arm with a blade in the other hand. You track down the monsters who torment us, and do you best to protect us! It’s so romantic.” Clara smiled up at Michael. “Why, if I was staying at my home tonight, I would offer you a bed just for that.”

“W-Wait, you mean you… Uh you are- I mean are you trying to say that…” Michael blushed as he trailed off as he rolled his sleeve back down.

“So cute.” She smiled and stroked his cheek. “But the moon is rising, and I really must get to the shopkeeper’s. He offered to let me stay at his place with his wife.” She stood from her stool and brushed the dust off her blue skirt. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Michael of the Empty Void.”

“The pleasure was all mine, Clara of the Starry Field.” Michael’s jaw was hanging a little, staring at Clara as she walked away. He was surprised she offered to spend the night with him. Clara was waiting patiently as she neared the door. “Wait, Clara!”

“Yes?” Michael called to her just as Clara had planned. He approached her with her grimoire in his hand.

“You left this on the counter.” He offered the book to her. Clara feigned a surprised look before she accepted the notebook.

“Thank you very much.” She rested a hand on his chest. Clara pushed Michael gently until he was walking in the direction she so wanted.

“Well, I mean, w-who wouldn’t? R-Return it I mean!” He noticed Clara’s almost predatory gaze. Michael’s legs collided with something. Her gentle push sent Michael toppling backward into the booth, and she followed. As his back crashed onto the seat, Clara’s lips crashed onto his. It was a simple peck, followed by more and more kisses. The woman had her hands on Michael’s chest as she straddled his waist and peppered him with soft kisses. “C-Clara, I…” he trailed off as she held the kiss for a few extra seconds to silence him.

“Thank you~” She muttered against his lips. Her eyes gazed into his. She relaxed while Michael was stiff. With each kiss, Michael’s body softened. She ran her hands over his chest; beneath his shirt was quite a firm body, probably due to his occupation. Michael returned the favor by slowly raising his hands and stroking Clara’s back. She moaned lightly into the kiss and let Michael know she approved. The gentle and intimate contact and stoking only lasted a short time. Clara bit Michael’s lower lip, surprising him. He opened his mouth to say something but Clara simply took advantage. She deepened the kiss. Her tongue slipped into his mouth and graced his with gentle strokes, running over his teeth and the roof of his mouth. She moaned more to reward Michael’s firm strokes to her back. Clara gasped when his hands slipped to her rear and gave a squeeze. Michael leaned forward and pushed his tongue into her mouth now and took over the kiss.

Clara submitted, letting his tongue move around her mouth. She moaned as she felt his tongue swiping over her teeth as they two intimately kissed. Clara slowly pulled away, a small strand of salvia connecting their lips. She let out a muffled noise as Michael quickly leaned up and captured her lips again as he continued to massage her rear. Clara stroked his chest and groaned as she felt his teeth scrape against her lip. Her hand slid around his neck and pulled his head closer as she rocked her hips against his. The shy demon hunter below her groaned in response. She pulled away and pushed herself up, looking down and still gently rocking her hips.

“Thank you so much for returning my grimoire.” She purred before sliding off his lap. “If you are still in town tomorrow, you should really find me. We can continue this then~” The wizard gave a small wave to the confused young man. She left the tavern, quite proud of her work on him. She outdid herself.

The shopkeeper lived in a house attached to the back of his shop. Clara walked for another fifteen minutes till she was there once more, and the shop keeper greeted her kindly. The house was a simple place, just a sitting room with a double bed in the corner. A few windows completed the setting. The shopkeeper’s wife was kind and welcoming. Clara was soon sipping tea with the couple. All was well and good, and the wizard was starting to relax. She looked out a window and shivered though. The demons were descending upon the town.

They were all strange combinations of humans and other various animals. There were two kinds of demons: Major and Minor. The minor ones were all similar. Body of a human, goat legs and hooves, clawed hands, forked tongues. Lidless, beady eyes and wild hair. All of them raving mad as they hunted for anyone foolish enough to have not put up the basic defenses. The major ones were more terrifying. None of them resembled each other, and all barely resembled humans. Their eyes shone with an intelligent light as they stalked down the cobble stone streets and searched alongside their minor counterparts. The chalk circles around each house kept the demons from accessing the people hiding inside. Normal chalk wouldn’t work, but this special chalk was blessed by a preacher. They all stopped at the circles and hissed and spat as they refused to cross over the line. Clara smirked.

A demon turned to look at her through the window. It was an ugly thing who walked on four legs. Those legs were the same as a bear’s, while the body resembled a lion. It’s neck and head was a thick snake, and a scorpion’s stinger replaced the tail. The demon stepped closer and closer to the window. It sat on its haunches and continued to stare at Clara with those lidless eyes. Clara smirked and raised the cup of tea she was drinking.

“Cheers~” She told him. The shop keeper was staring at the demon oddly.

“Dear, um, how far away did you make the chalk circle?” Clara looked to the shopkeeper. Worry sprang onto the wizard. The shopkeeper looked to his wife as he awaited the answer to her question.

“Oh, quite far away.” She was smiling at the demon who was looking in the window. “But of course, the chalk isn’t blessed. It’s just regular chalk. I swapped out the bags.” The wife chuckled as she tilted her head. Her face shimmered as a glamour was lifted. The wife’s eyes were glassy and blank. She rose her arm to reveal scars had been cut into her. Ancient runes made this half of the spell label her as a puppet. The teacup shattered as it fell from Clara’s hands.

