#And oh geez the dogs are going to jump on me and their claws are going to hurt so much more today

[stardustedknuckles]

My migraines are usually silent and go away with sleep but I was in my coworker's car for too long with her air freshener and had my first "loud" migraine since I was 10 and convinced I was dying. I don't want to go to dog daycare. I shouldn't have to go to dog daycare right now, I should be resting at home. But I can't afford to lose the money and it's too last minute to call out anyway.

I am one again lamenting the design of the human body that results in a sharper sense of smell when dealing with migraine bullshit that gets worse with smell.

Mask, sunglasses, earplugs and it still won't be enough. I'll probably have to have a very small nibble of weed gummy just to stay upright.

[celandeline]

Summer of Like // Farleigh Start x OC (11)

On screen, the girl slowly crawls out of the television, her long black hair dripping wet and obscuring her face. 

Above me on the couch, Venetia watches in horror, her mouth hanging open as she turns her head away from the screen. “Oh my god!”

The library is dark - the sun having long disappeared behind the maze and no one having bothered to turn on the lights. It adds to the ambiance, I think, the how the long shadows cast by the bookshelves seem to make the corners of the room into deep recesses where monsters might hide. All of us are gathered here - the sectional sofa not big enough to hold the eight of us.

 On the end of the couch, James watches with his head propped up against his hand. To his right, Elspeth and Pamela gossip in whispers, barely paying attention to the movie. Squished together at the other end, Venetia is all but sitting in her brother’s lap, and Felix is hiding his face in her hair - anything to not have to watch the horror on screen.

Three of us sit on the floor. Oliver is tucked between Felix’s legs. I lean against Venetia’s knees next to him, and Farleigh has his head leaned back in the space between Venetia and Pamela, his gaze unflinching as he takes in the atrocity.

“Why is she wet?” Elspeth asks aloud as the girl mercilessly kills the journalist’s boyfriend. 

“Because she’s been down the well Mum, geez.” Felix says, barely moving from the safety of hiding behind his sister. 

My attention moves from the screen and I tip my head backwards, looking up at Venetia. Catching my look, she grins, and winds one of her hands into my hair, stroking like a cat, her fingernails gently scratching against my scalp. I close my eyes as she sifts through my curls, and savor her touch. I swear, I would do anything for her if she only asked. 

Her hand retreats from my head, and I let my eyes flutter open. Farleigh is looking at me, amused, his big brown eyes reflecting the light of the TV screen. I quirk an eyebrow, a silent question.

“You really are her dog.” He says, low under his breath as he turns back to the movie. 

I roll my eyes, and go to hit him in the thigh, but he grabs my hand in the air, and brings it down gently against his leg instead of the blow that was coming. He keeps his hand there, on top of mine, sandwiching my palm against his thigh.

I turn my eyes back to the screen to pretend that he didn’t just win whatever that was. I can’t wrap my head around him. At all. One minute, he’s perfectly friendly - we joke, we share cigarettes, we talk in the way that people that have mutual friends do. But then, like a change in the wind, it’s that night on the steps all over again - he’s teasing with narrowed eyes with the word ‘dog’ on his lips. And now, he’s holding my hand on his thigh like we’re-

A loud screech from the TV startles me out of my thoughts, and I jump, hands clenching from the jolt of adrenaline that shoots through me. Next to me, Farleigh swears as my nails dig into the meat of his leg. I pull my hand back to see blood on the very tips of my fingers. “Oh- shit, fuck, sorry, Farleigh are you-?”

Farleigh stands up. “I’m fine.” He says, sounding pissed off and not fine at all as he scoots past me towards the bathroom. 

Venetia leans forward. “What’d you do?”

“I accidentally clawed him in the leg,” I say, getting up to go after him. “I’ll be right back, I just want to make sure he’s good.”

Venetia nods, and leans back against her brother as I step over Oliver’s outstretched legs and follow Farleigh’s path out of the library. The house is just as dark - darker, even, without the light of the TV from the library - but the light streaming into the hall from the little cabinet bathroom makes it easy to find him. 

Farleigh’s got his leg propped up on the toilet, dutifully wiping the beads of blood away from his thigh with a tissue. He doesn’t look up when I come to a stop in the doorway, but says, “I said I was fine.”

“Well you don’t sound fine.” I say. “You sound like you’re going to cut my leg off while I’m asleep tonight to get revenge.”

He snorts, and looks up at me. “It’s basically a cat scratch, Eves, I’m good.”

“Okay.” I say, but I still linger in the doorway, watching as he places a band-aid over his leg at an angle. There’s a million things I want to say dancing on the tip of my tongue - to apologize again, to ask him what his problem is, to ask why he was basically holding my hand - but what comes out of my mouth is none and all of it at once. “I’m sorry. Do you like me?”

The grin on his face falls as he stands up. For a moment, we just look at each other - him, bathed in the warm light of the bathroom, a halo through his curls like the sun, me, half in the darkness of the hallway, looking up at him. “What?” 

“You-,” I start, and then pause, gathering my thoughts. “You keep doing this thing, where you act like we’re almost friends, and then you’ll call me Venetia’s dog, and then you’ll pretend nothing happened, and you were just holding my hand-”

“I like you.” He cuts me off. 

I expect him to elaborate, to say something else, but he doesn’t. Instead, we just look at each other for a moment, before I break the stare. “Okay.” I say. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay.” He says, looking back down at his leg, and then grinning at me. “Hardly the worst thing a girl’s done to me.”

I roll my eyes, but smile.

< previous part | next part >

[blubrown9637]

Am I Doing This Right?(Whirl and Sparky short fic)

Here’s something I made in my off time for fun. Also I wanted to give these two more characterization, my writing isn’t the best but I still wanted to try! Shout out to @transformers-trash-fan who helped me with the title.

Hope y’all enjoy! :D

——-————————————————————

“Caretaker?”

“CARETAKER!”

Whirl nearly jumped out of his Spark when he heard Sparky’s voice. He still hadn’t gotten use to someone waking him up yet, let alone a sparkling. “Yeah kid….I’m up, I’m up! What’s wrong?” Whirl replies with a bit of a groggy voice.

Sparky was currently laying on top of his chassis, he tilted his head a bit. He always had to wake his caretaker up so he wouldn’t over sleep, this was usually when he came back from swerve’s after drinking that weird energon. Sparky never understood why bot’s acted acted weird after that.

“Caretaker! Your finally up!” Sparky beams. “ Yeah kinda hard to stay asleep with your voice kiddo…” Whirl scratched his helm, then sat up off his birth. Sparky held on tightly to whirl’s plating, this was something he had watched Undex do with his Sire. He realized this was a common things Sparkling’s would do with they’re creators, and Sparky had to play the part.

He wasn’t a normal sparkling after all….

“Hey kid! Ya listening?

Sparky perked up from his thoughts to look at whirl. “Uh….No sorry…” Sparky muttered near his auto receptor, Whirl only shook his head. “I was saying that your energon was ready. Geez kiddo you’ve been day dream a lot lately.” Whirl sat the cube on the table and lifted little sparky down to the table as well. Sparky made a sour face at the energon, he still wasn’t use to drinking an actual liquid instead of energon.

“Mmhhh…I’m not hungry yet…can I be excused?” Sparky begged trying to make his one optic bigger, another thing he picked up for Undex. “Oh no! No puppy dog optics this time! Ratchet made it very clear that Sparkling’s are supposed drink energon more than three times a day. Remember what happened last time? You passed out mid sentence, I had to rush you too the medbay! And boy did that old bunch of bolts give me an ear full.”

It felt unnatural giving a sparky a lecture, usually it was the ladder but having a sparkling made whirl become a bit more….responsible. Sparky sighed and picked up the cube “Yeah I remember…” he replied before drinking the down the energon. And as usual Spark himself didn’t feel energized from it at all, his body did feel less heavy though. It seemed energon only helped the spare parts Sparky used as a suit to be more mobile.

“There, that wasn’t so bad now was it? Usually Sparkling’s beg for more energon, but you seem to be the opposite.” Whirl joked a little. But Sparky cringed a bit, he needed to be more careful. One wrong slip up and….

“You not a scraplet are ya?”

Sparky jumped a bit at first but noticed Whirl's obvious playful tone “WHAT?! No I’m a sparkling” he chuckled. Whirl rubbed his helm a bit with one of his claws ever so gently. “I know kiddo I was just pulling ya leg. I actually took care of a scraplet a while back…” he trailed off then shook his helm.

“Well now that your all done it’s time to go see Rung for that mandatory Creator, Sparkling counseling scrap this cycle.” Whirl rolled his optic a bit. Sparky groaned “But I wanna see Gala and Undex today…and Mister Rung takes forever….” He whined. “Yeah trust me I hate it too kid, but we have to go or else…” whirl stopped himself. He probably shouldn’t tell Sparky that these meetings were the only thing keeping him and Sparky together.

He was already being judge for being a caretaker, something Sparky would gladly call him with the most sincere voice. It actually made him feel…pleasant oddly enough, He wouldn’t tell anyone else that. Sparky for whatever reason chose him to raise him, the last thing he wanted was to loose him. “…or else I might get in trouble, you don’t want that right?”

Sparky instantly jumped from the table and gasped “NO! WHY DIDN’T YOU SAY SO BEFORE?!” Sparky shouts a bit shocked. He ran to the Habsuite door and instantly started jumping to press the door panel. “Hurray up Caretaker! Or else were going to be late!” Whirl couldn’t help but laugh a loud at his actions, that didn’t take much convincing did it.

“Easy now, it’s gonna take a lot more than being late to a little meeting to get me back at the Brigg! Haven’t been there in a while actually, wonder how everyone’s doing down there.” Whirl pressed the button to the door so Sparky could run out a head. Magnus had “childproof” his room while he was away one day to prevent any accident.

“Come on Caretaker! Over here, Over here!” Sparky chuckled before running farther ahead. “I’m right behind ya kiddo. Geez Do you ever run out of energy? Ha ha!” It only took Whirl about three steps for him to catch up to Sparky. But that didn’t stop him from trying to run a head again, for every step Whirl took Sparky had to take at least ten.

“Wow caretaker your really fast!” Sparky replies now carefully weaving in an out between his peds. “Well that’s because yours so shor-Aye! Easy now!” Whirl interrupted himself and carefully stopped his right ped from coming down on Sparky. “Last thing I need is took take you back to the med bay again remember.” Whirl chuckled

Sparky chuckled with Whirl a bit then stopped in his tracks. Whirl stopped and turned to look back “Something wrong kiddo?” He asked trying not to sound to worried. “Caretaker….am I a burden to you?” Sparky twiddled his digits a bit. Whirls optic widen a bit, he crouched down to Sparky’s level “Now why would you think that? Is this because I called ya a scraplet earlier.”

If Sparky could smile he would, but all that showed was an upturned optic. “Well…it’s because every time bots see me with you they always give you a weird look and then they say that they can’t understand how I’m so polite when I’m getting raised by you.” Whirl squinted a bit, he was gonna have to ask for names and looks later so he could have a little “talk to those bots. “Well Sparky that’s just because-”

“And I’m always getting sick because I don’t remember to drink enough energon, and I always accidentally hurt myself! And..and…” Sparky was on the verge of tears which wasn’t good, Whirl barely knew how to comfort an adult bot let alone a sparkling. “Hey! Hey! None of that now!” Whirl tried using his claw to wipe the coolant from Sparky’s optic.

“Your never a burden to me Sparky, you have no idea how you’ve help me.” Whirl then picked him up ever so gently in both his claws, he couldn’t comfort Sparky like how Rodimus and Rung would do there younglings but he could still try. “Really? I have?” Sparky sniffled then hugged his claws for security.

“Of course Sparky! I…I care about you.” Whirl replies bringing Sparky in for an embrace. Sparky still sniffled a bit, if only he knew what he really was. Would he feel the same way? Who’s to tell really, but he’s just gonna enjoy this feeling for as long as he could.

Whirl looked around and sighed in relief, lucky for him that no bot was walking through the hallway at the moment. Whirl sat Sparky on his shoulder “Alright, now that you’ve got that out of your system ready for this boring aft parent counseling?”

Sparky smiled “Yep! Maybe it won’t be so boring this time!”

[madcatdaderpydrawer-blog]

Ironically, Sun had been told many times in the past that he isn’t the brightest. And obviously, he tends to disagree with that sentiment adamantly! But this situation definitely doesn’t help...

“Monty, buddy! It was just a prankkk! Don’t you think this is a bit extreme?” Sun wrings his hands nervously, pale cream eyes flitting between the gator and his petrified lunar counterpart who squirmed in his grasp. Monty’s head snaps up and he glares daggers at the sun faced bot, letting out a low growl.

“Stay out of this, Sun! This is between me and the slippery little bird.” He emphasizes his point with a harsh squeeze to Moon’s neck, elliciting a pained squeak from his voicebox. Sun can’t help but winch at that sight. It shouldn’t bother him, and yet he can’t help but be overwhelmed with terror at the sight in front of him. He hadn’t meant for any of this to happen; He just wanted to scare Moon, get him yelled at so he could scamper away like a dog with its tail between its legs. Maybe he should’ve done this with someone other than Monty, though he hadn’t thought that Monty would become so violent. The moment the gator got his hands on him, he lost his mind. Sun shudders, remembering how his stomach dropped when the gators clawed hand locked around his brother’s neck. He wasn’t in very good condition now, either; His arm was torn open, the other pinned to the floor with a single knee. Cracks spread across the back of his head, pieces of the plastic casing missing in large patches. And of course, his back; The metal plate was entirely gone, the gators free hand plunged into it. Moon withered with every move of his hand, limbs letting out small jolting spasms and voicebox spitting out static amidst pained sobs. Sun couldn’t bring himself to enjoy the sight, seeing where the emotions came from. 

“We-We have to take him to Vanessa... remember?” Sun tries again, tapping the pads of his fingers together.

The hand exploring his back tenses and clenches into a fist, yanking the wires harshly. Moon let out a cry, his trembling worsening, “Do you think I give a shit?! This fucker has been giving me the slip all night, and I’m going to make sure he never forgets this lesson! Just go back to the daycare or whatever, I’ll handle your brother.” His voice drops into a gravely laugh, and Moon claws at the floor tears falling down his cheeks. It shouldn’t upset him, it shouldn’t. But it does! He should hate him, he should laugh at the sight of him withering in pain. But he can’t help the urge to scoop Moon up in his arms and hug him to his chest, so tight, make him feel safe and calm.

“Monty, you aren’t being fair! Let go of him, you’re going to hurt him! Like, irreversably!” His eyes narrow and he steps towards the gator, hands on his hips. Monty’s tail flicks in annoyance and his grip on Moon eases, attention focusing solely on Sun.

“Why do you even care?! You were the one to give him to me anyways!”

“I just wanted you to scare him, geez! I didn’t think you’d go all batshit murder crazy!”

“Do you have a couple of screws loose in your head or something? The boss said to get him outta the way. Forever.”

Suns eyes widen and he gasps, covering his mouth. She... wanted Moon dead? But, no, that can’t be right can it? He’s snapped out of his spiralling thoughts, “Oh GODDAMMIT!” His eyes snap up to follow Monty’s line of sight. 

Moon is gone. A trail of oil leading over to the edge of the balcony before dropping off, and he grimaces; He knew Moon was desperate to escape, but to go as far as to jump off? He races over to the edge and peers down, adrenaline pumping through his system. Gone, gone, he’s really gone! Where on Earth did he go?! He had no way to stop his fall, with the back panel gone, and there’s no way his legs could hold up such a fall. He had to of known that, right? It’s unfathomable, and the guilt hits him like a brick wall. 

This is all his fault. His brother had to pay for his stupid, petty spite, again. Maybe he has become a bit soft, he thinks idly, but that doesn’t really matter anyways. He has a brother to find.

[pine-lark]

Ooh trap him somewhere either very hot or very cold?? :D

Oh.

Oh.

This is a perfect excuse to write an old daydream from my childhood. Well, there's two-- Arion on a grill and Arion in a box. I chose the box for this one but I may be tempted to write the grill at some point. I haven't written The Box before now because it doesn't exactly... fit with the plot of the actual story, but I mean...

Alternate Rescue AU, coming right up, Anon. (Also sorry I'm like, infinitely late haha. School threw me into a hell pit and I've been recovering. I'm back now ((though I'm not sure for how long, things might change in a week or two... we'll see.)) For now, I'm working on a lot of Arion stuff that will hopefully pop up within a few days! Cheers!)

CW: Tiny whumpee, some blood, cold/hypothermia symptoms (duh), cages/referenced captivity, briefly implied forced nudity from said captivity, brief reference to a past fever and resulting vomiting, referenced/implied physical abuse, water/rain/storms/being submerged in/splashed with water, thoughts of dying (of the "I might die" and "Am I dead?" and wishing to be put out of misery type), crying, (thinking about) needles, short (kind of) graphic description of a bird being run over, brief religion references

-

His legs still ache from running.

Arion sits in the cardboard box he found on the side of the road, huddled in the corner, shivering in the dark. Although he tries to clamp his jaw shut and stop it, his teeth chatter and his shoulders quiver. It feels like the frozen autumn air has grasped him entirely in icy claws that shake him violently in an inescapable grip. It reminds him of being trapped in Heston’s hand, shaken, body tossed in every direction until his head pounded and his eyes watered.

It’s colder outside than it used to be in the garage. But it’s better out here. No one can hurt him here.

As long as they don’t find him.

He rubs his hands over the goosebumps on his arms, hoping to warm them up and calm down the wild pain buried deep in his skin. As he does so, blood smears along the path he touches. It’s still gently creeping out of the series of cuts etched into his forearms. With it, the image of Heston’s glinting eyes surfaces in Arion’s memory. He buries his head in his shaking knees with a wet sniff. But he’s done it, he reminds himself. He’s escaped. Finally. Chewed through rope, slipped through an unlocked door. Heston's gone. For now.

