#And Mom wants me to decorate for the holidays which is another sore spot for a number of reasons

[satari-raine]

So, my work - a university - has apparently been dealing with lower enrollment alongside an increased minimum number of students required per class for the class to be registered and given to a teacher to teach. Because of that, I just found out today that I lost two of my three classes (with three being my max as an adjunct) for next semester.

This will drastically lower my income to where I won't make ends meet come January unless I find another job. Given how this one came in like some sort of miracle after being unemployed from this January to July, I'm really worried, anxious, and scared.

I had savings, but they just went to getting new glasses since I hadn't had an exam in almost two years with my current prescription being even older. I'm grateful I'll still have one course to teach, but as of now, I just don't know what to do.

I was wanting to start really building my savings again. Maybe move out, and finally get my own place - something small but just for me, as where I live currently and who I live with now is a kind of double-edged sword; it's okay financially, but overall not so great for my mental health.

So, um, yeah. Just feeling a bit hopeless. Sorry for the sad spot on the dashboard today, everyone. Going to try to job hunt again once my students' final exams are over next week.

Hope you all are doing okay, though - rooting for you, as always.

[destieltropecollection]

Destiel Trope Collection 2019 Day 14: Fake Dating

Broken Halos | @jimminovak Rating: Explicit Word Count: 18123 Main Tags and Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply, Case Fic, Fake Dating, Fallen!Cas, Mutual Pining, Bed Sharing, Hurt/Comfort Summary: Cas lost his grace. Well, most of it. He’s almost entirely human and not sure if he will ever get his grace back. Dean wants him to know that as a human, they care about him just as much. And since Dean isn’t that good with words, working a case in a luxurious, romantic resort might just be the thing they need. If only he could remember that the romantic relationship is just for show.

Cuffed to an Angel | @mattzerella-sticks Rating: Teen & Up Word Count: 72529 Main Tags and Warnings: Fake/Pretend Relationship, Professor Dean Winchester, Writer Dean Winchester, Detective Castiel, Mutual Pining, Homophobic Language, Idiots in Love Summary: Dean Winchester has a lot going for him: he's beloved by his students, he's finished writing his first book, and he's living comfortably in New York City. The only problem is... he's single. That wouldn't bother him much if his family wouldn't be visiting for the holidays. With cuffing season over, Dean has to face his family alone... or will he? Castiel DiAngelo is a simple detective who hasn't really celebrated Christmas in over 9 years, holidays and family being a sore spot for him. But after taking Dean up on an offer, he finds that you can't really avoid the holidays. Will these two be able to pull off a seminal holiday trope? Or will certain developments get in the way...

a dangerous thing | @reallyelegantsharkfish Rating: Explicit Word Count: 46489 Main Tags and Warnings: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Sex Worker Dean, Camboy Dean, Alpha Castiel, Omega Dean, Sharing a Bed, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism , Fake/Pretend Relationship, Rape Aftermath, Knotting, Mating Bites Summary: Dean spends all his time being desired by others -- makes his living that way -- but being lusted after isn’t the same thing as being wanted, and he’s never felt wanted. Which is why he ends up answering an email that starts with “Dear sir, I hope this letter doesn’t offend you…” and ends with “You will be compensated generously for your time. Sincerely, Castiel Novak.” The email says Castiel is looking for “the boyfriend experience,” as they call it in Dean’s profession. He wants a live-in, someone to hold him at night, someone to make him dinner and greet him after a long day of work with a smile, someone to play pretend with.

Ready To Fall | @lemonsorbae Rating: Mature Word Count: 25272 Main Tags and Warnings: College!AU, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Smut, First Time, First Kiss, Miscommunication, Loss of Virginity, Bottom Dean, Virgin Castiel Summary: When Castiel’s plans for the summer get cancelled and he’s left with nowhere else to go, Dean invites him to go home with him. It seems an easy solution to cure Castiel’s summer blues, but when they arrive at the Winchester household, Dean realizes due to a slight miscommunication with his mom he and Castiel will have to spend the summer sharing a bed and holding hands because the entire Winchester family thinks they’re dating. And really it shouldn’t be that big of a deal because Dean Winchester isn’t actually in love with his best friend; except for that he is.

The Christmas Case | @deans-jiggly-pudding Rating: Explicit Word Count: 5924 Main Tags and Warnings: Fake/pretend relationship, frottage, public hand jobs Summary: Castiel finds a case in the middle of decorating for Christmas. What begins as a simple hunt turns into a pretend relationship that takes a dangerous turn. Dean is excited for the chance to hold hands and do "couple things" with Cas, but can they play the part well enough to catch the monster's attention?

Consider This: Peanuts | @cr-noble-writes Rating: No Rating Word Count: 2899 Main Tags and Warnings: fluff, mentions of biphobia, fake dating Summary: Dean isn’t sure why he RSVP’d to his dad’s wedding with a plus one, but only a week before the big day, he still doesn’t have a date. So he decides to do the next best thing. He asks his best friend to go with him and pretend to be his boyfriend.

Roll With It | @saltnhalo Rating: Explicit Word Count: 72818 Main Tags and Warnings: Fake relationship, boss/employee relationship, Proposal fusion, Russian Castiel, slow burn Summary: For two years, Dean’s been slaving away beneath his boss – many label him a secretary, but he fucking hates that and feels like it only applies to someone wearing a pencil skirt, so he insists on his title of Executive Assistant. And for what? In the vain hope that one day he’ll manage to become an editor for Sandover Publishing, and that he’ll see the manuscript that he’s slaved over since college finally realized in print. That’s the dream, anyway. Right now, he’s fucking late. Dean wants to be an editor. Castiel just wants to stay in the country. ‘The Proposal’ – as you’ve never seen it before.

Rule Number One | @caswouldratherbehere Rating: Explicit Word Count: 9108 Main Tags and Warnings: AU, fake dating, roommates, mutual pining, explicit sex, top!Castiel, bottom!Dean, implied switching, deepthroating, dirty talk, coming untouched Summary: Dean has a problem. His mom's fiance wants to hook him up, but Dean's not even a little interested. If he goes to their engagement party alone, he'll be pressured all night long. When his roommate offers to go as his fake-date, it should be an easy solution. What could go wrong? Only Dean's been lusting after the man for months and, even if the guy does happen to be attracted to men (the jury is still out on that one), there's one thing Dean knows for certain: you don't date your roommate. No matter how perfect they are.