Clara pulled out a knife from her cloak and slashed her finger tips.

The Demon rose its arm and had the other half of the spell etched into his flesh. It said master.

Clara pulled her grimoire out of her cloak. She flipped it open to a well memorized place in the book.

The demon reared up and slammed his arms against the wall. It creaked and groaned. The windows fractured.

Clara swiped his fingers along the pages. The runes glowed with arcane energy and collected on her finger tips.

The demon reared back to slam against the wall.

Clara smirked.

The arcane energy flew and hit the wall. The demon was blasted back with the debris. Clara rushed forward and leapt through the new hole. She dragged her bloody finger tips over another five spells conjured five orbs of energy. They condensed into one orb in her palm and fired into the demon and blew his head apart.  She looked around and bit her lip. Demons were attacking the houses now. Upon seeing the major demon do it, they quickly realized it was safe. With nothing to hold them back, the town was quickly falling apart. Clara watched as Demons dove through windows and shredded doors apart. Families ran from their home and away from demons, while a brave few fought back with varying success. She needed to reach her house. She could make a warding pot and drive the demons away.

Clara leapt off the demon’s body and ran. Her feet pounded the cobble stones and made her presence clear. A demon dove at her with, its visage fierce and its arms spread wide. She flipped to a page in her grimoire, spread her blood along a spell and flung it at the demon. The spell exploded in a star burst pattern and dissolved the demon into dust. Another ran up to her. This one charged low at her legs, with blood-streaked hands. Clara already had another spell ready and flung it at the demon. A cluster of bright lights launched from her finger tips. They formed spears id flight and pinned the creature down. It shrieked and cried, but Clara left it behind as she charged down the street. Clara came to a stop in front of the tavern. She paused as the red light surrounded her. Everything burned around her. Lanterns must have been knocked over as people tried to escape. She took a deep breath. She had priorities. The demons had to be removed. The lives had to be saved. Then, the fire put out.

Clara ran forward and readied another spell as a group of seven demons burst into the square. One of them pointed out her and barked. The others followed with howls as they rushed her, some on all fours, some on two feet. She fired off a ball of compressed gas. It exploded into hot plasma and scorched the demons. Their screams were drowned out by the sound of the air roaring as it was heated then cooled. The demons were not the only danger to Clara. The fire was spreading. The smoke was robbing her of much needed oxygen. Her legs ached and burned. Each heavy foot fall sent pain through her foot to her calf. But adrenaline helped to keep her legs moving, despite how sloppy her run was becoming. She smiled as she spotted her house, which had three stories and there was taller than the other buildings.

Not all was well. Sitting in front of her door was a large, Major Demon. It was a beast of a creature, with scaly human legs, a bear’s body, and the long thick arms of an ape. The head was a lion, with massive tusks as well. The demon looked to Clara and smirked as it approached her. The wizard smirked back. She quickly turned around and dove through the broken window of a burning building. She flipped through the pages of her note book as she pressed herself against the opposite wall.

The demon charged the building, crouched low, and swung his head and arms up against the weakened wall. It shattered and the debris was sent flying at Clara. Her spell was ready. With a flick of her wrist she sent the glowing energy out to the flying debris. It was a pea sized ball of compressed gas and energy. The ball exploded out and sent all the splinters right into the demon. Shards of glass and wood embedded them self into the demon as it flew back. Clara ran out through the hole, flipping to another spot and swiping her blood laced fingers over the spell. She directed the energy to the demon, and what appeared to be a star from the sky itself fell onto him with the speed of a lead ball. It smashed into the demon and exploded into a bright, burning light.

“Thank you so much!” Clara said as she ran past the splat of gore on the ground. “I’ve been wanting to test that!” Clara collided with the door to her tower and shoved the key into the lock. She tumbled past the threshold and pulled the door shut behind her. The base floor of her house was empty of any sort of furniture. It was filled with shelves, and racks held dried or preserved ingredients. A stair case lea to her sitting room on the second floor. She rushed forward ad grabbed her first ingredient for the warding pot, which was a jar of Hawthorne berries preserved using holy water. Clara slammed the bottle against the inside of her cauldron. She moved to the next ingredient and pulled out flecks of glass from her hand.

The door was broken as a lesser demon forced his way into the house. Clara turned around, pulled her knife from her cloak, and threw it with a deft hand. The small surgical knife embedded itself in the demon’s throat. Clara quickly pulled her grimoire out and flipped open to the middle page and flung a bolt of light at the demon. It screeched in pain as the bolt bored a red hole in its chest and blasted it out of her house. Another ran in past it, only to be blasted apart by Clara. Her next move was to run to a different rack and thrust her hand past the dried ingredients to grab what she needed. She threw it over her shoulder and into the pot. There was a sigh of relief as the pot clanged.

“Next ingredient, next ingredient… ARGH, what was it?!” She growled as she darted to several hanging herbs. She snatched off several herbs, dropping them in the pot as she passed it. Five large frozen toads were thrown in next. Clara barked a quick sentence in an ancient language and set the wood beneath the cauldron alight.

A fist slammed into her chest and sent Clara flying through a rack. Jars shattered and bags burst. A demon bared down on Clara. He was slashed with jagged claws. The wizard held up her sleeve. The claws tore into the sleeve and caught on the fabric, which made the demon struggle to pull his hand back. The wizard below the demon began to recite a long spell. The creature lunged to bite her neck. She thrust her arm forward. Shark teeth met her bones.