Please, please don’t come looking for me.

A dog barks somewhere in the distance. He jumps. It sets off an echo of shivers all the way down his spine as his hair stands on end.

A raindrop falls on the cardboard roof. Then another, and another. Thunder claps harshly overhead.

Arion shuts his eyes tight, bites back the frustrated tears welling up at the corners of his eyes. He curls up tighter, hugging himself, doing all he can to keep any scrap of heat he has close to his body. A storm might just do it. Might just kill him. A storm means wind. Freezing wind. And freezing rain. The last thing he needs right now is rain. It can’t rain. He presses his body closer to the cardboard wall, knowing it might not be standing there much longer if it rains.

And it does. It pours.

He sees the rain splash into the road before him. The storm swiftly grows. It’s ferocious and feral and cruel. The temperature around Arion drops. His tiny body shakes uncontrollably, as if it weren’t his own. It reminds him of the terrifying fever he had, long ago, in the confines of his red cage just weeks after being taken from his home. He’d been throwing up and twitching and having the most horrible, vivid dreams (on the occasions that both Heston and the illness let him sleep). The fits of shivering drove him mad, the endless teeth-chattering and flashes of uncomfortable warmth and sticky sweat made him feel even worse. It's like that, he thinks. Except, now, as he shivers, he’s unbearably cold.

An involuntary whine fights its way out of him. When he swallows, his throat feels stiff and achy. Snot runs profusely down his lips and no amount of wiping it away with his bleeding arms is helping it slow. Water has thoroughly and entirely drenched the cardboard, at this point. Has crept through the floor and the walls, and, gradually and persistently, has started to drip through the sagging ceiling. For a moment, Arion remembers he has toes, and that they’ve been numb for awhile now. Actually, now that he’s thinking about it, his feet haven’t felt like anything either, and when he tries to move his fingers, they only twitch. They feel heavy and prickly. He feels prickly all over. Like Heston had shoved a thousand frozen needles into a thousand different places all over his body. It hurts to breathe. There’s no way to get warmer. Nothing to hide under, not even something as decent as clothing. No way to escape, nowhere to run to, even if he had the energy left to try. He lets out a miserable sob.

And then the ceiling falls through, in a blur of collapsing cardboard and splashing waves of water that crash over his head and the rest of his body.

Arion tumbles out of the box, drenched. He coughs up water through jittery movements. For a second, he chokes on a mouthful, and he briefly he thinks he'll never breathe again, before his chest jerks and with another cough, the water falls out of his mouth. He tries to get his arms and legs under him, to stand or even crawl, but his limbs fail him and he crumbles face-first back to the harsh surface below him. The rocks mixed in the road’s tar are sharp. They cut deeply through his nose and cheek and the shoulder that followed his face in the fall. Arion winces against the fresh, sharp pain and the beads of blood that begin to form where he’s been hurt. His breaths come in ragged heaves.

He sniffs. Tears drip from his eyes. He lays helpless in the middle of the little road, in his mind begging to no one that a car doesn’t come along and crush him. Under any other circumstance, he’d love to be put out of his misery. But he’s seen a bird been run over before. Under a truck’s tire. And the memory makes his stomach churn. Flattened face, open stomach, popped like a bubble in a stream.

Briefly, Arion thinks of himself in place of the bird. He thinks of the smear of red underneath his empty, open eyes. He thinks of the way the headlights might look as they would suddenly appear right in front of him. The horrid, mind-numbing honk of a horn. The image he creates in his mind of those headlights, his last moments, is vivid. It’s so vivid that he thinks it might be real, or maybe hypothermia is setting in and beginning to ruin his mind.

It’s just his imagination, he thinks.

And then he smells exhaust from a car.

And the screech of brakes.

And for a second, whilst his body is numb and bright white light is all he can see, he thinks he might be dead.

“I swear, if I keep stopping my car for every mouse that sits in front of it, I’m never going to get anywhere.”

That voice drifts from the car stopped in front of him.

Not dead, then.

Almost, he thinks.

“Can’t help it though. What else am I supposed to do, run them over? Just vet instincts, I guess. Huh, Jasper.” There’s a meow in response. Arion’s breath hitches. The voice says, “Me-ow. I know, I know. I’ll be right back.” A car door shuts. Then there’s heavy wet footsteps. Boots clopping over puddles and asphalt. Panic floods Arion’s chest as a shadow cuts through the blinding white light from the vehicle. The outline of a human lowers, kneels in front of him. His breath stops. His mind goes blank.

“What…”

A moment passes. Something touches him. He flinches hard, but trying to run isn’t an option. His body is completely, entirely, wholly exhausted and far too numb to move more than flailing back a couple inches.

“Oh, geez, that’s-- not a mouse. Okay.” Her head turns in a way that Arion can see her face. A young woman with red hair, watching him with a warm but frantic gaze. “Okay. Okay okay. Oh, God, you’re injured pretty bad, little buddy. Your arms are all… cut up. That’s not good. Um.”

Arion stares blankly ahead. Suddenly, freezing to death isn’t something he feels like putting too much effort into avoiding.

“Okay. Here’s what we’ll do,” the girl continues. “I’m gonna bring you into my car where I can see you better, alright? Then I can help you. It’s gonna be okay. Here. I’m picking you up now, ‘kay?”

The feeling of a warm hand washes over his body. It’s both terrifying and incredibly welcome. The sting of cold seems to seep out of his skin, albeit very slowly. Quickly, though, burning prickles replace whatever comfort the touch brought him.

“Oh, you’re freezing, little guy. You must have been out here for a long time. That can be really dangerous… I’m glad I found you. I’ll get you all warmed up in the car.”

Arion whimpers against the hands that carry him to somewhere warmer, where he hears the faint, deep sound of a large beating heart. For a second, he wonders if this is God. And then the car door opens and creaks, and the girl curses under her breath, and Arion remembers he’s an atheist.

Still, as the stinging in his warming skin subsides, the warmth of her hands starts to feel… nice. If his mind were still intact (instead of shattered into vague, useless fragments as it is now), Arion would have done anything and everything to get away from any human or other predatory beast in sight. But with his head swimming, he leans into her touch, and compliantly accepts the soft feeling of some kind of cloth being wrapped all around him.

Words are spoken to him, but he can’t listen. To him they sound broken up and blurry as the insistence of sleep becomes more desperate in the back of his mind. As he gets warmer, his muscles relax, and his eyes get droopy. His vision darkens, and the girl’s voice hushes.

Just before he drifts off into a far overdue, deep and restful sleep, he thinks to himself, vaguely, that he hopes this human is different. He hopes that when he wakes back up, it won’t be in another cage.

-

Tag list because this ended up being a full drabble:

(Also, let me know if you'd like to be removed from the tag list. No hurt feelings! I know it's been a long time and if you've lost interest that is A-Okay, friend)

(Also, if you'd like to be added or if your username's changed, let me know!)

@whumping-every-day, @deluxewhump, @sola-whumping, @haro-whumps, @inaridriscoll, @whatwasmyprevioususername, @kiretto-laorentze, @just-a-whumping-racoon-with-wifi, @ahorriblebimess, @whump-me-all-night-long

[zims-left-shoe]

Dance of Doom (Zim x Female Reader)

LMAO I edited the title on mobile and the ENTIRE fic deleted itself but luckily I still have a og copy somewhere

"Hey, Sara-”

"Absolutely not, Dib. There is no way I would go to prom with you, even if you were the last person on Earth." With a final swish of her long blue hair, Sara walked away, leaving Dib to stand there with his finger still in the air, eyes slowly narrowing in disappointment.

"I was just trying to borrow a pencil." He sighed, sitting back down at his table. Naturally, he was the only one there. All the other students wanted to be nowhere near him, for fear of the contagiousness of his supposed craziness. From the other almost completely empty table on the other side of the room, a green boy sat, calculating eyes not leaving Dib for a second. Despite the years that had gone by, Dib was still hated by all of his classmates. But, there was one student in particular who hated his guts more than anyone. Said student rose from his own seat, meandering over to Dib, trying to look casual.

"Dib-stink. What is this...prom...that everyone is speaking of?" Both gloved hands gripped the table desperately.

"You're kidding, right?" After seeing the intense expression not fading from his enemy's face, Dib looked to him incredulously. "Zim, you've been in high school for almost three years now! How do you not know?"

"Silence! You will tell Zim all he wants to know about this...prom." Zim's eyes narrowed to almost slits as he leaned closer to Dib, trying his best to intimidate him. Sure, he had grown a bit. But that was only because he devised a serum to increase his height once others were beginning to grow suspicious that he wasn't hitting his growth spurt. He still wasn't tall by any means, only barely reaching 5'7" in his heeled Irken soldier boots.

"Fine, whatever. It's this stupid school dance that upper classman get to go to if they can find a date."

"Is this date required to be admitted?" The Irken was intrigued. He had been in a bit of an evil plan block recently, so any event was something he would consider.

"Well, no, you can go with friends, but last time I checked, you don't have any of those either." Dib snickered, only to earn a swift kick in the shin. "Oh, and I guess there's that whole prom king and queen thing. That shit's stupid." Dib looked bored, just waiting for the lunch bell to ring.

"King?" There was a new gleam in Zim's eyes, and behind them a plan was already forming.

Yes, if I can become king, then I can finally rule this school with an iron fist. And then the earth! He thought, letting the beginnings of maniacal laughter slip out.

"Tch. You need a queen to be king, genius. Good luck finding one of those. You're just as hated as I am!" Just after his final word, the bell rang, announcing that lunch was upon them. Dib snatched up his things, leaving Zim standing at the table with his thoughts.

"Oh, I think you'll be quite surprised, Dib-stink. I have the perfect candidate in mind." More maniacal laughter followed his words, a plan brewing.

(more under the cut)

-

Truth was, Dib did have a friend. One single friend who didn't think he was crazier than your local crackhead. That friend just happened to be you. You believed in all of the spooks he ranted and raved about. You were new to the school this year, and although you had only been friends since September, by April you had already been on several adventures together. Many of those adventures revolved around Zim, your alien classmate who was trying, and let's face it, failing to take over the planet. You knew what he was from day one, your suspicions being confirmed when you snuck into his base one night with Dib.

Now, although you would consider Dib your best friend, you had very different attitudes when it came to Zim. Dib viewed him as an evil space creature that needed to be annihilated. You, on the other hand, saw him as virtually harmless. He got in his own way constantly, so you didn't think there was much to worry about. Why not have some fun with him? It's not very often you get the chance to kick it with a being from beyond. Dib, however, would never let you befriend him. As you carried your lunch, on your way to your usual table with the Membrane kids, you were pulled from your thoughts by colliding with someone in front of you. Luckily, your food was still clutched in your hands.

"Geez, I'm really sorry. I was spacing out."

"It's quite alright, Dib-Slave." Zim showed you a sharp-tooth smile, and you were having trouble deciphering if it was genuine or not.

"I have a name, you know. And I'm not Dib's slave, I'm his friend."

"There's a difference?" The alien legitimately seemed confused by this notion. You sighed, trying to step around him. "WAIT!!" Zim screamed, grabbing you by the arm as you were walking past him. You whipped your head around, a slightly panicked look on your face.

"What?!"

"This...prom-dance-thing. It is Saturday, correct?" You quirked an eyebrow, not sure you were liking where this was going.

"Yes?"

"Excellent." A wicked grin spread on his face, his clawed hand not releasing your arm. "You will be Zim's date."  You couldn't help the laughter that escaped you.

"I thought you were supposed to ask people to prom, not tell them to prom." After laughing some more, you shook his arm free. "No. Now, maybe if you ask me, I'll consider it. See ya, Zim." You left Zim behind to mutter Irken curses under his breath, weaving through the lunch crowd to sit down across from Dib.

"What took you so long?" His eyebrow was raised as he fixed you with a suspicious glance.

"Yeah, the craziest thing just happened. Zim asked me to prom. Well, more like demanded me to go with him, but obviously I said no." Taking a spoonful of the disgusting substance this school called food and putting it in your mouth, you watched Dib's expression morph from confused to panicked.

"I knew it! He's up to something. I just don't know what." His hand instinctively clenched into a fist, gears in his mind turning to figure out a strategy to stop him.

"Maybe he just wants to go and knows I'm the only other loser here besides you." You chuckled, brushing a few stray strands of hair behind your ear.

"Just look at him!" Turning around to see what Dib was gesturing at, you were greeted by the sight of Zim furiously typing on some alien device, then scratching notes on another. After a few more moments of this, he stood up and left the cafeteria.

"Okay, so maybe it is a bit suspicious. But when has Zim ever succeeded at anything? I'm sure it's fine." After a beat of silence, you tapped Dib to get his attention. "You know, going to prom might not be so bad." A slight smile graced your face, hoping your prompt had landed. That maybe, just maybe-

"You're joking. I mean, prom with Zim? He definitely has some sort of agenda, and-"

"Christ, take the hint, Dib." You muttered, decidedly not hungry anymore. Dropping your uneaten garbage in the trash, you walked out of the cafeteria. However, it seemed you had someone waiting for you. "Oh, great, you're back." Not only was Zim standing in the hallway staring at you expectantly, GIR was sitting next to him, dog suit and all.

"Dib-Slave! Er, I mean, Y/n!" The Irken waved frantically, hoping you would approach him. Deciding that you had nothing better to do, you allowed your feet to lead you to the terribly disguised alien.

"What now?" You groaned, just wanting to mourn the stupidity of your best friend in peace.

"You said I must ask, not tell. So, Zim has prepared something very special for you. Be honored!" You felt a chill run down your spine. Whenever Zim said he had something special for anyone, it usually ended in pain and misery. Zim made a motion of pulling something out from behind his back, and you screwed your eyes shut, preparing for something horrible. A loud cannon sound echoed through the hallway, causing you to jump, but your body soon relaxed as all you felt was something like flower petals raining down on you. You peeled your eyes open to the sight of rose petals strewn everywhere on the ground, GIR's head open and filled with more of them. You took another glance around, watching GIR grabbing petals and stuffing them into his mouth, eating them.

"They taste like marshmallow!!" The tiny robot screamed, although you doubted that to be true. Raising your eye level, you saw Zim holding a sign, smiling proudly.

"Will you be the schneeblywoop to my zeegleblorp?" You read aloud, not having anything clarified. "I have no idea what that means." You had a hard enough time trying to decipher Zim's terrible handwriting without all of the unknown space knowledge.

"It doesn't translate very well from Irken." Zim mumbled, looking to GIR for help as he shuffled his feet.

"Tell her how you feel!" GIR whispered, although it was more of a quiet yell.

"Oh, this should be good." You smirked, ready for Zim to scream about how useless and stinky you were, and then he would eventually get all frustrated and run away.

"Human, you are much less disgusting than every other wormchild in this PITIFUL excuse for an academy. And while Dib is annoying, you are, erm, tolerable." He played with his fingers, not enjoying the position he was in.

"Okay, well if that's all, I'll be leaving-"

"NO! I mean, uh...there is more!" He looked borderline desperate at this point, every feature on his face pleading with you. Obviously he really wanted to you accompany him to the prom for whatever reason. "You saw through my INGENIOUS disguise right away, which proves your intelligence. Consider yourself honored, you have impressed an Irken elite." GIR shoved him in the leg, letting him know that was not the thing to say. He jumped, switching tracks immediately. "I mean! I would be..." Zim exhaled through gritted teeth. "...honored..." He grumbled, as if acting humble to anyone but his Tallest was a chore. "...if you would be my lovepig at prom."

"Lovepig…?" Your expression was mixed, surprised that he was trying this hard, because, for Zim, this was definitely trying, but also slightly offended that he called you his lovepig.

"DATE!! I mean date." He waved his hands frantically, throwing the sign down. "Please?" Dropping down on his knee, he kneeled at your feet. He really wanted this bad. Plus, he almost never said please.

On one hand, there was the fact that he was an alien hellbent on destroying mankind (although he was very, very bad at it), but on the other, it's not like you had a date. You thought back to your subtle yet failed attempt to get Dib to ask you to the dance, and had your answer. Why not? Besides, a horrible half-baked plan for doom might be fun.

"Fine, Zim. I'll go to prom with you." Zim seemed beyond pleased with your answer, jumping up from the floor immediately.

"YES! VICTORY FOR ZIM!" He pumped his fists in the air, a grin spread wide on his face.

"Yeah, sure, whatever. Just pick me up at seven on Saturday." Had you made a mistake? It was quite possible. You supposed this meant you had to scramble up some clothes by the end of the week.

-

"Computer! Tell me all that you can find on this Earth event, prom." Zim sat down in his base, red bug eyes gazing intently at the humongous monitor above him. The computer sighed heavily.

"Do I have to?"

"Yes!" The Irken hissed, antennae flattening against his head in irritation.

"Fine. Prom. An Earthling high school formal dance where boys typically wear tuxes and girls wear dresses. There's no point in it really, just something supposed to promote fun. There's also a king and a queen, usually a couple, that are voted on by the school."

"Yes! And once Y/n and I get voted king and queen, we will rule the world!"

"Um, I don't think that-"

"I must find fitting attire! Thank you for your service, computer!!" Without listening to whatever reason the computer was attempting to speak, Zim shot up to get clothing from who knows where.

-

Ripping a brush through your h/l h/c hair for the final time, you took another look in the mirror. Your dress wasn't fancy, in actuality it wasn't fitting for a formal event at all. It was a simple f/c skater dress, but at least it had pockets. You were sure that Zim knew nothing about prom, and wouldn't be surprised if he showed up in his Irken invader uniform as he did everyday. You didn't have much more time to wonder as the doorbell rang, sending you flying down the stairs, calling a quick goodbye to your parent(s). Opening the door revealed a sight you thought you would never see. Zim stood on your doorstep, clad in a dark pink suit jacket and matching pants, a black tie tied around the collar of a lighter pink dress shirt. He thrust a small bouquet of flowers into your arms, and almost immediately you were suspicious. Sniffing them showed that they were not poisonous, which you had sort of expected. They were normal, untampered with, earth flowers.