Peak Homosexual | @thebloggerbloggerfun Rating: General Word Count: 3791 Main Tags and Warnings: Roommates, Homophobic Language Summary: You know that thing that happens where you hear something really homophobic in public so you gay it up as much as you can? This is that story.

Cutest Couple in the FBI | @supernatural9917fic Rating: Explicit Word Count: 5096 Main Tags and Warnings: Case Fic, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Everyone Thinks They're Together, Sharing a Bed Summary: Cas and Dean are working a case in a hippie commune, and for some reason, everybody thinks they're together. They decide to go with it when one of the hippies tells them it will make people more cooperative. This may cause complications.

Healing Hearts | @supernatural9917fic Rating: Teen & Up Word Count: 4928 Main Tags and Warnings: Fake Marriage, Fake/Pretend Relationship, It's For a Case, Jealous Dean Winchester, Fluff Summary: Sam and Castiel make plans to go undercover as a married couple at the Healing Hearts retreat for gay couples, where something has been attacking the guests. Dean goes along for back-up, but in a moment of madness, insists on taking Sam's place as Castiel's husband. Can he survive couples' therapy, intimate touch classes, a vengeful spirit, and scariest of all, a room with only one bed, without betraying his secret feelings for Cas?

Welcome All Winchesters | @almaasi Rating: Explicit Word Count: 60237 Main Tags and Warnings: Alternate Universe - Human, Domestic Fluff, Christmas, Snowed In, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fake Marriage, Mistaken For A Couple, Friends to Lovers, Bi-Curious Dean, Bottom Dean, Dean in Panties, Snarky Castiel, Artist Castiel, Chef Castiel, Teacher Castiel, Virgin Castiel, Dominant Castiel, Agender Castiel, Road Trips, Snow Fights, Castiel Wearing Dean’s Clothes, Sharing a Bed, Cuddling & Snuggling, Consensual Somnophilia, Spanking, Biting, Marking, Edging, Rimming, Comeplay, Aftercare, Car Sex, Communication Failure, Marriage Proposal Summary: When Dean’s engagement breaks off three days before Christmas, he’s left with nobody to accompany him on a road trip to his family’s mountain log cabin. His best friend Castiel happens to be available, and is willing to help him through a tough time. But when Dean's mother and brother arrive, expecting to meet the person Dean plans to marry, they understandably assume Castiel is Dean's fiancé. After a weekend of comfortable domesticity, sharing clothes, intimate conversations, and definitely-one-time-only therapy sex, it feels almost too easy for Dean and Cas to fake a loving, romantic relationship. The hard part is going back to being friends afterwards. They can’t keep their hands off each other, and they’ve discovered some fun things to do together which they’d never tell another soul about. And, oh boy, feelings. Now being ‘just friends’ is so impossible, it seems as if fate had another plan for them all along...

A Study in Fake | @sternchencas Rating: Teen & Up Word Count: 4933 Main Tags and Warnings: mutual pining, bed sharing, fluff Summary: Although Dean has a job, he's always looking for some extra money, so he's bummed out when he can't take part in a lucrative couples study at the local college. At least until Castiel Novak steps into his life out of nowhere and a throwaway joke turns into a serious relationship. Well, a fake one, but nobody needs to know that, right?

The Power of Wishing (WIP) | @60r3d0m Rating: Explicit Word Count: 6197 Main Tags and Warnings: Fake/Pretend Relationship, Temporary Amnesia, Humour, Case Fic., Happy Ending Summary: “Dean, please, you are embarrassing me.” Cas’ voice comes out stiff and awkward. Dean crosses his arms. “I’m…embarrassing…you?” Dean repeats. “Yes.” “I thought I was your fucking trophy husband, Cas.”

[miraclejune]

HERO’S SOUP: Chapter 13

Thousand Hearts

Monday morning. The mansion was in chaos. 

Hyunjin was running late again because he ‘overslept’. Woojin had to drag him out of his warm blanket earning a low groan from the Beta.

Changbin left first with Chan and Jisung, the only people who weren’t busy for the day, they volunteered to help Changbin with his studio. Well, he had to buy them each a new pair of sneakers next week so it’s not quite volunteering if you might ask.

“Minho? Felix? Where are you guys headed?” Felix adjusted the strap on his backpack before turning to Woojin. “We’re gonna head out for a while. There’s a popular new spot for busking down at Hongdae. We’re gonna check it out.” Minho tapped his feet letting them snuggle in his shoes perfectly. “Eric’s outside.” the two of them dashed out the mansion yelling their goodbyes.

"Remember to stop by the cafe later!" Woojin reminded them with a shout as he closed the front door.

“I didn’t even get to say hi to Eric.”

Woojin rolled his eyes, tugging the towel around the wolf’s waist. Almost revealing a damp and stark naked Hyunjin. “DUDE! What the hell.” Hyunjin gasped and tried to cover his body. They were the only ones left in the house but he was over-dramatic without fail.

“You could’ve exchanged your pleasantries if you weren’t so busy reading each fucking comment in your Instagram posts last night.” Hyunjin huffed, fastening the towel as he stormed to his room. Woojin chuckled, Hyunjin was the second easiest to tease. The first place would always be Changbin. Hands down, that idiot is so gullible.

He looked at the clock, ah they’re terribly late. It was 9 am, and their call time was 1 pm. We can’t really see any problem with that, as a matter of fact, they had plenty of time. However…

“Hwang Hyunjin don’t you fucking dare do your tedious make-up routine. Busan is not a 5-minute drive.” Hyunjin shot up from his vanity table’s seat as he heard the alpha’s growl at the end of his sentence. Woojin was in full-on Manager mode. 

He made a break for it. Snatching his backpack behind the door, simultaneously combing back his damp hair. He hopped the last 3 flights of stairs stopping in front of a brooding Woojin. Hyunjin suddenly remembered that one time Chan said Woojin looks like a hostile bear when he's mad. At that time he couldn't quite see it but now, Woojin kinda did resemble his description.