“AHHHHHH!!” The ancient mutterings continued as energy built up on her finger tips. It exploded from her hand as she shouted her last word. The demon was blasted away, but rose to his feet and snarled. Clara dived for her grimoire, flipped to a specific page, and swiped her blood along a spell. The demon leapt again. Clara rolled to her back and released the ball of energy on her palm. It collided with the demon. The creature bloated before exploding into a shower of blood and drenched her and the notebook. She covered the grimoire with her arm, which kept the blood off. Clara picked some of the glass out from the back of her legs, her red shirt much darker than it originally was. She reached up to grab a leather bag of holy water and poured it into the cauldron. Her eyes cast to the door, where several demons were approaching.

She should have finished this warding pot by now. It had dragged on for too long. Clara pulled out her grimoire and winced. There was still glass in her leg. The four demons tried to crowd in. Clara prepared another spell, but never had the chance to use it. A scaled arm capped with a clawed hand grabbed one of the demon’s head from behind. The head was crushed in a blast of gore. As the body dropped, another clawed hand reached in and dug its claws into a second demon. Clara could clearly see the way long, hooked claws dug into the demon’s chest. The clawed hand wrenched the demon back, tearing the chest open and flinging it over the owner’s back. Clara finally saw the new demon’s head. It was a raven’s skull, with glowing red eyes.

The other demons turned to screech at the newest monster. The Bird Skull lunged forward and opened it’s sharp, hooked beak. It dug into a demon’s stomach and disemboweled the fiend, leaving it to screech in terror and pain. The final one leapt to slash at the Bird Skull’s eyes. Bird Skull’s arm shot forward and slammed into its head to pin it to the ground. Upon second glance, it was not just an arm. A thick, black, leathery membrane was attached to the arm making it a wing. Using the wing arm, he slammed the demon’s head into the ground until there was a crack. Bird Skull finally walked into the house, through the hole Clara had made. She gaped.

The demon stood well over seven feet tall. She could see more of him aside from a horrid head and leathery wings. His body was covered in some sort of leathery hide. Bones sat on his skin and were armor for him. An entire ribcage protected his chest, while spinal segments protected his back. His arms were coated in dark scales and his hands were tipped with sharp claws. It had a tail, long and prehensile, and tipped with an arrow shaped, sharp looking bone. It was long enough to drag along the ground, and was probably used for balance.

The Bird Skull Demon looked down on Clara as his wings settled onto his shoulders and covered his body to be a leathery cloak. He tilted his head as he looked down on her. With the moonlight flowing in behind the demon, his black scales took on a bluish sheen. He had a belt with a bundle of three rods hanging from it, as well as a sword with a long and curved blade. Most demon’s used claws and teeth. Clara thought to herself and tried to formulate a plan. She had a spell ready. She rose her hand, and the demon did as well. She paused.

“If you can keep the demons away from me, I can make a warding pot.” The wizard let her hand lower, and the determined glare on her face melted into a friendlier smile. The demon breathed slowly, then nodded at Clara’s statement. He ducked his head to leave, and Clara turned her attention to her warding pot. She just needed to finish it.

Bird Skull towered above the other demons at seven feet six inches. They had noticed by now something was off about one of their stronger kin. The lesser demons formed a circle around him barking and gnashing their teeth. Their ransacking of the village evolved to silent tension. A few burnt buildings crackled, but no one flinched. A beam fell from the rafters and crashed into the ground. The ceiling followed.

A lesser demon flung itself at the Bird Skull demon’s back. Bird Skull’s wing extended from his back and slammed into the demon. The lesser Demon hit the ground with a thump. Bird Skull stepped up and stabbed his talons into the lesser demon’s chest, digging them into the demon and crushing the ribcage before pushing the bone shards into his lungs and organs with a stomp.

Another Demon leapt at Bird Skull. Using his talons, Bird Skull grabbed the demon beneath him and spun around, throwing the body at the leaping one. They collided in the air. Bird Skull rushed forward and snatched the still living one from the air by the arm. He grabbed onto the lesser demon’s shoulder and tore the arm off with a loud ripping noise. It screeched in pain before being slammed to the ground. Bird Skull dug his claws into his throat and tore the soft flesh as he stood.

The rest descended on him, tired of this silly one at a time game. Bird Skull drew his sword in a clean stroke and slashed open a lesser demon. He whipped around to his right and slashed another one before ducking under a third’s swipe. His sinuous slash continued and severed the legs of several demons. As the arc ended, Bird Skull flipped the blade around to a reverse style. He rose to his feet as he spun and slashed at those around him in a circle, forcing the lesser demons to back off and give him some breathing room. He pulled the bundle of three rods from his belt. Several demons charged at him. Two to his right, one in front, and the fourth leaping at his back.

Bird Skull stepped forward and sunk his sword into the Lesser Demon’s chest and released it. The one about to land on his back was smacked away by his wings. He twisted to his right and faced the two lesser demons. The first slashed with his claws, only to have Bird Skull smash his rods against the lesser Demon’s hands and shatter the bones with a crunch. Bird Skull’s empty hand grabbed onto the demon’s hand and quickly slammed it against the demon next to him. The demon was knocked to the ground, allowing Bird Skull to slash his throat out with the talons on his feet. The one in his hand stared up at Bird Skull, who slowly raised the rods in his hand. The demon got a much better look. Three heavy looking, metal rods, each two feet in length. One rod was capped with a long, rectangular ruby. He slammed it against the demon’s head.