"Who are you and what have you done with Zim?" You spoke cautiously, still following him down the sidewalk regardless.

"Silly Dib-Slave. I am Zim!" He looked like he just suddenly remembered something. "I mean, Y/n!"

"Right. This is just...so not like you."

"What are you talking about? Of course this is most definitely like me!" Zim just seemed to take notice of your appearance as well.

"You look..." He trailed off, and you rolled your eyes.

"What? Adequate? Sufficient? Not as stinky as I could be?" You were preparing for this to be a long night, already bracing for whatever jabs would be thrown your way.

"Pretty. I was going to say pretty." His tone wasn't exaggerated, or strained to any degree. He seemed genuine, or as genuine as Zim could get.

"Oh. Thank you." You cursed yourself for the warmth you felt rise to your cheeks. "You're not so bad yourself." After walking in silence for a bit, Zim was the first to speak again.

"So...I know this is a dance, but what are dates supposed to do at prom? Like, specifically." The alien looked to you expectantly, hoping for answers.

"Do you not have dances on your home planet?" Quickly looking around for any eavesdroppers, Zim shook his head.

"Not really.”

"Okay, well...obviously you dance, but usually the pair that goes together does...I don't know, couple stuff."

"Couple stuff?" The Irken wore a mask of confusion.

"Yeah, like..." You took hold of Zim's hand, intertwining your fingers with his own. He just about jumped out of his own skin. You let go, wondering if you had offended him. That gesture could have been a war instigation on Irk for all you knew.

"I didn't say let go." He grumbled as he swiped your hand up again, eyes trained on the sidewalk. The rest of the walk was mostly quiet, with some small talk and jokes being cracked here and there, mostly about nonsense. Surprisingly, Zim could be quite humorous when he wanted to be.

Once you had stepped inside after paying for tickets (which Zim complained about), the situation you were in finally began to sink in. Normally, schools would rent out some other building to hold prom in, but your particular school had zero funding for the school activities department, or so the staff said, so it was being held in the gym. Everything was dark, save for a few lights with thin colored paper over them to try and create some ambiance. There was a snack table with punch, but you were a bit afraid to try anything considering what the lunches were like. The punch didn't look horrible, save for the strange bright purple hue. Now that you thought about it, it would be better suited as a substance in Zim's lab than a drink at a school dance. There were several students dancing, groups of friends and couples included. The music was loud, and the students were thrashing about wildly, some dancing and leaving zero room for Jesus.

"That's dancing?" Zim asked, his tone filled with both wonder and disgust as he pointed a single claw to the mass of teenagers grinding on each other.

"Welcome to American public high school." You sighed, cringing as the collective horniness was almost palpable. "But no, see?" You gestured to some kids on the fringes dancing to the music as normally as you could ask for.

"Hmm, yes...let's dance! Since that is what normal human worm babies do at these functions."

"You know, it would really help if you wouldn't refer to all humans with weird names." A sigh slipped past your lips as he dragged you to the dance floor, on the edges with the tamer kids.

"Ugh, gross, Zim's here. Let's go." The group of teens that had been gathered dispersed, some moving closer to the epicenter of the dance pit and others to snacks.

"You should be honored to dance near Zim!" Your date screamed after them as you simply shook your head.

"Forget them. We're just here to have fun."

"Yes of course. And also to take the crown and rule over this place of filth as king with you as my slightly less mighty queen!" He began cackling at the top of his lungs, earning looks from a few, but most didn't even bat an eye, as they were used to it.

"What? Oh, you must be talking about prom king and queen." Your words were broken up by your own laughter. "That will never happen. That shit's a popularity contest, and last time I checked, everyone hates us."

"Says you. Everyone loves us!" As if to prove his point, Zim waved to Torque Smacky who was dancing with Jessica. "Hello, Smacky!"

"Go die, you green freak!" He called back, moving deeper into the mass of children to disappear from Zim's view.

"See? My Tallest say that to me all the time, and they love me!" A grin split his face, and you couldn't help but smile too.

"Yeah, okay, whatever you say." Before you knew it, the two of you were dancing together in your own little corner of the dance floor that everyone else seemed to evacuate. Zim was doing strange little jigs that GIR had most likely taught him, while you were more swaying to the beat of music and moving your feet in time. To your utter amazement, Zim seemed to be having the time of his life.

A bright and exciting song faded out, and the song that faded in was slow and mellow, the couples around you already joining together and swaying to the music.

"Um..." Zim stopped dead in his tracks, unsure how to proceed. You hadn't slow danced much, but you felt okay about bullshitting your way through it.

"If you want to skip it, it's fine. There's always that punch back there that's probably just Kool-Aid mixed with rat poison." A giggle fell from your lips, and Zim seemed to perk up.

"No! Zim shall conquer this...uh..."

"Slow dance."

"DANCE OF SLOWNESS!"

"Riiigghht." He shuffled closer to you, staring at you and looking as if he was doing complex math equations in his head. "Ugh, here." You took his hands and placed them on your waist, hooking your arms lazily around his neck. He was incredibly tense, his fingers digging harshly into your skin. "Loosen up, would you?" You winced in pain until he lightened up with his hands.

"Now what?"

"Now you just...you know."

"No, I really don't-" Cursing under your breath, you took the lead, slowly swaying with him like the other couples. "This is what qualifies on Earth as dancing?"

"I guess. It's kind of boring, isn't it?" You asked, finally making eye contact with him for the first time since the song started. "You can move closer. I don't bite."

"I knew that." Zim shuffled closer. Now there was barely any space between you, although it never seemed to get awkward.

"Well, I guess I can scratch dancing with an alien off of my bucket list."

"Dib-stink is missing out." Zim smirked, seeming proud of himself. Now that you thought about it, you were having much more fun with Zim than you thought you would with Dib. No offense to your friend, but if you brought him, he would have been solely focused on whatever Zim was, is, or would be scheming. Zim had even appeared to have forgotten about whatever his obsession was with prom king, and gave the impression of being fairly distracted by you.

"You know, I actually am having a surprisingly good time."

"Yes, yes, Zim is great." Despite the words themselves being supercilious, his tone was quite passive. For once, his massive ego didn't seem to matter to him. The soft melodies of the slow song faded out, the energized tunes resuming once more. You brought your arms back to your sides, waiting for Zim to take his back as well. A few more seconds passed by until your staring appeared to register with him. He quickly removed his hands, clearing his throat awkwardly.

"Don't worry about it." You dismissed his very out of character nervous behavior and began to dance again, the Irken following suit.

A boy approached the two of you with a paper on a clipboard, pen in hand. "Hey, do you guys want to put your names on the ballots for-"

"SILENCE, STINK BEAST! Can't you see that we're having, what's the word...FUN?!" You couldn't help but laugh. You did feel sorry for the kid, he was just trying to do his job, whatever it was.

"Okay, sorry! I guess you guys don't want to be on the ballots for king and queen."

"BEGONE WITH YOU!" Zim violently shooed the boy away, who ran screaming towards the snack table. Clearly, Zim was not listening to what the kid was saying. Perhaps he changed his mind about the whole thing after all.

After some more dancing, the king and queen were announced, and while those who got it were irrelevant to Zim, he was still pissed. You decided to drag him outside before he hurt someone, most likely himself on accident.

"Argh! Stupid human popularity!" Zim kicked at nothing as the two of you stood outside the school in the dark, a light breeze blowing. You sighed, leaning against the wall of the building. For a minute there, you saw someone who wasn't just some evil alien invader. You saw someone who you thought was having genuine fun. All it took was one look at your disappointed expression. "Don't make that face. It makes my insides feel all...squelchy." Zim decided that the best way to cheer you up was to start rambling. "Don't be sad, soldier. I know being the absolute rulers of the filth hole would have been great, but perhaps they aren't deserving of our GREATNESS! Besides, on the bright side, I think I have a new mission! I already tried to study human courtship a long time ago with Tak, and it went horribly, but that was only because she was secretly an Irken bent on eradicating me. But, maybe it's time to..." Zim trailed off, which was quite alright with you considering you had stopped listening the second he had called you soldier. He had his eyes trained on the many couples walking out since the dance had just officially ended. A few were saying goodbye and walking in separate directions, but before departing, many would plant a kiss on the other's cheek. Zim seemed to be fascinated by this.

"Sorry, you were saying?" You doubted he said anything important, but you figured it would be rude if you didn't at least ask. However, you received no response. You continued to stare forward, about to call it a night, when you felt a strange sensation on your cheek. It almost felt like Zim's weird little alien tongue licking your cheek. It was gone as quickly as it presented itself, so you turned your head to look at the alien beside you.

"What? That's what they're doing! It's NORMAL." He was getting all defensive, huffing and crossing his arms, puffing his cheeks out as if pouting. You giggled, shaking your head a bit. He meant well. He really did.

"I think it's more like this." You pressed your lips quickly to his cheek, pulling away twice as fast. He blinked rapidly, then shook his head as if trying to reboot his brain.

"U-Uh, yes! Thank, thank you, Y/n! I will note that." He coughed once into his hand, staring out and just above your head. "Good work.”

"What, no Dib-Slave?"

"No Dib-Slave." You smiled, because although he wasn't looking at you directly, he wasn't insulting you, or trying to destroy the earth. He was just...being himself. An absolute dork, yes, but himself. Not Invader Zim. Just...Zim. Crazy, stupid, Zim. 

[shraqsmuses]

Biji, you gotta admire your girl who is your friend's flexing! >:DDD

"Mmrph, grrrmph... I-I... Mmmph!"

Bijitsu clawed Sarah's. vest and pulled it apart, sending its buttons flying before she lifted her shirt above her chest and proceeded to plant her tongue onto her trim, bony torso. Her hands squeezed her trim sides, causing Sarah to jump up a bit and retract her stomach, further pulling the biker's head further into it. She gnawed on her flat stomach, clawed it with her fingernails, and tugged on it after she dragged her tongue across the entirety of it~

"Grrrrgh, schlorrrrrp, mmph, nommmph, schlop!"

"Agh, ack, geez! Do you really need to be told to go easier on me, you little puppy~?"

Sarah bent down and clasped Bijitsu's cheeks, squeezing them into each other and eliciting her to look up to her with a pair of wide eyes and squishy, red cheeks~

"Hmmph?! N-nuu... Mmrrrph. Sorry if I hurt you too much, Sarah."

"It's fine, Bibi! I'll just have to keep your enthusiasm in mind from now on."

"Is it really fine? You stopped me because you wanted me to go easier on you."

"Oh. I guess that's true. With that said, I don't want to restrain yourself just for me."

"But that's exactly what I would want to do if I'm hurting you. You... Already went through enough pain, haven't you?"

"E... Yeah. I guess I did. It's been a while, though, hasn't it?"

"It has but that won't stop your addiction to it from manifesting again. If anything, it might come back more easily because of that."

"Hmm. You're right. Again. You know, you're quite eloquent for a dog~"

"Sarah."

"Ahh, alright, alright. Sorry. I just wanted us to get back on track since... You know."

"... Sigh. I just don't want you to get hurt too much."

"And I wish the same for you. Maybe we should do something else for now liiiiiiike... Telling you how much of a good puppy you are!"

Sarah pounced on her doggy's head and ruffled the frizzy sea on top of her head, prompting her to flinch with a quick yelp before she rose up and firmly planted her head on her chest. She rubbed her cheeks up and down her smooth chest while her fingers scrubbed her scalp and her nape~

"Hmmmph, mmmph, rrrrrm... Rrruff!"

Bibi said while her fingertips dragged themselves down Sarah's bare sides~

"Oohoooo~! Should I stop? Is my little puppy already getting overwhelmed~?"

"Grrrrr! N-mmrph-no! M-morrr-rheherrre!"

"Are you surrrrre you want more? I don't think you would be able to handle more than this."

"HHRMMPH, yess! P-please..."

"Mmmm... Okay then! Here are more of your ruffies then! Ruffle, ruffle, ruffle, ruffle!"

"MMMMHMHMHM, yeeeeessssshh~! Ahaha, mhmhmhmhmhm~!"

[queerlilacroses]

Nothing to fear but fear itself (TW Blood, Murder, Biphobia)

Richie had always been afraid of werewolves,  ever since he was a little kid the thought of them sent shivers up his spine. He didn’t know if it was the sharp claws, the big teeth or the fact it could be anyone, watching waiting to turn him into his worst fear.                                                                                                                                                              It has also been theorised that werewolves are a metaphor for a specific sexuality, bisexuality, not many people believe that bisexuals exist, at least that’s what Richie hears when he attempts to come out.  

   “There’s no such thing dear, I mean you can be gay or straight I don’t mind I know you’ve always been an odd child but there’s no such thing as both”. He had lamented over that loss for a while, honestly he know lots of people wouldn’t understand but his own mother! That was his biggest disappointment.

So he ran out on her, hiding in the Clubhouse™ that his good friend Ben had built, waiting hours until his best friends Bill, and Bev came frantic down falling down the hole of the clubhouse, “why didn’t they use the stairs”, he wondered aloud forgetting that he had disappeared without letting anyone know and it had been all day since he had ran out on his mother.

“WHY DIDN’T I… I was looking for you you’ve been missing for 6 hours you dummy”

“I’ve been wounded Bev darling, I…wait SIX HOURS”

“Yea is s-something wrong”

Whilst his friends had accepted him all those years ago Richie was still paranoid about his bisexuality despite knowing he wasn’t gay or straight there was a nagging doubt in the back of his mind watching, waiting to creep up on hm like a horror movie jump scare that made him spill popcorn all over the floor like an idiot.

The problem with horror movies is they are real; Vampires, Zombies, Witches and of course Werewolves which are the worst of them all. The first time Richie had seen a werewolf had been in a stupid movie , a teen movie, “supposedly a romance” Bev had mentioned nonchalantly as they walked past it at the Aladdin and well it was, for the first 20 minutes or so then it turned out the lead had a secret…the movie plagued him for months after that day after day, night after night all he could see was the male lead chasing him waiting to turn him into a werewolf. He never knew what to do or where to go Richie was traumatized.

Eddie, had been a new confusing figure in his life, they had met at gig which Eddie had helped organized and hit it off but there was something about him Richie wasn’t so sure of. Was it the smell of wet dog despite Eddie claiming to be allergic? Was it the fact that he refused to wear the silver chain that Richie got him as a present? Was it his oddly hairy body? Or was it the fact that anytime  a full moon was around no matter what Eddie would make and excuse and disappear so nobody would see him for days. It confused and scared the hell outta him so he had to confront his ‘boyfriend’ he isn’t sure honestly they haven’t labelled what they are yet and Richie’s kinda nervous that’s because Eddie doesn’t wanna be with a bi man and whilst all these thoughts are in his head he’s overthinking again and he needs to talk to Eddie.

“Eds,”                                                                                              “Urgh what?”                                                                     “Are we like?”                                                                             “Like what Richie use your words”       “Are we boyfriends?”                                                           “no we’re Italian farmers who love growing tomatoes of course we’re boyfriends”                                                                                                               “Geez okay I’m just making sure”                                                                                                      

“Especially cause you’ve been acting so weird, I mean I hardly see you, anytime you stay it’s daytime and the two occasions that we’ve stayed together you’re like a magician here one minute and then disappeared the next like some cruel trick it’s not fair Ed’s, I wanted to move forward with this relationship but it’s so hard when I can’t, don’t, know? Do you understand what I mean?                                                                                                                                          

“Uh no? Why would that ever make sense babe” sighed Eddie although he understood Richie well and knew him inside and out he didn’t understand how his brain worked? His ADHD flickering from thing to thing topic to topic and although Eddie could sometimes be known to ramble he couldn’t keep up.

“Well I mean with you? Why are you avoiding me at night? What’s the big secret?” Richie teased.

“I’m a werewolf”

“WHAT”

“I’m one of those creatures you know the ones that come out on the full moon I turn into a wolf howl at the moon y’know all those stereotypes”

“WHY WOULD YOU TELL ME THAT! YOU KNOW ABOUT MY FEAR OF WEREWOLVES”

“I’M SORRY BUT YOU ASKED. THIS IS WHY I’VE BEEN AVOIDING YOU! I DIDN’T WANT YOU TO BE SCARED OF ME YOU ASSHOLE”

“I…what”

“Yea I remembered you saying that you were terrified of werewolves since you were 12 so I’ve been trying to avoid transforming and all the side effects around it whilst I’m around you so I guess that seems like I need to avoid you and I mean there’s the murder”

“MURDER”

“Well I mean it’s not exactly murder more people get in the way of me as a 7 foot tall wolf and unfortunately I think my instincts kick in? Although it could be deer,  but there’s been bodies found and I…”

“BODIES!!?! BODIES AS IN PLURAL !!?!”

“Richie can you stop yelling, it’s been a long night I’m tired and sore, honestly I just want to rest…”

“WAIT WHAT,  YOU WERE OUT LAST NIGHT? Like it was a full moon ? I’m sorry I have to go call Bev or something, I-I can’t.

“WHERE ARE YOU- it’s your never mind” Eddie sighed as his voiced tailed off his head in his hands. This hadn’t been the way he wanted Richie to find out, honestly they’ve only been together for a few weeks and as soon as they talked he found out about his fear of werewolves and was horrified, he knew it might potentially be a dealbreaker and although he didn’t want to lose Richie. He had known that at one point that he’d have to sit down and tell him the story of the doctor, decided that his mother, who was a maniac bringing him to the hospital every time he even touched the ground too hard convinced he’d broken or dislocated his ankle needed something to worry about properly and turned him into a werewolf whilst he was at one of his many stays when he was eleven. His mother had been far more protective when she had found out, it was as if she had been normal beforehand, complete and utter curfew (“back straight after school Eddie-bear don’t talk to anybody, you don’t want them to find out!”), bars on the windows and even restraints at night as she was too paranoid, which wasn’t fun, especially as every night he just kept breaking out of them which in turn scared his mother more and more.