"Why can't we just take the train." Hyunjin eyed Woojin fastening his seatbelt, he earned another deathly glare. The terrified wolf gulped and decided to put his feet down from the dashboard. "Sorry."

Woojin pulled into the road. "It's better to have our own car just in case we finish late." 

Hyunjin quietly nodded. "Plus, you're a head-turner. It's gonna be a pain in the ass." Woojin might've done what Chan told him not to. Actually, there were too many to list but this one thing is on the top. "Hm." 

Hyunjin likes being praised. His confidence and self-esteem shots up. It's good, Chan said it's fine to praise the boys every once in a while. But, Hyunjin's a lost case. "Wouldn't want to get chased for hours by scouts." Woojin caught a glimpse of Hyunjin's face from his peripheral vision as the wolf said those words.

Oh gosh, he's done it now.

-

Seungmin didn’t have council work today, nor Jeongin had class. It was their University's anniversary so the school decided to let the students rest for the holiday. Leaving the two college students with nothing to do.

"Hey, can you get the door!" 

"Okay." 

Seungmin stood in front of the open door, his head moved about figuring out who opened the door. "He's in the kitchen." Seungmin's eyes fell on the boy who looked much like a smaller version of Yang Jeongin. He gave the kid a smile before following suite inside the house.

He calmly made his way to the living room, sitting down on the left side of the sofa near the window. Jeongin's little brother comes back from upstairs, a switch on his right hand. Seungmin eyed as the boy sprawled on the carpet. He spotted the pile of snacks on top of the coffee table. Seungmin smiled, it seems like someone's enjoying their free time.

"Hey, Seungs!" Jeongin appears from the kitchen wiping his soap ridden hands on a strawberry shortcake apron. "Can you wait for a while? I'm just finishing up with the dishes." 

"Seriously? Strawberry Shortcake?" 

Jeongin's eyes blinked at the blinding light of a camera flash. "Don't you dare---"

"And... sent! This is gonna leave them in stitches." Seungmin tipped back his head and roared with laughter. Jeongin looked at her with disbelief, Seungmin did the exact opposite of what he was about to say.

"What on earth are you laughing about now? Delete it! And this isn't even mine! It's my moms!!" 

Seungmin abruptly stopped laughing and looked Jeongin dead in the eyes, "Nnnnnnnnno." he made sure to enunciate the 'N' just to irk Jeongin's nerves before resuming his laughter.

"You look ridiculous." Jeongin's little brother got ahold of Seungmin's phone that fell on the carpet next to him. "Ugh. I hate you all so much." he groaned and stomped his way to the kitchen. 

-

"Ma'am, what do you think of my friend? Isn't he adorable?"

"Oh my! That's a very cute apron he's got there haha! Here, take these fish cakes, it's in the house for making my day!"

"Thank you so much!"

"Jeongin, where are your manners?"

"T-thank you." the boy bowed his head. His blush seared through his cheeks and for a minute he thought her face was on fire. Jeongin suddenly felt embarrassed and delicate; even going as far as attempting to hide his rosy features behind his slim fingers. 

He eventually took action and dragged Seungmin outside the small snack shop. Jeongin swears he could see Seungmin smiling from behind him. The witch picked up his pace and walked beside the blushing boy.

And there he was in his arrogant triumph, Seungmin smirked - just a small pouting of the lips; a narrowing of the eyes and a tilting of the head. It was so subtle, it was even more infuriating for Jeongin who caught a glimpse of it after making the foolish mistake.

"You don't have to show that photo to EVERY person we meet today!" face the color of an overripe tomato and annoyance boiling inside, Jeongin could only groan. "No way. It'd be a shame to devoid the world with this gem. Plus, we get free food." Seungmin held up his phone in front of the boy, irking Jeongin's nerve some more.

After a few minutes of Seungmin annoying Jeongin and at some point his phone was thrown to the pavement, they reached Changbin's studio. Well, where the building was located to be precise. It had 4 floors and looked fairly new. The paint on the walls was still fresh and some windows don't have 'windows' on them yet, just the frame.

"3rd floor. 2nd door to the right." Jeongin recalled what Changbin told them yesterday. "Let's go, strawberry shortcake." Jeongin disregarded the nickname and followed Seungmin inside the building, they headed towards the door with the stairs logo on it. "Elevator's working." the old guard chirped. They turned around and met with his wizened eyes. "Thank you." he gave them a smile and went out of the building.

Chan, Changbin and Jisung or 3racha as the others would lump them, didn’t know they were coming so they decided to surprise them with some chicken, rice rolls and spicy rice cakes (of course they bought it lol don’t let these kids near the kitchen). All in which Seungmin showed his photo to.

As they opened the glass door, Seungmin expected the place to be an utter mess. It was plausible. The building smelled new inside too. So renovations are most likely on-going.

However, both were surprised to see the place neat and tidy. A few boxes were neatly piled on the corner, there was no hint of renovation at all. Surprisingly enough, the AC blasted on the side.

"Looks like it's fully operational now."

"Yeah." Jeongin took a look around. The place looks nice.

Seungmin yelled over and walked towards the adjacent room. "Hello, dweebs. We have brought you some snacks." Changbin hit his head under the tattoo chair. "Fuck! Dude what the hell. You scared the crap out of me."

Seungmin pursed his lips "Mm. Then you better check your diaper, you big baby." he put the paper bags on the small coffee table near the wall, before offering a hand to Changbin who was massaging his sore spot. "Where's the old dude and the squirrel?" He carefully sat down on the chair Changbin was fixing. "It's fixed. You can sit." Changbin said, turning around to gather the tools. He closed the toolbox with a click and placed it near the door.

He noticed Jeongin looking around. A smile automatically crept on his face. "Jeongin." the boy yelped and found Changbin leaning on the door frame smiling at him. He smiled back. "Changbin! The place looks so cool." he was naturally pulled into a tight hug. 

'Always so warm.' the boy thought as he hugged the wolf back. "Did Chan help with the designing?" 