THWUMP

Again

THWUMP

Again

CRACK

Bird Skull let the demon fall with its head cracked open and leaking brain matter. The circle around Bird Skull widened. They all leapt on him. Bird Skull dived away from the pile, reclaiming his sword from a corpse. He jumped as soon as his hand was around the hilt, his wings sending him flying into the air as he landed on the roof of a house. The demons howled as they scrambled up the house to him. Bird Skull took a deep breath. He released a few latches on his bundle of rods. With a simple spin, it extended into a single staff. He connected the staff to his sword and formed a scythe.

The demons were on the roof now, leaping at Bird Skull from all angles. With speed and precision, each was cut down mid light. All who tried to approach him for a tackle were easily decapitated before Bird Skull would deftly swing his scythe and slice another demon into two pieces. Body parts, organs, and limbs piled around Bird Skull in a morbid circle, as not a single demon managed to reach striking distance.

A roar alerted Bird Skull to the approach of two more larger, more powerful demons. Wolf walked on four scaled, wolf-like limbs, yet had the body of a lion and the head of a wolf, as well as a pair of wicked horns. The Major Demon moved lithely from roof top to roof top in a subconscious display of skill. The other was a lot simpler. Stalking along the streets was a behemoth with the legs and head of a bull, but the body of a bear. Scales protected the beast’s chest and arms. It was nigh nine feet tall, and so wide it barely fit in the streets.

Bird skull rose his hand and drew a long cut down his arm. The cut ran beside a series of runes etched onto his scales. As the blood coated the runes, arcane power filled the etchings and made them glow with faint light. Wolf snarled loudly at Bird Skull

“Kin!” The Major Demons roared as it stalked along the gables. “Why do you slaughter your own kind? Is it not the humans who hate us without cause? Is it not the humans who have violated our sacred lands and branded us as demons? Speak, o’ traitor, and perhaps you may be reconciled. I understand that you may be one of our more…” Behemoth bellowed as he tossed his head back. “… Less organized ilk. But, you are still one of us,” Wolf sat on his haunches. His ears were perked, and his head tilted down in a posture of non-aggression. Bird skull seemed to think for a minute. A line of runes glowed on his arm as he threw his wing arm out. A tendril of darky, inky matter flew from the membrane.

Wolf jerked to his feet to leap away to a nearby roof, but the matter hit his hind legs and wrapped around them. He crashed against the edge of a roof, claws digging into the tiles as he tried to pull himself up.

Bird Skull dashed forward, wings propelling him through the air, and cut Wolf in half with a single slash of his scythe. Wolf’s entrails landed alongside his legs with a plop, his upper half soon following as the life drained from the demon. Behemoth bellowed in agony as he charged at Bird Skull. The treacherous demon leaped into the air with a flap of his wings, watching the massive demon miss and demolish the wall he had thrown himself into. As Bird Skull landed, more runes glowed on his arm. Behemoth turned on a dime and lashed out with a round house kick to Bird Skull. He didn’t expect the brute to turn so quickly, and was hit right on his shoulder and catapulted away. Bird Skull kept a tight grip on his scythe as he rolled across the ground and stood up, growling. Behemoth charged again, lowering his head to ram Bird Skull with his horns and tusks. Bird Skull charged back at the same time.

At the last second, Bird Skull dodged to the side and swung his scythe at Behemoth’s shoulder. The blade dug into Behemoth’s shoulder and allowed Bird Skull to use the scythe as a hook to spin around the demon’s body and landed on his shoulders. The blade was now under behemoth’s left arm, with the staff across his back. Bird Skull thought he had won as he yanked on the scythe to slice Behemoth apart. His scythe didn’t budge from its spot. Behemoth reached up and grabbed Bird Skull, throwing him through the air. He crashed into a burning building and bounced off the wall.

Bird Skull landed on all fours and darted off, running as a four-legged animal runs. Behemoth who roared and stepped forward with hopes of crushing Bird Skull under foot as the smaller demon closed the gap. Bird Skull dove to the side to dodge the stomp. He dug the claws on his wing arm into the ground as a set of runes lit up on his arms. Due to how big Behemoth was, Bird Skull nimbly ran between his legs as he made a line in the dirt underneath him. Once he was behind the larger demon, dark tendrils burst from the line he had just created. They wrapped around Behemoth and restrained him, at least for a while. Bird Skull kicked off from the ground and flapped his wings for the extra bit of force. He landed on his opponent’s shoulders and rose a taloned foot, kicking his scythe and freeing it from the tough scales of the massive demon. Bird Skull kicked off Behemoth’s shoulders. He caught his scythe out of the air and spread his wings, darting out of Behemoth’s reach and landing on the roof. He stood up and held his scythe at his side. Behemoth charged and swung his arm at Bird Skull.

Bird skull leapt off the roof and hit the ground with a roll. He spun out of the roll and slashed at Behemoth’s leg. A long streak of red followed the glistening blade as the beast’s tendon was severed. Behemoth twisted around and slammed his fist in the ground where Bird Skull used to be standing. Instead, Bird Skull had dashed under his legs and was already behind Behemoth. With another deft slash, he cut apart the Major Demon’s leg once more. Behemoth collapsed to his hands and knees. Bird Skull leapt up onto his back as more runes along his arm lit up. A ball of some sort of energy formed in his palm. It was black, and even though it was round, it appeared to be a flat circle of black energy. The edges seemed to be unstable and constantly tearing. Bird Skull quickly passed the energy to his scythe. It coated the blade as Behemoth reached up to grab him once more. Bird Skull slashed Behemoth’s arm off. He bellowed in pain as Bird Skull swung again, cutting Behemoth’s head off in a single clean slice.