Shakily Richie reached into his pocket for his phone that he’d grabbed in his     haste to leave the apartment building, as it rang the word murder went in his stomach over and over again. “Hello?” Oh good she answered he wouldn’t have known what to do with himself otherwise I mean…. “Helloooo??” Oh right yeah she’s still on this phone.

“I-I Eddie, and…”

“What’s wrong with Eddie, depth breaths calm down and try to try me what happened.

“He.. he.. he’s a monster, a werewolf a murderer I don’t know if I can do this” sobbing he knelt on the pavement holding the phone thinking about how he didn’t want to lose Eddie, the problem was that he loved the shorter man despite them only dating a couple of weeks and he knew about the dangers of dating a monster.

They had learned about it in school which only fuelled Richie’s fear further the teachers explaining about scientific experiments gone wrong and turning ordinary people into creatures that could climb into his slightly opened window in the dead of night and maim them or if they were dating whilst in transformations they would completely forget their partner, ending up harming them. Listening to this had made him scared to moved his bed and slept under his window to make sure nothing got in, freaking out anytime a bug crawled on him.

“A werewolf? Yea probably. A murderer? Probably not and an I mean a monster definitely not. Don’t you love him? Don’t you want the chance for him to prove you wrong, honestly you’ve been scared for far too long. All this time people have been putting ideas into your head about ‘this that and the next thing to do with monsters and no offence Richie but I’m sick of hearing about it, time to march back to your apartment and make your own decisions about Eddie.

“Yea, yea I guess you’re right, I should maybe go back? I.. okay Bev darling I’ll speak to you later”.

Sitting up he decided that it was time to get back, not realising it was getting darker and darker as a full moon approached.

Waiting for Richie made him terrified he was transforming in an hour and he had no idea what would happen. Would they break up?? If they did it would be so much worse, the adrenaline in this body taking over, making him more angry and upset and he knew his wolf side would harm anything that got in his way, which could include his caring but stupid and scared boyfriend. Hearing the door creak open his head perked up realising that Richie hadn’t let for that long and that probably meant bad news, knots grew in his stomach as he waited in anticipation for Richie to say something, anything whilst looking at the clock ticking on closer and closer to his time of transformation.

“I’m home babey! I wanna talk to you, my love” he said in a singsong voice. This wasn’t good, he honestly knew Richie’s speech patterns very well and he almost never called him babey unless there was a big problem or something was wrong.  

“Yea I’m in here what’s happening”

“I just wanted to say, I talked to Bev and she put things into perspective, I think I love you and I shouldn’t judge you based on what happened when you were younger and I should try to get over it, I wanna keep dating you so I think it’s a good idea to see you at least once.

“Wait wait you want to stay with me? HOLD UP YOU THINK YOU LOVE ME”

“Well yea, I guess? I know we’ve only been dating for a few weeks and technically I only found out a few days ago but I have really strong feelings for you and I think I love you”.

“ I … okay… really don’t know what to say I love yo…” but before Eddie could finish off his sentence something happened, it was supposed to be a strange scary thing but Richie didn’t feel scared all he felt was concerned H could see the pain manifesting on Eddie’s face as he twisted and turned and hair grew from his body turning him taller, more muscular and then into a wolf.

Werewolves, although potentially not less dangerous were smaller than the stories, and Eddie didn’t seem to want to attack him honestly? Richie was very confused and conflicted between everything he had ever heard and feared vs the man who was his boyfriend who had just turned into what looked like a slightly taller dog still vigilant just sitting there. Well until it started talking, but you never hear about things like that when people are attempting to scare you.

“Well aren’t you going to say something? You’ve been looking at me in a daze for the last five minutes like I get the idea of you being scared like yea but can you please snap out of your like -why are you- dude why are you laughing?” Forgetting he was a wolf he attempted to walk over to Richie and ended up falling over four paws”.

Doubled over in laughter Richie realising his boyfriend was an idiot as a wolf decided that there something they needed to talk about “Eddieeeeeee we need to talk soooo I also have a secret”.

“Okay, and it is?

“I’m boisexual, well actually I’m bisexual but we both know I couldn’t come out without a pun”

“And an awful one at that I mean, what does that even mean rich? But honestly I know you told me about the time you dated Bev before she started dating Ben so I just assumed, why is that like a problem?”

“Oh…I- forgot about I just -I assumed like most gay guys you wouldn’t be down to date a bisexual guy I mean most of my life I’ve been told I don’t exist and-“

“Wait who told you this, how many people told you this? You know they’re wrong right I mean you’re bisexual”,

“thanks I means it was mainly my mum and a couple of ex-boyfriends, some teachers and stuff you know”

“Do you want to get your own back?”.

Richie looked at the small wolf in surprise thinking about how he could play pranks and stuff or what they could do in order to get his own back but Eddie had something else in mind.

“Do you want to come with me to kill them”

 Maggie Tozier, was baking in the kitchen humming a light tune whilst taking a pie out of the oven, she hadn’t spoken to her son since he turned sixteen and came out as bisexual for the third time to her disbelief that it wasn’t a phase and after she decided not to accept him they both just stopped talking to each other and then a year later he up and left.

As Richie made his way to his childhood home with his boyfriend in tow he looked at his mom and realised there was no turning back, it was now or never, he could talk to his mom get clarification? If it all went wrong Eddie would be there to make sure he’s okay. Walking in announced he saw he face drop and her mouth open, unfortunately it didn’t seem to be in a nice way. “What are you doing here” her voice laced with disappointment at seeing her thirty-odd year old son standing in front her for the first time in years waiting for her approval or acceptance at last, but that would never come. “Do you still think you can live in cloud cuckoo land and date both boys and girls, I hate to tell you baby but people are going to take advantage of you, I don’t see a ring if you’d just stop all this nonsense I could-“

Before anyone knew what was happening Eddie had lunged at Maggie and grabbed at her arm to bite her, Richie frozen in shock and horror couldn’t do anything except gape at the site as he could see she was losing more and more blood out of her arm, thinking realising he didn’t have many options his adrenaline kicked in, he pondered back to all the times he’d been told he was invisible, bisexuality didn’t exist or he was a monster for trying to invade both communities and he snapped. Grabbing a butcher’s knife from the kitchen he could see his mother attempting to back away muffled screaming, and stabbed her stomach, hearing the organs squishing made his feel better so he did it again and again until he was cover in a pool of blood, surrounded by his mother whilst he was sobbing, Eddie in a corner waiting on him.

“I just murdered my mother”

“Well yea, I just thought you’d hurt her a little honestly but that was a full on murder, but I think she had it coming? Do you want to get cleaned up?”

“Mhmm, that’d be nice, but the problem is I liked it, I enjoyed stabbing her, is that weird?

“Weeelll that depends on who you ask, me, I’m fine with it I mean I enjoy maiming people as a wolf but to normal person I guess?? Hey do you wanna murder people when I’m in my wolf form”.

“You mean people who deserve it right? Not just random people on the street because I don’t know if I enjoy it that much”.

“Yep yea sure of course I won’t pressure you it’s only been your first murder  after all”.

That next night was the final full moon for the month and Richie was trying to think who he would want to murder next, one of his teachers who made him terrified of werewolves, one of the executives who said he’d never get a job in comedy (look at him now!) or one of his biphobic ex-boyfriends who made him feel so disgusting and pathetic that he decided not to date for six years and when he at last did date ‘forgot’ to disclose his sexuality every date he went on.

Tracing down his ex-boyfriend wasn’t as difficult as it seemed just follow the scent of disappointment and go to the nearest seedy gay bar. Julian, who was happily walking towards his car according to the police report, was ribbed in the heart with a duller kitchen knife as if to mimic a broken heart. One arm was ripped off and had teeth marks in it as if it was created by both man and dog.

Waking up next to Eddie, was one of the nice things about existing having had one of the weirdest dreams of his life, although as the blood dripped from the mattress that he couldn’t see he did know one thing though.

He wasn’t frightened of werewolves anymore.

[aredheadedmess]

Found || KTH

Summary: Halloween was one of Taehyung’s favorite times of the year. This year, he made it just a little different.

Paring: Taehyung x Reader

Word Count: 2.3k

Genre: Fluff, Angst, Horror

Rating: PG-13

Warnings: There’s quite a bit going on in this one. There is a creepy mask, but no description, so have fun. One line of suggestive humor. I wouldn’t say it’s demonic, but there’s definitely something bad.

Notes: This is from the prompt list for ‘Bangtober’ on twitter!

Bangtober Masterlist

“Okay. So I stopped by the thrift store on my way home today, and look what I found!”

Your husband starts speaking the moment he opens the door. When you turn to look at the entryway for the living room, you expect Taehyung to be standing in the middle of it, but what greets you is not your gorgeous husband. Rather, a creepy mask peeks out from behind one of the walls. It startles you, making you jump back, and fall off the couch.

“Geez Tae, give me a heart attack will ya?”

His bubbly giggle is all you can hear before he drops his arm holding the mask, walking into your eyesight. He snorts lightly after seeing where you landed. The big grin plastered on his face stays as he offers you his hand, helping you back onto the couch.

“What do you think?” Taehyung asks.

He looks back down to the thing in his hand, twisting it around to inspect it. The longer you look at it, the more strange it gets. Almost as if the face of it moved like a human’s would.

“If you put that thing anywhere near me while I’m asleep, I’m divorcing you.”

“Oh, c’mon. Don’t tell me that you're scared of this little thing,” he teases.

“Tae…”

You give him a look of warning. It doesn’t go unnoticed, but Taehyung doesn’t care. He knows you trust him not to scare you with it. At least too bad, that is.

“Anyways, should we make dinner?”

You nod, following your playful puppy to the kitchen for your nightly cooking session together.

Taehyung hasn’t messed around with you since the day he brought the mask home, and you were glad. You were already on edge enough, that if he did do anything, you swear he wouldn’t see the next day.

You walk through the door, just getting back from work, when you feel a rush of cold air. Thinking you might have been robbed, you jog around the house, trying to find the open window that is letting the draft in. Nothing.

You quickly look for Yeontan, knowing that if something did happen, he would be cowering in a corner until you or Taehyung came home. Checking every room, you can’t find him. You walk into the kitchen last. From the entryway to the kitchen, you can see Tannie’s paws under the table. You approach him slowly, reaching for the chair in the way of letting you see the puppy.

“There you are. I’ve been looking all over for you. Why are you under the table?”

The moment you pull the chair back, Yeontan growls at you. Teeth barred and claws sharp, his beady eyes stare you dead in the face. You take a step back as he doesn’t relent his deep growls.

“Hey, are you okay?”

A loud bark erupts from his tiny body, startling you. He starts padding his way to you slowly, his face enraged. You don’t hesitate to step back, trying to make your way to your room. You stay facing Yeontan. You aren’t sure what his next move is, and you don’t want to be surprised if you turn your back on him.

Finally having made it up the stairs and down the hallway, you feel the familiar doorknob to your room. Slowly, making sure Yeontan doesn’t immediately notice, you reach back for the handle. Although he is quick to bark and run towards you as you open the door, you’re a little faster, slamming the door in the poor dog’s face.

“I’m sorry Tannie…”

You lock the door, stepping away from it as he charges into it, slamming his small body against the bottom of the piece of wood. Every few tries, he switches to scratching and growling at the door.

You were grateful that you keep your phone in your pocket, as your purse with everything else in it, sits in a different room. You thumb through your phone. Taehyung’s probably at work still, but you have to try. Pressing the call icon on his contact, you throw your phone up to your ear. You cover your other ear, hoping to block out the noise of the angry animal.

“C’mon. Pick up, pick up…”

“Y/N? What’s up?”

“Tae,” you gasp.

“Is everything okay? You sound off.”

You pause for a second. Yeontan’s barking and scratching become louder.

“Baby? What’s going on? What’s that noise?”

“Um…” you start, “I don’t know what happened. Tannie’s acting weird. I don’t know what to do.”

Taehyung caught the waiver in your voice the more you spoke. You could hear murmuring on the other side of the call before Taehyung tells you that he’s on his way back home.

“Stay on the phone with me, okay?”

You nod—not that he can see—and hum in confirmation.

It takes your husband almost half the amount of time it actually takes for him to get home. He talks to you as he drives, making sure that you’re alright. Especially knowing how feisty Yeontan can get. He sings along to the radio for you. It soothes you a little, but you’re still not sure what’s happening.

Almost as if he senses Taehyung, Yeontan stops yapping and scratching. You don’t dare open the door, too afraid to see if he’s gone.

Taehyung tells you that he’s parking in the driveway, quickly getting out to enter your home. You can hear the light closing of his car door both through the phone and through the thin glass of the window. He opens the front door, still on a call with you, and you hear Yeontan start again with his—well, you’re not sure what to call it exactly.

Over the phone, Taehyung squeaks before shutting the door again.

“I see what you mean now. That’s weird though. He’s never usually this angry especially around either of us.”

If Taehyung was scared by his own dog, you were sure that it has never been this bad.

“Y/N…” he whines. “I don’t wanna be stuck out here all night. Help.”

His words let a giggle come out of you. You could hear the pout he was giving his phone. Looking around, you try to find anything useful to get him into your room. You remember the makeshift rope ladder you stored in your closet in case of a fire.

“Give me a sec.”

You set your phone on the bed and rush over to your closet. You have to dig a little to find it, but you manage to pull it out and take it to the window. You call out to Taehyung, who has now made it towards the window himself. You attach the end of the rope ladder to the foot of your bed and roll it down the side of your house. Once the ladder hits close to the ground, Taehyung climbs up.

He’s out of breath as he stumbles through the threshold, but he doesn’t waste time in throwing his arms around you in a tight hug.

“Tell me what happened?”

You guided him to the bed after putting the ladder away. Taehyung listens intently as you recount what happened since you got home. He nods as he listens, taking in the information you provide to him.

Despite the constant annoyance of Yeontan’s weird behavior, you and Taehyung fall asleep later that night. The next morning, Yeontan was completely normal. There was no evidence of him acting up like he did the day before, making the both of you puzzled. You were even more surprised none of your neighbors had called about a noise complaint that day.

“Baby, have you seen my mask?”

It was finally time for the greatest Halloween party you went to every year. A couple of your and Taehyung’s friends hosted the party at their homes, inviting close friends and family.

You are applying your makeup for your costume as Taehyung is turning the house upside down for the thrift store mask. He calls out to you after having searched everywhere. He hasn’t been able to find it for the past few days, worrying that it might have somehow ended up in the garbage.

“No,” you start to holler out when something catches your attention out of the corner of your eye.

A shrill scream rips through your throat as you find what your husband is searching for. Taehyung, after hearing your scream, throws himself into the bathroom. Yeontan is hot on his trail.

You turn to glare at Taehyung. He lifts his hands in surrender, telling you that he never had it in the bathroom in the first place. Your sceptical to believe him, but drop your gaze. He reaches behind you to grab the object, taking it out of your view.

“Um,” he clears his throat, “how much longer do you think you’re gonna be?”

You look back at yourself in the mirror, scanning your face.

“Maybe another ten?”

Taehyung nods. He exits the bathroom, leaving to finish getting ready to go himself.

True to your word, you step out of the bathroom ten minutes later, all dolled up in your costume—Shego from Kim Possible. You find Taehyung lounging in the living room, scrolling along on his phone to pass the time. He turns to you when he hears your heels click against the wood floor.

“Damn. Maybe we should just stay home.”

You laugh, rolling your eyes at his implied idea.

“Let’s go.”

He follows you out the door, not forgetting to say goodbye to Yeontan. Just as you step out of the house, Taehyung lands a smack on your behind.

“Tae! Behave yourself.”

“No promises,” he kisses your cheek.

The drive to the party wasn’t long. You watch out the window, seeing happy little trick-or-treaters run through the neighborhood as their parents follow behind, making conversation with other parents. Although you were bound to hear Halloween music at the party, Taehyung blasts a couple of his favorite songs to ‘get in the mood’ as he says.

He pulls up to the curb behind some of the other cars around the house. He puts on his mask as you walk up to the door.

“Ugh, you're lucky there won’t be any kids at the party. You’d give them nightmares.”

Taehyung just shakes his head. He reaches out to press on the doorbell. Only a few seconds pass before your friend Jimin opens the door.

“Hey! You made it!”

Your husband snickers at his greeting.

“Duh, why wouldn’t we?”

They share a laugh. Jimin quickly invites the both of you in, complementing each of your costumes. Taehyung makes it a point to tell him that he picked up his mask at a thrift store. Jimin was surprised, seeing how the quality of it does not fit the image of a thrift store.

You walk into the kitchen, seeing more of your friends, greeting them and starting small talk between a few.

You enjoy the party. Between having a glass of alcohol or two, you begin to feel your shoulders relax from all the stresses of life. The knots in your back loosen up a little, allowing you to enjoy the night better. Taehyung and you are now dancing with each other to some of the songs playing on the speakers in your friend’s living room. You laugh as he pulls off some of the funniest moves you have seen him do before.

“Ugh, my face is getting itchy under this mask.”

“Then take it off.”

Taehyung grasps onto the edges of the mask, trying to pull it off. You furrow your eyebrows, confused as to why he isn’t taking it off.

“You good?”

He grunts before answering.

“Yeah, it’s just that it won’t come off.”

Now you are even more confused.

“What do you mean it won’t come off?” You question.

“I mean, it’s like it's stuck to my face. I can’t get it off.”

You try it for yourself. As you tug on it, Taehyung yelps, mentioning to you that you’re pulling skin with it. You call out for someone to help you. Jimin walks in, seeing you both struggling with his mask. He lightly pushes you aside, pulling on it himself.

“Man, what did you use to stick this to your face, super glue?”