"Of course he did. This place looks like the black hole itself." Seungmin muttered from inside the room. Changbin and Jeongin chuckled. "Yeah, he has this aesthetic that's suited for a tattoo shop."

"Can't deny that."

"You didn't answer my question Changbin." Seungmin whined. "They're out buying some stuff needed. They'll be back soon." he turned around and went back into the room. "Just stay there, Jeongin. It's still dusty here." Jeongin sat down on the chairs provided. So, Chan and Jisung are out. 

The room is like a perfect magazine cover for an aesthetic tattoo shop. Jeongin was afraid to sit, worrying he would wrinkle the fabric or stain it with something he doesn't know on his pants. The leather couch is inlaid with rhinestones; placed so delicately. The white curtains are linen, the kind of white that is untouched by hands and devoid of dust. Those types of curtains that leaves the room in complete darkness even in mid-day, it stood out the most because of the black walls. Jeongin's eyes fell on the velvet walls they were decorated with stripes, which he thought he was just hallucinating but they really do reflect when you move around. The floor is a high polished wood, dark and free of either dust or clutter. The photographs are black and white, arranged to look like such by a professional, must be photos taken by Seungmin. One photo caught his attention. He stood up and sheepishly walked towards it. 

It was their group photo from when Woojin showed him his room in the mansion.

The door shot open. "We're back--Oh Jeongin you're here!" Jisung instantly dropped the contents on his hand and engulfed the boy in a tight hug. Little did he know Chan was right behind him. "FUCK!!! Dude my foot!" Chan sat on the floor, the sudden pain weakened the back of his knees.

Jisung didn't care at all. He detached himself from Jeongin for just a second before putting an arm around his shoulder, looking down on Chan. "Has anyone told you, you look great kneeling down like that?" A very annoyed vampire looked up to both of them. Color drained from their faces.

"W-we brought food! You guys must be hungry, it's in the tattoo room!" Jisung cleared his throat, pulling Jeongin away from a fuming Chan. "Cool! Let's go! We're starving. Right, Chan?" that must be the stupidest question he has ever asked and do note that he asks a lot of halfwitted questions. Jeongin could've sworn he saw Seungmin face-palming hard inside his head.

They gathered inside the tattoo room, Jeongin swept the floor a bit while the others moved the boxes and other stuff outside to make room. "Pull the table near there." Jisung did what Chan told him. His grudge only lasted a few seconds. They're back to normal as if Jisung never made a snarky remark earlier.

Seungmin sat on the floor with Changbin while Chan and Jeongin situated themselves on the leather couch fit for two. Jisung, on the other hand, went out of the waiting area and grabbed one of the ottoman chairs provided. 

Changbin watched in disgust as Jisung stuffed his face with rice cakes. Shaking his head, his right hand became busy. Seungmin fought with him for the tuna rice rolls. Changbin turns to Jeongin with a smile on his face, "You kids don't have school today?" obviously Seungmin lost. He pouted and took a plain roll, angrily putting it in his mouth.

"Nope. It's our school's anniversary so we're on a break. Only for today though." the boy replied. He turns to Chan who was offering him a piece of the rice roll. Jeongin opens his mouth letting Chan feed him. "Like a baby chick." Jisung said before scarfing down a chicken leg.

"Am not!" 

"Yeah, he's not." Jeongin was thankful for Changbin siding with him. "He's not only Chan's baby. He's our baby!" ...nevermind.

Within a span of a few minutes, all the food was gone. The four of them finished everything. It would've been gone within a second if everyone else was there. Oh, Chan excluded.

They talked about the place for a while. Seungmin was suggesting a few things here and there while Jeongin and Jisung played with Chan's switch. The vampire went out to the restroom.

"Hey, Wooj. How's the trip so far?" Chan's voice echoed a bit inside the empty restroom. Since the building was fairly new, there were only a few tenants. And today they were the only ones there. "It's great. Hyunjin complained for 10 minutes straight before I knocked him out." Chan chuckled, he knew what the alpha meant by 'knocked him out'. "He blabbers nonsense then falls asleep after eating a snack. Like a baby." Woojin laughed on the other end. There was a short pause as he switched lanes and shifted gears. "How's the shop going?"

Woojin heard the sound of the faucet being opened. He waited for a while for the vampire to respond. "It's pretty much done. We just have to recycle the boxes and clean up a bit. Seungmin and Jeongin are here too."

"I know." Chan complained about why he didn't tell him. "Because they said it was a surprise! I don't wanna spoil it." Hyunjin stirred in his sleep, the blanket he pulled up fell on the side. "Hang on, Chan." 

Woojin fixed the blanket, making sure to glance on the road every once in a while. "Did you find out some info about the Sofia's?"

"No. Man, those guys have a shit ton of people yet we can't get ahold of any useful information. They're too secure." Chan couldn't agree more on what Woojin said. He lived at that place for decades yet he hasn't heard of a spy nor a mole from outside. The information he knows about that family was only their rules and regulations within the clan. He was not given a word on how they manage their operations and business. 

Although he did only live there because of Kazuo's grandfather who trained him. It was strictly just training. Chan would wake up, be served breakfast in his room, clean up and train. His free time outside would involve 5 guards and 10 undercover guards as he roamed the streets of Tokyo. 

"Maybe I should go stop by. Can you book me a flight to Japan tonight?" he closed the restroom door behind him. Chan dawdled a bit at the hall. He should finish this conversation before going back inside the shop.

"Tomorrow. I'll go with you."

"Alright. Drive safely."

Woojin's voice vanished. "Okay, maybe another call." He dialed a new number, after a few rings Chan could hear the bustling sound of a busy street. "Felix? Where you at?"

"We're at Hongdae with Eric." Chan could hear Minho and Eric arguing in the background, he smiled. "You guys found a new spot?"

"Yeah---hey save some for me, you dickheads. Oi fuckwit!!!---Hey, we're just waiting for our turn." Felix's accent comes out when he's preoccupied too. Chan should note that.

"How's the shop going?" Felix reached out for Minho but he already has the phone to his ear. "Oh hey, Minho. We're almost done. Just cleaning up a bit." 