There was enough blood to form a small stream as the body fell to the ground, Bird Skull smoothly stepping off. More demons circled him as the black energy faded from his blade. He held it in both hands. His hands shook. He coughed and retched. The scythe dropped from his hands as he fell on all fours. Bird Skull retched and hacked as he felt strength leaving him. He was not the only one to suffer this effect. The minor demons were retching as well as they ran away.

Clara was walking up, the cauldron floating by her shoulder as she walked around town. She planted it beside her, not noticing Bird Skull as the demons fled. The town’s people returned as well, spears, knives, and pitchforks in their hands as they killed any demon caught in the scent of the warding pot.

“There! A Major Demon!” Clara looked over and covered her mouth. It was Bird Skull, retching and hacking as the warding pot sapped his strength. The potion was stronger against major demons, which was why he had yet to escape. The townspeople were grabbing him by the arm and hoisting him up. He coughed more frantically. No… he was… speaking.

“No!” His strangled voice was hard to understand. “S-Stop! Please stop! I’m not a monster!” Clara felt a pang in her heart. She should look away. Demons were crafty. Yet, he had saved her, and defended her from demons so she could create this potion, knowing it would affect him. It was a selfless act. That, and his eyes. His voice. Clara’s eyes widened as she saw the tattoos on his arm. She rushed forward, shoving people out of her way. There was a man pressing a knife to the demon’s throat as he struggled weakly. He tried and speak again, but he was silenced. The blade was drawing blood.

“CEASE!” Clara grabbed the man by the shoulder and pulled him away, shoving him behind her. She rose her hand to her mouth and bit her finger till blood dripped from it. She reached out to draw something on Bird Skull’s forehead while chanting. When she finished, the bloody rune glowed red before the blood seemed to merge with Bird Skull’s skull, leaving the blood rune in place. She looked at the people around her.

“This demon is MY familiar now! He is under MY command, he is MY responsibility, and he under MY protection!” The towns people seemed to bristle, but the mumbles spread across the group. After all, she had saved their town and their lives. “Now BACK away from MICHAEL!!!” Blood was staining her teeth and dripping from her fingers. The demon at her side slowly stood… and began to change. As Clara turned around, she found herself face to face with the same black-haired man from the tavern. He looked down at her with tear filled red eyes.

“Y-You want… you want a demon like me?” Michael asked her gently. His arms were stiff at his side. He was in his usual clothes, but his cloak was gone.

“Half demon.” Clara corrected as she reached up and stroked his cheek to wipe away a tear. “Otherwise you wouldn’t HAVE a human form. And of course, I want you. You saved my life.” Michael sniffled a little, but smiled. “And…” She pulled his head down and pressed her lips to his. Michael’s eyes went wide. His hands lifted and landed on her shoulder. After a second pulled her closer. “You are a great kisser.” She whispered with a playful light in her eyes. Michael smiled down at her.

“And I REALLY need help cleaning my house.”

[knockoutlives]

Whatever they offer you, don’t feed the plants.

Josh: Mom just told me. congrats.

Troi: I am so proud of you Vinny! Congratulations babe! I've never been happier for you, for us!

Spencer: Congratulations Vinny! When Adam gets back from his Medical Retreat we need to go for drinks! Congrats!

Abby: Congrats big brother! I can't wait to come visit and see you on stage!

Amelia: Congratulations! I’ll see you at 2 for lunch and you can tell me all about it! Mak: Congratulations Vinny!

Kevin. MY. GOD. VINCENT ANDREW DEPOLA HOW ON EARTH DID YOU KEEP THIS HIDDEN FROM ME?!?! CONGRATULATIONS ON BEING CAST AS SEYMOUR!

Unknown Number: Congratulations!

V: thanks, who's this?

(718) 565-3489: you know who this is, we met up for drinks the other night in Queens.

(718) 565-3489 : had to get out of Manhattan to make sure your boyfriend didn't hear anything about it.

V: oh ya, thanks.

(718) 565-3489 : that's it? I'll remember that the next time we hook up, and you wanna fuck me.

Vinny sighed and looked from the phone in his gloved hands, to the city street in front of him. Scanning the empty street for anyone he could potentially know. As if even seeing them would allow the other to know who Vinny was messaging. The sender's comments made him recall the night in questions, and the corners of his lips pulled into a smile as he replied.  

V: listen, I've got some things to do today. So I'm going to have to cut this short. But, I expect to see you at my place tonight at 6. He’ll be gone for a few hours.

(718) 565-3489 : fire escape, or front door.

V: fire escape, just so you don't run into him. I don't need that

(718) 565-3489 : Your wish is my command - T

Upon sending his last message Vinny locked his phone and let out an even heavier sigh as he leaned on the concrete wall of the building he had just walked out of prior to the bombardment of Text​ message - well wishes. Pushing off of the wall Vinny began his walk down the street heading towards Times Square, and the subway. There was a slight chill in the air, causing Vinny to wrap his arms around his midsection, and pulling his leather jacket closer to his body to conserve warmth.

A smile began to tug at his lips again as he recounted the morning.