Taehyung sends him a small glare, backing away from the boy. He starts whimpering, complaining that it’s starting to burn slightly. You send a worrying look to Jimin and try to get closer to Taehyung.

“Don’t touch me.”

That is not your husband’s voice. Whoever—whatever—has been a part of the mask, has now taken over Taehyung’s body. He is hunched over, still holding onto the mask. His head turns towards you and Jimin as slow as possible. The wide grin on his face is inhuman, pairing with his darker than normal eyes.

His expression terrifies you. The chills you feel run down your spine don’t help you in keeping calm. Tears well up in your eyes at the sight of your husband. This isn’t him. You knew from the beginning that there was something weird about that mask, and now you’re seeing it with front row tickets.

You don’t hear the shuffling of feet at more people start to file into the room. You’re too focused on your—not—husband to pay attention to anything else.

“T-Taehyung?” You whimper out.

The man, or thing, in front of you tilts his head, adding to the petrifying effect his expression has on you.

“Oh sweetheart. Your precious Taehyung is no more. By wearing my remains, he now owes his entire life to me.”

You startle awake. Sweat drips down your forehead. That’s right, you thought, I fell asleep watching tv. You sit up from the couch just as your husband walks through the front door.

“Okay. So I stopped by the thrift store on my way home today, and look what I found!”

[synthsizedproductions]

Short #1: Life Debt

CW: Strong language, abuse of power, cat attack

Have I told you the one about how I got my first pet? No? Oh, you’re in for a treat.

I lived a pretty normal life back then. Just a high school kid with a dead-end job, absent parents, and more mental instabilities than the whole of the Glennbrook Institution. You can bet I’m glad that madhouse didn’t exist when I was that age. The stories that come outta there…Tales for another time, eh?

Anyway, I walked everywhere because damned if I could afford gas. Or a car. Or a bike. Like I said, dead-end job. On top of that, my parents decided since I had a job, I should pay rent and shit. They said it was to teach me “responsibility” and “frugalness”. You know what it actually taught me? Landlords are dicks. Remember that lesson, kid. It’ll come in handy. Trust.

So, I’m walking to work. It’s this little shithole office with gray walls, gray carpets, and gray people. It didn’t help that the place was poorly lit. When I first started working there, I came in with a smile and a goofy bowtie covered in purple rubber dupkies. I thought it would make a good icebreaker with my new co-workers, and maybe I could make some friends for once. All I made was a scene when the boss man flipped his shit about it being loud and distracting. Good thing I need the job more than I wanted to sock that ass right in the nose. Now I learned that bosses were dicks, too. Another solid lesson.

Hm? What’s this got to do with my first pet? Gimme a minute, kid. Geeze. You first years are so impatient.

Anyway, so, I’m walking to work when I hear a cat screaming. Sounded like a fight. Normally, I wouldn’t bother investigating that kinda thing, but something didn’t sound right. Like, this fight wasn’t gunna be a fair one. I glanced at my watch. I was ahead of schedule. There was no way this would take longer than a few minutes. Just had to scare off a couple of cats, maybe a street dog or something.

So, I round the corner and that’s when I realize there weren’t just two cats facing off back there. It was a whole mess of cats, dozen or so, ganging up on this scrawny tabby cat who they had cornered between two buildings. These cats were mad. I had no idea what that one cat had done to piss off a whole colony, but I was certain it wasn’t going to survive this encounter.

I was considering booking it when the cat’s eyes locked on mine. One was blue, the other green. I could see how scared it was. Pits, I could almost feel how scared it was. My survival instincts, what few I had, disappeared and all I could think of was rescuing the tabby cat. I barreled my way through the crowd of felines, scooped their target up, and ran like it was my life on the line. When I heard the colony hissing and spitting behind me, I was no longer sure it wasn’t my blood they wanted. The tabby hissed over my shoulder, its tail whipping about and smacking me in the face as I fled.

I yelled in agony as one of the cats leapt upon me, digging its claws and teeth into my skin and ripping my work shirt. I threw the offender off and picked up my pace, my heart pounding harder than I’d ever felt before. I winced when the cat in my arms dug its nails into my shoulder, but my pain was forgotten when a shot of adrenaline hit me. I sprinted down the road faster than I’d ever gone before. I wasn’t sure how I was pushing myself that hard, but I didn’t care. I needed to get away from that crazy colony and maybe I could still make it to work on time.

I practically tumbled through the building’s entrance, scrambling away from the door when razor-sharp claws swiped at me from beneath it. I backed up until my back hit the reception desk.

~~~~~~

“Might wanna change up your cologne, hun. Looks like you’re attracting the wrong kind of pussy.” Maribelle grinned at me, but her expression fell when she saw my back. “They were out for blood, weren’t they? Better grab a shirt from lost and found before the boss sees you. Why were those cats coming after you?”

I moved to lift the cat I’d rescued to show her, but it was gone. I didn’t remember it leaving, but I figured the chase still had me on edge and I could have missed it. “Um, I guess I just pissed them off.” Before Maribelle could ask any further questions, I darted into the storage closet, found a shirt that would fit me, and made my way to my desk like it was any normal day. I sat down and began my data entry, losing myself in the monotony.

My concentration was broken when I felt something brush against my leg. I looked under my desk to find the eerie feline staring at me. “There you are. How did you get up here?” I looked around before scooping the cat up and placing it in my lap. It purred louder than my brother’s motorcycle. I’d never had a pet. My parents were both allergic to pretty much every animal. I tried to talk them into getting me one of those newfangled Fazyn since they’re designed in the lab to be hypoallergenic, but they also cost more than my family made in a year.

I smiled down at the content creature. “If you behave and stay hidden, you can stay.” It settled in my lap, purring in great contentment as I pet the cat. I didn’t let myself get too distracted. I still had a job to do and the end of my shift was hours away. Despite the mountain of tasks on my plate, I calmly meandered through them, taking a moment to pet the tabby after every few files.

“Gravtik!”

I fell out of my chair when my boss screamed my last name, looking up at the red-faced Dwarf in utter confusion. I whipped my head around to find the cat, but it had disappeared.

He glared down at me with his hands on his hips. “You’re behind on your daily quota. I told you the next time I caught you slacking off that your ass was on the line. I do not have time for lazy losers like you. Get up, get back to work. You’re working through lunch.” He stomped away before I could respond.

I righted my chair and moved to sit in it, but stopped short before I sat on the tabby cat. “You certainly have a knack for disappearing at the right time.” I shooed the cat from my chair and sat down. I held a hand in front of its nose when it tried to jump into my lap again. “No, no, no. I need to focus. You’re bad for my focus.”

It blinked at me and tilted its head one way and then the other, its ears twitching. I stifled a yelp when the cat bit my ankle. I leaned down to scold the animal but was suddenly hit with a wave of energy like I’d downed every coffee in the city all at once. I gazed at my computer in a daze and placed my hands on my keyboard. My fingers went into overdrive as I ran through the documents I was working with. I completed more in ten minutes than I had in the last week. I panted when all of the assignments were complete, my hands all but useless. The tabby rubbed against my leg before leaping into my lap again and I laid my shaking hands on the feline’s back, its warmth and purring soothing the aches in my joints.

“Gravtik!”

I closed my eyes and sighed when the burly man in a suit stormed over to me. “What’s up, boss? I finished all of my work.”

He crossed his arms. “I saw that. You even did it with higher accuracy than is actually possible for a person. What did you do? What program did you download on our computers?”

I shook my head and stared at him in bewilderment. “What? I didn’t do anything that I don’t normally. I guess I just really wanted my lunch today.”

My boss grinned at me with a wicked look in his eyes. “I actually came down here to tell you that since you did such a fast, efficient job, the execs want you to work through lunch anyway. I told them you wouldn’t mind.”

My computer beeped and my task list filled in an instant. I felt a mix of anger and despair which burned in my chest. I watched my boss leave, my hands clamped around the arms of my chair. The cat mewed at me and the heat of my rage cooled. “How did he not see you?”

I watched my coworkers shuffle away to eat their gray food in the gray breakroom and my stomach growled. “I really could have used that lunch break. Gilbert’s is still open and I could go for some nice hot chili.” I closed my eyes and imagined the mild, smoky smell Gill managed to balance just right. I could practically smell it.

That’s when I realized, I did smell it. When I opened my eyes, I was greeted by an enormous takeout container filled to the brim with chili, steam wafting into the air. I looked around and tried to find whoever left this feast for me. There was no one. No one but me and the tabby. I narrowed my eyes at the cat who had an oddly satisfied look. “How did…did you…? No, that’s not possible. Maribelle must have snuck up here.”

I knew I should have just gotten back to work. If the boss caught me eating at my desk, that would be it for me. My belly growled to remind me I hadn’t eaten at school. Or before leaving my house. The delicious scent was too enticing to resist. I shoveled my food into my mouth as I worked, trying to push myself to work at the impossible pace I had minutes before to no avail.

“Gravtik!”

I froze with my last spoonful of chili on my spoon, my heart sinking when he stormed his way to my cubicle again. “What do you think you’re doing? How did you even get that in here? You know what? I don’t care. This is the final straw, Gravtik. Pack up your desk and get out before I have security escort you out. Good luck getting another job in this field. I’ll get you blacklisted so fast your head will spin.”

The tabby jumped onto my desk and stoically stared at my now dumbfounded boss with contempt written on its face. I didn’t even think cats could make expressions like that. “I would reconsider whose head is up for spinning, underling.” My boss and I stared at the creature on my desk. Its mouth hadn’t moved, the words projected into our minds.

My boss took a step back as his face paled. “What the fuck is going on? Gravtik! C-control that animal!”

The cat and I looked at each other and I shook my head. “I think you might be confused about the relationship between me and…um, what’s your name?”

Its tail flicked so fast it appeared the tabby had multiple tails. “You would not be able to speak my name. Even if your vocal cords could make the correct sounds, it would likely drive you mad to speak. But you may call me Tom.”

“Tom? Like, a Tomcat?”

Tom tilted his head. “I had not considered that when choosing my name. I’ll have to keep that one.” The cat’s attention snapped back to my trembling boss. “You have been quite cruel to my new friend. As he has saved my life, I owe him a life debt. However, I cannot stand cruelty for cruelty’s sake., so this one is free.” Tom flung himself at my boss and a black hole appeared underneath him, swallowing him whole and closing just at the cat’s feet touched the ground.

My eyes went wide. “Where did he go? What’s going to happen to him?”

Tom dug his claws into the carpet and stretched as far as he could. “He is in the cruelty box. What happens next is up to him. You are unlikely to see him again. He seems like the stubborn type.”

I rubbed the back of my neck. “So, how do I explain his disappearance?”

Tom gave me a puzzled look. “Why would you need to explain this at all? He is gone. He will be replaced. The universe will right itself.”

I flopped down in my chair. “What is that supposed to mean? What are you?”

Tom climbed into my lap again and settled. “What I am is complicated. To put it in a way you will understand, I am an Elder Deity and I am trapped on your plane of existence. I seek a way home but have been unsuccessful thus far. I was trying to blend in with those cats, however, they were less than pleased by my presence.”

I scratched him behind his ear. “Wait, why couldn’t you just do to those cats like you did to him?”

Tom purred with a satisfied grin when I found a good spot. “I was running low on Magic. It takes quite a bit to maintain this form so I may walk among you Mortals.”

I frowned, uncertain I wanted the answer to my next question. “Then how did you do it now?”

Tom yawned and I caught sight of an impossible number of teeth in his mouth. “You chose to save me. I chose to empower you so we could both escape. As I said, I owe you a life debt. A life debt that now connects us until the universe has deemed our transaction complete.”

I tried to process his words…thoughts…This was all so confusing. “So, are you saying you’re feeding off of me so you can fuel your Magic?”

Tom laid his head on his paws. “If that is how you wish to see it, though you are describing a parasite, which I am not. This isn’t a one-way exchange. Did you not appreciate the help I gave you with running or getting your work done? Did I not make your life a little easier?”

I couldn’t refute his words. It had been nice to feel more than just a scrawny teenager with no future prospects. “So, what am I supposed to do now?”

The cat shrugged and stretched out on my lap. “That food I retrieved for you smelled very good. We should get more.”

Before I knew what was happening, I was walking out of the building with Tom draped over my shoulders and straight for Gilbert’s Bar. “Hey! This is my body. You don’t get to just control it.” My body stopped moving and my feet felt rooted.

Tom hopped down and stared up at me with glowing eyes. “We should come to an understanding.” His shadow morphed into a far larger creature with six tentacle-like tails. One of the shadow tails shot at me, burying itself in my chest and wrapping around my heart. “This is OUR body right now. I owe you a life debt, but do not forget which one of us holds the power in this exchange. I cannot kill you, but I can make your life miserable and filled with pain. Do you understand your predicament?”

I nodded, gasping when the pressure on my heart dissipated. I took shaky breaths and touched my chest, my heart beating in an irregular way until Tom jumped onto my shoulder again. “So, how about we get that chili.”

~~~~~~

And from that day forward, Tom was my constant companion. Hm? Where is he now? Sorry, kid. That’ll have to wait for another day. Go on. Get to class before I get you in trouble.

This story was inspired by this tweet from @hoplitnet.

[defleurtradingco]

Epoch- Water

(Previous: Liar, Next: Immortality)

“That ain’t no ghoul.”

“Well, the pinchers and the tail coulda fooled me I won’t lie.”

“What is it then??”

The three of them stood relatively still behind a small pile of rocks close to the water. Up ahead was something relatively ghoul-sized, and ghoul sounding flailing around in the net that Monte had set up when he’d last come.

Osy scratched his head, giving a soft hmm after a moment of thinking. “So what do we do with it? Issit gonna attack us?? I mean...we should probably let it run off.” “Yer right, fine then but stay here. ‘Case it decides ta wallop me fer baggin’ it.”

Monte moved out of their hiding place slowly then, with the other two watching him.

“Now’en, calm down n’ I’ll letcha go.” The creature, for lack of better description rolled around and flailed, before hissing and moving away from the approaching deader. It sounded distressed to say the least, and its tail lashed around violently.

“C’mon ya look smart enough ta get outta this yerself, whatcha need me fer??” Monte leaned down slowly, pulling at the edge of the net so that it was free from the ground.

Solaina bit her lip as they watched.

Eventually, Monte worked the net off and tossed it aside into the stream with a loud splash. “Holy cow what th’ hell ARE you?”

It moved like a ghoul, it sounded like a ghoul, and it even borderline smelled like a ghoul, but it was in fact, not a ghoul.

The creature had no hair to speak of, and instead of skin, its body was covered with a chitinous hide, rough and rocky looking like the surrounding canyon. Rather than a set of claws, it had two awkward pincers that were different sizes from one another, a swishing tail with a huge stinger at the end. Its feet lacked toes, or, if it ever had any toes, they had started to fuse together long ago.

“HRRGRHHHGHH GO AWAY-”

“Oh- shit, ok then.” Monte held his hands up defensively and backed away.

“Wait-” Solaina came out from behind the rocks (Osy hissed at her as he tried to grab her, failing to do so and following after her.) “You can speak. Are you lost out here?? Or do you live here?” “Solaina-” Monte grimaced.

“Kinda looks like a scorpion huh?”

The ‘scorpion’ paused, turning its attention to the bird-man. Its tail began to lash around excitedly again like an excited dog. “….SquAwRK!!”

“...What??”

In a matter of seconds it came bounding over, knocking him down entirely. “BIRD MAN! BIRD. SQUAWRK!”

Monte put a hand to the side of his face as he and Solaina watched in confusion.

Osy held his arms over his face. “GET OFF-” “BIRD MAN BIRD MAN AAAAAAH-” Eventually, the scorpion jumped off of him and spun around in circles in even more excitement. “HERE. YOU’RE HERE!”

“Yeah, yeah I am. Fuck- they got you too huh??” “Do you know this…?” Solaina made a motion towards their new...friend.

Osy ran his hand down his face in exasperation as he sat up. “’S one’a those kids Gray’s been damn looking for. Honestly I thought they were all dead or abducted by aliens or something by THIS point-” “Now hol’ on- what ELSE d’ya-”

Solaina came over to the scorpion again. It seemed too large to be a child. But the big eyes and the cautious and scared chirping sort of gave it away. Along with the body language.

She knelt down. “We won’t hurt you. Do you have a name??” The scorpion made a breathy sound as it stared at her, unsure if it should answer or not. It did though, eventually. “YEAH!! Yeah. UH…”

They waited.

It thought. Aloud.

“Uhhhhhhhhhhhhh…”

Osy squinted. “...Wonder if they scrambled his brain while he was out there-” “LEDDY!!!!” “...Pardon?” Solaina asked.” “Yeah yeah. Leddy, that’s me. That’s me!”

“...Like uh,” Monte pursed his lips as much as one with only half a set could. “...Gosh who the hell named these kids.”

“Er- anyway… did someone make you this way?” Solaina continued. “Like this?” She held her hands up and made a pinching motion like a crab.

Leddy looked down at her hands before holding up his own and copying the motions. “Hmmm...”

“How th’ hell they turned a kid inta this is what I wanna know. He kinda looks like Ben, in th’ face. Ya know with those like tusk thingies… I didn’t think Were-bugs existed. … Think Ben is-” “No, he is not.” Solaina kept her focus on the matter at hand. Claw. “Listen, Leddy is it?” “Yes! That’s me!”

“Right… Do you know where the place is that made you this way?” “Yup!” Monte snorted. “Well that was easy.” “Do you think you might be able to show us the way? Is it far from here?” She knew they had seen it on the map, but they needed confirmation.

“I really don’t think you should go poking around there,” Osy began to protest, before being interrupted.

“Yeah! Yeah. I know the way. I do. It’s short ways away. BUT-” Leddy stopped dramatically. “Scary. Don’t like it there. Ran really far away and got away. Went hiding. BUT THEN I GOT STUCK!!! IN A NET!!” He glared at Monte angrily.