The phone was passed around for a while. It was impressive of Chan to know who he's talking to. Maybe because this happens on a daily basis when it comes to phone calls. 

"We'll drop by Woojin's cafe later. Are you guys coming by?"

"Yeah. Since you mentioned it."

Chan smiled, hearing Felix's deep chuckle. 

"Alright! See you there!"

"Bang bang chan chan see you~" was Minho.

"I'll come by the mansion on Saturday! I'm so gonna own these idiots in Mario Kart." and that was Eric.

The three boys on the other line argued for quite some time. Chan waited for Felix to end the call before slipping his phone inside his pocket. 

He sighed, recalling his talk with Woojin. They had no lead on why Kazuo knows about who Jeongin was. Maybe it was just him? Maybe the guy's just messing with him? Kazuo always did that when he was part of their clan. Chan rested his hand on his neck, he could feel the mark of the Sofia underneath Seungmin's spell.

It was a flame-shaped mark burned into your skin by the existing leader of the clan. It takes weeks for the wound to heal (even for Chan) but the scar will never fade, even if you rip your skin off it will still be embedded in your flesh. Not even a tattoo can cover it up. Chan had Seungmin put a spell on it to make it disappear from the eyes. But if you touch that part, you would still feel the mark on your hands.

Flashbacks from the Sofia's mansion played in his head. He was rather fond of those memories, although only handpicked ones. He had no idea of what that place was and what they were doing behind closed doors. Every time he would ask the staff responsible for him, they would turn a blind eye and excuse himself/herself for a stupid reason. The next day, the staff would be replaced by a new one. It happened a couple of times until Chan realized that it was his fault, so he completely stopped asking anyone and just went his merry way.

"What are you thinking, boy?" Chan felt his heartbeat in his chest, pounding, banging, trying to get out. His breath hitched as his head snapped at the end of the hall. 

Standing near the window, an old man wearing a security guard uniform. The smile on his face was calm and warm. But Chan knew otherwise. It was just one of her disguises. Underneath that was a demon. Skin almost translucent, blood-sucking fangs bared at him, her small waist was bound by a tight corset showing off her inhumane figure. Purple and red eyes devoid of emotion, pitiless. Her face is every woman and man's desire.

But Chan was rather focused on what was running through her veins. The blood flowed like a lazy river. It flowed like so much red gravy across the slaughterhouse floor. The metallic scent wafted through the air right into his nostrils. 

He ran forward, every second craving for the woman's blood, he felt as though his own blood were on fire. His limbs were moving on their own. He was disconnected from everything but the ever-present sound of his drumming heart.

'I need it. I need it. I need it.' He spoke those words like a mantra. Again and again and again. 

The figure didn't move, she stayed there. Her hands were open, almost like a trap. As Chan plunges, he was pulled into a hug. The old man vanished, there stood the woman underneath it. 

"Hello. It's been a while, boy." Chan was shaking, his blood-red pupils dilated, claws scratching at the woman's back, his body trembled all over. Chan was no longer himself.

"Let's go home, shall we?" 

"LET HIM GO!" Changbin's voice roared. It was almost as if the building itself shook. One by one they all stood across the unknown person holding Chan. Jeongin could see how Chan shook underneath his grip. "Isn't that the guard from earlier?" Seungmin nodded, he pulled Jeongin from the front. "Stay behind Jisung." 

He stood behind Jisung who gave him a reassuring smile. Somehow Jisung was trembling too. Jeongin didn't know why. He was not strong nor have abilities but he wanted to somehow help Jisung. Jeongin snatched Jisung's right hand and filled the gaps with his own. 

"Thank you." Jisung felt calmer. He could feel Jeongin's thumb caressing his hand to distract him from his fear. He knew he had to be strong for the boy.

"What do you want from him?" Seungmin asked in a cold tone. But his head was filled with mindless thoughts.

The old man stared at them. No words were uttered between them. His lips slowly formed into a menacing smile. 

"He asked you a question." Changbin growled. In a split second, he transformed into his wolf form. The old man's smile grew wider and wider until it literally reached his ears, his pupils turned white and blood came out of his eyes. It was a disgusting sight. 

Jeongin shivered. The chills on his spine won't go away. The back of his knees were giving up, his hand gripped Jisung's tighter. 

They breathed in as the old man started chuckling. His laughter filled their ears almost as if he was standing right beside them. Changbin growled so loud. He was pissed. Chan wasn't trying to escape at all. What are they supposed to do? Woojin wasn't there. Jeongin is probably so scared and this... this being is giving him all sorts of scary feelings. It's as if he was staring right at the devil himself.

Changbin growled once more. He had to do something!

"Changbin!" Jisung shouted.

In the blink of an eye, Changbin's battered body fell on the floor. Before he could even take one step, he was already banged against the wall. They didn't even see what happened. 

The crumbs on the wall fell on his fur. He may have broken ribs and legs. He could feel a gush of blood underneath him, but he remained conscious. Struggling to get back on his feet only to fall back on the wet floor. 

The rest of them were left in utter shock. It was as if the scene had knocked every wisp of air from their lungs, and they stood there struggling to inhale, to exhale, to do anything. 

"Jisung, get Changbin and Jeongin out of here." Seungmin's voice went an octave lower. He loosened his tie. "But, Seungmin!" 

"NOW!!!!!!" his hair turned white and his eyes were a striking shade of purple. With a snap of a finger, 3 spell books emerge from thin air, floating around him. Seungmin had no time for Jisung to put up a fight. 

Jisung's head hung low, he knew he had to do something. But after seeing Changbin almost killed within a fraction of a second, he chickened out. He wanted to run. He wanted to get out of there. But as he saw how Jeongin's eyes looked at him in fear, he wanted to kill the living shit out of the old man across them.

He wanted to claw the man's organs out.

"Jisung. Today's not your fight." Jisung looked up to see Seungmin staring at him with his purple eyes. They were pleading him to go. 

"Please." he bellowed, snatching Changbin, who went back to human form, he put the injured wolf on his back. "Jeongin, gimme your hand." he said to the boy sitting on the floor, trembling in fear.