--

The day had already began to speed by, though when one wakes up at six to be out the door by seven the time just begins to fly from the second you actually leave the bed. He had left Troi in the warm blankets that morning, to make his way to the gym to beat the rush. (The treadmill he liked at his gym always seemed to be taken if he was late, even If it was by five minutes.) So arriving precisely at seven fifteen gave him enough time to get his workout, shower, and get dressed into human attire by eight. Today had been no different until he left the gym and his phone began buzzing, like a virgin's vibrator on crack.

“Hello, This is Vincent….”  

“Vinny, it's Camille! Would you be able to stop by the midtown studio space this morning?”

“Of course I can! What time?”

“Now, would be nice”

“I'm on my way, I’ll be there by nine!”

Jumping on the subway almost immediately after the phone call, Vinny had arrived at the rehearsal space to find his agent Camille in the lobby of the building looking as if she had just ran down the stairs of the familiar building from the rehearsal space on the fifth floor.

“Vinny!” The woman said with a grin as she took the boy into her arms. Camille was quite short, so she normally came up to Vinny's shoulder, but in her heels today she was almost at eye level. “I'm so glad you could make it, I have two people who would really like to speak to you. It was last minute but apparently they're on a tight schedule. So they needed to get a hold of you A-S-A-P.” “Oh, alright?” Vinny said confusion clear on his face. “Vinny..” Camille said her grin still growing as she stepped into the elevator and dragging Vinny in with her,  the door closing behind them “...you got the part! You’re Seymour!”

-- 2:30 PM Cilantro - Upper West Side, New York City

“Oh, the second your mom read that Playbill article, it got plastered all over Facebook and you were tagged EVERY TIME. If I didn't get the call from Chrissy, I would have seen at least one of the 25 posts your family made!”

“God Amelia, I'm glad we weren't friends when I made it into Idiot. She went crazy. You would never have let me live it down. I mean I shouldn't complain though. She is my mother, Troi’s is just as bad.”

“I mean I would kill for my mom to be half as excited about a part I get. But that my friend is a totally different story. How was Troi when he found out?”

“Oh, he was happy. He had a bunch of errands to run earlier before he got to the studio earlier. So we haven't talked much just yet.”

Amelia took a sip of her mimosa and smiled across the table at Vinny. She was probably the oldest friend he had in the city, nonetheless​ the only one here who knew almost all of Vinny's past with and without Troi. The pair had met when Vinny was touring with American Idiot, and freshly single. In a different time and place Vinny felt Amelia might have been a perfect girlfriend for him, but with her lack of the desired plumbing and the fact that on one drunken night they may have made out, she held the coveted best friend spot and nothing more. But, of course Vinny never told Prima he might have been replaced. “Im glad things are finally working out between you guys. It was rough for a while on tour there. Until, you and Travis were a thing for a bit. You know he's in the city now, I dunno for how long but he’s got a place in Queens.” “Ya don't say?” Vinny said grabbing his Margarita and taking a large gulp of the drink.

“Ya, but we all know how you feel about taking the W into Queens. Vincent Depola doesn’t leave Manhattan unless it’s for a good reason.”

Almost instantly Vinny placed his drink down with a little too much force, and looked from Amelia to his phone. “Looks like I struck a nerve?” “No, I’m just not really in the mood to deal with any drama. And, you know drama follows him.” “Oh I know, I was living through the times of you guys screwing around AND the months following when y’all were just hating fucking. Thank god thats over” “Amen” Vinny added as he looked down at their empty plates. “So when are you going back on tour? Or, are you looking more for something more stable in the city?” “Well it depends on how the next two weeks go on Raph’s residency. I’ve got a few auditions lined up either way. If he’s leaving the city, I might jump on a tour, but there are also some workshops in and out of the city I could hop into if he stays. Why? Are you already going through withdrawls from me?” Laughing Vinny added “No! Well sort of.. I dunno.” “What’s eating at you?” Amelia responded, her tone switching almost instantly from upbeat to concern. “Nothing really, I mean it’s just weird to finally be tied down…” Sipping at his drink he continued. “...Like literally I went from the tour, to spending time home for a few months, and now I'm with Troi in New York. This isn't little old Trigger, this is the real world. And believe me I have never been happier with Troi but I just, I'm by myself too much. Granted now that I'm in the show I'll be able to rehearse and spend time with other people. But, until then it was just Troi and I, and on occasion Spadam. And you know how it is dating a dancer, or at least someone in a similar field as you. If your schedule don't align sometimes you're lucky to see them at night, again if you're lucky.”

“You sound perfectly normal Vin! It sucks, you know I know it. And that’s why I’m engaged to a doctor now. But, this is just your nerves from being pent up this long without anything really happening. Ya, you had the audition grind going, but until something happens you're on edge waiting to snap. You're in a Broadway Show now, you're going to be fine.”

Sighing, Vinny looked over at Amelia with a smile now. “I am. I'm in a Little Shop of Fucking Horrors. Finally!”

“And that's why this is on me” She added placing a credit card on the check.

--- 4:45 PM

Stepping back into the cold afternoon air the two embraced in front of the store for a moment, and then Vinny began his walk towards Central Park. Though the park wasn't too crowded this time of day, Vinny didn't mind the people that much. And, it was the fastest way to get home even if it did take him almost an hour at his leisurely pace. He enjoyed his time alone, it was something he got a lot of. But, ever since the tour ended and he went back to Trigger, it hadn't felt like he had taken a moment to just breathe, even when he was alone.