“Sorry already geez,”

“HMPH!!!” Leddy looked away, crossing his arms, but only for a few moments before he turned back to Solaina. “I’ll show you? I’ll show you. Yeah! C’mon!” At that he sprung ahead of them on all fours and crawled off, looking back and stopping every so often to make sure they were aware of which way he’d gone.

Solaina stood up and dusted herself off. “Well, you heard him. Not far. Come.”

Osy blinked several times, more than what was necessary. “Uh, is she serious?” Monte inhaled through his half-nose. “I’m afraid so. M’ in for a damn long night.” He pulled his hat further down onto his head. “Ya comin’?”

“Uh, no??? It’s pitch black out here and moonlight and cell phone lights don’t last forever you know. You’ll have a hard time finding your way back if something doesn’t decide t’ munch you first.”

“Just thought I’d ask… Buuut in th’ event that we are missing fer an entire twenty four hours without any word’r somethin’, call the cops.”

Osy frowned as they walked away, being led on by Leddy into the dark. “You’re making a MISTAKE you know!!” He called out.” Monte held up an arm and waved at him semi-dismissively without turning around. He snorted. “He’s right ya know, Solaina.” “Perhaps. But, if we will not do this, no one else will.”

“Can’t argue with’at.”

“LESS TALK MORE WALK!!!”

They spoke less and walked on.

[i-rove-rock-n-roll]

Eden (cause rn there is no better title) Just some writing I felt like sharin.

He dreamt that he was back in prison, the blue walls suffocating, even as he lay in his cell, staring at the ceiling, they closed in on him. A murmur came from the hallway.

“Which prisoner is this?”

“How the hell should I know? All the same to me the damn punks.”

“I think this one's that Southern one. That one with the accent.” The other made a noise of assent and through half closed eyes, Gram saw the guard peer at him through the bars.

“Who cares?” the other guard said, disinterested.

The dream changed to nighttime, and he heard the panting nearby stop abruptly. A shovel was thrown up beside him, as Gram continued to lay, now pressed against the ground rather than the bunk.

“C’mon, Charlie, we gotta get him in the ground.”

“Why do we gotta do it?” The other man, presumably Charlie, whined. Gram felt them pick up his body, lugging it over to the grave, as his mind swirled in a fog not unlike the one surrounding them.

“Bastards got no family. No one to claim ‘im. No one to give a shit, so we get stuck with him.” They dropped Gram into the hole, none too gently, but he felt nothing, staring vacantly at the two men above him.

“Grab a shovel, bud. Get this over with.”

And the dirt covered him.

He awoke in the darkness, unable to breathe, his arms crossed over his chest. Choking on the dirt, he clawed upwards, blindly trying to get out. Finally, Gram’s hand broke out into the air, and he drug his body out.

“Who…” he gasped, “..am I? Fuckin’...Uma Thurman?”

He shivered, taking in his surroundings. The prison yard was gone, the ugly brick building no longer in sight. In fact, the only thing he could see were trees, strangely tall, in a way that made all others look like saplings. The leaves rustled, and the dark fog gleamed as an animal leapt out, followed by another, and another. Men followed, clutching leashes, but they weren’t quite right, each with grotesque faces, their eyes flashing with malice. The dogs smiled with them in unison, all with teeth sharp and hungry growls. It wasn’t hard to guess the goal of the game they wanted to play. Stumbling, Gram began to run. The trees blurred as he ran, even as his chest burned, reminding him of his lack of exercise, he moved. His legs pumped, barely slowing as he hit the river, drenching his knees with an icy rush. Gram stopped, waiting for them to follow. The not-men did not call to their beasts, but an eerie noise followed from the other side of the river. A horn sounded, followed by something dimly resembling a search light, and Gram took off again, lungs empty.

He collapsed once he reached a small clearing, the same one that contained his gravestone. He was back where he started.

Attempting to get his raspy wheezing under control, he leaned against the stone, staring at the clearly cut letters.

Jonathan Denvers. He blinked, the letters shifting. Ingram Niesler. He blinked again and watched the stone crumble.

The clearing was surrounded.

A figure stepped forward, tall and with blank eyes. The dogs at Gram’s back made no move, but growled softly before the figure’s swiveling head quieted it. Its eyes were like glass, seeing something he couldn’t.

“We have a job for him,” hissed a voice from behind, and Gram jumped. The leader of the not-man stopped a foot away, as if unwilling or unable to come closer. The others holding the beasts shifted in agreement, though none stepped up, even as the not-dogs thrashed against the leashes with incredible strength.

“As do we,” said the being with the glass eyes. “I don’t suppose you could wait your turn?” they asked mildly, ignoring the snarl they received in return.

“I don’t even know who you guys are, so I ain’t doin’ shit.” Gram was painfully aware of how high his voice had jumped up. Both pairs of eyes, clear and gleaming, glanced at him, like he were some sort of minor inconvenience.

“You don���t have a choice, Jonathan Denvers.”

“My name is Gram.” He wanted to scream, but his words came out in a squeak. “Not Jonathan,” his voice was stronger now. “Ingram.”

“You are Jonathan, Jehovah’s gift. And you will do as you are told.” The being twitched irritably and the not-man cackled at the look on Gram’s face.

“Feisty, this one. I like him.” The being slung an arm over his shoulder, cold fingers crawling against his skin. The other tensed even more than Gram. He couldn’t pull away. “Listen, kid, can I call you kid? Anyway--”

“Whatever it is, it ain’t happening.”

“Just hear me out, kid, I got a deal--” Gram snorted and the glass eyed figure seemed to smirk for a moment before becoming impassive again.

“Let me guess, I’ll bet a fiddle of gold against your soul, cause I think I’m better than you? Well, I ain’t Johnny, bitch, so scram.” His courage didn’t leave, even when the face twisted and the nails made pierce his throat. The glass eyed being moved in an instant, somehow, and had the figure down on its knees, a sword pressed against their Adam’s apple. The apple quivered as they laughed silently, eyes glued to the hard face above them.

“Still got it, don’t you, Mike? I think you’re a few feathers short though--urk!” Came the choke as the blade dug deeper into the not-man’s neck, as the being now known as Mike narrowed its eyes. Somehow, and he had absolutely no idea how, Gram had been so distracted by the appearance of the sword that he missed the enormous wings spreading outward, looking very much like a large, threatening bird, but with some gaps in his feathers. Gram swallowed and.began to inch away.

“This has been fun, but I think I’m gonna go home, now…”

“Oh, kid,” came the amused sigh from the being still on its knees. “You can’t go until we let you.” The glass eyed Mike blinked before Gram’s eyes, reappearing only a few inches away. Gram flinched, unable to see anything but the swirling emptiness in the eyes before him.

“Three days, Jonathan. Nicole had her chance, now it’s yours.”

The gleaming eyed being stood up, rubbing its throat loosely.

“Think on it, Johnny. You only got eternity left if you fail.”

“What are you talking about?” Gram blinked, confused.

“Cleaning up the town. That’s what your little cuz thinks she’s doing. Doing a better job than half my..well, I can’t really call them people, but still.” the being waved a hand dismissively. 

“Think of it as a modern day Sodom and Gomorrah.” Mike suggested. 

The figure rolled its eyes, waggling a finger in Gram’s direction. “If you don’t behave Uncle Sammy won’t give you your present.”

“I’ve never been one much for surprises.”

“I know.” The figure rolled its eyes. “Made you such a boring child.”

“I thought your name was Lucifer, anyway.”

“Newsflash, once upon a time I had a different name.” The Devil gave Gram a pointed look. “Sam was my name just as much a Lucifer is now, Jonathan.” Gram opened his mouth, but he held up a hand. “Don’t get so riled. I’m proving a point.”

“A pretty shitty one.”

“I’m guessing you didn’t do any research before picking your name?” Mike said dryly. “Of all the names you could have chosen for yourself, you chose an old Norse name.”

Gram blinked. “Is it? I just liked the sound of it.”

“It means ‘Ing’s raven’. Or ‘raven of peace’. Whichever sounds catchier.”

“You’re like a walking dictionary.”

“No, I just know how to use google.” Gram huffed, muttering something about prison and piece of crap computers. “Why go by Gram? I mean, spelling wise, didn’t that get you into trouble with paperwork?”

“Graham is a type of cracker, and Gram is shorter.”

“I can tell literally no difference when you speak.”

“That’s cause you’re a da--” Lucifer’s eyes flashed.

“Watch your mouth, kid.”

“Geez, jus’ like the swear jar at home.” Now the Devil’s eyes rolled in response, temper forgotten.

“To get back on topic, I did not choose my name by coincidence.” It drummed its fingers briefly. “The name Lucifer means light bringer. Even as Samael I brought this light to you people, yet I also doled out what everyone feared. The Wrath of God.” Their lips quirked in a humorless smile. “I was not a fluffy little cherub with a harp. None of us--them--” They jerked a thumb towards the army of angels not five feet away. “I mean, are.”

“Depending on who you talk to,” Mike said slowly. “Ravens are symbols of good, or of evil. No one gives a shit about where it actually came from anymore, just like they forget my origins and Sammy’s.” Their lips quirked in a humorless smile. “Definitions are tricky bastards, each language you people make creates new ideas and problems.” 

“Are you guys going anywhere with this?” Gram’s head was spinning, but he refused to sit down. “I’d like to be up in time to get some breakfast before Uncle Lou eats it all.” 

“The point, Ingram, is this: You may bear the name, raven of peace, but what side is the raven on? Peace is subjective. What one considers Heaven another considers Hell, as the twerps in your little town have already decided.”

Gram remembered the car ride with his parole officer, and the low whistle that accompanied the impressed statement. 

“Looks like Eden.” He remembered his own words, half serious, half inside joke,

“Well, we call it Hell.”

“You humans have limited concepts.” The Devil said, eyes twinkling with amusement. 

“That’s the way language works. Try goin’ to Spain and see if they treat you any different.” Gram paused. “What do I call you two? Ma’am? Sir? Captain?” Now it was Mike--Michael-- Gram knew, that rolled their eyes. 

“You don’t need to call me anything. Just do your fuckin’ job.”

“Was that a Friday After Next quote?”

“I plead the fifth.”

“Never thought I’d meet an angel with a sense of humor.”

“Archangel.”

“Or an inferiority complex.”

“Comes with the territory, Jonathan Ingram.” The archangel answered briskly, rolling their eyes with the Devil laughed. “Now, wake up”

[thechameleonauthor]

Let me know what you think!!!!

Always having a secret that has to be kept from the world is….difficult. Especially when that secret can change everything around you from how your treated, looked at, or even be watched constantly. Not having a soul to tell a secret this big to, well besides my brother, is more hard then is possible. But coming to Highwater, was different then other places in my 17 years of being alive.

Chapter One

Moving here, to Highwater, was different than the other 9 temporary homes. I have no idea why it’s different but it is. The town was small, but it was also wealthy. Which meant going to a school where there are tons of snobby girls was going to be a roller coaster ride.

Pulling up to the new house, felt good. New start and no new friends. Actually 10th new start.

“Okay, Celeste and Jordan, grab your things, find a room. And I’ll run and get pizza.” My dad made it sound like pizza was a great idea, but it’s just processed food and one half of me can’t handle it. Jordan and I are, yes siblings, also were are both adopted. And from the same birth mother. Therefore, we share the same secret; during 1 night every month we change. Into what exactly? Well we are animagnuses, which are a werewolf but not are vicious.

“What kind of pizza? Any preferences?”

“Meat lover delight.” Jordan pointed out. He looked at me and shrugged.

“Alright. Anything for you, pumpkin?” Now in the driveway my dad turned around in his seat.

No thanks dad. I’m gonna bring my stuff to a room, and go for a run.” I looked at Jordan and smiled. “If that’s okay?”

“Of course, just call if you need a ride. Maybe your brother can pick you up.” My dad got out and walked into the new house. I faced my brother.

“Jordan, I’m going for a run. But I’ll be a bit cause I need to run.” My brother was only 19, and all the ladies loved him.

“FIne, but be careful. This place seems... different. And don’t forget tomorrow is the full moon so don’t use all your energy.” Getting out of our rinky dink Toyota, I nodded at him. For being 17, my brother still treats me as a child. Which isn’t bad but sometimes it just isn’t needed.

The trunk had suitcases and a few boxes, which I only grabbed my suitcase. I looked towards the house while I grabbed my things. White and brown exterior in a wealthy neighborhood, perfect. I walked near the house door and looked down at my shoes. Old converse, also perfect. Already at the front door, it opened. Showing a rustic interior, but it was also a new, rustic finish. I climbed the stairs that were easily spotted. I then found a bedroom that was big, with a closet and more than a room should have. I set my suitcase down on the hardwood floor. There was already a bed and a couch that was covered with plastic.

“Now that I found a room, time for a run.” I sighed as I opened my suitcase and picked everything out, as I searched for leggings and a windbreaker. My clothes all over the floor brighten up the room a bit. Then at the very bottom was my leggings and windbreaker. So I got changed and hit my phone and car keys under my makeup bag, in my suitcase.

Getting out the door was the easy part, but figuring out where to run, without people seeing me, was the challenging part. For this, I used my nose. Not my human nose but my wolf nose.

West smelled of oil and gas, South smelled just completely nasty, which left East and North. North was where the school laid, so why not adventure out that way. Heading to the woods outback of the patio of the house, I felt...comfortable. My brother always told me to go about 600 feet in and then just run. But that way being that far in I can just start running without people seeing me.

Using my wolf speed I managed to run, somewhere named, Highwater High School.

“This must be the prison, 8 hours of stress.” She eyeballed a log high enough to sit on. Sitting there for god knows how long, she caught a scent in the wind; Pine and Mint. Celeste stood and looked, then her eyes landed on a black figure. Male. He kept walking closer, then he looked up.

“Heyyy, who are you, exactly?” He almost tripped trying to talk and walk.

“Who’s asking?” Celeste crossed her arms and leaned against a tree.

“Oh, sorry. My name is Michael. I own these woods, well my dad does, and plus your trespassing.” He smiled and then walked into the direct sunlight. His hair was almost a gold tint, with his ocean blue eyes, muscular and broad body structure made him look like an actor she couldn’t quite say who he was.

“Well Michael, I’m Celeste. And I didn’t realize there were trespass signs. I’d better be going anyways.” She started to walk away.

“I’m just joking, there aren’t any signs. But just be careful around here.” They both stood there for 1 min in silence. “Well Celeste, I’ guessing you’ll be at school Wednesday.” He leaned against a tree. “Cause you only look, I’d say 16.” He smiled which showed his dimples.

“Yes and no. I will be at school, and no I’m actually 17.” Celeste also smiled, but not to a stranger, to a new friend.

“Okay well I guess I’ll see you Wednesday.” Michael stood straight and started to walk off. Looking back at where Celeste was, she was gone.

Celeste arrived home at 5:30pm, just in time for dinner. She walked in the back door which was in the kitchen. Celeste you smell of pine and lemon or something Jordan was placed at the island eating his Meat Lover’s delight.

“Geez you scared the crap out of me Jordan. But it’s actually mint not lemon, also I met someone at the end of my run.” He stopped chewing. “He owns the land by the school, well his father does at least.” Taking off her sneakers, Jordan managed to get her a plate of pizza without getting out of the bar stool.

“Well you reek of wolf, and it’s not yours. Be careful. And why were you even that close to the school? You could of been seen.” He stood from his stool and walked around the kitchen.

“For your information, I am always careful, and I was fine, no one saw me. But thanks for your brotherly care.” Taking her plate off the counter, she shoved a bite in her mouth.

“I'm just watching out for you. But I trust you to be careful.” Jordan made a smile at her walking in the kitchen.

“I know, but when school starts and you are at college, you won't  be able to cater to me.” Celeste placed her pizza on the marble counter, and gave him a hug.

“I’ll be fine. If I need advice, I’ll call you or Elliott. Elliot was there old animagus leader. And he was always like Celeste’s older brother.

“Okay, but I’m going out. Don’t stay up too late. Tomorrow is the full moon, so you’ll need everything you got.” Celeste watched as her brother walked out the door, and pulled out of the driveway. New life. I guess perfect.

It was Tuesday, the day of the full moon, and the day before Celeste started her new school. She ended up doing nothing all day but unpack her things and lay on the old bed. Saving all her energy was the worst part of each full moon. But since it kept getting later and later, the wolf was starting to stir. Then there was a knock on her door.

“Hey Celeste, I got a text from Elliot saying if I start driving, I can make it there before I shift. You wanna come?” Jordan missed his girlfriend. That's most of the reason he’s going back.

“Not really. I kinda wanna see things around here from a different perspective. So I’m good this time.” She was sitting on her bed with a book. But she wasn’t actually reading.

“If you say so. And hopefully you remember the rules.” He was still standing in the doorway with the door wide open.

“I do. Don’t worry I’ll be fine.” Celeste forced a smile. “Love you, don’t let me catch any reportings or sightings on the news. She meant it as an inside joke.

“Back at you.” Jordan yelled down the hall.

It was now 8:30pm, and her wolf was pulsing inside her body. Celeste had changed into sweatpants and a fury Columbia jacket because it was cold outside for being September.

Walking down the hallway, down the stairs, and out the door was difficult without waking up her father. 9:00pm. Celeste felt the moon pulling her insides out. In a few moments she would let go of her human side, and become a wolf, but the size of a miniature pony.

Without, her brother by her side it was more difficult, to be a lone wolf, also known as an omega.   Now it was time for her to let go of her human side. And become one with the wolf. Her hair on her head grew shorter, her claws pushed her nails out of the way. And then canines replaced her human teeth.