No. He doesn't want to go either. He can't leave. He doesn't even have the energy to stand up. "Jeongin, I'll get Chan back. I promise." tears formed in his eyes as he looked up to Seungmin. 

Jeongin took a deep breath and stood up. He took Jisung's outstretched hand. "Please stay safe, Seungmin." the witch can only give him a half-assed smile. He turns his head back after seeing Jisung, Changbin, and Jeongin disappear out the window. 

Suddenly the air became heavier. The building felt like it was gonna collapse any second. And there he saw the old man was just a mere figure drenched in blood. The smell was gut-churning. Seungmin could feel the vomit behind his throat. This is insane.

"You..." the witch couldn't make out the words the monster was saying. It was only like a rumble.

"You found him." 

Found who?

"SHIT!" the monster started shrieking. It was so loud. Seungmin could feel his ears bleed. He couldn't see where Chan was anymore. His vision was blurry. He eventually fell to his knees, screaming in pain.

-

"Seungmin. Wake up." the witch felt a light tapping on his cheek. He groaned. Was it a nightmare? But as his hands felt the cold wet floor, he knew that horrific scene really did happen.

His eyes slowly adjusted, he saw a bloody Chan. "A-are you okay?" seeing Seungmin in that state, Chan felt like he could cry. "Yeah." he supported him, letting the witch rest his back against the also bloody wall. "What happened?" As Seungmin looked around, he realized it wasn't only Chan who was bloody. The hall was covered in thick, pungent blood. 

"I took her heart." Chan held up his right hand. Confined in his sharp claws was a heart, beating only once a minute. A spellbook flew beside Seungmin, he glanced at it for a second before holding up his hand on the heart. His eyes and hair glow white and as he closed his hand like a fist, the heart burst, painting Chan's face with its blood.

"So it's done?"

"No. I only got two." Seungmin nodded. They had a long way to go, indeed.

"I never thought she would show up, Seungmin. Not in this century. Not with you guys in it." Seungmin can feel the weight underneath Chan's words. In front of him was a very vulnerable vampire.  

"Woojin's coming back." Seungmin said. Woojin was the only one who knows what to do in these types of situations.

"He knew something was wrong."

Chan balled his hands into a fist. He wiped the blood from his face. "Thank you for making the right decision."

"Jisung's a bit stubborn but he's a big softie when it comes to promises. Just like Jeongin."

Chan somehow managed to smile at Seungmin. "But, Changbin's in critical condition." the smile vanished as if it was never there. Changbin always thinks he has to take action whenever a dire situation comes up. He doesn't want to depend on other people even if they offer him help.

"Let's go find them. I'll call someone to clean this up." Chan stood up and pulled out his phone, thank god it wasn't crushed. "Do you have the strength to fix the wall?" Seungmin was already on it. 

After the last piece of crumbled cement vanished into the wall, Seungmin turned to Chan. "Did you lose yourself?"

Chan stopped from his tracks. His head hung, he stared at the blood-ridden floor with an empty gaze. "Yeah."

"How much blood did you get?"

"None. I couldn't reach that heart."

Seungmin nodded mindlessly. So it was the old man's blood. He walked towards Chan, not minding the blood pooling on his shoes. Seungmin put a heavy hand on Chan's shoulder making the vampire turn to him. 

Chan likes cuddling with them. Whether they were watching a movie or just hanging out in the living room. His hugs were warm because he adjusts his temperature to make them feel comfortable.

But as Seungmin held him in his arms, the biting cold chilled his fingers into clumsy numbness, cold seeped into his toes and spread painfully throughout his feet as if it were his bare feet on the pristine icy whiteness rather than sneakers on a blood river.

Chan was cold.

[thegirlsinthefirehouse]

Descendants, Chapter 28

-----

Holtz was happily rubbing her wife’s back in childbirth class.

They were sorting through which positions were good for labor and which ones were not. And at the moment, one of the teachers was showing them how to sit in a chair backward with a pillow against their abdomen to help take pressure off their backs between and during contractions. Holtzmann liked this position herself since she could help Abby rock a little against the pillow. She had read some stuff online that rocking helped move the baby along. Not to mention she liked making Abby thrust her hips.

“You are going to really enjoy my labor, aren’t you?” huffed Abby at Holtzmann’s enthusiasm. Holtz started rubbing a spot on the lower part of her spine that she knew Abby would appreciate. “Coming out of it with a baby and getting to sing the Circle of Life is two life goals I’m going to accomplish with this one event. Plus I’m going to make Erin get up on the rooftop of the hospital to proclaim our progeny the prince or princess of New York. So 10 points life bonus.” Stephanie and Caroline, who were both beside them, starting laughing to themselves. Holtz had utterly charmed the couple and they had stayed talking to them for about an hour after class the one before. They were a rather young lesbian couple who really wanted a family, and Abby had decided that they liked hearing stories about how they had toughed out being married all these years. Abby and Holtz had hated the thought of telling them that they really hadn’t been married all that long themselves since they hadn’t met till they were older. Abby often had worried that she was robbing Holtz of thoughts of young love early on, even though she was only four years older than her. But Holtz had pointed out jokingly that over 50% of gay and lesbian marriages ended before five years, so they were already ahead of the curve as far as timing in their relationship. Neither Holtz nor Abby could imagine life without the other. Abby loved Holtz’s mind and they could spend hours talking about literally nothing and everything at the same time. Although she wouldn’t admit it, Holtz had enjoyed having someone to go toe to toe with for once. Usually, everyone was afraid of her brain or her eccentricities and left her alone. Abby had challenged her to be more. And in turn, Holtzmann had challenged Abby to be better. They had both strived to do things they wanted to do together.

Which right now, Holtz knew her main goal was to keep her wife happy. They both were listening as the teacher talked about which positions were best for focusing on their partner’s breathing before switching to which ones were best for letting gravity do its job. She kept hitting the one spot on Abby’s spine that would loosen the muscles before rubbing out the soreness in her hips. She was going to turn her fellow Ghostbuster into a limp noodle before the end of class. When the instructor told them to try something to see if it was going to be comfortable for them, Holtz grabbed for Abby’s hand to help her up from the chair. Abby spoke to her softly as they stood.