One moment he was single, and moving back home, the next he had a date with Troi. A date, that put them back on each other's radars. It took some time before he was even capable to even think about kissing Troi. Then it just happened, and happened, and happened. Numerous times, sometimes multiple at a time. Things just fell back into place, as if it was a four piece puzzle, not the complex thousand piece jigsaw their lives really were. It’s not that the two forgot about their previous qualms, but they spent almost a month just accepting the past was in the past, taking a tip from a popular ice queen and just ‘letting it go’. Most importantly though Blaise Monroe was out of their lives, and one thousand two hundred and eighty four miles away living a poor excuse of a life in Trigger, what a wash-up.

There were some days though that Vinny wondered what would have happened if he was still in Trigger? If the couple hadn’t rekindled and moved back to NYC to share Troi’s loft apartment. Would he be on another tour? Would he just be living the same washed up life, that Blaise Monroe was currently living? Or, would Travis still be in the picture, or at least in more then---

“Watch it man!” a cab driver shouted as Vinny stepped back onto the curb, lost in his thoughts and almost catching the cab’s drivers side mirror. “Damn it” Vinny mumbled under his breathe as he regained his bearings. About Halfway through the park, he could see the back of the Metropolitan Museum of Art on his left, and knew he had to go a bit more south if he wanted to get into his neighborhood without leaving the park. Walking on the streets around the park was almost as bad as Times Square. Why people flocked to this place, not even he knew. It was a beautiful park, but there were other wonders to see in the city. That were not inhabited by homeless people pissing all around, or thirsty gays cruising the bathrooms.  Turning passed the Alice in Wonderland statue, Vinny felt a pair of arms wrap around his waist and Troi’s voice enter his ears.   “Hey there handsome” Leaning back into the other man’s arms Vinny felt his cheeks rise into a smile. Turning around he placed his hands around Troi’s neck and kissed him softly, letting his short beard rub against Troi’s stubble ridden face. “How’s my boyfriend? No excuse me how’s the new Seymour Krelborn in the Little Shop Revival!“ “I’m fine! I’m fine! Still letting it all sink in!” Vinny responded to Troi’s enthusiasm with his own. “Of course you are!” “How’d you know I was here?” Vinny added as he laced his hand into his boyfriends and continued the walk towards their apartment. “ I mean I’m far from complaining at all, I just thought you were going to be at the studio for most of the night teaching” “I was talking to Rhea about finding out you got the part, and she said she’d cover my night class. Under the conditions that I take you out to celebrate.” “ I will never feel bad about getting to spend more time with you babe, but that is entirely your call.” Looking away from his boyfriend and around the street to see where they had exited the park. Stopping for the light Vinny sighed softly, inaudible to anyone but himself,  

“Of course I want to take you out tonight! Do you mind if I take a run to the gym first though?”

Almost immediately Vinny smiled at Troi and nodded his head. “Ya, totally!” Vinny added with a little too much excitement.

“Wow, someone's happy I'm not just at the studio,and actually going out of my way to put a little extra muscle on.”

Vinny couldn't help but laugh at his boyfriend's response as he reached his free hand over to jokingly feel Troi’s abs.

“Not enough yet.”

-- 5:55 PM

(718) 565-3489 : I should be there a little after seven ;)

“Vinny! Have you seen my shaker?”

Quickly locking his phone, Vinny looked up from the couch towards his boyfriend in the bathroom. “Uh, probably in the kitchen, or maybe your gym bag?” He added hopping up from his place on the couch and moving towards the window to unlock it. “Do you need a protein shake today? I mean we are going for dinner afterwards. I don't want to be the one eating a five course meal and then you have a carrot. Those days are long over.”

Emerging from the bathroom Troi was in a pair of joggers and a t-shirt, tugging on a hoodie while almost walking into their kitchen counter. “You're right I guess, I'm only gonna be gone for forty five minutes max.”

“Good! Now go! I'm hungry” Vinny shot back playfully at Troi, as he wrapped his arms around the other and kissed him softly. Biting Troi's lower lip gently, Vinny pulled away and ran his hands over Troi's abdomen once more. “I love you.”

“I love you too!” Troi added with another quick peck, as he gathered his keys and drawstring bag and headed out the door.

As soon as the door shut Vinny practically ran too it to lock both the deadbolt and chain the door, making sure there was no way of potential disruptions. From the door, he made his way to the bathroom to throw some water on his face and check his reflection. He had changed when he had gotten home, from his casual wear to his Grade-A bum attire. Sweat shorts, an oversized hoodie, and his thick framed glasses Because, contacts just hurt after a while.

Staring at himself in the mirror Vinny closed his eyes tightly and ran a hand through his messy hair. Then he heard it, a light rapping on the living room window. The window had opened as he returned to the room to see his guest finishing his window entrance. Brushing himself off and placing his bag on the floor, Vinny’s eyes trailed up the familiar body and he smiled when he reached the man’s face which was covered in shadow from his hood. Not caring about the cold breeze coming through the open window, Vinny stepped closer and placed his lips to the other man’s. Wrapping his arms around him, Vinny broke the kiss to place his head on the others shoulder. The other man did not hesitate to place his stubble ridden mouth onto Vinny’s now exposed neck, tugging lightly on the skin with his teeth. Swatting the back of the man’s head Vinny dragged them down to the couch, where he was straddled by the other male. “No marks!” Reaching around the others waistband, Vinny let his hands wander across the other’s ass and playfully squeezed. Catching the other's mouth in his own Vinny began to remove the others hoodie when --

“Fighting evil by moonlight, winning love by daylight, never running from a real fight. She is the one named Sailor Moon!”