Within 5 minutes she was no longer human, she was a large dog. Running free in the woods, jumping, diving, and leaping through clusters of trees, was everything that she needed. The world soared by in glimpses. Coming to a clearing her human side realized where she came to; the school. Something brought her back here like it did the night before. Being a wolf, but the size of a large miniature pony, she managed to blend in with the forest around her. Then something smelled in the wind. Pine and mint. Something ran through the trees in a blur. It was to fast to be human. Celeste was kneeling in the brush of trees, but now, still in wolf form, took off like a shot. The blur tool off after her, tailing her. Jumping over a dead tree, then landing in water, there happened to be a wolf in front of her. A pure black one. Celeste took off again, dodging around the wolf. Still running, she looked behind her and saw two wolfs. They were gaining on her and fast. Digging her paws deeper into the earth, she thrusted forward. Turning her head back straight, she almost ran into a tree.

Before switching directions, a large force hit her. And made her go flying. Landing on her side and her head against a boulder, the two wolves creeped up, baring their canines. Pine and mint. That smell. Now there were two wolves, both pure black. Almost like twins. Another appeared but was a mixture of brown and black. Pine and mint. It got stronger, then a golden furred wolf appeared. Not knowing what to do, two wolves backed down. They backed up but growling and without teeth. The gold wolf appeared and came closer. Celeste was warning him to back off, by baring here teeth. The gold wolf walked closer to her, and sniffed her muzzle causing her to sneeze. Then he whined and backed up. The scent of pine and mint was still lingering in the air.

It was the morning after the full moon, the sun just broke the horizon. Celeste awoke of a snap of a twig, which jolted her up. Turns out, it was a rabbit. On full moons, Celeste always woke up outside and in the same clothes from the night before.

She stood and brushes off all the dry leaves and mud. Schooled started this morning, which meant she had to go home and get ready. Plus she was really tired. Now she had to deal with other people, especially after a full moon.

Celeste found her way home by her wolf tracks. Her brother also wasn’t home yet, but that wasn't any surprise. But the back door was still unlocked from the night before.

She turned the knob on the screen door, and she jumped.

“Morning pumpkin, you were up early.” Her dad was already setting up the coffee maker. Celeste was still standing in the doorway.

“Dad, you scared me. And I went for a run, before school.” She smiled and slipped off her sneakers, and started towards the stair.

“Oh do you want some waffles pumpkin?” Her dad managed to get the coffee maker plugged in, but didn’t know how to work it or even a waffle maker.

“Nah, it’s okay dad I have to get ready for school and I think I'm going to walk. But thanks anyway for the thought.” Nothing came as a response from here father, just him pressing multiple buttons on the coffee maker.

[royal-writer]

Break-In

A tired, throaty groan reverberated against his side as Amon squirmed himself free of the arm slung over him. The face resting against his shoulderblades tried to nestle back into place the more he moved away from the curl of limbs around him. Warming breath fanned against his bare back and gentle fingertips grazed and pawed at his chest, trying to pull him back.

“Where are you going m’lord?” a tender voice slurred. It was more a string of a single word; less sweet in the ear than usual and more rasped with a barely woken state.

He propped an elbow to the bed. Turning over to his other side, a steady smile crept upon his face to see the bird’s nest of dark hair covering over the woman’s face. She still had her eyes shut, and her mouth opened and closed to mumble so quietly he couldn’t make out her tired complaints. The gentle curves of her nude chest uncovered in the tangle of blankets. A perfect vision of beauty.

With a soft shushing, he reached for the edge of the comforter and pulled it slowly up and over her shoulders. She gave a dreamy little sleep sigh, smiling lightly as he leaned in to press a kiss to her forehead.

“I thought I heard something downstairs. I’ll be right back; don’t get up.”

“S’probably nothing m’lord, stay in bed,” she whined. Her body wriggled beneath the sheets, but she was too snug within them to break free as he tucked them into her sides. It would keep her warm and drowsy enough to drift off without him there.

“I’m sure you’re right, but I’ll check just in case. Go back to sleep, darling.”

“I’ll catch chill without you Amon. Stay.”

“You have plenty of blankets,” he pointed out softly, “you’ll be fine if I’m gone just a moment.”

Essätha pouted. Her full lower lip curling as she whispered, “But I’ll miss you.”

A softness tugged at his features, and smoothed his face. He slid his hand over her cheek slowly, brushing knots away from her lovely appearance. The side of his thumb caressed the texture of scales a few times until her restlessness stilled completely.

“I won’t be gone long enough for you to miss me, I promise.”

“S’not true. I always miss you when you aren’t layin’ next to me,” Essie argued in a faint murmur.

The nobleman scoffed. Guilt-tripping him with honest sweetness in hopes of keeping him in bed. It nearly worked. If he wasn’t so sure he’d heard something, he’d be more than happy to slink back beneath the duvet. He’d cover his wife in kisses, wrap her up in his arms, and go back to sleep. It was a divine temptation.

But as the idea conjured in his head, a distant rustle seemed to come from the lower-level of the house. He could hear Caesar in the other room, growling softly.

“A compromise, then,” he offered. “When I return, it’s my turn to hold you.”

Her head nodded into the pillow. Barely moving at all, already lulling back to dreamland.

He lazily tossed his leg over the side of the bed. A glance back over his shoulder, making sure his wife was not unsettled. When he was sure she was peacefully comfortable from her worming around, Amon slid quickly off the bed.

Grabbing his undergarments and trousers, the nobleman slipped then on one after another. Careful and light on his feet, he walked across the room slowly trying not to stir his wife again, or alert anyone by the sound of floorboards groaning. He was not one to usually prowl his own house at night, but knew where much of the worst settling would cause a ruckus.

Even if it was nothing more than housestaff wandering; strange as that may be at such an hour, he could at least let Caesar out and take a restroom break himself. Shuffle around the manor for a bit, settle his unease, and climb back into bed.

Maybe it was just old memories and fears surfacing, he reasoned. There was a lot of past behind him now. Plenty of things to make you feel like you were never safe. That there were still things that wanted to hunt you, real or manufactured in your mind.

As he opened the door to the sitting room, he spotted the imposing figure of Caesar standing guard by the opposite door. It was left open a crack to allow the mastiff room to wander the house.

The fur along the spine of the dog was standing high. He growled low and ominous in the back of his throat.

“Caesar. Caesar,” Amon hissed, sliding out of his chambers to shuffle over to the hound.

The mastiff turned to look back at him. Light refracted off of his eyes; shining in the night. He turned back to the door alertly. A focused, intelligent glimmer in his gaze and teeth bared as he snarled once more.

Muffled, distant voices seemed to rise from the stairwell, and fill the hall with whispers.

Glancing back down to the canine, the nobleman set his mouth into a grim line. He moved to creep past the dog, his voice stern as he uttered, “Stay.”

There seemed to be a question in the brown eyes of the beast. He paced before the door, and ran his tongue over his chops with impatience. Still appearing to want to test the command and follow, Caesar remained in his position. Haunches raised, giving a barely raised ‘boof’ that wouldn’t even frighten off a cat.

Lord Amon moved stealthy down the hall, and into the library. He paused, listening. The distinction of the voices seemed to have fallen quieter from here, so he began to move through the house once more. Creeping low, he made his way into the lounge room adjacent.

A feminine voice drifted from the opposite side of the house. It was impossible to distinctive at a distance if it was one of the housemaids or not. And although Caesar was weening into his senior years, the dog had never been wrong about his judgment before.

As Amon made his way down the next hall past the study, the sound of footsteps became more clear. They came with the sound of rattling coin. Two gruff, to one melodic and soft.

His shadow grew larger against the wall as he stalked the hall. Wood moaned beneath him, but the thump of footsteps coming up the stairs seemed to hush his own noise.

“The last house was easy, no security.”

“Shush. This one’s bigger than the last. We don’t want to wake anyone.”

“If we do, I’ll just clobber ‘em with my club.”

“Shhh. I think I hear something.”

They halted on the front step. The lady with her fist raised, staring directly into Amon’s sights.

“Oh geez, it’s just another big ol’ stuffed bear,” the woman snorted, looking him up and down. “This one isn’t even on a stand yet. Must be new.”

“Who puts a stuffed bear in the corner in front of the stairwell?” squeaked a rounded man with a large gut.

“Who kills this many bears?” the other man inquired, stepping closer. “Must be a fetish.”

“Or revenge. Ye think the owner’s pa’ got killed by one in a hunt or somethin’?”

The woman turned violently on heel, and smacked the both of them upon the head despite being only three-quarters their height. Her eyes bright; one summer’s eve blue and the other a dark, chocolatey brown.

“I told you two to shut it,” she demanded. “We don’t care about the damn bear, or have you forgotten about the money.”

With that, the woman gently shook a sack hanging off of her hip. It was weighted down heavily by what sounded like the chiming coins Amon had heard earlier.

He took a moment to breath subtly. His snout twitching, parted jaws looming just beneath the two men standing before him.

The more muscly of the two reached up to rub his long blonde hair as the woman turned away. Her foot came down with delicacy despite looking so furious, and the chubbier of the two men moved to follow.

Amon leaned forward, smacking his tire maw from his aching jaw.

The blonde began to turn back, and he stilled with claws outstretched.

Furrowing his eyebrows, the man squinted suspiciously up at him.

“Damn thing still reeks,” he muttered, his face coming dangerously close.

It was too perfect an opportune moment.

The grizzlied nobleman snorted loudly, and snapped his jaws shut with a click of his elongated teeth.

Crying out with alarm, the man fell back. His arm swung upward, smacking weakly into the side of Amon’s head. He grunted, snorting roughly as he dropped down onto all fours with a thud.

“Father Pelor-”

The man choked, spittle running out of the corner of his mouth as he stopped short. Amon’s beady eyes hovering above him as he loomed low. He inhaled harshly; his chest expanding, and a roar bellowed out of him that trembled beneath the pads of his paws and showed the sharp angles of his fangs.

The man went to take another swing at him. Lifting his forepaw, Amon slammed his foot into the man’s arm, pinning him back down. A viscous snarl rose in his throat and he looked up, seeing a club coming straight for him.

His jaws opened, and he snatched the barrel of wood with his teeth. It was a soft wood; spruce he’d guess from the smell. With a flex of his mouth, the wood began to splinter and crack before breaking into pieces on the floor and upon the man beneath him.

Feet pounded the floor. He whipped his head up, spotting the fleeing woman making for the stairs.

Amon twisted, and jumped off the wheezing, blubbering man. The enormity of his claws scrapped into the wood, making grooves as he blocked the woman’s exit.

She paled. Her eyes grown wide as he showed her his teeth.

“Who keeps a bear as a godsdamn pet?” the hefty man whimpered, sinking to his knees.

“Shut up and pray it’s not goin’ to maul us,” the other man sobbed, clutching to his bruised arm.

Rumbling, Amon snorted a huff of air heavily into the woman’s face. She didn’t flinch, but her eyes blinked with astonishment like she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

He took a step forward.

The thief stepped back, tripping over the leg of one of her comrades and falling to the floor.

A maddening barking came barging from the door further down the hall. Claws scrapped viciously beneath the bottom edge, demanding entry until the it swung violently open, with Caesar scrambling towards the criminals.

They shrank against each other. A massive grizzly on one side, and the snapping jaws of a mastiff on the other just inches from grabbing skin.

A shadow parted through the darkness, and a silhouette stepped forward.

“What is this?” Essie demanded, her hair tossed back in wild tangles. She glowered upon the trio on the floor, grabbing the edges of her large robe to cover the thin undershirt of Amon’s she wore that hung partly to her knees and what appeared to be, nothing else.

“Lady, I don’t know what kind of zoo you got going on, but call off your beast!”

Essätha shot the woman a dark look, and flicked her wrist. The semi-transparent vision of a skeletal hand appeared before the burglar, and slapped upon the woman’s mouth to muffle her frightened scream.

“That is no beast; that is my husband.”

As Caesar circled the crooks, growling low, Amon stepped around the three cautiously. His frame shifted with each step; fur disappearing as he shrank. Feet became hands, and he stood part of the way through the transformation. Disheveled hair, but otherwise back into the form of a man with his pants riding a bit low.

“I’m sorry I woke you my sweet,” he murmured, moving to stand protectively in front of his wife.

“You shouldn’t be the one apologizing,” she stated, glaring around him.

Amon gently took hold of her face, and planted a kiss lightly upon her nose.

“Go get dressed, I’ll call the warden.”

Essie huffed, looking up into his eyes. She gave a small nod, leaning in to brush a kiss to his cheek as he pulled the tie for the robe around, knotting it in front of her thin waist.

“Don’t tell me you were pretending to be a statue again.”

He flashed a grin as she pulled away.

Rolling her eyes, she sighed with amusement and smiled as she murmured, “I married one big dork.”

“It worked on Mister Schicklnic,” he defended.

Essie scoffed. “The man’s half blind, m’lord.”

“It worked on these three.”

She gave him a sound of light agreement, grinning all the while with lips pressed to his gingerly before pulling away. A light hand patted his chest, stroking over a faded scarline before she stepped back, glancing at the group with a nasty scowl.

“We’ll talk about this when I’m decent,” she threatened, turning around in a whirlwind to stomp back down the hall.

Chuckling, Amon looked back over his shoulder at the three, who had managed to scout themselves back to back as Caesar paced around them.

“T-Talk to us?” one of the men squeaked. “Y-You mean we’re going to get a l-lecture?”

Grinning, Amon looked back to where his wife disappeared to.

“She can be very persuasive.”

“More persuasive then a man-bear?”

“Werebear, actually,” he corrected, his face void of emotion by the time he turned around to face the small group. “And in a way, yes. I’m sure you’ll find what she has to say quite compelling, if you’re willing to listen.”

The two lads were quick to nod their heads eagerly, but the woman sneered.

“And if we don’t?”

“Then I’m sure the warden would love to sentence you as he sees fit, for breaking and entering in the Lord of the Emerald Expanse’s estate.”

A look of dawning, horrified realization turned each of their faces to sheets of white. Stone cold, frightened, and immobile.

He reached out, patting the scruffy head of the mastiff as he snapped his teeth close to the woman’s face.

“Easy, Caesar. Keep an eye on them while I send word for the constable.”

“ARF!”

The woman cringed and tried to maneuver herself to hide in the shoulder of one of her associates.

Humming a cheery little tune, Amon moved to the stairs, descending them gradually one at a time.

There’d be no more trouble with those three, after tonight.

[itscanonfellas]

You Could Call It Love 4/6

Part 4/6

Rating: General

Pairing: Liam Dunbar/Theo Raeken, Implied Nolan/Brett Talbot

Being Liam’s ride home meant Theo had to wait every day until lacrosse practice was finished and then even longer for Liam to shower before they headed home. Today is no exception.

Being Liam’s ride home meant Theo had to wait every day until lacrosse practice was finished and then even longer for Liam to shower before they headed home. Today is no exception.

Theo’s sat on a bench just outside of the school; scrolling through his photos absentmindedly just to fill in the time. Maybe he should start bringing a book or something? Or maybe just make Liam walk home?

No, Theo isn’t that cruel.

He’s barely even been there an hour when someone slides onto the seat across from Theo and he glances up. Nolan stares at Theo without a word; reeking of nervousness and almost curled in on himself as though he’s conflicted on what he’s here for.

It becomes clear after a few minutes Nolan isn’t going to speak first so Theo relents “…Can I…help you?”

Nolan’s tugging on the cuffs of his jumper; fiddling with the worn fabric and tugging at the stray thread he finds there. Despite his reluctance to talk he eventually mutters out in a low voice “How do you know if you like somebody?”

Now, had he not had supernatural hearing, Theo would have missed what Nolan said, but he hears it clearly and he can’t stop the cruel laugh that breaks free from him “What?”

“How do you know if you like somebody?”

“No I heard you the first time” Though Theo’s quite surprised Nolan repeated himself and didn’t just turn tails and run instead “Why are you coming to me?”

“Well” Nolan clears his throat; shuffling in his seat nervously. God the kids more fidgety than Stiles and that alone is an impressive feat “Liam’s just finishing up practice and I heard that you two were…”

Although Nolan trails off, Theo fills in the gaps fairly quickly. So word has gotten out around school then. He couldn’t say he was surprised, in Beacon Hills, gossip travels fast and if somebody got a wind of the pack discussing his and Liam’s new ‘relationship’ then it was inevitable really. “That me and Liam are dating?” Nolan nods his head and keeps his gaze on the table between them, still flooding the air with embarrassment “So what’s that got to do with anything?”

“I just assumed you’d know what to expect when you have feelings for somebody, like what made you realise you liked Liam?”

He could just say he didn’t want to talk about it and kindly tell Nolan to fuck off. He wasn’t by any means close with the ex-hunter, hell he only really spoke to him a few times when he sat with the pack for lunch.

But for some reason, Theo doesn’t do any of those things.

His mouth started talking before his brain caught up. “Well obviously you spend as much time with the person as possible and you get the whole butterflies in your stomach shit” Nolan’s gaze looks up from the table to meet Theo’s, seemingly surprised that Theo responds to his question. “But” he continues “Their presence sort of…comforts you? I guess? Whenever they’re around they fill you with a kind of warmth that just settles in your chest and even when they aren’t there, it still lingers; they’re the kind of person you’ll do anything for if just to be with them for a second…” With a delayed horror, Theo realises he’s been throwing all his feelings about Liam out to Nolan and he clears his throat, awkwardly finishing with “So yeah you’ll know you like someone, trust me”

“You really like Liam, don’t you?” The awe in Nolan’s expression is what makes Theo agree without hesitation.

“More than anything”

For a moment, the silence spreads between the two as they sit in awkward stillness, Nolan pondering to himself over what Theo’s confessed and Theo having a minor breakdown over letting himself ramble on like that. Why were feelings so utterly baffling? “…and how do you know if they like you back?” Nolan finally replies, voice returning to a meek whisper, as if it’s a question for himself but Theo humours him.

“I wish I knew that myself, Nolan”

In the quiet, Theo can hear the lacrosse team in the locker room getting showered after a long practice – one Nolan should be at now that Theo thinks about it – and what sounds like the band practicing for the competition a week from now. The sun has almost finished setting and the dark is starting to creep in alongside a chill but it calms Theo more than anything. Beacon Hills is a safe town now and it’s soothing to sit in the stillness the night provides.