“Elijah Dean and Eliana Danielle.”

Holtzmann stilled for a moment, realizing what Abby had just said. They had been talking about names lately and had gotten down to a list of twenty they really liked.

“You want to name our possible son after Dad? And take my middle name?”

“Mmhmm,” said Abby with a nod. “You should be glad I didn’t choose Eldandil.”

“They will always be friends to the elves,” scoffed Holtz as she helped Abby down to a sitting position on the floor. “And we need to get you away from naming stuff after things from Tolkien. The wifi upstairs is already named Lothlórien.”

-----

Holtzmann was running around like a mad woman. Abby’s parents and her dad were on their way to New York for Christmas. Abby was a little tired after doing most of the cleaning that hadn’t been done and helping with the decorating so Holtz had sent her to the couch to relax. At least one good thing was that they didn’t have to clean downstairs. That was taken care of by their professional cleaning service who came in twice a month. And it helped that the Ghostbusters had shut down for the holidays. Hopefully, there would be no Christmas ghosts popping up in the near future, but Abby was keeping an ear out for the answering machine. With Patty gone on vacation with Cheyenne, Erin visiting her parents briefly before going to David’s dad for Christmas, there was only one Ghostbuster free and able-bodied. And she was flailing about trying to locate the extra blankets and pillows not in use. Abby laughed but found herself being hit by one of the extra pillows for doing so while her wife was muttering about there being much that still needed to be done before their parents' arrival for the holidays.

“At least we got the Christmas tree up first!” she said muffled before throwing the pillow back to the blonde.

“And all the cleaning and decorations,” sighed Holtzmann. “But it’s everything else that is worrying me.”

“It has been a while since our parents have been in the same space,” agreed Abby. “But they’ll get along. They have a shared vested interest in their children and future grandchild. They’ll be fine.”

“You are calm about this.”

Abby waved a hand. “I’m too tired to care one way or another. Eliana or Elijah is jabbing me with their feet.”

“At least it’s not both,” smirked Holtz.

“No, I think it is both feet,” said Abby. “Oh, you meant-- yeah, I would have killed you.”

“You would have been cute with twins,” teased Holtzmann.

“You can be cute with twins,” said Abby pointedly. “I want to see that, actually.”

“I’ll generate you a mock up,” Holtz said, gesturing lazily with her hand.

“Then come play with the non-twin and help wear them out for a couple of hours so I can help you more,” Abby said, motioning Holtz to the couch.

“You know if it was twins, they’d probably be here already.”

“Don’t even go there Holtzmann,” Abby said warningly. Holtz went and put down the blankets and pillows in the bedrooms and came over to the couch, laying down next to her lover on the sofa.

“You’re kicking Momma huh?” she said to the baby, rubbing Abby’s side. Abby turned over on her back so Holtz could have better access to her whole abdomen.

“Play away,” said Abby. “They won’t be here for a couple more hours.”

A knock came on the door downstairs through the security system. Abby groaned. Holtz kissed her on the lips.

“I’ll play with you later.” Holtz started to get up, but Abby pulled her close for another kiss.

“I’m holding you to that,” she said. Holtzmann arched an eyebrow before getting up. She checked the video system and saw that it was her Dad at the door. She whooped loudly and went down the fire pole. Holtz opened the door wide, happy to see her father.

“Please tell me you’re here to save us from cooking,” said Holtzmann, pulling her dad into a hug.

“Happy to see you too kid.” Holtzmann took Dean’s shoulder bag while he grabbed his bigger suitcase. After three flights of stairs and showing him to his room, Abby was already up and fixing Holtz’s dad a cup of coffee.

“You are a caffeine angel,” he murmured as Abby handed him the still steaming cup over the counter bar. Holtz pointed back to the couch.

“I just got you sitting down.” Abby sighed. Dean Holtzmann chuckled and took a sip of his coffee, running a hand through his thick blond hair. He took a few steps into the kitchen and sat down his cup, surprised as he looked at Abby’s baby bump.

“Let her be just a minute Jillian. The pictures she sends just don’t do you justice Abby. Someone’s growing so quickly.”

“I hope so,” said Abby, rubbing her baby bump. “The kicks are definitely getting harder.”

“Karate champ,” said Holtz. “Lots of kicks and punches.”

“I’m sure,” chuckled Dean. “Since Jillian’s got you on couch arrest, why don’t we all go sit down in the living room?”

“She’s just being overprotective,” said Abby, rolling her eyes.

“And who has been in overdrive since last night trying to get everything ready?” said Holtzmann, giving her wife a look after lowering her yellow tinted glasses.

“So have you,” scoffed Abby.

“Children, play nice,” mused Dean. “At some point you’re going to have to pretend to be adults.”

Holtzmann sighed. “Fine... truce?”

“I suppose,” said Abby, rolling her eyes. They pretended to shake hands, but then Holtz licked Abby’s hand instead. Dean Holtzmann chuckled.

“Now that’s more like my daughter.”

“How was your trip?” asked Abby to Holtz’s dad, shaking her hand as if in disgust.

“It was good,” he said. “Thankfully short on the train. And the view was nice with all the new snow.”

“Yeah, mom and dad’s flight should be landing soon. Hopefully, it won’t be delayed because of it,” said Abby, rubbing her back as she sat down next to Holtzmann on the couch.

“Is your brother coming with his wife and kids?” asked Dean.

“No, they’re going to have their own Christmas. And I think Ariel’s parents are driving back from Indiana after visiting Ariel’s sister.” Holtz gestured to the door.

“While we’re waiting, why don’t I take you down to the lab and show you some of the stuff I’m working on?” said Holtz. “You know you want to.”

“I do,” laughed Dean. “Not sure if I’ll be able to understand any of it, but I always love seeing what you’re working on.” He gestured to his coffee cup. “Can I finish this and thaw first?”

-----

“I think they were impressed,” said Holtz from the glider rocker. She and Abby were in the baby’s room, and she was tired. She should have known the minute Abby’s parents got there that she would be running around like a maniac for her wife. Abby’s mom was tutting her about getting things for Abby and not making her wife get up. She was the one carrying a child and should be resting. Abby had been cackling behind her hands or into Dean Holtzmann’s shoulder. Even Abby’s dad was doing his best not to laugh and even teased Holtz a little (just a little) about taking care of things. She really should have known. Holtzmann was getting a dose of her medicine, she realized.