“Fuck, Fuck, Fuck,” The other said un-straddling Vinny as the latter ran his hands up his face and began laughing softly. Standing up and closing the window; the other man leaned on the counter top, one arm on the counter the other rubbing his face.

Laughing still, Vinny bent down and fished out two phones from the bag by the window and brought them over too the counter. Placing his hand on the other’s neck he ran it north towards the man's hair,  and in doing so he pushed down the hood revealing Troi from the shadow.

“Babe, next time you decide to seduce me as a stranger. Turn your old phone’s ringer off ,maybe?”

Grinning at his boyfriend Troi grabbed Vinny's waist to pull him into his side, and kiss the other's forehead while on the balls of his feet. Still biting back laughter Vinny pulled Troi into his chest and kissed the top of the shorter boys head.

“Jeeze, I wish I could say this was the first time I've been cock blocked by Sailor Moon.”

“Hey, it's probably my mother trying to get a hold of you in the first place.”

“Even better! I wish I could say that this was the first time getting cock blocked by your mother.”

Picking up the iPhone in the Sailor Moon case, Vinny saw the missed call was in fact from his future mother in law, and handed the phone back to Troi; before returning to the foreign phone still on the counter.

“So this, is what's finally given you a New York area code.” “Surprise!” Troi added sarcastically as he relocated by hugging the other from behind. Vinny, while toying around with the phone, felt Troi run his hands down his sides and under his hoodie. “ I can give you the entire tour of it, after we take care of something else.” Letting,his hands lower from Vinny’s abs, Troi slipped under the waistband of Vinny’s sweatpants and began searching for his target.

“Oh really now?” Vinny said as he turned (not gracefully) to face his boyfriend, and caught Troi’s lips in his own. Running his own hands across the other’s chest, Vinny straightened himself up and walked Troi backwards to their room. Breaking the kiss, as they crossed the threshold into the dark room Vinny softly pushed Troi onto the bed, and closed the door behind him. “I mean you still need to get a workout in before dinner” “I mean I could use a protein shot.” “Oh ya? Like you needed one the other night at that shady speakeasy in Astoria?” “Hey, that dinner was painful, a little exciting sex in a seedy bathroom livened it up a bit” “God I love you..” Running his hands down Troi’s sides Vinny noticed that in the time it took him to close the door, and make the room completely black Troi had removed his shirt and hoodie. His skin warm, as Vinny felt the smaller boy quiver under his touch. Tracing designs along the other’s chest, his hands teased the soft skin of Troi’s nipples. Where he tweaked the other softly, gaining an audible gasp from the boy under his touch. ‘I thought you weren’t going to follow through with your texts when Rhea let you out early.” Leaning down towards Troi’s left nipple Vinny placed his lips and began teasing the other with his tongue and biting softly on the erect flesh. “And miss out on this? Why did you think I decided to go to the gym? Babe,” Troi gasped and tried to regain his composure. “...today is my off day. I was at the studio all morning. You’re lucky I was able to climb the fire-escape at all.” As Vinny continued to work on Troi’s nipples, and enjoyed the soft sounds of pleasure his boyfriend was making; he began to run his hands up Troi’s muscular arms. Tracing where he knew the other’s key tattoo was, and up his shoulder where his right hand gripped the soft skin that led to Troi’s neck and jawline. Reaching down past Troi’s stomach and into the other’s sweatpants, Vinny squeezed the package that was clad in only a jock-strap. Removing his hand from near Troi’s neck, Vinny leaned up and let his lips mash against Troi’s hungry mouth. Troi wrapped his legs around Vinny’s waist as his boyfriend began to give his neck the same treatment he had previously did on his nipple. Removing his hand from Troi’s sweatpants, Vinny shucked his hoodie off while Troi greedily pulled his muscular boyfriend towards him. Vinny’s skin warming the other’s cold skin under him. While their lips waged war upon each other, their bodies worked together to have Vinny grind on Troi in ways that made the smaller boy moan through their kissing. “And to think, I used to be The Screamer.” Vinny added between panting, as Troi began to suck on his shoulder while his hands need-ily pushed Vinny’s sweat-shorts down. Leaving him exposed to the room, and in position to finish the job the two had set out to do from the beginning. Troi’s sweatpants were next to go as the warmth of their skin on skin began to drive the two wild. Reaching for the lube they kept in the bedside drawer, Vinny’s length pressed up against Troi’s grundle sending the other a bit over the edge. From the touch of Vinny’s length, and the restraint of his jockstrap Troi moaned louder than before, as Vinny silenced him with his lips covering the others. Managing to open the bottle of lube with one hand, and steady Troi with the other, Vinny was about to finish his preparations when --- “Fighting evil by moonlight, winning love by daylight, never running from a real fight. She is the one named Sailor Moon!” Troi let out a groan as he heard his phone go off again, using both of his hands he grabbed Vinny’s waist and looked for the others eyes in the darkness. Feeling Vinny’s nose rub up against the bridge of his own, he looked into where the others eyes were, and pleaded with him. “Forget it, and Fuck me.” Troi all but whispered as he slid his lips once more over his boyfriends.

And Vinny did.