The honk of a horn cuts whatever peace Theo feels in half and his head whips to where a lanky figure is leaning against a car; waving a hand in a come here motion. “HEY NOLAN!” Brett Talbot hollers, still dressed in his lacrosse shorts and undershirt as he beckons Nolan over “YOU COMING OR WHAT?”

“One sec!” Nolan calls back and stands up out of his seat, smile playing on his face and cheeks flushing a pleasant red as he pulls his backpack back onto his back. “Thanks for the talk I just…really needed it”

All nervousness Nolan had smelled of previously is replaced with an air of content and something that makes it all fall into place for Theo and he’s reaching out to grab Nolan’s arm before he can walk away “Hey” Nolan spins to face Theo again, expression questioning but the smile hasn’t faded from his face “Be careful with Brett, I can tell you really care about him but, well, his track record isn’t all that great”

“Believe me, I know but he isn’t as bad as you and Liam think he is”

Theo releases his grasp on Nolan with a nod and sits back down “One more thing?”

“Shoot”

“If you’re worried about him not liking you back, I wouldn’t be so sure” Nolan arches an eyebrow “He can smell the attraction on you, if he didn’t like you he’d have to told you so by now”

“What?!” Nolan hisses lowly and he’s clearly startled; bringing his jumper to his nose to sniff almost automatically causing Theo to smirk at the sudden panic from the boy “Oh shit”

“Good luck on the ride home, you might need it”

Nolan scampers away toward Brett and Theo tries to mask the fact he’s listening in on them. “Everything okay?” Brett quizzes as soon as Nolan reaches him; ducking his head to hear Nolan a little better and Nolan looks like he’s going to explode as he shrugs.

“Just talking don’t worry, you ready?”

Brett nods and holds the door for Nolan to hop into the passenger side and then his gaze lingers on Theo for a second, watching the Chimera who throws his hand in the air for a wave “Bye lovebirds!” Brett rolls his eyes before hopping into his car and then backing out of the school parking lot.

Brett and Nolan, who would have thought.

“Hey” Theo wouldn’t admit it but he hadn’t heard Liam pop up at all so when he shows up suddenly at his side, Theo jumps in his seat and shoots around to look at Liam.

“Geez” Theo wheezes and clutches his chest “You all finished?”

“What was all that with Nolan?” Liam asks instead of answering the question, ignoring it entirely to stare at Theo like he’s just killed his dog or something.

“Nolan?” Liam nods in confirmation “He needed some advice about some stuff don’t worry about it” Theo’s secretly hoping Liam had only caught a glimpse of his and Nolan’s conversation because otherwise Theo’s pretty sure he’ll die again except this time from embarrassment and he’d take Kira’s sword with him so he could stay dead.

Liam stares Theo down at first, as if gauging if he’s lying or not before spinning on his heels and turning back to the direction of Theo’s truck and walking away without another word. Now that’s not right.

“Hey” Theo calls after Liam who doesn’t stop “Is everything alright?” there’s no way Liam can’t hear him so that can only mean Liam’s ignoring him. Great, just great. “Liam will you hold the fuck on?!” Increasing his walk to a sprint he gets ahead of Liam just as they reach his truck and he grabs Liam by the shoulders. “What’s up with you?”

Liam ducks his head down so he’s avoiding Theo’s gaze and shrugs out of Theo’s hold; attempting to duck past Theo but Theo puts himself in Liam’s path again. “It’s nothing”

“Says the guy who looks like I’ve just told him Santa isn’t real” Liam doesn’t acknowledge the biting comment; just reaches a hand under Theo’s arm to pull at the truck handle but Theo’s quick to lock it.

When his futile pulling doesn’t open the door, Liam turns to glare at Theo finally and it’s half-hearted at best. “Open it”

“No” Theo denies and shoves the key back into his back pocket and out of Liam’s range. “I’m not opening it till we talk about what’s got your panties in a twist”

“I said it’s nothing just open the damn door, Theo”

Whether he realises it or not, Liam’s eyes flash gold in warning at Theo, the tiniest hint of fangs peeking out as he snarls but Theo gives as good as he gets. His eyes flash in return “Not going to pull that shit on me little wolf, spill”

“Why do you care?”

“The same reason why I wait for you afterschool to give you a lift” Liam’s nose scrunches at Theo’s evasiveness “Just give me a hint”

“There’s nothing to hint”

“Bullshit! just tell me what’s bugging you so I don’t have to ride home with a werewolf having a tantrum”

“Then I’ll WALK!” Liam turns on his heels and walks away from Theo and the truck but Theo isn’t finished, not by a longshot.

He catches Liam’s arm and tugs him back in order to prevent him from storming off again “JUST TALK TO ME LIAM FOR FUCK SA-!”

“I SAID IT’S NOTHING!” Liam spins around; throwing Theo’s hand away from his arm and he’s seething; eyes gold and snarl bubbling forth from his chest; claws out and catching Theo’s wrist a little as he pushes it away. “I’M JUST BEING STUPID AND OVERREACTING OVER THE LITTLEST THINGS AND I-!” Liam’s voice breaks just a fraction but it’s seemingly enough to get him to calm down a little. His gaze is to the ground once more and his arms comes to hold himself loosely and finishes rather pathetically “…I just had a rough day, a shitty, rough day”.

The whole display would have been a lot more threatening had Theo not seen the tears caught on Liam’s eyelashes.

“Hey” Theo states almost softly, Liam remains where he is “Come here”

Cautiously, he reaches a hand out and –when he’s sure Liam’s not going to rip it off – he places it onto Liam’s shoulder and pulls Liam into a hug. Liam goes easily enough, Theo’s arms coming to wrap around his shoulders firmly while Liam’s own fingers dig into the back of Theo’s shirt. “S’ dumb” Liam mumbles against the skin of Theo’s neck and Theo’s embrace tightens.

“It’s not, you may be dumb but being torn up over a shitty day isn’t”

Rather than a punch, Theo’s comment receives a laugh from Liam, the short, warm burst of breath ghosting his skin as Liam rocks them back a little “You suck”

“Only for a price” another laugh. Theo counts them both as a success.

“Can we head home?”

“Sure…but first I want ice cream”

Liam shoots back to stare at Theo, suddenly beaming widely and Theo’s heart stutters in his chest, as if it’s about to give out on him. And it wouldn’t be a bad way to go. “You buying?”

“If you hurry it up” Before he can even blink, Liam’s running towards the truck yelling at Theo to race him though there’s little chance he’ll win. Cheating bastard. Later as they’re sat in the ice cream parlour, nudging each other beneath the table with their feet, Liam brings up Nolan again “So what amazing advice did you give to him anyway?”

Theo shrugs “I think he has a crush on someone and he just wanted to know whether he liked them or not” He won’t tell Liam it’s Brett, neither Nolan nor Brett would hear the end of it and that might put a bit of a mood killer on whatever’s blossoming between them. Liam stares at Theo for a long time and then, seemingly pleased by Theo’s answer, moves his attention back to his almost empty bowl.

“I want another one”

“Go get it yourself I’m not your slave”

“You’re the worst boyfriend ever” Liam pouts; shoving his last spoonful in his mouth and Theo feels that budding warmth settle in his chest again, pleasant but also nauseating because this can’t last forever, nothing does.

And then Liam’s leaning across the table to take Theo’s spoon from his bowl and scooping up some ice cream. “HEY!” Liam shoves the spoon into his mouth before Theo can stop him “You traitorous bastard!”

From another table a woman and her two children shoot the pair a dirty look but Liam’s far too busy trying not to choke on the very spoon he’s got in his mouth as he giggles boisterously at Theo’s dismay.

Theo joins in not long after.

[vera-invenire]

VnC Liveblog - Chapter 4

.All chapter liveblogs are linked HERE.

The Case Study of Vanitas, aka, It’s Probably A Really Bad Idea To Get Into  Fights With People Called ‘Hellfire Witch’, Boys, I’m Just Saying

Not much to note in the cover art this time -- we’ve got Vanitas’ standard imagery in blues and blacks, with emphasis on the hourglass earring and his eyes. And the gears, through after the airship we haven’t really had much else that was very steampunk-ish in the story. Maybe that’ll change in later chapters.

Re: the eyes -- we know that most vampires have eyes that glow red when they drink or use their powers (I think that’s how it works?) and they have a link to the crimson moon, but Vanitas is human, so even though he’s got a connection to the Vampire of the Blue Moon, his blue eyes might just be a coincidence. (re: for the  a e s t h e t i c) (though the color matching with that hourglass is a bit suspect on the symbolic level, so who knows)

We get a bit of a peak at the dynamics in Dante’s crew before we jump back into the action --

Johann is very camp. I wonder if the matching suits were his idea. I like his relationship with Dante, though. Riche seems to be their junior member -- at least Johann is looking out for her.

Uh-oh. Luca’s heading back into the fray.

Chapter title: Memoire 4 Love Femme Fatale

Well, ‘femme fatale’ is Jeanne, that’s pretty clear. But ‘love’? Eh? Are we introducing a romance? Or is this the protective love between Jeanne and Luca?

So, Jeanne’s chasing Noé down the back-alleys of the -- was it the riverfront district? Warehouses, we’re surrounded by warehouses.

She catches his foot!

Noé intercepts! \o/

(’may i throw you back’, pfff)

But Vanitas is no slouch himself, even if he is back to being carried like a kitten.

We already knew that Vanitas was aware of Jeanne’s reputation, but this exchange makes me think he knows a bit more than surface level rumors. But he doesn’t seem up-to-date with the no-killing influence Luca has on her.

Vanitas tells Noé to follow the plan (which we are not privy to) as Jeanne finds them again.

'No’, ‘I refuse’, must be Noé‘s favorite words, he says them so much.

(Can you imagine baby Noé just constantly saying ‘i refuse. i refuse.’ all serious-like whenever someone tried to make him put down his blankie, cuz I’m imagining it, lmao.)

Note: Noé‘s teacher is a scary badass. (also what’s he holding? a cane? a switch?? oi, what was Noé‘s training like)

Meanwhile, Noé feels like he’s finally getting the upper-hand --

Uh-oh.

Pride goeth, etc etc

*sports announcer voice* That’s gotta hurt.

But why’s he looking at his hand? I didn’t notice him holding anything before.

“Now... let’s see.” He and Vanitas still have a plan to enact. Also, hi Riche!

So we haven’t had much time with these three yet, but I’m starting to get a feel for their priorities. Dante would never, ever in a million years admit to anything like fondness for Vanitas, or vice versa, but underneath all the mutual sniping I think there’s a small bond there. A teeny tiny one.

Whereas with Johann -- he honestly doesn’t care about Vanitas one way or another. If V were to be killed in front of them, I think Dante would be shocked and frozen for at least a second while Johann would say, ‘welp, it’s been a lark, toodle-loo’, grab his Two People, and get them all the hell out of there, not bothering to look back.

Riche, I don’t know enough about yet. She mostly registers to me as the rookie of this trio, tbh.

Yes, antagonize the massively powerful warrior who just threw Noé through a brick wall. That’s a good plan. (is this the plan, that would be a terrible plan)

Ooo, history, I love history. I especially love MochiJun’s history and how layered and batshit it can get once the reveals start to hit.

So the vampire-human war happened a long time ago -- how long ago, we don’t know. We know that BlueVampire!Vanitas was alive during that time. We know that Jeanne was alive during that time, but was then put asleep.

(Why? Some thoughts: she was a weapon of war and put away when peace came; she went off the rails and had to be subdued; her being put asleep was a condition of some kind; she wanted to be put under, etc. There’s no way to know what really happened yet, but it’s interesting to think about.)

We also now know that BlueVampire!Vanitas used to tell Vanitas stories about the war that clearly didn’t leave out many details. But that wording...honestly, it sounds like maybe Vanitas was a kid when he heard this? Telling stories is something you usually do with a kid, which might make sense because.human!Vanitas doesn’t look that old. Anything that happened more than a few years ago would slide into ‘kid’ territory.

Which makes me wonder...did BlueVampire!Vanitas raise human!Vanitas? Or teach him, at least? I’d be a neat parallel to Noé and his teacher.

(what if they’re the same person, bwahahaha)

Anyway, back to Vanitas taunting the highly aggravated weapon of mass destruction.

Oooo, he’s about to pull out a special move. And he -- dropped the book?

is that thing really there, or is it, like, symbolic

oh shi-

The gloves are literally about to come off...!

That kid’s got horrible timing.

Ohoho, someone woke up from their nap. Was this part of the plan or is it an interesting complication?

Ow.

...IT WAS A TRICK, you sly dog.

also vampires are monsters, huh? or just curse-bearers and bourreaus? i think this distinction may be a biiiiit important. (is this why you’re always so shocked when Noé does/says something decent, oh boy)

LMAO, oh god, I hope this Greek chorus follows Vanitas around all the time just to drag him, wouldn’t that be amazing

Damn, boy -- he really knows how to work the superior disdain, doesn’t he?

I’m still shaky on how these true names work. Do vampires just fall into types, and that’s what gets warped? You’d think something called a ‘true name’ would be more individual than that.

Oi, Jeanne, you aren’t watching? Though I like Dante being all, ‘whatever, I’ve seen this show before.’

ahahaha, OOPS.

That’s what happens when you let your grandstanding get away from you, bb.

oh hey, look who was lurking nearby and NOT HELPING AT ALL.

“...you must be joking.” in this kind of context is like, one of my favorite lines.

Also damn, Jeanne is a badass.

Yeah, saw that coming.

She really shouldn’t have let Vanitas see how distracted she became when Luca wandered into danger.

*snorts* The Greek chorus doesn’t lie.

It’s a bluff, though; no way would Noé agree to harming the kid.

oh my god.

(”don’t forget to cover his mouth as you would a hostage, like so” akfdsajkfhkjf)

Noé, you are too innocent, too pure.

And she folds like a house of cards.

I don’t think even Vanitas expected this plan to work so well.

Oh, a little bit of crazy eyes there. This is gonna be a Thing, isn’t it? Vanitas, who, as far as we know, owes his loyalty to nothing and no one uses this to kick Jeanne while she’s down.

Heh, wonder what’s gonna happen when Vanitas finds something he wants to protect.

That is definitely a plotting look in his eye. He just saw how to use this to his advantage.

1. um what

2. hey, is this the first time we’ve seen him bare handed? It’s nice to know he doesn’t have actual claws under those gloves.

3. speaking of which, is that ‘my strength is suddenly gone’ bit because there IS something magic-related about his hands, or is she just in shock?

4. that is a very unnerving look. Vanitas, what are you doing

...holy crap, whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat??

Vanitas what are you doing

Shit, this is why the chapter was called “Love Femme Fatale”, oh geez.

dante, why do you look the most freaked out out of everyone?

Alright, I know Vanitas has been set up as being utterly unscrupulous, what with the lying and taking a little boy as a hostage and using a bloodthirsty monster to do his dirty work, etc, but seriously, someone needs to introduce him to the tenants of the #metoo campaign. Sure, fine, she tried to kill him two minutes ago, but this feels like a line too far.

...

Yeah, this ain’t real. The disdain, the fear, the calculation from before -- that was genuine. This is another bluff.

And I think I know why he’s doing it. Fighting Jeanne made it very clear that she is waaaaay out of his league, strength-wise. He only won through guile, and it’s a trick that might not work again. This woman has a well-earned, blood-soaked reputation, and she was gonna walk away from this fight seeing Vanitas as an enemy to herself and Luca.

But Vanitas saw her weakness -- she lets her bonds with those she cares about distract her. She’s a killer, but she’s sentimental. Emotional.

So, if you’re Vanitas, how do you deal with this, knowing that Jeanne the Hellfire Witch might become a problem for you down the line? How do you plan to defeat a potential foe who is so much stronger than you, someone you could never hope to defeat in a fair fight?

Apparently, if you’re Vanitas, you try to seduce them.

Even if the actual seduction part doesn’t work, you can still mess with her head just enough to make her confused, maybe make her a little more likely to hesitate when it’s time for the gauntlet to finally come down.

And a split-second’s hesitation could be all Vanitas would need to make his counter.

(sidenote: i still think it’s  h i l a r i o u s  that Dante is the most outraged about all this kissing and love declaration stuff. Noé apparently can’t hear any of this at all, which I think is very convenient. We don’t get to see his reaction to this kind of game until later, apparently.)

Uh-oh. Looks like this kid is powerful and very, very pissed.

“A large-scale “formula” revision” mmhmm, okay, what’s that supposed to mean? Am I getting an explanation for the magic system yet?

Looks like it’s not just Luca keeping Jeanne from going off the rails -- she does the same for him.

Look at that. She’s throwing death threats but now she’s blushing, she sure as hell wouldn’t have been blushing before he kissed her, the stupid plan is working.

And honestly, aggravation and confusion are probably going to work better than actual tender feelings in this seduction. He’s going to play this role to the goddamn hilt.

Look at that face, the jerk.

Alright, that’s a better face.

Noé has no idea what he’s getting into, the poor soul.

(he didn’t have much of a presence in this chapter, did he. maybe Jeanne is mostly going to be a Vanitas subplot instead of a Vanitas-and-Noé subplot)

Apparently we’ve traded one killer on the streets for another. And even more intriguing -- he recognized this killer. ‘Course, now he’s dead, so I don’t know how useful that’s gonna be.

Whimsical creature of darkness! I did not miss you.

The true threat is revealed with a name -- “Charlatan”. But, you know --

(Charlatan: a person who falsely pretends to know or be something.)

-- which makes me think there’s proooobably something else behind this guy. He is a fake, after all. (Though, hey, ‘charlatan’ is a nice contrast with Vanitas the doctor, don’t you think.)

That’s all for chapter 4! What a night, eh?

Next, CHAPTER 5.