But at least now she could relax in the rocker. They had found the perfect chair for rocking the baby to sleep. It looked like a large squashy armchair, but it was on a glider system and came with a nice little square ottoman with the same level of squishiness. They had even thought about how it was going to be great to use during labor.

“A lot of work went into this room,” said Abby after putting away one of their baby’s future blankets in a white wicker basket in the closet. “And mostly by you, honey.” Abby came over and kissed Holtz on the lips and patted her knee.

“It’s all good,” said Holtz, yawning as she looked around the room. The crib, chest of drawers, toy box, changing table, and a bookshelf with built in desk and chair were already set up and ready to go for their future child and their growing up. A rug had been put down and an old nightstand had been repainted and turned into a small side table for the rocker. All the space decorations were in place and Holtz had to admit, she wished her bedroom had looked this good as a kid. A white wicker clothes hamper and a small silver trashcan sat beside her on the other side. She had decided between spit up and diaper changes those would be the most used pieces in the room. A co-sleeper and a rocking bouncy seat were in the top of the closet, along with the car seat, just waiting to be used. A highchair and stroller were just out of sight inside. Two diaper bags already hung on the closet door.

“Three more months.”

Abby sighed and tried to fix the hair falling out of her bun.

“I’m not ready for this.”

“You’ve got 90 more days. You’ll be fine. We’re in this together.” Holtzmann yawned. “Although I think I may have to forgo the promise tonight. I’m tired.” Abby gave her wife a sad smile.

“You have been awfully busy today. I can’t believe Mom was going to make you cook by yourself.”

“It’s Cynthia Yates. She was going to make sure you were being babied.”

“Ha, it was just old fashioned--”

“Abs, seriously. You might not have been paying attention, but your mother was fawning over your every movement. She knew every time the baby was kicking because she was watching your hands go to the spot where they were.”

“Someone was definitely putting on a show. I’m probably going to have some very purple bruises in the morning.”

Holtz rubbed Abby’s baby bump. “They were just saying hi to their family.” Abby squeezed Holtzmann’s hand before kissing it.

“There are days I wonder how I made it through life without you.” Holtz stood and took off Abby’s glasses and rubbed her temples.

“We’re going to make it through this. Even the holidays.”

Abby laughed under her breath, which made Holtzmann chuckle and smile.

“Come on, let’s go to bed while they’re still asleep.”

-----

About four hours later, Holtzmann was warm and comfortable lying next to her wife. She didn’t know why she had woken up, but she had for some reason. She thought she had heard a whimper, but chalked it up to someone stubbing their toes on the living room furniture trying to make their way to the bathroom. She had closed her eyes when she heard the whimper again, followed by a soft cry. Her eyes snapped back open, realizing the noise had come from Abby. She leaned up and saw Abby was in the throes of a bad dream, as she was restless in her sleep. Her lover had the bad experience of nightmares after everything with Rowan and Holtz more than a few times had to hold Abby close till she either woke up or moved past the dream. She hadn’t been immune from them herself and had woken up more than a few times to Abby having her in an absolute bear hug. It hadn’t been the most pleasant of experiences at first because not only was Abby her salvation, but she had been the face of her terror. If she ever got to see Rowan in the afterlife, she was going to kick his ass for doing that to her and her wife, provided Erin didn’t get to him first. When she had found out what Rowan had done to her best friend, she had been livid beyond imagination. Holtzmann had decided she was going to sell tickets to that fight in the Great Beyond. It would be one hell of a show. She frowned when she heard Abby whimper again. Holtz knew weird and vivid dreams were common in pregnancy, as Abby had more than a few already. The one where they had blown up Higgins was her favorite because as grateful as they were to the place that had kept them afloat for a few years, they both wouldn’t mind seeing it burn to blazes.

Another soft cry came from Abby and Holtz knew this had to be a really bad dream. She moved the pillow Abby had placed at her back and pulled closer to her wife.

“Shhh... it’s okay,” she said softly, rubbing her wife’s shoulder before dragging it all the way down to her hip and repeating the action. She kissed Abby’s left temple. The action seemed to make Abby stir and her eyes snapped open, much to Holtz’s relief. She wasn’t surprised when Abby turned over quickly and pressed herself into Holtz’s arms.

“That bad?” She felt Abby nod and grimaced. Holtzmann could feel the wet spots starting to form on her tank top.

“Yeah. Just give me a minute,” said Abby. “Felt very real.” Holtz rubbed Abby’s scalp and kissed the top of her head. She sighed deeply, calming her breathing.

“A T5 very much Rowan-like had slipped in through the barrier. We fought and we fought and there was nothing left we could do. One by one you all were gone and I was alone. Like the whole entire planet was gone alone. Then the baby started coming and there was something wrong and--”

“Hey,” said Holtzmann, peppering kisses in Abby’s hair. “It was just a dream. This is what you get for working in a business where you get scared shitless on an almost daily basis.”

Abby shook her head for a moment but laughed softly.

“I think it was the chili cheese burritos you got us for lunch.”

“That too,” said Holtz. “And your fear of being left alone again.”

“There is that,” Abby sighed.

“I’m not going anywhere and neither is Patty or Erin.” Abby smiled a little at that, putting her hand on Holtz’s.

“Did you ever know that you're my hero?”

“Because I’m the wind beneath your wings?” humored Holtz.

“Alright Bette,” said Abby. Holtzmann grinned.

“Go back to sleep Abs.” There was silence for a moment, and Holtz had almost closed her eyes.

“Since we’re both awake,” drawled out Abby, curling her fingers into Holtz’s hair. She knew she had the nuclear engineer’s attention. “I’m thinking about that promise from earlier.” Holtzmann looked at the clock and cocked a half smirk.

“I’m glad I locked the door.” She grinned wolfishly before yelping as Abby kissed her hard, pushing her down into the mattress. <– Prev | Next –>